TABL5581 International Tax Research - 2018

Subject Code
TABL5581
Study Level
Postgraduate
Commencing Term
Semester 1
Total Units of Credit (UOC)
6
Delivery Mode
Online
School
Taxation & Business Law

1. Course Details

Summary of Course

​Welcome to the course. TABL5581 International Tax Research is not like other courses you may have studied with the School of Taxation and Business Law, as it is essentially research-based and stand-alone. You will need to identify a research topic very early in the Semester, and submit your proposal by Monday, 12 March, 2018 (Week 3). You will then be allocated to one of the School’s academic staff who will be responsible for the supervision of your research. You will be required to submit a research plan by Monday, 9 April, 2018 (Week 6) and a research paper of 10 000–15 000 words by Monday, 28 May, 2018 (Week 13), so it is vital that you work steadily throughout the Semester and do not leave it until the last moment.

Feel free to contact the Course Coordinator at any stage in the Semester, but particularly at the outset if you wish to discuss your research proposal.

Good luck with your research.

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

View course Policies and Support

Course Aims and Relationship to Other Courses

This course is different from the other courses that you will do as part of the Master of Taxation degree program. It is a research based course, and as such, study materials are not provided as part of the course. Also, there are no audio conferences or webinars. You are expected to work on your own with minimal support from your research supervisor (see below).

Once you have submitted your research proposal to the Course Coordinator, a research supervisor will be allocated to you. This person will have particular expertise in the area of your proposed research project, and can be used as a sounding board for ideas and for other guidance that you may require.

Student Learning Outcomes

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

The Learning Outcomes in this course also help you to achieve some of the overall Program Learning Goals and Outcomes for all undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students in the Business School. Program Learning Goals are what we want you to BE or HAVE by the time you successfully complete your degree (e.g. ‘be an effective team player’). You demonstrate this by achieving specific Program Learning Outcomes - what you are able to DO by the end of your degree (e.g. ‘participate collaboratively and responsibly in teams’).

For more information on Program Learning Goals and Outcomes, refer to the course Policies and Support.

The following table shows how your Course Learning Outcomes relate to the overall Program Learning Goals and Outcomes, and indicates where these are assessed (they may also be developed in tutorials and other activities):

Program Learning Goals and Outcomes Course Learning Outcomes Course Assessment Item
This course helps you to achieve the following learning goals for all Business undergraduate/postgraduate coursework students:

On successful completion of the course, you should be able to:

This learning outcome will be assessed in the following items:

1 - Knowledge

- complete a research paper on a topical or relevant international tax problem

Research paper

2 - Critical thinking and problem solving

- demonstrate your critical thinking and problem solving in your research

Research paper

3a - Written communication

- demonstrate your writing skills as a tax researcher

Research synopsis

Research plan

Research paper

3b - Oral communication

- not required

Not specifically assessed in this course

4 - Teamwork

- not required

Not specifically assessed in this course

5a - Ethical, social and environmental responsibility

- not formally required

Not specifically assessed in this course

5b - Social and cultural awareness

- not formally required

Not specifically assessed in this course

2. Staff Contact Details

Position Title Name Email Location Phone Consultation Times
Lecturer-in-chargeProfBinh Tran-NamQUA 2054A+61 2 9385 9561By appointment

When you contact staff by email, please:

  • Use your University (not personal) email address
  • Specify the course TABL5580 as appropriate; and
  • Sign off by using your name and student identity number.

3. Learning and Teaching Activities

Approach to Learning and Teaching in the Course

​How to Use These Study Materials

If you are new to flexible learning you should carefully read this Course Outline. It contains most of the relevant information about how this course will be run and the expectations of you as a student. You should also refer to the Suggested Study Schedule as a guide to completing your coursework. To get the most out of your study we recommend that you follow this study schedule through the course and fit various time demands into a well-organised diary. Systematic study through the Semester is the key to success in a flexible learning program.

The Study Guide (which includes this Course Outline and the individual Modules and is sometimes referred to as the study materials or course materials) can help you in three ways.

