Overview
Sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation are processes that seek to exploit opportunities and develop effective, efficient, sustainable solutions to complex problems, and aims to improve business value, as well as addressing sustainability challenges. The unit will include contemporary social, environmental and economic sustainability problems. With a focus on action learning and case study analysis, you will develop the ability to explore entrepreneurial and innovation opportunities that address sustainability challenges in the ecosystem of contemporary enterprises. You will develop problem-solving skills using critical analysis in a practical context. Collaborative practices, such as design thinking, co-creation, and social innovation, will equip you to address sustainability challenges.
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 1 - 2025
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 The unit received a rating of 100% positive student feedback on all Student Unit and Teaching Evaluation (SUTE) criteria.
The student feedback about the unit content, delivery, and assessments, as well as the lecturer's constructive feedback, is very positive.
It is recommended that the current learning and teaching philosophy and learning and teaching implementation be maintained and strengthened where possible.
- Identify and critically discuss contemporary issues in entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability
- Understand and use collaborative processes to explore entrepreneurship or innovation opportunities to address sustainability challenges
- Using academic and industry sources, research the need for entrepreneurship and innovation to address the complexities of sustainability challenges
- Critically analyse and formulate strategies to exploit sustainable entrepreneurial and innovation opportunities in the ecosystem of a contemporary enterprise.
N/A
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
| 2 - Group Work - 40% | ||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
| 4 - Research | ||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
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.
t.andersson@cqu.edu.au
Week 1: Introduction to innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability
Begin Date: 10 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Introduction to innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability
Chapter
Moodle learning resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop
Week 2: Innovation and entrepreneurship versus UN sustainable development goals
Begin Date: 17 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Innovation and entrepreneurship versus UN sustainable development goals
Chapter
Moodle learning resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop
Week 3: Corporate innovation and entrepreneurship
Begin Date: 24 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Corporate innovation and entrepreneurship
Chapter
Moodle learning resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop
Week 4: Digital innovation and entrepreneurship
Begin Date: 31 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Digital innovation and entrepreneurship
Chapter
Moodle learning resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop
Week 5: Social and regional innovation and entrepreneurship
Begin Date: 07 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Social and regional innovation and entrepreneurship
Chapter
Moodle learning resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop
Business report: Strategic analysis of innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability challenges from an Australian industry sector perspective Due: Week 5 Friday (11 Apr 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 14 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Take a break and get refreshed
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6: Design thinking, lean start-up, and business models
Begin Date: 21 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Design thinking, lean start-up, and business models
Chapter
Moodle learning resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop
Week 7: Design thinking and systems thinking
Begin Date: 28 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Design thinking and systems thinking
Chapter
Moodle learning resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop
Week 8: Design thinking and sustainability
Begin Date: 05 May 2025Module/Topic
Design thinking and sustainability
Chapter
Moodle learning resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop
Business proposal: How an Australian business can apply innovation and entrepreneurship methodologies and practices to address sustainability challenges Due: Week 8 Friday (9 May 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 9: Design thinking and digital transformation
Begin Date: 12 May 2025Module/Topic
Design thinking and digital transformation
Chapter
Moodle learning resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop
Week 10: Design thinking and business ecosystems
Begin Date: 19 May 2025Module/Topic
Design thinking and business ecosystems
Chapter
Moodle learning resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop
Week 11: Innovation vision and strategy
Begin Date: 26 May 2025Module/Topic
Innovation vision and strategy
Chapter
Moodle learning resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop
Week 12: Self-reflection to capture learning
Begin Date: 02 Jun 2025Module/Topic
Self-reflection to capture learning
Chapter
Moodle learning resources
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop
Business proposal: Building Circular Economy capabilities within a Business Innovation Ecosystem Due: Week 12 Friday (6 June 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
1 Written Assessment
This is an individual assessment. You are required to write a short 2000-word business report that identifies, analyses, and synthesises contemporary Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Sustainability (EIS) challenges from a selected Australian industry perspective of your choice. Your lecturer must approve your choice of Australian industry.
The assessment requires students to adhere to the guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence tools as specified in the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS). Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity. The assessment must be completed at AIAS Level 1. You must not use AI at any point to complete the assessment task.
First, research the concepts and relationships between entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability. Then, research the need for innovation and entrepreneurship to address the complexities of sustainability challenges from a selected Australian industry perspective (e.g. agriculture, manufacturing, mining, education, tourism, etc). The report must build on information from well-regarded academic (e.g. research articles published in peer-reviewed journals) and practitioner (e.g. industry reports, webpages, magazines) literature about the issues. Workshop activities will address this. You must discuss the scope of your report at the workshops.
