Details of task: There is increasing focus on the role of business in contributing to and addressing sustainability issues. This assignment seeks to get you quickly engaged with the business interface of a sustainability issue that you are most familiar and/or interested in. The intent is to encourage independent research, critical thinking and broadly improve your contextual knowledge of the business sector. Write a brief essay about a significant sustainable development issue of your choice (e.g. climate change, land degradation, salinity, water, biodiversity, poverty, human rights, slavery, diversity etc) impacting the business sector. You are expected to:
• Describe the issue (e.g. definition, cause and effects), outlining its evolution and highlighting key events that have defined the issue to date. Address the physical / factual dimensions of the issue (e.g. size, scope or scale of the issue) as well as the societal / regulatory / legal context, if appropriate, for how the issue has evolved (e.g. global agreements, national laws/regulation). Do not focus on any particular industry at this stage of the essay. (12%)
• Describe the interface / interactions of business with respect to the issue. How has business contributed to the issue? How has business been impacted? How has business responded? You may choose a specific industry, or industries, to focus on for this section but do not choose one specific organisation. (18%)
• Provide commentary and conclusions about the current trends and future responses to the issue and potential implications for business. (5%)
• Written expression: grammar, quality of references, essay structure and logic. (5%)
Word limit: 1500 words (excluding reference list and tables) Value: 40%
Please include your name, the title of the essay, page numbers and wordcount in the essay.
