Course: BUSI 601: Ethics, CSR, and Business Environment

Due Week 9 at 12:30pm (Pacific Standard Time (PST))

Individual Assignment: Final Reflection Analysis (20%)

Title: Exploring the relationship between corporate social responsibility and firm competitiveness

For this assignment you are required to express your own opinion on the given article “Exploring the relationship between corporate social
responsibility and firm competitiveness” (A copy of the article has been posted on the module). Your reflections (opinion, analysis, and
interpretation of the material) are required to be supported by using specific quotations from the article with appropriate references. The
objective of this assignment is to enhance your critical thinking skills on the topic areas to recognize how your opinion supports or opposes what
you read. However, there is no right or wrong answer. You may address the following questions but not limited to:
• How has the article affected you?
• What did you learn from the article?
• How did the article catch your attention?
• Are there any questions that have not been answered or any critical issues that have not been solved?
• Do the contents of the article affect your future thinking? Why or why not?

Assignment requirements and format style

The following format is applied for this assignment:
• The paper should be 1500 words (not including cover/title page, references, or figures as an appendix).
• The report must include a title page, table of contents, introduction (statement of the objective, brief summary of the article, any
themes/topics you are going to explore), results and discussion (include direct quotations and references, examples, and supporting
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BUSI 601: Ethics, CSR, and Business Environment Spring 2023 Dr Hiran Roy
 arguments), conclusion (summarize your opinions and ideas that you have described in the results and discussion section, what you have
learned from the article through your analysis and the areas of your future thinking. Do not introduce any new ideas in this section), list
of references, and appendices (if any).
• Please include your word count on the cover/title page.
• Do not exceed the word limit. Marks will be deducted for excessive length.
• 12-point font, normal margins, double-spaced, and font type: Times New Roman.
• All paragraphs must be indented into 5 spaces and all pages must be paginated.
• No TYPOS, grammar, or spelling errors.
• Students must use a minimum of 10 references (more are better). All 10 references must come from peer-reviewed academic journals.
• Students must use APA format when citing literature.
• Students are encouraged to use Grammarly to avoid plagiarism. If plagiarism is identified in the paper, the student will receive a zero for
the assignment.
• Assignments that are received by the instructor after the time they are due will be considered late. Please note that the 10% per day late
penalty is a minimum standard and cannot be reduced or eliminated.
• Documents should be submitted in Microsoft word document only.

Note: APA references should be on separate page. APA writing conventions should be followed in the plan with sources/ websites
referred to, properly referenced, and cited including in APA format, the report must demonstrate analysis of the material and its
application to the workplace.

The submission date is mentioned in the course schedule (i.e., week 10) in the course syllabus. All submissions will be made on Moodle. Please
note that assignment submissions are ONLY accepted on Moodle and NOT on email. Kindly rename your assignment file by your respective
name before you upload. For example, if John Smith is submitting his assignment his assignment file name should be “Johnsmith”.

• The Academic Research Paper Analysis will be graded from 20% as per the rubric mentioned below. Before you get started, please
carefully review the marking rubric below.

1-4 Scale 1 2 3 4
Percentage Score 0-59 60-67 68-71 72-75 76-79 80-84 85-89 90-100
Weight
Grades F C B- B B+ A- A A+
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BUSI 601: Ethics, CSR, and Business Environment Spring 2023 Dr Hiran Roy
 Approaching
Mastery Level Below Standard Above Competent Mastery
Standard
Approaching
Standard Level Developing Competent Exceeds Standard
Mastery
Total
Subject Matter
40%
"Key elements are
not adequately "Key elements are
"Key elements are
covered. completely covered.
mostly covered. "Key elements are
Content is not Content is
Content is mostly adequately covered.
comprehensive, has comprehensive,
accurate but lacks Content is accurate
inaccuracies and is accurate and
persuasiveness. and persuasive.
not persuasive. persuasive.
Displays some Displays adequate
Answering questions and results Displays lack of Displays superior
understanding of understanding of
of research 40 understanding of understanding of
relevant theory. relevant theory.
relevant theory. relevant theory.
Points mostly Points supported by
Points not Points fully
supported by references.
adequately supported by specific
references. Research is adequate
supported by references.
Research is lacking in content and
references. Research is superior
in content and quality"
Research is lacking in content and
quality"
in content and quality"
quality"
Organization & Critical Total
Thinking 30%

