Students

COMP3780 – Technology Management

2025 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor, Lecturer
Dr. Shan Chen
Contact via email
4 RPD 356
TBA
Lecturer
Dr. Peter Busch
Contact via email
4 RPD 284
TBA
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides insights into five broad aspects of management systems: environment of management; organisations and their behaviour; management of human resources; project management and control; contracts; assessment; control and quality management; training; documentation and industrial relations legal issues; and management responsibility. From a practical perspective the unit involves examining new venture start-ups with high-tech industrial and commercial domains, with students working in groups on a business plan. The unit is aimed at students with a background that is typically technical although this is not essential.

Learning in this unit enhances student understanding of global challenges identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Decent Work and Economic Growth; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

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: Demonstrate leadership skills to co-ordinate a team of people to deliver a useful and valuable product or service or launch a new business venture.
  • ULO2: Demonstrate an understanding of individual personalities and communication styles and how this impacts interpersonal interactions and team motivation and performance.
  • ULO3: Both provide and accept critical analysis and constructive criticism for continuous improvement in deliverables and demonstrate social learning and problem based learning skills.
  • ULO4: Apply the different elements that are needed to successfully build and operate an effective team, organisation and business e.g. marketing, operations, financials and control.

General Assessment Information

Requirements to Pass this Unit:

To pass the unit you need to obtain a grade of 50% or above overall. There are no hurdle assessments.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty: 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark of the task) will be applied for each day a written report or presentation 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. The submission time for all uploaded assessments is 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period will be provided to students who experience a technical concern. 

Special Consideration

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment. If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through https://connect.mq.edu.au.

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted: 

  • Assignments 1 and 2 - YES, Standard Late Penalty applies
  • Quizzes 1, 2, 3 and 4 - NO, unless Special Considerartion is granted

We strongly encourage all students to actively participate in all learning activities. Regular engagement is crucial for your success in this unit, as these activities provide opportunities to deepen your understanding of the material, collaborate with peers, and receive valuable feedback from instructors, to assist in completing the unit assessments. Your active participation not only enhances your own learning experience but also contributes to a vibrant and dynamic learning environment for everyone.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Quizzes 20% No 23:55 Friday on 21/03/25, 11/04/25, 16/05/25 and 06/06/25
Assignment 1 20% No 23:55 Friday 04/04/25 (Week 6)
Assignment 2 20% No 23:55 Friday 23/05/25 (Week 11)
Final exam 40% No 10/06/25-27/06/25 (Exam Week)

Quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 23:55 Friday on 21/03/25, 11/04/25, 16/05/25 and 06/06/25
Weighting: 20%

 

Based on the textbook.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate leadership skills to co-ordinate a team of people to deliver a useful and valuable product or service or launch a new business venture.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of individual personalities and communication styles and how this impacts interpersonal interactions and team motivation and performance.
  • Both provide and accept critical analysis and constructive criticism for continuous improvement in deliverables and demonstrate social learning and problem based learning skills.
  • Apply the different elements that are needed to successfully build and operate an effective team, organisation and business e.g. marketing, operations, financials and control.

Assignment 1

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 23:55 Friday 04/04/25 (Week 6)
Weighting: 20%

 

Using Internet based reference sources, analyse the current market position of a given major technology company. Apply the principles from the textbook to answer a series of questions on management styles and organisational culture, current strategic issues facing an organisation and the prognosis for the future.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate leadership skills to co-ordinate a team of people to deliver a useful and valuable product or service or launch a new business venture.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of individual personalities and communication styles and how this impacts interpersonal interactions and team motivation and performance.
  • Both provide and accept critical analysis and constructive criticism for continuous improvement in deliverables and demonstrate social learning and problem based learning skills.
  • Apply the different elements that are needed to successfully build and operate an effective team, organisation and business e.g. marketing, operations, financials and control.

