ECON1203 Business and Economic Statistics - 2023

Subject Code
ECON1203
Study Level
Undergraduate
Commencing Term
Term 1
Total Units of Credit (UOC)
6
Delivery Mode
On Campus
School
Economics
The course outline is not available for current term. To view outlines from other years and/or terms, visit the archives .

1. Course Details

Summary of Course

Have you commenced studying a Commerce degree since 2021 other than Commerce/Economics or Actuarial Studies/Commerce? Please note that this course is no longer a core course in Commerce degrees. Refer to the UNSW Student Handbook for the new program structure.

ECON1203 Business and Economic Statistics introduces students to the main statistical concepts and methods that are widely used in economics, finance, accounting, marketing and, more generally, in business. Emphasis is placed on applying statistical methods to draw inferences from sample data to support informed decision-making. Course topics include: descriptive statistics, probability distributions, point and interval estimation of parameters, hypothesis testing, and regression models. Students will learn to solve statistical problems in an Excel spreadsheet environment. This course provides the basis for further study of statistical and econometric methods.

Teaching Times and Locations

Please note that teaching times and locations are subject to change. Students are strongly advised to refer to the Class Timetable website for the most up-to-date teaching times and locations.

View course timetable

Course Policies & Support

The Business School expects that you are familiar with the contents of this course outline and the UNSW and Business School learning expectations, rules, policies and support services as listed below:

  • Program Learning Outcomes
  • Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
  • Student Responsibilities and Conduct
  • Special Consideration
  • Protocol for Viewing Final Exam Scripts
  • Student Learning Support Services

Further information is provided in the Assessment and Policies and Support sections.

Students may not circulate or post online any course materials such as handouts, exams, syllabi or similar resources from their courses without the written permission of their instructor.

Course Aims and Relationship to Other Courses

ECON1203 is offered as part of the first-year core in the BEc degree within the UNSW Business School. It aims to give you the basic skills and knowledge for data analysis that will be used in further study in all other disciplines in the Business School. In particular, ECON1203 is a prerequisite for all higher-level courses in econometrics and business statistics offered by the School of Economics. These courses are designed to equip students with more advanced statistical and other quantitative skills that are in demand by employers in the public and private sectors.

Presumed Knowledge

ECON 1203 takes seriously the Business School’s assumed knowledge requirement that all students entering the BEc degree are familiar with the material covered in HSC Mathematics, which includes: basic functions, including logarithmic and exponential; using graphs to represent and analyse functions; solving equations; basic probability; and elementary differentiation and integration. If you have not studied one or more of these topics previously, then remedial work will be necessary. This material will not be revised as part of the ECON1203 lectures or workshops.

A series of diagnostics have been designed to evaluate the adequacy of your basic quantitative skills for this course. These tests are available on the course website and all students should attempt the tests to reflect on whether they need additional help. Students with the appropriate background will find the tests straightforward. If this is not the case for you, and your results make you feel that you require some assistance, you may wish to engage in some self-directed study, in which case we recommend you purchase the following book available at the UNSW bookshop: Managing Mathematics: A Refresher Course for Economics and Commerce Students, by Judith Watson, 2nd edition, 2002.

In addition to the above resources, the education portfolio also offers individual consultations to support your numeracy skills. The best way to make use of these consultations is to complete the diagnostics, identify which questions you had difficulties with and then ask for assistance. This way, the consultation session can be utilised efficiently. You can make the bookings for these sessions here.

Student Learning Outcomes

The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) are what you should be able to demonstrate by the end of this course, if you participate fully in learning activities and successfully complete the assessment items.

CLOs also contribute to your achievement of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs), which are developed across the duration of a program. PLOs are, in turn, directly linked to UNSW graduate capabilities. More information on Coursework PLOs is available under Policies and Support. For PG Research PLOs, including MPDBS, please refer to the UNSW HDR Learning Outcomes.

The following table shows how the CLOs for this course relate to the overall PLOs and indicates where each CLO and PLO is assessed:

Course Learning Outcomes Program Learning Outcomes Course Assessment Item
On successful completion of the course, you should be able to: This course helps you to develop the following Program Learning Outcomes: This learning outcome will be assessed in the following items:

1. Explain basic statistical methods and know when to apply appropriate methods in practical scenarios. Employ statistical tools and skills to interpret characteristics of data relevant to problems in economics and business.

