Unit Outline

BMA357

Freelancing and Small Business

Semester 1, 2024

Bronwyn Eager

Tasmanian School of Business & Economics (TSBE)

College of Business and Economics

CRICOS Provider Code: 00586B

Contact Details

Unit Coordinator

Bronwyn Eager

Email: Bronwyn.Eager@utas.edu.au

Contents

What is the Unit About?................................................................................................................................ 3

Unit Description............................................................................................................................................ 3

Intended Learning Outcomes................................................................................................................... 3

Requisites...................................................................................................................................................... 3

How will I be Assessed?................................................................................................................................ 4

Assessment schedule................................................................................................................................ 4

Assessment details..................................................................................................................................... 4

How your final result is determined............................................................................................................. 6

Submission of assignments..................................................................................................................... 6

Requests for extensions............................................................................................................................ 6

Late penalties................................................................................................................................................ 6

Review of results and appeals................................................................................................................. 6

Required Resources....................................................................................................................................... 7

Required reading materials....................................................................................................................... 7

Recommended reading materials............................................................................................................ 7

Other required resources........................................................................................................................... 7

Unit schedule.................................................................................................................................................... 8

AACSB Accreditation..................................................................................................................................... 9

Sustainability.................................................................................................................................................... 9

What is the Unit About?

Unit Description

This unit aims to develop students’ understanding of how to identify, communicate, and build their skills to meet market needs and design flexible and sustainable career pathways and small business opportunities. The unit explores freelancing and small business sectors, including small business management theories, concepts, technologies, and strategies. Students will develop a personal work/life career plan for future (self)employment to enhance their success in the new world of work. Students will also learn to design business models and develop strategies for enhancing business efficacy in real-world small business contexts. This unit is designed as a highly interactive and applied learning experience with innovative modes of delivery.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

1.	Evaluate and apply small business management theories and concepts to promote sustainable business practices.
2.	Critically evaluate contemporary small business management challenges and opportunities using theory and research.
3.	Communicate small business strategies and practices.

Requisites

REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	BMA227

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule

ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Assessment Task 1: Design Your Work Life Project	Week 6	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Assessment Task 2: Small Business Project	Week 12	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Assessment Task 1: Design Your Work Life Project

Task Description:

This assessment provides you with the opportunity to craft your future career. Grounded in the principles of Design Thinking, you’re offered a structured pathway to explore, design, and prototype your professional future – be it as a freelancer, a small business owner, or employee.

The assessment requires you to engage in a series of activities and document these in a provided workbook.

To support you in completing the assignment, multiple activities will be run throughout the semester, supplemented by resources in the unit’s online learning modules.

Task Length:

Workbook - Students are invited to submit a draft of their workbook for feedback prior to due date (Week 6).

Due Date:

Week 6

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Communicate the application of small business management theories and concepts to explore and design future career pathways	LO3
2	Critically evaluate future career pathways using small business management theories and concepts	LO2
3	Conduct research to evaluate the sustainability of future career pathways	LO1

Assessment Task 2: Assessment Task 2: Small Business Project

Task Description:

In this assignment, you’re invited to explore the exciting world of small business and business model design. You have the option to either focus your assessment on an existing small business or your own small business venture.

The assessment requires you to 1) engage in a series of activities and document these in a provided workbook, and 2) create a presentation that describes how you applied small business management theories, concepts, strategies, and technologies to design a sustainable business.

To support you in completing the assignment, group-based activities will be run throughout the semester, complemented by content available in the unit’s online learning modules.

Task Length:

Workbook + 6-minute (+/- 1 minute) presentation

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Apply small business management theories and concepts to design a sustainable business model.	LO1
2	Conduct research to validate and critically evaluate the design of a sustainable small business.	LO2
3	Communicate an evidence-based and sustainable small business model.	LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

You will need the following text (free e-text available via the UTAS Library]:

Osterwalder, A. & Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation: a handbook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers. John Wiley & Sons.

