Students

FOBE800 – Contemporary Business Issues

2019 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convernor
Craig Terry
See iLearn for details of consultation hours
Moderator
Prof. Rahat Munir
Contact via 98504765
4ER312
Credit points Credit points
4
Prerequisites Prerequisites
((Admission to MCom or MAcc(Prof)MCom or MBioBus) and 48cp at 600 level or above) or (admission to MCyberSec and 32cp at 800 level or above including ACCG922)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This is a program-wide capstone unit and must be taken by students in their final session of study. The unit will broaden students’ understanding of the importance of strategic business issues in the organisation's planning, operations, control and leadership, ethics and industry relationship, and broader economic & global developments. The unit is not only reflective and integrative, but also future-focused, offering opportunities for “real world” preparatory experience. Students will work individually and collaboratively with peers to understand “real world” business issues and challenges requiring cross-disciplinary insights and knowledge. While the unit aims at giving students an opportunity to explore strategic business issues within the context of a business environment, students will be exposed to comprehensive case studies, which will give them the opportunity to learn about the practical implications of business issues and challenges. Students will also work in self-managing teams to prepare group reports and complete a session long individual research-based project that will be assessed by the academic staff.

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:

  • Integrate discipline-specific knowledge and skills and apply subject knowledge critically, analytically and creatively to different bodies of knowledge or practice.
  • Synthesise knowledge from alternative perspectives and generate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in formulating and implementing strategy.
  • Apply knowledge to complex ethical and global issues and understand its impact on organisations and/or in simulated situations.
  • Research and critically analyse recent or developing business issues, appraise the outcomes of proposed solutions and defend propositions.
  • Demonstrate professional written and interpersonal competencies, including critical reflection on personal, social and practical issues in a team environment.

General Assessment Information

Turnitin

All text based assessments must be submitted through Turnitin as per instructions provided in the unit guide. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that work is submitted correctly prior to the due date. No hard copies of assessments will be accepted and only Turnitin records will be taken as records of submission.

Multiple submissions may be possible in some units via Turnitin prior to the final due date and time of an assessment task and originality reports may be made available to students to view and check their work. All identified matching text will be reconsidered carefully. Students should note that the system will not immediately produce the similarity score on a second or subsequent submission - it approximately takes 24 hours for the report to be generated. This may be after the due date so students should plan any resubmissions carefully. Please refer to these instructions on how to submit your assignment through Turnitin and access similarity reports and feedback provided by teaching staff. Should you have questions about Turnitin or experience issues submitting through the system, you must inform your unit coordinator immediately. If the issue is technical in nature may also lodge OneHelp Ticket, refer to the IT help page.

It is the responsibility of the student to retain a copy of any work submitted. Students must produce these documents upon request. Copies should be retained until the end of the grade appeal period each term. In the event that a student is asked to produce another copy of work submitted and is unable to do so, they may be awarded zero (0) for that particular assessment task.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Reflection A 10% No Week 4
Capstone simulation (Capsim®) 15% No concludes Week 10
Reflection B 10% No Week 8
Business project 40% No Week 11
Capsim evaluation presentation 25% No Weeks 12/13

Reflection A

Due: Week 4
Weighting: 10%

Task Description:

You are required to critically examine your learning experience and in the Master of Commerce thus far, to define your professional identity. This involves reflecting on the development of the strengths and weaknesses of your discipline specific knowledge and graduate capabilities, and, ethical stance, to describe and provide evidence to support your professional identity.  In addition, you are required to consider the extent to which your professional identity meets the needs of your targeted employer and/or industry and formulate professional development strategies to further meet these needs and/or differentiate yourself from other potential employees.

Type of Collaboration: Individual Submission:  via iLearn Format: word document Length: 500 words Inherent Task Requirements:
  1. Analysis and synthesis of information/knowledge/learning/situation from a range of experiences/sources
  2. Critical self-reflection to formulate professional development strategies
  3. Completeness and relevance – original thought and personal voice
  4. Overall clarity – logical development of ideas and sentence skills
Late Submission:

Extensions - No extension will be granted unless a ‘Disruption to Studies’ application has been approved.

Penalties - Late submission will not be accepted for marking, i.e., a mark of ZERO will be assigned accordingly.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Integrate discipline-specific knowledge and skills and apply subject knowledge critically, analytically and creatively to different bodies of knowledge or practice.
  • Demonstrate professional written and interpersonal competencies, including critical reflection on personal, social and practical issues in a team environment.

