Course Title: Business in a Global Context

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Business in a Global Context

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
BUSM3902	City Campus	Postgraduate	660H Graduate School of Business and Law	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2007, Sem 2 2007, Sem 1 2008, Sem 2 2008, Sem 1 2009, Sem 2 2009, Sem 1 2010, Sem 2 2010, Sem 1 2011, Sem 2 2011, Sem 2 2012, Sem 1 2013, Sem 2 2013, Sem 1 2014, Sem 1 2015, Sem 2 2015
BUSM3903	RMIT University Vietnam	Postgraduate	660H Graduate School of Business and Law	Face-to-Face	Viet2 2007, Viet3 2007, Viet1 2008, Viet2 2008, Viet3 2008, Viet2 2009, Viet3 2009, Viet3 2010, Viet1 2012, Viet1 2013
BUSM3904	Malaysia Institute of Managemt	Postgraduate	660H Graduate School of Business and Law	Face-to-Face	Offsh 3 08
BUSM3965	RMIT Vietnam Hanoi Campus	Postgraduate	660H Graduate School of Business and Law	Face-to-Face	Viet2 2007, Viet3 2007, Viet1 2008, Viet2 2008, Viet3 2010

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Terry Boulter

Course Coordinator Phone: 61 3 9925 5900

Course Coordinator Email: terry.boulter@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Graduate School of Business and Law, Cnr of Victoria and Russell Streets, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

No pre-requisite courses required, however MBA (Executive) program entry criteria and capabilities are required.

Course Description

This is a foundation course within the MBA program. The aim is to operationalise the concept of design thinking in business and how the tools of business design can be used across the program curriculum. Students will consider design thinking to solve national and international business problems. Students will use design tools in developing creative, sustainable and ethical solutions to contemporary business issues and understand the needs of end users. Students will analyse a given problem, by focusing on the need of the end user, by defining the nature of the problem and use prototyping to experiment with solutions that may provide breakthrough solutions. Fundamental to this process is effective communication of new ideas in order to realise business success. The course will identify the key program learning outcomes, how design fits within the curriculum of the program and the types of activities students can expect to undertake during their course of study.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

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Upon successful completion of this course you will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of design thinking methodology principles and the tools used in the process.
• Apply research principles and methods using design problem solving methodology to identify solutions to business problems considering the needs of end users. 
• Demonstrate the ability to develop creative, sustainable and ethical solutions to business issues both national and international.Communicate approaches that can be taken when utilising design thinking to identify end user solutions for a business problem.

Overview of Learning Activities

This course may be delivered face-to-face and/or online through classes, lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. You will be expected to be an active participant and undertake the required preparatory work.

The following learning activities have been designed to assist you to develop the important capabilities outlined in this course guide.

While this list is not exhaustive, it provides you with an overview of some of the activities to be undertaken to successfully complete the course.

• Engage in research by means of searching texts, internet resources and journals (academic and profession).
• Read text material and selected articles.
• Prepare written answers to problems and topic questions.
• Resolve questions in case study problems.
• Participate in classroom discussions.
• Prepare and participate in class presentations.
• Engage in reflective practice and present findings.
• Complete quizzes.

Overview of Learning Resources

Students will be advised of the prescribed readings for this course and other reading materials upon enrolment.
You may access online learning tools and content for this course from the student portal, myRMIT, or, if you are an RMIT Vietnam student, through Vietnam Blackboard. In addition to topic notes; assessment details and a study schedule you may also be provided with links to relevant online information; readings; audio and video clips and communication tools to facilitate collaboration with your peers and to share information.

Resources are also available online through RMIT Library databases and other facilities. If you require assistance with the RMIT library facilities contact the Business Liaison Librarian for your school. Contact details for Business Liaison Librarians are located online on the RMIT Library website.

Additional resources and/or sources to assist your learning will be identified by your course coordinator will be made available to you as required during the teaching period.

Overview of Assessment

Assessment may include individual business reports and essays, group projects and presentations, assignments, class participation, in-class role plays, simulations, reflective journals, case study analyses, online discussions and activities, and tests.