Assignment 2

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 23:55 Friday 23/05/25 (Week 11)
Weighting: 20%

 

A group of FOUR students will select a new product, service or business venture as the basis for a comprehensive business plan, covering market analysis, the product or service offering, marketing plan, operations plan, financial plan, risk management and recommendations. The overall mark is moderated by Peer Review feedback.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate leadership skills to co-ordinate a team of people to deliver a useful and valuable product or service or launch a new business venture.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of individual personalities and communication styles and how this impacts interpersonal interactions and team motivation and performance.
  • Both provide and accept critical analysis and constructive criticism for continuous improvement in deliverables and demonstrate social learning and problem based learning skills.
  • Apply the different elements that are needed to successfully build and operate an effective team, organisation and business e.g. marketing, operations, financials and control.

Final exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 10/06/25-27/06/25 (Exam Week)
Weighting: 40%

 

A series of short answer questions representing most chapters of the textbook and the related workshops, to be completed in an exam.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate leadership skills to co-ordinate a team of people to deliver a useful and valuable product or service or launch a new business venture.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of individual personalities and communication styles and how this impacts interpersonal interactions and team motivation and performance.
  • Both provide and accept critical analysis and constructive criticism for continuous improvement in deliverables and demonstrate social learning and problem based learning skills.
  • Apply the different elements that are needed to successfully build and operate an effective team, organisation and business e.g. marketing, operations, financials and control.

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

Each week you should register for 2 hours of lectures and 2 hours of SGTA class. SGTA starts from Week 1. For details of days, times and rooms consult your timetable.

Mandatory Text: Robbins, S., Bergman, R., Coulter, M., (2017) Management 8th. ed. Pearson Australia.

Do not buy earlier editions as the quiz questions in particular will directly relate only to the 8th edition.

All lecture slides will be available from iLearn.  Audio from the lecutures will be available via  the Echo360 system with links from the unit's iLearn home page.

All assignments are accessed from iLearn and submitted through iLearn.

Assignments 1 and 2 are Turnitin assignments, submitted through iLearn, but sent to Turnitin for plagiarism checking.  Students should allow up to 24 hours to receive Turnitin feedback reports.

Website and Access to Unit Material:

The web page and content for this unit can be found at iLearn: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au. Note that the unit content is not publicly available and requires for you to log in to access.

Method of Communication:

We will communicate with you via your university email or through announcements on iLearn. Queries to teaching staff can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to their university email address from your university email address.

Unit Schedule

The weekly schedule below is tentative. Efforts will be made to adhere to the schedule; however, we reserve the right to update it as appropriate. 

Week

Lecturer

Lecture

SGTA

Assessments

Peter

Unit Outline

Chapters 1&2

Managing McDonald’s Australia, pp 31-32 

 

Peter

Chapters 3&4

Competition heats up among fast food chains in Australia

 

Peter

Chapters 5&6

Culture of the ADF, pp 100-101

 

Peter

Chapters 7&8

A wakeup call to global clothing brands, pp 177-178

Quiz 1 closes

Peter

Chapter 9

Workplace stress can kill, pp 246-247

 

Peter

Chapter 10

Netflix and SVOD pp309-310

Assg 1 due 

Shan

Writing a Business Plan

Group Assignment Topics

Quiz 2 closes

                                                                Mid Semester Break 12-25th April 

Shan

Chapters 11&12

Starbucks Controls, p348

 

Shan

Chapters 13&14

Teamwork at Lonely Planet, p455

 

10 

Shan

Chapters 15&16

Delivery disaster at Domino’s Pizza, p577

Quiz 3 closes

11 

Shan

Chapters 17&18

Radical leadership, p649

Assg 2 due

12 

Peter

Revision - Peter's material

Assignment Review

 

13 

Shan

Revision - Shan's material

Revision

Quiz 4 closes

Exam

 

Check online for details

All unit material covered in lectures and SGTA classes

 

 

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.

Changes from Previous Offering

We value student feedback to be able to continually improve the way we offer our units. As such we encourage students to provide constructive feedback via student surveys, to the teaching staff directly, or via the FSE Student Experience & Feedback link in the iLearn page.  

Student feedback from the previous offering of this unit was positive overall, with students pleased with the clarity around assessment requirements and the level of support from teaching staff. As such, no change to the delivery of the unit is planned, however we will continue to strive to improve the level of support and the level of student engagement.


Unit information based on version 2025.02 of the Handbook