Outline

Overview

In this unit students formulate and investigate a research question by applying action-research methodology to solve global, local and personal challenges. Students engage with the concept of leadership and explore their personal leadership capabilities. Students propose future actions for effecting changes in a post-crisis world based on their research findings. Research projects are co-created with peers and mentors and take into account students' interests and strengths. The unit culminates in a research presentation and a leadership portfolio showcase.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Business School
Credit points	12
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
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	Basic research methodologies, database search skills, academic integrity, academic writing
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Sandris Zeivots, sandris.zeivots@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Sandris Zeivots, sandris.zeivots@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Craig Gilliver, craig.gilliver@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Research plan n/a	20%	Week 05 Due date: 01 Sep 2023 at 23:59	approx. 1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Presentation and research paper Students present and submit a paper reporting on their research.	40%	Week 12 Due date: 27 Oct 2023 at 23:59	Presentation: 7 min Paper: 1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Leadership portfolio n/a	40%	Week 13 Due date: 03 Nov 2023 at 23:59	approx. 2500 words equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Research design plan: This is a written assignment to be developed in a group setting. A research design plan describes the problem the student group plans to investigate and how they are going to address it by applying action research methodology.

Presentation: This is a group presentation of the research project delivered in an engaging pitch format. The presentation is delivered to a panel of academic and industry judges and communicates the research problem addressed and the solution developed. Groups also submit a research paper supporting the presentation.

Leadership Portfolio: This is an individual assignment. A portfolio is a carefully curated collection of the student's work, their learning and development. It showcases what the student has learned about leadership, research, and how they demonstrated leadership throughout this unit, their research project, team work, etc.

Detailed expectations for each assessment are stated in the rubric criteria which are available on Canvas.

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 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.

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.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

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 leadership post-crisis and philosophical underpinnings of Action Research	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 02	Preparedness for crises and responses to crises, and motivators and values in Action Research	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 03	The human cost and benefit of recovery, and Action Research process and methodology.	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 04	Ethical and responsible recovery and engaging with research participants	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 05	The economy in seismic change and project kick-off.	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 06	Rebuilding post-crisis and conducting ethical research	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 07	Critical global, local and personal challenges, and recording and monitoring research data. Planned library visit: Object-Based Learning experience.	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 08	Pitch week: Pitching for effective leadership and pitching your research.	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 09	Technology and disruption, and turning data insights into action	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 10	Reimagining businesses and industries post crisis and communicating your research	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 11	Reimagining businesses and industries post crisis and communicating your research	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 12	Leadership for good, and presenting your research findings.	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 13	Showcasing your leadership through research and portfolio.	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Note this is a 12cr unit. You are expected to do 2 x 1hr lectures (online, asynchronous) per week and attend 2 x 2hr workshops per week. One or two research workshops might be replaced with group or individual consultations to discuss particular aspects of a research project where deemed appropriate. One workshop each week focuses predominantly on the leadership component of this unit, the second workshop each week focuses on research project work. Workshop attendance is critical to succeeding in this unit as workshop time is used to debrief and deepen your understanding of the interactive unit content as well as prepare and progress your research work and 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 12 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 240-300 hours of student effort in total.

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 global, local and personal challenges in a post crisis world and formulate respective research questions.
LO2. Design and apply appropriate action research methodologies to address global, local and personal challenges.
LO3. Distinguish different approaches and styles of leadership in business post-crisis and analyse the differences in impact.
LO4. Reflect on and identify your leadership style and capacity for effecting change in a post-crisis world.
LO5. Communicate proposed action plans informed by your research findings for effecting change in a post-crisis world.

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 fourth time this unit has been offered. Students have provided very positive feedback in the last semesters and we look forward to providing you an equally positive learning experience. Students particularly commented on the highly engaging and interactive nature of the lecture material on Canvas and interesting workshops each week.

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

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

BUSS4921: Managing Post-Crisis Through Action Research

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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

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