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BUSI 601: Ethics, CSR, and Business Environment Spring 2023 Dr Hiran Roy
 "Introduction
"Introduction provides background
"Introduction "Introduction
provides poor level of paper missing
provides good level provides superior
of background of some key elements.
of background of level of background
paper. Structure of paper is
paper. of paper.
Structure of paper is not clear, and it is
Structure of paper is Structure of paper is
not clear and is not easy to follow
clear, and train of very clear and easy
difficult to follow train of thought
thought process is to follow train of
train of thought process.
Demonstration of thought understandable. thought process.
process. Conclusion follows
process and analysis of problem Conclusion mostly Conclusion follows
15 Conclusion does not from body of paper
and resolution using own follows logically logically from body
follow logically from but misses key
thoughts and ideas from body of paper. of paper.
body of paper. points.
Critical Thinking is Critical Thinking is
Critical Thinking is Critical Thinking is
present: logical present through
lacking missing not fully present:
argumentation & logical
logical missing key points of
reasoning shows, argumentation &
argumentation & logical
reasonable examples reasoning, concrete
reasoning, concrete argumentation &
& valid inferences examples & valid
examples & valid reasoning, concrete
are made" inferences"
inferences" examples & valid
inferences"

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BUSI 601: Ethics, CSR, and Business Environment Spring 2023 Dr Hiran Roy
 Similarities and Similarities and
differences are differences are
Similarities and Similarities and
organized generally organized generally
differences have differences have
clearly using the clearly using the
been clearly been clearly
block or thematic block or thematic
organized using organized using
method but one of method but one of
either the block or either the block or
the paragraphs may the paragraphs may
thematic method. thematic method.
cover more than one cover more than one
Very clear Very clear
main idea. main idea.
Coherence, Cohesion, relationship between relationship between
Generally clear Generally clear
organization, demonstration of ideas ideas
relationship between relationship between
thought process, analysis of 15 Accurate use of Accurate use of
ideas ideas
problem using own thoughts and connectors connectors
Mostly correct use of Mostly correct use of
ideas Accurate use of Accurate use of
connectors. connectors.
pronouns pronouns
Mostly correct use of Mostly correct use of
Clear match between Clear match between
pronouns pronouns
the topic sentence, the topic sentence,
The topic sentence, The topic sentence,
supporting sentences supporting sentences
supporting sentences supporting sentences
and concluding and concluding
and concluding and concluding
sentence in each sentence in each
sentence (if any) sentence (if any)
body paragraph body paragraph
support one main support one main
idea. idea.
Total
Style & Mechanics
30%

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BUSI 601: Ethics, CSR, and Business Environment Spring 2023 Dr Hiran Roy
 7th Ed. APA Manual
7th Ed. APA Manual
7th Ed. APA Manual 7th Ed. APA Manual is followed with no
is not followed or
is followed with is followed with errors including:
there are significant
significant errors in: minor errors in: properly formatted
APA errors in:
title page & formatted title page, title page, properly
title page &
references pages. In- formatted references formatted references
Application of the requirements references pages. In-
10 text citations, pages, in-text pages, in-text
of the 7th APA manual to create text citations,
paraphrasing and citations, citations are
a standardized formatted paraphrasing and
direct quotes are paraphrasing, and correctly used,
presentation direct quotes are
lacking but do not direct quotes are paraphrasing and
quite inadequate but
rise to the level of adequately used in direct quotes are
do not rise to the
plagiarism the correct context properly used in the
level of plagiarism
correct context

