21950 Challenge/Opportunity Design
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Subject handbook information prior to 2021 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 12 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksRequisite(s): 21949 Challenge/Opportunity Discovery OR 21955 Innovative Strategies OR 21954 Sustainable Enterprise in Dynamic Systems OR 21953c Decision Making Under Uncertainty OR 21958c Managing Technological Disruptions
The lower case 'c' after the subject code indicates that the subject is a corequisite. See definitions for details.
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
The subject is highly interactive and is conducted under the guidance of both academics and industry project managers.
The subject synthesizes knowledge acquired in other subjects of the degree. Students apply that knowledge to live client engagements and provide evidence-based strategic solutions and business plans that are actionable.
The teaching methods include seminars, group discussion using creative and critical thinking techniques, and collaboration with business professionals and practitioners. Students are required to meet their client several times throughout the subject, and plan weekly team meetings to progress their projects. They present their work in progress to an independent advisory panel for feedback and comments as a part of the learning experience. Some or all of the class sessions, team and client meetings and feedback presentations might take place online if deemed necessary by UTS based on NSW Health guidelines. Preparation outside the class: Students are required to complete a range of online preparation modules and read and reflect upon assigned learning materials provided online.
As consultants, students are expected to assign any intellectual property in the work they create.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 1. | research and critically assess different types of data in order to gain in-depth insights into an organizational challenge/opportunity |
|---|---|
| 2. | critically apply a range of strategic consulting and Design Thinking tools and techniques to design viable strategic solutions and/or innovative sustainable business models |
| 3. | assess current and proposed practices in regards to potential social and environmental impacts and develop ethical and sustainable solutions and business plans |
| 4. | demonstrate responsibility and advanced skills in client management, relationship management, project management and communication |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the following program learning objectives:
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of key business concepts and practices (1.1)
- Analyse business models and plans for business development purposes (1.2)
- Demonstrate advanced skills in professional business practice (5.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject requires students to work as a team on a real-life organisational challenge/opportunity and to develop potential viable and sustainable solutions/strategies to address it. In doing so, students need to use knowledge and skills developed in the previous subjects of the Advanced MBA and apply these to the real-world scenarios. They will further develop a range of soft skills that enhance their proficiency as responsible business leaders.
This subject contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes:
- GA1. Business knowledge and concepts – be able to operate effectively with business knowledge of sufficient depth in different professions, industry and society, both locally and globally.
- GA5. Business practice oriented skills – be able to integrate generic, technical and professional skills including being proficient in technology, to operate effectively in various industry contexts with the capacity to anticipate and respond to change.
Teaching and learning strategies
The subject is highly interactive and will be conducted under the guidance of both academics and industry project managers.
The subject synthesizes knowledge acquired in other subjects of the degree. Students apply that knowledge to live client engagements and provide evidence-based strategic solutions and business plans that are actionable.
The teaching methods include seminars, group discussion using creative and critical thinking techniques, and collaboration with business professionals and practitioners. Students will be required to meet their client several times throughout the subject, and plan weekly team meetings to progress their projects. They will present their work in progress to an independent advisory panel for feedback and comments as a part of the learning experience.
Preparation outside class: Students are required to complete a range of preparation courses provided via Lynda.com and read and reflect upon assigned learning materials provided online.
As consultants, students will be expected to assign any intellectual property in the work they create.
Content (topics)
- Primary (e.g., interviews, surveys) and secondary (industry reports, financial data) research techniques
- Critical thinking and critical evaluation of data and informants’ stories, testing assumptions and synthesising multiple perspectives
- Macro-, meso- and micro-level strategic consulting tools and techniques
- Transdisciplinary methods of inquiry, including Design and Systems Thinking and Service Design
- Innovative sustainable business models
- Sustainable modelling and assessment of developed solutions and business plans
- Responsible client, relationship and project management and empathetic communication/presentation tools and skills
- Ethics, integrity and professionalism in providing strategic advice
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Interim client report and presentation
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2 and 4 This addresses program learning objectives(s): 1.1 and 1.2 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Criteria: | As a group, students will be assessed on the quality of the interim report and presentation (Group assessment weighting 10%). Individually, students will be assessed based on the quality of the task/section for which they have key responsibility, their initiative and ability to communicate and present to professional audience (presentation skills). This will take into account the specific role each team member is allocated (e.g., client contact, project manager, team manager, etc). Peer feedback and assessment of team members' contributions will be considered (Individual assessment weighting 30%). |
Assessment task 2: Final client report and presentation
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 2, 3 and 4 This addresses program learning objectives(s): 1.1, 1.2 and 5.1 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Weight: | 60% |
| Criteria: | As a group, students will be assessed on the quality of the final report and presentation (Group assessment weighting 20%). Individually, students will be assessed based on the quality of the section/task for which they have key responsibility, their initiative and ability to communicate and present to professional audience (presentation skills), and their ability to incorporate feedback provided as part of Assessment 1. This will take into account the specific role each team is allocated (e.g., client contact, project manager, team manager, etc). Peer feedback and assessment of team members' contributions will be considered (Individual assessment weighting 30%). Students’ individual reflection assessment is weighted at 10%. |
Minimum requirements
Students must achieve at least 50% of the subject’s total marks and complete all assessments.
Required texts
This is a reading and writing intensive course.
The main text used in the course is: Garrette, B., Phelps, C. and Sibony, O. (2018) Cracked it!: how to solve big problems and sell solutions like top strategy consultants: https://search.lib.uts.edu.au/permalink/61UTS_INST/19joism/alma991004270199705671.
A range of additional resources will be compiled including academic and non-academic publications, Lynda.com courses, TED talks, documentaries, movies, podcasts etc. These are available via Canvas. Some resources will also be shared via the MS Teams site for the subject.
These include:
- Project-related reading: There will be substantial amounts of client-related materials and the need to procure evidence to support research and analysis. Apart from the data and materials provided by the client, this subject will also require students to gather organisation/industry background and context information from all available sources. These may include annual reports, analyst reports, websites, and (in particular) database resources that can be accessed through the UTS Library.
- Strategy and consulting practice and theory reading: As provided online.
References
Baden-Fuller, C., & Haefliger, S. (2013). Business models and technological innovation. Long range planning, 46(6), 419-426.
Bensoussan, B. E., & Fleisher, C. S. (2012). Analysis without paralysis: 12 tools to make better strategic decisions. FT Press.
Dorst, K. (2015). Frame Innovation; create new thinking by design, Design Thinking, Design Theory.
Garrette et al. (2018) Cracked it! : how to solve big problems and sell solutions like top strategy consultants
Kimbell, L. (2014). The service innovation handbook: action-oriented creative thinking toolkit for service organizations. BIS publishers.Stanley, D. & Castles, G. (2017) The so what strategy : introducing classic storylines that answer one of the most uncomfortable questions in business.