Students

MQBS3020 – Contemporary Business Challenges

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Hector Viveros Tapia
hector.viveros@mq.edu.au
4ER, Room 607
Tuesday 2pm-3pm or send me an email to organise a time
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to BBus and 130cp at 1000 level or above including 10cp at 3000 level
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This course-wide Capstone unit is designed to be taken by students in their final session of study within the Bachelor of Business. Students will apply their discipline-specific knowledge within collaborative environments and develop their leadership and communication capabilities through the Capstone project. At the completion of the unit, students are expected to have developed and critically reflected on the ethical and sustainability contexts.

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: Integrate and apply discipline specific knowledge and skills with an appreciation of cross disciplinary requirements.
  • ULO2: Identify and analyse issues from a variety of ethical and sustainability positions as applied to the business context.
  • ULO3: Reflect on outcomes of working in teams to apply communication and leadership skills to achieve business solutions in a range of contexts.

General Assessment Information

Late Submission Penalties

If you submit your assessment late, 5% of the total possible marks will be deducted for each day (including weekends), up to 7 days. Submissions more than 7 days late will receive a mark of 0.

Example 1 (out of 100):

If you score 85/100 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 5 marks and receive 80/100.

Example 2 (out of 30):

If you score 27/30 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 1.5 marks and receive 25.5/30.

Extensions

Automatic short extension: Some assessments are eligible for automatic short extension. You can only apply for an automatic short extension before the due date.

Special Consideration: If you need more time due to serious issues and for any assessments that are not eligible for Short Extension, you must apply for Special Consideration. Need help? Review the Special Consideration page for further details.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Skills development task: Planning collaborative work 30% No 02/04/2026 Individual Yes Open AI
Professional practice: Sustainable business decision-making 40% No 15/05/2026 Individual and Group No Open AI
Professional practice: Employability pitch 30% No Week 12-13 Individual No Observed

Skills development task: Planning collaborative work

Assessment Type 1: Problem-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 02/04/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is to develop your ability to plan for your report and apply leadership principles to ensure positive group dynamics.
 
You will individually apply early critiques and opportunities for your chosen firm and select leadership theories or frameworks that can be applied to your group experiences, drawing on scholarly research to evaluate how these insights shape your understanding of future practice.
 
 
Skills in focus:
 
  • Work readiness
  • Discipline knowledge
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Collaboration skills
 
Deliverable(s): Individual report [up to 1000 words]
 
Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Integrate and apply discipline specific knowledge and skills with an appreciation of cross disciplinary requirements.
  • Reflect on outcomes of working in teams to apply communication and leadership skills to achieve business solutions in a range of contexts.

Professional practice: Sustainable business decision-making

Assessment Type 1: Problem-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 15/05/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual and Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is to develop your ability to assess business challenges and opportunities by applying sustainable concepts and models. 
You will work in a team to investigate existing and potential firms to evaluate and suggest sustainable business decisions for the allocated firm. 
 
 
Skills in focus: 
 
  • Discipline knowledge
  • Critical thinking and problem solving 
  • Collaboration and communication 
  • Work readiness
 
Deliverable(s): Written report [max 3,000 words]
 
Individual and group assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Integrate and apply discipline specific knowledge and skills with an appreciation of cross disciplinary requirements.
  • Identify and analyse issues from a variety of ethical and sustainability positions as applied to the business context.
  • Reflect on outcomes of working in teams to apply communication and leadership skills to achieve business solutions in a range of contexts.

Professional practice: Employability pitch

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 12-13
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

The purpose of this assessment  is to develop your ability to communicate your strengths and skills and highlight your employability to future employers.
You will communicate your strengths and skill streams related to business, applying theory and models in a clear and engaging presentation.
 
 
Skills in focus: 
 
  • Discipline knowledge
  • Communication skills
  • Work readiness
 
Deliverable(s): 3-4min Q&A presentation
 
Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Integrate and apply discipline specific knowledge and skills with an appreciation of cross disciplinary requirements.
  • Identify and analyse issues from a variety of ethical and sustainability positions as applied to the business context.
  • Reflect on outcomes of working in teams to apply communication and leadership skills to achieve business solutions in a range of contexts.

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
  • Academic Success 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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Please refer to this unit's iLearn page.

Unit Schedule

Please refer to this unit's iLearn page.

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 2026.04 of the Handbook