Students

MMBA8019 – Creative Business Models: Building Impact through Innovation

2025 – Term 2, In person-scheduled-infrequent, City

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lars Groeger
lars.groeger@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
MMBA8020
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Discover the transformative power of creativity and innovation in business and society with this dynamic unit. Embrace the belief that even the most complex problems, such as sustainability, economic inequality, and technological disruption, are solvable and that those who face them hold the key to lasting solutions. You will follow a human-centred innovation process, encouraging experimentation, learning from failures, and proceeding without always having immediate answers. You will learn to empathise, iterate, and draw inspiration from unexpected places, balancing the tension between deep problem exploration and solution development in a playful way. Leveraging tools from design thinking, strategy, marketing, and entrepreneurship, you will collaborate with corporations, non-profits, and startups to address strategic challenges and create desirable, viable solutions. This unit will equip you with essential skills in creative problem-solving, agility, and innovation, emphasising customer discovery, iteration, and collaboration.

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: Innovate through field research and critical assessment of different data types and stakeholder insights.
  • ULO2: Critically apply a range of creative problem-solving, strategy, and design tools and techniques to create desirable, viable, and tangible solutions and business models.
  • ULO3: In teams, demonstrate advanced skills and responsibility in managing the relationships and dynamics required to drive innovation outcomes.

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
Skills Development - Practice-based activities 20% No Weeks 2-9
Design Challenge Project 60% No A2A: Week 6 & A2B: Week 10
Application 20% No Exam Week (Wk11)

Skills Development - Practice-based activities

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Weeks 2-9
Weighting: 20%

 

This assessment task requires students to contribute to learning activities before, during and after workshop sessions. Students will be assessed on a range of class activities, tasks, and learning events. Students must take an active role in the sessions and will be asked to submit or present specific activities designed by the teaching team either during class or in preparation for class.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Innovate through field research and critical assessment of different data types and stakeholder insights.
  • Critically apply a range of creative problem-solving, strategy, and design tools and techniques to create desirable, viable, and tangible solutions and business models.
  • In teams, demonstrate advanced skills and responsibility in managing the relationships and dynamics required to drive innovation outcomes.

Design Challenge Project

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: A2A: Week 6 & A2B: Week 10
Weighting: 60%

 

The design challenge project is the major assessment item for this unit. Teams will work on a real-world project, applying theories, tools and techniques to a complex innovation challenge. Based on your own field research, you will create a tangible solution (prototype) and demonstrate why it is a desirable business opportunity. You will summarise the project's outcomes in a succinct reading deck (Group report).

50% of group work assessment mark will be allocated to individual performance based on the following subcomponent that directly contributes to the final group project report:

Individual Field Research Report (1,500 words).

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Innovate through field research and critical assessment of different data types and stakeholder insights.
  • Critically apply a range of creative problem-solving, strategy, and design tools and techniques to create desirable, viable, and tangible solutions and business models.
  • In teams, demonstrate advanced skills and responsibility in managing the relationships and dynamics required to drive innovation outcomes.

Application

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Exam Week (Wk11)
Weighting: 20%

 

This individual assignment consists of critical analysis and reflection about the transfer and application of learnings to student's corporate and/or entrepreneurial environment (1,500 words).

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically apply a range of creative problem-solving, strategy, and design tools and techniques to create desirable, viable, and tangible solutions and business models.
  • In teams, demonstrate advanced skills and responsibility in managing the relationships and dynamics required to drive innovation outcomes.

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

Following a human-centred design process, this unit emphasises experiential learning through five immersive and intensive full-day workshops. You will work on a client-sponsored living case study throughout the term, applying tools and techniques to a real-world innovation challenge. Unlike other units, our time spent together will be theory light and practical application heavy. The unit will be intense, engaging, fun and transformative. Please review unit schedule and ilearn for further details.

Unit Schedule

INTENSIVE DAY

TOPIC

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

DELIVERABLES (during or after workshop)

Day 1 Saturday 10 May 9am-5pm

Unpack the Challenge
  • Experience the complete HCD process in 2hrs
  • Get to know your team
  • Project kick-off
  • Map key assumptions about your challenge and plan your first round of field research
  • Complete Team Charter
  • Set up Project Management Tools & Processes
  • Research Plan V1

Day 2 Sunday 11 May 9am-5pm

Discover: Explore Opportunities
  • Discovery phase fundamentals, tools & techniques
  • Scope the challenge
  • Conduct first exploratory field research
  • Share data
  • Draft Research Plan V2
  • Research Plan V2
  • Individual Field Research
  • Individual Research Report (A2A) submission
  • Team Field Research

Online Class Tue 13 May 5-6pm

Discover Phase: Tools & Techniques
  • Review tools & techniques for Discover phase
  • Q&A
  

Day 3 Friday 30 May 9am-5pm

Define: Reframe the Challenge
  • Discover Themes & Insights
  • Reframe the challenge from a human-centred perspective
  • Create Proto-Persona
  • Team Data Sharing Sessions
  • Discover Insights
  • Persona & Problem Statement

Day 4 Saturday 31 May 9am-5pm

Develop: Create Solutions
  • Explore a broad solution space based on well-defined insights
  • Generate original ideas by using various ideation techniques
  • Evaluate and select ideas
  • Make your ideas tangible: create 2-3 prototypes
  • Original Ideas
  • Idea Dashboard
  • Prototype

Day 5 Sunday 1 June 9am-5pm

Deliver: Test & Iterate Solutions
  • Test the desirability of your solution(s)
  • Iterate Problem Statement & Solution
  • Assess the viability of your solution 
  • Report Narrative
  • Refined Prototype &Testing Results
  • Team Final Report (A2B) submission

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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
16/03/2025 Joint Unit Guide

Unit information based on version 2025.08 of the Handbook