CQUniversity Unit Profile
BUSN11018 Business Improvement Principles
Business Improvement Principles
All details in this unit profile for BUSN11018 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

This unit is designed to introduce you to the facilitating role of entrepreneurship and innovation in successful business transitions and improvement processes. You will build an understanding of the flow-on effects of these practices on business strategy, structures, employees, organisational design, and business operations. Business plays a significant role in society that is dependent on the acquisition and application of management skills that ensure the business is fit for the future. In this unit, you will reflect on your role in this process as an agent of positive change.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 1
Credit Points: 12
Student Contribution Band: 10
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.25

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Co-requisite - BUSN11019 Business Systems and Technology 

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 1 - 2024

Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 12-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Portfolio
Weighting: Pass/Fail
2. Reflective Practice Assignment
Weighting: 50%
3. Online Test
Weighting: 50%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from student feedback

Feedback

volume of content

Recommendation

To provide clarity about what is core work and what is optional. There will be clear reference to this in the weekly workshops.

Feedback from student feedback

Feedback

Real world problems

Recommendation

Provide exemplars of workplace problems that previous students have completed.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Define the critical role of workplace behaviour in achieving organisational outcomes
  2. Discuss the dynamic interplay of factors that influence the direction and success of contemporary business
  3. Explain the importance of best practice in Business Process Management
  4. Discuss the usefulness of accounting information to management
  5. Describe marketing principles that drive business profitability and their application to customer acquisition and retention
  6. Identify a variety of computational techniques and/or methods to evaluate and analyse business processes
  7. Assess the consequential impacts of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability (EIS) on business strategy and the structure, people, and organisational design of business operations.
Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Portfolio - 0%
2 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 50%
3 - Report - 50%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
9 - Social Innovation
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

There are no required textbooks.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
  • Mircrophone and Headset
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Desley Pidgeon Unit Coordinator
d.pidgeon@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 04 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

What is business process management: Why is it important? 

Chapter

Workbook One - Week One on Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Block One - off the job learning.

Week 2 Begin Date: 11 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Why is Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability (EIS) important?

Chapter

Workbook Two - Week Two on Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Block One - off the job learning

Week 3 Begin Date: 18 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Strategy and People

Chapter

Workbook Three - Week Three on Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Block One - off the job learning

Week 4 Begin Date: 25 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Working on Workplace Problem and Personal Goals with mentor.

Chapter

 

BUSN11018 Workplace Mentor on Moodle Handbook

Mentoring Goal Form on Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Block Two - on the job training.

Assessment 1 - Portfolio DUE 17:00 Friday 29 March

Portfolio assignment Due: Week 4 Monday (29 March 2023) 17:00 am AEST


Portfolio assignment Due: Week 4 Friday (29 Mar 2024) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 5 Begin Date: 01 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Working on Workplace Problem and Personal Goals with mentor.

Chapter

BUSN11018 Workplace Mentor on Moodle Handbook

Mentoring Goal Form on Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Block Two - on the job training.

Vacation Week Begin Date: 08 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Break week. 

Chapter

Break week. 

Events and Submissions/Topic

Break week. 

Week 6 Begin Date: 15 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Working on Workplace Problem and Personal Goals with mentor.

Chapter

BUSN11018 Workplace Mentor on Moodle Handbook

Mentoring Goal Form on Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Block Two - on the job training.

Week 7 Begin Date: 22 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

EIS, organisational structure, design, business models and operations. 

Chapter

Workbook Four - Week Four on Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Block Three- off the job learning

Week 8 Begin Date: 29 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Accounting information in the digital age 

Chapter

Workbook Five - Week Five on Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Block Three- off the job learning

Assessment 2 - Reflective Practice DUE 17:00 Friday 3 May 

Reflective Practice Due: Week 9 Friday (3 May) 17:00 am AEST


Reflective practice Due: Week 8 Friday (3 May 2024) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 9 Begin Date: 06 May 2024

Module/Topic

Marketing in the digital age

Chapter

Workbook Six - Week Six on Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Block Three- off the job learning

 

Week 10 Begin Date: 13 May 2024

Module/Topic

Working on Workplace Problem and Personal Goals with mentor.

Chapter

BUSN11018 Workplace Mentor on Moodle Handbook

Mentoring Goal Form on Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Block Four - on the job training.

