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Your next assessment item is due Week 10 on Friday April 26 at 12 noon.
Please allow yourself enough time before the final due date to upload your essay to Turnitin so that
you can check your referencing and make any subsequent changes to your references. Once you are
satisfied that you have followed referencing guidelines, email your essay to me at
XXXXXXXXXX and attach (a) your essay as a Word doc and (b) your final
Turnitin similarity report as a PDF.
Assessment item Description Value Due
Test Topics Weeks 1 to 3 15% Week 4
Essay 1500 word essay 25% Week 10
Oral Presentation Individual presentation 10% Week 12
Tutorial Participation Quality of contribution 10% Ongoing
Examination Closed book 40% Exam Week
TOTAL 100%
Essay Question
The scale of international flows of goods, services and financial capital has gained remarkable
momentum in the past thirty years, with many factors being responsible for this development.
Within the context of globalised commerce, select two topics covered in this unit and examine the
relationship between them to show why you think their relationship is important in the world of
business.
You must choose two sections from the following list:
1. Finance
2. Governance
3. Resources
These sections are described in more detail in the next two pages.
This research essay relates directly to topics already covered in Transforming Business. Students will
be assessed on their research and on the coherence and application of their findings.
Objective: To enable students to research a topic and then develop a structured, discussion essay.
Your essay is expected to present a clear position (thesis) with evidence to support your key points.
The evidence can be drawn from the media, arguments in the readings, as well as lecture notes.
Since the purpose of essay writing is to assist you in developing your capacity to produce academic
work for further tertiary education, you are advised not to use materials from non-scholarly
websites. A minimum of eight sources is expected. For researched work to be considered a D or HD
the reference requirement would be double this. The assignment must be fully referenced, using the
Chicago system, Times New Roman font size 12 and double-spaced on a single side of A4 pages.
mailto: XXXXXXXXXX
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Correct referencing is worth 5% maximum. Students are strongly advised to read the citation guide
on the Library site at http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/find/citation.
NOTE: Students are advised that Wikipedia is not a reliable source and should NOT be used for the
essay.
The DS150 Transforming Business unit is divided into five general topic areas. They are:
(1) The Business Context of Globalisation (2) Finance (3) Governance (4) Resources (5) Culture
Wk Overall Topics
1. Topic 1: Context
Examines the
dominant
conception of
globalisation
together with
responses to it.
Globalization: Some view it as a process that is beneficial, that it is a
key to future world economic development and that it is inevitable and
irreversible. Others regard it with hostility, even fear, believing that it
increases inequality both within and between nations, threatens
employment and living standards and thwarts social progress.
Globalisation offers extensive opportunities for truly worldwide
development but it is not progressing evenly. Some countries are
becoming integrated into the global economy more quickly than others.
So globalisation is not solely economic – it has political, legal and social
dimensions and each of these must be understood and contested.
2. Topic 2: Finance
Introduces aspects of
finance that may not
have been previously
considered.
Islamic Finance: Australia now does a significant proportion of its
international trade with Islamic countries, countries where finance is
treated in a different manner to that which Australian businesses are
used to.
Microcredit: over the past three decades, micro-finance has become
one of the most high-profile strategies for addressing poverty in
developing and transitioning countries and has also extended into
credit unions in developed countries including the US, Canada and
France. Micro-finance is a platform to advance poor people’s access to
affordable financial services that has become controversial in more
recent times.
3. Topic 3: Governance
Examines how
aspects of
governance impact
on business.
Public Policy: It is a necessary function of government and policy issues
must be fully examined and understood in order to derive maximum
benefit from the implementation of policies and regulations.
Inequality of Wealth and Incomes: Global wealth is spread unevenly
across the globe, both across countries and within countries. This in
part is due to historical, political and social factors.
4. Topic 3: Governance The Politics of International Business: Examines the relationship
between business and politics in the international arena
Civil Society: The relationship between democracy and civil society is
central to many debates surrounding civil society. Claims include for
example, that a healthy democracy requires a robust civil society;
alternatively, that a free and self-determining civil society cannot exist
in an authoritarian or non-democratic context – in other words, that
http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/find/citation
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civil society requires democracy.
5. Topic 3: Governance CSR: While much is discussed and talked about, there is no unified
theory or universally shared understanding of what CSR is and stands
for.
Greening Business: Considers how CSR has been implemented through
the ‘greening of business’
6. Topic 4: Resources
Traces the rise of the
resource sector in
WA and explores the
facilitating role of
government in this
context.
Resource Security: Highlights the close relationship between industry
and government in light of recent resource conflicts in the state.
Politics and Economics of Mining: Questions the sustainability and
effects of mining.
PLEASE NOTE: THE FOLLOWING TOPICS MAY NOT BE INCLUDED IN YOUR ESSAY
8. Topic 4: Resources Exploitation in Global Supply Chains: Looks at migrant labour’s role in
globalisation.
Fair Trade: Considers the questions of fair trade and free trade
9. Topic: Culture Changes in the Australian Workplace and Diversity
10 Topic: Culture Sustainable Tourism and Culture in International Business
Parts of an Essay
Introductory paragraph (the purpose)
An effective essay must have a clear introductory paragraph. An introductory paragraph has a thesis
statement which introduces the reader (audience) to the purpose of the essay and should highlight
the main discussion points.
Body paragraphs (information and explanation)
Body paragraphs contain the information on which the writer’s discussion is based. This may include
information from print sources such as books, newspaper articles, and journals, and electronic
sources such as websites, e-books, and on-line journals. This information should always be correctly
referenced.
Concluding paragraph (the summary)
A concluding paragraph restates the thesis of the essay, summarises the main points for the reader
and concludes the essay with a strong final statement.
Introductory Paragraph
An introductory paragraph introduces the topic of the essay and outlines a ‘plan’ of the essay.
The first two/four sentences are general statements.
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The final two sentences are the thesis statement. They state the specific topic,
define the writer position, and lists the major subtopics that will be discussed in the
body of the essay.
The paragraph should form a funnel introduction. This means that each general
statement becomes slightly more specific the closer it gets to the thesis statement.
Body Paragraphs
Body paragraphs contain the information on which the writer’s discussion is based. This may include
information from print sources such as books, newspaper articles, and journals, and electronic
sources such as websites, e-books, and on-line journals. This information should always be correctly
referenced.
The number of body paragraphs is dictated by the number of main points outlined in the thesis
statement.
Body paragraphs consist of a topic sentence (in which the writer clearly introduces the main point to
be discussed in the paragraph), supporting sentences (in which the writer explains/argues this point
in more detail), a quote or example (where the writer uses information from a reliable source to
support their point), and finally a concluding sentence (where the writer restates the main point of
the paragraph.
Quotes and Examples
It may be necessary to use quotes and examples from reliable sources to give greater credibility to
your paragraphs. When using quotes and examples, it is important that you properly introduce the
source of the quote and provide the correct in-text reference.
The Concluding Paragraph
A concluding paragraph summarises the essay’s findings. It should include a restated thesis
statement (in which the thesis statement is repeated with slightly different wording) a number of
sentences which summarise each of the main points, and a rounding off statement (which indicates
the writer’s final thoughts on the topic).
A concluding paragraph should not include any new information or quotes.
Transition Signals
Transition signals should be used throughout an essay to guide the reader through the essay’s
structure.
In a way transitional signals are a little like street signs. They can remind the reader where they have
been in an essay, tell them where they are, or suggest what is coming up. They also act a little like
bridges between parts of writing.
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Here are a few transition signals that you could use:
To indicate sequence or
to order information
To introduce an
example
To logically divide
an idea
To summarise or conclude
followed by in this case first, in summary
initially for example next, in conclusion
at this point for instance finally in brief
next, before, after on this occasion firstly, as a result
next, last, finally to illustrate secondly, on the whole
concurrently to demonstrate thirdly summing up
previously, this can be seen initially, as shown
simultaneously when/where XXXXXXXXXXsubsequently, ultimately
after that take the case of ultimately therefore
meanwhile in this