Admission and Unit Information - Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Marketing Management is designed to provide an introduction to the key concepts, principles and practices that constitute the Marketing discipline. It will develop a focus on marketing as a business philosophy underpinning the activities of the firm.

Value Chain Management introduces the management of operations in the value chain for many industry sectors (including services, public sector, manufacturing and distribution). The objective is to equip future managers with an ability to analyse value creation and business performance in a range of situations. The knowledge and analytical skills developed will facilitate consideration and appropriate management of the operational and supply chain issues of many aspects of business that participants will encounter in later MBA units and in their organisations. Learning activities emphasise case analysis and reflection, as well as quantitative techniques that can support decision-making and evaluation.

Managing People addresses the management of the employment relationship and work as crucial for organisational performance. The role of line managers relative to HR specialists is considered. There is an overview of human resource and industrial relations functions, with consideration of their integration with organisational strategy, around the theme of ways that human resource management can be difficult, for commercial, social, ethical and legal reasons. The scope for strategy relative to environmental imperatives is debated, using the concepts of the psychological contract and labour market competition. Participants draw from personal experience to debate theory, case studies/simulations and contemporary developments.

The finance skills learnt in this unit can optimally be applied at the managerial decision-making level to add the most value personally and professionally. This unit considers the concepts of finance theory and tools of financial decision-making in the context of the Australian and international institutional environments. These concepts relate primarly to the time value of money, risk and return, capital budgeting and capital structure. Students examine the investment, financing and dividend decisions of corporations.

This unit is a foundational benchmark for management students wishing to gain an understanding of international management issues in multi-national enterprises (MNEs). The unit provides practical guidance in how to develop and sustain competitive advantage in the international arena. Functional areas of MNE's are discussed in a broader economic context and international business processes are analysed for companies wishing to embark on global expansion. This unit will provide: a framework for the study of international business; an analytical and strategic perspective to the study of international business issues, in particular, on the strategies, which are required to produce international competitiveness.

Contemporary Organisation Behaviour has been designed to offer you tools which can help you manage people in an increasingly complex organisational climate. Therefore, the objectives of the unit focus on critically evaluating how organisations, groups and teams and individual behaviour can affect work performance and productivity.

Accounting Perspectives for Managers focuses on the analytical uses of accounting information for managers. It emphasises the role of both financial and management accounting in measuring, processing and communicating information that is useful in making economic decisions.

Strategic Management integrates business functional knowledge. The practical approach provides opportunities to use a range of strategic analysis tools and to engage in problem-solving (individually and collaboratively). Simulated strategic decision-making that includes data interpretation and generating options requires exercise of communication, research, and information literacy capabilities. This unit will allow MBA graduates to interpret data, generate strategic options and contribute to strategic decision-making in a number of organisational contexts. It lays a foundation for continued professional development by creating a capacity to evaluate trends in strategic management through the study of theory that underpins strategic management models.

Global financial management and business creates specific challenges for organisations: understanding diverse international financial markets, providing risk management strategies, managing currency risk exposures, devising capital structures, managing liquidity and investments and providing appropriate financial support of business operations in an uncertain and risky international context. Business managers need to recognise the complexities of global financial forces and understand how to mobilise global financial resources for the benefits of organisations. This unit aims to strengthen the financial decision-making capacity of students. Learning occurs through collaborative problem-solving and case analysis.

This unit will provide knowledge of the theories and practices of investment management to make informed managerial investment decisions. The unit describes the theory and practice of investment decision-making. The general objective of the unit is to introduce finance theory and tools of financial decision making by providing a conceptual framework within which the key financial decision of investment can be analysed.

The use of information technology has dramatically transformed the way organisations, groups or teams and individual managers within organisations deal with each other. The creation, use and dissemination of electronic documents is a central feature of this changing landscape. This unit will investigate the application of information technology to the business processes of organisations. Specifically, it will consider the convergence of information and communications technologies as manifested in electronic document interchange and the emerging electronic commerce revolution. Within the context of electronic commerce, this unit will look at the rise of electronic transaction processing, with particular emphasis on the development of e-commerce as an alternate way of doing business, new systems of payment, security issues about the conduct of business through Internet portals and web pages. The unit will consider the new social, ethical and legal issues that could emerge when organisations and individuals conduct business transactions over the Internet. Finally, the unit will also investigate and review new trends in the different ways that individuals, organisations and governments may interact with one another in the future, such as the use of intelligent agents.

This unit is designed to provide an introduction to theories of personality, learning and motivation, and their relevance for modern management. It aims to: promote an understanding of the application of psychological principles and research findings to management; analyse human behaviour at work, especially issues of personality, learning, motivation and effort, and leadership; assess individual differences and evaluate the role of psychological testing in the workplace; and promote an understanding of the application of psychological principles and research to the workplace.

