Overview
This unit is designed to introduce the importance of critical thinking and the benefits of using decision-making processes to assess and solve business, managerial and organisational problems. The key aspects of critical thinking and reasoning, including knowledge, comprehension, analysis, self-reflection and application are considered. You will learn how to critically analyse data and information related to typical business decisions. You will develop significant skills in building effective arguments by constructing, analysing, and critically evaluating the views and position adopted by stakeholders in the process of effective decision-making. The aim is to develop your ability to make effective and timely decisions, to communicate complex concepts and ideas, to influence and persuade others to adopt new strategies when required, and to constructively collaborate with others in order to generate solutions to multi-faceted business problems. You will also be introduced to the decision-making techniques leaders and groups use to solve problems in real-life business situations.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
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 2 - 2018
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).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
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.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
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 Qualitative Evaluations
I loved writing the reflective essay, I learnt a lot about myself. The flexibility of the course also allowed for work commitments as well.
It is recommended that this unit continues with those areas/assessments identified as positive.
Feedback from Qualitative Evaluations
The timeframes around providing information and return of assessments was slow
It is recommended that the marking be completed and returned two weeks from the original submission date.
- Evaluate and reflect on the importance of critical thinking and the benefits of using decision-making processes to assess and solve business, managerial and organisational problems
- Develop a body of knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to key aspects of critical thinking and reasoning
- Critically analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories and to apply creative decision-making approaches to address business issues and problems
- Develop the capability to make effective and timely decision
- Communicate complex concepts, ideas and solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences with the aim to influence and persuade others to adopt new positions.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Practical and Written Assessment - 30% | |||||
| 2 - Presentation and Written Assessment - 30% | |||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||
| 4 - Research | |||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Practical and Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||
| 2 - Presentation and Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||
Textbooks
Think Smarter : Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills
(2014)
Authors: Michael Kallet
John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
An e-book, hardbook or paperbook version of the textbook is also acceptable.
A complementary reading pack of articles will be made available to students via Moodle.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
c.liang@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
(i) Introduction to critical thinking
Chapter
Textbook: Kallet, M. 2014. Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills.
- Section I: Introduction and the Framework for Critical Thinking
See the reading pack. Students should choose any one article for Week 1.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Introduction to the course.
The seminar includes a lecture and will involve a combination of student activities, such as, student presentations, experiential exercises, case analyses, video analyses, team and/or class discussion.
Flex students will receive more specific instructions in moodle throughout the semester.
Assessment #1 discussed
Start forming groups for Assessment #3 in class
Module/Topic
Module 1:
(ii) Framing and determining scope
Chapter
Textbook: Kallet, M. 2014. Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills.
- Section II: Clarity
See the reading pack. Students should choose any one article for Week 2.
Events and Submissions/Topic
The seminar includes a lecture and will involve a combination of student activities, such as, student presentations, experiential exercises, case analyses, video analyses, team and/or class discussion.
Continue forming groups for Assessment #3 in class
Module/Topic
Module 1:
(iii) Accessing and synthesising information, and forming views
Chapter
Textbook: Kallet, M. 2014. Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills.
- Section III: Conclusions
See the reading pack. Students should choose any one article for Week 3.
Events and Submissions/Topic
The seminar includes a lecture and will involve a combination of student activities, such as, student presentations, experiential exercises, case analyses, video analyses, team and/or class discussion.
Continue forming groups for Assessment #3 in class
Module/Topic
Module 2:
(iv) Understanding and development of self
Chapter
Students should complete the Reflect Tool (for self-assessment) prior to class to determine core traits along 10 critical management skill areas.
See the reading pack. Students should choose any one article for Week 4.
Events and Submissions/Topic
The seminar includes a lecture and will involve a combination of student activities, such as, student presentations, experiential exercises, case analyses, video analyses, team and/or class discussion.
Assessment #2 discussed
Continue forming groups and hopefully finalise groups for Assessment #3
Practical and Written Assessment-Article Review Due: Week 4 Monday (30 July 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Module 2:
(v) Making major decisions
Chapter
Textbook: Kallet, M. 2014. Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills.
- Section IV: Conclusions and Innovations
See the reading pack. Students should choose any one article for Week 5.
Events and Submissions/Topic
The seminar includes a lecture and will involve a combination of student activities, such as, student presentations, experiential exercises, case analyses, video analyses, team and/or class discussion.
Module/Topic
No classes in MGMT20135 this week.
Chapter
Students should take the time to read articles of interest from the reading pack.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Module 2:
(vi) Balancing rational and non-rational approaches
Chapter
Textbook: Kallet, M. Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills.
