Recommended Study Sequence

This unit provides participants with an understanding of the diverse and complex issues surrounding the strategic management of technology. Special emphasis will be placed on the basic concepts and theories that will be needed to understand, anticipate, acquire, and use technology strategically for attaining a competitive edge in the market. The unit is of particular relevance to managers, engineers, technologists, and scientists who have, or will have, responsibilities for managing technological change and innovation.

This unit gives an overview of contemporary engineering management philosophies and practices to engineers integrating globalisation, quality, technology, people and management systems. The main emphasis is on contemporary issues. The aim is to facilitate a smooth transition of engineers into management roles and to provide necessary competencies for successful performance in engineer-manager roles. The unit will prepare engineers/scientific personnel for management careers in the twenty-first century. Topics include: changing roles of engineers and managers, factors influencing the transition of engineers into management roles, strategies for managing transitions, managing engineering-based organisations and skilled/technical professionals, planning and control systems, decision-making and information systems, team building and group dynamics, motivation of engineers/specialists and/or scientific professionals, interpersonal skills and negotiation skills, communication skills, managing change, human factors engineering, and occupational health and safety issues.

This unit provides the philosophy, tools and computerised techniques for effectively managing large projects and programs in any organisation. Topics include project definitions and examples, research and development, benefits and costs of project management, personnel policies, the mechanics of project planning, developing networks, network validation, scheduling and control, resource analysis and control, cost analysis and budgetary control, and training.

The main objective of this unit is to provide an introduction to operations management, and to be the role of operations in an organisation, not only as an important element of corporate strategy but also as a means of enhancing customer value. This unit will introduce students to a range of quantitative techniques, to enable them to analyse problems in operations management and make decisions or recommendations based on the interpretation of their analysis and other strategic considerations. A series of cases will be used to provide simulated experience in the management of operations and to explore the interaction of the operations function with other functional areas.

This unit gives an overview of contemporary engineering management philosophies and practices to engineers integrating globalisation, quality, technology, people and management systems. The main emphasis is on contemporary issues. The aim is to facilitate a smooth transition of engineers into management roles and to provide necessary competencies for successful performance in engineer-manager roles. The unit will prepare engineers/scientific personnel for management careers in the twenty-first century. Topics include: changing roles of engineers and managers, factors influencing the transition of engineers into management roles, strategies for managing transitions, managing engineering-based organisations and skilled/technical professionals, planning and control systems, decision-making and information systems, team building and group dynamics, motivation of engineers/specialists and/or scientific professionals, interpersonal skills and negotiation skills, communication skills, managing change, human factors engineering, and occupational health and safety issues.

The main objective of this unit is to provide an introduction to operations management, and to be the role of operations in an organisation, not only as an important element of corporate strategy but also as a means of enhancing customer value. This unit will introduce students to a range of quantitative techniques, to enable them to analyse problems in operations management and make decisions or recommendations based on the interpretation of their analysis and other strategic considerations. A series of cases will be used to provide simulated experience in the management of operations and to explore the interaction of the operations function with other functional areas.

This unit provides participants with an understanding of the diverse and complex issues surrounding the strategic management of technology. Special emphasis will be placed on the basic concepts and theories that will be needed to understand, anticipate, acquire, and use technology strategically for attaining a competitive edge in the market. The unit is of particular relevance to managers, engineers, technologists, and scientists who have, or will have, responsibilities for managing technological change and innovation.

This unit introduces students to the philosophy, tools and techniques for effectively managing projects in an organisation. Learning activities focus particularly on case analysis; cases of success and of failure. Participants will be required to apply lessons from cases to real-world examples in ways that are relevant to their future careers. Topics include organisational strategy and project selection, identification of stakeholder needs, project definition, tools and techniques, human resource issues, team management, project planning ,developing networks, scheduling and control, resource allocation and control, cost analysis and budgetary control, and determinants of project success and project failure.

This unit gives an overview of contemporary engineering management philosophies and practices to engineers integrating globalisation, quality, technology, people and management systems. The main emphasis is on contemporary issues. The aim is to facilitate a smooth transition of engineers into management roles and to provide necessary competencies for successful performance in engineer-manager roles. The unit will prepare engineers/scientific personnel for management careers in the twenty-first century. Topics include: changing roles of engineers and managers, factors influencing the transition of engineers into management roles, strategies for managing transitions, managing engineering-based organisations and skilled/technical professionals, planning and control systems, decision-making and information systems, team building and group dynamics, motivation of engineers/specialists and/or scientific professionals, interpersonal skills and negotiation skills, communication skills, managing change, human factors engineering, and occupational health and safety issues.

