Recommended Study Sequence

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).

For information on this unit please contact the Unit Coordinators: Sharon Taylor (Blacktown and Campbelltown Campuses) and Jean McCartney (Parramatta Campus). This unit provides exposure to financial and management accounting information from a user viewpoint. The unit aims to provide breadth of awareness and knowledge in relevant fields of accounting essential to decision making for managers.

The development of business skills in the form of the application of information collection, analysis and evaluation, logical reasoning skills and communication skills relevent to business and economic issues.

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.

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, legal reasoning and problem solving. The main areas of law covered include contracts, torts and agency.

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.

Organisational Behaviour focuses on people in the work place, what motivates them, their attitudes, and how they interact with others. The effects of different communication and types of conflict are also examined. The unit focuses on the individual and group processes of organisational behaviour. Students will also gain an understanding of the importance of research in what might be classified as the non-tangibles in organisational effectiveness. This unit aims to develop personal and interpersonal skills of prospective managers for working in contemporary organisational settings.

This Level 1 unit 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.

Introduction to Economic Methods will cover basic concepts in Mathematics and Statistics to help their understanding of subjects like accounting, management, marketing, finance, and economics. In addition, the analytical techniques, concepts and models that will be discussed in this unit will play a foundation role in a Business degree. Topics include: Use of summation signs; financial mathematics; differential calculus and its application in business; collection, analysis and interpretation of data using simple descriptive statistical methods; probability distributions, and hypothesis testing.

This unit examines the interface between business, society and the state, and sensitises students to the impact of broad social, political and economic forces on the relationships between these three spheres. The unit also considers the role of different ideological models such as Keynesianism, neo-liberalism and mixed market, in shaping the relationships between business and government. It also examines the impact of increasing internationalisation and globalisation on business, society and the state.

21st century businesses are looking more and more similar in the way they are designed and operated. Yet to be successful and to gain comparative advantage it is imperative that these businesses manage their workforces differently. Critical to this different way of managing is culture. Culture is the cornerstone that makes people similar, yet different. Taking a multidisciplinary and “hands on” approach, this unit examines the impacts of culture on business practices and management styles.

This unit is designed for students interested in the processes undertaken by all organisations in providing products and services to customers. The purpose of this unit is to familiarise the student with the internal activities of manufacturing and service organisations as well as external activities to source, produce and distribute products and services. The unit considers both tactical and strategic considerations. The focus is on the complex global environment organisations now find themselves working within. This unit also considers the latest trends in logistics and operations management.

Organisational Learning and Development introduces a powerful way of understanding the nature of contemporary organisations and the key strategic tasks they face. Promotion of individual self-development within a continuously self-transforming organisation is presented as essential if organisations are to innovate and evolve, and so meet the challenges of a turbulent world. The unit introduces the idea that promoting organisational learning means adopting an appropriate management philosophy, one that challenges traditional theories of management. The concept and practice of organisational learning and implications for management approaches are introduced and critically evaluated. Students are stimulated to learn through involvement in reflection upon a range of individual and collaborative activities.

This unit is concerned with organisation theories, forms and practices at both the macro and micro levels. Tensions and paradoxes that arise through processes of ‘getting things done’ in organisations are examined. Various classical and contemporary approaches to conceptualising organisations are introduced and critically appraised. Historical shifts in organisational structure and design preferences are examined. Multiple perspectives are brought to analyse organisation designs. Organising as a social meaning making process, where order and disorder are in tension and unpredictability is shaped and managed, is examined. Students are invited to learn through involvement in, and reflection upon, a range of individual and collaborative activities.

This unit introduces the concepts of organisational change, the need to manage change as a change agent and how to develop and optimise change models and schemes. In this unit we will build upon the work you have done in Management Foundations, Organisational Behaviour and Organisational Learning and Development and encourage you to consider the world from different perspectives. We wish you to challenge your own ways of learning and to try to include more reflection in the work that you do. The unit will be driven by theory as well as practice and will need you to read conflicting viewpoints in order to understand the complexity of the relationships we are discussing.

This unit examines the complex interaction between power, politics and knowledge - both in organisational settings and in society as a whole. This is accomplished through an appraisal of a range of relevant sociological and organisational studies theories, and their application to 'real-life' situations in organisational settings. The rationale for the inclusion of a sociological perspective in this unit is that organisations do not operate in a social vacuum, but are constantly subject to broader social, economic, political and cultural influences that bear upon the distribution and exercise of power in organisations and in society as a whole.

Contemporary Management Issues (CMI) provides an in-depth analysis of issues confronting managers in a rapidly changing world, including new forms of work; increased diversity in the workplace; organisational dysfunctions; business ethics and corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability. CMI is designed to foster reflection and critical thinking, which will lead to deeper levels of understanding of the complex role played by managers in contemporary society. The unit is delivered in an engaged mode which means that students are provided with opportunities to interact with employers. This enables them to develop an appreciation of the complexities involved in real world business settings. The experience outside the classroom allows a more effective application of the theories and concepts discussed in the unit.

The choice perspective of strategic management. External environmental assessment and choice. Analysis of international strategic capabilities. Strategy formulation: choice of mission, strategic goals, and a strategy. Implementing strategies through plans, functional strategies, and budgets. Implementing strategy through organisation structure. Implementing strategy through culture, leadership, and human resource management. Control of strategy. Special cases of strategic management: entrepreneurial and non-profit organisations. Strategic management in the international area. Social issues in strategic management. Strategic management in the future.