SUS1501
Assignment 8 PORTFOLIO Semester 2 2026
Unique number:
Due date: 15 October 2026
, SUS1501 – Sustainability and Greed
Student Number:
Date:
Teaching Assistant Name: <Note: grades will be allocated for getting this right>
Declaration:
By submitting this portfolio, I implicitly declare that this is my own work except for the
“Introduction” which was kindly written for me by my lecturer.
I am aware that if ANY unacknowledged copying is detected in ANY answer, I will get 0
(zero) for the entire assignment.
Instructions:
Please read the instructions on myUnisa carefully.
Please download the most up-to-date version of this template from your group site
on myUnisa.
DO NOT delete the template to reduce the Turnitin score. We do not look at the
score we look at the detailed report. We will deduct 10% if you delete the template.
Go through the MCQs again, and record your current choice afater considering in the
template (we suggest that you don’t look at your original choices before you have
been through all questions) – you need to re-answer ALL 20 questions.
For each question, record your original choice in assignment 1– you need to do this
for ALL 20 questions.
Write a note of AT LEAST 100 words discussing YOUR option for each of the five (5)
questions that are written in red (questions 1 – 5).
Write a note of AT LEAST 100 words discussing YOUR option for any other five (5)
questions of your choice.
Write your conclusion of AT LEAST 500 words
Somewhere within your notes and/or conclusion there must be meaningful
references to the major theories that we covered (deontology, consequentialism,
distributive justice, virtue ethics and environmental ethics).
Your notes and conclusion should also make reference to discussions with fellow
students that you found meaningful.
You MUST write your notes and conclusion in your own human words first in the
space provided. This is not optional.
Save the file as a Word document with a short name (myUnisa will reject files with
long names).
Take a screen grab of the final submission acknowledgement on myUnisa and save
, this somewhere safe in case of any disputes.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST – i.e. if you do not fulfil ALL of these you will NOT
pass this portfolio:
1. Correct template version used
2. All 20 multiple choice question original answers captured
3. All 20 multiple choice question answers now captured
4. Notes for the five (5) questions in red
5. Notes for AT LEAST five (5) other questions of your choice
6. Each note AT LEAST 100 words long
7. Conclusion present
8. Conclusion AT LEAST 500 words long
9. Template NOT deleted
, Introduction
My aim in compiling this portfolio was to reflect on the things that have struck me
throughout this crazy module.
My starting point for doing this was to revisit my opinions to the multiple choice questions
which were presented in the Crossroads assignment. I present these current opinions,
together with my original opinions, and some brief notes in the section entitled: “Back at
the Crossroads!”
Once I have done this, I will reflect on the entire learning process and draw some key
conclusions about this crazy module and about the things that really struck me.
Back at the Crossroads!
1. (YOU MUST WRITE NOTES ON THIS QUESTION) “ProPublica leaked IRS documents
showing that in 2011, Jeff Bezos did not pay any tax.” My personal opinion on this
statement is most closely described by:
a. Taxation is basically government stealing from people so good for Bezos
b. I’m sure he didn’t break the law.
c. Wait, wasn’t he the richest man in the world in 2011?
d. What about other billionaires I wonder?
e. This is just gross injustice, and we need to do something about it.
Choice now: e
Choice in assignment 1: e
Notes: (Answer in the table below)
I kept option e because the tax issue made me question whether something can be legal and
still feel deeply unfair to ordinary people who carry the everyday cost of public services.
Before this module, I often thought that following the law was enough, but distributive
justice pushed me to ask who benefits, who carries the burden, and whether the outcome
treats people fairly. Rawls allows some inequality, yet that inequality should not make life
worse for people who are already among the least advantaged in society (Unisa, 2021). In
my view, extreme wealth together with very low tax contributions creates a difficult moral
problem because roads, schools, hospitals and other public systems still need money from
somewhere. I also realised that anger alone does not solve the problem, because fair
taxation needs clear rules that apply consistently rather than punishment based only on
how wealthy someone appears. For me, the strongest lesson is that fairness is not simply
about taking money from rich people, but about designing a system where everyone
contributes reasonably according to their position. This question therefore changed how I
think about tax, responsibility, wealth and the meaning of fairness in society in modern
Assignment 8 PORTFOLIO Semester 2 2026
Unique number:
Due date: 15 October 2026
, SUS1501 – Sustainability and Greed
Student Number:
Date:
Teaching Assistant Name: <Note: grades will be allocated for getting this right>
Declaration:
By submitting this portfolio, I implicitly declare that this is my own work except for the
“Introduction” which was kindly written for me by my lecturer.