Capstone simulation (Capsim®)

Due: concludes Week 10
Weighting: 15%

Task Description: In this business simulation, your team will take over a $100 million manufacturing company and work to build it into a better business over 6 years (each year is a round). Your team will develop/choose a strategy and make all the decisions: designing products, marketing and sales, production and operations for your company each year (round), plus you’ll need to finance all of your plans to shape the company to your chosen strategy.   Type of Collaboration: Individual (5%) + Teamwork (10%) Submission:  Online via capsim.com Format: On-Line working as teams Length: 6 weekly rounds Inherent Task Requirements: Capsim generates marks based on the competitive performance of each company in every round. Each team member will receive the team mark, Late Submission:

Extensions: No extension will be granted unless a ‘Disruption to Studies’ application has been approved.

Penalties: Late submission will not be accepted for marking, i.e., a mark of ZERO will be assigned accordingly.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Integrate discipline-specific knowledge and skills and apply subject knowledge critically, analytically and creatively to different bodies of knowledge or practice.
  • Synthesise knowledge from alternative perspectives and generate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in formulating and implementing strategy.

Reflection B

Due: Week 8
Weighting: 10%

Task Description: You are required to critically reflect on the teamwork skills you have developed in your university studies and used in this unit particularly during your Capsim team activities. This involves reflecting on and providing evidence of the development, and strengths and weaknesses, of your teamwork skills.  In addition, you are required to consider the extent to which your teamwork skills are likely to meet industry expectations and formulate professional development strategies to further develop your teamwork skills. Type of Collaboration: Individual Submission:  via iLearn Format: word document Length: 500 words Inherent Task Requirements:
  1. Analysis and synthesis of information/knowledge/learning/situation from a range of experiences/sources
  2. Critical self-reflection to formulate professional development strategies
  3. Completeness and relevance – original thought and personal voice
  4. Overall clarity – logical development of ideas and sentence skills
Late Submission:

Extensions - No extension will be granted unless a ‘Disruption to Studies’ application has been approved.

Penalties - Late submission will not be accepted for marking, i.e., a mark of ZERO will be assigned accordingly.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Synthesise knowledge from alternative perspectives and generate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in formulating and implementing strategy.
  • Demonstrate professional written and interpersonal competencies, including critical reflection on personal, social and practical issues in a team environment.

Business project

Due: Week 11
Weighting: 40%

Task Description:

Students will complete the task requirements for Parts A and B as follows based on a case study which will be supplied.

Part A (25%) You will take on the role of "strategic consultant" and apply the general strategic framework explored in this unit to the organisation to develop a strategic business plan.

Part B (15%) You will take the role of a "specialist" utilising the knowledge you have acquired within your Masters' program to demonstrate how this specialist knowledge can add value to the organisation.

Type of Collaboration: Individual Submission:  via iLearn Format: word documents Length:

Part A 2500 words

Part B 1000 words

Inherent Task Requirements: Part A  
  1. The professional production of the report, its logical development of ideas, sentence skills, structure of text, and awareness of the target audience
  2. The clear and thorough referencing of the sources all facts, views and opinions quoted or summarised that are not your own.
  3. The relevance of the information and resourced materials used (both quantitative and qualitative).
  4. The relevant and appropriate application of strategic analysis tools (that is, tools and techniques should be applied that are relevant to the analysis being undertaken).
  5. The quality and validity of recommendations and how well these are based on the strategic analysis (that is, the reader should clearly understand why you are making these recommendations given the previous discussion within your analysis)
  6. How practical the recommendations are to implement within the context of the organisation (this should be demonstrated within your discussion of how these are to be implemented)

Part B

  1. The practicality, relevance and validity of the chosen issue to your specialist discipline
  2. The quality, range and use of factual data gathered and applied (both quantitative and qualitative) to support your analysis and its relevance to the analysis
  3. The demonstration of expert specialist knowledge and professional judgement in your analysis
  4. The justification and support of recommendations or findings from the analysis to the organisation (that is, how successfully do your ultimate conclusions address the original issue identified and do they add value in some way).
Late Submission:

Extensions - No extension will be granted unless a ‘Disruption to Studies’ application has been approved.

Penalties - Late submisson will not be accepted for marking, i.e., a mark of ZERO will be assigned accordingly.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Integrate discipline-specific knowledge and skills and apply subject knowledge critically, analytically and creatively to different bodies of knowledge or practice.
  • Synthesise knowledge from alternative perspectives and generate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in formulating and implementing strategy.
  • Apply knowledge to complex ethical and global issues and understand its impact on organisations and/or in simulated situations.
  • Research and critically analyse recent or developing business issues, appraise the outcomes of proposed solutions and defend propositions.
  • Demonstrate professional written and interpersonal competencies, including critical reflection on personal, social and practical issues in a team environment.

