BSB250 Business Citizenship


To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.


Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Unit code:BSB250
Credit points:12
Pre-requisite:72cp of completed studies
Coordinator:Maria Kaya | maria.kaya@qut.edu.au
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

In this developmental core business unit, you will explore the potential for individuals and organisations to create positive social and environmental change, and extend your ability to analyse complex business problems. You will explore your personal values and ethical priorities in the context of professional practice while gaining an appreciation of multi-stakeholder and Indigenous perspectives on business issues and practice. You will develop skills to communicate complex issues and data to a variety of audiences, and refine your self-reflection skills to guide your professional development. Exploring citizenship and ethics at individual, professional, organisational and global scales, this unit is relevant to students of all business disciplines, bridging the introductory and capstone core business units to extend your business competencies and preparing you to become a socially responsible professional and global citizen.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

  1. Examine issues of local and global significance and judge the extent to which business practices contribute to collective wellbeing and sustainable and socially responsible outcomes. [KS 1.2, SE 5.2]
  2. Identify and analyse how different contexts, and Indigenous and other perspectives, worldviews and values shape decisions and interpretations of issues. [SE 5.1, SE 5.2]
  3. Articulate personal and professional values and reflect on their contribution to making moral decisions, acting ethically and effective leadership. [TS 4.1, SE 5.1]
  4. Evaluate and compare different courses of ethical action based consideration of short and long term consequences, competing values, and impacts on a variety of stakeholders. [HO 2.2, SE 5.1]
  5. Exercise critical information literacy by selecting appropriate evidence, synthesising content, formulating persuasive arguments, and creatively communicating complex ideas and data. [HO 2.1, PC 3.1]

Content

This unit will extend business knowledge and skills developed in earlier units to more complex, global business problems, and introduce you to:

  • frameworks for understanding complex business issues, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals;
  • multi-stakeholder and Indigenous perspectives on business;
  • citizenship and ethics at individual, professional, organisational and global scales; and
  • approaches for selecting appropriate evidence, synthesising content, formulating persuasive arguments, and creatively communicating complex ideas and data.

QUT Business Capabilities (Undergraduate)

The content and assessment in this unit are aligned to a selection of the following set of QUT Business Capabilities, also known as Assurance of Learning Goals (AoLs). Developing these capabilities will assist you to meet the desired graduate outcomes set at QUT and equip you with the knowledge and skills to succeed in your chosen career.

Knowledge and Technological Skills (KS)
1.1 Demonstrate and apply integrated discipline (including technical) knowledge across the broad field of business with depth in one or more core business disciplines.
1.2 Apply technical and technological skills appropriate and effective for real world business purposes and contexts.

Higher Order Thinking (HO)
2.1 Investigate real world business issues and situations through the effective analysis, evaluation and synthesis of theory and practice.
2.2 Exercise independent judgment and initiative in adapting and applying knowledge and skills for effective planning, problem solving and decision making in diverse contexts.

Professional Communication (PC)
3.1 Use information literacy skills, and communicate effectively and professionally in written forms and using media appropriate for diverse purposes and contexts.
3.2 Use information literacy skills, and communicate effectively and professionally in oral forms, appropriate for diverse purposes and contexts.

Teamwork and Self (TS)
4.1 Exercise self-reflection, responsibility and accountability in relation to own learning and professional practice.
4.2 Apply teamwork knowledge and skills for effective collaboration across diverse purposes and contexts.

Social, Ethical and Global Understanding (SE)
5.1 Demonstrate and apply knowledge of ethical and legal principles and practices in analysing and responding to business issues.
5.2 Demonstrate and apply knowledge of socially responsible behaviour in analysing and addressing business issues in national and international business contexts.

Learning Approaches

In this unit, you will learn by engaging in problem- and case-based activities designed to assist you to develop key skills that are relevant to all business careers. You will investigate how socially responsible business can create positive change, explore multi-stakeholder (including Indigenous) perspectives on business, and learn about frameworks to understand and analyse personal values and contemporary business problems via content delivered online and in class. In tutorials, you will use this knowledge to inform your responses to real business challenges associated with the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and apply a range of tools and techniques to analyse and evaluate potential responses. You will be expected to attend and contribute regularly to tutorials, and work through content and self-directed formative learning activities presented on the unit Canvas site before and after class to supplement your learning.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Students will receive feedback in various forms throughout the semester which may include:

  • Informal: worked examples, such as verbal feedback in class, personal consultation
  • Formal: in writing, such as checklists (e.g. criteria sheets), written commentary
  • Direct: to individual students, either in written form or in consultation
  • Indirect: to the whole class

Assessment

Overview

The assessment tasks in this unit provide you with opportunities to explore your personal and ethical values and priorities, and indigenous and global perspectives on business, while extending your ability to analyse and produce solutions to complex business problems.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Briefing Paper

You are an external consultant who has been brought into brief the board of a competitor and to suggest key learnings to be drawn from an incident regarding ethical, professional and values-based decision-making. Prepare a briefing paper which summarises the incident, evaluates the response, and identifies key learning which could inform future organisational decision-making and action. 

