ECON5103 Business Economics

Subject Code

ECON5103

Study Level

Postgraduate

Commencing Term

Term 1

Total Units of Credit (UOC)

Delivery Mode

On Campus and Online

School

Economics

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This course outline is provided in advance of offering to guide student course selection. Please note that while accurate at time of publication, changes may be required prior to the start of the teaching session. To view other versions, visit the archives .

1. Course Details

Summary of Course

An introduction to economic analysis and policy, with particular application to decision-making in business. The course provides students with the tools to use economic principles in decision-making and an understanding of the broader economic environment in which business decisions must be made.

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

The aims of this course are to introduce economic concepts and methods of analysis, and to enable students to understand and use economic arguments in business decision making. The course assumes no previous study of economics.

ECON5103 is a prerequisite for other postgraduate courses offered by the School of Economics. It is also designed to satisfy the requirements of professional bodies, which require their members to have a basic knowledge of economics.

There are no prerequisites for this course.

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. Describe key micro- and macro-economic concepts.	PLO 1: Business knowledge	In-session test Final Exam
2. Construct economic arguments in terms of key concepts.	PLO 1: Business knowledge	Seminar Submission Question Seminar Participation
3. Critically read and evaluate economic stories in the media.	PLO 2: Problem solving	Seminar Submission Question Seminar Participation
4. Apply simple economic models to the analysis of the relevant economic issues.	PLO 2: Problem solving PLO 4: Teamwork PLO 7: Leadership development	In-session test Final Exam
5. Construct written work which is logically and professionally presented	PLO 3: Business communication PLO 4: Teamwork PLO 7: Leadership development	Seminar Submission Question Seminar Participation
6. Identify and assess environmental and sustainability considerations in problems in international macroeconomics.	PLO 5: Responsible business practice PLO 6: Global and cultural competence PLO 7: Leadership development	Seminar Submission Question Seminar Participation

2. Staff Contact Details

Position	Title	Name	Email	Location	Phone	Consultation Times
Lecturer-in-charge	Dr	Yiyuan Xie		Room 436, UNSW Business School	(02) 9385 7019	Tuesday 14:30-15:30 (W1-W5, by appointment)
Lecturer	Dr	Pratiti Chatterjee		Room 446, UNSW Business School	(02) 9065 3324	Thursday 3.00-4.00 PM (W6-W10) and by appointment.

Communications with staff

We strongly encourage all enquiries about the subject material to be made at lectures or seminars, or during consultation time.

Email communication should be used for advising of absence or other administrative matters, or for arranging an appointment outside of consultation hours.

Please note that the lecturers have no advance notice of the date and time of the final exam.

Student Enrolment Requests

Students can vary their own enrolment (including switching lecture streams or tutorials) via myUNSW until the end of Week 1. In general, most other student enrolment requests should be directed to The Nucleus: Student Hub (formerly Student Central). These include enrolment in full courses or tutorials, 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.

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. Specifically, the lectures, seminars and assessment 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 teachers and among students (in and out of class). Teaching staff aim to provide meaningful and timely feedback to students to improve learning outcomes.

The lectures will be delivered online (in real time / "synchronously"), and lecture recordings will be also available to stream and download to accommodate students studying from alternate time zones. Covid restrictions permitting, seminars will be offered in two formats: face-to-face and online (in real time / "synchronously"). Students should check their individual timetables for an indication of the delivery mode pertaining to the seminar stream in which they are enrolled. Seminars will be recorded, but will be only available when valid certificate is produced.

Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

The examinable content of the course is defined by the references given in the lecture schedule, the content of lectures, and the content of the seminar program.

Lectures

The purpose of lectures is to provide a logical structure for the topics that make up the course; to emphasis the important concepts and methods of each topic; and to provide relevant examples to which the concepts and methods are applied. It's highly recommended that students attend the lectures in real time. While the course is being taught online, we encourage students to engage with their peers through the chat function.

Seminars

The purpose of the seminars is to reinforce and clarify the concepts and issues covered in the lectures and identify and remedy any problems with understanding. Students are expected to prepare for, and contribute to, seminar discussions.

A program for seminars will be distributed in the first lecture and will be posted on the course website. In the seminar program, each seminar will consist of:

Review Questions. Students should attempt these before attendance at their seminar class. Questions which pose difficulties can be raised with the tutor.
Submission questions. See Section 4. Assessment - Seminar Submission Questions for further detail.

Out-of-Class Study

While students may have preferred individual learning strategies, most learning will be achieved outside of class time. Lectures can only provide a structure to assist your study, and seminar time is limited.

