Outline

Overview

The aim of this unit of study is to provide an understanding of the institutions and processes underpinning government policies and regulations relating to work, industrial relations and labour markets. The current intensity and importance of policy debates make it all the more important to develop understandings of work and industrial relations policy which are evidence-based, intellectually rigorous and historically informed. This unit is framed by these considerations. Particular topics may include: the development of policy; the workings of parliaments, government departments and agencies, tribunals and courts; wage determination; the influence of lobby groups such as business groups, think-tanks and trade unions; gender, work and family policies; productivity; immigration and skills policies; contemporary policy such as climate change, the gig economy, workforce insecurity and unemployment; and the outcomes and implications of policy change.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	WORK2203
Academic unit	Work and Organisational Studies
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	Completion of 24 credit points of 1000-level units of study
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	WORK1003
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Bradon Ellem, bradon.ellem@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Bradon Ellem, bradon.ellem@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final exam Extended response (essay style) questions	30%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay Essay	40%	Week 10 Due date: 01 May 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 15 May 2023	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Tutorial presentation/facilitation Attendance and presentation	20%	Weekly	5-10 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Class participation Participation	10%	Weekly	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Class participation: Students are required to attend all tutorials, beginning in Week 2. The tutorials are designed to encourage active participation. Discussions will be structured around questions listed in the tutorial guide which will be on Canvas before the semester begins. Classes will include debates as well as standard group discussions.
Tutorial presentation/facilitation: In the Week 3 tutorial, students will be allocated a week during which they will lead and facilitate the class discussion in a small group. Students will start the class they lead with an overview of the set readings which will focus on the issues that arose for them. Students are asked to facilitate the discussion for the set weekly topic for most of the class. This might include referring to relevant news articles or designing class tasks which will stimulate the discussion and engagement. Each group will submit a summary of their work to the class and to the tutor.
Essay: Students are required to write an essay arguing for a change to an existing aspect of work and industrial relations policy in Australia. This policy change might be about one of the policy areas discussed in the classes or an issue you think needs fresh attention. Your arguments should be developed by engaging critically with Befort & Budd’s 'equity, efficiency, voice' framework and other theories discussed in this Unit of Study.
Final exam: The final exam will consist of a selection of extended response (essay style) questions covering all the topics examined in the lectures, tutorials and readings from Weeks 1-12.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found 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 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:

In accordance with Business School policy (https://www.sydney.edu.au/handbooks/business_school/rules/faculty_resolutions.shtml), "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)". This does not apply to students with extensions resulting from an approved special consideration application, special arrangement or previously arranged disability adjustment.

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	Introducing industrial relations policy	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Understanding work and policy	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Understanding the state in industrial relations	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	How did we get here? Policy development in Australia	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Making and remaking the Fair Work Act	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	How does policy change? 'Secure Jobs Better Pay'	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Efficiency: Productivity debates	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Equity: Work, family, flexibility	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Tuesday public holiday: no classes in this Unit	Independent study (3 hr)
Week 10	Voice: Unions and collective bargaining	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	The future of work and policy	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Overview	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Exam primer	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture recordings: All lectures and seminars are recorded and will be available on Canvas for student use. Please note the Business School does not own the system and cannot guarantee that the system will operate or that every class will be recorded. Students should ensure they attend and participate in all classes.

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

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas. Please see the Tutorial Guide and Reading List in Canvas for the complete list of weekly tutorial readings.

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. describe how the state regulates employment relations
LO2. describe the major issues in industrial relations policy today
LO3. apply theoretical frameworks to current debates about industrial relations policy
LO4. explain the motivations of the parties seeking to influence industrial relations policy
LO5. describe the likely outcomes of changes in industrial relations policy.

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.

Minor changes have been made to unit content in response to student feedback.

Additional information

Journal of Industrial Relations: A key source for this unit of study is the Journal of Industrial Relations' ‘Annual Review' which appears in the June issues. The articles from the most recent issue will be made available online via the eReserve Library site, as are all articles in this and other journals listed in the tutorial guide.
More information can be found on Canvas.

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

WORK2203: Work and Industrial Relations Policy

Semester 1, 2023 [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