FINAL EXAMINATION - SUPPLEMENTARY

SEMESTER 2 2020 MA
Family Name:

Given Names:

Student Number:

Student Signature:

Unit Name (in full):
Unit Code:
Time Allowed:
Number of Questions:
Total Number of Pages:
Lecturer/s:
Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
GBU200
To be submitted into Turnitin no later than 5PM Monday 20 September
2021.
5 Short answer questions; and Part B: 1 Essay Question
11
Ms Bernadette Sarroff

INSTRUCTIONS
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING
1 Write your name, student number and SIGN in the space provided in the table at top of this
examination paper.
2 Part B worth 20 marks, Part C is worth 10 marks. This paper totals 40 marks and will be converted
to 50% of the total grade for the unit.
3 All work must be original student work. Referencing using the Harvard method is required. Marks
will be deducted for irrelevant references.

DO NOT TAKE THIS PAPER FROM THE EXAMINATION ROOM

MCQ BQ1 BQ2 BQ3 BQ4 CQ1 Total

 Part B: 4 Short Answer Questions

Question B1 (3 marks)
Why is the giving and receiving of gifts in a business context morally problematic (1.5 marks)? When is it
morally justifiable to received gifts in a business context? (1.5 marks)

Ans:

Accepting and giving gifts is the manifestation of gratitude, love and respect. It is basically based upon
premise of reciprocity which means what you give, you can expect the same in return. More specifically,
we can say that “what you sow, you will reap” is the philosophy behind gifts acceptance and receiving.
But it can be problematic in business perspective. Giving and receiving of gifts may be associate with
bribery for taking advantage. Sometimes, gifts can create an undue pressure on others to coerce others
implicitly for taking any sort of advantage. In business context, it may spoil relationships which may be
detrimental for overall organization. Due to these reasons, gifts may create problems in business
context.

However, it may be justifiable on certain grounds. Different organizations have different policies for gifts
acceptance and giving. These policies and procedures may specific any kind of potential harm in case of
gifts exchange. Within the boundary of procedures, it may be justified to exchange gifts. Proper code of
conduct is required to be followed by organizational members in order to justify gifts exchange.

Question B2 (3 marks)
Outline the role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Australian organisations (2 marks) Provide an
example of an Australian company practicing Corporate Social Responsibility (1 marks per point).

Ans:

CSR is a concept that assist organizations to be more socially responsible towards stakeholders. This is
also termed as corporate citizenship. CSR revolves around the concept of balancing between three
aspects i.e. economic, social and environmental. In Australian organizations, it is essential to report on
CSR activities. Companies are required to focus on all stakeholders such as investors, suppliers,
consumers, employees, society etc.

In Australia, “Coles” is an organization which is focusing on CSR. It’s a supermarket and it has the aim of
becoming sustainable supermarket serving all elements of society.

GBU200 Business Ethics and CSR Semester 2 2020 Final Assessment – Supplementary MA page 2 of 7
Question B3 (6 marks)

List and explain four (4) characteristics of ethical leaders (4 marks). Identify one ethical leader in the
Australian context (1 mark). Outline why they are considered an ethical leader (1 mark)

Ethical leader is one who consistently makes the judgments they believe are correct—regardless of how
unpopular or uncomfortable they may be. To make sound judgments, an ethical leader is required to
possess a strong set of principles and traits on which they can rely when times are rough.

Fairness
A moral leader cannot favour one group over another, as they are always a representation of fairness. To
gain your team's support and agreement with your judgments, you must demonstrate that you
investigated all viable possibilities fairly and kept each team member in consideration. Employees should
have no reason to fear that you are making judgments based on gender, ethnicity, or age bias.

Honesty
Undoubtedly people lack faith in persons who regularly mislead or conceal facts. That is why, regardless
of the repercussions, an ethical leader must be truthful and fair. Almost often, your members of the
team would prefer to hear the disagreeable truth over a likeable lie. Consistent truthfulness fosters trust
between a leader and his or her team and encourages open discussion about job performance, personal
issues, and workplace challenges.

