miss

27/02/2013

BUSS5000 Critical Thinking in
Business
Week 1: Unit introduction and overview
Lyn Carson
Professor, Business Programs Unit
BUSS5000 U S C di t
UoS Coordinator
THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

BUSINESS SCHOOL

Preview of today’s lecture

› Studying business at the USBS
- Curriculum design: two key drivers

› Unit Introduction
-

Teaching team
Aims and structure
Assessment

› BUSS5100 Communicating in Business
› PASS
› Tutorial reminder
› Next week
2

Studying business at USBS
Curriculum design: two key drivers

1

27/02/2013

Curriculum design: two drivers

›Driver 1
Q: What do business employers want?
A: Employability skills!
- In addition to technical knowledge, employers want graduates who are: (i)

Worldly wise (global perspective, strong inter-cultural skills)

(ii) Prepared to question and test assumptions (critical mindset)
- And who are equipped with:
(iii) High quality communication skills (written and oral)
(iv) Effective problem solving skills
(v) Ability to foster effective team work
4

Curriculum design: two drivers

›Driver 2
- Response to the GFC

-Loss of trust; negative stereotypes: theft, corruption, fraud, greed

5

Change, business & society

› The changing nature of society has brought with it changing attitudes to:
- The role of business in society (increase profits and/or create wealth; risk aversion and/or need for innovation & creativity)
- Its responsibility to society and the environment
- Climate change
- Resource conflict (energy, land, minerals, food, water)
- CSR & sustainability (CSRS)
6

2

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From organisations, change, CSRS to ethics

‘And the important part is to get the values, the culture, the very y p
,
y ethics of how you operate, really deeply embedded into the organisation.’ (Michael Smith, CEO, ANZ)

Ethical & social responsibility (PLO#6)

›Our responsibility
›What we can be