Undergraduate unit of study descriptions
The Business School website (sydney.edu.au/business/ugunits) contains the most up to date information on unit of study availability and other requirements. Timetabling information for 2016 is available on this website (sydney.edu.au/business/timetable).
WORK – Work and Organisational Studies
WORK1003 Foundations of Work and Employment
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Semester 1: Associate Professor Rae Cooper; Semester 2: Dr Stephen Clibborn Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1x 2 hour lecture and 1x 1 hour tutorial hour per week Assessment: in class test (15%), essay (30%), tutorial participation (10%), tutorial leadership (15%), final exam (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: This is the compulsory unit of study for the Industrial Relations/Human Resource Management major.
This unit draws on concepts from industrial relations and human resource management to examine the interests and strategies of workers, unions, managers, employers and the state. It explores the relationships between these parties as they seek to manage their environments and workplaces and to exercise control over each other. The unit enables students to understand how and why the organisation, regulation and management of work are changing in Australia and globally. As well as providing an introduction to all aspects of the study of the employment relationship, this is the foundation unit for a major in industrial relations and human resource management.
WORK2201 Foundations of Management
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr David Oliver Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 2 hour lecture and 1x 1 hour tutorial hour per week Prerequisites: 24 credit points of Junior units of study Prohibitions: WORK2001 or IREL2001 Assessment: practice quiz (5%), main quiz (15%), group presentation & facilitation (15%), individual analysis & reflection (15%), tutorial participation (10%), final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: This a compulsory unit of study for the Management major.
This unit serves both as a stand-alone unit for students who wish to obtain an overview of management methods and approaches and as the basis of study for advanced and specialised undergraduate units listed in the Management major. It examines management as a process of planning, organising, leading and controlling the efforts of organisational members and discusses how recent trends such as globalisation, economic change and the effects of new technology have led to profound changes in how organisations are managed. It explores these issues with respect to both large and small, public and private, and domestic and foreign organisations.
WORK2203 Industrial Relations Policy
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Professor Bradon Ellem Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x 2 hour lecture and 1x 1hr tutorial hour per week Prerequisites: 24 credit points of Junior units of study including (WORK1003 or WORK1002) Prohibitions: WORK2003 Assessment: class participation (10%), tutorial presentation (10%), policy report (30%), final exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: This is the compulsory unit of study for the Industrial Relations/Human Resource Management major.
The aim of this unit of study is to provide an understanding of the institutions and processes engaged in the regulation of work and labour markets. At times of intense change and debate such as today, it becomes all the more important to develop understandings of industrial relations policy which are intellectually rigorous; that is, which are evidence-based, theoretically-explicit and historically-informed. This unit is framed by these considerations. Particular topics may include: the development of policy; the nature of regulation; state and federal government policies; arguments for change; the influence of lobby groups; employer and union strategy; work-family debates and policies; the working of tribunals and courts; dispute settling procedures; the development of wage determination; the outcomes and implications of policy change.
WORK2205 HR Strategies and Processes
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Professor Diane van den Broek Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x 2 hour lecture and 1x 1hour tutorial per week Prerequisites: 24 credit points of Junior units of study including (WORK1003 or WORK1002) Prohibitions: WORK2005 Assessment: multiple choice exam (10%), tutorial activities (20%), research essay (30%), final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: This is the compulsory unit of study for the Industrial Relations/Human Resource Management major.
Building on the foundational coverage of Human Resource Management (HRM) issues and concepts provided in WORK1003, this unit provides a more focused understanding of key HRM concepts, processes, strategies and practices. The unit covers the way HR concepts, such as the employee psychological contract, might shape HR strategies and practices and highlights the interplay between the strategic approaches to HR and the practices of HR including talent attraction and selection; talent retention and development; managing performance and rewards; diversity and inclusion strategies, workplace health and well being to name a few. It concludes with an investigation of how the HRM system can be effectively evaluated to capture the long term sustainability of the HR processes and strategies adopted.
WORK2210 Strategic Management
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Professor Leanne Cutcher Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2 x 1hr lectures & 1x 1hr lab time Prerequisites: 40 credit points worth of units of study Prohibitions: WORK2010 Assessment: case simulation (40%), case report (20%), final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: This is the compulsory unit of study for the Management major.
This unit explores how strategy is formulated, implemented and evaluated. Strategic management concepts, frameworks and tools are applied to organizational case studies. Current debates in strategic management are evaluated for their relevance to strategists in a range of organizational contexts.
WORK2215 IR and HRM Practice
Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive June Classes: 5-6 days, 9am-5pm Prerequisites: 4 x senior WORK units (2000 and 3000 level) with a minimum Credit (65%) average Assessment: skills exercise (30%), essay (30%),exam (30%), participation and engagement (10%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: Students should be enrolling in their final semester of the major.
This unit bridges the gap between theory and practice in human resource management and employment relations. The unit covers critical issues and builds skills in negotiation and influence, managing in a diverse environment, implementing practices to enhance diversity, equality and inclusion and building sustainable organisations. It contextualises this material in relation to the self, the organisation and institutions. Much of the unit is dedicated to a problem-based approach to learning.