Respectful
While you may be a leader and officially have a superior position in the command structure, your
teammates must never feel the same way. To demonstrate respect for your staff or followers, you must
always listen intently, appreciate their contributions, and refrain from dismissing their worries or
suggestions. As an ethical leader, your goal should be to instil a sense of unity and common purpose
among your team members.

Lead by example
An ethical leader must be able to showcase himself / herself as an example for others. In this way,
followers try to imitate leaders. An ethical leader cannot motivate employees or team members if there
is lacking in term of setting example.

In Australian context, Scott John Morrison (prime minister of Australia) can be an example of ethical
leadership. The reason he is considered as ethical leader is that he has portrayed fairness in his political
career and try to lead others by setting examples. He has been an honest politician in leading Australia
toward prosperity

GBU200 Business Ethics and CSR Semester 2 2020 Final Assessment – Supplementary MA page 3 of 7
Question B4 (8 marks)
a. Outline what a whistle-blower program is. (2 marks)
A whistle-blower programme is a pragmatic and essential tool for handling workplace breaches and
it is something that all organisations may utilise. The viability of a whistleblowing programme is
contingent upon capturing the necessary components that assure the program's excellence.
However, no organisation is one-size-fits-all.
Despite its international expansion, whistleblowing has been inadequately comprehended and, at
times, maligned in Australia due to the harm caused by whistle-blowers. It is rapidly becoming a
necessary tool for organisations seeking to combat misconduc

b. Discuss the current Corporations Act in relation to whistleblowing (2 marks).

In 2019, “Treasury Laws Amendment (Enhancing Whistle-blower Protections) Bill 2017”. This bill has
amended the Corporate Act and. The Corporations Act currently compels all the public corporations,
major proprietary companies and proprietary enterprises that are trustees of registered surplus pension
organisations to make their officers and workers aware of their policy by January 1 st, 2020.

c. Outline the main protections available under the Corporations Act. (2 marks)
Main protections are as follows
 It hides the identity of whistle-blowers
 It offers remedial action to victims
 It has penalties for non-compliance

d. Outline on Australian example of a whistle-blower program (2 marks)

In Australia, one such example of whistle blowing is “Your call” This was started in 2004 when “Your Call
was a leader”. Their experience as Australia's first online whistle-blower service that was connected with
a standard phone hotline has allowed to deal with hundreds of unique disclosure circumstances and
collaborate with some of the country's top organisations. Therefore, “Your Call” is the leading impartial
source of recommended practice organisation external whistleblowing helplines and related services, as
well as the leading independent supplier of related services.
They started as a one-person start-up has now evolved into an integrated in-house team that provides
services to organisations located in Australia and New Zealand that operate across the world. Their
service complies with the Corporations Act 2011 whistleblowing obligations

GBU200 Business Ethics and CSR Semester 2 2020 Final Assessment – Supplementary MA page 4 of 7
Part D: Essay Question

Question C1 (10 marks)

Discuss the role of the Fair Work Act in Australia. Your answer should include the following:
● Details of the Act (2 marks)
● Role of the Fair Work Ombudsman (1 mark)
● List and discuss the ten National Employment Standards (5 marks)
● Provide one example, with explanation, of how the Fair Work Commission has engaged in
upholding Fair Work practices (3 marks)
● Please use essay format - Introduction, Discussion and Conclusion – no referencing necessary (1
mark)

1. Introduction

In Australia, there is a legal system for managing fair work at organizations and workplaces. In this
regard, Fair Work Act 2009 and Fair Work regulations are related to deal with relations. In Australia,
these are the laws that govern the employee-employer relationship. They offer a safety net of basic
entitlements, allow for flexible work options and equality at work, and prohibit unfair labour practices
from taking place in the workplace. It is now possible for states to refer matters to the Australian federal
government in order to establish a national workplace relations system. This is made possible by the Fair
Work Act 2009 and the Fair Work Amendment Act 2009. Prior to this, most individual states were in
charge of establishing and enforcing workplace regulations. States retained their authority over local and
state personnel in terms of workplace relationships.

