Master of Marketing Communications

This subject provides students with an advanced understanding of relevant theory and practice in contemporary public relations. Lectures will introduce case studies and practical accounts from industry professionals dealing with public relations functions including stakeholder relations, media relations, government relations, investor relations and issues/crisis management. This will be complemented with theoretical perspectives and examination of ethical considerations to situate the key issues and challenges of public relations in a global context.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject will provide a pathway for students to gain familiarity with key issues and debates in the field of marketing communications. Students will develop a critical understanding of concepts and approaches relating to media institutions, texts and audiences. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the complex transformation from the paradigm of broadcast media to contemporary networked digital communications. This new environment of active audience participation and distributed communication has challenged the conceptual underpinnings of a range of practices including advertising, public relations, stakeholder management and marketing campaigns. Students will be introduced to the tasks of identifying and evaluating a variety of marketing strategies, and will have the opportunity to learn, examine and apply strategic marketing decision-making processes in the marketing and communications business environment.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject provides an introduction to the basic concepts, principles and activities of marketing and how to manage an organisation's marketing effort. Some of the principal topics include value-based marketing, market research, selecting target markets, product and brand management, marketing communications (advertising and promotions, as well as personal selling), management of distribution channels, pricing decisions and marketing ethics. Students are also introduced to the nature of buyer behaviour, including decision-making patterns, purchase behaviours, and customer satisfaction.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject will enable students to develop effective content strategy for various types of organizations, including skills in persuasive message building, creative narrative, and the different generic requirements involved in content production and publications for a range of media contexts and platforms. Case studies will be drawn from print, broadcast and online media, and exercises will cover different practices including drafting content strategy, producing social media content and making storyboard for video content, and developing strategic messages for various media platforms.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject provides an advanced understanding of the global marketing communications landscape and its ongoing transformation. It examines key strategies, trends and issues in local, global and cross-cultural contexts through case studies and theoretical frameworks. The subject analyses how these transformations affect both consumers and practitioners, and explores approaches for addressing cultural, technological and regulatory challenges. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of national and regional contexts in shaping effective and ethical marketing communications in a globalised world.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject provides a strategic understanding of, and practical skills to plan and implement, integrated marketing communications campaigns across a range of media platforms from print to broadcast to social media. It investigates the changing relationship between marketing, advertising and public relations in the context of the emergence of a ‘post-convergence’ media-sphere, and explores the new opportunities and dynamics of social media as a marketing tool. This subject teaches students practical skills in working with the media in developing campaigns, including campaign planning, media liaison, media planning and buying, campaign evaluation and understanding audience research. It also examines the ethical and legal aspects of convergence on the professional practice of marketing communications.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject is intended to provide students who do not have a business background with grounding in the field of strategy. It will expose them to key themes, issues and theories of strategy, with a particular focus on the role of leadership in developing and implementing strategy for business success. There will be a strong emphasis on using theoretical knowledge to solve practical problems, which will be achieved through the use of case studies and discussion of contemporary business problems. Students who complete the subject should have a sound theoretical and applied understanding of the role of strategic leadership in business success. Topics covered will include: the role of strategy in business performance; the impact of environments on strategy; the role of leadership in strategy formulation and implementation; working with multiple stakeholders; strategic decision making; and leadership in corporate social responsibility.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject expands students' knowledge of major theories and state of the art thinking in the measurement of marketing performance. It extends students’ understanding of market research methods in covering advanced topics including: product diffusion models and forecasting; measuring customer satisfaction, brand attitudes, and brand equity; understanding the lifetime value of a customer; advertising effectiveness; market sensitivity to promotions and price; sales-force optimisation; calculating the return on marketing investment.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This marketing subject exposes students to an integrated perspective of the firm, how it interfaces with its environment, and how it creates and sustains value. Value creation occurs through interactions of a firm with its stakeholders (including its customers) and is central to marketing. The subject builds a conceptual framework to examine the choices (marketing) managers face in determining how best to create value, and how these choices may be shaped by key stakeholders including government, society, trading partners, customers, employees and competitors. A key focus of this subject is on value creation as a cross disciplinary and cross firm activity. As such, the focus is on value creation from multiple disciplinary perspectives including marketing, strategy, entrepreneurship, HRM, supply chain management and organisational design.

View detailed information in the Handbook

How do we adapt to new cultural settings and function effectively in situations characterized by cultural diversity? How do we orient ourselves to knowledge that accounts for cultural complexity? This subject addresses these questions by examining cultural intelligence. Cultural intelligence is concerned not only with producing social and institutional sustainability but the frameworks and practices which enable people to thrive in, belong to and enhance the communities in which they live and work. This subject will examine: management approaches to cultural intelligence, cultural complexity theory, everyday multiculturalism and cultural diversity planning, across a range of sites and case studies including the multi-ethnic workplace, the cross-cultural marketplace, social contract learning, cultural statistics, creative industries, social media and open source intelligence. Introducing the cultural dimensions of organisational strategy, governance and competency, students will learn how cultural intelligence can potentially mitigate cultural complexity.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Students will read a range of fictional and non-fictional narratives written in the late 20th and early 21 st centuries for serial publication, such as Maupin’s Tales of the City books or ABC’s Please Like Me. Students will analyse these texts with a focus on the relationship between serial distribution and storytelling form, and with particular attention given to historical transformations and new developments.

