BUSD113 - Managing People and Organisations

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

BUSN113 Managing People and Organisations , MGMT100 - Managing: People, Systems and Culture

Unit rationale, description and aim

Anyone working in, or with, business will interact with organisational systems and the people within them. Understanding the characteristics of how people and organisations work, and are practically navigated, is an important part of any business practitioners’ role. This unit provides introductory information about these issues including basic management theory and practice, systems thinking and management, organisational structures, organisational communication, teams and leadership. It also introduces students to disciplines important in managing people in organisations, namely management and human resource management. The unit incorporates the values of social responsibility and stewardship. The unit will develop the capabilities of students to be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work towards an inclusive and sustainable global economy. Students will have the opportunity to apply fundamental management models and concepts to realistic organisational issues including applying international and indigenous perspectives. The aim of this unit is to provide students with a broad foundational base for those working with people and systems in organisations. 

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

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

LO1 - Identify and explain the key external and internal factors that impact on the practical management of people and organisations (GA5) 

LO2 - Apply key concepts including planning, organising, leading, and governance in both local and global organisational contexts taking into account managerial ethics (GA3, GA5)

LO3 - Analyse HRM concepts, theories, processes, functions and reflect how these contribute to the organisation’s social footprint (GA4, GA5).

LO4 - Utilise knowledge of communication theory and information literacies by using relevant knowledge, skills and judgement for business and academic audiences, both collaboratively and individually (GA5, GA9).

LO5 - Develop effective collaboration through the use of interpersonal and team communication, conflict management techniques and problem-solving skills (GA5, GA7)

Graduate attributes

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

Content

Topics will include:

• The contemporary workplace, key trends and issues. 
• Managerial functions, practices and its organisational applications
• Ethical theories and frameworks, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability
• The role of HR and contemporary Human Resource Management practices
• Impact of organisational behaviour and HR policy on the environment
• Multicultural, multinational and indigenous perspectives
• Creating inspiring workplaces through high performing teams
• Legislative Framework for HR
• Occupational Health, Safety and Environment
• Impactful business communication for individuals and teams.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit takes an active learning approach to guide students in the analysis and synthesis of knowledge associated with managing people and organisations. Students can explore the knowledge base underpinning the ethical management of people and organisations through online learning material and a series of workshops. These workshops are designed to support students to actively participate in the construction and synthesis of this knowledge both individually and in groups. By participating in these workshops, students will systematically develop their understanding of the how and why management is critical to the achievement of sustainable business outcomes, and the substantial contribution that people make to creating competitive advantage. This unit takes an experiential approach to support students in developing the communication skills required to effectively participate in an organisation by tapping into the knowledge of other participants, sharing stories and insights and reflecting on experiences. This approach is designed to interest students who prefer to learn within a social environment.

Mode of delivery: This unit is offered mainly in ‘Attendance mode’ with aspects of ‘Multi-mode’ incorporated into the delivery to maximise the learning support offered to students. Students will be required to attend face-to-face workshops in specific physical location/s and have face-to-face interactions with teaching staff to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is also structured with some required upfront preparation before workshops – learning materials and tasks set via online learning platforms. This will provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for students to prepare and revise.

Further to this, to ensure students are ready to transition from the Diploma and articulate into the second year of undergraduate study, transition pedagogies will be incorporated into the unit as the key point of differentiation from the standard unit. This focuses on an active and engaging approach to learning and teaching practices, and a scaffolded approach to the delivery of curriculum to enhance student learning in a supportive environment. This will ensure that students develop foundation level discipline-based knowledge, skills and attributes, and simultaneously the academic competencies required of students to succeed in this unit.

Assessment strategy and rationale

To pass this unit, students are required to complete and submit three graded assessment tasks and achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be in accordance with a rubric specifically developed to measure students’ level of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will also be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the unit.

The assessment strategy for this unit encourages students to share co-creation of value (Assessment 1). It also allows students to demonstrate a critical mindset in evaluating the current trends in managing people and organisations and demonstrate an understanding of how these trends impact on business, society and the environment (Assessment 2). Students will also develop analytical and communication skills by creating a presentation (Assessment 3) in which they analyse and critically appraise management models which allows students to apply their knowledge and understanding. 

Strategies aligned with transition pedagogies will be utilised to facilitate successful completion of the unit assessment tasks. For each assessment, there will be the incorporation of developmentally staged tasks with a focus on a progressive approach to learning. This will be achieved through activities, including regular feedback, particularly early in the unit of study to support their learning; strategies to develop and understand discipline-specific concepts and terminology; in-class practice tasks with integrated feedback; and greater peer-to-peer collaboration. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Daft, RL 2016, Management, 12th edn, Cengage Learning, Boston

Dwyer, J 2020, Communication for Business and the Professions: Strategies and Skills, 7th edn, Pearson, Melbourne.

Mathis, RL, Jackson, JH, Valentine, S & Meglich, P 2016, Human Resource Management, 15th edn, Cengage Learning Independence.

Robbins, SP, Bergman, R, Stagg, I & Coulter, M 2020, Management, 7th edn, Pearson Education, Sydney.

Schermerhorn, Jr, Davidson, P, Poole, D, Woods, P, Simon, A & McBarron, E 2020, Management, 7th Asia-Pacific edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton.

Shaw, WH, Barry, V, Issa, T, Catley, B & Muntean, D 2016, Moral issues in business, 3rd Asia Pacific edn, Cengage Learning, Melbourne.