  1. It sets out a clear path of study over the Semester and helps you plan your workload.
  2. It also identifies learning outcomes and key concepts at the start of each module and provides a series of activities to help you learn actively and manage your own progress through the course.
  3. It contains the core content for the course (often with reference to legislation, textbooks and other relevant material). The structure and layout of the Study Guide is designed to highlight key points and assist your revision for assignments, research papers and examinations.

It tells you when to refer to textbooks, legislation and other readings, giving precise details of what you should read.

Features of the Study Guide

Each module includes a range of features to assist you in managing your learning and developing study skills. These features include:

  • Overview page
  • Heading levels
  • Learning outcomes and key concepts
  • Module text
  • Activities and feedback
  • Readings
  • Margin notes
  • Instructional icons

Tax Distance Course Student Guide

The Tax Distance Course Student Guide is a vital source of information for students studying flexible learning courses. It provides administrative and other information specific to studying these courses and you should make a point of being familiar with its contents. You can access the 2017 Tax Distance Student Guide from your Moodle course website(s).

Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

​Not appropriate as this course is research-based.

5. Course Resources

Prescribed Textbook/s

Considering the individualised nature of this course, there are no specific texts or references prescribed for all students. Your research supervisor will be able to recommend references relevant to your research topic, and your own legal research skills will be vital in developing your own research paper. A guide to taxation research is provided later in this Outline.

Citation and Style Guide

In presenting written work for assessment in this course you must use an appropriate and consistent style for referencing and citation. The following is a selection of acceptable citation and style guides, which you may use as the basis for your written work. You must purchase or have access to one of the following publications.

Australian guide to legal citation (Melbourne University Law Review Association & Melbourne Journal of International Law, 3rd ed, 2010).

(This is free to download and is the citation style guide used by the majority of Australian legal journals.)

  • Rozenberg P, Australian guide to uniform legal citation (Sydney: Lawbook Co, 2nd ed, 2003).
  • Stuhmcke A, Legal referencing (Sydney: LexisNexis, 4th ed, 2012).

Note that in disciplines other than law (i.e. Accounting, Economics and Computing) the literature in these courses has, for the most part, been written in the Harvard style and in these courses you may prefer to use the Harvard style of referencing. Guides to using the Harvard style can be accessed at the following websites:

In this course, it is acceptable to use either one of the prescribed legal styles, or the Harvard style. However, whatever style you adopt must be used consistently and correctly—you must not mix one style with another.

A guide to tax research

Students undertaking postgraduate studies in taxation will usually be familiar with local publications dealing with taxation such as textbooks, looseleaf services, journals, seminar papers. However, students may or may not be familiar with many unpublished papers, or overseas publications which may be useful in enhancing your research.

Where to Start

Once your topic of study has been approved, what next? You will most likely concentrate on postgraduate taxation studies adopting an accounting, economics or legal perspective. You may integrate some of these perspectives. With this in mind this guide is divided into:

  • Accounting
  • Economics
  • Legal

Some researchers often pursue research by following footnotes from either a book or a journal article or seminar paper. Is this good enough? What if the original writer missed some important learned article or case or section of legislation?

A good place to start is the Library catalogue. If unsure of a particular title, use the options of either Course or Keywords. Using the Course option assumes you know the course headings used by a particular library. Often the Keyword option is better as words used in the title or contents will be indexed. Australian library catalogues may be found by using the Australian Libraries Gateway.

Another useful place to start is the Australian National Bibliography which listed most books and journals published in Australia. This ceased at the end of 1996 and to find out the same information you can search the National Library of Australia catalogue

If a title is missing from the shelves, there is often a good chance, recent publications in particular, are sometimes available electronically via the Internet and elsewhere eg cases, legislation, government reports. Some full text journals are available on the Internet, however many are not indexed in journal indexes. The UNSW Online library resources such as online databases, e-books and e-journals are available 24 hours a day via the Library Homepage.

Accounting

Accounting Journal Indexes

The ones useful for tax research and available in hard copy and electronically include:

  • ABI/Inform—Some articles are in full text. Primarily overseas materials.
  • Accounting & Tax Index—Primarily US focus and available as CD ROM as Accounting & Tax Database and online as Accounting & Tax Online.
  • APAIS—Australian Public Affairs Information Service. Compiled by the National Library of Australia and indexes and abstracts local and overseas articles received by the library.
  • Australian Accounting and Taxation Database
  • Australian Business Index (ABIX)—This indexes business articles from newspapers and magazines.
  • Business Periodicals Index (BPI)
  • Financial Journals Index (UK)
  • International Taxation Issues Database (INTAX)
  • PAIS (Public Affairs Information Services)—Focuses primarily on US materials.
  • Social Sciences Index—Focuses primarily on US materials.
  • Taxabs—Australian Taxation Abstracts is an Australian index of Australian taxation materials.
  • Taxindex 1989–1995—Was a useful index produced by Enterprise Information Management but has not been updated since the end of 1995.
  • Taxtrace is an Australian index produced by the Taxation Institute of Australia (TIA). This is available via the Internet and indexes all journals, Taxation in Australia, and seminar/conference papers relevant to taxation received by the TIA. This is available to TIA members only. Student TIA members can use Taxtrace, but not the actual TIA Library. For details concerning TIA student membership, contact the TIA on (02) 9232 3422.

Economics

Economics Journal Indexes

The ones useful for tax research and available in hard copy and electronically include:

  • ABI/Inform—Some articles are in full text. Primarily overseas materials.
  • APAIS—Australian Public Affairs Information Service. Compiled by the National Library of Australia and indexes and abstracts local and overseas articles received by the library.
  • Australian Accounting and Taxation Database
  • Australian Business Index (ABIX)—This indexes business articles from newspapers and magazines.
  • Bibliography of Asian Studies
  • Business Periodicals Index (BPI)
  • EconLit
  • Financial Journals Index (UK)
  • Index to International Economics, Development and Finance
  • International Taxation Issues Database (INTAX)
  • PAIS (Public Affairs Information Services)—Focuses primarily on US materials.
  • Social Sciences Index—Focuses primarily on US materials
  • Taxabs—Australian Taxation Abstracts is an Australian index of Australian taxation materials.
  • Taxtrace—An Australian index produced by the Taxation Institute of Australia (TIA). This is available via the Internet and indexes all journals, Taxation in Australia, and seminar/conference papers relevant to taxation received by the TIA. This is available to TIA members only. Student TIA members can use Taxtrace, but not the actual TIA Library. For details concerning TIA student membership, contact the TIA on (02) 9232 3422.

Legal

Legal Journal Indexes

The ones useful for tax research and available in hard copy and electronically include:

  • AGIS—Attorney-General’s Information Service. Compiled within the federal Attorney-General’s Department Lionel Murphy Library and indexes and abstracts local and overseas journal articles received in the Library.
  • APAIS—Australian Public Affairs Information Service. Compiled by the National Library of Australia and indexes and abstracts local and overseas articles received by the library.
  • Australian Taxation Law Library (through AustLii)—Part of the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLii), and developed in conjunction with the Australian Taxation Office. This Library provides a ‘one-stop shop’ to search all tax-related resources on AustLii.
  • Current Law Index/LegalTrac—Is a US publication which focuses primarily on US legal journals and includes Australian, New Zealand, English, Canadian and other jurisdictions.
  • Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals—Is a US publication which focuses on the non-common law countries such as Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.
  • Law Journals Index—A UK index focussing primarily on UK published material.
  • Taxabs—Australian Taxation Abstracts is an Australian index of Australian taxation materials.
  • Taxtrace—Is an Australian index produced by the Taxation Institute of Australia (TIA). This is available via the Internet and indexes all journals, Taxation in Australia, and seminar/conference papers relevant to taxation received by the TIA. This is available to TIA members only. Student TIA members can use Taxtrace, but not the actual TIA Library. For details concerning TIA student membership, contact the TIA on (02) 9232 3422.

