01. Analyse and interpret the business and economic environment within which engineers operate to formulate business and marketing strategies, summarise/critique the characteristics of long term high performing organisations and analyse failures

Activities:

Students will learn about business operation and business structures through online lectures and will apply the knowledge in weekly case studies to develop a good understanding of marketing, legal, financial factors impacting business operation. Further to this, students will be exposed to a range of business areas by industry professionals in weekly guest lectures throughout semester. Assessment will include participation in the weekly case studies, weekly quizzes, and in group assignment developing a business plan for a product/service.

02. Apply basic legal principles and occupational health and safety (OHS) as they affect practising engineers

Activities:

Students will be introduced to the Australian legal system and how it applies to business and operations for engineers. Furthermore, law of tort & professional negligence & industrial relations, insurance/risk /ACCC legislation will also be covered and discussed with industry professionals. Content will be delivered in several online lectures, 2 case studies and 2 industry lectures. Students will be required to demonstrate an understanding of basic legal principles and OHS in 2 online quizzes, in discussion during 2 case studies and in an applied manner with the submission of their final business plan. Students are expected to present during case studies and further develop their persuasive arguments based on evidence.

03. Apply basic financial principles including budgets and budget management, profit/loss and balance sheets

Activities:

Students will be introduced to basic financial principles, profit loss statements, general accounting, creating budgets, budget management and basic project costing. Two weeks of the subject are dedicated to these topics. Two case studies are undertaken 1. daily booking, balance sheets and statements and 2. creating basic budgets. Students will be required to demonstrate this understanding and will be assessed accordingly in 2 weekly quizzes, 2 case studies. The application of the financial knowledge will be assessed in the group work in the submission of the business plan assignment. Two guest lectures from industry professionals will be given on finances and project proposals/tenders to emphasize the importance of these skills in the professional world of engineering.

04. Apply elements of marketing of services/products, marketing research, consumer behaviour and market segmentation.

Activities:

Students will be introduced to different elements of marketing and the nature of marketing. Students will learn how to undertake marketing research and the differences between marketing of services and products. Consumer behaviour and market segmentation will also be taught. Content will be delivered in two weeks of online lectures and will be supported by two guest lectures by industry professionals. Two case studies will be undertaken to further support the learning process; 1 strategic marketing and use of SWOT analysis 2. Consumer vs enterprise marketing strategies. Assessment of marketing will be undertaken in 2 weekly quizzes and during the case studies where students will need to undertake critical analysis of marketing by global and local organisations.

05. Collaborate, cooperate, and work effectively as part of a team to produce a business plan and deliver an engaging and persuasive oral presentation.

Activities:

Online lectures provide the basics of business plan formulation and writing. Students will need to have weekly team meetings to develop the business plan resulting in a team presentation and a written business plan. Students will need to document team meeting in a professional manner taking minutes, resolving disputes and assigning action items using collaborative tools such as Wunderlist and IEEE Collabratec. Furthermore, students will need to keep all documentation in an online portal so that it is accessible to staff for assessment and progress report writing. Staff will assess meeting minutes and progress based on team integration and ability to utilise each others strengths. The business plan and presentations will be assessed by a panel of academics and industry representatives.

06. Develop effective self-marketing strategy, presentation and engagement using online tools

Activities:

Students will be introduced to the concept of self-marketing or personal branding. An increasing number of skilled workers are competing for a shrinking pool of jobs, and every year millions of undergraduate and graduate students enter the labor force to compete against more experienced workers. Self marketing gives students opportunities to effectively communicate their values, skills, experiences, and vision to potential employers. Students will learn how to communicate their attributes via CV's, create business cards, linkedin profiles and other online tools. Students will observe an online lecture, undertake a face to face guest lecture on self marketing/personal branding and apply the knowledge in a case study. Students will be assessed in a single quiz and case study.

07. Apply fundamental management tools and resources for information and decision making

Activities:

Students will be given 3 weeks of online lectures on management tools and resources which includes information management. Students are required to conduct research, locate information from various sources and scope out business related topics prior to and during weekly case studies. Students will be taught how to succinctly gather, summarise and analyse data to form informative conclusions. Assessment of student work will be conducted on a weekly basis using the learning management system (LMS) where progress can be tracked. Students will also need to create an online business portfolio that will contain all case studies, research documentation and demonstrate effective team work in managing a business plan document.