Task Instructions – Assessment Item 3 Research Paper

Assessment Task – CSR Performance Report (Assessment Item 3)

Global CSR Performance Evaluation: Assessing Corporate Sustainability in Practic

Unit Title: Corporate Sustainability and Responsible Management
Assessment Type: Research Paper
Weighting: 50%
Length: 2500 words (±10%) excluding reference list
Due Date: Week 13, Friday 1 November 2025, 11:59pm via Turnitin

Learning Outcomes Assessed:

1. Evaluate the interrelationship between business practices, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

2. Critically analyse organisational approaches to CSR in global and local contexts.

3. Develop evidence-based recommendations for socially responsible performance improvement.

Assessment Description

Students are required to analyse the CSR performance of one designated multinational corporation listed on the unit site (e.g., Unilever, Patagonia, or Tesla). The report must demonstrate an understanding of CSR frameworks (e.g., ISO 26000, GRI Standards, UN Global Compact) and evaluate the company’s actions in sustainability, ethics, and social governance.
Your analysis must include three CSR performance areas (e.g., climate action, supply chain ethics, community impact) and propose actionable recommendations grounded in academic and industry literature.

Structure

1. Title Page
   Include student name, ID, word count, and report title.

2. Executive Summary (150–200 words)
   Summarise the report’s key findings and recommendations.

3. Introduction (200 words)
   Define CSR, state report purpose, and outline selected company.

4. Company Overview (300 words)
   Describe company background, mission, key markets, and CSR positioning.

5. CSR Framework Application (400 words)
   Identify relevant CSR/sustainability frameworks and justify their use in assessing performance.

6. Performance Analysis (1000 words)
   Evaluate three CSR focus areas using evidence from credible sources and performance indicators.

7. Recommendations (400 words)
   Propose realistic, evidence-based CSR improvements.

8. Emerging Issues and Future Outlook (200 words)
   Discuss trends likely to impact CSR performance in the next 3–5 years.

9. References
   Use APA 7th edition style. Minimum 10 scholarly sources (2019–2025).

Marking Criteria

 Learning Resources 

1. Carroll, A.B., Brown, J.A., & Buchholtz, A.K. (2021). Business and Society: Ethics, Sustainability, and Stakeholder Management. Cengage Learning.

2. Jamali, D., Karam, C., & Blowfield, M. (2020). Corporate Social Responsibility: Theory and Practice in a Developing Country Context. Routledge.

3. Hahn, R., Figge, F., Pinkse, J., & Preuss, L. (2018). “A Paradox Perspective on Corporate Sustainability: Descriptive, Instrumental, and Normative Aspects.” Journal of Business Ethics, 148(2), 235–248.

4. Gond, J.-P., Mena, S., & Sethi, S.P. (2019). “Managing the Tensions of Corporate Social Responsibility: Toward a More Dynamic Theory.” Organization Science, 30(1), 85–102.

5. Yu, E.P.Y., Luu, B.V., & Chen, C.H. (2023). “Greenwashing and CSR Performance: Evidence from Global Firms.” Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(4), 1910–1924.

