Students

MMBA8070 – Managing People: Leading Ethical and Inclusive Futures

2026 – Term 3, In person-scheduled-weekday, City

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and lecturer
Alison Pullen
alison.pullen@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
E4 644
Appointment by email
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(Admission to MBA or GradCertBusAdmin or GradDipBusAdmin or PGDipMgt or GradDipMgt or GradCertMgt or MSusDev or MSocEntre) or (admission to MAppFin or MAppFin(Adv) and AFCP8001)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Managing People draws on multi-disciplinary insights from psychology, anthropology, philosophy/ethics and sociology to study human behaviour in organisational settings. The management of people is considered within specific organisational and global contexts. In this unit, students critically examine insights into human behaviour to better manage and improve individual, group and organisational performance and capability, with an emphasis on being ethical and inclusive. The unit brings together classic studies of organisation behaviour with contemporary debates on managing people from an ethical perspective. We further interrogate critical challenges and tensions facing leaders and their followers to ensure the unit addresses the realities of organisational life.

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: Identify and evaluate theories and frameworks and research findings in organisational behaviour (OB).
  • ULO2: Critically reflect on and practically apply contingent perspectives of OB theoretical frameworks to better manage people and organisations.
  • ULO3: Communicate from a range of perspectives to influence others, both as an individual and as a team.

General Assessment Information

Late Submission Penalties (written assessments)

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: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Professional practice: Organisational analysis presentation 30% No In class between weeks 6 and 10 Group No Observed
Professional practice: Theory and practice 30% No Week 5 Individual No Open
Skills development: Reflection for organisational practice 40% No Week 10 Individual No Open

Professional practice: Organisational analysis presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: In class between weeks 6 and 10
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

The purpose of this assessment is for you to work with peers to demonstrate your understanding of topics discussed in the unit as well as the application of theories, framework, concepts and perspectives to an organisation of choice.
 
You will carry out a presentation in class on an assigned topic covered in this unit. Your presentation should demonstrate the relevance and practical application of theories/frameworks/concepts/perspectives from your assigned topic to your selected organisation. This should be supported by reference to the material provided in the unit and from the group’s own independent research and reading.
 
Skills in focus:
 
  • Discipline knowledge
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Communication skills
  • Collaboration skills
 
 
Deliverable(s): Group presentation (max 30 minutes; 12 slides)
Group assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and evaluate theories and frameworks and research findings in organisational behaviour (OB).
  • Critically reflect on and practically apply contingent perspectives of OB theoretical frameworks to better manage people and organisations.
  • Communicate from a range of perspectives to influence others, both as an individual and as a team.

Professional practice: Theory and practice

Assessment Type 1: Reflection task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 5
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

The purpose of this assessment is for you to demonstrate your understanding of the theories and concepts discussed early-on in the unit and ability to critically reflect theories or frameworks.

You will develop a reflective essay on organizational behavior theories and how you believe they have been knowingly and/or unknowingly impacted by these theories in your own practice.

Skills in focus: 

  • Discipline knowledge
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Communication skills

Deliverable(s): Written submission [max 1500 words] Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and evaluate theories and frameworks and research findings in organisational behaviour (OB).

Skills development: Reflection for organisational practice

Assessment Type 1: Reflection task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 10
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

The purpose of this assessment is for you to reflect on both your Theory and Practice reflective piece and experience in the unit as a whole and critically reflect on and practically apply contingent perspectives of theoretical frameworks to better manage people and organisations.
 
You will develop an individual reflective essay, outlining how content from this unit has impacted your perspectives and insights from your career planning. The assessment requires you to discuss relevant theories, frameworks or concepts from any of the topics covered in the unit, and to draw out how this content has given you useful insight into your thoughts, feelings, plans, and actions.
 
Skills in focus: 
 
  • Discipline knowledge
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Work readiness
 
Deliverable(s): Written submission [max 2000 words]
Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically reflect on and practically apply contingent perspectives of OB theoretical frameworks to better manage people and organisations.
  • Communicate from a range of perspectives to influence others, both as an individual and as a team.

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

Delivery will be face-to-face at our City Campus and online via zoom. 

All resources are available on iLearn and Leganto.

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 from Previous Offering

None

Unit information based on version 2026.04 of the Handbook