Session 1

Introduction to Unit

MBS662 Business, Society and the Environment

Session 1

1. Introductions

2. How will we become a cohesive “we” and support each other’s learning?

3. Unit concepts: Sustainability, critical thinking, Sustainable Development Goals

4. MBS662—big picture

5. Assignments
Teaching Team

Greg Lopez Unit Coordinator

Kath Sugars Perth, Western Australia
Anand Naidu Singapore
Charlie Lim Singapore
Leena Wanganoo Dubai

Greg is ultimately responsible for MBS662

Kath is responsible for coordinating moderation and collaboration between campuses
Teaching team in each location are responsible for facilitating learning and assessment for their student cohort
The voices on the session recordings
Kath Sugars (me) Perth, Western Australia
Megan Paull 2022 Unit Coordinator and Lecturer
Sally Paulin Guest Lecturer
Esther Harris Guest Lecturer
Amer Matarneh Guest Lecturer

Session recordings from 2022 have been edited down for use by external students in 2023

Shorter (no empty space due to group discussions) 

Variety of viewpoints and approaches 

Content of lectures is not developed in a relationship between cohort and lecturer 

 Who am I?
Dr Katherine Sugars (Kath)
katherine.sugars@murdoch.edu.au
kathsugars@gmail.com

• Murdoch student last 10 years, now Honorary Research Associate

• PhD in the human lived experience of schism (factionalised conflict)

• Master Business Administration

• Newly part of teaching team for MBS662

• A humanist in existential angst over the global problems we are not solving

• Here to learn with you (including the technology)

How can I help you?
Who are WE?

• Introductions (please add your own on LMS)

How can we form a cohesive, interactive, supportive group?

• How can we best communicate and collaborate?

• Does everyone know how to use the SharePoint tools (TEAMs meetings and chat, cloud storage) through their
Murdoch University student login?

• Would you like a regular TEAMs meeting for a half hour each week on current events, to explore ideas, or to
answer questions? A casual get together? Maybe a Shut Up and Write session? Writing tips? Other tips (video
editing, referencing, Endnote)?
We could communicate, collaborate…
Sustainability

• What does sustainability mean?

• What does it connote for you?

• Has the concept of sustainability evolved over time, do you think?

• If so, why and how?

Critical thinking

• What does critical thinking mean to you?

• In this unit, engaging with ideas and the people CRITICALLY is key

• There are no correct answers. There are well-argued answers, well-supported

answers, well-developed ideas…

• Be sure to read Facione (LMS post-Session 1)

• What are your strengths as a critical thinker and what would you like to work on?
If you find that fascinating…
Daniel Kahneman, 2011. Thinking Fast and Slow. Penguin Books.
Winner of the Nobel Prize, Kahneman writes engagingly and with reference to studies,
about our “fast and slow” or system 1 and system 2 ways of thinking, and how it affects our
judgment and decisions, and our lives.

Patrick Stokes, 5 October 2012. No, you’re not entitled to your opinion. The Conversation.
https://theconversation.com/no-youre-not-entitled-to-your-opinion-9978
Stokes is a lecturer in Philosophy at Deakin University, and The Conversation is my
favourite place to find informed articles and analysis of news (you can subscribe for free).
“The problem with ‘I’m entitled to my opinion’ is that…. this attitude feeds, I suggest, into the false equivalence
between experts and non-experts that is an increasingly pernicious feature of our public discourse.”
News and information?

• From where, and from whom, do you get your information about the world?

• How do you apply critical thinking to filtering, assessing, and analysing information in
your environment?

• How does this become knowledge? What do you “know” and how do you know you
know it?
Introducing the SDGs

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
Sustainable Development Goals

• What have been some of the effects of COVID-19 on global conditions, in the
context of this unit?
• How might this experience have affected our capacity to create system change,
and shift to a more sustainable economy that works for people and the planet?

We need to turn the recovery into a real opportunity to do things right for the future.
—UN Secretary-General António Guterres
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sdgs-framework-for-covid-19-recovery/#
2019 Global Climate Strikes
Reports of a virus in China

2020 Shifting priorities

Border closures, “iso”
WFH
Global supply chains

2021 Economy v health

Anti-vaxx, division
Trust in government
Disinformation, misinformation

2022 Housing crisis, inequality, poverty

Political shift
Women, the Teal wave
The Voice
“Unsurprisingly, the cost of energy and
power generation has seen the energy
and utility sectors as this year’s
outperformers. Thanks to Russia’s
crazy Vlad and a realisation that
renewable energy has a long way to
go if you don’t want poor people to
freeze to death, there remains a gap in
reality between reliance on fossil fuels
and green energy at any cost.”

—(my mum’s broker’s EOY email)

How can you do well in this unit?

