Business in A Changing World: BUSS506
Business in A Changing World: BUSS506
PAPER STUDY GUIDE
Business in a
Changing World
BUSS506
Revised
Contents
Welcome to Business in a Changing World ............................................................................................ 3
Success in your paper ............................................................................................................................. 4
Paper information ................................................................................................................................... 4
Pre‐requisite/Co‐requisite/Restriction requirements ........................................................................ 4
Paper aim ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Learning outcomes .............................................................................................................................. 4
Content ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Blackboard programme organisation ..................................................................................................... 5
Required texts and recommended reading ............................................................................................ 5
Weekly programme ................................................................................................................................ 5
Assessment information ......................................................................................................................... 5
Extensions and other Special Consideration Applications (SCAs) ....................................................... 6
Penalty for late submission of assessment items ............................................................................... 6
Assessment structure .......................................................................................................................... 6
Reconsideration .................................................................................................................................. 6
Pass requirements .............................................................................................................................. 6
Assessment event details .................................................................................................................... 7
Disclaimer: Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, the information in this document is
subject to alteration. The information in this document was accurate at the time of publication,
April, 2020.
2
Welcome to Business in a Changing World
You are expected to read the contents of this study guide, also available on Blackboard under “All
My Courses”.
This is a level 5 paper, worth 15 points. This paper runs for 12 weeks (excludes exam weeks) and has
1 session per week.
Rooms can change at the last minute and are not listed in the paper study guide. Refer to
arion.aut.ac.nz for your current timetable AND to your paper’s page on Blackboard for any room
changes/updates.
Teaching team and contact details:
For all enquiries and questions relating to this paper, email [email protected] or contact your
workshop lecturer. If necessary, the paper administrator or your workshop lecturer will then refer
your enquiry on to one of the paper coordinators.
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Success in your paper
Academic study is intellectually challenging. To come to grips with the content in your paper, what it
means, and how it is applied, you need to do the following:
attend all lectures and hear key concepts and theories explained by your lecturers, who are
experts on their subjects
attend all workshops to make sense of what you’ve learned and to apply it to authentic
scenarios
read all material given by your lecturers, make notes on it and make sure that you have
grasped the information
undertake three hours study for every one hour of lectures – draw up a weekly timetable to
help with scheduling your study time
complete all assessments
All your lecturers want you to do well and to be well. Make sure you use the many student support
services on offer at AUT, if you feel that you are struggling with your studies.
For support within the Faculty, see information on your Blackboard programme organisation.
For AUT‐wide academic and wellbeing support, visit the Student Digital Workspace, under
the Learning Support and Student Life tabs.
Paper information
Pre‐requisite/Co‐requisite/Restriction requirements
None
Paper aim
An introduction to key issues and trends shaping the future of business. Concepts and frameworks
will be applied to describe and explain the way that developments in the global economy, digital
technology and the natural environment affect local and global stakeholders.
Learning outcomes
1. Review and evaluate secondary sources of information to explore issues relating to business
in a changing world
2. Apply appropriate concepts and frameworks to explain key developments and their impacts
on stakeholders
3. Identify and discuss potential responses to these developments at the level of individuals,
organisations and society
4. Display skills to work collaboratively in teams
5. Communicate effectively using multiple media
Content
Globalisation and the global economy
Global value chains and the global factory
Global economic and political change
Work and inequality in a global world
Digital disruption
IT‐enabled innovation
Big data in a connected world
Digital futures and societal change
Technology, politics and environmental change
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Blackboard programme organisation
Details of all papers, major requirements, full paper descriptors, exam schedules (mid
semester/term/trimester/year and final), assessment forms, timetables and all other information
relevant to current students can be found on Blackboard (https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz) under:
“My Organisations” Business Undergraduate Programme Information
Required texts and recommended reading
There are no required textbooks for this paper. However, each week you must complete a set of
independent learning activities which may include introduction videos, online lectures, external
video clips and readings. *Up until week 5 these have been completed prior to attending your
weekly workshop and were the subject of weekly quizzes. From week 6, you will need to complete
the independent learning activities before undertaking the tasks that are set each week. Each
week’s independent learning activities can be found on Blackboard under ‘Weekly Content’.
As with the earlier workshops, the weekly tasks will be prepared assuming that you have
completed the independent learning activities and are familiar with the material they contain.
Weekly programme
Week Topic Assessments Due
1 Introduction to Business in a Changing World: Thinking about
‘wicked problems’
2 Organisations and their context: The global environment and
stakeholders
3 Globalisation: Processes and institutions
4 Economic and political change
5 Societal change and global inequality
6 The global factory: Ethics and changes in global value chains *Week 5 Quiz
*Stakeholder Report
7 *Global environmental change: Business in the Anthropocene
8 Future of work: Automation and the changing nature of work
9 Digital disruption and the platform economy
10 The data economy: Algorithms and privacy in a digital world *Integrated Report
11 Digital futures and the fourth industrial revolution
12 *Individual work on Reflection *Reflection
Assessment information
All students should obtain a copy of either the Business Programmes Assessment and Study
Handbook or the Law Programmes Assessment and Study Handbook, which include information on:
Academic Integrity
Attendance
Assignments (Format, Presentation, Referencing, Submission)
Exams (Regulations, Schedule)
Assessment (Return of Assessments; Review/Reconsideration, Uncollected Assessments)
Results
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These handbooks are available online from “My Organisations” on Blackboard
(https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz)
Please note: Assessments may be copied and kept for moderation and programme administration
purposes. Presentations may also be videoed.
