BUFP309 - First Peoples Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

BUFP103 First Nations of Australia: Culture History & Politics

Incompatible

BUSN209 First Peoples

Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit presents students with general theories, terminology and concepts relating to enterprise and entrepreneurship from a First Nations perspective through stewardship, subsidiarity and the common good. It will provide students with an opportunity to gain a further understanding of the effectiveness of First Nations enterprises and entrepreneurs by studying business environments, organisations and the impact of the intersectionality with mainstream environments domestically and internationally with a focus on trade by First Nations peoples historically and in contemporary society. It then explores the opportunities for economic participation by First Nations peoples, and includes analysis of theoretical discussions around the parameters of First Nations’ entrepreneurship. The experiences of First Nations entrepreneurs are used as case studies.

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 - Demonstrate an understanding of Australian First Nations’ trade and commerce historically and in contemporary society (GA5, GA8)

LO2 - Evaluate the political, economic, demographic and cultural factors influencing First Nations business operations in a dynamic global and domestic business environment (GA5, GA6)

LO3 - Develop an understanding of the traits and behaviours of successful First Nations entrepreneurship and enterprises and their contribution to stewardship, subsidiarity and the common good (GA2, GA5);

LO4 - Analyse critically issues that will affect and assist First Nations businesses to compete in industry sectors (GA4, GA5)

LO5 - Evaluate the impact of entrepreneurial approaches to business and the impact on the cultures and communities of First Nations’ people and communicate this to various stakeholders (GA5, GA9)

Graduate attributes

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

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

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

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

Content

Topics will include:

• The First Entrepreneurs
• Traits and behaviours
• Development Our Way
• First Nations’ business contribution to the Australian economy
• The First Nations’ Entrepreneur
• First Nations’ start-ups
• Community- based enterprise
• Industry Strategies for First Nations
• First Nations Peoples in International Business
• Sourcing Financial Resources
• Overcoming barriers
• First Nations’ women and entrepreneurship
• Stewardship, subsidiarity and the common good
• The impact of business on First nation Communities

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit will be taught in multi-modal program using a variety of delivery strategies including online delivery to the equivalent 12 weeks semester. Where face to face contact is included this may involve intensive away from base delivery. Students should anticipate spending 150 hours of study for this unit, including weekly learning activities, readings and assignment preparation.

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. Such procedures may include, but are not limited to: essays, reports, examinations, student presentations or case studies.

In order to pass this unit, students are required to: submit all assessment pieces and obtain 50% overall. The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate their  achievement of each learning outcome. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Altman, Jon & Biddle, Nicholas, 2014. Refiguring Indigenous economies: a 21st-century perspective. In The Cambridge Economic History of Australia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 530–554.

Daes, E. 2004. The Impact of globalization on Indigenous intellectual property, Lecture, May 25, Museum of Sydney, Sydney. https://www.humanrights.gov.au/news/speeches/impact-globalization-indigenous-intellectual-property-and-cultures

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2019. Showcasing Indigenous Business, Business Envoy. Retrieved from https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/business-envoy-january-2019.pdf

Hershey, R., 2012. Globalization and its special and significant Impacts on Indigenous Communities. Arizona Legal Studies Discussion Paper No. 12-19. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2070204

Jacobsen, D., 2017. Tourism enterprises beyond the margins: the relational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander SMEs in remote Australia. Tourism planning & development, 14(1), pp.31–49.

KPMG, 2016. Collaborative Ideas for Igniting the Indigenous Economy. Retrieved from https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/au/pdf/2016/igniting-indigenous-economy-australia.pdf

McNaughton, Rod B & Gray, Brendan, 2017. Entrepreneurship and resilient communities – introduction to the special issue. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 11(1), pp.2–19.

Mika, Jason P et al., 2017. Perspectives on indigenous entrepreneurship, innovation and enterprise. Journal of management & organization, 23(6), pp.767–773.

Rademaker, Laura and Rowse Tim (eds), 2020. Indigenous Self-Determination in Australia – Histories and Historiography, ANU Press.

Sanders, W., 2016. Engaging Indigenous Economy. Debating diverse approaches, ANU Press.

Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision (SCFRGSP), 2016. Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2016, Productivity Commission, Canberra. Retrieved from: https://www.pc.gov.au/research/ongoing/overcoming-indigenous-disadvantage/2016/report-documents/oid-2016-overcoming-indigenous-disadvantage-key-indicators-2016-report.pdf

Wood, Glenice J & Davidson, Marilyn J, 2011. A review of male and female Australian indigenous entrepreneurs. Gender in management, 26(4), pp.311–326