BUSINESS 111 : Understanding Business

Business and Economics

2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Business involves creating and capturing different forms of value for diverse stakeholders. Considers customers and markets, and the wider context within which business operates. Develops an understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship and how to manage people. Develops personal and professional capabilities needed in business, including strategies to manage self and work effectively with others.

Course Overview

BUSINESS 111 is one of the first courses students complete in their Bachelor of Commerce and/or Bachelor of Property degree. BUSINESS 111 helps to transition students to business studies at University as students explore their own individual business skill sets, and consider how these might complement those of their team members.

Students taking BUSINESS 111 consider the question of ‘What is a business?’ as they learn how businesses create and capture different forms of value for diverse stakeholders. Students explore the challenges and opportunities that organisations face from the broader external and market environments in which they operate. Students also consider the influences of internal factors within a business, including the interests of different organisational actors. Students are introduced to innovative and entrepreneurial thinking and how to manage and lead people. Finally, students begin to develop the personal and professional capabilities needed in business, including strategies to manage self and work effectively with others.

The BUSINESS 111 approach to learning is designed on the principles of both flipped classroom and team learning. This approach emphasises both individual and team capabilities. The course also has an online component, called Workshop Preparation, that guides students, each week, to complete tasks in preparation for application of their learning in the Weekly Workshop. 


Course Requirements

Restriction: BUSINESS 101, MGMT 101

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Commerce

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Explain the purpose of a business and analyse the internal and external factors that impact a business. (Capability 2.1, 2.2, 3.1 and 3.2)
  2. Demonstrate personal and professional capabilities needed in business, including strategies to manage self and work effectively with others. (Capability 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2 and 8.1)
  3. Identify and consider the qualities required for responsible citizenship and advocating for just and equitable societies including Aotearoa New Zealand and globally. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1 and 2.2)
  4. Apply critical thinking to make and communicate reasoned decisions to solve applied business problems in individual and team settings. (Capability 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2 and 7.1)
  5. Demonstrate skills in academic writing, information literacy, APA referencing, and academic integrity. (Capability 6.2 and 8.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Weekly Quizzes 10% Individual Coursework
Individual Test 20% Individual Test
Group Assessments 20% Group Coursework
Final Exam 50% Individual Examination
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5
Weekly Quizzes
Individual Test
Group Assessments
Final Exam

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course they are enrolled in.

For this course, students can expect to spend:

  •  Up to 4 hours each week on online Workshop Preparation including set readings.
  •  2 hours in Weekly Workshops.
  •  Up to 2 hours may be spent each week attending optional supporting tutorials and services.

The remaining time, on average about 2-4 hours for a typical student, will be used for individual study e.g. consolidating notes and preparing for assessments.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance will be taken at scheduled Weekly Workshops.

As the Weekly Workshop sessions are live workshops, these will not be recorded.

The Test timetable will be published in Canvas at the start of the relevant semester. At that point, you will also learn the mode for your individual test. e.g., if it will be a remote/online test or an on-campus test.

Exam timetables are normally published online during the mid-semester break of the relevant semester. At that point, you will also learn the mode for each of your exams, e.g., if it will be a remote/online exam or an on-campus exam.

The activities for the course are comprised of three main components. The first component is online Workshop Preparation which you complete online in Canvas, the University's Learning Management System, prior to attending class. This helps you to prepare for your Weekly Workshop and prepare for your assessments. The second component is the Weekly Workshop that you attend in class and on campus. The final component is voluntary free academic support services to help to consolidate your learning and prepare for your assessments. 

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Using the University’s learning management system, Canvas, students can log into the course site for BUSINESS 111. Students will access all official course information and course policies from here, follow their session-by-session Workshop Preparation tasks, and link to the Piazza online platform that we use for course communication.

 The Workshop Preparation learning resources, accessible online, each week, through Canvas, will include readings, video clips, quizzes and an online weekly quiz that counts towards the final grade. 

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Any new changes or improvements for Semester 1 will be appropriately provided to students.

Other Information

Each week, students in BUSINESS 111 attend a Weekly Workshop that lasts for two hours. This takes place in a specially designed team learning laboratory. A team of workshop facilitators is involved in BUSINESS 111. Two facilitators will be managing each stream of approximately 100 students. Students will be introduced to their facilitators during the first weekly workshop. Those two facilitators will then be your first and primary contact point for course support throughout the semester. Each of your facilitators will hold office hours each week for students in your particular stream so that you can go to them with questions or concerns.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 02/11/2023 09:05 a.m.