PLO 1: Business knowledge

  • Academia and Case study assessment
  • Excel training program

2. Independently use Excel’s graphical and statistical capabilities.

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 3: Business communication
PLO 7: Leadership development
  • Academia and Case study assessment
  • Excel training program

3. Formulate and solve real problems amenable to statistical analysis using data that arise in economics and business, using methods appropriate to the problem and data available.

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 2: Problem solving
PLO 7: Leadership development
  • Academia and Case study assessment

4. Construct written work which is logically and professionally presented. Convey statistical ideas and results so that non-experts can understand the key outcomes of analysis.

PLO 3: Business communication
  • Academia and Case study assessment

5. Work collaboratively to complete a task.

PLO 4: Teamwork
  • Academia and Case study assessment

6. Explain and demonstrate the ethical responsibilities associated with reporting statistical results.

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 3: Business communication
PLO 5: Responsible business practice
PLO 7: Leadership development
  • Academia and Case study assessment

7. Formulate economic and business interactions in analytical terms and analyse them using tools provided by the theory.

PLO 1: Business knowledge
PLO 2: Problem solving
PLO 3: Business communication
PLO 6: Global and cultural competence
  • Academia and Case study assessment

2. Staff Contact Details

Position Title Name Email Location Phone Consultation Times
Lecturer-in-chargeDrJonathan LimRoom 442C, UNSW Business School9065 6072Tuesday 1:30pm to 3:30pm or by appointment

A full list of demonstrators, workshop times and locations will be posted on the course website.

Communications with Staff

Note: The primary point of contact for the course is ECON1203@unsw.edu.au. Emailing this address ensures that your enquiry will be directed to the most appropriate person and responded to promptly. Please only contact course staff directly if specifically instructed to do so.

You should feel free to contact your lecturer(s) about any academic matter. However, where possible, all enquiries about the subject material should be made at lectures or workshops, or during consultation times. Discussion of course subject material will not be entered into via lengthy emails.

Any questions regarding administrative matters (e.g., workshop allocations) should be directed to ECON1203@unsw.edu.au


You should expect responses to email correspondence within 48 hours, but not over weekends. Before communicating with staff, please check relevant components of this course outline as this will provide answers to most common questions. You should also regularly check the course website for announcements and reminders about upcoming events and deadlines.

Student Enrolment Requests

Students can vary their own enrolment (including switching lecture streams or workshops) via myUNSW until the end of Week 1. In general, most other student enrolment requests should be directed to The Nucleus: Student Hub. These include enrolment in full courses or workshops, course timetable clashes, waiving prerequisites for any course, transfer-of-credit (international exchange, transfer to UNSW, cross-institutional study, etc.), or any other request which requires a decision about equivalence of courses and late enrolment for any course. Where appropriate, the request will be passed to the School Office for approval before processing. Note that enrolment changes are rarely considered after Week 2 classes have taken place.

Peer-Assisted Study Sessions (PASS)

PASS is a system of voluntary study groups available to ECON1203 students. The groups are led by senior students and are an opportunity to practice problems, develop study methods, ask questions, and consolidate your knowledge in a friendly, informal environment. The timetable will be available from the course website around Week 2. More information, including session times, will appear on the course website and in lectures. Note that for this term the sessions will be online.

Individual consultations

Since T2 2019, ECON1203 with assistance from the education portfolio has provided individual consultations for this course. The purpose of these sessions is to provide additional support in areas which you need further clarification. There are two types of consultation:

  • Numeracy: Designed to help support your numeracy skills in general and to help you brush up on the tools you'll need for this course. It is best to use these consultants in conjunction with the results you receive for your diagnostics.
  • ECON1203-specific: Designed to support your understanding of this subject. Consultants are some of the best past students in this course and can provide another perspective on your questions and provide guidance to assist your understanding. Please note they are not mathematicians. Thus if you have problems with numeracy, it is best to select the numeracy consultation, rather than this one.

All bookings for these consultation sessions can be made here. All sessions will be conducted online.

