Students

MQBS8000 – Contemporary Business Issues

2024 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lurion De Mello
lurion.demello@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MCom or MBusAnalytics and 40cp at 8000 level
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This is a course-wide capstone unit that is intended to be taken by students in their final session of study. The unit is designed to broaden students' understanding of the importance of strategic business matters in the areas of an organisation's planning, operations, leadership, ethics and broader sustainability, economic and global developments. Through the unit's real world experience opportunities and engagement in business challenges requiring cross-disciplinary insights and knowledge, students are not only required to develop their reflective and integrative thinking but also engage in the development of their future-focused, strategic thinking. Students are exposed to contemporaneous business intelligence devised to give them the opportunity to consider practical implications of business issues and challenges and to investigate strategic business matters within the context of a business environment. Students work in self-managing teams to prepare group reports, complete practice-based tasks and conduct a session long research-based project.

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 knowledge and skills from alternative discipline-specific perspectives to address complex, global business issues.
  • ULO2: Discuss the relationship between sustainability, value creation and governance within a business context and articulate an informed ethical position.
  • ULO3: Critically analyse recent and developing business issues, formulate creative and strategic solutions and defend propositions.
  • ULO4: Demonstrate professional written, verbal and interpersonal competencies on personal, social and practical issues in a team environment.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty (written assessments) 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.  

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to apply for Special Consideration.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Practice-based tasks 45% No Week 2 to Week 10
Project 40% No Week 12
Reflection 15% No Week 13

Practice-based tasks

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 2 to Week 10
Weighting: 45%

 

Practice-based assessment tasks are given throughout the session. Some of these are take-home tasks, others are to be completed during the workshops. Students must submit a total of three (3) tasks for grading. Each task is worth 15%.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Discuss the relationship between sustainability, value creation and governance within a business context and articulate an informed ethical position.
  • Critically analyse recent and developing business issues, formulate creative and strategic solutions and defend propositions.

Project

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 40%

 

This assessment has two components. One component is a 2,000-3,000 word group report worth 20% (assessed as a group). The other component is a group presentation of 3-4 minutes per group member worth 20% (assessed individually).

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Integrate knowledge and skills from alternative discipline-specific perspectives to address complex, global business issues.
  • Discuss the relationship between sustainability, value creation and governance within a business context and articulate an informed ethical position.
  • Demonstrate professional written, verbal and interpersonal competencies on personal, social and practical issues in a team environment.

Reflection

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 15%

 

Students will be required to submit one 1000 word reflection essay (worth 15%).

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Integrate knowledge and skills from alternative discipline-specific perspectives to address complex, global business issues.
  • Demonstrate professional written, verbal and interpersonal competencies on personal, social and practical issues in a team environment.

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

Delivery:

  • This unit consists of 2 hours of inclass teaching per session, you are expected to spend 1 hour prior to class going through some background information on the weekly topics.
  • The timetable for classes can be found on the University website at: https://publish.mq.edu.au/

Resources:

  • There is no required textbook for this unit. Readings, multi-media cases, simulations and self-directed modules are uploaded on iLearn.
  • Access to a personal computer and the internet is required to access the resources and learning materials on iLearn.

Please see iLearn for further information

See iLearn for the Unit Schedule.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

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

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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 connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

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

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

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

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Unit information based on version 2024.04 of the Handbook