WORK2217 International Human Resource Management
Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 2 hour lecture and 1x 1 hour tutorial hour per week Prerequisites: 40 credit points worth of units of study including either WORK1003 (or WORK1001) OR IBUS2101 (or IBUS2001) Prohibitions: WORK2017 Assessment: tutorial participation (15%), tutorial facilitation (15%), major assignment (40%), exam (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit considers the opportunities and challenges associated with managing employees in international and cross-cultural contexts, with specific emphasis on international recruitment, selection, preparation, placement, management development, performance management, reward and remuneration in the international, multi-national and trans-national corporation. Within the context of global labour markets, the unit considers the implications of internationalisation and globalisation for human resource management (HRM), the difference between domestic and international HRM, and the challenges of cross-cultural management. This unit will provide students with a theoretical understanding of IHRM and cross-cultural management, as well as a practical understanding of the issues and challenges associated with managing employees in international, global and cross-cultural contexts.
WORK2218 Managing Organisational Behaviour
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Helena Nguyen Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 2 hour lecture and 1x 1 hour tutorial hour per week Prerequisites: 24 Junior credit points Assessment: quizzes (20%), written assignment (30%), exam (30%), group presentation (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: This is the compulsory unit of study for the Management major.
This unit aims to give students the ability to understand how organisations operate. As an introductory organisational behaviour unit, it covers key debates across a range of social science disciplines including business, management, psychology, sociology, and communication studies. Key topics explored include power, control, networks, and organisational culture.
WORK2219 Managing Organisational Sustainability
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Professor Leanne Cutcher Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 2 hour lecture and 1x 1 hour tutorial hour per week Prerequisites: 40 credit points worth of units of study Assessment: individual reflection (15%), individual essay (25%), poster (25%), exam (25%), and tutorial attendance and participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Managing organisational sustainability is critical to for effective, contemporary managers. This unit focuses on how to conceptualise and to practice sustainability in its broadest sense. Topics covered include the ethical aspects of management and organisational practice, corporate social responsibility, governance models in organisations and managing in diverse environments. Students will be encouraged to enhance their understanding of the roles and responsibilities of management and the impact of organisations on stakeholders including staff, government and community.
WORK2221 Organisational Communication
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Anya Johnson Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 2hr lecture and 1x 1hr tutorial per week Prerequisites: 40 credit points worth of units of study Assessment: tutorial attendance & Participation (10%), communication analysis report (30%), team case analysis report (15%), team case analysis presentation (10%), final exam (35%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Communication is integral to many organisational processes; for instance, effective planning, decision-making, negotiation, conflict management, change management and leadership all rely upon effective communication by organisational actors. At the same time, organisational communication has become more complex due to increasing levels of diversity in the workplace and an increasing reliance on emergent and rapidly changing communication technologies. Drawing on communication research models, theories and case studies, the unit will provide students with insight into how to manage the complexities of contemporary organisational communication. The unit will focus primarily on internal organisational communication and will examine communication processes at various levels: interpersonal (dyadic), group and organisation.
WORK2222 Leadership in Organisations
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Eric Knight Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x 2 hour lecture and 1x 1 hour tutorial hour per week Prerequisites: 40 credit points worth of units of study Assumed knowledge: WORK2201 or WORK2218 Assessment: group assessment (30%), reflective essays (30%), final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Leadership is increasingly seen to be a key factor affecting the performance of contemporary organisations and is an important area of study in the fields of management and organisational behaviour. While leadership principles are often associated with the work of senior management, they also have potential application to all members of organisations. This unit explores conventional and alternative perspectives on leadership and also examines the practice of leadership in diverse organisational contexts. Practitioner perspectives, experiences and case studies of business leaders are also presented. The unit builds on foundational units of study in Management, IR and HRM and International Business.
WORK2224 Globalisation, Work and Employment
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Professor Susan McGrath-Champ Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2 hr lecture and 1x 1hr tutorial per week Prerequisites: 24 credit points of junior units of study including WORK1003 Prohibitions: WORK2214, WORK2223 Assessment: Participation (10%), short essay (20%), major essay (30%), exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study examines the way in which the internationalisation of economic activities impacts on the nature of employment, jobs and regulation across different countries and regions. It considers how economic development in different countries has contributed to the growth of particular employment arrangements. It focuses in particular on the country specific interplay between economics, politics, and society which has contributed to the development of particular employment regulatory regimes. Further, it maps economic changes on a global scale identifying international economic forces, agents and political arrangements and seeks to highlight pressures and tensions on employment arrangements that result from these global interactions.
WORK2225 Work and Social Change
Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Mark Westcott Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 2 hour lecture and 1x 1 hour tutorial hour per week Prerequisites: 24 credit points of junior units of study including WORK1003. Prohibitions: WORK2220, WORK2202, WORK2204 Assessment: tutorial participation (10%), tutorial facilitation (10%), written opinion piece (10%), research essay (30%), final exam (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
How people relate to work and organisations changes with the society around it. The aims of this unit are to analyse the way contemporary work has changed through three significant themes/modules. The first theme or module analyses how social change has shaped the nature of work and identity at both collective and individual levels. The second theme examines how institutions outside work, such as the interface of work and family, and unpaid work shapes contemporary work and business. The third module analyses remote and borderless work in Australia and overseas.