Course Outline

MGT325 Managing Quality

Course Coordinator:Noel Tracey (ntracey@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

Creating an organisation with a reputation for quality practice and excellence requires commitment and comprehensive knowledge. Quality management requires considering the business as a multi-level system where all parts pull in the same direction - quality! Employee empowerment, customer satisfaction, visionary leadership are all required to achieve high performance and quality excellence. A quality focus provides a firm with an increased capacity to undertake initiates which support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this course you will learn what is needed to achieve quality management in small and large firms as well as a variety of approaches for understanding firms as quality systems. 

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. 1hr Week 1 11 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled face to face workshops. 2hrs Week 1 11 times
Online
Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. 1hr Week 1 11 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled online workshops (Recorded). 2hrs Week 1 10 times

Course Topics

  • Introduction and key concepts
  • Foundations of quality management
  • Customer focus
  • Workforce focus
  • Process focus
  • Design for quality
  • Measuring and controlling
  • Process improvement
  • Strategy and quality performance
  • Knowledge management 
  • Leadership for quality excellence
  • Building and sustaining quality

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 Understand and explain quality management concepts, definitions, theories, philosophies, frameworks and methodologies. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
Empowered
Sustainability-focussed
PC1.1, PC1.2, PC3, PC3.1, PC6.2
2 Understand and apply the principles, practices and applications of quality management for product or service improvement, design and performance monitoring. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
Empowered
Sustainability-focussed
PC1.1, PC3, PC3.1, PC6, PC6.1, PC6.2
3 Demonstrate critical and creative thinking to identify and solve business quality problems and arrive at innovative solutions through service-based case studies. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
Empowered
Ethical
Engaged
Sustainability-focussed
PC1.1, PC3, PC3.1, PC4.1, 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
PC3 Creative and Critical Thinking
PC3.1 Problem Solving
PC4.1 Social Responsibility and Sustainability
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

BUS104

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

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 will be delivered informally through the discussion in activities in the workshops and end of module quizzes.  In addition, formal formative feedback will be delivered in Task 1 in response to students first attempt quiz answers.

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 Quiz/zes Individual 50%
90 min
Week 5 Online Test (Quiz)
All 2 Case Study Individual 50%
2,500 words
Week 12 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1:Task 1 Exam
Goal:
Demonstrate understanding of quality management concepts, philosophies and theories.
Product: Quiz/zes
Authorship Statement:
Format:
On-line exam. Further instructions will be provided in canvas.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Demonstration of mastery of quality management concepts covered in the module content.
1
2
Ability to apply relevant concepts, theories and philosophies in addressing the questions
2
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving
All - Assessment Task 2:Task 2 case study
Goal:
To demonstrate your ability to apply quality management knowledge, concepts and theories in the context of a small business in the service industry to enable you to undertake an assessment of the quality situation of their firm. This task requires a) a critical evaluation of the current quality issues and quality system (if any) of a small service firm and b) the creative design of a new quality management system which can help build performance excellence for the business. Your goal is to 1) assess the current situation and 2) to identify opportunities with a view to proposing an effective and appropriate quality management system as a framework for the improvement and advancement for the firm.
Product: Case Study
Authorship Statement:
Format:
This task is being used for measuring assurance of learning towards Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. It assesses Program Learning Outcome PLO3.1: demonstrate critical and creative thinking to identify and solve business problems and arrive at innovative solutions. Further instructions will be provided in canvas.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Application of relevant quality management concepts/frameworks and theories
1
2
Assessment of the influence of quality management practices in improving customer satisfaction/organisational performance
2
3
Critical and creative evaluation and logical development of arguments in presenting your analysis
3
4
Professional written communication and presentation with use of relevant credible sources and appropriate referencing style
1
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

You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.

Required? Author Year Title Edition Publisher
Required Evans, J.R. and Lindsay, W.M 2020 Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence 11th ed. Cengage Learning

Specific requirements

Students are required to read the textbook chapters and complete the module activities before participating in workshops.

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: