Assignment Overview
This is an individual assignment. Through this research assignment you will explore the relevant sustainability literature and become familiar with the specific context and sustainability priorities for your sector. You will also identify the maturity level of Canadian businesses in terms of sustainability and make recommendations for improvement.
The Scenario
You are working for a Canadian company from a sector of your choice (agriculture, manufacturing, services, telecommunications etc.) based in Ontario. Jackie, who is the owner and CEO of the company, was recently invited to a conference and heard a very inspiring talk on sustainability and how it was becoming the “new normal” for businesses in the 21st century. She would like her company to do more about it, but she is not entirely convinced that there is a business case and she is also afraid that this could be something very difficult.
Jackie remembered that you had some training in CSR and assigned you to research the matter further. She asked you to prepare a short research report on what sustainability is and how it relates to your company, so that she can decide whether to further pursue the matter.
The Content
After some thought you decide that your research report should answer the following questions so that Jackie can make an informed decision:
1. What is sustainability and CSR?
2. What THREE sustainability challenges are most relevant to businesses in your sector in Canada and/or Ontario? Why are they relevant?
3. What are Canadian businesses in your sector doing to manage those challenges? Please provide a description of THREE companies demonstrating best practices.
4. Based on the above, describe THREE sustainability actions you would recommend your company undertake considering your research.
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SDG101 Research Assignment
Clarifications
? Company: You should choose a specific fictional (not real) company from the sector of your choice (e.g. ACME Motors in the automotive sector).
? Audience: Remember that your audience is Jackie from the scenario. Not the professor. You should explicitly address it to her as if you are working in the company of your choice.
? Question 3: When mentioning best practice examples, you should focus on what specific businesses do (or say they do). You may refer to what other actors such as the government or other organizations do to help businesses in this area, but this is not what is being asked here.
Assignment Structure
Note that it is the contents that counts, rather the length of the assignment. However, a thorough examination of this topic will probably require 4-5 single-spaced pages (12-point font) to adequately discuss this topic. Please do not exceed 5 pages. Figures are not part of the page count so feel free to use them to support your report.
The body of the paper should be divided into appropriately numbered sections, sub-sections, sub-subsections, etc., each with descriptive titles.
Descriptive Title
The title of your report should be informative and specific to draw the reader’s attention.
Executive Summary (No more than 1 page)
Here you should summarize the main points of your report to give your reader a whole picture of the proposal when they have no time to read it all. This should be at the beginning of the paper, but since it is a summary of your paper, you should write this section LAST.
Introduction (No more than 1 page)
The introduction should provide the context for this report: why it was written (Jackie asked you! follow the scenario!) and why the topic that you will present in the rest of the report is important. You should also define the objectives that will guide the rest of the report. You should also describe the organization of your paper so that the readers know what to expect.
Research Questions 1-3 (No more than 2.5 pages)
This is the main part of your assignment where you present the findings of your research. You may use the research questions (1 through 3) as the basis to structure this part. Your description of your research must be well-documented. Make liberal use of tables, figures, and diagrams (with appropriate captions), and include literature references appropriately. Be concise and informative.
DO NOT REPEAT THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS ABOVE AS TITLE HEADINGS. YOU SHOULD COME UP WITH YOUR OWN
Your Recommendation (No more than 1/2 page)
This section should present your opinions and viewpoints on the research that you conducted. This is essentially answering the last research question.
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SDG101 Research Assignment
References
At the end of the report you must provide a list of references used in the report. You should use MLA Style to format your references AND in-text citations. It is expected that 5-10 references are adequate for this kind of assignment.
Important- THIS IS NOT AN OPINION PAPER. You MUST support points made with outside research and all information found MUST be referenced (see below instructions).
Notes on Plagiarism & Style
Please note that just listing the references at the end of the assignment is not adequate!
You should also provide proper (MLA style) and frequent citations throughout your text. Failing to do so will result in missing marks and possibly a plagiarism case. Also, please note that through Safe Assign it is extremely easy to see whether you have copied text (without proper citation) from web sources or from other students. More information and help: https://seneca.libguides.com/mla
The following are examples of phrases that are signs of writing styles that are not appropriate for a research assignment:
1. “I believe…”: when used in any part other than the “Your Recommendations” part. A research assignment is based on your research findings rather than your beliefs.
2. “Research shows…”: when used without citations. What research? This is what a research assignment is all about!
3. “CSR in Canada is adequate/non adequate…”: when this is not supported by your research findings but only on your intuition or prior knowledge on the subject.
Submission
Please refer to the Course Information section on Learn@Seneca (Blackboard) for the due date of this assignment. Upload your report to Learn@Seneca. Do not email your assignment.
Grading Criteria
1. Title: 5 marks
2. Executive Summary: 15 marks
3. Introduction: 15 marks
4. Description of Sustainability/CSR (Q1): 15 marks
5. Relevant sustainability and CSR issues for your sector (Q2): 15 marks
6. Canadian sustainability/CSR best practices (Q3): 15 marks
7. Recommendations (Q4): 15 marks
8. Overall writing style, structure and format: 5 marks
Potential Deductions: Improper or lack of in-text citation, works cited, frequent grammar and spelling mistakes– Maximum 10 marks
Late submission policy 5 marks/24hrs
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