Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Advanced Studies student Omead Musa shares his experience of the Business Practicum (BUSS1321/BUSS6104).
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| Omead Musa |
Business Practicum at first glance
BUSS1321: Business Practicum is a unique experience for undergraduate students. It is an elective anyone can pick up which gives you the opportunity to collaborate on real-world problems with fellow students. For me personally, the unit offered the perfect mix of learning and application that I needed to develop the skillset a well-rounded graduate needs.
Collaborating with innovative local businesses
Our sponsor organisation and key stakeholder was Young Henrys, a well-known innovative craft brewery that was determined to have a positive impact not just on our local community but the entire globe. While we were constrained to online collaboration exclusively due to COVID restrictions, the passion of Young Henry's showed through all our interactions and inspired us to really believe in our problem solving and solutions.
Highlights of the project
The main highlight of this project was the people involved. From the great coordinator and mentor, Dr Steven Hitchcock, to my excellent team members and class members; the involvement we all had was unlike most other university units.
Another great moment in the unit was a collaboration session we had with undergraduates from the science faculty. It was very refreshing to work together with students who had different backgrounds and perspectives.
Overcoming key challenges
One of the biggest challenges we faced in this unit was the technical nature of the project. The scientific knowledge required to develop a cohesive solution was broad, stretching from the production process of producing beer to the chemical reactions that occur within the gut biome of livestock.
Our team overcame this hurdle by developing a detailed research plan which we delegated over a 3 week period. We also conducted extensive stakeholder interviews with industry organisations such as the Independent Brewers Association, which helped us better understand how science and business aspects fit together.
Transforming this information into a detailed dataset and creating a financial model using Excel was a critical part of our final recommendations.
Career skill development
There were two key career skills that I feel progressed most over the course of this unit. The first is project management, which was vital given the often hands-off approach coordinators take with these projects. While we were provided guidance, ultimately it was up to us to ensure we finished everything on time and to a sufficient quality over the course of the entire semester.
The second key career skill I developed was my presentation expertise, more specifically the ability to present to different audiences. We knew it was really important to demonstrate our passion and belief in the project to really convince Young Henry's, and it took a lot of practise to switch up my usual presentation style, which was accustomed to presenting to university staff and mock business/executive audiences.
Advice to future Business Practicum students
The best advice I can give to students who are enrolling in this project is to get involved as much as you can. Engage with your stakeholders, try some new management strategies, do that extra bit of research. The more you apply yourself to the project, the better the outcomes in terms of your own skills development and also your final report and presentation.
And also remember to have fun. This really was one of the most enjoyable units I undertook in all of my four years at the University of Sydney. You don't want to miss it!
Enrol for the Business Practicum for Semester 1 now.
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