Reference no: EM133020309

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.

QUESTIONS

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

1. What is the 'tragedy of the commons' theory and how does this relate to environmental ethics? 240

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.