Assessment – Case Study and Assignments
Case study
The following information is provided by Officeworks website
(https://www.officeworks.com.au/information/about-us/sustainability):
Officeworks is focussed on operating a responsible and sustainable business that supports the communities where our customers, team members and stakeholders live and work.
More than ever, we are expected to operate our business in a sustainable manner and for Officeworks, it’s just the right thing to do. We recognise that operating in a responsible and sustainable way is essential to the growth of our business and to delivery positive returns to shareholders over the long run.
(Note: Officeworks is a real-life entity. All of your research, analysis, discussions and recommendations relating to this case study should be based on real-world information and conditions. Submissions of your case study on companies other than the selected case company will result in zero marks.)
Assignment Three
Content requirements
Assuming the CEO is satisfied with both of your reports (Assignment One and Two)*, you are now required to formulate a Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) to explicitly translate Officeworks’ strategy into a set of financial and non-financial performance measures, that cover a range of perspectives. You are asked to present and discuss a suitable SBSC, using a business report format. In completing your business report, please address the following questions:
- Consider the mission, vision and five-year objectives of the case company in relation to sustainability. Identify three available approaches to the development of a sustainability strategy map and Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (Topic 9). Choose and apply one of the three approaches for Officeworks and explain your choice with reference to the case company’s specific situation.
- Briefly outline what a “strategy map” is and then develop a sustainability strategy map for Officeworks. With a specific focus on Officeworks’ sustainability objectives, ensure you discuss the formulation of the selected objective . The strategy map should be constructed in line with your sustainability consideration in Q1.
- Based on your chosen approach (Q1) and the sustainability strategy map (Q2), please provide a Sustainability Balanced Scorecard to Officeworks. Please show your classification of the strategic objectives (Q2) into the perspectives of your SBSC and justify your classification with specific reference to the case company’s sustainability objectives.
- For each sustainability objective in SBSC (Q3), identify one or more suitable/reasonable lead and lag indicators that measure the fulfilment of the objective. Justify your choice of indicators. That is, how do you know that the chosen indicators can drive, capture and measure the targeted objectives?
- Identify and explain the eventual impacts of the indicators you have chosen (Q4) with reference to the sustainability objectives of your suggested SBSC onto the organisation’s decision making.
Within the report the list of figures should include a sustainability strategy map and a SBSC for Officeworks.
*they are attached as a file.
2 Accounting for Sustainable Management
Submission requirements
Word Limit:
Maximum 2,500 words (not including executive summary, table of contents, references and appendices). Word count includes every word in the body of text (from your Introduction section to the end of Conclusion section, including figures, tables, headings, etc). Every 100 words above the word limit attracts 0.5 marks deduction of available marks
Cite the text properly
Use best of references (Min 15-17)
Your submission should include:
- Cover page includes the course name, assignment name, your name, student number, lecturer’s name, and word count (excluding executive summary, table of contents, references and appendices).
- Executive Summary
- Table of Contents
- Introduction (including purpose, scope, limitations and assumptions)
- Discussion (addressing the CEO’s requirements)
- Conclusion
- List of References
Suggestions and expectations from the Course Coordinator: Assignment Three
Assignment Three has a focus on a strategic tool of management accounting: a Sustainable Balanced Scorecard (SBSC). To successfully complete this assignment, your readings should start with, but not be limited to, the Component Three materials (Topics 7, 8, and 9)* of the course. You also need to search for materials that are outside of prescribed texts. *these topics are attached as three different files, each named as topic 7, 8, and 9 respectively.
Considering the case company’s mission, vision and five-year objectives as a start point. Does the case company have a mission and vision? If no, you will need to formulate them incorporating the core value of sustainability. If yes, do the case company’s vision and mission reflect sustainability as a core value? You may decide to adopt the current company vision and mission or reformulate them.
The five-year objectives should be measurable. A maximum of five objectives is recommended. Each of these objectives should have sustainability flavour.
Based on your consideration of the mission, vision and five-year objectives, you now can plan your sustainability strategy map and Sustainable Balanced Scorecard for Officeworks.
Your recommendations about the organisation’s sustainability strategy map and Sustainable Balanced Scorecard are expected to be directed by one approach that you have learnt from Topic 9. To justify your approach, it is suggested that you outline the three approaches and emphasise (with an articulated and detailed discussion) the one you recommended for the organisation.
Please remember that the discussion is not just theoretical as you must stress the reasons why you think your approach is the most suitable for Officeworks.
Applying more than one approach is not recommended as you need to take into account your word limit and your arguments in the business report should be coherent with the approach you have chosen.
The approach that you recommend should be explicitly applied while addressing the questions of the assignment.
Particular emphasis on the sustainability objectives and their measurement (indicators) are expected to be discussed in the following questions: 3, 4 and 5. There is not one best answer as you are required to apply your critical thinking to the case study, therefore you should direct your attention to ensure coherence to Officeworks’s real-world situation in addressing those assignment points and justification of your choices.
4 Accounting for Sustainable Management
Areas for you to explore should include sustainability issues/priorities/focuses that are of strategic importance to Officeworks, as well as the sustainable achievements that Officeworks is proud of. These are expected to be considered in your sustainability strategy map and SBSC from the organisation’s management perspective (not from a stakeholders’, shareholders’ or other external parties’ perspective).
Note that your SBSC should be consistent with your sustainability strategy map. That is, the perspectives and objectives formulated in your sustainability strategy map should be the same in your SBSC. This is because that your SBSC is developed based on your sustainability strategy map. Objectives should be measurable, as well as the indicators.
