Graduate Diploma of Business Administration

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In today's business environment there is a plethora of information available—too much information! Paradoxically, decisions have to be made quickly with what often appears to be ambiguous or not enough information. How do leaders collect the most pertinent and important information to make decisions that will impact tomorrow's firms and communities? This subject engages students in the nuances of data collection, how to filter data and how to use it most effectively in decision-making. The subject develops the student's quantitative research skills, and digital literacy.

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This subject is to be started at the same time as the student first enrols in the MBA, although they will not enrol in it until all core subjects are passed. This subject is the culminating and integrating experience for the MBA. Students will keep a reflective diary from during their study in all other subjects and then put their knowledge to practice in a custom setting negotiated with the learning facilitator. A final project enables students to demonstrate their ability to think strategically and apply the concepts and tools learned in the subject to an organisation of their choice. This subject sees students combine a range of research methodologies to real business problems to demonstrate how the rigour and application of research processes can underpin the justification for change. Prerequisite: All core MBA subjects

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This subject sets the tone for managing business operations in the 21st century. While the focus is operations management, this subject builds on strategic management concepts and introduces the student to business process management, value stream mapping and supply chain management with an emphasis on technology. Through an enterprise context the student will practice and reflect on systems thinking, thereby developing their leadership skills.

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This subject examines the key issues currently facing all organisations when creating products and services for highly competitive and rapidly changing markets. Outperforming competitors requires careful management of business processes, fostering corporate competencies, and aligning the firm to its environment. The student will learn and then practice strategising through a number of theories and practical settings.

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21st Century professionals who wish to achieve a position of leadership must have a clear understanding of the importance of marketing and a grasp of effective marketing practices. This subject provides an overview of both marketing theory and the practical application of innovative marketing strategies. Students will also come to understand how product, price, place, and promotion contribute to the marketing mix as they explore research-‐‐based insights into consumer behaviour. This subject focuses on research methods relating to samples and inference, particularly with regards to market research data collection and analysis.

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This subject is focused on how to utilise financial information for internal decision-making purposes. It is designed for the leader who will be using, rather than producing financial information. This subject also addresses the various types of financial decisions that leaders must make, and the strategies necessary to anticipate the alternatives, evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each and recognise the trade-offs inherent in each alternative. The objective of this subject is for students to learn how to apply finance theory and principles to the analysis of important business problems. Specific topics will include capital budgeting, cost of capital, risk, capital structure, payout policy, and enterprise valuation.

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This subject focuses on the development of knowledge and skills to enable students to identify, analyse and make effective decisions to resolve people- related issues in organisations, facilitate employee development, and develop and sustain effective teams in complex, diverse, and increasingly global operating environments. Topics include strategic human resource management, organisational design, culture and ethics, organisational behaviour, motivation and performance management, retention and succession planning, and organisation, project and functional teams. Students will focus on group based research methods in this subject including the use of focus groups, surveys and other instruments that provide data about group samples.

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Understanding organisational behaviour, politics, dynamics and environments and how they impact on the role and legitimacy of the management function is the core of this subject. This subject helps individuals understand the constraints they face as managers and emerging leaders and how they can develop strategies to leverage advantages and overcome constraints and barriers in their organisations. The subject also focuses on developing some of the advanced communication skills necessary in management and leadership roles, and the ability of the individual to influence others. The subject introduces students to the concept of naturally occurring data and qualitative analysis.

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Being an effective and genuine leader in a dynamic era requires an understanding of leadership concepts, how leaders think and act, and how various management styles impact situations and relationships within an organisation. Being a dynamic leader also demands a strong set of competencies such as motivating self and others, leading creativity in an organisation, cultural intelligence, and navigating ambiguity. This subject provides students with a foundation of leadership theory, styles, and approaches, and an opportunity for students to assess and build on their own leadership styles throughout the course.

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This subject examines the operation of a business in its environments including an analysis of the macro and micro influences on a business’ strategy, operations and decision making. Includes development of knowledge of the Australian legal framework and regulatory compliance; global economic, social and ethical principles that influence modern organisational decision making; and sources of competitive advantage.

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The Business Communications subject provides a dynamic focus on managerial communication and professional development.  It will assist students to develop the interpersonal and written communication skills required for success in business. Students will be immersed in a series of skill-based activities, simulations, and individualized coaching designed to build their strategic thinking and communication skills. Additionally students will gain confidence in their communication through application and feedback. Emphasis is placed on writing skills, reports, and presentations, and using technology to communicate.

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The subject focuses on risk management, risk assessment and risk mitigation plans, including the necessary communication plans and skills to ensure that incidents and risks are managed as safely as possible in a controlled manner.  The value of such activities is critically analysed to ensure that the effort expended is appropriate to the size of the risk.

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This subject seeks to build the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to succeed as an entrepreneur. These knowledge and skills are then applied to identify and evaluate innovative high-growth product and service opportunities in the context of a start-up, a corporation, a not for profit or a government institution. This subject equips students with practical skills, including creativity tools, cash-flow modelling, business model analysis and lean experimentation. Students prepare a business plan for a new venture, enabling them to integrate their theoretical and practical knowledge. Prerequisite: Financial Management

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This subject will enable students to apply their research skills to solving a managerial problem in their work context to utilise a work related project opportunity that has arisen from their progress on the MBA in their workplace. In an applied research project, students will analyse a real-world management problem of which he or she has experience or has been able to observe, such as poor financial performance, resistance to organisational change and loss of market share. The students are expected to analyse the problem in terms of relevant concepts and develop feasible options for solving the problem. The subject will contain a research methods component. Alternatively, students may use an organisational development opportunity being afforded to them by their organisation through some form of corporate training as the basis for this unit report. In this instance the assessment will be the application of the additional training to their work and an impact analysis of the training on their practice. Both options require elements of research methodology to be applied in the context of their workplace. Prerequisite: At least 32 units of MBA subjects.

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Technology impacts on most everything that we do in organisations, how we do deliver and perform, and how efficiently we manage our operations. Technology strategy therefore focuses on making the right decisions about the deployment of technology in line with business strategy and the risks associated with making the wrong technology decisions. The subject employs a range of research methods to draw up scenarios for decision making, and requires the students to present the case for a technology innovation strategy to a board of stakeholders. Prerequisite: Management Information Systems

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This subject is underpinned by notions that are measured by the triple bottom line: economic, social and environmental costs and benefits. The subject explores the competitive advantage to be gained through sustainable practices and requires students to develop a sustainability strategy for an organisation of their choice. This subject explores the issues of social justice and human rights more fundamentally than other subjects as sustainability issues for the future.

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Benchmarking and the ability to collect, analyse and present benchmarking data to influence organisational decision making is a core competence for many organisations. This subject develops students’ analytical skills and understanding of benchmarking processes and procedures before supporting them in a benchmarking exercise of their own.

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This subject introduces students to the law, the role of the law and the impact the law has in its operation on managerial and business practice. Contract, tort, intellectual property, agency and employment law are considered, as well as means and methods of considering dispute resolution. How these are contextualised internationally is explored.

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The use of, control of, manipulation and presentation of data in organisations is becoming increasingly important in the management of stakeholder expectations. This subject explores the role of managing information systems, the impact of technological change on the management of information, and the risks associated with poor information management. Students work with case studies and scenarios to develop strategies for reviewing management information systems in their own contexts.