Unusual Sources

Some of these sources would be regarded as off the beaten track. Included are some sites on the Internet and elsewhere.

Australia’s Department of the Parliamentary Library publishes a number of papers, some of which relate to tax. However, the best way to locate such a document is to use the site’s Search facility.

Theses may be accessed by searching the various sites available on the Internet. For example:

By searching various library catalogues, key in under keywords: tax* and thesis. One problem is that you will get irrelevant hits such as taxonomy etc.

Electronic Resources

There are many potential electronic resources available for postgraduate tax students. These vary from subscription services to free Internet sites. Noted here is only a selection of available information.

Subscription services

Australian Tax Practice CD ROMs and online services via the Internet

CCH CD ROMs and CCH Interactive Services Internet site

LEXIS-NEXIS is the largest legal database in the world and there is a Taxation Library, however most of the material there relates to the US.

Butterworths Online contains Australian primary and secondary materials.

Free Internet services

The Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII) contains Australian primary and secondary materials. For recent cases click on ‘Recent Cases’ for the court/tribunal judgments you are interested in.

Library catalogues are a good source of finding out about unpublished theses which may have been deposited in libraries. Another place to look is the National Library of Australia.

Another useful site is the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD) Taxation Research Platform. To access this, log into the UNSW Library (from the ‘myLibrary’) then access the IBFD.

Further reading

Note also the various legal research guides listed in Guide to Tax Research.

Brown, BE (ed) Canadian business and economics: a guide to sources of information, Ottawa, Canadian Library Association, 1976.

Campbell, MJ Financial directories of the world: a guide to information sources in finance, economics, employment, property and the law, Guernsey, Vallancey International, 1982.

Demarest, RR Accounting: information sources, Detroit, Gale Research Co, 1970.

Fletcher, J Information sources in economics, 2nd ed, London, Butterworths, 1984.

Sources of Australian economic information, Melbourne, Infoquest Business Publications, 1983.

Stewart, J & Denison, T Electronic sources of information for business in Australia and New Zealand, 3rd ed, Melbourne, RMIT Publishing, 1997.

The website for this course is on Moodle.

6. Course Evaluation & Development

​The School of Taxation & Business Law’s quality enhancement process involves regular review of its courses and study materials by content and educational specialists, combined with feedback from students. Towards the end of the semester, you will be asked to complete an online myExperience survey via Moodle to evaluate the effectiveness of your course lecturer and the actual course content. Your input into this quality enhancement process through the completion of these surveys is extremely valuable in assisting us in meeting the needs of our students and in providing an effective and enriching learning experience. The results of all surveys are carefully considered and do leads to action towards enhance the quality or course content and delivery.

7. Course Schedule

Week 1: 26 Feb
Week 2: 05 Mar
Week 3: 12 Mar
Assessment/Other

Research synopsis

Week 4: 19 Mar
Week 5: 26 Mar
Mid Semester Break: 02 Apr
Activity

Assessment

Assessment/Other

Research plan

Week 6: 09 Apr
Week 7: 16 Apr
Week 8: 23 Apr
Week 9: 30 Apr
Week 10: 07 May
Week 11: 14 May
Week 12: 21 May
Week 13: 28 May
Activity

Assessment

Assessment/Other

Research plan

8. Policies

Information about UNSW Business School protocols, University policies, student responsibilities and education quality and support.

Program Learning Goals and Outcomes

The Business School Program Learning Goals reflect what we want all students to BE or HAVE by the time they successfully complete their degree, regardless of their individual majors or specialisations. For example, we want all our graduates to HAVE a high level of business knowledge and a sound awareness of ethical, social, cultural and environmental implications of business. As well, we want all our graduates to BE effective problem-solvers, communicators and team participants.

You can demonstrate your achievement of these goals by the specific outcomes you achieve by the end of your degree (i.e. Program Learning Outcomes—henceforth PLOs). These PLOs articulate what you need to know and be able to do as a result of engaging in learning. They embody the knowledge, skills and capabilities that are identified, mapped, taught, practised and assessed within each Business School program.

