Students

ECON8030 – Applied Economics Project

2025 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Andrea Chareunsy
andrea.chareunsy@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(Admission to MAppEc or MBusAnalytics) and 30cp at 8000 level
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit is a collaborative project-based Capstone unit. It bridges the knowledge and skills accumulated in the course and the broader society of business and government. Students are provided with a practical experience of applying discipline knowledge to address real world challenges, develop innovative solutions and propose policy recommendations, within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Working in teams, students identify specific challenges, conduct comprehensive research, perform rigorous analysis, and develop evidence-based solutions for presentation to a panel of experts. The Capstone emphasises the development of essential professional competencies – collaborative teamwork, effective communication, and advanced critical, analytical, and creative thinking skills – through a virtual consultancy model. This structured professional environment prepares students to transition their academic knowledge into practical expertise valued in both private and public sectors.

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: Apply advanced discipline knowledge to the problems faced by decision makers.
  • ULO2: Synthesise and creatively adapt research to complex policy issues in preparation for professional practice.
  • ULO3: Effectively communicate complex ideas and solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
  • ULO4: Interpret and apply ethical dimension of business practice to business and economic policy decision choices. .
  • ULO5: Collaborate with peers to prepare and present research findings on current real-world issues.

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 11.55 pm. 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. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Professional Practice: Communicating research 20% No Week 13 (in-class on Thursday 6-9pm)
Skills Development: Developing a team proposal 30% No Week 8
Professional Practice: Policy Sustainability 50% No 09/11/2025

Professional Practice: Communicating research

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 13 (in-class on Thursday 6-9pm)
Weighting: 20%

 

The purpose of this assessment is for you to work collaboratively and demonstrate your work readiness skills and agility in communicating solutions to the ‘Board’.   You will work in teams to present the analyses, findings and solutions of your team’s research project to a panel of experts. This is followed by a short Q&A for the team to defend their proposal of solutions.   Skills in focus: 

  • Creative and analytical thinking
  • Oral communication skills
  • Agility in adapting discipline knowledge
  • Work readiness
  • Teamwork

Deliverable: Team Presentation (5 mins per member) and Q&A This is an individual (15%) and group (5%) assessment.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply advanced discipline knowledge to the problems faced by decision makers.
  • Synthesise and creatively adapt research to complex policy issues in preparation for professional practice.
  • Effectively communicate complex ideas and solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Skills Development: Developing a team proposal

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 8
Weighting: 30%

 

The purpose of this assessment is for you to work collaboratively and develop your work readiness skills and agility in delivering a proposal for perusal by the ‘Board’.   You will work in teams to present your team’s project proposal based on individual preliminary research and analyses (based on your role and team responsibility).   Skills in focus: 

  • Creative and analytical thinking 
  • Problem solving 
  • Communication 
  • Agility in adapting discipline knowledge 
  • Work readiness 
  • Teamwork

Deliverable: Individual Infographics Poster and Team Presentation (3min per member) This is an individual (20%) and group (10%) assessment.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply advanced discipline knowledge to the problems faced by decision makers.
  • Synthesise and creatively adapt research to complex policy issues in preparation for professional practice.
  • Effectively communicate complex ideas and solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
  • Interpret and apply ethical dimension of business practice to business and economic policy decision choices. .

Professional Practice: Policy Sustainability

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 09/11/2025
Weighting: 50%

 

The purpose of this assessment is for you to develop collaboration and work readiness skills and to demonstrate research skills and agility in crafting sustainable solutions to complex issues.   You will work collaboratively to deliver the team’s industry report, on the research, analyses, findings and solutions compiled by the individual members, focusing on the impact on stakeholders and sustainability of the recommendations.   Skills in focus:

  • Critical and analytical thinking
  • Written communication skills
  • Agility in adapting discipline knowledge
  • Work readiness
  • Teamwork
  • Research skills

Deliverable: Team project report with individual 1,200 word sections This is an individual  (25%) and group (15%) assessment.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply advanced discipline knowledge to the problems faced by decision makers.
  • Synthesise and creatively adapt research to complex policy issues in preparation for professional practice.
  • Effectively communicate complex ideas and solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
  • Interpret and apply ethical dimension of business practice to business and economic policy decision choices. .
  • Collaborate with peers to prepare and present research findings on current real-world issues.

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

Lecture Workshops

There will be a compulsory three-hour face to face (on-campus) seminar at 6pm - 9pm. We will form project teams in Week 1 and begin preparation for the project proposal immediately. There will be weekly team discussions and project consultation, class learning activities to assist in team building and project development. 

The Capstone project is built on team work and collaboration. As such, in-class interactions are paramount to a successful project. In-class interactions include interactive demonstrations, debates and team challenges, inter- and intra-team meetings. As a large component of the Unit is related to team work, participation in weekly team activities is mandatory.

 

iLearn

The unit webpage on iLearn will contain up to date information: weekly learning activities and information about assessments. Students are strongly encouraged to access iLearn frequently, once a week at the very least.  

Unit Schedule

Unit Schedule

The unit will be organised as three modules of learning activities, covering:

  • Discovery and Research - team-building activities, discovering the team roles and developing the research question (Weeks 1 - 4)
  • Formulating the Project - developing team support and scaffolding, individual tasks management and project planning, developing project proposal (Weeks 5 - 8)
  • Finalising the Project - synchonising individual tasks and team project outcomes in preparation for and delivery of the team's final project output (Weeks 9 - 12)
  • Delivery of the Team Project - in-class team presentation and submission of the final team project report (Week 13). 

Further details of learning activities and project tasks will be provided on iLearn weekly in the four modules (outlined above). 

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 2025.05 of the Handbook