ENGGEN 403 : Managing a Business

Engineering

2021 Semester Two (1215) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

An introduction to the commercial drivers and business practices which prepare students for successful roles in the commercial, government, and non-profit sectors after graduation. Students are presented with a systems thinking approach to managing large, complex, multidisciplinary challenges. Professional issues (such as health and safety, sustainability, resilience, ethics, leadership, and cultural diversity) from previous courses are expanded.

Course Overview

This course is required for Engineering students of all disciplines.

The focus of the course is to equip students with the complementary knowledge and skills necessary to apply Engineering computational, foundational and problem solving approaches to prepare them for the workplace, government,  and decision making roles and responsibilities.  The course is designed to meet the criteria set forth by Engineering NZ and the International Engineering Alliance.  Further, it delivers important attributes necessary to prepare graduates to take on key roles in contemporary firms and organisations, offering the platform for students to develop as senior managers, policy makers, and leaders 

This course builds upon earlier ENGGEN courses and introduces concepts important to apply Engineering knowledge and skills to solve problems, create value, and improve society.  The course introduces key principles of Economics, Finance, Sustainability, Systems Thinking, Operations Research, and Organisational Theory in practical and applied contexts to support students' ability to identify key issues and large scale problems, consider a complex range of stakeholders, identify alternatives, measure impact, and make recommendations.

The course culminates in the week-long Systems Week  - a focused week-long intensive team project in which students are given a major problem to break down, research, analyse, calculate and develop recommendations around.  Systems Week teams offer the opportunity for inter disciplinary collaboration, application of technical, commercial, political, and societal knowledge and skills and provide a capstone experience integrating learnings from across Engineering degree programmes and the ENGGEN foundation courses. 

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: BUSINESS 101 and 102, or BUSINESS 111 and 112, or DESIGN 220 or 221 or 222, or ECON 151 and GLOBAL 101, or ENGGEN 303 or LAW 241 or MUS 186 or 365 or PROPERTY 231 or SCIGEN 201

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Develop and present: Presented with a real-world business problem, develop and present a value-adding solution that applies the principles of systems thinking to business management. (Capability 1.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1 and 6.2)
  2. Actively contribute to team: As a member of a large team, contribute to the preparation of a report and a multimedia presentation suitable for presentation to a board of directors. (Capability 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1 and 5.2)
  3. Demonstrate and understand: Demonstrate an understanding of, and an ability to apply, the concepts of leadership and teamwork in managing a large, complex challenge. (Capability 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1 and 5.2)
  4. Communicate: Prepare and present a business plan which includes materials such as: market and competition analyses, a description of the venture, a business model, financial analyses, and risk and opportunity analyses. (Capability 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 5.1, 5.2 and 6.2)
  5. Develop: Develop the Engineering New Zealand competencies (Capability 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1 and 6.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 60% Group & Individual Coursework
Systems Project 40% Group Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5
Assignments
Systems Project

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 that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 36 hours of lectures and related content,  48 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 66 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including and tutorials  to complete components of the course.

Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials will not be available as recordings.

The course may include live online events including group discussions and tutorials.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Health & Safety

Students are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with University health and safety guidelines at all times during the course and to be respectful and inclusive in all coursework and activities.

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.

Digital 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.

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 against online source material 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 your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, 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 you may be asked to submit your 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. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 09/07/2021 09:57 a.m.