An “ideal” strategy (on which the provision of the course materials is based) might include:

Reading of the relevant chapter(s) of the text and any other assigned readings before the lecture. This will give you a general idea of the topic area.
Attendance at lectures. Here the context of the topic in the course and the topic's relevance and important elements are identified, as well as the key concepts pertaining to the topic. Students should download a copy of the lecture slides from the website before the lecture. These slides can then be used in lectures for students to make additional notes. All slides will be posted on the course website.
Attempting the Review Questions before the seminar and checking the answers. A sketch of the suggested answers to Review Questions (to the extent that they are not already given in the textbook) will typically be posted on the course website a couple of days after they have been covered in the seminars.
Preparing notes for the class discussion of the Submission Questions. (Even if the Submission Question for a specific seminar is not the one you have been allocated to submit, you should prepare notes to contribute to the discussion.)
Attending seminars and asking the tutor to explain those Review Questions which posed difficulties. Presenting (if allocated) or contributing to the class discussion of the Submission Questions.

4. Assessment

Formal Requirements

In order to pass this course, you must:

achieve a composite mark of at least 50 out of 100;
meet any additional requirements described in the Assessment Summary section.

You are expected to attempt all assessment requirements in the course.

Assessment Structure

Assessment Task	Weighting	Length	Due Date
In-session test	25%	1 hour and 15 mins	Week 5. Details to be provided.
Seminar Submission Question (in-class presentation plus written submission)	20%	Written submission: About 1000 words	Once during the term. Details provided on Moodle.
Seminar Participation	10%	Answering questions in seminars	Regular attendance and contribution to seminars by asking and answering questions. Attendance and participation records will be maintained.
Final Exam	45%	2 hours and 15 mins	University Exam Period
Total	100%	–	–

Assessment Summary

In-session test (25%)

There will be an in-session test held in Week 5. It will cover materials from Weeks 1 to 4 (inclusive). The in-session test will be designed to be completed by a well-prepared student in approximately 75 minutes. It will have an online (and open book) format. Details will be advised on the course website via Moodle.

There will be no supplementary assessment offered for the in-session test. Students who fail to submit the test will need to apply for Special Consideration. Special Consideration applications will be assessed centrally by the Case Review Team within Student Lifecycle (not by the course staff). Students granted Special Consideration will have their mark in the remaining assessment tasks re-weighted to include the weight of the mark reserved for the missed test. In all other cases of non-submission students will receive a grade of zero.

Seminar Submission Question (20%)

The purpose of the Seminar Submission Question is to cover the core principles of a topic and to provide some practice in applying the principles for analysis of economic issues. All students should prepare notes on all questions to contribute to the discussion of these questions in the seminar class.

In the first seminar, you will be placed in a group with two (+/- one) other students and the group will be allocated a Submission Question. Details and rules related to group formation will be given at that time. Students allocated to a question will be required to lead their seminar group's discussion with an oral presentation of their planned answer, in the week covering the material of their submission question. Each group will then be required to submit a written answer to its allocated question (approx. 1000 words) in the class of the following week. One of the aims of the presentation in class is to allow you to incorporate any useful comments from the class discussion into your written answer. If the oral presentation cannot be conducted by any of the group members, submitting a recorded presentation to be played to the class is acceptable. In this case, a group members should send a written notification to the tutor at least 48 hours before the scheduled presentation. Tutors will use discretion in the markings of these exceptional cases.

The formation and conduct of the group should follow the guidelines available at https://student.unsw.edu.au/groupwork and this file will also be available on the course Moodle site. Group members will be required to complete a group contract before group work commences detailing each member’s role and responsibilities, and details of any meetings the group will attend together, which they all sign.

The group members are also required to complete a peer assessment. The peer assessment will be used to assess the quality of each member’s teamwork and contribution. In the event of a big discrepancy between the average peer assessment marks earned by students in the same group, the mark allocated to each member will be weighted by their peers’ assessment. Detailed procedures for the peer assessment (including the threshold of discrepancy) will be made available via Moodle. More information and details will be provided at the first seminar.

You should type up your final answer to the Submission Question in the form of a report of about 1000 words. Where appropriate you should include diagrams and acknowledge sources and references. This report should be attached to the signed Assignment Cover Sheet (see the course website) and submitted by the due date.

Students should be prepared to contribute to the discussion of Submission Questions, even if the Submission Question for a specific seminar is not the one you have been allocated to submit. A record of attendance and participation in seminars will be kept by the tutor.

Students must sign on by 10 minutes from the start of seminar to qualify as ‘in attendance’. Signing on for another student will be treated as misconduct. If, owing to illness or other exceptional circumstances, you are unable to attend your usual seminar, you may try to attend another seminar in the same week. Inform the tutor of the reasons in class and confirm in writing after the seminar. Cc: the Lecturer-in-Charge in your message.

