ACC9027M: Sustainability Reporting and Business Ethics Report

This report provides a detailed analysis of sustainability reporting and business ethics, covering ethical principles such as integrity, professional competence, and due care. It discusses the responsible management of organizational resources, potential bad ethical practices by directors, and the importance of a corporate code of ethics. The report also identifies characteristics of moral management and evaluates the benefits of introducing an ethics officer within an organization. Furthermore, it highlights the moral principles a manager needs to develop and the risks of failing to implement correct ethical practices. Finally, it applies Tucker’s 5 question model to evaluate the ethical soundness of a proposed business decision. Desklib offers a platform for students to access this and many other solved assignments and past papers.

Time Constrained Assessment – Answer Sheet
Department Accountancy, Finance and Economics
Module Title Sustainability Reporting and Business
Ethics
Module Code ACC9027M
Date 13th June 2022
Student Name
Student ID
SUBMISSION OF TCA ANSWERS
AT LEAST 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE DEADLINE
If you are unable to submit this work by the deadline due to connectivity issues, you should
consider applying for Extenuating Circumstances within 10 working days of submission.
https://portalapps.lincoln.ac.uk/StudentAdmin/extenuatingcircumstances/SitePages/Home.aspx

Question 1
a. Discussion with examples what is meant by following ethical principles:
i) Integrity
Integrity is termed as quality of having strong ethical as well as moral principles addition to
following them at all times. An individual or organisation with integrity determines sound
moral together with ethical principles and perform right activities, no matter who is watching
them. It is foundation on which workforce of a company build relationships together with
trust. It is concerned with behaving as per ethical principles and taking actions with
intellectual honesty, fairness and faith.
For example, Business Integrity programme of Unilever brings organisational values for all
its staff members as well as guide them to apply ethical standards in daily operations
(Business Integrity, 2022). The emphasis of business integrity makes the establishment
stronger as it assists in attracting, retaining as well as engaging best personnel and devise
selection decisions for right supplier as well as business partners. It supports situations for
working collaboratively internally and with partners.
ii) Professional competence and due care
Professional competence and due care is associated with maintaining professional
knowledge along with set of skills at level required for ensuring that employees or clients
receives competent professional services that are based on existing developments in
techniques, practices along with legislation as well as acting in diligent manner. An
individual or organisational following principle of professional competence and due care
needs to serve clients together with employing businesses with professional competence
requiring practices of judgement applying professional skills at the time of carrying out
professional activities. For example, a professional accountant while complying principle of
professional competence and due care needs to take reasonable steps in order to ensure
that one who work in professional potential under authority of the accountant have
appropriate supervision and training.
b. Explanation of how resources of organisation can be managed in responsible manner
both ethically and socially
Social responsibility needs a company to concern itself with “social” aspect of its practices.
All business corporates along with managers are expected to perform or act economically viable
addition to legal manner. For example, In Unilever, resources can be managed in ethical and
social responsible manner through providing workforce with opportunities of developing set of skills
as well as acquiring additional education. Moreover, human resources in the company could be
managed responsibility by providing severance payments to assist them in making ends meet till
the time period they find another job. The company can also treat its human resources with the
hope of garnering long term trust and loyalty of employees. Managers of Unilever can use
resources in social responsible manner through promoting volunteering, understanding changes
which benefit environment together with engage in charitable giving. Social responsible corporates
can use resources to adopt policies which promote welfare of community addition to environment
that lessens negative implications on them.