In terms of Question 5, it is suggested that you consider the impacts of your choice of indicators for the sustainability objectives in the organisation’s decision making processes. You are expected to consider any possible positive and negative outcomes from the selection of your indicators (e.g. changes on the production processes, costing system, organisational culture and climate, social perception of the organisation, behaviour issues, etc.). In this discussion, you can follow the causal relationships that you were required to explicitly elaborate on in the sustainability strategy map of the organisation, which (of course) would continue to inform your SBSC (independently from your chosen development approach).
It should be pointed out that real-world issues are often complex and there are no definitive right or wrong decisions. The most important skills that you are expected to develop from this assignment is your reasoning skills and application skills. That is, you are expected to justify your arguments coherently with the approach you have chosen and the prompts of your case study.
Read carefully the marking rubric (from the next page), to understand how your work will be assessed.
Assignment Three Marking Rubric (30%)
| Business Report Contents (26 marks) | Unsatisfactory | Satisfactory – Pass | Highly Competent Credit/Distinction | Accomplished High Distinction |
| Identification and Discussion of Main Issues within the Project (as outlined below) | Unclear or no identification of the issue. Discussion (justification) not provided or not related to the specific organisation. No attempt at critical analysis. | Identification of the issue but only limited discussion/explanation of the issue. Discussion sometimes too general or too theoretical and/or not relevant to issue. Discussion is without adequate reference to the theory and the case prompts (where required). Discussion not specifically related to the organisation. Very little attempt at critical analysis. | Identification and discussion/explanation of the issue. Discussion is referenced and mainly relevant to the issue. Discussion usually includes adequate detail of the case prompts (where required). Discussion is usually specifically related to the organisation. Good attempt at critical analysis. | Clear identification and discussion/explanation of the issue. Discussion is well referenced and always relevant to the issue. Discussion always includes adequate detail of the case prompts (where required). Discussion is always specifically related to the organisation. Excellent attempt at critical analysis. |
| 1. Consider the mission, vision and five-year objectives of the case company in relation to sustainability. Identify three available approaches to the development of a sustainability strategy map and Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (Topic 9). Choose and apply one of the three approaches for the company and explain 1. Total 4 marks | ||||
| 2. Briefly outline what a “strategy map” is and then develop a sustainability strategy map for the company. With a specific focus on the company’s sustainability objectives, ensure you discuss the formulation of the selected objective . The strategy map should be constructed in line with your sustainability consideration in Q1 2. Total: 5 marks | ||||
| 3. Based on your chosen approach (Q1) |
6 Accounting for Sustainable Management
| and the sustainability strategy map (Q2), please provide a Sustainability Balanced Scorecard to the company. Please show your classification of the strategic objectives (Q2) into the perspectives of your SBSC and justify your classification with specific reference to the case company’s sustainability objectives. 3. Total 3 marks | ||||
| 4. For each sustainability objective in SBSC (Q3), identify one or more suitable/reasonable lead and lag indicators that measure the fulfilment of the objective. Justify your choice of indicators. That is, how do you know that the chosen indicators can drive, capture and measure the targeted objectives 4 Total 8 marks | ||||
| 5. Identify and explain the eventual impacts of the indicators you have chosen (Q4) with reference to the sustainability objectives of your suggested SBSC onto the organisation’s decision making . 5. Total: 6 marks |
| Business report presentation style (4 marks) | Unsatisfactory | Satisfactory – Pass | Highly Competent Credit/Distinction | Accomplished High Distinction |
| Business Report Presentation (0.5 marks) | Key elements of the business report are not provided (e.g. headings/ subheadings of the sections, table of contents, introduction, etc.) and/or presented with evident errors. Overall presentation of the document is not to a professional standard. | All required elements of the business report are present and completed to a satisfactory standard. Some attention to the presentation is given, but is often not well-executed. | All required elements of the business report are present and most are completed to a high standard. Most, but not all of the document is presented in a professional-format, using informative headings and sub – headings | All required elements of the business report are present and completed to a high standard. The document is presented in a professional-format, using informative headings and sub – headings |
| Clarity of Communication (2 marks) | Report has grammatical, spelling and/ or typographical errors that make it unsuitable for presentation to client or superior. | Report has some grammatical, spelling and/or typographical errors that detract from the quality of the communication but does not prevent the ideas being effectively communicated. | Report has a few grammatical, spelling, typographical and/or other communication errors. It is almost at a standard that could be presented to a superior in the workforce or a client. | Report has NO grammatical, spelling, typographical or other communication errors. It is at a standard that could be presented to a superior in the workforce or a client. |
| Referencing (0.5 marks) | No references provided or very few resources acknowledged. Or referencing styles are incorrect. | Most sources acknowledged with reference details. Referencing styles are mostly followed. | All sources acknowledged with reference details. Referencing styles are mostly followed with few errors. | All sources acknowledged with reference details. Referencing styles are correct without any errors. |
| Figures (at least strategic map and SBSC, sustainability aspects presented in the body of the report) (1 marks) | No or just one figure is presented. | Two figures are presented but without correct referencing style (e.g. title of the figure) and without referencing to the figure/s within the discussion. The presentation of figure is basic and in need for further improvements. | Both the required figures are presented with correct referencing style and with referencing into the discussion. However, the figures are just referenced and not fully explained in the discussion. The presentation of figure is professional. | Both the required figures are presented with correct referencing style and with a complete explanation and use of them in the discussion. The presentation of figure is professional. |
8 Accounting for Sustainable Management