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

Program Learning Outcomes

  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate Coursework
Knowledge You should be able to identify and apply disciplinary knowledge to business situations in a local and global environment.
Critical thinking and problem solving You should be able to identify and research issues in business situations, analyse the issues, and propose appropriate and well-justified solutions.
Written communication You should be able to prepare written documents that are clear, concise and coherent, using appropriate style and presentation for the intended audience, purpose and context.
Oral communication You should be able to prepare and deliver oral presentations that are clear, focussed, well-structured, and delivered in a professional manner.
Teamwork You should be able to participate collaboratively and responsibly in teams, and reflect on your own teamwork, and on the team’s processes and ability to achieve outcomes.
Ethical, social and environmental responsibility
  1. You should be able to identify and assess ethical, environmental and/or sustainability considerations in business decision-making and practice.
  2. You should be able to identify social and cultural implications of business.
Workplace skills (Co-op programs only) You should be able to conduct yourself in a professional manner in the work environment, communicate effectively in diverse workplace situations and be able to apply discipline knowledge and understanding to real business problems with initiative and self-direction.
Related PLO Documents View the Undergraduate Honours PLOs (pdf)
Knowledge You should be able to identify and apply current knowledge of disciplinary or interdisciplinary theory and professional practice to business in local and global environments.
Critical thinking and problem solving You should be able to identify, research and analyse complex issues and problems in business and/or management, and propose appropriate and well-justified solutions.
Written communication You should be able to produce written documents that communicate complex disciplinary ideas and information effectively for the intended audience and purpose.
Oral communication You should be able to produce oral presentations that communicate complex disciplinary ideas and information effectively for the intended audience and purpose.
Teamwork You should be able to participate collaboratively and responsibly in teams, and reflect on your own teamwork, and on the team’s processes and ability to achieve outcomes.
Ethical, social and environmental responsibility
  1. You should be able to identify and assess ethical, environmental and/or sustainability considerations in business decision-making and practice.
  2. You should be able to identify social and cultural implications of business.
Related PLO Documents View the Master of Philosophy PLOs (pdf)
 View the Doctor of Philosophy PLOs (pdf)

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.
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Knowledge
  • Oral communication
  • Research capability
  • Teamwork
  • Workplace skills
  • Written communication
Entrepreneurial leaders capable of initiating and embracing innovation and change, as well as engaging and enabling others to contribute to change
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Knowledge
  • Oral communication
  • Workplace skills
  • Written communication
Professionals capable of ethical, self- directed practice and independent lifelong learning
  • Ethical, social and environmental responsibility
  • Workplace skills
Global citizens who are culturally adept and capable of respecting diversity and acting in a socially just and responsible way.
  • Ethical, social and environmental responsibility
  • Oral communication
  • Written communication

The Business School strongly advises you to choose a range of courses that assist your development against these PLOs and graduate capabilities, and to keep a record of your achievements as part of your portfolio. You could use these records for work or further study. For support with selecting your courses contact the UNSW Business School Student Centre.

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 nine to ten hours per week studying for a course except for Summer Term courses which have a minimum weekly workload of eighteen to twenty 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

Your regular and punctual attendance at lectures and seminars or in online learning activities is expected in this course. The Business School reserves the right to 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.).

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.

Special Consideration

You must submit all assignments and attend all examinations scheduled for your course. 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. Special Consideration is primarily intended to provide you with an extra opportunity to demonstrate the level of performance of which you are capable.

General information on special consideration for undergraduate and postgraduate courses can be found in the Assessment Implementation Procedure and the Current Students page.