Students will also read critical approaches to serial narrative concentrating on textual forms, genre, criticism, technologies of production and distribution, industrial formations of production and distribution, cultural contexts, and modes of audience engagement. Students will work to devise a concept outline for an original serial narrative for print, online, audio or screen delivery (e.g. online prose series, television series or podcast series), and write selected instalments.

View detailed information in the Handbook

One outcome of the globalisation of the Australian and international job markets is the increasing need for transcultural communication skills in both the private and public sectors. Transcultural communication typically entails interaction in which one or more of the communicators use a second or third language. Successful transcultural communication requires not only a shared language but also strong intercultural awareness and skills. These include verbal skills such as how and when to use speech and silence as well as non-verbal skills knowing how and when gaze, gesture and body posture may differ across cultures. This subject will provide students with the tools to achieve successful transcultural encounters in professional settings and embrace intercultural citizenship. The delivery of the subject will include lectures with audio-visual materials, discussion sessions to deepen the students’ understanding of theories and key concepts pertaining to transcultural communication. Students will also be evaluating the practical implications of theories and concepts discussed in the classroom and applying them to real-world scenarios. This subject will focus on transcultural communication using an intersectional approach by exploring topics such as, multicultural and Indigenous Australia, identity, intercultural citizenship, politeness and rapport management.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject is designed to provide students with an advanced industry perspective of an area of marketing communications. This practice-based subject is taught by current expert industry practitioners and will give students the opportunity to further hone their skills prior to entering the workforce. Students in this subject will engage with case studies and topical issues in the lecturer’s industry of practice.

Advanced Industry Practice – PR is led by Ms Ashleigh Bonica and Ms Emma Lomas, AMPR Group, who take students through client relations, current changes in the industry and the process of creating a PR plan from scratch.

Given the advanced nature of the subject we recommend that students undertake this subject in the final 100 points of their degree.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject is designed to provide students with an advanced industry perspective of an area of marketing communications. This practice-based subject is taught by current expert industry practitioners and will give students the opportunity to further hone their skills prior to entering the workforce. Students in this subject will engage with case studies and topical issues in the lecturer’s industry of practice.

MECM90026 Advanced Industry Practice – Advertising will be taught by key experts in the Advertising industry, who take students through the key steps and processes involved in a marketing communications brief and strategy.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Audiovisual communication is an important sector in today’s transnational digital sphere. The training in key areas of audiovisual production is relevant for various professional areas in the media and communication industry. This subject is designed in a ‘workshop’ approach where students will work in small groups in order to gain experience in various areas of audiovisual production. The subject will familiarise students, for example with techniques of script writing, producing, shooting, and preparation of audiovisual content for online as well as broadcast delivery. Furthermore, principles of collaborative practice, studio directing, camera operation, sound recording, and post-production workflows will also be integral to the subject.

These techniques are delivered through project-related contexts using a project-based approach. It is aimed to deliver student productions online or other media platforms. Given the nature of the teaching of this subject, all students must consult with the subject coordinator prior to enrolment.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject is designed to give students training in the knowledge and skills required to be effective online community managers. It presents advanced understanding of the theories, practices, responsibilities, and ethical considerations of managing online communities in participatory spaces, whether for brands or media organisations. Using practical examples and case studies it demonstrates the importance of excellent community management and engagement within the online communications space. Students will be given an opportunity to translate their knowledge into practice through assignments designed to engage them in the work of community management.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Social entrepreneurs are individuals who establish an enterprise with the goal of solving complex social or environmental problems, including poverty, access to health, homelessness, climate change and food waste. They have been credited with success in disrupting the traditional forms and purpose of business and charity by creating innovative social enterprises that meld the best features of business and the non-profit sector. This subject seeks to equip students with a critical understanding of the social enterprise form and support them in developing a startup social enterprise with the purpose of solving a social and/or environmental problem. Designed and delivered with input from leaders in the social enterprise sector, the subject features lectures and workshops on social enterprise design, business modelling, pitching, social finance and measurement, as well as addressing the difficulties and dark side of social enterprise. In the subject students will develop an idea for a startup social enterprise and develop a business plan which they will pitch to a Shark Tank panel of experts. Prizes will be awarded to the best ideas to help develop these solutions into successful social enterprises.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Great books teach us how to describe experience, how to evaluate it, and how to imagine its liberating transformation. They deepen our engagement with critical traditions of thought that extend back through time and, by doing this, they enable us to better understand and address key issues facing the world today. Emboldened and impelled by the voices of great thinkers and writers, we gather crucial lessons on leadership, empathy, moral capacity, critical thinking, cultural complexity, social difference, creativity and innovation and arguably the very meaning of being human. Given what we can do in the world today, great books also help us to think about what we should do. This subject provides a critical introduction to ten great works on the basis that answers to the challenges of our era won’t simply come from technical skills, managerial capacity or datasets alone, but from a developed knowledge of the powerful ideas that underpin literature, history and philosophy.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This experiential learning subject introduces students to the fundamentals of social entrepreneurship, while equipping students with a practical understanding of social enterprise as a model to tackle social and/or environmental problems through trade. Working in small teams, students are introduced to a range of design thinking and social innovation frameworks. They draw on these frameworks to iteratively conceptualise, ‘pitch’, refine and develop a social enterprise ‘business model’ that appropriately responds to the needs of communities and society. To nurture and support development of ideas, the subject draws on real-world case studies as well as industry guests from the social enterprise ecosystem including social entrepreneurs, people with ‘lived-experience’, social finance and impact investment intermediaries, incubators and accelerators and leading scholars and thinkers in the field. Upon completing this subject, students will develop a critical understanding of the theoretical foundations of social entrepreneurship and how to develop a ‘business model’ for financially sustainable social impact. By doing so, the subject also offers a unique opportunity for students to apply conceptual knowledge and project management and business skills to real-world social and/or environmental challenges.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject examines the practices of public relations management. Topics include an introduction to public relations, the evolution of public relations, public relations theory, ethical issues in public relations, public relations strategies and tactics, the various stakeholders/publics that organisations interact with and the issues that they face with their major stakeholder relationships, crisis management, and also an examination of the difference between marketing public relations (MPR) and corporate public relations. Marketing public relations (MPR) is a key focus in the class.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject provides an introduction to the basic concepts, principles and activities of marketing and how to manage an organisation's marketing effort. Some of the principal topics include value-based marketing, market research, selecting target markets, product and brand management, marketing communications (advertising and promotions, as well as personal selling), management of distribution channels, pricing decisions and marketing ethics. Students are also introduced to the nature of buyer behaviour, including decision-making patterns, purchase behaviours, and customer satisfaction.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject focuses on the task of developing and managing brands. It examines the way in which brand decisions may contribute to creating competitive advantage and explains how to analyse industries, make changes in brand strategies over time, and respond to competitive moves. Students also gain an understanding of the issues involved in the development and management of new products, how to manage product lines, and how to measure, develop and manage their brand equity.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Monitoring, designing and managing customer experiences (CX) is essential to overall business performance. This subject will explore how organisations can enhance customer and employee experiences to promote brand satisfaction, loyalty, positive word of mouth, and overall well-being.

We will investigate the management of human, digital, and physical touchpoints throughout each stage of the customer journey: pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase.

We will understand how businesses can manage contextual factors that impact customer experience. This includes the visual aesthetics of omnichannel environments and the interactions with front-line staff, including chatbots and robots. We will also examine the role of customers in the co-creation and co-destruction of value. Finally, we will learn how to identify and monitor crucial customer experience pain points and how businesses can effectively recover from significant negative deviations in customer experience ratings.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject examines the factors affecting the purchase, usage and disposal of products and services. Topics include the introduction and application of customer behaviour concepts to marketing decision making; consumer behaviour models of information processing; the identification of psychological variables which influence customer decision making; social and cultural factors affecting consumer behaviour; and an introduction to a variety of consumer-related market research techniques.

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This subject concentrates heavily on advertising, but also addresses the issues of internet advertising, public relations, and sales promotions. The emphases will be on understanding the theoretical foundation underlying persuasive communications, promotional strategy selection, integration of communications with other marketing activities, strategy implementation, and budgeting. The subject incorporates both lecture and cases as instructional vehicles.

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The rise of Asia will be a defining feature of the 21st century and holds the potential to generate a paradigm shift in how we understand public policy, administration and management. Australian policy makers are actively turning their attention to the policy, governance and practice changes required to maintain Australia’s economic and political influence in the region, while broadening and strengthening relationships with Asian nations.

This subject will provide students with the necessary foundations for creating, analysing and implementing public policy in the context of the Asian Century. In the first instance, students will consider what is meant by the Asian Century in relation to shifting economic, political and social power and what this means for international relations and governance. Students will explore what it means to be ‘Asia capable’. In particular, the subject will examine how key Asian nations view and action public policy in order to understand key differences and similarities in the way public policy is conceptualised and acted on from a Western perspective. As part of this, students will explore how key Western-style institutions, practices and orientations which comprise ‘public administration’, ‘public management’ and ‘public governance’ might be limited by or changed within the context of increasing Asian influence in the global and regional public policy sphere.

This highly interactive subject will engage important theoretical discussions and translate key concepts into practice through the exploration of case studies from across the Asian region. Students will engage with the ongoing public debate about 'the Asian Century' to explore how it may shape the content (i.e. what does public policy include/exclude), construct (i.e. what are the differences in terms of how public policy is viewed) and conduct (i.e. how public policy is made and realised) of future public policy.

Upon successful completion of this subject, students will be better placed to understand and engage with public policy in the context of the Asian Century.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Performance management and measurement have become cornerstones of how modern public sector organisations account for what they do. Yet as states, societies and economies have grown and developed in ever increasing complexity, since the end of the twentieth century new ways of thinking about the relationship between governments and their citizens have emerged. These developments have in part been a reaction to measurement-based managerial approaches, but also partly reflect a deeper concern regarding the apparent decline in citizens’ attachment to and respect for the practice of politics. This subject aims to provoke a wide ranging discussion about the role of ‘publics’ (citizens, users, clients, stakeholders, communities, etc.) in public policy and public services through critical engagement with an emerging paradigm of citizen-centred governance. Sometimes called Government 2.0, this approach to public policy and public administration is typically described as networked, collaborative and flexible, with service delivery arrangements which are personalised, choice-based and delivered through multiple channels.

