BUSN3001 – Research Essay Assessment 

Purpose: The Research Essay examines students’ ability to identify appropriate scholarly research and media articles, critically analyse this literature and develop written arguments. This task helps students further develop their knowledge of accounting theory and their written communication skills.

This assessment task is to be completed individually. Required:

Critically analyse the literature relating to climate risk (or carbon) disclosure.

 Your research essay (at a minimum) should discuss the following:

(1) what motivates firms to disclose climate risk (or carbon emissions);

(2) the effects of disclosing climate risk (or carbon emissions); and 

(3) critically evaluate the limitations of voluntary disclosure of climate risk (or carbon emissions).

It is expected that your essay will be broadly researched and your arguments should be well reasoned and evidenced with reference to the existing literature. You are required to use the Harvard referencing system.

The word limit for this research essay is a strict 2,000 words (i.e. there is no 10% margin). This excludes the references at the end of the essay (but includes the in-text references).

Marks may be deducted for essays that exceed this word limit.

Assessment Criteria: 

The Research Essay will be assessed based upon the following criteria (n.b. these are not evenly weighted):

• Provides cohesive summary of case: ability to cohesively and compellinglycommunicate key aspects of the case;
• Theory depth and relevance: coverage and depth in the focus areas of the essay,demonstration of knowledge and understanding of theory;
• Critical analysis: level of critical analysis, argumentation, originality of ideas andinsight;
• Discussion of prevention: ability to use key arguments and theory to draw logicalconclusions and discussion of how case could have been prevented/mitigated;
• Evidence of scholarly research: extent of literature review, relevance of articles,substantiation of arguments with references to literature;
• Structure and written expression: effective language and writing (including attentionto grammar and sentence construction), structure and coherence of the essay as a whole;
• Consistency with academic conventions: correct and consistent referencing,formatting and abiding by word count.

Note: The criteria listed above are not mutually exclusive but are complementary in the overall assessment of the assignment. A well-written and organised essay will receive a zero mark if it is not relevant to the given topic.

The marking rubric used to assess this Research Essay is provided below.

Further notes:

• Youdo not have to use the same references identified in the Referencing 
• This is an essay, not a report, so keep use of subtitles to a minimum (or do not use anyat all). Remember that your essay must have a logical argument and flow.
• Only use, and reference, media articles, journal articles and other references that arein English. The only exception is for any official government document (e.g. press release or legal document) that is not available in English. Only include these if absolutely necessary for your essay.
• We are not looking for you to use a certain number of references for this assessment,but consider the 3 media articles, and 7 journal articles identified for the Referencing Exercise as a minimum or starting point for your research. However, we are looking for quality over quantity in terms of the references used: it is more important to show that you understand and critically analyse the resources you have found than listing many that you only superficially discuss.
• Plagiarism and insufficient referencing are not tolerated. We expect a high standard interms of referencing in this assessment, as the Research and Referencing Exercise provided students the opportunity to develop these skills. Students are encouraged to use the Turnitin Originality Report function to check the work they plan to submit in the lead-up to the submission date, and ensure their case analysis is entirely their own  Ensure you allow sufficient time for Turnitin to complete this report when planning your essay submission. Instances of Academic Misconduct will be reported and dealt with according to ANU Academic Integrity Policy and Processes.
• It is critical that you carefully and correctly use the Harvard referencing system forthis assessment. If you are unfamiliar with the Harvard referencing system, the ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre (ASLC) provides detailed information on referencing on its website.

General Information

 Submission: Students must submit through the Turnitin system on Wattle. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU website. Late submission without an approved extension is permitted for this task. However, late submissions are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Presentation: Your submissions must be word-processed and presented professionally, using 12pt font and at least 1.5 line spacing. Ensure your grammar, expression and spelling are carefully checked before submission. Long direct quotes should be single spaced and indented from the left margin.

Essay Writing: The Academic Skills and Learning Centre (ASLC) provides a lot of support for students in writing essays through its website and also in-person through booked

appointments and drop-in clinics. The online booklet ‘Essay Writing’ is useful in explaining the basics of essay writing strategies. The ASLC website also provides useful information on referencing and academic honesty.

Extensions and Penalties: Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions will only be considered when evidence of medical illness (e.g. medical certificate or hospital admission documentation) or other serious misadventure can be provided. Work or other personal commitments are not acceptable reasons for extensions for coursework assessment. If you need an extension, you must request it in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.