3. Learning and Teaching Activities

Use of your Webcam and Digital Devices: If you enrol in an online class, or the online stream of a hybrid class, teaching and associated activities will be conducted using Teams, Zoom, or similar a technology. Using a webcam is optional, but highly encouraged, as this will facilitate interaction with your peers and instructors. If you are worried about your personal space being observed during a class, we encourage you to blur your background or make use of a virtual background. Please contact the Lecturer-in-Charge if you have any questions or concerns.

Some courses may involve undertaking online exams for which your own computer or digital devices will be required. Monitoring of online examinations will be conducted directly by University staff and is bound by the University's privacy and security requirements. Any data collected will be handled accordance with UNSW policies and standards for data governance. For more information on how the University manages personal information please refer to the UNSW Student Privacy Statement and the UNSW Privacy Policy.

Approach to Learning and Teaching in the Course

The philosophy underpinning this course and its teaching and learning strategies is based on “Guidelines on Learning that Inform Teaching at UNSW".

The course materials and assessments have been designed to appropriately challenge students and support the achievement of the desired learning outcomes. A climate of inquiry and dialogue is encouraged between students and demonstrators and amongst students (in and out of class). Teaching staff aim to provide meaningful and timely feedback to students to improve learning outcomes.

Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

​The examinable content of the course is defined by the assigned textbook (including the review questions), lecture content, and any additional material provided by the Lecturer-in-Charge.

Class Structure

This course is offered through online lectures and weekly workshops, complemented by an active course website that enhances workshops. Students are expected to attend the lectures, which will be offered live online at the times published in the official UNSW timetable.

The weekly workshops are driven by the questions students need answering and the issues they want help with. Workshops are available both online and face-to-face. Attendance is voluntary but strongly recommended and encouraged, and students may attend any workshop that they choose, subject to physical space requirements for face-to-face workshops.

Covid restrictions permitting, several face-to-face workshops will also be available on top of the online workshops and continuous course website-based support that will continue to be available to all students.

Support is also available online through the course website. Course staff will be online during business hours to answer your questions quickly and efficiently, and to make sure you reach the desired level of preparation in this course. This means that support is available throughout the week, even outside scheduled class time.

Additionally, all workshop content will be released in advance (through your ebook), which will provide you with the opportunity to engage with the material early on and to ask questions whenever you require clarification.

Lectures

The purpose of lectures is to provide a logical structure for the topics that make up the course; to emphasise and explain the important concepts and methods in each topic; and to provide initial examples to which the concepts and methods are applied. This term the lectures will be provided online at the timetabled lecture times. All lectures will be recorded. In addition to this we will also provide additional links to videos to complement your lectures.

Workshops

Workshops are an integral part of the course. Workshop activities, including discussions, build on the material discussed in lectures and are designed to help you deepen your understanding and practice working with the material. This term the workshops will be offered both online and face-to-face. Online workshops will be offered via Zoom at the assigned workshop times. If you enrol in a face-to-face workshop, please check the physical class location on your timetable.

Course website engagement

The purpose of engaging on the course website is to provide an opportunity for discussion on how to apply various concepts and methods. It will allow you to interact directly with other students and the course staff about the specific questions or problems you might have and will also provide practice and feedback in answering questions relevant to the course.

To facilitate optimal use of your online time devoted to this course, each week you should attempt the questions related to the topic(s) scheduled for discussion and think about what aspects of the material you find difficult and on which you require additional explanation. The direction and detail provided in the answers given by course staff is entirely driven by student demand and relies heavily on students' active preparation and engagement.

Feedback related to your textbook questions' answers will also be provided in a timely fashion via the course website.

Out-of-Class Study

A significant amount of your learning is expected to be achieved outside of class time. Lectures can only provide a structure to assist your study, and workshop time is limited. The course website offers an array of diverse materials to assist in your out-of-class study and revision.

A good study strategy for getting on top of each week's worth of material is as follows:

  • Read the relevant chapter(s) of the text each week before the lecture. This will give you a general idea of the topics covered.
  • Attend lecture. Here the context of that week’s topics in the course, their relevance, and the important elements of the topics are identified and explained.
  • After completing the above activities, and before attending the week’s workshop, attempt the review questions. This will help you identify issues that you can discuss and clarify in the workshop.
  • Attend your workshop. Here you will engage in interactive discussion and problem-solving using the material from the previous week’s lecture.
  • Attend PASS. Here you will work with other students in the course and be given additional material to work on. These sessions will be conducted online.
  • Book for an individual consultation if you still need further clarity on the topic, When booking please select the ECON1203 sessions. You can book their times here. These sessions will be conducted online.

