Students

BBA 102 – Principles of Management

2014 – MQC1 Evening

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Moderator
Nikola Balnave
Contact via nikki.balnave@mq.edu.au
Unit Convenor
Adrineh Mitchell
Contact via adrineh.mitchell@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit addresses areas of interest for those wishing to understand management and the nature of organisations, their structure and operation. Topics include the development of organisations and management; the context or environment of an organisation; what constitutes performance for an organisation, and sustainability.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • An understanding of major approaches to management
  • An understanding of some of the major functions of managers
  • An understanding of how organisations are structured and different approaches to structure
  • An understanding of the various challenges managers face in the current business environment

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due
Class Test 5% Week 4 tutorials
Essay 30% Monday, 5 May
Group work and participation 25% Weeks 6-12
Final Examination 40% Formal examination period

Class Test

Due: Week 4 tutorials
Weighting: 5%

Weighting:                5%     

Date:                          Week 4 tutorials     

Duration/Length:    30 minutes / 20 multiple choice questions

 

Aims and Objectives

 

This test aims to assess your understanding of the material covered in the Weeks 1 - 3 lectures. It will be conducted during the Week 4 tutorials and involves 20 multiple choice questions, each worth a quarter of a mark. The objective of the test is to provide students with feedback on an early assessment task within the first third of the study period. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • An understanding of major approaches to management
  • An understanding of some of the major functions of managers
  • An understanding of the various challenges managers face in the current business environment

Essay

Due: Monday, 5 May
Weighting: 30%

Weighting:                30%   

Due Date:                 Monday 5 May (Week 8)   

Duration/Length:    1500 Words 

Submission Details:                     

 

All students must submit their essays through Turnitin using the link on iLearn by 11.59pm on the due date.

 Hard copies must be given to the tutor in the Week 8 tutorial. Hard copies must be identical to the electronic version submitted.

 Late essays must also be submitted through Turnitin and a hard copy should be submitted to Reception on Level 2, to be date stamped and forwarded to your tutor for marking.

 

 Aims and Objectives

This assessment encourages students to:

·         Understand the challenges facing organisations in the contemporary business environment.

 

  • Provide a critical perspective of the academic literature on a topic.
  • Construct a sustained argument in response to the question.
  • Utilise and conform to the principles of academic rigour in the production of an acceptable, formal response to the question.

On successful completion you will be able to:
  • An understanding of major approaches to management
  • An understanding of some of the major functions of managers
  • An understanding of the various challenges managers face in the current business environment

Group work and participation

Due: Weeks 6-12
Weighting: 25%

Weighting:    25%   

-       Group report and presentation = 15%

-       Participation = 10%

Due Date:     Tutorial weeks 6 - 12

Duration/Length:

-       Group presentation – 30 minutes

-       Group written report – 1200  to 1500 words

Submission Details:  Present and submit report at assigned tutorial and participate in class discussion initiated by other groups on a weekly basis.      

 

 

Aims and Objectives

This assessment encourages students to:

 

  • Work effectively as a team.
  • Consider a range of perspectives and findings on a management-related topic.

On successful completion you will be able to:
  • An understanding of major approaches to management
  • An understanding of some of the major functions of managers
  • An understanding of how organisations are structured and different approaches to structure
  • An understanding of the various challenges managers face in the current business environment

Final Examination

Due: Formal examination period
Weighting: 40%

Weighting:    40%   

Due Date:     Formal Examination Period        

Duration:      2 Hours                                                          

 

A final examination is included as an assessment task for this unit to provide assurance that:

i)             the product belongs to the student and

ii)            the student has attained the knowledge and skills tested in the exam.

 

The final examination will be of two hour duration and will be held during the University Examination period.  The exam will include multiple choice and 2 essay response questions. 

 

 

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • An understanding of major approaches to management
  • An understanding of some of the major functions of managers
  • An understanding of how organisations are structured and different approaches to structure
  • An understanding of the various challenges managers face in the current business environment

Delivery and Resources

 

Classes

·         Number and length of classes: 1 x 2 hour lecture and 1 x 1 hour tutorial, i.e. 3 hours face to face per week unless indicated otherwise in the lecture schedule.