This unit aims to introduce students to international marketing using the marketing concept. It firstly considers environmental factors and then studies how marketing strategies are affected by those environmental factors. It aims to give students an awareness and understanding of international marketing concepts and highlight their importance in a rapidly changing global economy.

Governance refers to the control of corporate structures, risks, policies and relationships. While these can be externally regulated and monitored, stakeholders also pressure corporations to act in socially responsible and ethical ways. While other MBA units address governance, ethics and risk management around particular business functions, this unit integrates and applies that learning. Ethical principles will be studied to provide a foundation for analysis and application to practice. Seminars will enhance self-awareness and engender sensitivity to ethical perspectives, potentials and pitfalls, locally and internationally. Methods for the resolution of ethical dilemmas and using risk management frameworks are emphasised.

Managers frequently negotiate, often around issues of critical importance. Negotiation errors can be costly to the interests of the organisation. Negotiation for Managers will show participants how to obtain optimal results for stakeholders and will build knowledge of the role of negotiation relative to contracts, disputes and litigation. Key negotiation theories and techniques are addressed, to facilitate the development of participants as negotiators. Cultural, social and interpersonal dimensions, human behaviour during negotiation, and ethical principles are analysed. Practical activities and learning from experience dominate classroom activities, for which participants must be well-prepared to make the most of the learning opportunities.

Whilst the unit is an introduction to the whole Dispute Resolution (DR) movement and the processes known as Alternative Dispute Resolution, the unit concentrates on negotiation, mediation, evaluation and the essential communication skills for resolving disputes. The history and use of these processes will be covered. The most recent thinking will be introduced, together with some of the current issues. The resolution of differing types of disputes will be addressed. Practical skills will be emphasised and students will be given ample practical exercises to encourage them to integrate the skills. Students will be encouraged to become aware of their own personal style and of the values, attitudes and culture they bring to the resolution of conflicts and of the other styles they can access as appropriate.

This unit is about how to compete effectively and to minimise the risks involved in managerial decision-making. Intelligent approaches and practices are concerned with efficient and effective programs that can focus on: 1) profiling industries and competitors; 2) transforming gathered information into actionable intelligence; 3) utilising all members in the firm as intelligence antennae; 4) addressing evolving critical issues to facilitate organisational renewal; and 5) using ethical and legal means in the process of gathering and using publicly available information.

The aim of this research project is to give the student the experience of working in-depth on an individual project with a nominated supervisor. The report must show an understanding of a specific topic, based on competent application of an appropriate method, and students are encouraged to publish their findings.

The aim of this research project is to give the student the experience of working in-depth on an individual project with a nominated supervisor, leading to the production of a major report. The report must show an understanding of a specific topic, based on competent application of an appropriate method, and students are encouraged to publish their findings.

This unit is intended to provide students with the core knowledge and skills that company directors require and an understanding of the critical issues they face. This includes an understanding of statutory regulation in relation to company boards, directors, financial reporting, contracts, intellectual property, trade practices, and the associated roles and responsibilities of company directors. The unit also examines the role of company directors in relation to strategic planning for company direction, risk assessment and in the meeting of environmental challenges.

This unit is concerned with the decision making processes of business firms and the economic environment in which they operate. To function efficiently and effectively as a manager students must gain a working knowledge of the macroeconomic setting within which a firm operates; the microeconomic elements of consumer behaviour; the objectives and goals of a firm; the revenue, cost and profit structures of a firm; its potential pricing and non-pricing strategies; the possible stance of government; and the implications of international influences. The emphasis throughout the unit is on practicality. All topics are taught using examples of real life situations.

This unit provides an appreciation of the social and psychological foundations to the way markets and managers behave, thus allowing managers to understand and influence consumer behaviour. It does this by reviewing the influences on behaviour (culture, social class and reference group) and individual differences (personality, motivations, memory and learning) and by showing how these factors are manifested in buyer attitudes, perceptions, and decision making. The unit encourages students to apply theoretical concepts to explain behaviour in a range of organizational and marketing situations.

Methods of Business Research will provide participants with a clear and practical appreciation of research methods applied in a business context. Emphasis will be placed on the identification of appropriate research methods to support business decision making, ensuring graduates are in a strong position to write clear research briefs and to evaluate research proposals. A range of data collection methods and a range of qualitative and quantitative data analytic techniques will be used.

Creating Sustainable Organisations explores new pathways to sustainability and leadership for the 21st Century, encouraging continual reflection and discussion on the nature and implications of current debates on environmental and social issues. It examines different models and strategies designed to balance the need for business growth with responsiveness to social and environmental issues. Creating Sustainable Organisations provides students with the skills to lead in ways that will enable them to be active participants in the solution to the planet's environmental and social problems.