Computing

During this course, students will use the popular spreadsheet program Microsoft Excel to solve statistical problems. Excel is a computing tool to perform statistical data analysis and inference. Excel output will be discussed in workshops and lectures, through worked examples. Computing is an integral component of ECON1203, and you are expected to become proficient in Excel by the end of this course.

5. Course Resources

Course website

The course website can be accessed through the Playconomics package. It contains all the course content, including the textbook (in pdf and ebook format) and the textbook questions (in ebook format), links to the Playconomics Game and Academia database, as well as the online forums where you can ask questions and discuss course material. Instructions on how to sign up for the Playconomics package are accessible via UNSW Moodle.

Students should consult the course website regularly, as it contains important information about the course. It will be assumed that all students have seen all the material posted on the course website. The website will be monitored actively during business hours, with course staff answering the questions you post there.

Course announcements will be posted both on the Moodle page and/or the Playconomics course website.

Required textbook

Fiebig, D., Lim, J., (2022) Business Economics and Statistics (1st ed.), ebook (included in the Playconomics package)

This textbook has been created specifically for this course. The examinable content of the course is defined in the Course Schedule. The required textbook is already included in the Playconomics package.

The Playconomics package

Information on signing up for the Playconomics package is available on the course Moodle page. Students will have to create a Playconomics account. From their account, they will be able to purchase the complete version of Playconomics, which includes remote access to Academia, to the Playconomics Game and to the course website, with the required textbook already integrated in both ebook format (and including numerous educational videos, revision questions, online forums, and other resources) and pdf format.

If you are experiencing financial hardship and are thus unable to purchase the Playconomics package, please contact the Lecturer-in-Charge.

For any technical issues, please email support@lionsheartstudios.com.

Optional readings

The following books, available in the High Use Collection section of the library, may also be useful as alternative references.

  • Black, et al. (2019), Business Analytics and Statistics, 1st Edition, Wiley (ISBN 978-0-730-32193-2).
  • Sharpe, DeVeaux and Velleman (2015), Business Statistics, 3rd Global Edition, Pearson (ISBN 978-1-292-05869-6). (You can purchase the e-book here)
  • Keller, G. (2015), Statistics for Management and Economics (Abbreviated), 10th Edition. South-Western Cengage Learning. (You can purchase the e-book here)
  • Berenson, M.L. et al. (2018), Basic Business Statistics. 5th Edition, Pearson. (You can purchase the e-book here)
Students who would like to improve their professional writing ability may wish to consult:
  • Faigley, F. (2011), The Little Penguin Handbook, (Australasian ed.) Pearson, Australia.

6. Course Evaluation & Development

Feedback is regularly sought from students and continual improvements are made based on this feedback. At the end of this course, you will be asked to complete the myExperience survey, which provides a key source of student evaluative feedback. Your input into this quality enhancement process is extremely valuable in assisting us to meet the needs of our students and provide an effective and enriching learning experience. The results of all surveys are carefully considered and do lead to action towards enhancing educational quality.

​The School of Economics strives to be responsive to student feedback. If you would like more information on how the design of this course and changes made to it over time have taken students’ needs and preferences into account, please contact the Director of Education at the School of Economics.

​The ECON1203 class structure is designed to offer you flexibility and a personalised learning experience. Due to the current restrictions in place we have substituted face-to-face lectures with online lectures and a strong online engagement of our course staff on the course website during business hours.

Our workshops (offered both face-to-face and online) are environments where students can get help with the specific problems they face. The content is student-driven and can include more examples to demonstrate a concept, clarification on specific concepts, or help with specific questions. The aim of embedding this flexibility is for students to have the best possible learning experience, and to give students more control over how face-time with course staff is spent.

Our course staff are ready to help you with personalised feedback and support online. Covid restrictions permitting, several face-to-face workshops will also be available (on top of the online workshops and continuous course website-based support that will continue to be available to all students).

