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Unit of study_

BUSS4901: Advanced Business A

Intensive May, 2020 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

In this unit, students confront the challenge facing truly pioneering companies which is to develop customer-centric products and services that are aligned with the company strategy. This unit recreates the intense, team environment of a business unit undergoing innovation. Students integrate the skills, knowledge and experience acquired throughout the program to bring a real prototype to market. Design thinking methodologies are applied to demonstrate understanding of the challenges facing strategy implementation. Students work in teams with tight milestones. To do this successfully, students must use the skills gained throughout the program and critically reflect on the implications and impact of their learning.

Unit details and rules

Unit code BUSS4901
Academic unit Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
Students must meet the entry requirements for the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Advanced Coursework), including completion of a pass undergraduate degree and a major in a business subject area.
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Carla Harris, carla.harris@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Carla Harris, carla.harris@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment group assignment Group Presentation
n/a
30% Week 04
Due date: 28 May 2020 at 17:00

Closing date: 01 Jul 2020
25 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Assignment Product Review
n/a
35% Week 04
Due date: 28 May 2020 at 17:00

Closing date: 01 Jul 2020
30 pages
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
Assignment Design Essay
n/a
35% Week 05
Due date: 05 Jun 2020 at 17:00

Closing date: 01 Jul 2020
3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

  1. Group Presentations (Due: 28 May 2020) - In your groups you will be required to present a group presentation to a panel of judges. The presentation will be made on 28 May 2020, during the time specified within the Program Schedule. Further information on this assessment item will be provided in the program kick-off session on 6 May 2020. 
  2. Product Review  (Due: 28 May 2020) - In your groups you will be required to build a real-life prototype. Your product prototype must be included in the Group Presentation, and will also fall due on 28 May 2020. Further information on this assessment item will be provided in the program kick-off session on 6 May 2020.
  3. Design Workbook (Due 4 June 2020- Individually, you will be required to prepare a design workbook that records your journey throughout this UoS. The Design Workbook will fall due on Thursday 4 June 2020. Reference examples of this assessment will be uploaded to Canvas by 6 May 2020, and further information on this assessment item will be provided in the program kick-off session on 6 May 2020.

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 sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Any assessment submitted after the due time and date will incur a late penalty of 5% of the total marks per 24 hour period, or part thereof, late (note that this is applied to the mark gained after the submitted work is marked). Since submission is electronic, weekends and public holidays count as days in the same way as working days. Any assessment submitted after the due time and date will incur a late penalty unless excused by special consideration, special arrangement or disability services adjustment. Any assessment submitted after the “Closing Date” noted in the Unit of Study Outline will not be marked or assessed.

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.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

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.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 [Modules 1, 2, 3] (6 May 2020) Workshop (4 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Group Working Time (7 May 2020) Project (4 hr) LO6
Week 02 [Module 4 and 5] (13 May 2020) Workshop (4 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Group Working Time (14 May 2020) Project (4 hr) LO6
Week 03 [Module 6 and 7] (20 May 2020) Workshop (4 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
[Module 8] (21 May 2020) Workshop (1.5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
Group Work Time (21 May 2020) Project (2.5 hr) LO6
Week 04 Group Work Time (27 May 2020) Project (4 hr) LO6
Week 05 Final Group Presentation (28 May 2020) Presentation (4 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6

Attendance and class requirements

Students are expected to attend a minimum of 90 per cent of timetabled activities for a unit of study, unless granted exemption through special consideration, special arrangement, previously arranged disability adjustment or by the Associate Dean. The Associate Dean may determine that a student fails a unit of study because of inadequate attendance. Alternatively, at their discretion, they may set additional assessment items where attendance is lower than 90 per cent.

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.

Required readings

Please see Canvas for prescribed reading schedule. 

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.

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

  • LO1. Develop a design-led strategy for a real-world problem, resulting in a detailed understanding of design-led strategy methodologies
  • LO2. Describe the profile of a typical target customer
  • LO3. Describe how to build basic product prototypes
  • LO4. Describe how to interview customers in an effort to understand customer pain points
  • LO5. Communicate design-led strategy solutions using visual aids
  • LO6. Negotiate roles and responsibilities to complete assigned tasks, contributing to group deliverables

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
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

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

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Reading Materials

Students will be required to enrol in a MOOC that forms part of the compulsory pre-reading for BUSS 4901 Design-Led Strategy. The online course was designed by Associate Professor Eric Knight, and two of our MBA Alumni, Christopher Murphy and Dr. Carla Harris.

 

You need to enrol in “Design strategy: Design thinking for business strategy and entrepreneurship” via the

following link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/design-strategy (please use your university email address to register).

 

Word Length

Where a word length is specified, you must conform to the word length. Where a student exceeds the word length, the student will lose 10% of the total marks when the submission is 10% above the word length and 10% for each 10% over-length thereafter. Note that the word limit includes in-text referencing and the reference list at the end of the document.

 

Zoom

Details relating to online workshops including ZOOM access will be posted on Canvas.

 

Delivery Schedule

A delivery schedule will be posted on Canvas with further information on breakdowns of the online seminars. 

 

Modules:

​Module 1: Ripping the Problem Statement 

Module 2: Primary Market Research 

Module 3: Distilling Insights 

Module 4: Customer Persona’s 

Module 5: How might we? 

Module 6: Ideating 

Module 7: Prototyping 

Module 8: Proving the Value 

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.