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BUSI 601: Ethics, CSR, and Business Environment Spring 2023 Dr Hiran Roy
 Grammar and Grammar and Grammar and
sentence structure sentence structure sentence structure Grammar and
Grammar/Punctuation/Spelling
has major problems has problems mostly follows sentence structure
following standard following standard standard English follows standard
Use of proper English language
10 English rules and English rules and rules and reads English rules and
grammar, spelling and
reads with difficulty reads with some reasonably well with reads well with
punctuation to create a readable
with major errors in difficulty with errors few errors in excellent punctuation
presentation.
punctuation and in punctuation and punctuation and and spelling
spelling spelling spelling

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BUSI 601: Ethics, CSR, and Business Environment Spring 2023 Dr Hiran Roy
 Sentences are
Sentences are consistently
Sentences need to be Sentences are mostly
lacking in complete, clear,
more complete, complete, clear,
completeness, concise, and well-
clear, concise, and concise, and well-
clearness, constructed with
well-constructed. constructed.
conciseness and are strong, varied
Transitions do not Transitions mostly
not well-structured. structure.
maintain flow of maintain flow of
Readability & Style Transitions do not Transitions
thought well. thought.
maintain flow of consistently maintain
Words are not Words are mostly
Clarity of thought and thought. flow of thought.
10 precise and have precise with little
appropriate level of language Words are Words are quite
some ambiguity. ambiguity.
use that brings the author's ambiguous. precise and
Tone is not Tone is mostly
thoughts and ideas to the reader. Tone is unambiguous.
appropriate to appropriate to
inappropriate to Tone is completely
audience/assessment. audience/assessment.
audience/assessment. appropriate to
Colloquial language Colloquial language
Colloquial language audience/assessment.
or inappropriate use or inappropriate use
or inappropriate use No colloquial
of paraphrasing is of paraphrasing is
of paraphrasing is language or
used too much. used sparingly.
used. inappropriate use of
paraphrasing used.
Marks 100% Additional Comments

• The Turnitin similarity score:

• Acceptable range is up to 20% (University policy is 15%).
• Do not directly copy the assignment question, this will increase your similarity score.
• Between 20 to 30%, there will be deduction of up to 30% of your grade depending on the grade.
• Over 30%: Will receive a grade of “F (Fail)” automatically.
• You only get one chance to submit your assignment through Turnitin.
• If you use Grammerly as an initial check for similarity score, remember that Turnitin will add a minimum of extra 15%-20%
to the score you get from Grammarly so do not trust it.
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BUSI 601: Ethics, CSR, and Business Environment Spring 2023 Dr Hiran Roy
 • How to lower the similarity scores
• Do not directly quote from references (not even one sentence). Always paraphrase everything and include proper citation.
• If you do a poor job of researching for references, you will include many references that other students have already used, thus
you will end up increasing your similarity score.
• If it is taking you to look only 30 minutes to find a particular reference, chances are extremely high that previous students have
already used those. So, if you use the same reference, it will increase your similarity score.
• Avoid searching through Google.
• Go to the library (not just UCW but also other libraries) and search for journal articles and books.
• Search for online journal articles from scholarly portal (i.e., Google scholar).

• Consequences of Plagiarism
• First offence: Zero on the assignment and one strike on your permanent student record.
• Second offence: Automatic failure of the course.
• Third offence: Expelled from the school.
• Trouble with Turnitin submission
• Please note that I do not have authority over the Turnitin system. If you have experience with Turnitin submission, please contact
the IT department.
• If you submit your assignment at the last moment and experience submission problems, there is nothing I can do for you. So, it is
really a clever idea to submit your assignment a couple of days before the due date, so you still have time to fix it if you
experience submission problems.
• Email on the weekends with problems
• I am sure that you do not like receiving work emails on the weekends and that is the same for me so I will reply on Monday.

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BUSI 601: Ethics, CSR, and Business Environment Spring 2023 Dr Hiran Roy