- Section V: Decisions
See the reading pack. Students should choose any one article for week 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
The seminar includes a lecture and will involve a combination of student activities, such as, student presentations, experiential exercises, case analyses, video analyses, team and/or class discussion.
Module/Topic
Module 3:
(vii) Decision-making in uncertain or difficult to define situations.
Chapter
See the reading pack. Students should choose any two articles for Week 7.
Events and Submissions/Topic
The seminar includes a lecture and will involve a combination of student activities, such as, student presentations, experiential exercises, case analyses, video analyses, team and/or class discussion.
Module/Topic
Module 3:
(viii) The nature of the contract
Chapter
See the reading pack. Students should choose any two articles for Week 8.
Events and Submissions/Topic
The seminar includes a lecture and will involve a combination of student activities, such as, student presentations, experiential exercises, case analyses, video analyses, team and/or class discussion.
Module/Topic
Module 3:
(ix) Working collaboratively
Chapter
See the reading pack. Students should choose any two articles for Week 9.
Events and Submissions/Topic
The seminar includes a lecture and will involve a combination of student activities, such as, student presentations, experiential exercises, case analyses, video analyses, team and/or class discussion.
Inquiries re. submitting Assessment #2 addressed.
Module/Topic
Debate workshop
Chapter
Students should take the time to research and develop their team's arguments for the debate/presentation in week 11-12.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In Class team meetings to prepare for the team debates in week 11-12.
Q&A session
Written Assessment- Reflective Essay Due: Week 10 Monday (17 Sept 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Module 4:
(X) Managing for all
Assessment 3# presentation component-- Debates (I)
Chapter
See the reading pack. Students should choose any two articles for Week 11.
Events and Submissions/Topic
The seminar includes a lecture and will involve a combination of student activities, such as, student presentations, experiential exercises, case analyses, video analyses, team and/or class discussion.
Assessment 3# presentation component-- Debates
Module/Topic
Assessment 3# presentation component-- Debates (II)
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 3# presentation component-- Debates
Course wrap-up.
Presentation and Written Assessment Due: Week 12 Monday (1 Oct 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
1 Practical and Written Assessment
This assessment item accounts for 30% of your final grade for this unit and must be completed by students individually.
Due: The assessment is due at 5.00 PM on Monday, 30th. July, 2018 AEST in Week 4.
Task: The review must be 1500 words (+/-10%) in length.
Cover page: The essay must include a cover page that contains your name, student number, resident campus, assessment title, and lecturer.
Minimum number of peer-reviewed journal articles to pass: 10
Both on-campus students and Distance students must write a review article and submit online via Moodle by the due date.
Format: Text should be word-processed, with appropriate layout and use of headings/sub-headings. Times New Roman, 12 size font and line spacing (1.5).
Referencing: The list of references should form the last page or two, at the end of the assessment. Referencing should be in a consistent APA style.
Please save/upload your file in either a Word format (.doc or .docx) or pdf. format.
Task Description: The purpose of this task is for you to demonstrate your ability to critically analyze, synthesize and evaluate information and present that information in a written format. A list of articles will be available on the unit’s Moodle site for you to choose from. You will then write a critical article review based around your responses to the following questions.
Critical Analysis
o What is the background of the research? (Background)
o What is the research problem? What do we know about the research problem? What do we not know? (Research objective and literature review)
o What are the core research questions the article addresses? Why are they important to address? (Research questions)
o How was the research conducted? (Methodology)
o What where the major findings? (Findings)
o What are the significance of the findings for future research or management practice? (Significance/implications)
Critical evaluation
o In your view, are there any limitations with this research?
o What are some of the assumptions that the authors have made in this research? Do you agree with them?
o What is your overall evaluation of the article's effectiveness and credibility?
Please do not simply list the questions and your response to them. The questions are to be used simply as a means for you to critically think about your chosen article. Your review needs to contain answers to these questions, but they need to be in essay format, that is, containing introduction section, body paragraphs and a conclusion section.
Week 4 Monday (30 July 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
You must submit your essay with a cover page on Moodle by the due date
Week 6 Monday (20 Aug 2018)
The marks will be released with feedback by this date.
Further breakdown of each criterion (From Fail to High Distinction) is available on Moodle.
- Evaluate and reflect on the importance of critical thinking and the benefits of using decision-making processes to assess and solve business, managerial and organisational problems
- Critically analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories and to apply creative decision-making approaches to address business issues and problems
- Communicate complex concepts, ideas and solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences with the aim to influence and persuade others to adopt new positions.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
2 Written Assessment
This assessment item accounts for 40% of your final grade for this unit and must be completed by students individually.
