Admission and Unit Information - Bachelor of Information and Communication Technology / Bachelor of Business and Commerce

This unit provides an introduction to systems analysis and design. Incorporating systems concepts, theories and methodologies, this unit provides students with elementary problem solving experience in computerised information systems. Students will gain the ability to derive systems requirements from problem definitions and to produce system models using process, data, object and network modelling. Design and implementation issues include, (but may not be limited to), elementary database design, input, output and user interface design and prototyping. Students are also introduced to roles and responsibilities in information systems development, selection of packaged solutions and the principles of software quality.

As a first unit in computer programming, Programming Fundamentals covers basic computer architecture, basic data and file structures, concept of algorithms, programming constructs, programming language features and functions, program design, test design, basic documentation. A high level programming language is employed to solve problems in a structured manner.

This is a foundation unit that addresses academic essay writing skills relevant to business and economic issues. The unit is designed to develop basic student proficiencies such as information collection, analysis and evaluation, and logical reasoning skills. Through the analysis of ethical issues, this unit teaches students to research; reference using the College of Business and Law's Harvard style; analyse data; develop an argument; and write an academic essay.

The unit provides students with an introductory understanding of a range of communication theories and practices necessary for academic work and professional success.

Statistical Decision Making introduces students to various statistical techniques supporting the study of computing and science. Presentation of the content will emphasize the correct principles and procedures for collecting and analysing scientific data, using information and communication technologies. Topics include describing different sets of data, probability distributions, statistical inference, and simple linear regression and correlation.

Statistics for Business introduces the basic concepts and techniques of statistics that are particularly relevant to problem solving in business. It also provides a sound base for more advanced study in statistics and forecasting in subsequent sessions. Topics include: presentation of data; descriptive statistics; the role of uncertainty in business decision making; hypothesis testing; and basic forecasting.

This unit is a survey of the marketing process, introducing students to the marketing concept, strategic and marketing planning, marketing research, consumer and customer behaviour, issues of market segmentation, targeting and positioning as well as all the elements of the marketing mix (product/service, pricing, distribution and marketing communication strategies).

Analyzing and modeling requirements using the object-oriented (OO) approach is the core strength of this unit. The system analysis is taken to greater depths within the context of Object Orientation. The Unified Modeling Language version 2.0 (notably use cases, activity diagrams, class diagrams and sequence diagrams) is used as a modeling standard for creating OO models in the problem space. This unit also covers methodologies for OO analysis work through practical case studies.

Computer Networking is an introductory unit in computer systems networking. It covers basic networking technologies, Ethernet fundamentals, ISO OSI model, routing, switching and subnetting, the Internet architecture, networking protocols including TCP/IP, important networking devices such as repeaters, hubs, bridges, switches, routers and gateways, basic management and security issues. This unit is also the first of three units, which will prepare students for industry based networking certification (CCNA).

The main purpose of this unit is to provide students with an opportunity to gain a basic knowledge of database design and development including data modeling methods, techniques for database design using a set of business rules that are derived from a case study and finally implementation of the database using a commercial relational database management system. The unit also examines a number of important database concepts such as database administration, concurrency, backup and recovery and security. At the same time student learning and intercommunication skills are enhanced by running tutorial presentations and group assignments.

This unit provides an opportunity for students to engage with the dynamics of the management of organisations. Students will be introduced to the connection between the way work and systems are organised and managed and their impact on individuals and societies. This is achieved by using case based opportunities to examine real life contexts. This is an essential unit for business students that can be taken by any student needing a broad initial understanding of management.

Building on material covered in Programming Fundamentals this unit introduces students to the basics of developing interactive and dynamic web applications from both the client and server perspective. The unit covers web site design, web site development, web page accessibility and usability, XHTML, CSS, client side and server side scripting, database interaction, web site promotion (SEO), legal issues and web security.

This unit builds on the programming foundation laid in the unit Programming Fundamentals. Utilising an object-oriented language it continues the development of programming skills and methodologies required for professional programming and for further study in later computing units. Topics covered include object-oriented programming techniques of encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism, programming concepts including pointers, references, multi-dimensional arrays, strings, file I/O, and abstract data types.