·         Classes may vary due to public holiday(s)

 

Required text

Robbins, S., DeCenzo, D., Coulter, M. and Woods, M. (2014), Management: The Essentials 2nd Edition. Pearson: Frenchs Forest, NSW.

The text is available from the Co-Op Bookshop.  Copies are held in the Library's Reserve section.

 

Technology Used and Required

Students will need to be familiar with a web browser to access the unit web page. Students are also required to access the companion website which accompanies the text.

 

Unit web page

The web page for this unit can be found at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/

 

Consultation hours

Students are encouraged in the first instance to post questions on the Administration Discussion Board on iLearn. Your questions will be answered relatively quickly, and you may find that your questions have already been asked and answered.

Adrineh Mitchell's consultation hours are by appointment. Her contact details are listed above. You may speak to her directly before or after class to arrange a mutually convenient time. You may email her directly, (contact details are available in the unit iLearn website).

Students experiencing significant difficulties with any topic in the unit must seek assistance immediately.

 

Changes Since the Last Offering of this Unit

A short class test worth 5% has been introduced and the value of the group report and presentation has subsequently been reduced by 5%.

Unit Schedule

Week

Week Commencing

Lecture Topic and Reading

Tutorials

 1

17 March

Managers and management

Reading: Chapter 1

Introduction

 2

24 March

The external management environment

Reading: Chapter 2

Team selection & Research skills

 

 3

31 March

Ethics, sustainability and CSR

Reading: Ethics & social responsibility module + additional readings on iLearn

Effective presentation skills

 4

7 April

Foundations of planning

Reading: Chapter 4

Class test

 5

14 April

Foundations of decision making

Reading: Chapter 3

Essay writing skills

 6

21 April

Organisational structure and design

Reading: Chapter 5

Group 1 presentation

 7

28 April

Managing human resources

Reading: Chapter 6

Group 2 presentation

8

5 May

Managing change and innovation

Reading: Chapter 7

Group 3 presentation

 Essay due

 9

12 May

Understanding groups and managing work teams

Reading: Chapter 9

Group 4 presentation

10

19 May

Motivating and rewarding employees Reading: Chapter 10

Group 5 presentation

 11

26 May

Leadership and trust / Communication and interpersonal skills

Reading: Chapters 11 & 12

Group 6 presentation

 12

2 June

Foundations of control

Reading: Chapter 13

Group 7 presentation

 13

 9 June

 Exam briefing

Unit review

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • An understanding of major approaches to management
  • An understanding of some of the major functions of managers
  • An understanding of how organisations are structured and different approaches to structure
  • An understanding of the various challenges managers face in the current business environment

Assessment tasks

  • Class Test
  • Essay
  • Group work and participation
  • Final Examination

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • An understanding of major approaches to management
  • An understanding of some of the major functions of managers
  • An understanding of how organisations are structured and different approaches to structure
  • An understanding of the various challenges managers face in the current business environment

Assessment tasks

  • Essay
  • Group work and participation
  • Final Examination

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • An understanding of major approaches to management
  • An understanding of the various challenges managers face in the current business environment

Assessment tasks

  • Essay
  • Group work and participation

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • An understanding of major approaches to management
  • An understanding of some of the major functions of managers
  • An understanding of how organisations are structured and different approaches to structure
  • An understanding of the various challenges managers face in the current business environment

Assessment tasks

  • Essay
  • Group work and participation
  • Final Examination

Research and Practice

·         This unit uses research from external sources.

·         This unit gives you opportunities to conduct your own research.

 

Recommended texts:

Jones, G. and George, J. (2012). Essentials of Contemporary Management 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill: Boston.

Nash, G. (2011). A Guide to Writing Argumentative Essays. Wiley: Milton.

Samson, G. and Daft, R. (2012). Fundamentals of Management 4th Edition. Cengage: South Melbourne.