Other required resources

In addition to the texts/software recommended above, you are also expected to be familiar with the key academic journals in the discipline from which useful insights may be derived. In particular, you are encouraged to review regularly the relevant papers that are published in:
American Journal of Small Business
Harvard Business Review
International Small Business Journal
Journal of Small Business Management
Sloan Management Review

Useful Websites
• ACNielsen: http://www.nielsen.com/au/en.html
• Australian Bureau of Statistics: www.abs.gov.au/
• Australian Financial Review: www.fairfax.com.au
• Australian Government Small Business Website: http://australia.gov.au/topics/business-andindustry/abn-acn-business-management/small-business
• Australian Retailers Association: www.retail.org.au
• Business Government: http://www.business.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx
• Business Review Weekly: www.brw.com.au
• Export Council of Australia: http://www.export.org.au/eca/homepage
• Tasmanian Small Business Council: http://www.tsbc.org.au
• The Business Times: http://www.businesstimes.com.sg

Unit schedule

Week	Date beginning	Topic/ Module/ Focus Area	Workbook Activities & Due Dates	Resources/ Readings/ Further Information
1	26 February	Welcome & Orientation	Workbook 1 Activity: Workview & Worldview Weekly Reflection	Refer to MyLO
2	4 March	The New World of Work	Workbook 1 Activity: Imagining the Workplace of the Future Weekly Reflection	Refer to MyLO
3	11 March	Design Your Work Life	Workbook 1 Activity: Odyssey Planning Weekly Reflection	Refer to MyLO
4	18 March	Prototyping Your Career Pathways	Workbook 1 Activity: Career Prototyping Informational Interview Weekly Reflection	Refer to MyLO
5	25 March	Personal Branding	Workbook 1 Activity: Personal Branding Strategy Weekly Reflection	Refer to MyLO
6	1 April	Small Business Planning	DUE: Workbook 1	Refer to MyLO
7	8 April	Introduction to Business Model Canvas (BMC)	Workbook 2 Activity: Business Model Canvas	Refer to MyLO
8	15 April	Customer Relationships & Channels	Workbook 2 Activity: Customer Relationships & Channels	Refer to MyLO
9	22 April	Digital Strategy	Workbook 2 Activity: Digital Strategy	Refer to MyLO
10	29 April	Key Resources, Activities, and Partners	Workbook 2 Activity: Key Resources, Activities, and Partners	Refer to MyLO
11	6 May	Grants & Funding		Refer to MyLO
12	13 May	Health & Wellbeing	DUE: Workbook 2	Refer to MyLO
13	20 May	Revision		Refer to MyLO
Study Period: 3 June to 7 June
Exam Period: 8 June to 25 June

AACSB Accreditation

The Tasmanian School of Business and Economics (TSBE) gained initial Business Accreditation from the AACSB International (AACSB) in July 2021 – the lead program for accrediting business schools globally. AACSB seeks to connect educators, students, and business to achieve a common goal – to create the next generation of business leaders.

AACSB is the most reputable standard in business education and TSBE is now one of an elite group of the world’s business schools. By being an AACSB accredited School, TSBE has joined a global alliance committed to improve the quality of business education around the world, and to share the latest innovations in business education.

Gaining Business Accreditation with AACSB means that we have satisfied a multi-year process involving TSBE demonstrating our performance against the 15 accreditation standards.

TSBE has joined a select community of accredited business schools, with only five percent of all business schools globally accredited with AACSB. This will further enhance the reputation of TSBE, as well as the global recognition of your qualifications. To find out more about AACSB click here.

Sustainability

The College of Business and Economics is now a PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education) signatory. We are committed to the six PRME values of Purpose, Values, Method, Research, Partnership and Dialogue and you will see in various units how we embed sustainability values in our teaching and research and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Across all sustainable development goals, our university is ranked at 25 overall globally, and for Sustainable Development Goal 13 – Climate Action – UTAS is the number one university. For more information about PRME, click here.