Reference no: EM132388935

BUS201 Business Ethics Assignment - Case Study, College of Business and Law - Charles Darwin University, Australia

Task - The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the largest coral reef structure in the world and located along the east coast of Queensland, Australia. Since 1981 it is recognised as an UNESCO World Heritage Site for its natural beauty and ecological importance. Over the last few decades, however, economic developments and some major natural events along the Queensland coast have caused a range of problems that impact on the environmental quality of the GBR. Recent reports and news articles state that the outlook for the GBR moved from already 'poor' to 'very poor', which increased the call for urgent action, especially from environmental groups.

The main task of the assignment is to analyse the situation around the GBR from a business ethics perspective and to critically discuss using the 'tragedy of the commons' and ethical theories. Please see below task and questions that you need to address in your assignment. The case study assignment is organised into three parts, an analysis, a critical discussion, and recommendation and reflection.

The 'tragedy of the Great Barrier Reef'?

As part of your analysis, address the following points:

• Provide a brief introduction about the GBR and its importance.
• What are the key stakeholder groups and their interests?
• What are the key environmental issues that affect the GBR?
• In your analysis, consider the different ethical theories.

As part of your critical discussion, address the following points:

• What is the 'tragedy of the commons' theory and how does this relate to environmental ethics?
• Do we have a 'tragedy of the GBR'? Critically discuss in the context of your above analysis (stakeholders, issues, ethics) and the 'tragedy of the commons' theory.
• Do businesses have a right to use the GBR's finite resources or impact on its environmental assets for the sake of economic success? Use ethical theory to justify your answer.
• Does the GBR and its non-human inhabitants have rights on their own? Or are the rights of the human population more important? Use ethical theory to justify your answer.
• What role do environmental groups play in highlighting the environmental issues of the GBR and are these groups just anti-business? Use ethical theory to justify your answer.

As part of your recommendation and reflection, address the following points:

• In your view, whose responsibility is it to act on the environmental issues to prevent a further decline of the environmental quality of the GBR? And what kind of actions you think are needed. Explain.
• Which of the identified issues concerns you personally most and why? Explain.
• Overall, how do you see the future of the GBR?

In this assessment, you have the opportunity to analyse and discuss a current environmental situation in Australia from a business ethics perspective. The analysis part will enable you to research and review the role of the GBR, its stakeholder groups, and the environmental issues affecting the reef. In the critical discussion, you then will need to use the 'tragedy of the commons' and ethical theory to critically discuss questions regarding the GBR and environmental aspects. In the recommendation and reflection part, you will have the opportunity to provide your personal views and reflections. Within your case study assignment, please address the above listed tasks and questions, as well as support your text with evidence.

Length: 3,500 - 4,000 words (excluding title page, TOC, reference list, and appendices).