The total length of the report should not exceed 2000 words (+/- 10%), excluding the title page, executive summary, table of contents, reference list, table(s), figure(s), and appendices. Note that tables and figures are optional and should only be used if relevant and referred to in the body of the report. You must develop and submit this assessment in the short business report format. This will be discussed at the workshops. Further assessment details and guidance are provided on the unit website in Moodle.
You are strongly encouraged to discuss your assessment ideas, research progress, and self-reflection at the workshops with fellow students and your local lecturer before you complete and submit the assessment.
Assessment submissions with high Turn-It-In similarity scores and AI scores will be investigated according to CQUniversity academic misconduct policies and procedures.
Week 5 Friday (11 Apr 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
In alignment with the CQUniversity Assessment Policy and Procedure, a late submission penalty of five percent of the total available marks for the assessment must be deducted for each full or part calendar day the assessment task is overdue.
Results and feedback will be made available on the unit website within 2 weeks.
Your report must demonstrate:
- Effective use of the executive summary. (10%)
- Understanding of the concepts of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Sustainability (EIS) and their complex relationships. (10%)
- Effective identification, analysis, and synthesis of EIS opportunities and threats external to the selected industry. Key assumptions associated with the analysis and synthesis must be provided. (15%)
- Effective identification, analysis, and synthesis of EIS strengths and weaknesses internal to the selected industry. Key assumptions associated with the analysis and synthesis must be provided. (15%)
- Effective synthesis of key findings with important industry EIS challenges included in the conclusion. (15%)
- Candid and critical self-reflection about the assessment task, including a reflection on the development of personal competencies and skills; identification of own personal strengths and weaknesses, supported with suggestions for self-improvement. (15%)
- Good written communication skills embedding sound arguments supported by sound references, use of professional tone, word choice, expression, grammar, punctuation, and correct spelling using Australian English (10%).
- Use of at least 10 quality in-text (APA 7) references, including academic (minimum 5) and practitioner supporting your argument. Conformity to the CQU APA 7 Referencing Guide (10%).
- Identify and critically discuss contemporary issues in entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability
- Using academic and industry sources, research the need for entrepreneurship and innovation to address the complexities of sustainability challenges
2 Group Work
The assessment requires students to adhere to the guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence tools as specified in the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS). Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity. The assessment must be completed at AIAS Level 1. You must not use AI at any point to complete the assessment task.
This is a team assessment.
Your team must investigate and propose how an Australian business can apply innovation and entrepreneurship methodologies and practices to address sustainability challenges. This assessment has two significant parts focused on the same business proposal.
Part A: Team Report (25%)
You are required to develop a 1,500-word (+/- 10%) business proposal using the short report format. Your team report must investigate and propose how an Australian business can apply innovation and entrepreneurship methodologies and practices to address sustainability challenges. Only one team member must submit the business proposal to Moodle's unit website.
Part B: Team Presentation (15%)
Using Zoom, record a maximum 10-minute presentation. Each team member must present their aspects of the Team Presentation in no more than 3 minutes. Your Presentation must investigate and propose how an Australian business can apply innovation and entrepreneurship methodologies and practices to address sustainability challenges. Your Presentation must be delivered professionally and should be both creative and persuasive. Key references supporting your ideas must be included in the notes section of your PowerPoint presentation. The PowerPoint presentation and the Zoom recording must be submitted to the unit website in Moodle. Note: If there are few students in the unit, we may use the Zoom workshop for live Presentations and Zoom recording.
Important
Each team member needs to contribute to the team task equally; otherwise, the mark will not be allocated on an equal basis. You are expected to select a team leader and organise team meetings to develop consensus on the choice of industry and companies and the distribution of work among team members. After that, there needs to be regular communication, exchange of ideas, feedback and exchange of materials between the team members until the completion of the team report, as well as a PowerPoint presentation. In case of conflict on contributions within a team, the Unit Coordinator will decide the mark allocation through the evidence-based system for Self and Peer Assessment (SPA).
Assessment details and guidance will be provided on the unit website in Moodle and in class. You are strongly encouraged to discuss your assessment ideas and suggestions in class with fellow students and your local lecturer before you complete and submit the assessment.
Week 8 Friday (9 May 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
In alignment with the CQUniversity Assessment Policy and Procedure, a late submission penalty of five percent of the total available marks for the assessment must be deducted for each full or part calendar day the assessment task is overdue.
Results and feedback will be made available on the unit website within 2 weeks.
Part A: Team report.
Your report must demonstrate:
- Effective use of the Executive Summary and the Introduction. (10%)
- Understanding the Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Sustainability (EIS) concepts and their complex relationships in the context of how an Australian business can apply innovation and entrepreneurship methodologies and practices to address sustainability challenges. (10%)
- Effective identification, analysis, and synthesis that supports the ideas and proposals for how an Australian business can apply innovation and entrepreneurship methodologies and practices to address sustainability challenges. (40%)
- Effective synthesis of key ideas and proposals in the conclusion. (10%)
- Candid and critical team self-reflection about the assessment task, including a reflection on developing personal competencies and skills, identifying team strengths and weaknesses, and suggestions for team self-improvement. (10%)
- Good written communication skills embedding sound arguments supported by proper references, use of professional tone, word choice, expression, grammar, punctuation, and correct spelling using Australian English (10%).