This subject will equip public sector leaders with a theoretical understanding and practical toolbox of approaches to managing a major change management exercise in government. A range of case studies will be used to provide a step by step analysis of the challenges in driving major change. Understanding the underlying factors which lead to effective policy, process and program innovation in government is central to the capacity of governments to deliver better policy and better outcomes for the whole community. We will also critically examine the theoretical underpinnings of newer tools in policy making such as behavioural techniques (‘nudge’), randomised controlled trials and big data. This subject will seek to explain what drives public sector innovation and the structures, processes and individuals that promote and obstruct it. There is a focus on the role of government in driving large scale innovation and how to build a national innovation system that promotes technology and high wage economic growth for a nation.

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This subject examines the elements of successful communication across a range of business and professional contexts. We take a practical approach to communication in all forms, and students will work both individually and in groups to apply the theoretical skills that we explore in seminars. Students will be introduced to the underlying principles of plain English and public speaking and given the opportunity to use these skills in practice. Using a variety of contemporary and relevant case-studies, this subject also introduces students to the full range of professional communications, including cross-cultural communications, crisis management and report writing. On successful completion of this subject, students will have developed a strong understanding of the core skills required for clear and effective communication, will have considered how these might be adapted across various professional scenarios including interpersonal communications, and will feel confident in their application across a range of workplaces.

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This subject introduces students to the principles and practices of writing and editing for digital media. It provides students with an understanding of and practical skills in writing for different online contexts and genres, including websites, online essays, multimedia stories, social media content, and search engine optimisation. Students will apply these skills using their existing disciplinary expertise to develop and creative contribute to platforms focused on their professional industries.

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The Applied Syndicate Project in the Master of Marketing Communications is a capstone option. Students will be assigned in small groups to a Project Organisation operating in the Marketing, Communications, Media or related industries. Working in teams, they will undertake a structured marketing and communications or business development exercise pertinent to their industry partner with a strong emphasis on research, analysis and development of recommendations for that industry partner.

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This subject will critically explore the purpose and value of management consulting as a profession. By examining the entire consulting engagement cycle, dynamics of client-consultant relationships, and consulting business models, students will develop essential soft and technical skills to diagnose, analyse and solve complex organisational problems. Through close scrutiny of actual consulting work, and practitioners’ experience with real-world challenges, this subject examines current practices and explores how these practices are evolving as a result of institutional and technological changes. The subject also requires students to distil and contemplate professional principles that can ensure integrity, accountability, and positive societal and economic impact of management consulting.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Business managers request, assess, purchase and use marketing research to make a wide range of informed decisions about target markets, product offerings and the performance of marketing activities. To be able to do this competently, managers need to know what benefits marketing research can provide, what research methods are appropriate for the different types of problems, and how data should be collected, analysed, interpreted and presented so that it is meaningful to other users. These are skills students will acquire through their participation in a 'real-life' client-sponsored project.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject will critically explore the purpose and value of management consulting as a profession. By examining the entire consulting engagement cycle, dynamics of client-consultant relationships, and consulting business models, students will develop essential soft and technical skills to diagnose, analyse and solve complex organisational problems. Through close scrutiny of actual consulting work, and practitioners’ experience with real-world challenges, this subject examines current practices and explores how these practices are evolving as a result of institutional and technological changes. The subject also requires students to distil and contemplate professional principles that can ensure integrity, accountability, and positive societal and economic impact of management consulting.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Students enrolled in this subject will undertake a placement in a professional working environment in conjunction with coursework intended to enhance their placement and their employability. The coursework component of the subject acts as preparation and additional support for the placement by conveying an understanding of organisations and operational aspects of organisations such as planning, communications, policy and equality in the workplace. The placement will give students direct exposure to professional practice in their chosen field, working under the guidance of a senior staff member with additional support from the subject coordinator. As well as taking part in the host organisation's day‐to‐day work, students will undertake fortnightly seminars and a research project of concrete and practical benefit to the host organisation or the broader industry. The students will have an opportunity to hear from industry professionals and receive feedback on their industry projects. Students seeking to undertake the research internship in their current place of employment must consult the subject coordinator.