Capsim evaluation presentation

Due: Weeks 12/13
Weighting: 25%

Task Description: Your Capsim team is required to give a presentation addressing senior management and/or board members of your Capsim corporation reporting on the team’s performance. Each team member must present for 5 minutes. The task requires you and your team to reflect on and think critically, innovatively and creatively about your approach to the task, particularly problem solving. You then need to organise this into a professional presentation to give senior management and/or board members a clear but detailed understanding of how your team worked together to achieve the outcome. Type of Collaboration: Individual (15%) + Team (10%) Submission:  In class Format: Presentation Length: 5 minutes per student Inherent Task Requirements:
  1. Communication skills
  2. Critical analysis and synthesis
Late Submission:

Extensions - No extension will be granted unless a ‘Disruption to Studies’ application has been approved.

Penalties - Late submisson will not be accepted for marking, i.e., a mark of ZERO will be assigned accordingly.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Synthesise knowledge from alternative perspectives and generate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in formulating and implementing strategy.
  • Research and critically analyse recent or developing business issues, appraise the outcomes of proposed solutions and defend propositions.
  • Demonstrate professional written and interpersonal competencies, including critical reflection on personal, social and practical issues in a team environment.

Delivery and Resources

Required Text:

Primary text:

Johnson, G. Whittington, R. Scholes, K. Angwin, D. and Regner, P. 2017. Exploring Strategy: Text and Cases 11th ed, Pearson.

You must have read the relevant materials before coming to class and in completing the assessment tasks as well as undertaking your own further research. Direction will be provided by the lecturer on additional research materials.

 

The readings below are the other required class readings (as indicated in the unit schedule).

Note that these will be available on-line via ILearn.

 

Book Chapters  :

Hubbard, G. Rice, J. and Galvin, P. 2015 Strategic Management: Thinking, Analysis, Action 5th ed, Pearson pp 4-19 only

McKee, A., Kemp, T. and Spence, G 2013 Management: A Focus on Leaders Pearson Chapter 10 “Teams and Team Building” only.

 

Journal Articles :

Casal, C and Caspar, C. 2014 “Building a forward looking Board”, McKinsey Quarterly, Issue 2 pp119-126

Feser, C. Mayol, F. and Srinivasan, R. 2014 “Decoding leadership: What really matters?” McKinsey Quarterly, Issue 4 pp88-91

Freeman, R.E. 2010 “Managing for stakeholders: Trade-offs or value creation”, Journal of Business Ethics, 96 pp7-9

Higgins, J.M. 2005 “The Eight ‘S’s of successful strategy execution”, Journal of Change Management, 5 No. 1, March pp3-13

Kellerman, B. 2007 “What every leader needs to know about followers”, Harvard Business Review, December pp84-91

Kotter, J.P. 1995 “Leading Change: Why transformation efforts fail”, Harvard Business Review, March-April pp59-67 

Llopis, G. 2013 “Personal branding is a leadership requirement, not a self-promotion campaign”, Forbes April 8 

Porath, C.L. and Pearson, C.M. 2010 “The cost of bad behavior”, Organizational Dynamics, Vol 39 (1), pp.64-71 

Unit Web Page: You are required to access a computer and the internet at various times in completing this unit, to download course material available on the learning management system (iLearn) and to complete assessment tasks. 
Technology Used and Required: On-line access to iLearn and to the simulation game website www.capsim.com
Delivery Format and Other Details:

Classes   

  • This unit includes thirteen three-hour weekly seminars (classes) as detailed in this unit guide.
  • The timetable for classes can be found on the University web site at:  http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/
  • Class attendance for this unit is compulsory.
  • Students are expected to get involved in class discussion and debate including in-class completion of simulations and case studies.
Recommended Readings: Other optional readings will be referred to in class.
Other Course Materials:  A class case study will be supplied which is required for Parts A and B Business Project assessment task

Unit Schedule

Weekly Schedule FOBE800 – Contemporary Business Issues – Session 1 2019

Class

Topic

Readings for this week’s class (also see weekly PP slides for other optional reading ref.)

Assessment Due (in this week)

1

 

Introduction

Unit Overview & key themes

Models of Strategic Thought

A strategic framework for a sustainable organisation

- Unit Summary (see iLearn)

- Hubbard et al Ch1, pp 4-19 only

 

 

2

Leadership

Models of leadership

Leaders and followers

Ethics and individual behaviour

Personal branding

- Feser et al 2014 “Decoding Leadership: what really matters?”

- Kellerman 2007 “What every leader needs to know about followers”.

 

3

Teamwork and Introduction to CAPSIM

Effective team behaviour - what makes a top team?

