Students
MQBS3010 – Agility and Excellence in Business
2020 – Session 2, Special circumstance
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
General Information
Download as PDF
| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Prashan Karunaratne
Contact via "Contact the Unit Convenor" link on iLearn.
4ER 243
Tuesday 4-6 pm
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to BCom and 80cp at 2000 level or above
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This course-wide Capstone unit is designed to be taken by students in their final session of study within the Bachelor of Commerce. Students work collaboratively with peers and advisors to integrate the discipline-specific knowledge acquired within the course and to address practical business challenges requiring cross-disciplinary and cross-functional insights, knowledge and skills. Assessment is designed to assure student proficiency in course learning outcomes. Students work in self-managing cross-functional teams to complete a session-long project, preparing individual and group reports that are assessed by academic staff. The unit aims to prepare students for ethical and sustainable leadership in their future workplaces as team players. Learning activities may include a combination of case study/ies, business simulation and seminars/workshops. |
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: Integrate discipline specific knowledge and skills and apply subject knowledge critically, analytically with appreciation of cross disciplinary requirements.
- ULO2: Identify and analyse issues from a variety of ethical and sustainability positions as applied to the business context.
- ULO3: Reflect on outcomes of working in multi-functional teams to apply teamwork knowledge and skills for effective collaboration to achieve business solutions in a range of contexts.
General Assessment Information
All group based tasks will be weighted at 50% for the individual contribution and 50% for the group contribution.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capstone Project Report | 40% | No | Week 13 |
| Capstone Project Presentation | 20% | No | Week 13 |
| Reflective Essay | 20% | No | Week 2 |
| Agility Exercise | 20% | No | Week 8 |
Capstone Project Report
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 40%
Collaboratively prepare a report for a bespoke program / product / process for a chosen institution to excel in achieving (at least) one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Integrate discipline specific knowledge and skills and apply subject knowledge critically, analytically with appreciation of cross disciplinary requirements.
- Identify and analyse issues from a variety of ethical and sustainability positions as applied to the business context.
- Reflect on outcomes of working in multi-functional teams to apply teamwork knowledge and skills for effective collaboration to achieve business solutions in a range of contexts.
Capstone Project Presentation
Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 20%
Collaboratively present a bespoke program / product / process for a chosen institution to excel in achieving (at least) one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Integrate discipline specific knowledge and skills and apply subject knowledge critically, analytically with appreciation of cross disciplinary requirements.
- Identify and analyse issues from a variety of ethical and sustainability positions as applied to the business context.
- Reflect on outcomes of working in multi-functional teams to apply teamwork knowledge and skills for effective collaboration to achieve business solutions in a range of contexts.
Reflective Essay
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 2
Weighting: 20%
2,000 word reflective essay
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Integrate discipline specific knowledge and skills and apply subject knowledge critically, analytically with appreciation of cross disciplinary requirements.
Agility Exercise
Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 8
Weighting: 20%
Collaboratively analyse the impact of a commercial shock on the ongoing capstone project by utilising an ethical framework.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify and analyse issues from a variety of ethical and sustainability positions as applied to the business context.
- Reflect on outcomes of working in multi-functional teams to apply teamwork knowledge and skills for effective collaboration to achieve business solutions in a range of contexts.
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
Learning and Teaching Activities
For the fully online streams - all learning and teaching activities will be conducted online via iLearn.
For the partial online steams - a blend of online and F2F will occur.
There are two seminars each week in your timetable:
You will need to commit to your timetable for the rest of the session. 80% of your grade will depend on work done during seminars in teams.
The 1-hour seminar: "Seminar_2" will be facilitated by the Unit Convenor either F2F or via Zoom - depending on your timetable.
The 2-hour seminar: "Seminar_1" will be facilitated by yourselves and you will have to organise your own team meetings - F2F or online. There will be material for you to work together as a group - and we will consolidate this learning in the next "Seminar_2". It is possible that your individual team of 5 members may find an alternative time to meet instead of the official 2-hour "Seminar_1" time - this is a decision for your team to make.
The 1-hour "Seminar_1" time is not flexible - as the Unit Convenor is the facilitator.
In BOTH "Seminar_1" and "Seminar_2" you will be performing work in your teams - which ultimately impacts on your capstone project and grade. If you are unable to commit to this (or find a team-based alternative to meeting for "Seminar_1" outside the official timetabled time - you are advised to un-enrol from the unit, as 80% of the activities in the unit revolves around teamwork).
Essentially, "Seminar_2" will be like a F2F / Live Zoom tutorial. Thus, you must attend this, as the Unit Convenor will be there, and you will be working in teams.
Recommended Texts and/or Materials
Resources uploaded on iLearn.
Technology Used and Required
Students will need to use online tools for collaboration with their team members.
Unit Web Page
The web page for this unit can be found at: iLearn http://ilearn.mq.edu.au
Teaching and Learning Strategy
The unit is designed as a capstone unit. A capstone unit is designed to bring all your knowledge together to solve a problem.
There is no new content in the unit - rather a presentation of frameworks to consolidate all your content learnt in your degree so far.
This is a final year unit of study which integrates the material and skills presented across the degree.
Students will be placed in mixed-major teams to solve real-world problems.
These real-world problems will revolve around the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Student will address how commerce and business can play their part in achieving these goals.
Students will construct an artefact that integrates all their learning, as well as demonstrate an empathy & appreciation for other disciplines.
Students will write a reflective report about how their own major is an integral part of the puzzle in the diverse world of commerce.
Students will demonstrate agility by dealing with shocks that occur to the economy and responding to these effectively.
Students will demonstrate excellence by presenting their projects online, ready to be showcased to the job market
Unit Schedule
| Week | Activities & Resources revolving around… | Assessment | Weight |
| 1 | Introduction | ||
| 2 | Reflection | Reflective Essay | 20 |
| 3 | Introduction to Teams | ||
| 4 | Theory of Teams | ||
| 5 | Collaborative Problem Solving | ||
| 6 | Communication Skills | ||
| 7 | Conflict Management | Interim Pitch | 0 |
| Session Break | |||
| Session Break | |||
| 8 | Agility Exercise | Agility Exercise | 20 |
| 9 | Ethics in Business | ||
| 10 | Inter-group consultation | ||
| 11 | Guidance / Work on Project | ||
| 12 | Guidance / Work on Project | ||
| 13 | Wrap up |
Presentation Report |
20 40 |
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:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
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.