Prepare and participate Read and refer to the Unit Guide (LMS)
Debate and discuss, ask questions Be clear on assignment expectations
Keep up each week Submit by due dates

It is YOUR learning

Make connections from MBS662 to the world Academic integrity

Reflect on and discuss current events Referencing (APA 7th)
Complex dynamics, not “right” answers Collaborate, cooperate, don’t collude
The more you know…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNBmHXS3A6I&ab_chan
nel=TEDxTalks

Imposter syndrome? Me too!

Who is Mike-Cannon Brookes?

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/15/agl-energy-board-directors-mike-cannon-brookes
Resources
• LMS pre-session, session, and post-session

• Current affairs, news, social media

• Each other
Assignments

• Assignment 1: Learning Journal—start NOW

o r m ation
• Assignment 2: Individual Report—start NOW f
More in uide,
G
• Assignment 3: Group Video—form group NOW in Unit s on
g
recordin uring
M S , a nd d
L
classes
• TAKE HOME EXAM at the end of teaching period
Assignment 1 Learning Reflection (20%)

A critical reflection of between 800 and 1000 words about your learning in MBS662
• Start now and keep going each week (this work will be invaluable)
• Complete pre-session LMS activities on the Learning Tool
• Write a reflection after each session (150–250 words)
• Two weeks before the due date, your lecturer will specify two sessions for you to discuss in particular, though
reflect on your development in critical thinking across the whole unit
• Do not try to cover every topic, but do make connections between multiple topics
• Do not summarise the course, apply concepts from the course to illustrate and explain your learning*
• References, parsimony
• More information?
*audience awareness
Assignment 2 Individual Report (30%)

A report for a mid-size business to outline what the Ten Principles mean for them (2500–3000 words)
• Use a report format (see pdf on LMS)
• Only use publicly available information

• Start now (due soon)

• Research the background information (see unit guide)
• Understand the scope and style of presenting your research
• Choose a business (consult with your video group)
• Provide a profile of the business for the marker (500 words)
• Incorporate academic, grey literature, media reports, web resources (not Wikipedia, and don’t quote from the
business’s website—I’ll know)
• Report on different perspectives and considerations, but take a position and build an argument
Assignment 3 Group Video (20%)
Record a 10-minute video showcasing a case, storyline, argument, issue, or debate you have investigated (your
CONTEXT) in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (CHOOSE ONE; explore the tensions, problems, etc, of
achieving this goal as relevant to your chosen context)

• Start now
• Form your group (tell me who is in it)
• Choose which goal and context you want to focus on, so you can choose related businesses
• Prepare a group behavioural contract (work out and agree how you will work together)

• Only use publicly available information, don’t interview people, or film on private property

• Each member of the group should appear in the video in an identifiable way

• Video editing quality is not assessed*

• Included a written submission which ADDS VALUE (1000 words); not a transcript

• Submit statement of contribution by group members

• References and copyright

*audience awareness
Statement of individual contribution

For example:
• Monica attended all meetings, did online research and prepared her own script, organised
meetings and kept notes
• Koichi attended all meetings, did online research, prepared original diagrams and
modified and used a script developed by Jo
• Jo attended 9/10 meetings, prepared the script base for Koichi and Hank, did online
research, and edited the final version with Hank
• Hank attended 7/10 meetings, did online research, modified and used a script developed
by Jo, did most of the filming and edited the final version with Jo
Take-Home Exam (30%)

• Details will be discussed in Session 10

• If you engage consistently with the unit resources and discussion, you will be fine

• This unit is not about memorisation (it is a take-home exam)

• MBS662 aims to develop your capacity to think critically about complex situations

• The exam asks you to apply the concepts we have discussed

Grading in MBS662

• Students are expected to participate in and complete ALL assessment

components in MBS662
• To get a good grade, expect to allocate about 20 hours a week engaging with
resources and colleagues
• The final score is a sum of the scores of each assessment, weighted as detailed
in the Unit Guide
• Grades awarded are standard to the University
Fail Pass Credit Distinction High Distinction
<50% 50–59% 60–69% 70–79% 80%
Academic Integrity
• Students should complete the Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP)

• murdoch.edu.au/mymurdoch/support-advice/learning-study/ • Extensions
murdoch-academic-passport • Penalties for late assignments
• Referencing
• Library citation guide
• Your original work
• Academic misconduct
• Ouriginal
Getting help

• Unit Guide and LMS

• Ask questions in class

• Use the discussion forums on LMS

• Help each other—collaboration is not collusion

• Check the Murdoch University website

• Contact your lecturer—with a clear specific question

Keep up and keep going

Learning journal plus take Individual report plus

home exam group video

50% 50%
Thank you