Course Outline

BUS320 Business, Governance and Society

Course Coordinator:Deanna Grant-Smith (dgrantsmith@usc.edu.au) School:School of Business and Creative Industries

2026Trimester 2

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC Moreton Bay

Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Online

Online You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

Businesses are under increasing pressure to demonstrate high levels of ethical and sustainable behaviours. By engaging with issues of corporate social responsibility (CSR), business ethics, and sustainability (including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) in this course you will extend your ability to analyse complex business issues and identify multi-stakeholder expectations of business. You will gain an informed understanding of the the role of governance, the importance and impact of business policy, governance, risk and crisis management, and corporate citizenship in meeting these obligations. You will also refine your reflexivity and self-assessment skills to guide your professional development. 

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled face to face workshops. 2hrs Week 1 11 times
Online
Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled online workshops. 2hrs Week 1 11 times

Course Topics

  • Sustainable Development Goals
  • Business ethics
  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
  • Stakeholder engagement 
  • Social enterprise
  • Governance, risk and reputation
  • Values, morals, ethics & virtue
  • Values alignment, CSR & leadership
  • Ethics of care and dealing with ethical failure
  • Being reflexive

What level is this course?

300 Level (Graduate)

Demonstrating coherence and breadth or depth of knowledge and skills. Independent application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Meeting professional requirements and AQF descriptors for the degree. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory or developing knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally undertaken in the third or fourth full-time study year of an undergraduate program.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... Professional Standard Mapping * Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
1 Identify and apply appropriate analytical techniques to identify business stakeholders and their implications for a firm. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
Ethical
PC3, PC3.1, PC4, PC6, PC6.2
2 Apply appropriate discipline knowledge and theory to identify relevant CSR, ethics and sustainability approaches and make recommendations. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
Ethical
Sustainability-focussed
PC3, PC3.1, PC4, PC4.1, PC6.2
3 Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the role of society and the implications for an extended stakeholder approach to business decisions. Knowledgeable
Empowered
Ethical
PC3, PC3.1, PC4, PC5.1, PC6, PC6.2
4 Demonstrate an appreciation of the need to embrace and respect diversity and foster inclusivity in a business context Ethical
Sustainability-focussed
PC3, PC4, PC4.1, PC5, PC5.1, PC6, PC6.2
5 Demonstrate effective communication skills in a business context Empowered
PC1.1, PC1.2, PC1.3, PC6, PC6.1, PC6.2

* Competencies by Professional Body

CODE COMPETENCY
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
PC1.1 Written Communication
PC1.2 Oral Communication
PC1.3 Digital Literacy
PC3 Creative and Critical Thinking
PC3.1 Problem Solving
PC4 Community Consciousness
PC4.1 Social Responsibility and Sustainability
PC5 Cultural Awareness
PC5.1 Diversity
PC6 Career-ready
PC6.1 Self-management
PC6.2 Discipline Knowledge

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

Completed 96 units in undergraduate business courses

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

It would be advisable for students to have general management and strategic management knowledge or be in their final year of undergraduate studies.

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

Formative feedback is provided informally during workshops.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Report Individual 50%
2,000 words
Week 7 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Oral Individual 50%
10 minutes
Week 12 Online Submission
All - Assessment Task 1:Case Analysis
Goal:
To identify various stakeholders, and critically analyse and address their concerns within a business context.
Product: Report
Authorship Statement:
Format:
You will actively apply the concepts and theories learnt in this course to real-world scenarios. This application will be accompanied by a reflective process, encouraging critical evaluation, and understanding.

This task is being used for measuring assurance of learning towards Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. The following Program Competency will be assessed: PC4.1: Social Responsibility (Demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of the need to take a socially responsible and sustainable approach to business decisions).
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Identification of core ethical values
1
2
Recognition of diverse stakeholder interests in a business decision making context.
3
3
Application of socially responsible approaches to decision making in business contexts.
3
4
Knowledge of relevant legislation and principles associated with social sustainability.
3
5
Reflexivity and self-assessment.
2
6
Professional writing.
5
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving
All - Assessment Task 2:Values and Professional Development Narrative
Goal:
To cultivate a strategy for personal and professional Ethics and CSR development into the initial post-graduation stages.
Product: Oral
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Applying learnings from this course and reflection, you will use your oral and digital communication skills to explain the expansion of your personal and professional development into the early years of your post-graduation professional career.

This task is being used for measuring assurance of learning towards Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. The following Program Competency will be assessed: PC5.1: Diversity (Demonstrate an appreciation of the need to embrace and respect diversity and foster inclusion in a business context).
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Reflexivity and self-assessment
2
2
Appreciation and respect for cultural and other forms of diversity in a business context.
4
3
Professional presentation
5
4
Development of a behavioural action plan to respond to ethical issues.
2
5
Valuing of the need for inclusion in a business context.
4
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

There are no required/recommended resources for this course.

Specific requirements

Not applicable

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: