Organizational Behavior and Management Processes MGT 503 Spring 2010 Course Syllabus Instructor Information: Steven M. Elias, Ph.D. Office: 215 Guthrie Phone: 646-7642 Email: [email protected] Office hours: Tuesday & Thursday 12:00 – 1:00 or by appointment Required Textbooks: 1. Robbins, S.P., & Judge, T.A. (2010). Essentials of organizational behavior (10th ed.). NJ: Pearson. 2. Seijts, G.H. (2006). Cases in organizational behavior. CA: Sage. Course Objectives: In this course, we will examine the basic nature of human behavior in organizations, and the fundamental issues, theories, and processes required to properly manage and direct such behavior for the attainment of organizational goals and objectives. The course is an entry for graduate level students interested in management and administration, and although the primary focus will be on business organizations, there will be much of the course content that is also relevant for those students interested in managing non-profit organizations, government agencies, NGOs, and other forms of human organizations. To properly understand human behavior in organizational settings, it is necessary to go beyond mere “textbook” knowledge and instead delve into fundamental issues on a more practical level. Thus, this course will include some traditional “lecture” material, but will also require students to participate in a variety of activities, especially case discussions. However, students are responsible for all of the materials presented in the assigned readings. Class Format: Aside from your textbooks, all of the course materials and discussions will be presented in an electronic format. Likewise, all of your assignments will be turned in on-line. While your exams will be taken via Blackboard as well, they will be proctored on campus or a similar facility. Please pay close attention to the course schedule because assignments, exams, and discussions will be released and closed at specific times. It is best to complete your work early. Unless arrangements are made in advance, late work/exams will not be accepted. Technical difficulties are no excuse for late work. Should you experience technical difficulties, please contact the ICT Help Desk at [email protected] or 646-1840. Communication: Because this is an internet based course, much of the communication between us will take place via email and discussion board posts. I will do my absolute best to reply to emails within24 hours. If you send a question via email and the answer would be important to the rest of the class, I may post my response in a discussion board posting rather than reply to you directly. Do not take this personally! I simply want everyone to have access to as much information as possible. In addition, I will not post the identity of anyone asking a question. Alternatively, if you have a question or comment, I highly encourage you to make use of the discussion boards. My only request is that everyone be courteous and professional in their discussion board postings. Anyone abusing the discussion boards will lose the ability to utilize them. Graded Components of the Course Roster Information: On the left side of the course homepage screen, you should see a link for the roster. Put in as much information about yourself as you would like, but please do put something informative. Given the fact that this is an on-line class, and case analyses will be completed in groups, providing information about yourself will make things a little more personal for everyone. To emphasize how important I feel it is for you to enter your info into the roster, doing so will count toward your grade in the class. In order to receive credit for your roster information, it must be added by 11:55 PM, January 22nd. Exams: There will be three proctored exams during the semester. More information about the location, dates, and times these exams can be taken is available on the course homepage. You should sign-up for the dates and times you will be taking your exams as soon as possible as slots will be filled on a first come – first served basis. The sign-up for each exam will close at 11:55 MST one week prior to the first day an exam is made available. Exams will be comprised of both multiple choice and essay questions. In addition to covering material from your text, exams will also include material from videos and ancillary materials. See the schedule below and the proctored exam information on the course homepage for the dates and times exams will be available. Seventy-five minutes will be allotted for each exam. Other than your brain, you may not use any resources (e.g., your book, chapter summaries, PowerPoint slides, the internet, etc.) while taking the exams. Doing so would be considered academic misconduct (see below). Case Analyses (Seijts text): There will be six case analyses completed during the semester. These cases will be completed in randomly assigned groups of five students that will change for each case. One grade for each case will be given to the entire work group. Therefore, it is very important that each group member takes his or her share of the analyses seriously. Free-riders (i.e., group members who do not contribute, but expect a grade for the assignment) will receive zero credit for case(s). Note that for each case there are questions in the text. The case book is organized into four sections, and each starts with a discussion of information critical to the cases (please read this as part of your preparation), and a series of questions for each case along with a very brief summary of each case. Your written assignment for each case is to prepare answers to thequestions given for each case. For example, the Daimler-Chrysler case is found on pages 190-192. On page 183, in the opening to the cases on change management, there is a synopsis and two questions. These are the questions for which you should prepare answers in getting ready for class discussion of this case. The same approach should be used for each case, and these will form the basis of your written case analyses. The due date and time for each case is listed below. A grading rubric is available on Blackboard so you will be informed of exactly how cases will be graded. One aspect of the rubric is providing support for your answers and/or opinions. In essence, this means you will need to back up your analyses with material obtained via research. You may use your