Phone: (08) 6488 2841

Mob:      0417 984 470

Fax: (08) 6488 1065

Consultation hours: By appointment

Lectures

Lecture times: Monday 8:00am & Wednesday 3:00pm

Lecture venue:  ENCM: ELT1 & ENCM: ELT2

Tutorials

Tutorial times: Monday 9:00am, Wednesday 4:00pm , & Thursday 3:00pm

Tutorial venues:  ENCM:G.11,  ENCM:105  &  SSCI:LR1

Your lecturer

Cosimo has a Doctorate (coursework) in sustainable agribusiness from Italy, an MBA (advanced) and a Master of Marketing focusing on sustainable business from UWA. He has lectured in international marketing and management at Curtin University, and a number of marketing and management courses at UWA.

Cosimo has considerable experience in sustainable business and project management, as well as sustainable marketing, both in Europe and Australia. In Italy, he managed a number of agribusinesses and held a senior position as an advisor for the Italian Government. In Australia, Cosimo managed a proprietary agribusiness and held a board position as technical director for a publicly listed company. Cosimo runs a consulting company specialising in sustainable business and strategic management.

UNIT DESCRIPTION

Introduction and goal of the unit

This unit will introduce students to the field of management. These are challenging but very exciting times in the management context. Global competition has become a way of life, and technological advancement and sustainable business practices are feasible responses to obtain a long-term competitive advantage. This means that managers must reconsider their approaches and goals, and emphasise innovation and sustainability in an increasingly changing and competitive market place.

This course is designed to introduce students to concepts of management and to the critical role that appropriate management plays in the profitable operations of a business. With this in mind, particular emphasis will be placed on implementing sustainable business approaches – That is, not focusing only on profit and revenue, but also on societal and environmental implications, defined by many scholars in the field as “Triple Bottom Line” (TBL) approach. Along with learning basic management theories, students will gain knowledge on sustainable business practices, which will assist them with identifying and analysing management problems in a sustainable and ethical manner.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

• Understand the concept of management and identify the fundamental factors that influence it; 
• Appreciate the importance of sustainable management (TBL approach), in a business context;
• Differentiate between management and leadership;
• Develop appropriate management strategies, compatible with sustainable business practices;
• Demonstrate a sound understanding of the effect of contextual factors on operational and strategic matters such as strategic planning, organizational issues, human resources management and leadership, marketing and finance;
• Appreciate management principles and theories relating to becoming efficient and effective team members of an organization;
• Demonstrate a sound understanding of the four core management associated concepts: planning, organising, implementing and leading, and controlling.

In studying management, it is important to understand that there are often no simple, correct answers to any business case being analysed. That is the challenge – to start thinking strategically. It is expected that any evaluation and decision students make are based on sound theory and logic. However, it is equally important that students consider alternate management options and strategies. The best strategies usually emerge from a rigorous evaluation of a range of differing perspectives. The ultimate objective is to select the best management strategy, consistent with the TBL approach, and which suits the circumstances of a particular organization at a given point in time.

Educational principles

By attending this unit, students will be encouraged and guided to develop the ability to:

• Identify management problems;
• Solve management problems by implementing concepts and theories in a sustainable manner to real world business scenarios.

Teaching and learning approaches and unit assessment

Two weekly lectures and tutorials (one per week) will be given for this unit. The lectures provide a summary of core concepts and theories of management and their application.

Students will be asked on a weekly basis to complete a series of questions relating to an “ethical business dilemma” and a “case application”. These questions will be the subject of discussion in the tutorial classes. This will expand students understanding of the relevant management concepts and theories, and will assist them with the learning progress over the semester. Students will also need to work in a group to analyse a company’s current management situation and make sound recommendations on how to improve it, based on key management concepts and theories. This is the focus of a major written group project, which students are also required to present orally. This will also contribute to enhance the students’ verbal and written communication skills.

The implementation of these assessment components will contribute towards students’ ability to complete a final exam and achieve the learning outcomes of the unit. Overall, students must achieve a score of at least 50% to pass this unit. Failure to complete any aspect of the work required will result in failing to pass the unit.

Assessment summary

Standard of Assessment

The School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering (EECE) must ensure that the processes of assessment are fair and are designed to maintain the standards of the School and its students. The School follows the University of Western Australia’s grading system:

                        HD                   (Higher distinction)              80-100%

                        D                     (Distinction)                        70-79%

                        CR                   (Credit pass)                       60-69%

                        P                      (Pass)                                 50-59%

                        N+                   (Fail)                                  45-49%

                        N                     (Fail)                                  0-44%

The School awards marks leading to these grades by using the following general criteria which are presented here as a clear indication of the School’s expectations. These general criteria may be supplemented by specific standards with regard to a particular assignment.

HD       The student has a clear understanding of theory, concepts and issues relating to the subject and is able to adopt a critical perspective. The student is able to clearly identify the most critical aspects of the task and is able to offer a logically consistent and well articulated analysis within the analytic framework presented in the unit. The student is able to draw widely from the academic literature and elsewhere but maintains relevance.

