Master of Business Administration (Leadership and Enterprise)

Table of postgraduate units of study: Master of Business Administration (Leadership and Enterprise)

The information below details the unit of study descriptions for the units listed in the Table of postgraduate units of study: Master of Business Administration (Leadership and Enterprise).

Unit outlines will be available through Find a unit outline two weeks before the first day of teaching for 1000-level and 5000-level units, or one week before the first day of teaching for all other units.
 

Master of Business Administration (Leadership and Enterprise)

Students must complete 72 credit points of units of study, comprising:
(i) 66 credit points in core units of study; and
(ii) 6 credit points in capstone units of study

Units of study for the degree

Core units of study

FMBA5001 Leadership Practice and Development

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: SMBA6001
This unit aims to develop leadership skills through practice. Topics covered include individual leadership skills such as active listening, recognition and developmental feedback, confrontation, as well as team dynamics, coaching, complex group dynamics, and leadership within a complex environment. This unit provides students with an opportunity to repeatedly practice skills and behaviours with support from peers, coaches and faculty to accelerate development.
FMBA5002 Critical Analysis and Thought Leadership

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Corequisites: FMBA5001 Prohibitions: SMBA6005 Assumed knowledge: Basic cultural competence will be considered as 'assumed knowledge' necessary to successfully complete the unit. Link to a USyd online module is provided on Canvas
A hallmark of great leaders is the ability to analyse critical situations, understand different points of view and the values underpinning these positions. Being able to reflect on one's and others' philosophical stances, and conveying them accurately, is crucial to effectively meet the needs of a variety of stakeholders. In this unit of study, students improve their understanding of logical reasoning and rhetoric, by identifying the common fallacies that appear in public and private discussions and debate, and how to argue by analogy. The unit also develops ethical awareness and cultural competence and students receive guidance on how to deal with emotions and stress. These learnings are applied in the classroom to start a personal journey towards becoming a reflexive thought leader.
FMBA5003 Creativity, Innovation and Business

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive November Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Corequisites: FMBA5001 Prohibitions: SMBA6115
This unit aims to provide students with strategies, experiences and approaches to build creativity and innovation into their business practice. Topics covered include creative leadership, business transformation, and inspiration through artistic practice and theory in business, science education and the arts. This unit provides students with an opportunity to follow a process of building praxis-based knowledge (through experiential hands-on workshops) so students can build understanding and then put it into practice through the development and delivery of a creativity project in collaboration with their peers.
FMBA5004 Nature of Systems

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive November Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Corequisites: FMBA5001
This unit aims to introduce the central concepts of systems thinking. Topics covered include micro-foundations of aggregate patterns, tools for systems modelling, scenario-based decision-making, network analysis and design thinking, data sources and new technologies to inform systems-orientated approaches. This unit provides students with an opportunity to use the systems approach to discover new ways of conceptualising complex enterprise problems and identifying innovative solutions to address complex, multi-dimensional and multi-scale issues.
FMBA5005 Strategies for Growth

Credit points: 6 Session: MBA Session 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: SMBA6002
This unit examines how organisations can develop and reshape their strategies to enable growth in a context of changing technology, business models and market structures. Topics covered include positioning for growth through external analysis, building competitive advantage through internal analysis, growing through effective corporate strategy, dealing proactively with strategic risk and uncertainty, and building strategic agility through business model innovation. This unit provides students with an opportunity to gain practical experience in applying relevant concepts, techniques, and frameworks to real-world situations, in order to generate innovative strategic responses to dynamic market conditions.
FMBA5006 Financial Management

Credit points: 6 Session: MBA Session 1 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: SMBA6004
This unit aims to provide students with insight and understanding of the role that financial management can play in developing and executing effective strategies. Topics covered include principles of valuation and investment evaluation, constructing a financially robust business case, financial modelling, risk assessment and a financial perspective on innovation. This unit provides students with an opportunity to learn key financial management tools and techniques that can be used to drive and support strategy and directly apply this knowledge in real-world scenarios.
FMBA5007 Innovation in Strategic Marketing

