Unilever: Organization Analysis, Ethical Problems, and Proposed Solutions

For this assignment you will develop an individual case study that draws upon the various elements of theory from the module. The case study context should be an organisation of your choice; this might be an organisation/Industry you have previously worked in, the case organisation from the guest lecture or an organisation/Industry you are interested in. Your organisation should be approved by your tutor, and we recommend that you work on your assignment throughout the module. You will have the opportunity to receive formative feedback throughout the module on the work you develop, on a weekly basis.

Critically consider the position of your organisation/Industry in relation to sustainable and responsible business practice, in order to do this you will need to (1) critically evaluate and justify the need for responsible business; (2) explain the logic and underpinning theory associated with ethical decision making (normative, behavioural and management ethics), including the organisations approach to ethics and sustainability; and (3) explain how the various stakeholders are engaged with and impacted by this position. You should use real-world examples of current practice (including scandals or examples of innovative practice) to illustrate the position of your organisation. You may find it useful to compare and contrast the position of your organisation to others who operate in a similar field. Your task is to illustrate your understanding and appreciation of the ethical theory and how this is applied in practice to further the agenda of responsible and sustainable business behaviour and to consider recommendations to develop good practice within your selected organisation. Your recommendations should be in some depth rather than surface level solutions such as increased recycling or donating more money to charity etc.

Example Structure and Word Count

1. 1.     Context and Scenario (Guidance: 700 words)

Provide an overview of your chosen organisation and their approach to responsible business. Critically reflect responsible and ethical business approaches in line with relevant theory.

1. 2.     Ethical Underpinning (Guidance 700 words)  

Critically evaluate the ethical, social, and environmental impacts of your organisation and consider how the organisation might become more ethical and sustainable. How might the organisation decide what kind of role it should take in contributing to the wider / macro environment? This should be underpinned with ethical theory and reasoning.

1. 3.     The Role of Stakeholders and Proposed Solution(s) (Guidance: 700 words)

Identify and evaluate the role of stakeholders in your strategy. What does the organisation expect from its stakeholders in its new responsible and ethical approach? To what extent is the organisation innovative relative to sustainability within its organisational context? You might include examples of past attempts by other organisations to become more ethical and sustainable (including those who have failed, the guest Lecture might be useful here). What steps might your organisation take in relation to various stakeholders to become a more sustainable and responsible business.

1. 4.     The Resolution (Guidance: 400 words)

Describe the issues linked to the situation you have identified. Reflect on this outcome and consider how your organisation might respond to these challenges in the future.

Word limit and Submission Information

The word limit is 2,500 words. You must stick to the word limit plus or minus 10%. If you don't write enough words that is up to you. If you write too many we will disregard any over the limit, (as that is likely to be your conclusion it could affect your grade considerably). Turnitin tells us how many words there are. The bibliography and reference list don't count, but everything else does.

Submit your essay to the electronic submission point on blackboard and to Turnitin. Links for both submission points are on Blackboard under the Assessment tab. Versions submitted to both point MUST be identical.

ANY PIECE OF WORK THAT IS NOT SUBMITTED THROUGH BOTH THE ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION POINT AND TURNITIN BY THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE MARKED I.E. IT WILL BE TREATED AS A NON-SUBMISSION.