D         The student has a clear understanding of theory, concepts and issues relating to the subject. The student is able to develop an analysis of an issue using the analytic framework presented in the unit and is able to identify and evaluate the critical issues. The student is able to draw upon relevant academic and other material.

CR       The student demonstrates an understanding of the analytic framework developed in the unit and a partial understanding of concepts and issues. The student is able to identify some key issues and is able to present a logical discussion, but with some conceptual errors or gaps between analysis and conclusions. The student is able to draw upon an adequate range of references and other materials.

P          The student generally takes a descriptive rather than analytic approach to the subject. The student is able to demonstrate some understanding of the issues involved but does not demonstrate the ability to apply the analytic framework which had been developed in the unit. Draws primarily upon unit materials for referencing.

N+       The student is unable to demonstrate that he or she understands the core elements of the subject matter. The student is able to provide some insight into issues but misapplies analytic framework developed in the unit, omitting key factors and, for example, drawing conclusions which are not related to the preceding discussion.

N         The student is unable to demonstrate any understanding of the subject matter. Material presented for assessment is unrelated to unit framework and shows not effort to identify or address critical aspects of the topic.

The scaling of marks to ensure comparability between classes is an acceptable academic practice. The School and Board of Examiners have the right to scale marks where it is considered necessary to maintain consistency and fairness.

Supplementary Assessment

Supplementary Assessment is not offered by the School of Electrical and Electronic and Computer Engineering (EECE), however, students who achieve a grade between 45-49 in the last unit for their undergraduate degree taken in the last semester of study, will be eligible for a supplementary assessment

Charter of student rights and responsibilities

This Charter of Student Rights and Responsibilities upholds the fundamental rights of students who undertake their education at the University of Western Australia.

It recognises that excellence in teaching and learning requires students to be active participants in their educational experience.  It upholds the ethos that in addition to the University’s role of awarding formal academic qualifications to students, the University must strive to instil in all students independent scholarly learning, critical judgement, academic integrity and ethical sensitivity.

Please refer to the guild website the full charter of student rights, located at

http://www.secretariat.uwa.edu.au/home/policies/charter

UWA Student Guild contact details
Phone: (+61 8) 6488 2295
Website: http://www.guild.uwa.edu.au

Ethical Scholarship, Academic Literacy and Academic Misconduct

Ethical scholarship is the pursuit of scholarly enquiry marked by honesty and integrity.

Academic Literacy is the capacity to undertake study and research, and to communicate findings and knowledge, in a manner appropriate to the particular disciplinary conventions and scholarly standards expected at university level.

Academic misconduct is any activity or practice engaged in by a student that breaches explicit guidelines relating to the production of work for assessment, in a manner that compromises or defeats the purpose of that assessment.  Students must not engage in academic misconduct.  Any such activity undermines an ethos of ethical scholarship.  Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to cheating, or attempting to cheat, through:

·          Collusion

·          Inappropriate collaboration

·          Plagiarism

·          Misrepresenting or fabricating data or results or other assessable work

·          Inappropriate electronic data sourcing/collection

·          Breaching rules specified for the conduct of examinations in a way that may compromise or defeat the purposes of assessment.

Penalties for academic misconduct vary according to seriousness of the case, and may include the requirement to do further work or repeat work; deduction of marks; the award of zero marks for the assessment; failure of one or more units; suspension from a course of study; exclusion from the University, non-conferral of a degree, diploma or other award to which the student would otherwise have been entitled. Refer to the Ethical Scholarship, Academic Literacy and Academic Misconduct located on the University’s website at http://www.teachingandlearning.uwa.edu.au/tl4/for_uwa_staff/policies/student_related_policies/academic_conduct

Acknowledging sources of information

In the course of your individual and team work assignments, you will encounter ideas from many sources. All assignments that you submit must acknowledge all the different sources you have used. Not to acknowledge your sources is plagiarism. Neither the School nor the University accepts ignorance or the fact that a student’s previous acts of plagiarism had been undetected as a defence.

Serious cases of plagiarism shall be referred to the University’s Board of Discipline. All students should note that cases of copying are reported to the School and documentary evidence, along with associated correspondence is placed on the student’s permanent record.

Appeals against academic assessment

In the first instance, students are strongly advised to talk informally to the lecturer about the grade awarded.  The University provides the opportunity for students to lodge an appeal against any mark which he or she feels is unfair.  Any student making an appeal is under an obligation to establish a prima facie case by providing particular and substantial reasons for the appeal. It is recommended that students contact the Guild Education Officers to aid them in the appeals process.

There is a 20 day time limit for making any such appeal.  An appeal against academic assessment may result, as appropriate, in an increase or decrease in the mark originally awarded.  The University regulations relating to appeals and the form on which the appeal should be lodged can be found at

http://www.secretariat.uwa.edu.au/home/policies/appeals