Students

GMBA8121 – Advise

2020 – Coursera term 4, Fully online/virtual

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Craig Fleisher
Teaching Assistant
Linden Misselbrook
Contact via globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
5
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to GMBA and 100cp at 8000 level
Corequisites Corequisites
GMBA8122
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Imagine working on a complex problem with your team that you have been unable to solve. In situations such as these, organisations often turn to external support, in the form of management consultants, to help address highly complex problems. Effective management consultants are specialists who are well-versed in complex problem solving with the ability to devise viable strategies to improve an organisation's performance. This unit provides you with an introduction to a range of established and emerging management consultancy practices such as design thinking, customer journey mapping, and agile methodology. Although you may not want to pursue a career as a management consultant yourself, this unit will teach you what tools and frameworks they draw upon in solving complex problems for their clients. You will be provided with a 'problem solving toolbox' containing best practice and next practice frameworks, techniques and methodologies. Our industry partners share their insights and experience with problem solving so that you get the 'best-of' overview that can be applied immediately to your own workplace.

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:

  • ULO1: Examine the many (evolving) roles that management consultants take inside and outside of enterprises
  • ULO2: Synthesise complex ideas and data to identify problems.
  • ULO3: Apply cognitive and creative skills to determine appropriate approaches to solving problems.
  • ULO4: Master interpersonal skills and expectations management in establishing and building relationships with stakeholders.
  • ULO5: Design approaches to ascertain the root causes of problems, rise to managerial challenges, act analytically and tenaciously both personally and cooperatively in a systematic and measured manner

General Assessment Information

Submission

You will submit your assessment tasks via your online unit on Coursera.

For individual submissions, please use the following naming convention for your file:

lastname-firstname-GMBAxxx-A1.* 

lastname-firstname-GMBAxxx-A2.*

For group submissions, please use the following naming convention for your file:

team-number-GMBAxxx-A1.* 

team-number-GMBAxxx-A2.* 

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Extensions 

Please note that no extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission = 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved. 

For any questions regarding your assignment submission or to apply for special consideration, please send an email to globalmba.support@mq.edu.au.

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Formatting instructions

These instructions pertain only to written assignments. In the case of other formats (e.g., slide decks) specific formatting instructions may apply. Written assignments should be in 11 point Arial font with 1.5 line spacing. Each page of the report should be numbered and have at minimum 2.5 cm margins from the left and right edges and top and bottom of the page. The word count is strictly enforced. The actual word length of the document, not including references or appendices, should be clearly stated on the title page of the report. Written assignments should have the following structure:

  1. A title page with the question, your student name and student number, word count of the text

  2. ​The body of the report structured with paragraphs and with appropriate headings and citations, with page numbers.

  3. Complete reference list of material cited in the text.

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Referencing

Please use the American Psychological Association (APA) 6th edition reference style. This means that when referring to an article or book etc, you indicate the author’s name followed by the year of publication (Jones, 1989). For multiple authors include all names (Jones, Smith, & Wilson, 1990). If you use a direct quote put the quoted words in “quotation marks” and include the page number with the reference (Jones, 1989, p. 76). A reference list should be presented in alphabetical order at the end of the paper. Further information on APA style is available at http://libguides.mq.edu.au/content.php?pid=85232&sid=634282

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Commercial in Confidence

Please note that you must not disclose any information marked ‘Commercial in Confidence’ without permission from the party who supplied it (e.g., your current or previous employer, customers, etc.). 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Brief / Reverse brief 40% No 14 July 2020, 11:59pm (AEST)
Research Plan 60% No 6 August 2020

Brief / Reverse brief

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 8 hours
Due: 14 July 2020, 11:59pm (AEST)
Weighting: 40%

 

Length: Team: Presentation slide deck (8 slides max.) (excluding references); Individual: 1,200-1,500 words Format: Team: Reverse brief (20%); Individual: Critical reflection on brief (20%). Task: In this assignment, your immersion project team will deliver a brief / reverse brief presentation. Each team member will complete a 1,500 word reflection on the process of developing a brief, the delivery of that brief to a client, and individual learning.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Examine the many (evolving) roles that management consultants take inside and outside of enterprises
  • Synthesise complex ideas and data to identify problems.
  • Apply cognitive and creative skills to determine appropriate approaches to solving problems.
  • Master interpersonal skills and expectations management in establishing and building relationships with stakeholders.
  • Design approaches to ascertain the root causes of problems, rise to managerial challenges, act analytically and tenaciously both personally and cooperatively in a systematic and measured manner

Research Plan

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 16 hours
Due: 6 August 2020
Weighting: 60%

 

Length: Team: 10-15 min. presentation (max.) (excluding references); Individual: 1,200-1,500 words Format: Team: Client Proposal (30%); Individual: Critical reflection on research plan (30%) Task: In this assignment, your client project team will deliver the project proposal for the client. Each team member will complete a 1,500 word reflection.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Examine the many (evolving) roles that management consultants take inside and outside of enterprises
  • Synthesise complex ideas and data to identify problems.
  • Apply cognitive and creative skills to determine appropriate approaches to solving problems.
  • Master interpersonal skills and expectations management in establishing and building relationships with stakeholders.
  • Design approaches to ascertain the root causes of problems, rise to managerial challenges, act analytically and tenaciously both personally and cooperatively in a systematic and measured manner

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Required text

There is no required textbook for this unit.  Please refer to the weekly required  readings in your online unit. All readings are available via the Macquarie University library and do not need to be purchased separately.

Delivery method

This unit will be delivered entirely online via the Coursera Learning Management System. Access to a personal computer is required to access the resources and learning materials on Coursera.

Unit Schedule

For this unit, Live Events (via the web conferencing software Zoom) will take place once a week starting in Week 1 and ending in Week 6. The links to the events are available via Live Events in the online unit. Students are strongly advised to attend the Live Events. Recordings of the live events will be made available within 24 hours of the event and can be accessed via Resources in the online unit.

Attending the Live Event each week is an opportunity to engage with the unit content, your Unit Convenor and classmates. Students are encouraged to complete specified Live Event preparation learning activities prior to each scheduled Live Event in order to get the most value out of these sessions.

Please note: The teaching schedule is subject to change. Please refer to your online unit for the latest schedule.

Week Live Events Assessments
1 Webinar: Wednesday 1 July 2020, 10-11am (AEST)  
2 Webinar: Wednesday 8 July 2020, 10-11am (AEST)  
3 Webinar: Wednesday 15 July 2020, 10-11am (AEST) A1 due: Tuesday 14 July 2020, 11:59pm (AEST)
4 Webinar: Wednesday 22 July 2020, 10-11am (AEST)  
5 Webinar: Wednesday 29 July 2020, 10-11am (AEST)  
6i Webinar: Wednesday 5 August 2020, 10-11am (AEST)  
6ii Webinar: Thursday 6 August 2020, 10-11am (AEST) A2 due: Thursday 6 August 2020 (in Live Event)

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

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 help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

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

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

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

Changes since First Published

Date Description
23/06/2020 Corrected an error in the due date for the first assessment (14 August changed to 14 July)