Students

GMBA8004 – Become a Meaning Maker

2025 – Coursera term 3, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Abas Mirzaei
abas.mirzaei@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
5
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to GMBA or GradCertGlobalBusPrac
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Faced with complex and ambiguous environments, how do leaders envision the future and instill their vision in a way that conveys its meaningfulness and drives change and innovation? This unit addresses this challenge using the lenses of leadership, vision and identity. Drawing on theories such as internal marketing, the unit explores how students, as leaders, can create a compelling vision and understand how to communicate with impact and meaning. Students will also understand how to build personal power to exert influence and how to harness the transformative power of social identity to sustain commitment to the vision. Special attention will be given to the role of identity in leading across cultures and borders. In exploring these concepts, the unit will also build an understanding of how storytelling can engage and influence people beyond traditional approaches to communication. This unit will also explore the role of brands and visual identity in organisational success. Students will develop awareness of brand identity and the role of brand in clarifying and reinforcing the vision, both within the organisation, and for partners and customers.

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: Evaluate approaches to influencing and creating meaning at work.
  • ULO2: Synthesise and apply concepts related to the role of visionary leadership and identity in meaning making in complex and dynamic organisational contexts
  • ULO3: Analyse and apply approaches to meaning making that play a role in aligning employee buy-in of organisational narratives
  • ULO4: Create strategies to leverage meaning making through branding
  • ULO5: Situate discussions of meaning making within broader social contexts and concerns

General Assessment Information

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 11:59pm(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 apply for Special Consideration.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Reflection and analysis 40% No 26 May, 11:59pm (Sydney time)
Purposeful meaning making 60% No 16 June, 11:59pm (Sydney time)

Reflection and analysis

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 26 May, 11:59pm (Sydney time)
Weighting: 40%

 

Length: max 1,000 words (excl. references) Format: Written report Task: You will be asked to analyse and synthesise factors that contribute to meaning and meaninglessness at work.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Evaluate approaches to influencing and creating meaning at work.
  • Analyse and apply approaches to meaning making that play a role in aligning employee buy-in of organisational narratives

Purposeful meaning making

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 14 hours
Due: 16 June, 11:59pm (Sydney time)
Weighting: 60%

 

Length: 1,800 - 2,000 words (excl. references) Format: Written report Task: In this task, you will be asked to identify and analyse factors that contribute the most to successful/unsuccessful higher purpose meaning making. Please refer to the section Course Resources - Assessment Information in your online unit for detailed information on this assignment as well as the marking criteria. You will be asked to submit your completed task via the Assignment submission link in your online unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Synthesise and apply concepts related to the role of visionary leadership and identity in meaning making in complex and dynamic organisational contexts
  • Analyse and apply approaches to meaning making that play a role in aligning employee buy-in of organisational narratives
  • Create strategies to leverage meaning making through branding
  • Situate discussions of meaning making within broader social contexts and concerns

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

Please refer to Coursera for details of delivery.

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.

Unit information based on version 2025.01R of the Handbook