Formative or Summative: Formative and summative

Business Capabilities (AoL goals): HO (2.2), SE (5.1), SE (5.2)

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Weight: 30
Length: 1,500 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 5
Related Unit learning outcomes: 2, 4, 5

Assessment: Ethical Self-Assessment

Reflect on your personal and professional values and identify biases and assumptions that may affect your decision-making. Document and present these in a coherent personal code of ethics against which you will assess your current skills and dispositions. Develop a plan to further develop these in a professional context.

Formative or Summative: Formative and summative

Business Capabilities (AoL goals): TS (4.1), SE (5.1)

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Weight: 20
Length: 1,000 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 8
Related Unit learning outcomes: 3

Assessment: CSR Performance Report

Using secondary business data, develop a detailed research report evaluating the CSR performance of a business, and their responses to stakeholder concerns and local and global sustainability issues.

Formative or Summative: Formative and summative

Business Capabilities (AoL goals): KS (1.2), HO (2.1), PC (3.1), SE (5.2)

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Weight: 50
Length: 2,500 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 13
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 5

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Weekly resources will be made available on the unit Canvas site.

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out-of-the ordinary risks associated with this unit. You should, however, familiarise yourself with evacuation procedures operating in the buildings in which you attend classes and take the time to view the Emergency video.

Standards/Competencies

This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.

QUT Business Capabilities (Undergraduate)

HO (2.1): Critical Analysis

Relates to: ULO5, CSR Performance Report

HO (2.2): Independent Judgement and Decision-Making

Relates to: ULO4, Briefing Paper

KS (1.2): Technical and Technological Skills

Relates to: ULO1, CSR Performance Report

PC (3.1): Professional Communication (Written)

Relates to: ULO5, CSR Performance Report

SE (5.1): Ethical and Legal Understanding

Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, ULO4, Briefing Paper, Ethical Self-Assessment

SE (5.2): Global Social Responsibility

Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, Briefing Paper, CSR Performance Report

TS (4.1): Self-Reflection and Accountability

Relates to: ULO3, Ethical Self-Assessment

Course Learning Outcomes

This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.

BS05 Bachelor of Business

  1. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of socially responsible behaviour in analysing and addressing business issues in national and international business contexts.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, Briefing Paper, CSR Performance Report
  2. Apply technical and technological skills appropriate and effective for real world business purposes and contexts.
    Relates to: ULO1, CSR Performance Report
  3. Investigate real world business issues and situations through the effective analysis, evaluation and synthesis of theory and practice.
    Relates to: ULO5, CSR Performance Report
  4. Exercise independent judgement and initiative in adapting and applying knowledge and skills for effective planning, problem solving and decision making in diverse contexts.
    Relates to: ULO4, Briefing Paper
  5. Use information literacy skills, and communicate effectively and professionally in written forms and using media appropriate for diverse purposes and contexts.
    Relates to: ULO5, CSR Performance Report
  6. Exercise self-reflection, responsibility and accountability in relation to own learning and professional practice.
    Relates to: ULO3, Ethical Self-Assessment
  7. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of ethical and legal principles and practices in analysing and responding to business issues.
    Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, ULO4, Briefing Paper, Ethical Self-Assessment

BS06 Bachelor of Business

  1. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of socially responsible behaviour in analysing and addressing business issues in national and international business contexts.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, Briefing Paper, CSR Performance Report
  2. Apply technical and technological skills appropriate and effective for real world business purposes and contexts.
    Relates to: ULO1, CSR Performance Report
  3. Investigate real world business issues and situations through the effective analysis, evaluation and synthesis of theory and practice.
    Relates to: ULO5, CSR Performance Report
  4. Exercise independent judgement and initiative in adapting and applying knowledge and skills for effective planning, problem solving and decision making in diverse contexts.
    Relates to: ULO4, Briefing Paper
  5. Use information literacy skills, and communicate effectively and professionally in written forms and using media appropriate for diverse purposes and contexts.
    Relates to: ULO5, CSR Performance Report
  6. Exercise self-reflection, responsibility and accountability in relation to own learning and professional practice.
    Relates to: ULO3, Ethical Self-Assessment
  7. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of ethical and legal principles and practices in analysing and responding to business issues.
    Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, ULO4, Briefing Paper, Ethical Self-Assessment

BS08 Bachelor of Business - International

  1. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of socially responsible behaviour in analysing and addressing business issues in national and international business contexts.
    Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, CSR Performance Report
  2. Apply technical and technological skills appropriate and effective for real world business purposes and contexts.
    Relates to: ULO1, CSR Performance Report
  3. Investigate real world business issues and situations through the effective analysis, evaluation and synthesis of theory and practice.
    Relates to: ULO5, CSR Performance Report
  4. Exercise independent judgement and initiative in adapting and applying knowledge and skills for effective planning, problem solving and decision making in diverse contexts.
    Relates to: ULO4
  5. Use information literacy skills, and communicate effectively and professionally in written forms and using media appropriate for diverse purposes and contexts.
    Relates to: ULO5, CSR Performance Report
  6. Exercise self-reflection, responsibility and accountability in relation to own learning and professional practice.
    Relates to: ULO3
  7. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of ethical and legal principles and practices in analysing and responding to business issues.
    Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, ULO4