ECU Business Edge
The Faculty of Business and Law is heading the Australian University response to concerns raised by the Business Council of Australia that "Universities and TAFE Colleges are turning out graduates who are not 'job ready' and have skills better suited to academic pursuits"*.
The Business Edge curriculum, incorporated into the Bachelor of Business, is the first of its kind in Australia to address these concerns — students work in teams to solve problems relevant to the current corporate climate.
Students will develop a comprehensive skill-set of applicable business and managerial techniques, as well as the ability to anticipate trends; while also developing an understanding of complex cultural, ethical and social issues as they affect business practices and operations.
Based on the very successful program run at the University of Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow, Scotland; Business Edge is a set of four integrated units that focus on providing students with the competencies valued by employers. The units run across the three years of the Bachelor of Business and will be compulsory for all students in the course.
The Business Edge program focusses on developing entrepreneurship, oral and written communication, critical thinking, interpersonal skills, numeracy, ethics, team work, information literacy and problem solving skills.
In the Business Edge program, students will use information technology to work together or by themselves to complete real-world tasks. Students will use IT to manage these tasks, to communicate with each other, and in making decisions. They will use a range of business software to research information and produce high quality business documents.
Students in the Business Edge Program will require the use of a laptop computer.
While students are strongly encouraged to purchase their own computer, other options are available - see the Business Edge Laptop Options.
Business Edge Units
- BES1100 Foundations of Business Knowledge
- Integrating theory with practical activities, students evaluate themselves as learners and potential employees, acquire information literacy competencies, develop communication skills, and work in teams to solve common business problems.
- BES1200 Business Knowledge Development
- Students use numerical and statistical data to solve problems and make decisions. Students continue to develop an understanding of the role of individual differences in problem solving and decision making. They also develop their research skills, learning to summarise and synthesise information into various business and non-business documents.
- BES2100 Foundations of Business Leadership
- Students will demonstrate high level employability skills and work with other students to demonstrate networking, negotiation and mediation skills.
- BES3100 Business Career Development
- This unit focuses on the wider context in which business works, looking at the idea of social responsibility and business ethics, information and research skills and project management.
*Extract from Maiden S. and Kerr J., 'Graduates "lacking job skills"', The Australian, 13/03/06 © News Limited — used with permission.