 

- McKee et al Ch10

- Porath and Pearson, 2010 “The cost of bad behaviour”

 

4

 

Sustainability

Stakeholders, organisation purpose and ethical stance

How business models affect views on business ethics

Sustainability reporting

 

- Johnson et al 2017 Ch1 pp7-10 only; Ch2 pp34-48 only; and Ch5

- Freeman 2010 “Managing for stakeholders: Trade-offs or Value creation”

 

Reflection A

18 Mar 2pm

 Capsim (Practice Round)

5

 

Governance

Governance and control Conformance/performance

Role of boards

 

- Johnson et al 2017 Ch5 cont. and Ch16 pp500-508 only.

- Casal and Caspar  2014 “Building a forward looking Board”

Capsim Rd1

 

6

 

Strategy Formation (1)

Next steps in the strategy cycle: external/internal analysis and SWOT

- Johnson et al 2017 Ch2, Ch3 and Ch4

 

Capsim Rd2

Capsim Team Agreement

7

 

Strategy Formation (2)

Strategic options and choice

- Johnson et al 2017 Ch7 and Ch8

 

Capsim Rd3

 

 

Recess/no class

 

 

 

 

Recess/no class

 

 

 

8

Strategy Implementation

How organisations change

Deliberate/Emergent and Intended/realised strategy

The management of change

The role of leaders

 

 - Johnson et al Ch13 and Ch15

- Kotter 1995 “Why transformation efforts fail”

 

Capsim Rd4

Reflection B

29 April, 2pm

9

The Strategic Control of Operations

Strategy/Operations alignment

Strategic Drift

A control framework

- Johnson et al 2017 Ch14 and CH6 pp180-184 only

- Higgins 2005 “The 8 ‘S’s of Successful strategy execution”

Capsim Rd 5

10

CAPSIM review

In-class discussion of results and key learning outcomes

Capsim Rd 6 (final round)

11

Communications

Individual communication skills/methods

In-class discussion

 

Project Report – Parts A and B 

20 May, 2pm

12

Capsim Group Presentations

 

Presentation

13

Capsim Group Presentations

 

Presentation

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/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 ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

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.

Graduate Capabilities

PG - Capable of Professional and Personal Judgment and Initiative

Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Assessment tasks

  • Capstone simulation (Capsim®)
  • Business project
  • Capsim evaluation presentation

PG - Discipline Knowledge and Skills

Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Assessment tasks

  • Capstone simulation (Capsim®)
  • Business project

PG - Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Integrate discipline-specific knowledge and skills and apply subject knowledge critically, analytically and creatively to different bodies of knowledge or practice.
  • Synthesise knowledge from alternative perspectives and generate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in formulating and implementing strategy.

Assessment tasks

  • Reflection A
  • Capstone simulation (Capsim®)
  • Reflection B
  • Business project
  • Capsim evaluation presentation

PG - Research and Problem Solving Capability

Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Synthesise knowledge from alternative perspectives and generate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in formulating and implementing strategy.
  • Research and critically analyse recent or developing business issues, appraise the outcomes of proposed solutions and defend propositions.

Assessment tasks

  • Capstone simulation (Capsim®)
  • Business project
  • Capsim evaluation presentation

PG - Effective Communication

Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Demonstrate professional written and interpersonal competencies, including critical reflection on personal, social and practical issues in a team environment.

Assessment tasks

  • Reflection A
  • Capstone simulation (Capsim®)
  • Reflection B
  • Business project
  • Capsim evaluation presentation

PG - Engaged and Responsible, Active and Ethical Citizens

Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Apply knowledge to complex ethical and global issues and understand its impact on organisations and/or in simulated situations.
  • Demonstrate professional written and interpersonal competencies, including critical reflection on personal, social and practical issues in a team environment.

Assessment tasks

  • Capstone simulation (Capsim®)
  • Business project
  • Capsim evaluation presentation

Research & Practice, Global & Sustainability

This unit also addresses global and sustainability issues as direct areas of study and as necessary implications arising from the materials, assessment and academic discussion and debate in classes/seminars. We promote sustainability by developing ability in students to research and locate information within accounting discipline. We aim to provide students with an opportunity to obtain skills which will benefit them throughout their career.

This unit also gives you opportunities to conduct your own research and gives you practice in applying research findings in your assessment tasks. Students will be required to use library resources to research beyond these materials in undertaking research necessary to complete their tasks. The unit encourages students to read journals of interest and publications in these journals have a reference list at the end of each article containing all references cited by the author. These provide some guidance to references that could be used to research particular issues.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
18/02/2019 Assessment task descriptions