Climate Action

RMIT Classification: Trusted ACCT2127 Assessment 3 instructions – Semester 2, 2020

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RMIT Classification: Trusted

 

ACCT2127 Assessment 3 The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Essay

Semester 2, 2020

DUE DATE: Sunday 18 October 2020, 10 pm (Melbourne time) (You may submit the assignment more than once before the due date. Only the latest submission will be marked. Please be advised that it could take a few hours for Turnitin’s Originality Report to be generated. Please also note that Turnitin will only generate one Originality Report in any 24-hour period – so you may have to wait longer to see a report on a resubmitted assignment than on your first submission.)

LENGTH: 3000-3500 words (excluding table of contents, reference list and Appendix (if any- appendix is optional)

MARKS: This assignment is worth 40% of the total assessment for this course. (There is no hurdle requirement for the individual assessment. Students need to achieve 50% or greater overall adding together all forms of assessment to pass the course). (Note: This assignment is to be completed as an individual exam)

 

Objectives of the Assignment This assignment develops your capabilities to analyse and conceptualise the Sustainable development goals (SDGs) issues and relate them to the contemporary business and reporting practices and is aligned with the Course Learning Outcomes of identifying, understanding and interpreting accounting and reporting concepts. The use of Sustainable development goals (SDGs) enables you to apply your accounting and reporting knowledge to a real-world context. That is, better understanding of the implication of SDGs in business, Sustainability Accounting and Reporting.

Overview of the Sustainable development goals (SDGs) “The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The 17 SDGs are integrated— that is, they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability. SDGs are designed to bring the world to several life-changing ‘zeros’, including zero poverty, hunger, AIDS and discrimination against women and girls. Everyone is needed to reach these ambitious targets. The creativity, knowhow, technology and financial resources from all of society is necessary to achieve the SDGs in every context.” (United Nations Development Programme, 2020).

 

 

RMIT Classification: Trusted ACCT2127 Assessment 3 instructions – Semester 2, 2020

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RMIT Classification: Trusted

 

 

Picture source: United Nations Development Programme (2020)

Overview of assignment requirements- step by step:

1. Choose one of the Sustainable development goals to write your report on (see: (https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html for the full list of goals.)

2. Conduct some preliminary research using academic journal articles to identify one or more contemporary business case issues related to your selected SDG. Please try to use the following journals as much as you can. (note: you are suggested to use Google Scholar for searching academic journals https://scholar.google.com/ ; additional information on Google scholar can be found here: https://www.rmit.edu.au/library/help/how-to/using-google- scholar). All other sources (including reliable online websites etc.) are acceptable too. You need to ensure you use appropriate referencing.

3. Conduct additional research on your selected topic using one of the following approaches to investigate further into the selected issue(s):

 Historical study (Focus on one topic and investigate changes in perspectives over time)  Critical analysis (Focus on one issue and critically analyse the issue identified using prior

literature).  Case study (Focus on one case, issue, problem, and explain pre-, peri-, and post-

situations)

The assignment’s structure/ template, suggested word counts, and marking allocations for each section are as follows (the headings are compulsory and strictly need to be followed, but subheadings are only recommended, optional, and up to students’ decisions)

 Title Page (including report title, student name and ID) and table of contents (3 marks)

 

 

RMIT Classification: Trusted ACCT2127 Assessment 3 instructions – Semester 2, 2020

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RMIT Classification: Trusted

 Introduction (400-500 words)- General background on your selected Sustainable development goal (SDGs) using appropriate research, paraphrasing, and referencing, and overview of the issue identified. (5 marks)

 Literature review (1500-1800 words)- on the particular issue identified (here is the link from RMIT website to explain how to write the Literature Review. https://emedia.rmit.edu.au/learninglab/content/writing-literature-review) (15 marks)

 Discussion (900-1000 words)- on the connection with business and/or reporting and/or accounting (8 marks)

 Conclusion (300-400 words)- Brief summary of your essay, and your substantiated opinion as to the SDG identified and its implication on business and/or reporting and/or accounting (6 marks)

 Reference List (3 marks)  Appendix (optional)

Referencing guideline:

 Suggested style: APA 7th ed. style ( https://www.lib.rmit.edu.au/easy-cite/).  Minimum of 5 references is required (You may need more references to support your

arguments).

Please go through the following link for additional writing skills information and activities: https://emedia.rmit.edu.au/learninglab/content/writing-skills

 

Other appropriate issues in completing this assignment: • A report format should be used for your written submission. Please ensure you use

headings and sub-headings to structure your essay. Please ensure that your essay is typed with the following formatting style recommended: 1.5 line spacing, 11 point font, minimum 3 cm margin on left-hand side of paper.

• Your assignment must be appropriately referenced (the APA 7th ed. style referencing

system is suggested but RMIT Harvard referencing is also acceptable). Both in-text citations as well as a reference list at the end of your assignment are required. Please review the referencing guidelines provided on the following link: https://www.lib.rmit.edu.au/easy- cite/

o Penalties for inadequate or incorrect referencing will apply.

• This assignment is to be completed as an individual task. All electronically submitted assignments will be automatically forwarded to Turnitin and subjected to an assessment of authenticity/originality, so please ensure your submission is your own individual work – severe penalties will apply for work that is not original/individual. You are allowed to submit your work prior to the due date to obtain an originality report. If the report requires revision you are allowed to adjust your assignment and resubmit. Please note: if you resubmit your assignment it may take Turnitin up to 48 hours to generate a new Originality Report.

 

 

RMIT Classification: Trusted ACCT2127 Assessment 3 instructions – Semester 2, 2020

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RMIT Classification: Trusted

• The similarity percentage you receive (when you submit your report it is automatically reviewed under Turnitin) is a guide only. There is no standard acceptable level of similarity (Direct quotations are to be kept to a minimum). Students should avoid directly copying from sources including online sources, and must write using THEIR OWN WORDS with appropriate referencing. There are possibilities of receiving high similarities with no problem. So, all reports, particularly those with higher level of similarities, will be audited independently for the nature of the similarities. Reports containing high similarity that potentially breach the University’s plagiarism policy could be subject to penalties including receiving zero (in cases of copying from other sources or other students work) for the assessment.

• Your assignment must be submitted electronically (via the course canvas site, in the ‘Assessment 3 submission box) by Sunday 18 October 2020, 10 pm (Melbourne time). This deadline will be strictly enforced for this piece of assessment. Late submissions will not be considered, unless a formal extension of time through RMIT special consideration department has been granted.

• Please refer to the Academic Integrity presentation available on the course Canvas site.

o Do not include the wording of the assignment instructions in your submission; o A hard copy submission is not required.

 

Note 1: There is no right or wrong answer in writing this assessment task. The quality of writing, research, discussions and well-supported opinions for each section of assignment will be assessed.

Note 2: Please also insure you leave ample time to submit – it is recommended students submit well before the deadline, and no later than 7 pm Sunday 18 October 2020 (Melbourne time) (3 hours before deadline) to allow for unexpected delays / internet lags etc. Students are reminded that difficulties in submitting (such as due to internet issues) is specifically their own responsibility and not an acceptable reason for late submission, unless found to be a general RMIT outage.

 

Reference

United Nations Development Programme. (2020). Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html