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This subject requires students to design and deliver a substantial research project. Students will select an object of study, an appropriate methodology, and tools for analysing and interpreting the data they gather from their sources. Enrolment in the thesis is across two consecutive semesters and students must enrol in the subject in each semester to ensure they are meeting the full 37.5 point requirement for the year-long subject.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject requires students to design and deliver a substantial research project. Students will select an object of study, an appropriate methodology, and tools for analysing and interpreting the data they gather from their sources. Enrolment in the thesis is across two consecutive semesters and students must enrol in the subject in each semester to ensure they are meeting the full 37.5 point requirement for the year-long subject.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject introduces students to the research methods and skills they need to undertake a major independent research project, such as a thesis. The subject explores the key principles of research design, research methodologies and research ethics. Students in this subject prepare for their theses through a detailed examination of research principles, including: devising a research question, writing a research proposal, writing a research abstract, completing a literature review, and preparing a research ethics application.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject will enable students to develop effective content strategy for various types of organizations, including skills in persuasive message building, creative narrative, and the different generic requirements involved in content production and publications for a range of media contexts and platforms. Case studies will be drawn from print, broadcast and online media, and exercises will cover different practices including drafting content strategy, producing social media content and making storyboard for video content, and developing strategic messages for various media platforms.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject provides an advanced understanding of the global marketing communications landscape and its ongoing transformation. It examines key strategies, trends and issues in local, global and cross-cultural contexts through case studies and theoretical frameworks. The subject analyses how these transformations affect both consumers and practitioners, and explores approaches for addressing cultural, technological and regulatory challenges. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of national and regional contexts in shaping effective and ethical marketing communications in a globalised world.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject provides a strategic understanding of, and practical skills to plan and implement, integrated marketing communications campaigns across a range of media platforms from print to broadcast to social media. It investigates the changing relationship between marketing, advertising and public relations in the context of the emergence of a ‘post-convergence’ media-sphere, and explores the new opportunities and dynamics of social media as a marketing tool. This subject teaches students practical skills in working with the media in developing campaigns, including campaign planning, media liaison, media planning and buying, campaign evaluation and understanding audience research. It also examines the ethical and legal aspects of convergence on the professional practice of marketing communications.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject is intended to provide students who do not have a business background with grounding in the field of strategy. It will expose them to key themes, issues and theories of strategy, with a particular focus on the role of leadership in developing and implementing strategy for business success. There will be a strong emphasis on using theoretical knowledge to solve practical problems, which will be achieved through the use of case studies and discussion of contemporary business problems. Students who complete the subject should have a sound theoretical and applied understanding of the role of strategic leadership in business success. Topics covered will include: the role of strategy in business performance; the impact of environments on strategy; the role of leadership in strategy formulation and implementation; working with multiple stakeholders; strategic decision making; and leadership in corporate social responsibility.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject expands students' knowledge of major theories and state of the art thinking in the measurement of marketing performance. It extends students’ understanding of market research methods in covering advanced topics including: product diffusion models and forecasting; measuring customer satisfaction, brand attitudes, and brand equity; understanding the lifetime value of a customer; advertising effectiveness; market sensitivity to promotions and price; sales-force optimisation; calculating the return on marketing investment.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This marketing subject exposes students to an integrated perspective of the firm, how it interfaces with its environment, and how it creates and sustains value. Value creation occurs through interactions of a firm with its stakeholders (including its customers) and is central to marketing. The subject builds a conceptual framework to examine the choices (marketing) managers face in determining how best to create value, and how these choices may be shaped by key stakeholders including government, society, trading partners, customers, employees and competitors. A key focus of this subject is on value creation as a cross disciplinary and cross firm activity. As such, the focus is on value creation from multiple disciplinary perspectives including marketing, strategy, entrepreneurship, HRM, supply chain management and organisational design.

View detailed information in the Handbook

How do we adapt to new cultural settings and function effectively in situations characterized by cultural diversity? How do we orient ourselves to knowledge that accounts for cultural complexity? This subject addresses these questions by examining cultural intelligence. Cultural intelligence is concerned not only with producing social and institutional sustainability but the frameworks and practices which enable people to thrive in, belong to and enhance the communities in which they live and work. This subject will examine: management approaches to cultural intelligence, cultural complexity theory, everyday multiculturalism and cultural diversity planning, across a range of sites and case studies including the multi-ethnic workplace, the cross-cultural marketplace, social contract learning, cultural statistics, creative industries, social media and open source intelligence. Introducing the cultural dimensions of organisational strategy, governance and competency, students will learn how cultural intelligence can potentially mitigate cultural complexity.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Students will read a range of fictional and non-fictional narratives written in the late 20th and early 21 st centuries for serial publication, such as Maupin’s Tales of the City books or ABC’s Please Like Me. Students will analyse these texts with a focus on the relationship between serial distribution and storytelling form, and with particular attention given to historical transformations and new developments.

Students will also read critical approaches to serial narrative concentrating on textual forms, genre, criticism, technologies of production and distribution, industrial formations of production and distribution, cultural contexts, and modes of audience engagement. Students will work to devise a concept outline for an original serial narrative for print, online, audio or screen delivery (e.g. online prose series, television series or podcast series), and write selected instalments.