Please note the following:

  1. Applications will not be accepted by teaching staff. The lecturer-in-charge will be automatically notified when you lodge an online application for special consideration
  2. Decisions and recommendations are only made by lecturers-in-charge (or by the Faculty Panel in the case of final exam special considerations), not by tutors
  3. Applying for special consideration does not automatically mean that you will be granted a supplementary exam or other concession
  4. Special consideration requests do not allow lecturers-in-charge to award students additional marks

Business School Protocol on requests for Special Consideration

The lecturer-in-charge will need to be satisfied on each of the following before supporting a request for special consideration:

  1. Does the medical certificate contain all relevant information? For a medical certificate to be accepted, the degree of illness and its impact on the student must be stated by the medical practitioner (severe, moderate, mild). A certificate without this will not be valid. Students should also note that only medical certificates issued after physically visiting a registered medical practitioner will be accepted. Medical certificates submitted for Special Consideration should always be requested from a registered medical practitioner that you have seen at a medical practice. Certificates obtained online or via social media may be fraudulent and if relied upon could result in a breach of the UNSW Student Code.
  2. Has the student performed satisfactorily in the other assessment items? To understand what Satisfactory Performance means in this course, please refer to the 'Formal Requirements' section in Part A of your Course Outline

Special Consideration and the Final Exam in undergraduate and postgraduate courses

Applications for special consideration in relation to the final exam are considered by a Business School Faculty panel to which lecturers-in-charge provide their recommendations for each request. If the Faculty panel grants a special consideration request, this will entitle the student to sit a supplementary examination. No other form of consideration will be granted. The following procedures will apply:

  1. Supplementary exams will be scheduled centrally and will be held approximately two weeks after the formal examination period.

    Supplementary exams for Semester 1, 2018 will be held during the period 14 - 21 July, 2018. Students wishing to sit a supplementary exam will need to be available during this period.

    The date for all Business School supplementary exams for Summer Term 2017/2018 is Wednesday, 21 February, 2018. If a student lodges a special consideration for the final exam, they are stating they will be available on this date. Supplementary exams will not be held at any other time.

  2. Where a student is granted a supplementary examination as a result of a request for special consideration, the student’s original exam (if completed) will be ignored and only the mark achieved in the supplementary examination will count towards the final grade. Absence from a supplementary exam without prior notification does not entitle the student to have the original exam paper marked, and may result in a zero mark for the final exam.

The Supplementary Exam Protocol for Business School students is available at: http://www.business.unsw.edu.au/suppexamprotocol

For special consideration for assessments other than the final exam refer to the ‘Assessment Section’ in your course outline.

Protocol for Viewing Final Exam Scripts

The UNSW Business School has set a protocol under which students may view their final exam script. Please check the protocol here.

Given individual schools within the Faculty may set up a local process for viewing final exam scripts, it is important that you check with your School whether they have any additional information on this process. Please note that this information might also be included in your course outline.


Student Support and Resources

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

Business School EQS Consultation Program
The Consultation Program offers academic writing, literacy and numeracy consultations, study skills, exam preparation for Business students. Services include workshops, online resources, individual and group consultations.
Level 1, Room 1035, Quadrangle Building.
BUS.EQS.Consultations@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4508

Business School Student Centre
The Business School Student Centre provides advice and direction on all aspects of admission, enrolment and graduation.
Level 1, Room 1028 in the Quadrangle Building
02 9385 3189

UNSW Learning Centre
The UNSW Learning Centre provides academic skills support services, including workshops and resources, for all UNSW students. See their website for details.
Lower Ground Floor, North Wing Chancellery Building.
learningcentre@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 2060

Educational Support Service
Educational 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. Check their website to request an appointment or to register in the Academic Success Program.
John Goodsell Building, Ground Floor.
advisors@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

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 9385 2650

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).
itservicecentre@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 1333

Disability Support Services
UNSW Disability Support Services provides assistance to students who are trying to manage the demands of university as well as a health condition, learning disability or who have personal circumstances that are having an impact on their studies. Disability Advisers can arrange to put in place services and educational adjustments to make things more manageable so that students are able to complete their course requirements. To receive educational adjustments for disability support, students must first register with Disability Services.
Ground Floor, John Goodsell Building.
disabilities@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


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