In-class pop quizzes pertaining to the assigned readings may occur throughout the term, and at least one of these will be given, and feedback provided, by the end of Week 4 and possibly another one before the end of Week 9. These quizzes will not count toward your final mark, but they are important to test your knowledge and get you prepared for the test technologies used in the in-session test and final exam.

Seminar Participation (10%)

The item assesses your attendance and contribution to seminars through asking and answering questions. Attendance and participation records will be maintained. For details, see SUBMISSION QUESTION (AND MARKING) GUIDE which you will find on the course Moodle site.

Final Exam (45%)

The final exam will be held in the University examination period and will be designed such that a well-prepared student could complete it in 2 hours and 15 minutes. The final exam will cover the entire course but have an emphasis on the materials from Weeks 6-9. As with the in-session test, the final exam will have an online and open-book format.

Further information on the content of the final exam will be provided towards the end of the term. All material covered in the lectures and seminar program is examinable.

Assignment Submission Procedure

Students must submit an electronic copy of their Submission Question via Moodle. Instructions (including exact due time) will be announced on the course Moodle site. Browse and upload a copy of your document - do not paste text. Use your student ID in the file name. One student from each group should submit the group's report, clearly identifying all other students whose Submission Question requirement is covered by the submission.

Electronic copies of assignments may be checked for plagiarism via the Turnitin software to which the assignments are uploaded. See notes on Plagiarism in the Course Outlines Policies page. Also note that the Turnitin software will automatically check against all other assignments submitted. Therefore, it is important to not submit the same assignment twice.

If the electronic copy of the assignment is not received by the due date you will receive a mark of zero unless you have an approved application for Special Consideration.

Assessment Feedback

Feedback on student performance from formative and summative assessment tasks will be provided to students in a timely manner. Assessment tasks completed within the teaching period of a course, other than a final assessment, will be assessed and students provided with feedback, with or without a provisional result, within 10 working days of submission, under normal circumstances. Feedback on continuous assessment tasks (e.g. laboratory and studio-based, workplace-based, weekly quizzes) will be provided prior to the midpoint of the course.

Special Consideration

You can apply for special consideration when illness or other circumstances beyond your control interfere with your performance in a specific assessment task or tasks, including online exams. Students studying remotely who have exams scheduled between 10pm and 7am local time, are also able to apply for special consideration to sit a supplementary exam at a time outside of these hours.

Special consideration is primarily intended to provide you with an extra opportunity to demonstrate the level of performance of which you are capable. To apply, and for further information, see Special Consideration on the UNSW Current Students page.

Special consideration applications will be assessed centrally by the Case Review Team, who will update the online application with the outcome and add any relevant comments. The change to the status of the application immediately sends an email to the student and to the assessor with the outcome of the application.

Please note the following:

Applications can only be made through Online Services in myUNSW. Applications will not be accepted by teaching staff. The lecturer-in-charge/course coordinator will be automatically notified when your application is processed.
Applying for special consideration does not automatically mean that you will be granted a supplementary exam or other concession.
If you experience illness or misadventure in the lead up to an exam or assessment, you must submit an application for special consideration, either prior to the examination taking place, or prior to the assessment submission deadline, except where illness or misadventure prevent you from doing so.
If your circumstances stop you from applying before your exam or assessment due date, you must apply within 3 working days of the assessment or the period covered by your supporting documentation.
Under the UNSW Fit To Sit/Submit rule, if you sit the exam/submit an assignment, you are declaring yourself well enough to do so and are cannot subsequently apply for special consideration.
If you become unwell on the day of – or during – an exam, you must stop working on your exam, advise your course coordinator or tutor and provide a medical certificate dated within 24 hours of the exam, with your special consideration application. For online exams, you must contact your course coordinator or tutor immediately via email, Moodle or chat and advise them you are unwell and submit screenshots of your conversation along with your medical certificate and application.
Special consideration requests do not allow the awarding of additional marks to students.

Further information on Business School policy and procedure can be found under “Special Consideration” on the Policies and Support page.

Late Submission Penalties

For assessments other than examinations, late submission will incur a penalty of 5% per day or part thereof (including weekends) from the due date and time. An assessment will not be accepted after 5 days (120 hours) of the original deadline unless special consideration has been approved. An assignment is considered late if the requested format, such as hard copy or electronic copy, has not been submitted on time or where the ‘wrong’ assignment has been submitted.

For assessments which account for 10% or less of the overall course grade, and where answers are immediately discussed or debriefed, the LIC may stipulate a different penalty. Details of such late penalties will be available on the course Moodle page.