Consent for De-Identified Data to be Used for Secondary Research into Improving Student Experience

To enhance your student experience, researchers at UNSW conduct academic research that involves the use of de-identified student data, such as assessment outcomes, course grades, course engagement and participation, etc. Students of this course are being invited to provide their consent for their de-identified data to be shared with UNSW researchers for research purposes after the course is completed.

Providing consent for your de-identified data to be used in academic research is voluntary and not doing so will not have an impact on your course grades.

Researchers who want to access your de-identified data for future research projects will need to submit individual UNSW Ethics Applications for approval before they can access your data.

A full description of the research activities aims, risks associated with these activities and how your privacy and confidentiality will be protected at all times can be found here.

If you consent to have your de-identified data used for academic research into improving student experience, you do not need to do anything. Your consent will be implied, and your data may be used for research in a format that will not individually identify you after the course is completed.

If you do not consent  for this to happen, please email the opt-out form  to seer@unsw.edu.au to opt-out from having your de-identified data used in this manner. If you complete the opt-out form, the information about you that was collected during this course will not be used in academic research.

7. Course Schedule

Note: for more information on the UNSW academic calendar and key dates including study period, exam, supplementary exam and result release, please visit: https://student.unsw.edu.au/new-calendar-dates
Week Activity Topic Assessment/Other
Week 1: 13 FebLecture

Introduction; frequency distributions and histograms; shapes of distributions; describing bivariate relationships, measures of central tendency (location); dispersion measures (spread); measures of association; introduction to linear regression

Chapter 1

Week 2: 20 FebLecture

Introduction to probability, random variables; discrete probability distributions; expectations

Chapter 2

 

Workshop

Introduction; frequency distributions and histograms; shapes of distributions; describing bivariate relationships, Measures of central tendency (location); dispersion measures (spread); measures of association; introduction to linear regression

Attempt Chapter 1 textbook questions

Week 3: 27 FebLecture

Continuous random variables; the normal distribution; introduction to surveys and sampling

Chapter 3

Workshop

Introduction to probability, random variables; discrete probability distributions; expectations

Attempt Chapter 2 textbook questions

Week 4: 6 MarLecture

Introduction to estimators and sampling distributions; confidence intervals; introduction to hypothesis testing; tests about the population proportion

 

Chapter 4

Workshop

Continuous random variables; the normal distribution; introduction to surveys and sampling

Attempt Chapter 3 textbook questions

Week 5: 13 MarLecture

Central limit theorem; more on sampling distributions, hypothesis testing, and inference; tests about the population mean; tests when the population variance is unknown

 

 

Chapter 5

Workshop

Introduction to estimators and sampling distributions; confidence intervals; introduction to hypothesis testing; tests about the population proportion

Attempt Chapter 4 textbook questions

 

 

Assessment
–

Excel Associate Test: To be completed by this Friday at 5:00 PM.

Week 6: FLEXIBILITY WEEK: 20 MarLecture

No lectures this week.

–
Workshop

No workshops this week.

–
Week 7: 27 MarLecture

More on confidence intervals; errors in hypothesis testing; p-values; power and sample size, Chi-squared tests

Chapters 6

 

Workshop

Central limit theorem; more on sampling distributions, hypothesis testing, and inference; tests about the population mean; tests when the population variance is unknown

Attempt Chapter 5 textbook questions

 

Week 8: 3 AprLecture

Simple linear regression; the least squares method; basic assumptions; R-squared; Inference about the regression line; errors and residuals; introduction to multiple regression

**Public Holiday: Good Friday 7 Apr**

Chapter 7

Workshop

More on confidence intervals; errors in hypothesis testing; p-values; power and sample size, Chi-squared tests

Attempt Chapter 6 textbook questions

Week 9 : 11 AprLecture

Multiple regression, continued; review

**Public Holiday: Easter Monday 10 Apr**

Chapter 8

Workshop

Simple linear regression; the least squares method; basic assumptions; R-squared; Inference about the regression line; errors and residuals; introduction to multiple regression

Attempt Chapter 7 textbook questions

Assessment
–

Excel Expert Training: To be completed by this Friday at 5:00 pm.

Week 10: 17 AprLecture

No lectures

–
Workshop

Multiple regression, continued; review

Attempt Chapter 8 textbook questions

 

Week 11: 24 AprilAssessment
–

Case Study Final Report due this Monday, 24/04/2023 at 5:00 pm.