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Task Instructions – Assessment Item 3
CSR PERFORMANCE REPORT
Learning outcomes Unit objectives 1, 5 AOL goals 1.2, 2.1, 3.1, 5.2
Assessment type Research Paper
Weighting 50%
Submission requirements 2500 words +/- 10% (excluding reference list)
 In-text referencing and a complete reference list using APA style must be provided. See
http://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/ or APA Style Blog (https://apastyle.apa.org)
 You must select one of the case organisations provided.
Due date Week 13 [Friday 28th October 2022, 11:59pm] via Turnitin Portal on Blackboard
In accordance with university policy, failure to submit ALL required assessment elements on the
assigned date without an approved extension will result in a grade of 1 or 0%.
Return of results &
feedback
Feedback will be provided via Turnitin. A unit blackboard announcement will be posted by the Unit
Coordinator when marks and feedback are available.
Description of the task
In this assessment item you will examine issues of local and global significance, and assess the extent to which current business
practices contribute to collective wellbeing and sustainable and socially responsible outcomes. Selecting from a list of businesses
provided to you, you will analyse a business to develop a report which investigates its CSR performance. The issues can be areas the
company is addressing well and/or areas which present opportunities for improvement. You are expected to draw on academic texts to
support your claims.
Recommended Structure
 Title: Provide a short, informative title for the Report.
 Introduction: Inform the reader of the purpose of the Report in three or four sentences.
 Background: Summarise the company background in terms of its key activities, mission/vision, and key competition. This section
should include only salient facts and relevant details relating to the report focus.
 Business Model: Provide a brief overview of the business model the company has adopted.
 Key areas of focus: Identify 2-3 issues relating to sustainability or social responsibility that the company needs to address. Explain
why this is a focal area and provide some broad measures or goals against which business performance could be assessed for this
issue.
 Performance in key areas: Using evidence (data and references) to support your analysis and linking this to academic literature,
evaluate the performance of the company for each issue you have identified.
 Emerging Issues: This section should identify and succinctly discuss emerging issues that the business will need to monitor and
potentially take action on in the future.
 Reference List: You will need to reference throughout your report. In-text referencing and reference list should follow the APA
format. The reference list does not count toward the word limit.
Tips
 A case study will be worked through in the tutorials.
 You must choose from the 2 companies listed on Blackboard.
 The report should be prepared using publicly available data only. Do not contact any organisation or individual directly for
information. Use only information that is publicly available (e.g. websites, media and other reports).
 The ISO26000 will be a useful guide to possible areas of focus and performance criteria.
CRA – Assessment Item 3
CSR PERFORMANCE REPORT
CRITERIA High Distinction Distinction Credit Pass Fail
AoL Goal KS 1.2: Apply technical & technological skills appropriate & effective for real world business purposes & contexts
Company
background &
business model
Weighting: 10/50
Expertly and critically
analyses the company
background including
only salient facts relating
to the report focus. The
background is explicitly
supported by credible
and methodically
analysed data from a
range of sources.

AoL Goal HO 2.1: Investigate real world business issues & situations through the effective analysis, evaluation & synthesis of theory and practice
Company CSR
performance
Weighting: 20/50
The selected areas of
focus are highly
appropriate, well justified
and assessed against
insightful evidence based criteria. The
evaluation is insightful,
comprehensive and
persuasively justified
through the expert use
of examples and
evidence.
Measures
against which to
assess performance
are not provided or
inappropriate.
Evaluation is
superficially linked or
irrelevant to the areas
of focus. Few relevant
examples and sources
are provided to
support the
evaluation.
AoL Goal SE 5.2: Demonstrate & apply knowledge of socially responsible behaviour in analysing & addressing business issues in national & international
business contexts
Emerging issues
Weighting: 10/50
Identifies critical
emerging issues the
company will need to
monitor and potentially
take action on in the
future. Persuasively and
expertly justified choice
of issues in relation to
socially responsible and
sustainable business
practices and critical
contextual constraints
and drivers.
Identifies important
issues the business
will need to monitor
and potentially take
action on in the future
and justifies their
selection in relation to
socially responsible
and sustainable
business practices.
Identifies issues the
business will need to
monitor and potentially
take action on in the
future. Explains how
each issue relates to
socially responsible and
sustainable business
practices.
Identifies issues the
business will need to
monitor and potentially
take action on in the
future. However, some
issues are relevant and/or
their connection with
socially responsible and
sustainable business
practices is unclear.
Where identified,
issues are irrelevant
or their connection to
the socially
responsible and
sustainable business
practices is not clear.
AoL Goal 3.1: Use information literacy skills & communicate effectively & professionally in written forms & using media appropriate for diverse purposes &
contexts
Professional
communication
Weighting: 10/50
The report is
professionally presented
with substantial attention
to detail. It is well structured and coherent
with logical organisation
and contains
outstanding use of
grammar, syntax and
spelling. High-quality
academic literature is
applied skillfully and
integrated effectively to
support arguments. All
sources are
appropriately
acknowledged and
referencing is
consistently accurate.
The report is
professionally
presented, well structured and
coherent.