Outline

Overview

This unit is designed specifically to provide Commerce students with foundational knowledge in relation to business challenges and the major issues and trends facing business leaders today. Students are required to consider and analyse how business leaders might respond to these challenges in a changing and uncertain environment. Students are also encouraged to think creatively about ways in which business, government and the community can function better. This unit provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully pursue the specialisations offered in the Master of Commerce.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Business School
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Elly Meredith, elly.meredith@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Essay 2 Essay	25%	Formal exam period	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Participation Participation	10%	Ongoing	Ongoing
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay 1 Essay	15%	Week 07	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Group presentation Group Presentation	20%	Week 09 Due date: 30 Oct 2020 at 10:00 Closing date: 06 Nov 2020	15 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Group Project and Peer Review Group Project and Peer Review	30%	Week 12 Due date: 16 Nov 2020 at 10:00 Closing date: 27 Nov 2020	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Participation: This is a continuous assessment. The marks for this section include undertaking the quizzes and completing all modules. You must come prepared for all workshops (including having read all required readings and watched all the required videos).
Essay 1: You are to write an essay about a business scenario, which will be provided to you on Canvas. In the essay you must demonstrate that you have critically evaluated the key issues and make relevant recommendations where appropriate. To do this you must draw on unit content, additional research, especially peer-reviewed academic journal articles as well as relevant industry publications and newspaper articles where required.
Essay 2: The second assignment follows on from essay 1, though a new or further developed business scenario will be provided. Based on feedback for essay 1, you are expected to demonstrate a higher level of critical thinking and problem-solving skills where appropriate. To do this you must draw on unit content, additional
research, especially peer-reviewed academic journal articles as well as relevant industry publications and newspaper articles where required. This assignment gives you the opportunity to demonstrate improvements (where applicable) in research, critical analysis, overall presentation and communication compared to essay 1.
Presentation: Presentations will be prepared and uploaded as powerpoint with voice over. You are expected to demonstrate analysis by applying relevant theories to provide solutions/recommendations to the task assigned to you. Information will be provided on Canvas.
Group project: The group project will be an in-depth investigation of the same topic on which your group presentation is based. You are expected to draw on materials within the unit, as well as conduct external research to provide solutions and/or recommendations to the task assigned to you. A peer evaluation will be conducted after the completion of your group project, which will indicate the individual contribution to the group work.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Business basics	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Business and markets	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Business and government	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Business and demographics	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Business and culture	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Business and technology	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Business and the environment	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Business and strategy	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Business and people	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Business and ethics	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

NO workshop recordings: All workshops are not recorded. Students should ensure they attend and participate in all classes.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate a working knowledge of key business concepts, frameworks, and trends
LO2. demonstrate critical thinking skills by identifying, assessing and responding to business issues and challenges
LO3. communicate effectively orally and in writing
LO4. work collaboratively in a team to address complex business issues
LO5. demonstrate knowledge of ethical frameworks relevant to business.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered.

Additional information

More information can be found on Canvas.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

BUSS5020: Business Insights

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect