Stakeholder engagement is fundamental to effective communication, shaping relationships that influence decisions, drive change, and create shared value. In this unit, you will critically examine what stakeholder engagement is, why it matters, and who benefits from it. You will learn to apply stakeholder engagement principles and frameworks to real-world scenarios, developing skills in negotiation, conflict resolution, and ethical decision-making. Through this, you will explore how engagement strategies can build trust, manage expectations, and create mutually beneficial outcomes. The unit also considers emerging trends in stakeholder engagement, evolving social expectations around corporate responsibility, and the complexities of engaging diverse stakeholders, preparing you to navigate professional contexts where competing interests and power dynamics shape decision-making. By the end of this unit, you will be able to critically assess opportunities and risks, develop and execute stakeholder engagement strategies and apply professional communication techniques to foster meaningful and effective relationships.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Build productive stakeholder relationships through developing and executing effective, evidence-based engagement strategies;
2. Identify and evaluate potential opportunities and risks that could impact stakeholder relationships, engagement strategies, and organisational outcomes;
3. Engage ethically and effectively with diverse stakeholders, including First Nations communities, recognising different perspectives, values, and ways of knowing; and
4. Critically examine stakeholder engagement, evaluating its purpose, the different approaches available, and who benefits from them.

Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - apply their knowledge to working with Indigenous Australians in socially just ways
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - communicate and engage with Indigenous Australians in ethical and culturally respectful ways

Prerequisites

Must have passed 24 credit points.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

9018 Agency-Client Relationships

Assumed knowledge

None.