Course Grades Available:
HD High Distinction (80% and above)
DI Distinction (between 70% and 79%)
CR Credit (between 60% and 69%)
PA Pass (between 50% and 59%)
NN Fail (below 50%)

A High Distinction involves exceptionally clear understanding of course matter and appreciation of issues; well organised, formulated and sustained arguments; well thought out and structured diagrams; relevant literature referenced, and; evidence of creative insight and originality in terms of comprehension, application and analysis with at least some synthesis and evaluation.
A Distinction involves strong grasp of course matter and appreciation of key issues, perhaps lacking a little on the finer points; clearly developed arguments; relevant and well structured diagrams; appreciation of relevant literature, and; evidence of creative and solid work in terms of comprehension, application, analysis and perhaps some synthesis.
A Credit involves competent understanding of course matter and appreciation of some of the main issues though possibly with some gaps; clearly developed arguments; relevant diagrams and literature use, perhaps with some gaps; well prepared and presented, and; solid evidence of comprehension and application with perhaps some analysis.
A Pass involves some appreciation of course matter and issues; work generally lacking in depth or breadth and with gaps. Often work of this grade comprises a simple factual description (i.e. basic comprehension) but little application or analysis. Work of this grade may be poorly prepared and presented. Investment of greater care and thought in organising and structuring work would be required to improve.
A Fail involves evidence of lack of understanding of course (minimal or inadequate comprehension and little or no application) and inability to identify issues, and often inadequate in depth and breadth and sometimes incomplete or irrelevant.

Late Submission of Work:
Any late submission of work must be approved by the course co-ordinator in writing before the due date. An extension may be granted for 7 days after which special consideration must be applied for. There is a penalty of 10% for each day of late submission and after 7 days your work will not be marked.

What do I do if I need help with deadlines or have become ill?
Contact the course co-ordinator as soon as possible to discuss what measures can be taken. There are provisions for special consideration in the RMIT student procedures.

Course Evaluation and Feedback:
How can I let you know about my experience of this course?
Evaluation will be undertaken during the course.

Academic Misconduct

• Plagiarism

In preparing your assessment tasks you should read and draw on the work of other authors. However, in writing (or orally), you should take extreme care that you have:

- acknowledged words, data, diagrams, models, frameworks and/or ideas of others you have quoted (i.e. directly copied), summarised, paraphrased, discussed or mentioned in your assignment through the appropriate referencing methods, and
- provided a reference list of the publication details so your reader (or listener) can locate the source if necessary. This includes material taken from Internet sites.

If you do not acknowledge the sources of your material, you may be accused of plagiarism because you have passed off the work and ideas of another person without appropriate referencing, as if they were your own.

RMIT University treats plagiarism as a very serious offence constituting misconduct. The University Regulation 6.1.1 on Student Discipline states: ‘A student will have committed academic misconduct if the student cheats or attempts to cheat by . . . plagiarising or otherwise submitting the work of another person as the student’s own work’.

Plagiarism can mean any of the following:

1. Direct copying of phrases and/or passages without a reference and/or quotation marks.
2. Paraphrasing another writer’s work in your written work without citing the reference.
3. Making a direct reference to an author/authors you have not read although you may have read about them. (You should reference the secondary source you have actually read rather than referencing the original that you have not read).
4. Copying another student’s work, in part or in whole.
5. Writing your work in conjunction with other students without prior permission. (This does not mean you should not meet with other students initially to discuss the essay topic and/or analyse the question).
6. Submitting written work that has already been submitted for assessment in another course.

The possible penalties for plagiarism under RMIT regulations include:
- recording of a failure for the assignment or course;
- cancelling of any or all results;
- suspension from the program;
- expulsion from the program.

Examples of plagiarism include:

1. Copying sentences or paragraphs word-for-word from one or more sources, whether published or unpublished, which could include but is not limited to books, journals, reports, theses, websites, conference papers, course notes, etc. without proper citation;
2. Closely paraphrasing sentences, paragraphs, ideas or themes without proper citation;
3. Piecing together text from one or more sources and adding only linking sentences;
4. Copying or submitting whole or parts of computer files without acknowledging their source;
5. Copying designs or works of art and submitting them as your original work;
6. Copying a whole or any part of another student’s work; and
7. Submitting work as your own that someone else has done for you.
8. Enabling Plagiarism: the act of assisting or allowing another person to plagiarise or to copy your own work.