Extensions and other Special Consideration Applications (SCAs)
Students may apply for an extension or for special consideration where there are exceptional
circumstances.
The SCA online request form is available through Blackboard. Access the form via the “Special
Consideration” tab at the top of the Blackboard home page once you have logged in. Follow the
instructions provided.
Penalty for late submission of assessment items
The penalty for late submission will be a reduction by 5% or one grade (e.g. B+ to B) per day up to a
maximum of five days. An assessment item will not be marked if it is more than five days late.
Assessment structure
*Please note there have been important changes to Assessments 3 and 4
Reconsideration
You are entitled to make a formal request for reconsideration of marks in cases where you believe
your assessment work has not been marked in accordance with published marking criteria. This
request can only be made when assessed work is returned, or during review/reconsideration. There
is a strict process to follow – refer to the Business Programmes Assessment and Study Handbook or
the Law Programmes Assessment and Study Handbook for details. Note that, where assessments
have been submitted electronically, you normally only have 48 hours from the time the graded
assessment is made available on Blackboard to apply for reconsideration.
Pass requirements
Students are expected to attempt every assessment event. In order to gain a pass in this paper you
must obtain at least 50% overall in the paper. You must attempt the Assessment 3 to be eligible to
pass the paper.
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Assessment event details
Assessment 1: Quizzes
Due date Week 5 quiz due Week 6, 12 noon Monday 4 May
Weighting 10% (Weeks 2‐5)
Type Quiz
Length 5 questions
Submission Online, via Blackboard
Requirements * This assessment has been truncated and will now apply only to weeks 2‐
5. The weighting has been reduced accordingly. Please read the following
for changes relating to this as well as activities and tasks for the rest of
the semester.
Each week you have been required to undertake a set of independent
learning activities to prepare for your workshop class (weeks 2‐5), to apply
and develop your learning and to build understanding for assessments.
The final activity each week was a short quiz which tested your
understanding of the independent learning activity content. The first three
quizzes relating to the content in weeks 2‐4 have been submitted. The
fourth quiz, relating to Week 5 content, is due by 12 noon on Monday 4
May, Week 6. The combined results of the 4 quizzes will make up your
grade for this assessment.
The Independent Learning Activities will continue for the rest of the
semester. As before, this entails specific activities such as watching online
lectures, reading newspaper articles or book chapters and watching
external video clips. It is estimated that these activities should take
approximately one hour to complete each week. The activities can be
found on Blackboard under ‘Weekly Content /Independent Learning
Activities’.
NB. From week 6 you will complete weekly set tasks to apply the
independent learning content. You will need to complete and attach your
responses to these tasks in an Appendix to your week 12 Reflection – see
Assessment 4 for details.
Programme 1. Be inquiring, open, and agile thinkers able to seek out and address
learning goals complex problems
3. Be adept at working in changing local and global contexts and
environments
4. Be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at
large
Paper learning 1. Review and evaluate secondary sources of information to explore issues
outcomes relating to business in a changing world
2. Apply appropriate concepts and frameworks to explain key
developments and their impacts on stakeholders
3. Identify and discuss potential responses to these developments at the
level of individuals, organisations and society
Assessment 2: Stakeholder Report
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Due date *Week 6, 12 noon Friday 8 May
Weighting 20%
Type Assignment
Length 750 words maximum (excluding reference list)
Submission Turnitin via Blackboard
Requirements *This assessment remains the same as the original, but with the deadline
extended
You are required to write a report that explains the implications of an issue
related to business in a changing world, for two different stakeholder
groups of a business.
The assessment aims to develop your skills in:
Searching, evaluating and utilising quality sources of information.
Articulating different perspectives on complex issues and supporting
your view with evidence from quality sources.
You will:
Choose a scenario related to business in a changing world from the list
available on Blackboard under ‘Assessments/Stakeholder Report’
Research a relevant issue relating to the scenario, using a range of
quality sources of information
Write a report that provides:
‐ A title
‐ An introduction that identifies and briefly outlines the issue that
your report explores, and clearly identifies two key stakeholder
groups of the business
‐ A body that briefly justifies your choice of stakeholder groups and
analyses in depth, the implications of your issue from the
perspective of both groups.
‐ Your conclusion or opinion on the scenario that is well‐supported by
your analysis
‐ Evidence from at least four quality information sources to support
your ideas
‐ Both in‐text references and a reference list of all your information
sources. Refer to the AUT Library APA Referencing Style Guide for
assistance.
