Students

GMBA8121 – Advise

2024 – Coursera term 2, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Alena Soboleva
alena.soboleva@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: 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

Late submissions of 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 (Sydney time). 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 submit an application for Special Consideration.

Special Consideration

To request an extension on the due date/time for a timed or non-timed assessment task, you must submit a Special Consideration application. An application for Special Consideration does not guarantee approval.

The approved extension date for a student becomes the new due date for that student. The late submission penalties above then apply as of the new due date.

Word limits

Anything beyond a stated assessment word limit (other than your reference list) may not be marked. Seek any further clarification from the unit convenor.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Business Proposal 40% No Week 3
Project Presentation 60% No Week 6

Business Proposal

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 8 hours
Due: Week 3
Weighting: 40%

 

Length: Team report 1,500 words, Individual reflection 500 words

Weight: Team report 30% (15% group, 15% individual contribution); Individual reflection 10%

Format: Team written report

Task: In this assignment, your team will deliver the project proposal for the nominated organisation and each team member will complete a 500-word reflection on their individual contribution and 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.
  • 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

Project Presentation

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 16 hours
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 60%

 

Length: Team presentation 15 minutes, Individual reflection 500 words

Weight: Team presentation 50% (15% group, 35% individual contribution); Individual reflection 10%

Format: Team presentation

Task: In this assignment, your team will deliver a presentation outlining the business proposal for the nominated organisation. Each team member will complete a 500-word reflection on their individual contribution and 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.
  • 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

Refer to the timetable information on the GMBA website or MQ Timetable Portal for Live Event session timings. Please note the timetable can be subject to change. See your Coursera unit for a detailed Live Event schedule.

Live Events will take place via Zoom each week starting in Week 1 and ending in Week 6. The links to the events will be active from 10 minutes prior to the scheduled time and are available via Live Events in the left-hand navigation menu in your Coursera unit.

You will need to use your Macquarie University student Zoom account to access the Live Events.

Attending the Live Event each week is an opportunity to engage with the unit content, your Unit Convenor, and classmates. Students are strongly advised to attend the Live Events. Recordings will be made available in the unit contents on Coursera shortly after the event.

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 2024.02 of the Handbook