2. Discussion

The Fair Work system was established by the “Fair Work Act 2009”, and it went into effect on July 1st,
2009. The Fair Work system refers to the minimum employment rules and agency bodies established by
the Fair Work Act 2009, as well as the agencies that administer them. It is the federal plan of labour-
management interactions.

2.1 Fair Work Ombudsman

The “Fair Work Ombudsman” (FWO) is an autonomous organisation established by the Fair Work Act
2009 to resolve complaints about unfair labour practises (FW Act). Sandra Parker is the FWO and the
agency's executive director. The FWO is backed up by a team of professionals who help with the
fulfilment of workplace adherence and advising responsibilities as outlined in the FW Act and other
applicable laws. The Federal Workplace Relations Office (FWO) maintains offices across Australia,
including in the metropolitan cities and rural regions of all provinces and territory.

The FWO's staff is dedicated to giving sound advice and supporting both employers and employees in
resolving workplace disputes and conflicts. Equally important, the FWO appoints Fair Work Inspectors,
who are entitled to examine and enforce compliance with Australia's employment laws and workplace
instruments, which include but are not limited to:

 Employment contract terms, record-keeping requirements, and pay slip duties are all covered
under the FW Act.
 Standards of national employment
 Enterprise agreements
 Award based instruments
 Orders related to Fair Work Commission

2.2 National Employment Standards

GBU200 Business Ethics and CSR Semester 2 2020 Final Assessment – Supplementary MA page 5 of 7
National Employment standards are listed below

 “Maximum weekly hours”

 “Requests for flexible working arrangements”
 “Offers and requests to convert from casual to permanent employment”
 “Parental leave and related entitlements”
 “Annual leave”
 “Personal/carer's leave, compassionate leave and unpaid family and domestic violence leave”
 “Community service leave”
 “Long service leave”
 “Public holidays”
 “Notice of termination and redundancy pay”
 “Fair Work Information Statement and Casual Employment Information Statement”

National employment standards are required to be provided to all employees. All employees in national
workplace systems are covered under these national employment standards.

2.3 Fair Work Commission

The Fair Work Commission is Australia's labour relations court, which has jurisdiction over all aspects of
workplace relations. Its mission is to assist both employees and employers in maintaining ethical and
effective workplaces as long as possible. The Commission is an independent organisation that is
governed by the “Fair Work Act 2009”.

Example:
An employee's financial misbehaviour can erode confidence and trust in a work relationship.
Unfortunately, financial malfeasance is a regular occurrence in Australian organisations, and if not
addressed immediately, it may lead to more mishaps. Recently, FWC assessed the seriousness of
financial wrongdoing at an organization in Australia. Although the financial wrongdoing was minor, the
FWC deemed it to be a breach of the work relationship and thus a sufficient basis for dismissal. The
employee was a full-time “Customer Service Specialist” at one of branches of “Credit Union Australia
Ltd” branches. The branch used to let workers buy drinks for clients who spent a long time at the branch.
The transaction would be charged to the company's designated coffee account. The Branch Manager
observed odd charges to the corporate coffee account in June 2020. Asked about the purchases, the Café
Manager responded, “I warned them, I told them they would be caught.” The Branch Manager
investigated the inconsistencies on the company's coffee account and concluded that the quantities
billed during March and April, 2020 seemed high given the long COVID-19 shut-down period that
reduced consumer traffic. After intervention of FWC, it found that the employee's actions, untruthful
claims, and the nature of the financial business necessitated dismissal. The FWC dismissed the
employee's application because the employee had committed severe misbehaviour and the discharge
was not harsh, unfair, or arbitrary.

3. Conclusion

To conclude the discussion, national employment laws in Australia provide protection to all level of
employees. Due to this, Australia has fair working conditions and unfair means at workplaces are
controlled to a greater extent.

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 ---- End of Exam paper ---

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