School: Business and Law

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Business Environments & Markets
  • Unit Code

    WCE1300
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Anthony KERR

Description

Business Environments and Markets introduces students to the complex external environment in which businesses operate. The disruptive power of new technologies, rapid social change and the shifting political scene are just some of the factors that exert considerable influence on how managers make business decisions that will deliver competitive advantage in a given marketplace. Students will trace the product and service development practices of businesses and explore new ways of connecting and engaging with customers and stakeholders at a local, national and international level.

Equivalent Rule

This unit is equivalent to SBL1300.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Analyse the general business environment including the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal aspects that impact on a business.
  2. Explain the steps involved in analysing an existing business's strengths/weaknesses, opportunities/threats and competitor analysis.
  3. Explain the importance of developing business strategies to attract, retain and enhance customer relationships.
  4. Evaluate brands and their relationships with society including the new product/service development process.

Unit Content

  1. Historical overview of business in the external environment.
  2. The effects of globalisation in business today.
  3. Monitoring the external environment and the use of management tools.
  4. Business, competitor and stakeholder analyses.
  5. Product or service development and innovation.
  6. Positioning and controlling products and services in the market.
  7. Product lifecycle.
  8. Buyer decision processes.
  9. Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
  10. Communicating with and managing external stakeholders.

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 113 x 3 hour seminarNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Additional Learning Experience Information

On-campus students attend class using a Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) learning approach including interactive presentations, videos and small group discussions. Students are required to complete set readings outside of class contact time and come prepared for class. On-campus activities will focus on small group work, designed to further develop communication skills, critical thinking and working with others.

Assessment

GS2 GRADING SCHEMA 2 Used for Undifferentiated Pass/Fail units inc. practical units or work-integrated learning

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescription
ExerciseCompetitor Analysis
AssignmentBusiness Analysis (Individual)
ReportBrand Business Report (Team)

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

WCE1300|1|1