Outline

Overview

Business relationships, like all relationships, require the ability to resolve disputes quickly, cheaply and without tears. Students of Dispute Resolution for Business learn when to fight and when to fly in business, and what resources can help them make that decision. The unit examines the theory, analysis and practice of dispute resolution methods in Australia and international jurisdictions. It focuses on the primary processes of dispute resolution: negotiation, mediation, arbitration (including domestic and international arbitration), and litigation. High-level communication and dispute resolution skills are developed through practical, activity-based group and individual learning experiences. There are also opportunities to role play participants in the dispute resolution processes; including parties, advocates, third-party facilitators and observers. Students leave this unit equipped to resolve an argument with their roommate over the dishes, while also understanding the ins-and-outs of a cross-border commercial dispute.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	BUSS4911
Academic unit
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	Giuseppe Carabetta, giuseppe.carabetta@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Ryan Hunter, ryan.hunter@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Giuseppe Carabetta, giuseppe.carabetta@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Take-home short release)	Final exam Written exam	50%	Formal exam period	3 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Simulations Peer-reviewed presentation	40%	Week 01	40 mins
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Participation and engagement Participation	10%	Weekly	weekly
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ? = Type D final exam ?

Assessment summary

Participation and engagement: The unit has been designed to give students practical insight into how business disputes are resolved. In most seminars, an activity will be distributed and students will be given a position to resolve using dispute resolution techniques learned in class. Marks will be awarded based on your preparation and strategy as well as the outcome achieved for your “side”, based on instructions and practical limits. As these activities rely on the engagement of all class members, if you are absent for in-class activities, other students will suffer. The only exception to this is if you are granted Special Consideration by the Business School or receive prior authorisation via Disability Services.

Detailed information on the activities and their grading will be released on Canvas.

Final exam: In this exam students will be required to answer two questions designed to examine understanding and reflection based on wide reading, not mere regurgitation of material. Students will evaluate or analyse rather than merely describe. All questions will take the form of essay-style questions. Full details, including the assessment criteria, will be provided on Canvas.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas. If you have any questions about the assessments, please do not hesitate to let Giuseppe or Ryan know.

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:

Late penalties will be applied in accord with current Business School policy.

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.

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 to the unit, learning outcomes and practical activities	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	Theories of how conflicts arise in business	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	Introduction to role-play negotiations	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	Resolving conflict through negotiation	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 03	Applying the theory of negotiation to practical negotiations	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	Controlling conflicts through contract	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 04	Negotiation within legal and ethical constraints	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	Extended theory of negotiation limitations for international and domestic businesses	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 05	* Independent learning; see Canvas	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 06	* Independent learning; see Canvas	Independent study (1 hr)
Week 06	Negotiating in group and multi-party settings	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	Referring disputes to mediation	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 07	Negotiation and enforcement	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 08	Guest lecture on Mediation	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 08	Resolving disputes by use of an intermediary	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 09	Referring disputes to arbitration	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 09	Practical discussion of domestic and international arbitration	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 10	Guest lecture on Arbitration	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 10	Resolving disputes with a third party decision maker	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 11	When to involve the Courts and how Court disputes end	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 11	Practical discussion of litigation theories and strategies	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 12	Guest lecture on dispute resolution as a whole	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 12	Return to negotiation, settlement of disputes	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 13	Exam Revision	Seminar (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

This unit is taught as a “flipped classroom”. This means that the content is primarily covered through a pre-recorded weekly lecture, which will be released on Canvas each Monday during semester, and prescribed reading materials which will be made available on Canvas and through the eReserve.

The seminars, for both the in person and online cohort, are designed to complement the lecture and reading materials. Therefore, it is essential that students watch the lecture and read the material before each seminar. The lectures and reading materials are designed to be manageable for students with a busy workload.

The seminars themselves will be interactive and require students to participate in activities designed to test their understanding of the course material and presumptions they make about human behaviour during business conflicts. Sometimes, this will involve preparing arguments to present to fellow students, and sometimes it will involve time pressured reading of material.

Interactive seminar slides containing questions and gaps that fill in material covered in lectures and seminars will also be provided.

Canvas provides the online learning support for this unit. You should ensure you have access to this facility early in the semester and should check it regularly for course announcements and documents – though, again, please note that Canvas is not a substitute for classes/seminars or seminar content.

An online discussion forum (and other support) will be available for the major assignment on the Canvas site. This can be used to clarify questions relating to the assignments.

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

There is no prescribed textbook for this unit.

Required and additional readings for this unit will be made available to be accessed through the Library Reading List, available on Canvas.

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. Identify and analyse practical and legal issues arising in real-world conflict situations, and the methods of conflict resolution which are best suited to address those issues
LO2. Resolve problems by thinking laterally to offer legal and non-legal conflict resolution solutions
LO3. Locate and select relevant materials using libraries, the web, and drawing from real-world experience and examples

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.

This is the first time this unit has been offered

Additional information

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

Required readings

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

BUSS4911: Dispute Resolution for Business

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

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

Required readings

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