 

Week 11 Begin Date: 20 May 2024

Module/Topic

Working on Workplace Problem and Personal Goals with mentor.

Chapter

BUSN11018 Workplace Mentor on Moodle Handbook

Mentoring Goal Form on Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Block Four - on the job training.

Week 12 Begin Date: 27 May 2024

Module/Topic

Working on Workplace Problem and Personal Goals with mentor.

Chapter

BUSN11018 Workplace Mentor on Moodle Handbook

Mentoring Goal Form on Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Block Four                                                                                                                                                   - on the job training.


Online test Due: Week 12 Friday (31 May 2024) 5:00 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 03 Jun 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam Week Begin Date: 10 Jun 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Online Test Due: Exam Week Friday (14 June ) 17:00 AEST

Term Specific Information

This unit is divided into four blocks. Block One – ‘off the job’ learning is completed in Weeks One to three. The university will support you to study the Workbooks and complete related activities. You should complete one Workbook each week and attend organised university workshops online. You will learn about specific business topics and related systems and technology during the three weeks. You will also identify a workplace problem you will work towards solving over the year of the CM55 Diploma of Business in the Digital Age course.

Block Two ‘on the job’ training is completed in Weeks four to six.  In each week of Block Two, your workplace mentor will support you in furthering your understanding of each of the three business topics discussed in Block One and your workplace problem. This understanding will be developed through a combination of knowledge development and practical experience. There are no Workbooks for Block Two.

Book Three- in weeks 7 to 9, you will complete the workbooks and related activities. During these three weeks, you will build on your knowledge of business topics and related systems and technology. You will be confirming the workplace problem you will work towards solving over this term and the following term.

Block Four, ‘on the job’ training, is completed in Weeks four to six.  In each week of Block four your workplace mentor will support you in furthering your understanding of the six business topics discussed in Block One and Block Three and your workplace problem. This understanding will be developed through a combination of knowledge development and practical experience. There are no Workbooks for Block Four

Assessment Tasks

1 Portfolio

Assessment Title
Portfolio assignment

Task Description

Task Description
 

Throughout this unit the Workbooks studied in weeks one to four prompted you to add personal information and ‘artefacts’ related to your workplace problem to your ePortfolio on Moodle. This assessment item requires you to describe and synthesise this information to demonstrate your achievement of the learning outcomes of this assessment task.

ePortfolio

Attach artefacts to your ePortfolio that demonstrate knowledge and understanding of each of the learning outcomes of this assessment item as they relate to your workplace problem and organisation. For example, to demonstrate the achievement of LO 2. ‘Discuss the dynamic interplay of factors that influence the direction and success of contemporary business’, you might upload an artefact related to one of the four ways an organisation proactively changes to maintain its market share of goods and services it sells. Uploading this information to your ePortfolio was discussed in Workshop One.

Construct your portfolio in a logical way that demonstrates your ability to synthesise the artefacts you have gathered. You may decide to add ‘folders’ to your portfolio that contain artefacts that relate to each of the learning outcomes for this assessment item or according to the content of Workbooks One to Four, or that reflect different aspects of your workplace problem, or in some other grouping that seems logical to you.

 

Written component

Write no more than two pages of writing that addresses each of the four learning outcomes of this assessment item. For example, write one paragraph in relation to each learning outcome. You should apply the artefacts you have gathered to your discussion to illustrate a link between the processes, procedures, policies, data and so on (demonstrated in the artefacts) and the goals of an organisation (defined in the learning outcomes). For example, you may have four written paragraphs followed by four tables that identify each artefact that you used to support your discussion. The tables may show the name of the artefact and its location in your ePortfolio. The tables, whilst necessary, are not counted in the written component and can extend to page three or four of this part of the assignment. This document will be uploaded separately on Moodle.

 


Assessment Due Date

Week 4 Friday (29 Mar 2024) 5:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Weighting
Pass/Fail

Assessment Criteria

The portfolio will be assessed on

critical analysis of information applicable to a business
justifications of new technologies for a business
provided evidence of understand the impacts of entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability on a business.
provided evidence of factors that impact on the success of a business
The criteria are non-graded; that is you will be judged to have passed or failed each criterion and therefore the assessment item overall. 