Protocol for Viewing Final Exam Scripts

UNSW students have the right to view their final exam scripts, subject to a small number of very specific exemptions. The UNSW Business School has set a protocol under which students may view their final exam script. Individual schools within the Faculty may also set up a local process for viewing final exam scripts, so it is important that you check with your School. Further school-specific information may be included below.

Quality Assurance

The Business School is actively monitoring student learning and quality of the student experience in all its programs. A random selection of completed assessment tasks may be used for quality assurance, such as to determine the extent to which program learning goals are being achieved. The information is required for accreditation purposes, and aggregated findings will be used to inform changes aimed at improving the quality of Business School programs. All material used for such processes will be treated as confidential.

5. Course Resources

The website for this course is on UNSW Moodle.

Students should check the course website at least twice per week, at the beginning of the week and about halfway through. The textbook for this course is:

The Core Team, “The Economy”

This is a free online text which you can find (and download) here: https://www.core-econ.org/the-economy/book/text/0-3-contents.html

We recommend strongly that students use the online version for study. The online version offers interactive problem presentation and solving.

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.

Student feedback is collected through our daily communication with students, and constructive comments will be addressed within the term in a timely manner. Feedback obtained through myExperience surveys is carefully reviewed every year by the teaching staffs. Recent changes in response to student feedback include:

1. More examples related to realistic economic world will be introduced in order to understand key economic concepts, e.g., comparative advantage, diminishing marginal cost, etc.

2. All submission questions will be reviewed and redesigned to incorporate recent updates in the literature and realistic world.

3. Some advanced material will be provided for students who wish to pursue a higher level of understanding and academic achievement.

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 February	Lectures	Capitalist revolution Technology, Population, Growth	Units 1 and 2 of textbook
Week 2: 20 February	Lectures	Scarcity, work, & choice Social Interactions Cooperation & conflict	Units 3 – 5 of textbook
Week 2: 20 February	Seminar	Topics covered in Week 1	Seminar Questions
Week 3: 27 February	Lectures	The firm	Units 6 and 7 of textbook
Week 3: 27 February	Seminar	Topics covered in Week 2	Seminar Questions
Week 4: 6 March	Lecture	Demand, Supply, and Markets Equilibrium and Dynamics	Unit 8 and 11 of textbook
Week 4: 6 March	Seminar	Topics covered in Week 3 details to be provided on Moodle.	Seminar Questions
Week 5: 13 March	Seminar	Topics covered in Week 4 details to be provided on Moodle.	Seminar Questions
Week 5: 13 March	In-session assessment	There is no lecture this week. The in-session test covers all topics covered in Week 1-4.	In-session online test during timetabled Thursday lecture slot.
Week 6 : 20 March	Lecture	Markets, efficiency, & public policy Labor market Note: there is no seminar this week.	Units 12 and 9 of textbook.
Week 7: 27 March	Lecture	Credit market Economic Fluctuations & Unemployment	Unit 10 and 13 of textbook
Week 7: 27 March	Seminar	Topics covered in Week 6	Seminar Questions
Week 8: 3 April	Lecture	Multiplier Model	Unit 14 of textbook
Week 8: 3 April	Seminar	Topics covered in Week 7	Seminar Questions
Week 9: 10 April	Lecture	Inflation, Unemployment, & Monetary Policy	Unit 15 of textbook
Week 9: 10 April	Seminar	Topics covered in Week 8	Seminar Questions
Week 10: 17 April	Seminar	Topics covered in Week 9 (Note there is no lecture this week)	Seminar Questions

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 Capabilities	Business 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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Accreditation

ECON5103 Business Economics - 2023

Browse archives for this course

1. Course Details

Summary of Course

Teaching Times and Locations

Course Policies & Support

Course Aims and Relationship to Other Courses

Student Learning Outcomes

2. Staff Contact Details

Communications with staff

Student Enrolment Requests

3. Learning and Teaching Activities

Approach to Learning and Teaching in the Course

Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

Lectures

Seminars

Out-of-Class Study

4. Assessment

Formal Requirements

Assessment Structure

Assessment Summary

In-session test (25%)

Seminar Submission Question (20%)

Seminar Participation (10%)

Final Exam (45%)

Assignment Submission Procedure

Assessment Feedback

Special Consideration

Protocol for Viewing Final Exam Scripts

Quality Assurance

5. Course Resources

6. Course Evaluation & Development

7. Course Schedule

8. Policies and Support

UNSW Graduate Capabilities

Plagiarism

Cheating

Workload

Attendance and Engagement

General Conduct and Behaviour

Health and Safety

Keeping Informed

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