The main objective of this unit is to provide an introduction to operations management, and to be the role of operations in an organisation, not only as an important element of corporate strategy but also as a means of enhancing customer value. This unit will introduce students to a range of quantitative techniques, to enable them to analyse problems in operations management and make decisions or recommendations based on the interpretation of their analysis and other strategic considerations. A series of cases will be used to provide simulated experience in the management of operations and to explore the interaction of the operations function with other functional areas.

All operations within an organisation involve some risk. In many cases decisions are made in conditions of uncertainty where the key variables are beyond the control of the decision maker. In order to maximise the probability of making the optimum decisions, managers must understand how to manage the risks involved. This unit aims to introduce students to variety of risks encountered by organisations, to provide them with the tools necessary to analyse these risks and objectively evaluate the alternatives available.

This unit provides the philosophy, tools and computerised techniques required for instituting quality control in business processes. Topics include definition of quality control, quality assurance and total quality, control charts for variables, theory of probability, control charts for attributes, acceptance sampling, life testing and reliability, process capability improvement, and Taguchi methods for quality improvement.

This unit provides candidates with an understanding of the fundamental principles of contract law and the commercial legal environment in which business is conducted. It will enable candidates to understand basic common law and statutory principles which apply to commercial transactions; and to understand the nature of commonly encountered special types of contracts relevant to project managers. Topics include the Australian legal system; the Common Law of Contract, its origins and development, its limitations and the development of equitable and statutory remedies; special types of contracts including insurance contracts, agency, and contract of employment; statutory frameworks and tribunals for regulating different aspects of employment; an overview of the nature and range of environmental protection legislation; and some legal aspects of international contract administration.

This unit provides an understanding of the philosophy of manufacturing resource planning and equips the candidate with the tools and techniques needed to integrate various functions, in order to achieve competitive performance standards in small and large manufacturing organisations. Candidates will be exposed to MRPII and its applications to marketing, demand management, aggregate planning, capacity planning, master scheduling, cost control, and its relationships with JIT and TQM. Topics include competition and organisational strategies; the CEO's role in resource management; systems approach and networks; critical elements of manufacturing resource plan; linkage of total productivity; MRPII in marketing, demand management and forecasting; resource requirement planning; rough-cut capacity planning; capacity planning; aggregate production planning; the master scheduling policies; MRPII in manufacturing, purchasing, cost control, engineering and distribution resource planning; MRPII and computer systems; MRPII, JIT and TQM interrelationships; organising and implementing MRPII; MRPII in small companies; and measuring the effectiveness of MRPII.

This unit provides the concepts, tools and techniques needed in purchasing and materials management. It includes purchasing policy and strategy, organising and staffing in purchasing and materials functions, supplier selection and evaluation, price/cost analysis, negotiation skills, inventory management, value analysis and standardisation, purchasing in the international market, government purchasing, and legal aspects of purchasing. These issues are examined in contexts such as the opportunities of globalisation and new information and communication technologies. A key learning strategy is case analysis.

This unit provides concepts, tools and techniques to enable business and technical managers to effectively manage research and development (R&D) activity in their organisations. Topics include the role and scope of R&D in business, the process of technological innovation -- the need for a conceptual approach, technological innovation as a conversion process, factors contributing to successful technological innovation, strategies for R&D -- the role of corporate planning, R&D as a business, resource allocation to R&D, selecting R&D strategy, strategy versus entrepreneurship, creativity and problem-solving -- the creative process, creative individuals -- main characteristics, creativity in innovation, techniques for creative problem-solving. An integrated approach, project selection and evaluation, financial evaluation of R&D projects, R&D program planning and control, organisation of R&D -- definition of organisation, the human resource, leadership style, industrial characteristics, organisation structures, technological forecasting for decision-making -- the need to forecast, the definition of technological forecasting, inputs to and outputs of the forecasting system, classifications and techniques of technological forecasting.

