Course Title: Consumer Resource Management 2

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Consumer Resource Management 2

Credit Points: 12.00


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

BESC1023

City Campus

Undergraduate

135H Applied Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2006,
Sem 2 2007,
Sem 2 2008,
Sem 2 2009,
Sem 2 2011,
Sem 2 2012

Course Coordinator: Dr Anne Sibbel

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 2718

Course Coordinator Email: anne.sibbel@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 07.03.46A


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

You are required to have completed BESC1022 Consumer Resource Management 1 or equivalent


Course Description

The aim of this course is to provide you with opportunities to further develop skills for professional practice in designing products and services for the public in sustainable ways. The tasks and processes are adapted to represent professional challenges relevant to the field of Consumer Science and appropriate for an undergraduate. Major concepts explored are customer service, public communications, management of information about consumers’ needs, and the management of resources to sustainably meet those needs. This series of topics is explored in the context of the social, economic and environmental changes in the real world in which consumers make choices.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course provides you with opportunities to develop skills in leadership, cooperative teamwork, critical analysis of a real human problems, and in communication. You will be challenged to apply your knowledge of human behaviour in creative and socially responsible ways to respond to the tasks set.


You will build on their understanding of:
• The distinction between local and global consumer issues, with an emphasis on corporate social responsibility
• The role of regulatory bodies in protecting the consumer and directing the activities of organisations
• The structure and function of organisations
• The responsibilities of management in organisations, in leading and motivating within a corporate structure
• Corporate and industry consumer policies
. The process of conversion of information or other resources into consumer products and services 
• The  social, environmental and economic responsibilities of organisations
• The process of professional development, through practising techniques for enhancing personal career development in consumer science.
You will also develop skills in:
• Accommodating alternative views
. Dealing directly with consumers and regulatory bodies, as required to complete assessment tasks
• Contributing to the development of information packages or products for consumers
• Locating, evaluating and transforming information and other resources to allow others to make optimum decisions.
• Assessing the  reliability of data collected and validity of conclusions drawn, relevant to development of consumer products and services by organisations
• Team work.
• Writing coherent and concise reports.
• Researching information using authoritative sources on the internet, in texts and journals.
• Communicating information effectively in ways suitable for professional colleagues, community groups and individuals with defined needs
• Building relationships between organisations and consumers, planning ways to contribute to  consumer satisfaction and to achieving corporate goals;
• Developing and evaluating systems for effective customer service and complaint handling;
• Developing consumer affairs policies for industry;
• Comparing the effectiveness of communication strategies in a range of consumer oriented situations;
• Practicing roles as consumer educator and advocate;
• Interpreting issues of importance to the consumer/producer relationship;


Overview of Learning Activities

Information will be presented and discussed during lectures, and practiced in online activities and prescribed assessment tasks. You will have opportunities to learn through applying this information in the analysis of workplace issues, in undertaking self-directed professional development activities and in planning a consumer information event.


Overview of Learning Resources

Lecture outlines, assessment guides and criteria,  available at BESC1023@MYRMIT, will assist you in achieving the learning objectives. To ensure currency, online resources will be recommended in sequence with the lecture series.


Overview of Assessment

Consumer Information Event Management Folio (30%)
Prepare an event, including a PPT presentation, to provide useful consumer information about an approved topic, as a service to the general public or a targeted group.

Professional Development Activity and report (30%)
Select, implement and evaluate a professional development PD activity, relevant to personal career goals.

Analysis of a professional workplace issue (40%)
Choose and present a solution to a workplace issue of relevance to personal career goals. Contribute to  2 other workplace issues online.
 

These assessment tasks are designed to be adapted to relate to your individual career goals. During class, they are explained and examples are presented to ensure you can meet requirements, so attendance is important for satisfactory completion.

See BESC1023@myRMIT for detailed assessment tasks and criteria.