This unit extends on the work undertaken in the prerequisite unit and provides students with an in-depth understanding of the role of TCP/IP, ICMP and routing protocols used in IP networks and internetworks. Students will learn about the critical role of routing protocols and how to design, construct and implement small internets. Students will also learn how to perform basic management and security tasks in a practical, hands-on fashion using Cisco routers and other networking equipment. This is the second of three units that prepares the student for industry based networking certification (CCNA).

In this unit students further develop their theoretical and practical skills in designing and developing web based information systems using systems analysis, programming, database, human computer interaction and web technologies skills that they have learnt in previous units. Current web development technologies and/or frameworks will be utilised to build a complex web information system in a collaborative web development team. Techniques of porting web systems to mobile platforms will also be explored.

The fact that computers work at all in the way they do is due to the formal mathematical structure that is used in their design. The same holds for establishing important matters such as the reliability of our computer networks. This unit presents, in their computing context, a range of mathematical concepts that are essential for understanding a number of topics concerning computers: the ways they work, they ways they interact, and the ways we interact with them.

This is an introductory law unit designed to introduce the fundamentals of law in a commercial context. The unit introduces students to the basic principles of law and the legal system as well as examining some of the major areas of law that impact on commercial dealings. This unit examines the structure of the legal system, the way law is made and the main areas of law relevant to starting and running a business including contracts, torts and consumer protection.

This unit is an introduction to economic concepts and contemporary economic issues. It introduces students to basic concepts such as markets and their operation, the behaviour of firms, the efficiency and potential failings of free markets, the role of government, key macroeconomic variables and problems such as unemployment. It illuminates these concepts via application to contemporary economic issues and debates over different theoretical perspectives. This unit also exposes students to recent developments in economics via presentations by specialist guest lecturers.

A key component to the discipline of Information Systems is the understanding and the advocacy of the user in the development of IT applications and systems. IT graduates must develop a mind-set that recognizes the importance of users and organizational contexts. They must employ user-centered methodologies in the development, evaluation, and deployment of IT applications and systems. This unit examines human-computer interaction in order to develop and evaluate software, websites and information systems that not only look professional but are usable, functional and accessible.

This is a final year unit that builds on foundation and intermediate computing units to prepare students for professional experience. The unit covers the content in three modules as 1) Ethics and Professional Code of Conduct, 2) Project Management, and 3) Legal, Social, Environmental issues, Quality Assurance and IT Compliance. The content covered in these three modules are carefully designed to fill in the gaps in knowledge that is not so far covered previous units in preparing students for the challenging projects units and professional working life ahead. This unit is a pre-requisite to the capstone project, covered in Professional Experience Project unit.

This unit provides the knowledge of the internal structure and functionality of Operating Systems. An operating system defines an abstraction of hardware behaviour and provides a range of services more suitable for ICT application development than what raw hardware could deliver, in terms of convenience, efficiency and security. It is important that ICT Professionals have some understanding of how these services are realized. For ICT Professionals whose role includes supporting the operating system this unit provides the introduction to the relevant theory and practice.

This unit provides exposure to financial and management accounting information from a user of accounting information viewpoint. The unit aims to provide breadth of awareness and knowledge in relevant fields of accounting essential to decision making for managers.

Professional Experience is a final year capstone project unit. This unit provides opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience in software systems requirements definition, analysis, design and implementation, in a real-world setting. Students work in groups, guided by an academic supervisor or an industry mentor, in achieving the goals set by the client that provides the project. Suitable projects are sourced from external organisations or within UWS by way of giving the students professional experience in independent learning and reflective practice.

This unit introduces the fundamental concepts of finance theory and the tools of financial decision making in the context of the Australian institutional environment. These concepts relate primarily to the time value of money, risk and return, capital budgeting and capital structure. The unit's purpose is to develop an understanding of the basic practices of financial management from the perspective of a firm (both large and small). Students examine the investment, financing and dividend decisions of corporations.

This unit is an introduction to macroeconomic concepts, analysis and issues in the Australian context. Basic concepts introduced and applied include: national income accounting, economic structure, price indexes and inflation, the balance of payments, and labour market aggregates. These concepts are applied in describing and explaining the recent evolution of the Australian economy in terms of growth, structural change, price stability, and employment. This leads to a discussion of major policy issues such as the role of governments in managing economic fluctuations, and the implications of Australia's foreign liabilities. The course ends with a brief introduction to modelling income determination.

The investment, financing and risk management decisions that all firms make are implemented by creating and trading financial instruments in financial markets, often with the involvement of a variety of institutions. Using the Australian financial system as an illustration, this unit introduces students to the theory and functions of financial intermediaries and the operation of financial systems. Students also develop an understanding of the role and functions of markets in equities, debt, foreign exchange, options and futures, and theories of interest rate determination and the term structure of interest rates.

This unit will provide students with exposure to problems with which economists and finance professionals are confronted in their daily work. They will be confronted with the multi-dimensional nature of the issues addressed by economists and finance professionals in real-life. Students will need to consider the nature of the problems as well as how realistic the solutions they are proposing are, and will learn how to systematically reflect on their contribution to the industry or community setting with which they engage.

This unit builds on concepts explored in Introduction to Economic Methods. The unit broadens the application of the stochastic linear model in econometrics, exploring its use in the estimation of economic models and in the testing of economic hypotheses associated with these models. The emphasis is on learning by doing in small group workshops.

This unit describes the theory and practice of investment decision making. The general objective of the unit is to introduce students to the tools of financial decision making by providing a conceptual framework within which the key financial decision of investment can be analysed. The objectives of this unit are as follows: To provide an overview of the theory of investing in Australian Financial Markets: Equity Markets in Australia, Stock Exchange Trading, Taxation, Australian Debt Markets: Money and Bond Markets. International Investment Environment Foreign Exchange, Equity Debt and Property Market; To apply theoretical concepts of investing to practical applications; Evaluate Asset Allocation, Security selection and Security analysis in Australian Derivatives Markets, International Derivatives Market; Describe Equity Valuation Models, Macro and Industry Analysis of Share Markets; Futures and Forward Contracts. Characteristics of futures/forwards; Analyse Qualitative and Quantitative Stock Selection; Be knowledgeable about Investor Preferences and Passive and Active Portfolio Management; Describe the risk-return trade-off and know the meaning of efficient markets.

This unit covers the contemporary theory of portfolio analysis and management. Topics include: risk and diversification; the two and n security case; the Markowitz efficient frontier; investor indifference curves and optimal portfolios; CML and optimal portfolios; beta, SML and the discount rate re-visited; Sharpe single index model and APT asset allocation; investments to the portfolio and portfolio strategies; measuring portfolio performance and security selection decisions; active portfolio management; international diversification; process of portfolio management; and risk management and hedging.

The study of international finance from the vantage point of a multinational enterprise provides students with a global insight into international trade for both manufactured and financial products. The unit recognises the increasing importance of global integration of money and capital markets - a trend that is creating expanded opportunities for both investors and organisations that need to raise capital. The recognition and management of risks associated with international operations are explored including cost of capital and financial structure, international financial markets crisis, international financial management, international monetary system, international diversification, foreign exchange risk management including the use of futures and options, foreign investment analysis, determination of exchange rates, balance of payments analysis, international debt crisis and country risk analysis.

This unit provides students with an understanding of the economics of retirement and retirement income provision, with particular emphasis on the Australian superannuation industry. On completion of this unit, students should have a comprehensive understanding of superannuation in Australia, as well as an appreciation of the economic issues associated with alternative models of retirement income provision.

This unit provides an introduction to trading and the theory of pricing of options, futures and other derivative products currently used in the domestic and international financial markets.

Traditional theories of finance are based the assumption that investors are both rational and utility maximizing. The Efficient Markets Hypothesis in particular has assumptions about investor behaviour which underpin its key predictions. The tenants of beharioural finance disputes the validity of these assumptions. This unit challenges traditional theory by examining how decision making and investor behaviour may be driven by personal and market psychology.

This unit provides students with a unifying theoretical perspective on the most important concepts in the field of finance. The presentation is rigorous and students develop their ability to critically evaluate the principal theoretical results in the finance literature.