This unit provides an understanding of the principles and practice of re-engineering to enable the design of business processes that can enhance customer value creation while simultaneously enhancing corporate performance. The principles of business re-engineering aim at achieving breakthrough improvements in performance through a critical analysis and redesign of existing business processes. The unit aims to equip the participants with the necessary tools and techniques for carrying out a critical analysis and redesign of the operations, processes, organisation and culture of business establishments.

Entrepreneurialism and creativity can mean success or failure for large, small and new businesses, as organisations strive to stay abreast of turbulent environments and to exploit new opportunities. This unit investigates entrepreneurialism and change, aiming to equip participants with an appreciation of entrepreneurialism, ways of managing innovation for growth, approaches to identifying and developing opportunities, ways of adding value to products and services, and strategic thinking around technological development and organisational change. Tools and concepts for entrepreneurialism and innovation are analysed and applied, such as feasibility studies, commercialisation, product life cycles, business plans, intellectual property, knowledge management and forecasting.

The objective of this unit is to introduce students to a range of quantitative techniques to enable them to analyse problems in operations and quality mangement and to interpret their findings both from a tactical and strategic perspective.

This unit will provide an introduction to quality management principles, quality management systems and the quality tools and techniques needed for creating customer value and improving competitiveness and organisational effectiveness.

Achieving customer satisfaction through quality management requires the understanding and use of specialised managerial, technological and statistical concepts and tolls. This unit aims to provide an in-depth understanding of planning approaches and statistical tolls commonly used for managing quality.

The development of quality standards and guidelines that are internationally recognised has become a competitive imperative in the context of globalisation. Simultaneously, firms are increasingly evaluating their quality management efforts by examining how well these are meeting the expectations of customers, employees and other stakeholders. This unit aims to provide an indepth understanding of the issues involved in planning and implementing quality systems and assessing their effectiveness from a business excellence perspective.

Performance measurement and benchmarking provides firms, managers, and employees with a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation and its business processes. Performance measures are also a good way for communicating a firm’s strategy throughout the organisation. Furthermore, performance measurement is the first step in planning and implementing quality and productivity in an organisation. The unit offers an opportunity to critically review and apply a range of performance measurements, such as the balanced scorecard approach.

This unit aims to provide an understanding of the principles techniques and applications of managing assets and to equip students with competencies and skills in planning, procurement, repair, maintenance, replacement and disposal of facilities, equipment and materials. Topics include: concept and types of assets, procurement, reliability, maintenance, replacement and disposal of capital assets, purchasing and replacement strategies and techniques, sourcing and maintenance management.

The unit aims to provide an understanding of the concepts and techniques for managing logistics activities and warehouse effectively. Topics include the role of logistics in the economy and firm, development of logistics management, integrated logistics management concept, channels of distribution, customer service, transportation systems and mathematical models, documentation for exports and imports and government regulations, designing warehouse layout, material handling systems, storage techniques for locating and reducing costs, automated warehouse, barcode systems and uses in warehouse management, paperless warehouse, order processing and information systems, decision support systems for logistics management, logistics performance, managing material flow- logistics/manufacturing interface, logistics/marketing interface, and the strategic logistics plan-global logistics.

This unit engages the academy with commerce by integrating theory with secondary research to solve real-life business problems. Typically students choose a specific area of the discipline relevant to their graduate award and investigate a related problem at a workplace.

This unit provides exposure to real-life industrial problems, and develops candidates' ability to apply the concepts, tools and techniques of total quality management and productivity management. Candidates will undertake a major field work involving developing new systems, evaluating the effectiveness of existing systems, and/or improving existing systems. Candidates will select a problem for detailed investigation and analysis in consultation with their supervisor. After defining the problem and developing the scope of work, candidates will undertake theoretical investigation and prepare a blueprint for field studies. This blueprint (in the form of a working paper of about 3000 words) will include theoretical findings, gaps and limitations, probable solutions to the problem, and methodology for the field study. After completing their field studies, candidates will analyse the findings and prepare a comprehensive business report. The final business report (about 15,000 words) will include problem definition, theoretical studies, methodology for field study, data and its analysis, findings, recommendations, implementation plan, and references. The final report can be submitted separately for A and B (about 7500 words each) or together (about 15,000 words).