- Use at least 10 quality in-text (APA 7) references, including academic peer-reviewed (minimum 5) and practitioner references supporting your arguments. Conformity to the CQU APA 7 Referencing Guide (10%).
Part B: Team Presentation.
Your Presentationmust demonstrate:
- Understanding the Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Sustainability (EIS) concepts and their complex relationships in the context of how an Australian business can apply innovation and entrepreneurship methodologies and practices to address sustainability challenges. (10%)
- Effective identification, analysis, and synthesis that supports the ideas and proposals for how an Australian business can apply innovation and entrepreneurship methodologies and practices to address sustainability challenges. (40%)
- Effective synthesis of key ideas and proposals in the conclusion. (10%)
- Candid and critical team self-reflection about the assessment task, including a reflection on developing personal competencies and skills, identifying team strengths and weaknesses, and suggestions for team self-improvement. (10%)
- Demonstrate evidence (references) that you have done background research to inform the contents of the Presentation (10%)
- Exhibit visual and oral communication skills to explain your insights clearly (10%)
- Use an appropriate number of slides to communicate the message (10%)
- Identify and critically discuss contemporary issues in entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability
- Understand and use collaborative processes to explore entrepreneurship or innovation opportunities to address sustainability challenges
- Critically analyse and formulate strategies to exploit sustainable entrepreneurial and innovation opportunities in the ecosystem of a contemporary enterprise.
3 Written Assessment
You are required to write a 2000-word (+/- 10%) short business report containing a business proposal focused on building Circular Economy capabilities within a Business Innovation Ecosystem.
The assessment requires students to adhere to the guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence tools as specified in the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS). Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity. The assessment must be completed at AIAS Level 1. You must not use AI at any point to complete the assessment task. This is an individual assessment.
The report must answer the following questions using different resources and search criteria:
- How can Kmart in Australia build world-class Circular Economy capabilities within a business innovation ecosystem it leads to address its UN SDG 12 targets?
- What Circular Economy collaborative innovation processes, methodologies, practices, and tools should Kmart use within the innovation ecosystem?
In answering these questions, you must compare your findings regarding:
- Effective identification, analysis, and synthesis of internet search results using Google (include references).
- Effective identification, analysis, and synthesis of unit website materials (include references).
- Effective identification, analysis, and synthesis of academic and professional practitioner literature (include references).
The total length of the report should not exceed 2000 words (+/- 10%), excluding the title page, executive summary, table of contents, reference list, table(s), figure(s), and appendices. You must develop and submit this assessment in the short business report format.
You are strongly encouraged to discuss your assessment ideas, research progress, and self-reflection at the workshops with fellow students and your local lecturer before you complete and submit the assessment.
Assessment submissions with high Turn-It-In similarity and AI scores will be investigated in accordance with CQUniversity academic misconduct policies and procedures.
Week 12 Friday (6 June 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
In alignment with the CQUniversity Assessment Policy and Procedure, a late submission penalty of five percent of the total available marks for the assessment must be deducted for each full or part calendar day the assessment task is overdue.
Results and feedback will be made available on the unit website on Certification of Grades day.
Your report must demonstrate:
- Effective use of the Executive Summary and the Introduction. (10%)
- In-depth understanding of the Circular Economy and UN SDG 12 related concepts. (10%)
- Effective identification, analysis, and synthesis of internet search results using Google (include references). (10%)
- Effective identification, analysis, and synthesis of unit website materials (include references). (10%)
- Effective identification, analysis, and synthesis of academic and professional practitioner literature (include references). (10%)
- Effectively compare the three different sources of information in table format with supporting argumentation. (10%)
- Effective synthesis of key ideas and proposals in the conclusion. (10%)
- Candid and critical self-reflection about the assessment task, including a reflection on the development of personal competencies and skills; identification of your own personal strengths and weaknesses, supported with suggestions for self-improvement. (10%)
- Good written communication skills embedding sound arguments supported by proper references, use of professional tone, word choice, expression, grammar, punctuation, and correct spelling using Australian English. (10%)
- Use at least 20 quality in-text (APA 7) references supporting your findings and arguments. Conformity to the CQU APA 7 Referencing Guide. (10%)
- Understand and use collaborative processes to explore entrepreneurship or innovation opportunities to address sustainability challenges
- Using academic and industry sources, research the need for entrepreneurship and innovation to address the complexities of sustainability challenges
- Critically analyse and formulate strategies to exploit sustainable entrepreneurial and innovation opportunities in the ecosystem of a contemporary enterprise.
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?
