Melbourne Business Practicum

This subject is not offered in 2013.

156 hours.

Full-time students enrolled in a 2 year course must have completed at least 50 points of their degree at the time of application.
Full-time students enrolled in a 1 year or 1.5 year course are eligible to apply during their first semester.
Part-time students with less than 50 points completed need to confirm their eligibility with their Program Manager.

Note:
A quota applies to this subject. Academic performance and key skills/knowledge for the industry host's project are the key selection criteria, followed by the personal statement.

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Students will be assigned in small groups (3-4/group) to a Practicum Organisation. Working in teams, they will undertake a structured business planning or business development exercise. This will be supported by seminar work equipping the students with knowledge of approaches, tools and techniques for completing the task and an understanding of report formats appropriate for conveying the results. During the practicum, in-depth work will be undertaken in identifying the scope, opportunities, constraints and recommendations of the exercise. Students will learn to work with unstructured and incomplete information in real business settings, to develop research and networks to support their enquiry, to work successfully in teams, to present their findings and seek and received constructive feedback in a range of settings. Students will also be encouraged to plan, reflect and modify their approaches to improve the outcomes of their efforts in managing the business project.

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Apply theory and practice of relevant commerce disciplines to address real-world business issues
• Research, analyse, evaluate and propose practical business solutions within the bounds of the exercise
• Identify key strategic questions and assess options related to the exercise

• Team presentation on research proposal to academic(s). Presentation will cover the research question and the high-level approach necessary for its solution. Due at start of practicum (20%);

• Team presentation to host company, including brief report of not more than 1,000 words. Delivered on final day of in-company placement (30%);

• Full team report on project (with accompanying file of resources) of not more than 4,000 words in length. Due one week after the end of the in-company placement (40%)

• The remaining 10% of the assessment will be individually based and require students to prepare a written essay to reflect on various aspects of their practicum experience, due at the conclusion of the placement. The individually based assessment will be no more than 500 words. Due conclusion of placement (10%).

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This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On successful completion of this subject, students should have improved the following generic skills:

• Verbal and written communication skills through interaction with staff at the practicum companies, academics and fellow students
• Project management skills, including an enhanced capacity for accurate scoping of projects, the development of approaches and timelines to address complex business issues and the execution of the required approaches and tasks within the timelines set
• Team work demonstrated by good communication within the group, understanding of skills brought by individual members, organising for achievement and presenting group report
• Research, problem solving and critical thinking
• Documentation preparation and presentation skills through assigned tasks and the practicum exercise
• Interpersonal skills through the practicum exercise and assigned tasks

Demonstrate key attributes sought by employers including cross-cultural communication skills, interpersonal skills, time management, commercial acumen, initiative, independent learning and team skills.