Overview

This unit aims to critically analyse and synthesise conventional and disruptive frameworks for assessing risk and its significance for achieving strategic objectives. Students will be encouraged to consider exploiting uncertainty for success rather than the predominant view of what can go wrong. This will involve exploring how organisations need to adapt, restructure, organise, communicate, and recruit differently. Real, field-based case studies of projects implemented within complex operating environments will be evaluated and students will have the opportunity to solve challenges presented by industry.

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
29-July-2024
27-October-2024
Last self-enrolment date
11-August-2024
Census date
31-August-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
13-September-2024
Results released date
03-December-2024
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
04-November-2024
09-February-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-November-2024
Census date
29-November-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
27-December-2024
Results released date
04-March-2025
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-March-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
16-March-2025
Census date
31-March-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
24-April-2025
Results released date
08-July-2025
Teaching Period 2
Location
Online
Start and end dates
07-July-2025
05-October-2025
Last self-enrolment date
20-July-2025
Census date
01-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
22-August-2025
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Develop a critical understanding of conventional and disruptive risk frameworks
  • Demonstrate a coherent knowledge of the various types of risk to business continuity in the context of an increasingly interconnected, highly networked world
  • Communicate effectively to internal and external stakeholders as a professional and function as an effective team member or leader
  • Research, design and implement non-linear problem-solving methodologies using general strategic risk assessments
  • Critically analyse, synthesise and implement methods of risk adaptation for project management in complex environments

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Class		2.00 12 weeks 24
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning		9.50 12 weeks 114
Online
Lecture		1.00 12 weeks 12
TOTAL150

Swinburne Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		12.50 12 weeks 150
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Assignment 1Individual 10 - 20% 1,2 
Assignment 2Individual 40 - 60% 3,4,5 
Assignment 3Group 30 - 40% 1,2,3,4,5 

Content

  • Risk definitions
  • Perceptions of risk and heuristics
  • Risk and significance to strategic objectives, decision and taking action
  • Understanding the difference between complicated and complex
  • Types of risk – Geo-political, non-technical, operational, market and compliance risk
  • Communicating risk
  • Understanding strategic risk
  • Risk identification techniques
  • Analyses of risk drivers
  • Risk assessment tools
  • Disruptive risk frameworks
  • Adaptation (non-human and human systems)
  • Exploiting uncertainty
  • Implementation and real-time risk adaptation
  • Natural risk mitigation

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.