View detailed information in the Handbook

One outcome of the globalisation of the Australian and international job markets is the increasing need for transcultural communication skills in both the private and public sectors. Transcultural communication typically entails interaction in which one or more of the communicators use a second or third language. Successful transcultural communication requires not only a shared language but also strong intercultural awareness and skills. These include verbal skills such as how and when to use speech and silence as well as non-verbal skills knowing how and when gaze, gesture and body posture may differ across cultures. This subject will provide students with the tools to achieve successful transcultural encounters in professional settings and embrace intercultural citizenship. The delivery of the subject will include lectures with audio-visual materials, discussion sessions to deepen the students’ understanding of theories and key concepts pertaining to transcultural communication. Students will also be evaluating the practical implications of theories and concepts discussed in the classroom and applying them to real-world scenarios. This subject will focus on transcultural communication using an intersectional approach by exploring topics such as, multicultural and Indigenous Australia, identity, intercultural citizenship, politeness and rapport management.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject provides students with an advanced understanding of relevant theory and practice in contemporary public relations. Lectures will introduce case studies and practical accounts from industry professionals dealing with public relations functions including stakeholder relations, media relations, government relations, investor relations and issues/crisis management. This will be complemented with theoretical perspectives and examination of ethical considerations to situate the key issues and challenges of public relations in a global context.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject is designed to provide students with an advanced industry perspective of an area of marketing communications. This practice-based subject is taught by current expert industry practitioners and will give students the opportunity to further hone their skills prior to entering the workforce. Students in this subject will engage with case studies and topical issues in the lecturer’s industry of practice.

Advanced Industry Practice – PR is led by Ms Ashleigh Bonica and Ms Emma Lomas, AMPR Group, who take students through client relations, current changes in the industry and the process of creating a PR plan from scratch.

Given the advanced nature of the subject we recommend that students undertake this subject in the final 100 points of their degree.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject is designed to provide students with an advanced industry perspective of an area of marketing communications. This practice-based subject is taught by current expert industry practitioners and will give students the opportunity to further hone their skills prior to entering the workforce. Students in this subject will engage with case studies and topical issues in the lecturer’s industry of practice.

MECM90026 Advanced Industry Practice – Advertising will be taught by key experts in the Advertising industry, who take students through the key steps and processes involved in a marketing communications brief and strategy.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Audiovisual communication is an important sector in today’s transnational digital sphere. The training in key areas of audiovisual production is relevant for various professional areas in the media and communication industry. This subject is designed in a ‘workshop’ approach where students will work in small groups in order to gain experience in various areas of audiovisual production. The subject will familiarise students, for example with techniques of script writing, producing, shooting, and preparation of audiovisual content for online as well as broadcast delivery. Furthermore, principles of collaborative practice, studio directing, camera operation, sound recording, and post-production workflows will also be integral to the subject.

These techniques are delivered through project-related contexts using a project-based approach. It is aimed to deliver student productions online or other media platforms. Given the nature of the teaching of this subject, all students must consult with the subject coordinator prior to enrolment.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject is designed to give students training in the knowledge and skills required to be effective online community managers. It presents advanced understanding of the theories, practices, responsibilities, and ethical considerations of managing online communities in participatory spaces, whether for brands or media organisations. Using practical examples and case studies it demonstrates the importance of excellent community management and engagement within the online communications space. Students will be given an opportunity to translate their knowledge into practice through assignments designed to engage them in the work of community management.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Social entrepreneurs are individuals who establish an enterprise with the goal of solving complex social or environmental problems, including poverty, access to health, homelessness, climate change and food waste. They have been credited with success in disrupting the traditional forms and purpose of business and charity by creating innovative social enterprises that meld the best features of business and the non-profit sector. This subject seeks to equip students with a critical understanding of the social enterprise form and support them in developing a startup social enterprise with the purpose of solving a social and/or environmental problem. Designed and delivered with input from leaders in the social enterprise sector, the subject features lectures and workshops on social enterprise design, business modelling, pitching, social finance and measurement, as well as addressing the difficulties and dark side of social enterprise. In the subject students will develop an idea for a startup social enterprise and develop a business plan which they will pitch to a Shark Tank panel of experts. Prizes will be awarded to the best ideas to help develop these solutions into successful social enterprises.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Great books teach us how to describe experience, how to evaluate it, and how to imagine its liberating transformation. They deepen our engagement with critical traditions of thought that extend back through time and, by doing this, they enable us to better understand and address key issues facing the world today. Emboldened and impelled by the voices of great thinkers and writers, we gather crucial lessons on leadership, empathy, moral capacity, critical thinking, cultural complexity, social difference, creativity and innovation and arguably the very meaning of being human. Given what we can do in the world today, great books also help us to think about what we should do. This subject provides a critical introduction to ten great works on the basis that answers to the challenges of our era won’t simply come from technical skills, managerial capacity or datasets alone, but from a developed knowledge of the powerful ideas that underpin literature, history and philosophy.

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This experiential learning subject introduces students to the fundamentals of social entrepreneurship, while equipping students with a practical understanding of social enterprise as a model to tackle social and/or environmental problems through trade. Working in small teams, students are introduced to a range of design thinking and social innovation frameworks. They draw on these frameworks to iteratively conceptualise, ‘pitch’, refine and develop a social enterprise ‘business model’ that appropriately responds to the needs of communities and society. To nurture and support development of ideas, the subject draws on real-world case studies as well as industry guests from the social enterprise ecosystem including social entrepreneurs, people with ‘lived-experience’, social finance and impact investment intermediaries, incubators and accelerators and leading scholars and thinkers in the field. Upon completing this subject, students will develop a critical understanding of the theoretical foundations of social entrepreneurship and how to develop a ‘business model’ for financially sustainable social impact. By doing so, the subject also offers a unique opportunity for students to apply conceptual knowledge and project management and business skills to real-world social and/or environmental challenges.

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This subject examines the practices of public relations management. Topics include an introduction to public relations, the evolution of public relations, public relations theory, ethical issues in public relations, public relations strategies and tactics, the various stakeholders/publics that organisations interact with and the issues that they face with their major stakeholder relationships, crisis management, and also an examination of the difference between marketing public relations (MPR) and corporate public relations. Marketing public relations (MPR) is a key focus in the class.

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This subject provides an introduction to the basic concepts, principles and activities of marketing and how to manage an organisation's marketing effort. Some of the principal topics include value-based marketing, market research, selecting target markets, product and brand management, marketing communications (advertising and promotions, as well as personal selling), management of distribution channels, pricing decisions and marketing ethics. Students are also introduced to the nature of buyer behaviour, including decision-making patterns, purchase behaviours, and customer satisfaction.

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This subject focuses on the task of developing and managing brands. It examines the way in which brand decisions may contribute to creating competitive advantage and explains how to analyse industries, make changes in brand strategies over time, and respond to competitive moves. Students also gain an understanding of the issues involved in the development and management of new products, how to manage product lines, and how to measure, develop and manage their brand equity.

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Monitoring, designing and managing customer experiences (CX) is essential to overall business performance. This subject will explore how organisations can enhance customer and employee experiences to promote brand satisfaction, loyalty, positive word of mouth, and overall well-being.

We will investigate the management of human, digital, and physical touchpoints throughout each stage of the customer journey: pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase.

We will understand how businesses can manage contextual factors that impact customer experience. This includes the visual aesthetics of omnichannel environments and the interactions with front-line staff, including chatbots and robots. We will also examine the role of customers in the co-creation and co-destruction of value. Finally, we will learn how to identify and monitor crucial customer experience pain points and how businesses can effectively recover from significant negative deviations in customer experience ratings.

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This subject examines the factors affecting the purchase, usage and disposal of products and services. Topics include the introduction and application of customer behaviour concepts to marketing decision making; consumer behaviour models of information processing; the identification of psychological variables which influence customer decision making; social and cultural factors affecting consumer behaviour; and an introduction to a variety of consumer-related market research techniques.

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This subject concentrates heavily on advertising, but also addresses the issues of internet advertising, public relations, and sales promotions. The emphases will be on understanding the theoretical foundation underlying persuasive communications, promotional strategy selection, integration of communications with other marketing activities, strategy implementation, and budgeting. The subject incorporates both lecture and cases as instructional vehicles.

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The rise of Asia will be a defining feature of the 21st century and holds the potential to generate a paradigm shift in how we understand public policy, administration and management. Australian policy makers are actively turning their attention to the policy, governance and practice changes required to maintain Australia’s economic and political influence in the region, while broadening and strengthening relationships with Asian nations.

This subject will provide students with the necessary foundations for creating, analysing and implementing public policy in the context of the Asian Century. In the first instance, students will consider what is meant by the Asian Century in relation to shifting economic, political and social power and what this means for international relations and governance. Students will explore what it means to be ‘Asia capable’. In particular, the subject will examine how key Asian nations view and action public policy in order to understand key differences and similarities in the way public policy is conceptualised and acted on from a Western perspective. As part of this, students will explore how key Western-style institutions, practices and orientations which comprise ‘public administration’, ‘public management’ and ‘public governance’ might be limited by or changed within the context of increasing Asian influence in the global and regional public policy sphere.

This highly interactive subject will engage important theoretical discussions and translate key concepts into practice through the exploration of case studies from across the Asian region. Students will engage with the ongoing public debate about 'the Asian Century' to explore how it may shape the content (i.e. what does public policy include/exclude), construct (i.e. what are the differences in terms of how public policy is viewed) and conduct (i.e. how public policy is made and realised) of future public policy.

Upon successful completion of this subject, students will be better placed to understand and engage with public policy in the context of the Asian Century.

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Performance management and measurement have become cornerstones of how modern public sector organisations account for what they do. Yet as states, societies and economies have grown and developed in ever increasing complexity, since the end of the twentieth century new ways of thinking about the relationship between governments and their citizens have emerged. These developments have in part been a reaction to measurement-based managerial approaches, but also partly reflect a deeper concern regarding the apparent decline in citizens’ attachment to and respect for the practice of politics. This subject aims to provoke a wide ranging discussion about the role of ‘publics’ (citizens, users, clients, stakeholders, communities, etc.) in public policy and public services through critical engagement with an emerging paradigm of citizen-centred governance. Sometimes called Government 2.0, this approach to public policy and public administration is typically described as networked, collaborative and flexible, with service delivery arrangements which are personalised, choice-based and delivered through multiple channels.

This subject will equip public sector leaders with a theoretical understanding and practical toolbox of approaches to managing a major change management exercise in government. A range of case studies will be used to provide a step by step analysis of the challenges in driving major change. Understanding the underlying factors which lead to effective policy, process and program innovation in government is central to the capacity of governments to deliver better policy and better outcomes for the whole community. We will also critically examine the theoretical underpinnings of newer tools in policy making such as behavioural techniques (‘nudge’), randomised controlled trials and big data. This subject will seek to explain what drives public sector innovation and the structures, processes and individuals that promote and obstruct it. There is a focus on the role of government in driving large scale innovation and how to build a national innovation system that promotes technology and high wage economic growth for a nation.

