MGMT20149 - Foundations of Management Consulting

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In this unit, you will be equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to identify and analyse practical issues in the complex environment of business consulting. This unit introduces you to the core principles and functions of business consulting and the complex settings within which business consulting takes place. You will develop a critical understanding of a range of theories and concepts that underpin the practice of business consulting, and explore the challenges being faced by professionals in the contemporary business environment. You will also evaluate the implementation of business consulting practices, considering perspectives and expectations of a wide range of stakeholders. The unit will build your knowledge of business consulting theory, and give you a range of practical skills to further your career in the field of business consulting.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level 8
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2025

Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Research Assignment 40%
2. Presentation 20%
3. Research Assignment 40%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 100% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Extract from SUTE Student Feedback
Feedback
Student experience has been very positive: "I found the unit very insightful ... engaging and empowering."
Recommendation
Maintain the focus on assessment providing insights that students can take into their professional practice. Enthusiasm for the subject area and workshop discussions are evidence of student interest.
Action Taken
Retain the focus to provide career boosting learning from the assessment design.
Source: Extract from SUTE Student Feedback
Feedback
"Feedback on assignments and insightful questioning of speakers from industry was invaluable".
Recommendation
Sharing their experience, industry speakers provide critical insights about how to be successful as a consultant. Workshop discussions provide opportunities to both explore a range of industries and to identify professional practices that contribute to being a successful consultant. Quality constructive feedback provided on assignments is well received and is an important part of the value-add we seek to provide.
Action Taken
Feedback on written assessment provides insights and an opportunity for coaching/mentoring support to accelerate student success.
Source: Insight from SUTE Student Feedback
Feedback
Students appreciated the opportunity to discuss how they could apply the insights to their current and emerging roles.
Recommendation
Socratic teaching empowers students and facilitates deeper engagement with insights from research and practice. Discussing their industry dynamic and where consulting opportunities are likely to arise (using conceptual frameworks) is very well received.
Action Taken
The contextual application and discussion of consulting frameworks contributes to dynamic workshop discussions. Maintain this approach.
Source: Personal refection from UC
Feedback
This unit provides all students with an opportunity to consider career pathways that can leverage their unique skills and experience, and potentially provide flexibility to better align work/life goals.
Recommendation
Any graduate with work experience might consider this unit in their career planning. Consulting can generate interesting and professionally fulfilling work and control over career direction.
Action Taken
The vagaries of careers and reliance on employers for fulfilling work opportunities is under much challenge. Understanding how to develop a successful (and non-competing) income stream exemplifies both positive risk management and strategic career mapping.
Source: Student comments
Feedback
Workshop discussions provide a risk-free and collegial environment to bounce ideas.
Recommendation
Contextualising the challenges and applying relevant frameworks can generate new approaches and helpful insights.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Student comments
Feedback
The diversity of occupations and experience of students adds a rich dynamic to discussions.
Recommendation
Workshop facilitation is a delight each week. The insights and deep discussions benefit all and advance learning outcomes immeasurably.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Discuss and apply foundational knowledge in the field of management consulting
  2. Understand and demonstrate the skills and abilities required to be a successful management consultant
  3. Analyse the roles and responsibilities of a professional management consultant
  4. Demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of the range of stakeholders involved with effective management consulting.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Research Assignment • •
2 - Presentation • • •
3 - Research Assignment • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Knowledge • • • •
2 - Communication • • •
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills • • •
4 - Research • • • •
5 - Self-management • • •
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility • • • •
7 - Leadership • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8