1 Your next assessment item is due Week 10 on Friday April 26 at 12 noon. Please allow yourself enough time before the final due date to upload your essay to Turnitin so that you can check your referencing and make any subsequent changes to your references. Once you are satisfied that you have followed referencing guidelines, email your essay to me at
[email protected] and attach (a) your essay as a Word doc and (b) your final Turnitin similarity report as a PDF. Assessment item Description Value Due Test Topics Weeks 1 to 3 15% Week 4 Essay 1500 word essay 25% Week 10 Oral Presentation Individual presentation 10% Week 12 Tutorial Participation Quality of contribution 10% Ongoing Examination Closed book 40% Exam Week TOTAL 100% Essay Question The scale of international flows of goods, services and financial capital has gained remarkable momentum in the past thirty years, with many factors being responsible for this development. Within the context of globalised commerce, select two topics covered in this unit and examine the relationship between them to show why you think their relationship is important in the world of business. You must choose two sections from the following list: 1. Finance 2. Governance 3. Resources These sections are described in more detail in the next two pages. This research essay relates directly to topics already covered in Transforming Business. Students will be assessed on their research and on the coherence and application of their findings. Objective: To enable students to research a topic and then develop a structured, discussion essay. Your essay is expected to present a clear position (thesis) with evidence to support your key points. The evidence can be drawn from the media, arguments in the readings, as well as lecture notes. Since the purpose of essay writing is to assist you in developing your capacity to produce academic work for further tertiary education, you are advised not to use materials from non-scholarly websites. A minimum of eight sources is expected. For researched work to be considered a D or HD the reference requirement would be double this. The assignment must be fully referenced, using the Chicago system, Times New Roman font size 12 and double-spaced on a single side of A4 pages. mailto:
[email protected] 2 Correct referencing is worth 5% maximum. Students are strongly advised to read the citation guide on the Library site at http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/find/citation. NOTE: Students are advised that Wikipedia is not a reliable source and should NOT be used for the essay. The DS150 Transforming Business unit is divided into five general topic areas. They are: (1) The Business Context of Globalisation (2) Finance (3) Governance (4) Resources (5) Culture Wk Overall Topics 1. Topic 1: Context Examines the dominant conception of globalisation together with responses to it. Globalization: Some view it as a process that is beneficial, that it is a key to future world economic development and that it is inevitable and irreversible. Others regard it with hostility, even fear, believing that it increases inequality both within and between nations, threatens employment and living standards and thwarts social progress. Globalisation offers extensive opportunities for truly worldwide development but it is not progressing evenly. Some countries are becoming integrated into the global economy more quickly than others. So globalisation is not solely economic – it has political, legal and social dimensions and each of these must be understood and contested. 2. Topic 2: Finance Introduces aspects of finance that may not have been previously considered. Islamic Finance: Australia now does a significant proportion of its international trade with Islamic countries, countries where finance is treated in a different manner to that which Australian businesses are used to. Microcredit: over the past three decades, micro-finance has become one of the most high-profile strategies for addressing poverty in developing and transitioning countries and has also extended into credit unions in developed countries including the US, Canada and France. Micro-finance is a platform to advance poor people’s access to affordable financial services that has become controversial in more recent times. 3. Topic 3: Governance Examines how aspects of governance impact on business. Public Policy: It is a necessary function of government and policy issues must be fully examined and understood in order to derive maximum benefit from the implementation of policies and regulations. Inequality of Wealth and Incomes: Global wealth is spread unevenly across the globe, both across countries and within countries. This in part is due to historical, political and social factors. 4. Topic 3: Governance The Politics of International Business: Examines the relationship between business and politics in the international arena Civil Society: The relationship between democracy and civil society is central to many debates surrounding civil society. Claims include for example, that a healthy democracy requires a robust civil society; alternatively, that a free and self-determining civil society cannot exist in an authoritarian or non-democratic context – in other words, that http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/find/citation 3 civil society requires democracy. 5. Topic 3: Governance CSR: While much is discussed and talked about, there is no unified theory or universally shared understanding of what CSR is and stands for. Greening Business: Considers how CSR has been implemented through the ‘greening of business’ 6. Topic 4: Resources Traces the rise of the resource sector in WA and explores the facilitating role of government in this context. Resource Security: Highlights the close relationship between industry and government in light of recent resource conflicts in the state. Politics and Economics of Mining: Questions the sustainability and effects of mining. PLEASE NOTE: THE FOLLOWING TOPICS MAY NOT BE INCLUDED IN YOUR ESSAY 8. Topic 4: Resources Exploitation in Global Supply Chains: Looks at migrant labour’s role in globalisation. Fair Trade: Considers the questions of fair trade and free trade 9. Topic: Culture Changes in the Australian Workplace and Diversity 10 Topic: Culture Sustainable Tourism and Culture in International Business Parts of an Essay Introductory paragraph (the purpose) An effective essay must have a clear introductory paragraph. An introductory paragraph has a thesis statement which introduces the reader (audience) to the purpose of the essay and should highlight the main discussion points. Body paragraphs (information and explanation) Body paragraphs contain the information on which the writer’s discussion is based. This may include information from print sources such as books, newspaper articles, and journals, and electronic sources such as websites, e-books, and on-line journals. This information should always be correctly referenced. Concluding paragraph (the summary) A concluding paragraph restates the thesis of the essay, summarises the main points for the reader and concludes the essay with a strong final statement. Introductory Paragraph An introductory paragraph introduces the topic of the essay and outlines a ‘plan’ of the essay. The first two/four sentences are general statements. 4 The final two sentences are the thesis statement. They state the specific topic, define the writer position, and lists the major subtopics that will be discussed in the body of the essay. The paragraph should form a funnel introduction. This means that each general statement becomes slightly more specific the closer it gets to the thesis statement. Body Paragraphs Body paragraphs contain the information on which the writer’s discussion is based. This may include information from print sources such as books, newspaper articles, and journals, and electronic sources such as websites, e-books, and on-line journals. This information should always be correctly referenced. The number of body paragraphs is dictated by the number of main points outlined in the thesis statement. Body paragraphs consist of a topic sentence (in which the writer clearly introduces the main point to be discussed in the paragraph), supporting sentences (in which the writer explains/argues this point in more detail), a quote or example (where the writer uses information from a reliable source to support their point), and finally a concluding sentence (where the writer restates the main point of the paragraph. Quotes and Examples It may be necessary to use quotes and examples from reliable sources to give greater credibility to your paragraphs. When using quotes and examples, it is important that you properly introduce the source of the quote and provide the correct in-text reference. The Concluding Paragraph A concluding paragraph summarises the essay’s findings. It should include a restated thesis statement (in which the thesis statement is repeated with slightly different wording) a number of sentences which summarise each of the main points, and a rounding off statement (which indicates the writer’s final thoughts on the topic). A concluding paragraph should not include any new information or quotes. Transition Signals Transition signals should be used throughout an essay to guide the reader through the essay’s structure. In a way transitional signals are a little like street signs. They can remind the reader where they have been in an essay, tell them where they are, or suggest what is coming up. They also act a little like bridges between parts of writing. 5 Here are a few transition signals that you could use: To indicate sequence or to order information To introduce an example To logically divide an idea To summarise or conclude followed by in this case first, in summary initially for example next, in conclusion at this point for instance finally in brief next, before, after on this occasion firstly, as a result next, last, finally to illustrate secondly, on the whole concurrently to demonstrate thirdly summing up previously, this can be seen initially, as shown simultaneously when/where . . . subsequently, ultimately after that take the case of ultimately therefore meanwhile in this