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Define the critical role of workplace behaviour in achieving organisational outcomes
  • Discuss the dynamic interplay of factors that influence the direction and success of contemporary business
  • Identify a variety of computational techniques and/or methods to evaluate and analyse business processes
  • Assess the consequential impacts of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability (EIS) on business strategy and the structure, people, and organisational design of business operations.

2 Reflective Practice Assignment

Assessment Title
Reflective practice

Task Description

You are required to critically reflect on your learning experiences, work practices, and independent research throughout the first nine weeks of the unit. You should reflect on at least three situations that you experienced. Ideally these will be related to a different aspect of your learning such as learning skills through experience and practice, expanding knowledge through interactions and research, or developing attitudes through observation and modelling. These are only suggestions. 


For each of these experiences the following cycle of reflective practice should be ustilised.

A description of the experience.
Your feelings about and reactions to the experience. Have personal values and possible biases impacted your experiences?
An evaluation of the experience – what went well and what could be improved?
An analysis of the experience, how did you make sense of the situation? Did you take the perspectives and opinions of others into consideration before you formed a conclusion?
A conclusion – what have you learnt from the experience?
An action plan – what are you going to do differently next time? How will this knowledge you have gained during reflection impact your behaviour in your future work?
You will submit your Reflective Practice assignment in a single document. Think about the structure of the document.

Use headings to present a well-organised record of your learning.
Use an overall introduction to the assignment and a conclusion highlighting your main learnings.
Write formally, using third person language (you may not use the pronouns 'I' and 'my'), avoiding contractions 'do not' instead of 'don't', defining concepts and so on.
Documents to support your Reflective Practice writing are available on Moodle. Comprehensive information about this assessment task is available on Moodle.


Assessment Due Date

Week 8 Friday (3 May 2024) 5:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Weighting
50%

Assessment Criteria

Your Reflective Practice will be assessed on the following criteria:

Ability to analyse Business Process management best practices.
Identification of the impact of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainably on areas of a business.
Evidence of critical thinking.
Demonstration of Problem Based Learning processes.
Demonstration of reflective communication.
Demonstration of professional levels of personal literacy.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Explain the importance of best practice in Business Process Management
  • Assess the consequential impacts of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability (EIS) on business strategy and the structure, people, and organisational design of business operations.

3 Online Test

Assessment Title
Online test

Task Description

There will be two parts to the on-line test.
Part A: 15 multiple-choice questions (MCQs). These questions will mostly assess your knowledge and application of facts. Each correct answer is worth 1 mark (15 marks in total). Note that the 15 questions will be allocated randomly to each student from a bank of MCQ developed on the topics covered in Workbooks Five and Six.
Part B: Five (5) short answer questions. These questions will assess your ability to apply knowledge to, for example, analyse, adapt, apply, and interpret. Each answer attracts a maximum of 7 marks (35 marks in total). Please write around 150 words (no more than 200 words) per short answer question. Note that the 5 questions will be allocated randomly to each student from a bank of short answer questions developed on the topics covered in Workbooks Five and Six.
Your responses in Part B do not need to be referenced or cite any sources.
You can go back and change answers unless:
you click on "FINISH ATTEMPT"
or the time limit has expired.
To complete this exam, you must NOT USE:
your Workbooks OR
any other written or electronic sources of information.
International students may use a translation dictionary.


* At the end of the test click on "FINISH ATTEMPT" to submit your answers. Your answers will not be submitted if you do not do this. The exam is open for seven days, you can start at any time but must complete the exam within three hours. Allow yourself time to check your answers and submit your work before the three hour test limit expires.


Assessment Due Date

Week 12 Friday (31 May 2024) 5:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Weighting
50%

Assessment Criteria

Marks will be awarded for the correct response to multiple choice and short answer questions. Responses are scored based on:

Correct use of terminology.
Factual correctness of presented stimulus material.
Calculations which should include units where relevant.
Relevance of stated content to the question asked.
Application of concepts to the question asked.
Clarity, thoroughness and completeness of explanations.
Logic of explanations and problem-solving.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Discuss the usefulness of accounting information to management
  • Describe marketing principles that drive business profitability and their application to customer acquisition and retention

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?