Due: The assessment is due at 5.00 PM on Monday, 17th. September 2018 AEST in Week 10.
Task: The essay must be 2000 words (+/-10%) in length.
Cover page: The essay must include a cover page that contains your name, student number, resident campus, assessment title, and lecturer.
Both on-campus students and Distance students must write this reflective essay and submit online via Moodle by the due date.
Format: Text should be word-processed, with appropriate layout and use of headings/sub-headings. Times New Roman, 12 size font and line spacing (1.5).
Referencing: A minimum of 10 academic references are required. The list of references should form the last page or two, at the end of the assessment. Referencing should be in a consistent APA style.
Please save and upload your file in either a Word format (.doc or .docx) or pdf. format via the assessment link on Moodle.
Task Description: The objectives of this reflective essay are for students to (1) summarize, critically review and reinforce key concepts and theories learned from week 1 to week 9 of this unit. (2) reflect on these concepts/theories’ potential impact on students’ decision making, and how these learnings are being applied and could be applied in their current jobs, development of future career and/or their life generally. (3) reflect on new insights gained about oneself as a result of learning the unit, and propose a plan for self-development.
Minimum number of concepts/theories/themes required to pass: 6
Students ought to start the reflective essay in week 4 after the submission of their first assignment. From week 4 to week 9 (a total of 6 weeks), students are expected to reflect on the topics (week 1-week 9) this unit has covered and evaluate which concepts or theories have inspired their thinking or influenced their decision making. This assignment still requires an essay format with introduction section outlining the scope, purpose and structure information. The body paragraphs need to contain at least six themes over the course of six weeks, and each theme needs to contain a CONVINCING and PERSONAL justification of why these concepts/theories are chosen and how the mentioned concepts/theories have changed/might change the students’ thinking or the students’ decisions. For example, students could identify the concepts of “automatic versus critical thinking” as a theme for one week’s reflection, and illustrate with personal examples how having learned about the differences has enabled him/her to be more effective in making a certain decision at work. Close to the end, the essay needs to reflect on self-knowledge and highlight implications for future self-development.
To successfully complete this assessment task, students should answer the following reflective essay questions:
· Which concepts/theories from which week’s learning activities are significant or important to you?
· Why are these concepts/theories you have identified important or significant to you? (Theoretical review)
· How are the concepts/theories you have learned influencing/impacting your decision-making in relation to your current interpersonal relationships, professional workplaces and/or personal life? (Practical Application)
· What have you learned about yourself through the unit activities? What skills do you possess and what skills are you lacking? How are you going to improve your decision-making in the future? (Self-knowledge and self-development)
· You should tie all your arguments/insights together at the end of your paper, highlighting how you think you will be able to use your learning in your future career and in life generally.
Week 10 Monday (17 Sept 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 12 Friday (5 Oct 2018)
Written feedback provided in Moodle
Introduction & Conclusion * 6 marks
To what extent are the purpose and outline of the essay clearly stated in the introduction? Did the conclusion draw everything nicely together to effectively address the following question:
What did you learn from undertaking the course MGMT20135: Critical Thinking and Managerial Decision-Making, especially from week 1 to week 9?
Critical review of key concepts/theories *10 marks
The concepts and theories that will be considered, and their impact on the students’ thinking and decision-making are clearly identified and articulated. Are the following two questions well addressed? Which concepts/theories from which week’s learning activities are significant or important to you? Why are these concepts/theories you have identified important or significant to you? (Theoretical review)
Reflection on course impact in personal decision making *10 marks
Is the following question well addressed? How are the concepts/theories you have learned influencing/impacting your decision-making in relation to your current interpersonal relationships, professional workplaces and/or personal life? (Practical Application)
Reflection on self-knowledge and future development *10 marks
Are the following questions well addressed? What have you learned about yourself through the course activities? What skills do you possess and what skills are you lacking? How are you going to improve your decision-making in the future? (Self-knowledge and self-development) You should tie all your arguments/insights together at the end of your paper, highlighting how you think you will be able to use your learnings in your future
Presentation *2 marks
High quality of expression, grammar, spelling, punctuation and proofreading. Format and layout in professional manner ( i.e. 1.5 spacing, 12-size font, Times New Roman). Assessment cover page included, within the word count.
Referencing *2 marks
Use of APA referencing system in a consistent and correct manner in the essay itself. Inclusion of an accurate reference list on a separate page listing only the sources that actually have been used. The reference list is arranged in alphabetical order according to the authors’ last names.
Further breakdown of each criterion (From Fail to High Distinction) is available on Moodle.
- Evaluate and reflect on the importance of critical thinking and the benefits of using decision-making processes to assess and solve business, managerial and organisational problems
- Develop a body of knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to key aspects of critical thinking and reasoning
- Develop the capability to make effective and timely decision
- Communicate complex concepts, ideas and solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences with the aim to influence and persuade others to adopt new positions.
- Knowledge
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Self-management
3 Presentation and Written Assessment
This assessment item accounts for 30% of your final grade for this unit and must be completed by students as a group. This assessment consists of two parts:
(1). An argumentative essay (15%);
(2). An in-class presentation (15%).
Due: For on-campus students, the presentation component of the assessment is due in workshops in week 11-12 (specific dates will be announced once the group is finalized). For distance students, during the arranged Zoom session.
The group essay is due on Moodle in week 12, 5.00 PM on Monday, 1st., October 2018 AEST
Task: The argumentative essay must be 1500 words (+/-10%) in length. The presentation is about 10-15 minutes long depending on the size of the group.
Cover page: The essay must include a cover page that contains student names, student numbers, resident campus, assessment title, and lecturer.
Minimum number of peer-reviewed journal articles to pass: 10 in APA style
Format: Text for your essay should be word-processed, with appropriate layout and use of headings/sub-headings. Times New Roman, 12 size font and line spacing (1.5).
Submission Only one member of your group ought to submit.
Please save and upload your argumentative essay in either a Word format (.doc or .docx) or pdf. format via the assessment link on Moodle. Please also submit your PPT slides on Moodle.
Task Description: The objective of this assignment is to build students’ abilities to structure arguments based on evidence and structured reasoning, including identify consensus methods for identifying coherent group arguments.
As a group, you are expected to choose any one of the following debating topics.
o Innovation is more successful in small companies.
o Technological change creates economic disparity.
o Corporate Mission and vision statements are a waste of time and energy.
o Boards of Directors need quotas for women.
o Women employees should put their focus on their families rather than their career development after marriage.
o Employees should not be given a voice at workplace because it generates problems for the management
o Education kills creativity
o Emotional intelligence is more important than technical capabilities in a manager
o Regulation is stifling business
o MBAs are a waste of money
o Ethics and business are not compatible
o People who are smokers should not be employed
o People who are working in the same company should not have romantic relationships with each other
o CEOs deserve the big salary package that they get
o Globalization has exacerbated poverty rather than alleviating it.
You will then need to identify what would be a good response from both sides. That is, you need to simulate what would be good arguments that the affirmative and the negative teams are likely to provide on the basis of extensive research using a minimum of 10 peer reviewed academic journal articles as references. You will need to organize your arguments into an argumentative essay. Then you will need to put on a presentation/debate/show in class illustrating the entire arguments featuring both sides.
Note: further support on group formation, mode of delivery etc. is given on the Moodle site for this course.
Week 12 Monday (1 Oct 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Argumentative essay is due in week 12, 5.00 PM on Monday, 1st., October 2018. But the presentations are due in week 11 & 12 workshops
Exam Week Friday (19 Oct 2018)
Grades will be released with feedback after certification
Criteria for the presentation (15 marks)
Introduction *2 marks
Are the topic, key points and purpose of the presentation introduced in a clear and interesting way?
Arguments from the affirmative side *4 marks
To what extent are the arguments framed and articulated using strong evidence?
Arguments from the negative side *4 marks
To what extent are the arguments framed and articulated using strong evidence?
Conclusion *2 marks
Is there a clear and concise summary with effective links to the introduction and body of the presentation?
Organization of presentation and creativity *3 marks
Are information and ideas presented in a logical and interesting sequence? Are visual aids well designed and effectively used?
To what extent is the mode of delivery engaging and creative?
Criteria for the essay (15 marks)
Introduction *2 marks
Are the topic, key points and purpose of the essay introduced in a clear and interesting way?
Arguments from the affirmative side *4 marks
To what extent are the arguments from the affirmative side framed and articulated using strong evidence?
Arguments from the negative side *4 marks
To what extent are the arguments from the negative side framed and articulated using strong evidence?
Conclusion *2 marks
Is there a clear and concise summary with effective links to the introduction and body of the presentation?
Presentation and quality of writing * 2 marks
To what extent is high quality of expression, grammar, spelling, punctuation and proofreading demonstrated? To what extent is format and layout presented in professional manner with cover page?
Referencing *1 mark
To what extent is the ability to correctly use APA referencing style demonstrated in the body of the assignment and in the reference list?
Further breakdown of each criterion (From Fail to High Distinction) is available on Moodle.
- Develop a body of knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to key aspects of critical thinking and reasoning
- Critically analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories and to apply creative decision-making approaches to address business issues and problems
- Develop the capability to make effective and timely decision
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
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?