Your report must be created using a Word document and include your
name, Student ID number and BUSS506 stream number at the top of your
document.
This assessment must follow the academic integrity guidelines stated in the
Business Programmes Assessment and Study Handbook or the Law
Programmes Assessment and Study Handbook and use the required
referencing style.
For the assessment marking criteria, see Blackboard ‘Assessments/
Stakeholder Report’.
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Programme 1. Be inquiring, open, and agile thinkers able to seek out and address
learning goals complex problems
3. Be adept at working in changing local and global contexts and
environments
4. Be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at
large
6. Be effective communicators
Paper learning 1. Review and evaluate secondary sources of information to explore issues
outcomes relating to business in a changing world
2. Apply appropriate concepts and frameworks to explain key
developments and their impacts on stakeholders
Assessment 3: Integrated Report
Due date *Week 10, 12 noon Friday 5 June
Weighting *50%
Type Report
Length 1,500 words excluding reference list
Submission Turnitin via Blackboard
Requirements *This assessment has been adapted from the original Assessment 4 – there
have been some changes, as well as a new due date and an increase in the
weighting.
You are required to write a report that analyses and evaluates the
implications of global change, digital change and change in the natural
environment, for business in a given industry.
The aim of this assessment is for you to think critically about business in
relation to multifaceted changes and their implications, by undertaking
quality research and by bringing together concepts and insights from across
the Paper.
Your report should:
Offer a deep understanding of the given industry by undertaking
relevant research and by drawing on multiple concepts and issues from
all three areas of the BUSS506 paper. Note: implications for your
industry could include both impacts on business and how business is
responding, but you should avoid undue focus on areas of business not
explored in BUSS506, such as marketing. *You may wish to mention
Covid‐19, but your report should go well beyond a focus on this issue.
Draw on at least six different quality sources of information to inform
and support your ideas. Acknowledge all your sources of information
by using in‐text references through your report and provide a reference
list at the end of your report. Refer to the AUT Library APA Referencing
Style Guide for assistance.
Draw conclusions about how the three areas are shaping the future of
business in your industry, including a well‐justified explanation of which
of the three you believe will have the most significant impact.
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*Provide a recommendation to promote significant positive change on
an issue that relates to at least one of the ideas raised in your report.
Format:
Your report must be created using a Word or PDF document and
include your name, Student ID no. and BUSS506 stream no. at the top
of your document.
Provide a descriptive title
Use a basic report format: 1.0 Introduction, 2.0 Discussion, 3.0
Conclusion, Reference List. Use descriptive subheadings in the
Discussion section to highlight key ideas as relevant
Number your pages
This assessment must follow the academic integrity guidelines stated in the
Business Programmes Assessment and Study Handbook or the Law
Programmes Assessment and Study Handbook and use the required
referencing style.
For the assessment marking criteria, refer to Blackboard ‘Assessments/
Integrated Report’.
Programme 1. Be inquiring, open, and agile thinkers able to seek out and address
learning goals complex problems
3. Be adept at working in changing local and global contexts and
environments
4. Be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at
large
6. Be effective communicators
Paper learning 1. Review and evaluate secondary sources of information to explore issues
outcomes relating to business in a changing world
2. Apply appropriate concepts and frameworks to explain key
developments and their impacts on stakeholders
3. Identify and discuss potential responses to these developments at the
level of individuals, organisations and society
10
Assessment 4: *Reflection
Due date Week 12, 12 noon Friday 19 June
Weighting 20%
Type Assignment
Length 300 words plus Appendix
Submission Turnitin via Blackboard
Requirements *This is a new assessment.
You will write a reflection on your personal learning and development from
the BUSS506 paper.
Your reflection could relate to your most significant learning, your new
awareness of a specific issue relevant to business in a changing world,
your new insights about the complex nature of business or about the
future of business, your development of academic, interpersonal or
other skills, or the relevance of the paper for your future career.
You must attach an Appendix outlining your responses to the weekly
tasks from weeks 6‐11. This is intended as evidence to support your
reflection ‐ you should refer to at least one key idea from the Appendix,
in your Reflection.
This assessment must follow the academic integrity guidelines stated in the
Business Programmes Assessment and Study Handbook or the Law
Programmes Assessment and Study Handbook and use the required
referencing style. (Note: you do not need to use references in this
assessment although you can if you wish.)
For the assessment marking criteria, see Blackboard ‘Assessments/
Reflection’.
Programme 1. Be inquiring, open, and agile thinkers able to seek out and address
learning goals complex problems
3. Be adept at working in changing local and global contexts and
environments
4. Be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at
large
6. Be effective communicators
Paper learning 1. Review and evaluate secondary sources of information to explore issues
outcomes relating to business in a changing world
2. Apply appropriate concepts and frameworks to explain key
developments and their impacts on stakeholders
3. Identify and discuss potential responses to these developments at the
level of individuals, organisations and society
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