I am aware that if ANY unacknowledged copying is detected in ANY answer, I will get 0
(zero) for the entire assignment.
Instructions:
Please read the instructions on myUnisa carefully.
Please download the most up-to-date version of this template from your group site
on myUnisa.
DO NOT delete the template to reduce the Turnitin score. We do not look at the
score we look at the detailed report. We will deduct 10% if you delete the template.
Go through the MCQs again, and record your current choice afater considering in the
template (we suggest that you don’t look at your original choices before you have
been through all questions) – you need to re-answer ALL 20 questions.
For each question, record your original choice in assignment 1– you need to do this
for ALL 20 questions.
Write a note of AT LEAST 100 words discussing YOUR option for each of the five (5)
questions that are written in red (questions 1 – 5).
Write a note of AT LEAST 100 words discussing YOUR option for any other five (5)
questions of your choice.
Write your conclusion of AT LEAST 500 words
Somewhere within your notes and/or conclusion there must be meaningful
references to the major theories that we covered (deontology, consequentialism,
distributive justice, virtue ethics and environmental ethics).
Your notes and conclusion should also make reference to discussions with fellow
students that you found meaningful.
You MUST write your notes and conclusion in your own human words first in the
space provided. This is not optional.
Save the file as a Word document with a short name (myUnisa will reject files with
long names).
Take a screen grab of the final submission acknowledgement on myUnisa and save
, this somewhere safe in case of any disputes.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST – i.e. if you do not fulfil ALL of these you will NOT
pass this portfolio:
1. Correct template version used
2. All 20 multiple choice question original answers captured
3. All 20 multiple choice question answers now captured
4. Notes for the five (5) questions in red
5. Notes for AT LEAST five (5) other questions of your choice
6. Each note AT LEAST 100 words long
7. Conclusion present
8. Conclusion AT LEAST 500 words long
9. Template NOT deleted
, Introduction
My aim in compiling this portfolio was to reflect on the things that have struck me
throughout this crazy module.
My starting point for doing this was to revisit my opinions to the multiple choice questions
which were presented in the Crossroads assignment. I present these current opinions,
together with my original opinions, and some brief notes in the section entitled: “Back at
the Crossroads!”
Once I have done this, I will reflect on the entire learning process and draw some key
conclusions about this crazy module and about the things that really struck me.
Back at the Crossroads!
1. (YOU MUST WRITE NOTES ON THIS QUESTION) “ProPublica leaked IRS documents
showing that in 2011, Jeff Bezos did not pay any tax.” My personal opinion on this
statement is most closely described by:
a. Taxation is basically government stealing from people so good for Bezos
b. I’m sure he didn’t break the law.
c. Wait, wasn’t he the richest man in the world in 2011?
d. What about other billionaires I wonder?
e. This is just gross injustice, and we need to do something about it.
Choice now: e
Choice in assignment 1: e
Notes: (Answer in the table below)
I kept option e because the tax issue made me question whether something can be legal and
still feel deeply unfair to ordinary people who carry the everyday cost of public services.
Before this module, I often thought that following the law was enough, but distributive
justice pushed me to ask who benefits, who carries the burden, and whether the outcome
treats people fairly. Rawls allows some inequality, yet that inequality should not make life
worse for people who are already among the least advantaged in society (Unisa, 2021). In
my view, extreme wealth together with very low tax contributions creates a difficult moral
problem because roads, schools, hospitals and other public systems still need money from
somewhere. I also realised that anger alone does not solve the problem, because fair
taxation needs clear rules that apply consistently rather than punishment based only on
how wealthy someone appears. For me, the strongest lesson is that fairness is not simply
about taking money from rich people, but about designing a system where everyone
contributes reasonably according to their position. This question therefore changed how I
think about tax, responsibility, wealth and the meaning of fairness in society in modern