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This subject examines the elements of successful communication across a range of business and professional contexts. We take a practical approach to communication in all forms, and students will work both individually and in groups to apply the theoretical skills that we explore in seminars. Students will be introduced to the underlying principles of plain English and public speaking and given the opportunity to use these skills in practice. Using a variety of contemporary and relevant case-studies, this subject also introduces students to the full range of professional communications, including cross-cultural communications, crisis management and report writing. On successful completion of this subject, students will have developed a strong understanding of the core skills required for clear and effective communication, will have considered how these might be adapted across various professional scenarios including interpersonal communications, and will feel confident in their application across a range of workplaces.

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This subject introduces students to the principles and practices of writing and editing for digital media. It provides students with an understanding of and practical skills in writing for different online contexts and genres, including websites, online essays, multimedia stories, social media content, and search engine optimisation. Students will apply these skills using their existing disciplinary expertise to develop and creative contribute to platforms focused on their professional industries.

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The Applied Syndicate Project in the Master of Marketing Communications is a capstone option. Students will be assigned in small groups to a Project Organisation operating in the Marketing, Communications, Media or related industries. Working in teams, they will undertake a structured marketing and communications or business development exercise pertinent to their industry partner with a strong emphasis on research, analysis and development of recommendations for that industry partner.

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This subject will critically explore the purpose and value of management consulting as a profession. By examining the entire consulting engagement cycle, dynamics of client-consultant relationships, and consulting business models, students will develop essential soft and technical skills to diagnose, analyse and solve complex organisational problems. Through close scrutiny of actual consulting work, and practitioners’ experience with real-world challenges, this subject examines current practices and explores how these practices are evolving as a result of institutional and technological changes. The subject also requires students to distil and contemplate professional principles that can ensure integrity, accountability, and positive societal and economic impact of management consulting.

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Business managers request, assess, purchase and use marketing research to make a wide range of informed decisions about target markets, product offerings and the performance of marketing activities. To be able to do this competently, managers need to know what benefits marketing research can provide, what research methods are appropriate for the different types of problems, and how data should be collected, analysed, interpreted and presented so that it is meaningful to other users. These are skills students will acquire through their participation in a 'real-life' client-sponsored project.

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This subject will critically explore the purpose and value of management consulting as a profession. By examining the entire consulting engagement cycle, dynamics of client-consultant relationships, and consulting business models, students will develop essential soft and technical skills to diagnose, analyse and solve complex organisational problems. Through close scrutiny of actual consulting work, and practitioners’ experience with real-world challenges, this subject examines current practices and explores how these practices are evolving as a result of institutional and technological changes. The subject also requires students to distil and contemplate professional principles that can ensure integrity, accountability, and positive societal and economic impact of management consulting.

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Students enrolled in this subject will undertake a placement in a professional working environment in conjunction with coursework intended to enhance their placement and their employability. The coursework component of the subject acts as preparation and additional support for the placement by conveying an understanding of organisations and operational aspects of organisations such as planning, communications, policy and equality in the workplace. The placement will give students direct exposure to professional practice in their chosen field, working under the guidance of a senior staff member with additional support from the subject coordinator. As well as taking part in the host organisation's day‐to‐day work, students will undertake fortnightly seminars and a research project of concrete and practical benefit to the host organisation or the broader industry. The students will have an opportunity to hear from industry professionals and receive feedback on their industry projects. Students seeking to undertake the research internship in their current place of employment must consult the subject coordinator.

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This subject requires students to design and deliver a substantial research project. Students will select an object of study, an appropriate methodology, and tools for analysing and interpreting the data they gather from their sources. Enrolment in the thesis is across two consecutive semesters and students must enrol in the subject in each semester to ensure they are meeting the full 37.5 point requirement for the year-long subject.

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This subject introduces students to research skills for students planning, researching and writing a thesis in the School of Culture and Communication. Research Principles and Practices Graduate explores traditional and contemporary research practices and the differing methodological approaches guiding research practices in the School of Culture and Communication. It explores key research principles and practices including: defining an academic field, establishing a research question, identifying key words and key texts, developing a literature review, preparing and presenting a research proposal. Research Principles and Practices Graduate provides students with specific research methodologies and academic practices that will facilitate their research projects. It will also provide information about copyright, ethics and the conduct of ethical research.

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Students enrolled in this subject will undertake a placement in a professional working environment in conjunction with coursework intended to enhance their placement and their employability. The coursework component of the subject acts as preparation and additional support for the placement by conveying an understanding of organisations and operational aspects of organisations such as planning, communications, policy and equality in the workplace. The placement will give students direct exposure to professional practice in their chosen field, working under the guidance of a senior staff member with additional support from the subject coordinator. As well as taking part in the host organisation's day‐to‐day work, students will undertake fortnightly seminars and a research project of concrete and practical benefit to the host organisation or the broader industry. The students will have an opportunity to hear from industry professionals and receive feedback on their industry projects. Students seeking to undertake the research internship in their current place of employment must consult the subject coordinator.

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