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: SMBA6006
This unit aims to provide a contemporary perspective to strategic marketing, addressing marketing strategy today and tools and frameworks that can assist a firm in addressing future challenges. Topics covered will consider how the context of marketing is changing, and how a firm can build capabilities to harness marketing opportunities. A key theme for the unit is how strategic marketing allows a firm to develop marketing strategies that address sustainability goals. There are four key building blocks to the unit: understanding value and how marketing creates value for a firm; evaluating brands and branding strategies; exploring how collaborative relationships offer innovation opportunities; and identifying how new technologies are changing the face of marketing
FMBA5008 Data Analytics and Modelling

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1b Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: SMBA6003
This unit aims to develop the ability to effectively analyse and draw useful inferences from data in order to communicate complex interrelationships to senior management in a way that can lead to favourable and sustainable change. Topics covered include analysis of key macroeconomic variables and statistical concepts, demand modelling, performance measurement and benchmarking analysis, and quantifying the economics and financial risks. This unit provides students with an opportunity to work with real-world data sets and case studies, and to apply those data sets to various organisations
FMBA5010 Leading Business Innovation

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive August Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: SMBA6114
This unit aims to provide the skills by which students analyse business innovation in different companies and provide recommended strategies for improvement. Topics covered include types of innovation, the S-Curve, idea generation, recognising opportunities, moving innovation to market, enhancing creativity, and the role of the leader in innovation. This unit provides students with an opportunity to learn and apply a variety of innovation tools and apply them directly to contemporary organisational contexts.
FMBA5011 Leading in a Digital World

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive August Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units
This unit aims to evaluate the main assumptions that underlie how technology is understood and employed by leaders and managers. Topics covered in this unit are current technological developments, such as artificial intelligence, big data, consumerisation of technology, the role of data and knowledge in management, the future of work, and digital disruption and transformation. This unit provides students with an opportunity to critically examine contemporary technology trends and their implications, with a view to unearth the lasting patterns by which technological innovation evolves and impacts the role of the manager, the worker, organisation and society more broadly.
FMBA5012 Building Global Capability

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive October Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units
This unit aims to demonstrate how global, technological and demographic trends are re-shaping modern workplaces and to highlight the importance of inclusive leadership in managing people. Topics covered include global leadership, inclusive leadership and unconscious bias, leading change and managing complexity and ambiguity, understanding the impact of culture and communicating for persuasion and impact. This unit provides students with an opportunity to build experience in implementing change in organisations, drive organisational performance, and get the most from the people they manage.

Elective units of study (optional)

FMBA5009 Business Sustainability Project

Session: Intensive July Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prerequisites: FMBA5001 and FMBA5002 and FMBA5003 and FMBA5004 Corequisites: FMBA5005 and FMBA5006 and FMBA5007 and FMBA5008
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Note: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units
This unit aims to delve deeper into the knowledge gained in the four business knowledge and skill development units - strategy, finance, data, marketing - to complete a unified integrated report. There will be an overarching theme of building business resilience and sustainability. This provides students with an opportunity to combine assessments in the business knowledge units and concurrently examine the sustainability of an existing organisation.
FMBA5014 Internship

Session: Intensive October,Semester 2 Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This is an elective option which provides the opportunity for students to build their professional skills and gain practical workplace experience by completing an internship. This unit provides a way to develop professional skills and confidence in a work setting and in some cases the ability for students to put their learning from the MBA program into practice in the workplace.

Capstone unit of study

FMBA5013 Design-led Strategy: Business Capstone

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive November Classes: Refer to the unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units Prohibitions: SMBA6201
In this unit, students confront the challenge facing truly pioneering companies which is to develop customer-centric products and services that are aligned with the company strategy. This unit recreates the intense, team environment of a business unit undergoing innovation. Students integrate the skills, knowledge and experience acquired throughout the MBA Program to bring a real prototype to market. The prototype may take the form of a product (software or physical) or service. Design thinking methodologies are applied to demonstrate understanding of the challenges facing strategy implementation. Students work in teams with tight milestones. To do this successfully, students must use the skills gained throughout the MBA program and critically reflect on the implications and impact of their learning.