8. Policies and Support

Information about UNSW Business School program learning outcomes, academic integrity, student responsibilities and student support services. For information regarding special consideration, supplementary exams and viewing final exam scripts, please go to the key policies and support page.

Program Learning Outcomes

The Business School places knowledge and capabilities at the core of its curriculum via seven Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs). These PLOs are systematically embedded and developed across the duration of all coursework programs in the Business School.

PLOs embody the knowledge, skills and capabilities that are taught, practised and assessed within each Business School program. They articulate what you should know and be able to do upon successful completion of your degree.

Upon graduation, you should have a high level of specialised business knowledge and capacity for responsible business thinking, underpinned by ethical professional practice. You should be able to harness, manage and communicate business information effectively and work collaboratively with others. You should be an experienced problem-solver and critical thinker, with a global perspective, cultural competence and the potential for innovative leadership.

All UNSW programs and courses are designed to assess the attainment of program and/or course level learning outcomes, as required by the UNSW Assessment Design Procedure. It is important that you become familiar with the Business School PLOs, as they constitute the framework which informs and shapes the components and assessments of the courses within your program of study.

PLO 1: Business knowledge

Students will make informed and effective selection and application of knowledge in a discipline or profession, in the contexts of local and global business.

PLO 2: Problem solving

Students will define and address business problems, and propose effective evidence-based solutions, through the application of rigorous analysis and critical thinking.

PLO 3: Business communication

Students will harness, manage and communicate business information effectively using multiple forms of communication across different channels.

PLO 4: Teamwork

Students will interact and collaborate effectively with others to achieve a common business purpose or fulfil a common business project, and reflect critically on the process and the outcomes.

PLO 5: Responsible business practice

Students will develop and be committed to responsible business thinking and approaches, which are underpinned by ethical professional practice and sustainability considerations.

PLO 6: Global and cultural competence

Students will be aware of business systems in the wider world and actively committed to recognise and respect the cultural norms, beliefs and values of others, and will apply this knowledge to interact, communicate and work effectively in diverse environments.

PLO 7: Leadership development

Students will develop the capacity to take initiative, encourage forward thinking and bring about innovation, while effectively influencing others to achieve desired results.


These PLOs relate to undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs.  For PG Research PLOs, including Master of Pre-Doctoral Business Studies, please refer to the UNSW HDR Learning Outcomes

Business School course outlines provide detailed information for students on how the course learning outcomes, learning activities, and assessment/s contribute to the development of Program Learning Outcomes.

UNSW Graduate Capabilities

The Business School PLOs also incorporate UNSW graduate capabilities, a set of generic abilities and skills that all students are expected to achieve by graduation. These capabilities articulate the University’s institutional values, as well as future employer expectations.

UNSW Graduate CapabilitiesBusiness School PLOs
Scholars capable of independent and collaborative enquiry, rigorous in their analysis, critique and reflection, and able to innovate by applying their knowledge and skills to the solution of novel as well as routine problems.
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 4: Teamwork
  • PLO 7: Leadership development

Entrepreneurial leaders capable of initiating and embracing innovation and change, as well as engaging and enabling others to contribute to change
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 4: Teamwork
  • PLO 6: Global and cultural competence
  • PLO 7: Leadership development

Professionals capable of ethical, self-directed practice and independent lifelong learning
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 5: Responsible business practice

Global citizens who are culturally adept and capable of respecting diversity and acting in a socially just and responsible way.
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 4: Teamwork
  • PLO 5: Responsible business practice
  • PLO 6: Global and cultural competence

While our programs are designed to provide coverage of all PLOs and graduate capabilities, they also provide you with a great deal of choice and flexibility.  The Business School strongly advises you to choose a range of courses that assist your development against the seven PLOs and four graduate capabilities, and to keep a record of your achievements as part of your portfolio. You can use a portfolio as evidence in employment applications as well as a reference for work or further study. For support with selecting your courses contact the UNSW Business School Student Services team.





Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Academic Integrity is honest and responsible scholarship. This form of ethical scholarship is highly valued at UNSW. Terms like Academic Integrity, misconduct, referencing, conventions, plagiarism, academic practices, citations and evidence based learning are all considered basic concepts that successful university students understand. Learning how to communicate original ideas, refer sources, work independently, and report results accurately and honestly are skills that you will be able to carry beyond your studies.

