Unit of study_

EMBA6006: Challenging Business Models

2026 unit information

The biggest challenge facing most businesses today is that they don't anticipate the changes in their market environment that fundamentally threaten the way they do what they do. This applies to the government sector and not-for-profits as much as it does to for-profit businesses. While some organisations struggle to respond to new uses of new digital technologies (including data), others have re-designed themselves to use those same digital technologies to address continuously evolving customer and employee needs in new profitable ways. How do businesses ensure that they renew themselves before they become obsolete? This unit of study is the culmination of the previous four Executive MBA units of study, combining entering new markets, incorporating cutting-edge technology and using leadership and strategy to challenge existing business models. We look at existing businesses that have managed this transformation well and examine those that haven't. This unit will include examples of companies that figured out how to minimise the risks of digital while leveraging their distinct benefits. Students obtain an understanding of how organisations can adapt to disruption. We examine how organisations are drawing on digital technologies (most notably data and AI) for growth and resilience. How are organisations redesigning themselves to realise significantly more impact faster with a variety of digital technologies amidst a global landscape increasingly marked by technological, geopolitical, economic, and environmental changes? We also examine the impact of technology on the workforce, and the future of work. A major project on a progressive organisation enables students to apply what they have learned to this organisation's transformation.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Business (Business School)

Study level Postgraduate
Academic unit Management Education
Credit points 12
Prerequisites:
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None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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EMBA6000

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

  • LO1. understand the characteristics of an industry that is mature and in decline and how this is linked to under-performance in an organisation
  • LO2. identify some of the ways in which managers and leaders can generate turnaround and renewal in an industry
  • LO3. examine an industry in detail from buyer and supplier point of view
  • LO4. be able to develop customer-centric responses to business challenges
  • LO5. demonstrate ability to work effectively with companies from a different culture and worldview
  • LO6. draw parallels between the current and future challenges facing an industry examined during the module and the strategic challenges you are facing or will face in your professional life.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Intensive April - May 2025
Block mode Castlereagh St, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Intensive April - May 2026
Block mode Castlereagh St, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Intensive October - November 2020
Block mode Castlereagh St, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Intensive May - June 2021
Block mode Castlereagh St, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Intensive February - March 2021
Block mode Castlereagh St, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Intensive July - August 2021
Block mode Castlereagh St, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Intensive July - August 2021
Block mode Remote
Outline unavailable
Intensive June - July 2021
Block mode Castlereagh St, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Intensive June - July 2021
Block mode Remote
Outline unavailable
Intensive April - May 2022
Block mode Castlereagh St, Sydney
Intensive June - July 2022
Block mode Castlereagh St, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

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Important enrolment information

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