Course overview
The course will provide participants with strategies and skills to design and respond to future business scenarios across a variety of real-world business contexts. The course is designed and delivered to prepare for a turbulent, yet increasingly opportunity rich world, and to differentiate necessity from distracting noise. The course will integrate a range of real-world enterprise partners.
The course is framed around concepts of predictable and unpredictable futures, identifying trends, scenario planning and opportunity framing, evaluating desirability, viability, and feasibility, and entrepreneurship. The course has a focus on digital transformation through open innovation, including delivery of digital prototypes.
The course will be delivered in partnership with QUT Centre for Future Enterprise (CFE) and Innovation Central Brisbane including facilitation of seminars and workshops by leadership team, researchers, and industry partners.
Academic year
2023/24 Northern hemisphere.
2024 Australia
Duration and dates
2 weeks from Sunday, June 30 to Friday, July 12 2024
Teaching format
Face to Face on campus, QUT Gardens Point and QUT Kelvin Grove
Coordinators
Ingrid Larkin and Associate Professor Paula Dootson
Biography
Paula Dootson
Paula is a Senior Lecturer in the QUT Business School where she teaches The Future Enterprise (undergraduate course), Innovation in Practice (postgraduate capstone), and Disruptive Innovation Leadership Course (executive education). Paula is also an award-winning researcher in understanding deviant behaviour (e.g., non-compliance, theft, rule violations) and either explores ways to deter it or encourage it when it inspires innovation. With over $3.3 million in funding, she has investigated ways to encourage compliance with emergency warnings through message design, encourage tax compliance using technology solutions, and examined the way we regulate public recordkeeping and copyright infringement to promote innovation in our digital future.
Ingrid Larkin
Ingrid is Associate Director of Work Integrated Learning programs in QUT Faculty of Business and Lawwhere she is responsible for all aspects of industry and community engaged learning. Ingrid teaches a suite of work integrated learning and experiential learning units at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She has also been a lead instructor and advisor for QUT International Case Competition teams for more than 10 years and is an expert in case-based learning and capstone experiences. Ingrid was a lecturer in QUT School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations for more than 10 years before moving into her current role. Prior to Ingrid’s career at QUT, she worked in public relations and consulting.
Guest lecturers and industry representatives will be advised prior to commencement of course.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this course a student should be able to:
A. Knowledge and Understanding:
- Understand environmental sensing, scenario planning, and innovation; and
- Employ a range of business analysis tools to develop a viable solution to a real business problem.
B. Subject-Specific Skills:
- Identify and articulate organisational opportunities.
- Demonstrate an understanding of strategies for predicting and responding to future business scenarios across a variety of real-world business contexts.
- Analyse a corporate, not for profit and purpose led, or entrepreneurial market to identify emerging business opportunities and threats using a variety of processes and approaches.
- Understand a range of environment sensing tools and approaches, construct business recommendations and evaluate them according to strategic alignment, feasibility, viability and desirability.
- Report on industry trends, developments and possible scenarios in teams using professional communication and collaboration skills.
C. General Interpersonal Skills:
- Effective teamwork in a multicultural environment.
- Interact effectively and interpret cultural differences in a multicultural and multidisciplinary group.
- Create and deliver persuasive and informative business presentations.
Course content
The course will cover a range of topics relevant to understanding and analysing future business environments, guiding today’s business investments. Topics will include:
- Predictable and Unpredictable Futures
- Scenario Planning
- The Digital Enterprise
- Opportunity Framing
- Using Innovation Lenses
- Evaluating Desirability, Viability and Feasibility
- Entrepreneurship
- Pitching and Presentation Skills
Course value
6 ECTS
Required background
Students are required to have completed one semester of coursework at master level in one of the participating business schools.
Assessment
Industry Presentation and Summary
Students will be assessed in teams on their final presentation to the industry opportunity assigned. Presentations will take place on the final day of the program to an audience of industry representatives, academics, and the course team, followed by a period of question and answers. All team members will be expected to present and to answer questions. Teams will submit their presentation slide deck and a one-page summary of the context, opportunity, and solution.
Bibliography
There are no required texts. Students will be informed of any recommended prior readings on confirmation of enrolment.
Extra cost
None
Miscellaneous information
n/a
About the School
The QUT Business School is Australia’s first Business School with the Triple Crown of international accreditation.
Located at the Gardens Point campus in Brisbane’s central business district, it offers its students learning opportunities in spaces that encourage collaboration, practical problem solving, and integrates technology to engage students on campus and online.
QUT is known as ‘the university for the real world’ because of our close links with industry and our relevant teaching and applied research. As an institution we seek to equip our students with the skills they’ll need in an increasingly disrupted and challenged world. QUT is a university with a global outlook and real world focus.