The definition of academic misconduct is broad. It covers practices such as cheating, copying and using another person’s work without appropriate acknowledgement. Incidents of academic misconduct may have serious consequences for students.

Plagiarism

UNSW regards plagiarism as a form of academic misconduct. UNSW has very strict rules regarding plagiarism. Plagiarism at UNSW is using the words or ideas of others and passing them off as your own. All Schools in the Business School have a Student Ethics Officer who will investigate incidents of plagiarism and may result in a student’s name being placed on the Plagiarism and Student Misconduct Registers.

Below are examples of plagiarism including self-plagiarism:

Copying: Using the same or very similar words to the original text or idea without acknowledging the source or using quotation marks. This includes copying materials, ideas or concepts from a book, article, report or other written document, presentation, composition, artwork, design, drawing, circuitry, computer program or software, website, internet, other electronic resource, or another person's assignment, without appropriate acknowledgement of authorship.

Inappropriate Paraphrasing: Changing a few words and phrases while mostly retaining the original structure and/or progression of ideas of the original, and information without acknowledgement. This also applies in presentations where someone paraphrases another’s ideas or words without credit and to piecing together quotes and paraphrases into a new whole, without appropriate referencing.

Collusion: Presenting work as independent work when it has been produced in whole or part in collusion with other people. Collusion includes:

  • Students providing their work to another student before the due date, or for the purpose of them plagiarising at any time
  • Paying another person to perform an academic task and passing it off as your own
  • Stealing or acquiring another person’s academic work and copying it
  • Offering to complete another person’s work or seeking payment for completing academic work

Collusion should not be confused with academic collaboration (i.e., shared contribution towards a group task).

Inappropriate Citation: Citing sources which have not been read, without acknowledging the 'secondary' source from which knowledge of them has been obtained.

Self-Plagiarism: ‘Self-plagiarism’ occurs where an author republishes their own previously written work and presents it as new findings without referencing the earlier work, either in its entirety or partially. Self-plagiarism is also referred to as 'recycling', 'duplication', or 'multiple submissions of research findings' without disclosure. In the student context, self-plagiarism includes re-using parts of, or all of, a body of work that has already been submitted for assessment without proper citation.

To see if you understand plagiarism, do this short quiz: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism-quiz

Cheating

The University also regards cheating as a form of academic misconduct. Cheating is knowingly submitting the work of others as their own and includes contract cheating (work produced by an external agent or third party that is submitted under the pretences of being a student’s original piece of work). Cheating is not acceptable at UNSW.

If you need to revise or clarify any terms associated with academic integrity you should explore the 'Working with Academic Integrity' self-paced lessons available at: https://student.unsw.edu.au/aim.

For UNSW policies, penalties, and information to help you avoid plagiarism see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism as well as the guidelines in the online ELISE tutorials for all new UNSW students: http://subjectguides.library.unsw.edu.au/elise. For information on student conduct see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/conduct.

For information on how to acknowledge your sources and reference correctly, see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/referencing. If you are unsure what referencing style to use in this course, you should ask the lecturer in charge.



Student Responsibilities and Conduct

​Students are expected to be familiar with and adhere to university policies in relation to class attendance and general conduct and behaviour, including maintaining a safe, respectful environment; and to understand their obligations in relation to workload, assessment and keeping informed.

Information and policies on these topics can be found on the 'Managing your Program' website.

Workload

It is expected that you will spend at least ten to twelve hours per week studying for a course except for Summer Term courses which have a minimum weekly workload of twenty to twenty four hours. This time should be made up of reading, research, working on exercises and problems, online activities and attending classes. In periods where you need to complete assignments or prepare for examinations, the workload may be greater. Over-commitment has been a cause of failure for many students. You should take the required workload into account when planning how to balance study with employment and other activities.

We strongly encourage you to connect with your Moodle course websites in the first week of semester. Local and international research indicates that students who engage early and often with their course website are more likely to pass their course.