Question 2
a. Discussion of potential bad ethical practice examples undertaken by directors in a
company along with how this impact corporate culture
Potential bad ethical practice refers to any activity or practice on part of bidder that makes
attempt for violating the laws. For example, Unfair and Unethical trade practice is an example of
potential bad ethical practice that is undertaken through directors of Tesco. It is believed by
environmental campaign group that operation of UK’s giant supermarket chain that is Tesco is
damaging local communities, suppliers, smaller retailers and ultimately consumers. With this
practices, organisational directors are attempting to pay low prices to suppliers with the purpose of
maximising business profits. The another bad ethical practice undertaken by directors of Tesco is
knowingly delayed payments to suppliers for making improvements in own financial position. The
directors of the supermarkets have seriously breached code of conduct of the industry for
protecting grocery suppliers (Simpson, 2016).
These practices impact negatively on corporate culture of Tesco as it causes tension and
lack of trust among workforce through bad ethical practices. It detriments to business which is
dependent of collaboration as well as community feeling. It also impacts on credibility of Tesco as
when bad ethical practice undertaken by directors becomes public knowledge, it contributes in loss
of organisational credibility.
b. Explaining concept of corporate code of ethics as well as justification of why an
internationally expanding business might look to develop code of ethics
The concept of corporate code of ethics can be defined as a statement of organisational
guidelines that are meant for informing working behaviours together with preventing behaviours
which do not fall with mission and objectives of company. It is a guiding principle which is designed
for assisting professionals carrying out practices of enterprise honestly as well as with integrity. In
case with Tesco, code of ethics is at heart of the ways people run the company and is designed for
guiding and protecting it.

In internationally expanding business, for example, Tesco, developing code of ethics is
important because it ensure organisation builds or gains a reputation for responsible as well as
ethical practices in its home nation together with overseas. With focus towards developing code of
practice, global expanding enterprise puts focus on clearly laying out rules for behaviours as well
as provide groundwork to pre-emptive warning.
c. Identification of four characteristics of moral management as well as explaining why
each of these are significant for effectively operating a company
Moral management is defined as state of ethical excellence, practice as well as execution of
moral maximisation principle. For an operating company, such as Tesco, moral management are
important as they ensure safety as well as health of workforce, promotes sense of fairness addition
to motivates them for attaining goals. Mentioned below are characteristics of moral management
and importance for the operating company:
Cultivates stronger teamwork as well as productivity: Moral management aligns
employee behaviour with prioritised ethical values that are preferred by managers of company.
There are times when a company finds surprising disparity among values that actually reflect
behaviours and preferred values at workplace. In case with Tesco, cultivation of stronger
teamwork and productivity is important as it develops feeling among employees about alignment
among values and that of establishment.
Integrity and fairness: Fairness as well as integrity are all entailing features of moral
management as it involves practices and implementation of regulations at local, state as well as
federal level. For example, in Tesco, integrity and fairness are important as it treats employees in
fair manner and communicate with them in open along with honest ways.
Loyal relationship with customers and employees: In moral management, solid
relationships are cornerstone. For Tesco, long relationship with employees and customers are
significant for achieving end goals effectively.
Concern for environment and people: Moral management is combination of concern for
anyone as well anything that is impacted by the company. For example, in Tesco, each and every
decision devised by management are based on effect which it might have of individual and group
of people along with the environment that is surrounded with it.
QUESTION 3
a) What are the benefits of introducing the role of an ethics officer within an organisation?
There is being drawn that ethics play a vital role in all the areas and it helps in managing the
growth and conduct through which the fictive management and the moral and ethical values in
the workplace environment can be protected.

Figure 1: Role of Ethics in Organizational Functioning. 2022
The major benefit which is being given when the ethics officer is appointed in the
organisation are like:
 It helps in managing the growth and aloes the implementation of all such corporate
responsibilities with which integration of the company’s ethics and management is
drawn.
 It manages all the confidential proce4dures which helps in processing and also in
handling the corporate mission and other work place safety.
 The ethics officer will also help in maintaining the corporate governance and allow
the further requirements through which the responsibilities can be drawn and
protected.
 It helps in acknowledging the performance related issues and also to conduct the
unanalytical and the ethical critical thinking approach.
 It manages all the focusing of all the integrated areas corporate areas and policies.
b) Identify three moral principles a manager within an organisation needs to develop and
explain why is this important to operations of a business?
The three-ethical framework that are important for the managers to manage and also
to in their working culture and behaviour are firstly, Justice which implies to have the
fairness in the behaviour and also the equity and the impartiality that us required to be
opted in them. This helps to manage the growth and also the effective responsibility that6
lies to manage the growth and peace in the working environments. Secondly, Ethics of
care this helps in regulation and also in removing all such conflicts in the behaviour of the
employees and also in managing the growth and the effective responsibility that lies to
manage the network of relation and alps the moral responsibility within their long term
organisational context. Thirdly, code of conducts through which all the corporation and
their working can be applied as it helps in managing all such ethical areas and the decision
making through moral conflicts and the ethical areas and responsibilities. This manages the
effective procedural growth through which the positivity in the working environment can be
processed and also the management of all such methods and working can be protected.