View more information on expected workload

Attendance and Engagement

Your regular attendance and active engagement in all scheduled classes and online learning activities is expected in this course. Failure to attend / engage in assessment tasks that are integrated into learning activities (e.g. class discussion, presentations) will be reflected in the marks for these assessable activities. The Business School may refuse final assessment to those students who attend less than 80% of scheduled classes where attendance and participation is required as part of the learning process (e.g. tutorials, flipped classroom sessions, seminars, labs, etc.). If you are not able to regularly attend classes, you should consult the relevant Course Authority.

View more information on attendance

General Conduct and Behaviour

You are expected to conduct yourself with consideration and respect for the needs of your fellow students and teaching staff. Conduct which unduly disrupts or interferes with a class, such as ringing or talking on mobile phones, is not acceptable and students may be asked to leave the class.

View more information on student conduct

Health and Safety

UNSW Policy requires each person to work safely and responsibly, in order to avoid personal injury and to protect the safety of others.

View more information on Health and Safety

Keeping Informed

You should take note of all announcements made in lectures, tutorials or on the course web site. From time to time, the University will send important announcements to your university e-mail address without providing you with a paper copy. You will be deemed to have received this information. It is also your responsibility to keep the University informed of all changes to your contact details.




Student Support and Resources

The University and the Business School provide a wide range of support services and resources for students, including:

Business School Learning Support Tools
Business School provides support a wide range of free resources and services to help students in-class and out-of-class, as well as online. These include:

  • Academic Communication Essentials – A range of academic communication workshops, modules and resources to assist you in developing your academic communication skills.
  • Learning consultations – Meet learning consultants who have expertise in business studies, literacy, numeracy and statistics, writing, referencing, and researching at university level.
  • PASS classes – Study sessions facilitated by students who have previously and successfully completed the course.
  • Educational Resource Access Scheme – To support the inclusion and success of students from equity groups enrolled at UNSW Sydney in first year undergraduate Business programs.

The Nucleus - Business School Student Services team
The Nucleus Student Services team provides advice and direction on all aspects of enrolment and graduation. Level 2, Main Library, Kensington 02 8936 7005 / https://nucleus.unsw.edu.au/en/contact-us

Business School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
The Business School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee strives to ensure that every student is empowered to have equal access to education. The Business School provides a vibrant, safe, and equitable environment for education, research, and engagement that embraces diversity and treats all people with dignity and respect. BUSEDI@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Academic Skills
Resources and support – including workshops, individual consultations and a range of online resources – to help you develop and refine your academic skills. See their website for details.
academicskills@unsw.edu.au

Student Support Advisors
Student Support Advisors work with all students to promote the development of skills needed to succeed at university, whilst also providing personal support throughout the process.
John Goodsell Building, Ground Floor.
advisors@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

International Student Support
The International Student Experience Unit (ISEU) is the first point of contact for international students. ISEU staff are always here to help with personalised advice and information about all aspects of university life and life in Australia.
Advisors can support you with your student visa, health and wellbeing, making friends, accommodation and academic performance.
International.student@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

Equitable Learning Services
Equitable Learning Services (formerly Disability Support Services) is a free and confidential service that provides practical support to ensure that your health condition doesn't adversely affect your studies. Register with the service to receive educational adjustments.
Ground Floor, John Goodsell Building.
els@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

UNSW Counselling and Psychological Services
Provides support and services if you need help with your personal life, getting your academic life back on track or just want to know how to stay safe, including free, confidential counselling.
Level 2, East Wing, Quadrangle Building.
counselling@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 5418

Library services and facilities for students
The UNSW Library offers a range of collections, services and facilities both on-campus and online.
Main Library, F21.
02 9065 9444

Moodle eLearning Support
Moodle is the University’s learning management system. You should ensure that you log into Moodle regularly.
externalteltsupport@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 3331

UNSW IT
UNSW IT provides support and services for students such as password access, email services, wireless services and technical support.
UNSW Library Annexe (Ground floor).
02 9385 1333



Support for Studying Online

The Business School and UNSW provide a wide range of tools, support and advice to help students achieve their online learning goals. 

The UNSW Guide to Online Study page provides guidance for students on how to make the most of online study.

We recognise that completing quizzes and exams online can be challenging for a number of reasons, including the possibility of technical glitches or lack of reliable internet. We recommend you review the Online Exam Preparation Checklist of things to prepare when sitting an online exam.

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