c) Discuss why a company should introduce correct ethical practices and what are the
risks if they fail to be implemented.
The companies are required to create and apply the correct ethical practises as there
is seen that they help in managing the growth and fairness and this will also help to manage
the equality in all the members and along with that it will main at in the growth of the
company. For example, employees of Tesco when get the ethical environment they feel
protected and this somehow help them in protecting the rights of the employees and also to
motivate the employee for the betterment of the company and their growth. In all such
cases when the company fails to [rotate the right of the individual are is when the ethical
practises are not subjected, this can eventually make the company to have all such adverse
effect on their image and reputation.
QUESTION 4
a) Evaluate by applying Tucker’s 5 question model theory if building the proposed oven
and manufacturing extension is an ethically sound decision or not.
By applying the Tucker 5 question model there in this case scenario can be an analysed
that:
 Scenario: In order to manage the growth Heather has proposed a planning which
the extension of the manufacturing and also to open the oven in order to manage the
bake good in house can be managed. For example, in Tesco, their main ideas
behind this to expand the variable range in the products and also to enhance the
capacity of products in the company. There is been noted that the main focus is to
enhance the growth and production through which the effective management and
functioning cam be outraged. There is also checked that through the effective range
and the work.
 Is it profitable- Yes, as this investment will help the company to manage the growth
and more production through which the effective growth and management can be
drawn. Eventually, all this helps in managing the growth of the company and this will;
somehow help the company to maintain the overall production and profitability.
 Is it legal- The government is somehow in favour of economy and growth and there
is drawn all the return of the alternative through which the investment will help in the
growth of the company and also in management. In order to make the wo0kr legal it
is important to note that none of the right of the company is thereby being in fringed
and this can be attained that all the nature of working and the structured functioning
should be in accordance to the law and order which is fixed.
 Is it fair- Yes, as the stakeholder which is mentioned in workforce will help in
managing the anxiously growth. It is been drawn that all the working culture and
functions are free and easy to be managed as this contemplate to manage the

effective nature and functions of the company and also the fairness is drawn where
no illegal activities are betaking.
 Is it right- No, as through this scenario it can be seen that this will be ethically wrong
as the company will; then be affected by the reissues and the pollution which is
antically wrong. There is drawn that all such culture that affect the environment and
also create pollution will make the company to be adversely affected by it. There
should not be any sustainable damage in the environment or in any such areas
through which the environment and the areas will get to be polluted. And this will be
ethically wrong so the company is ethically not managing the effective practises and
working.
b) What is the difference between descriptive and normative ethics? Discuss which
approach Lincoln baking Co could implement and the benefits to the business.
Descriptive Ethics is mainly the moral belief and the comparative ethics through which
there is analysed that all such work which people think is right can be managed. It helps in
managing and also involving the values, growth and standard of the company and also their up
taking behaviour and functions. This is generally the imperil nature of ethics through which the
culture society and the other forced is taken. This is majorly an empirical research through
which all the attitude and the behaviour of people will be focused. It involves all such general
areas and the characteristic and the moral agents that implies to manage the actions that are
right and wrong. Which means that all the learning is dependent on the right and wrong of the
behaviour of the persons.
Normative ethics are mainly the ethical actions and the morality through which the moral
standards and the growth is managed. This justify all such functioning and working which
determine the concepts and also analyse and provide the ways in which people should act.
Lincoln baking Co should try to focus on protecting the environment and also in managing such
measures through which the growth of the company will take place. But at the same time no
sustainable harm can be addressed there is needed it manage the growth by follow up the
thecal management and understanding. It contemplates through the branch of philosophy in
which all the moral attitude and the belief are taken to manage the right and wrong and also for
the institution of working with which the human actions are undertaken.