1 LECTURE SESSION (B) BUAD 304 University of Southern California Leading Organizations Marshall School of Business Course Instructors Lecture Sessions 14735, 14741, Lecture Sessions 14723 & 14729 & 14747 Professor Michael Coombs Professor Thomas G. Cummings Department of MOR Department of MOR Bridge Hall 304 Bridge Hall 306B Phone: 213-740-9290 Phone: 213-740-0733 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: By appointment Office Hours: By appointment Course Objectives  Understanding what leadership is all about and what is involved in becoming a successful leader in today’s business organizations.  Appreciating leadership skills as an essential complement to the technical skills you are learning in other courses.  Learning concepts and approaches that will enable you to lead the analysis of organizational problems and the development of appropriate solutions.  Developing the behavioral skills you need to be a successful manager of yourself and others. Course Format This course includes three elements: (1) weekly online sessions; (2) weekly discussion sessions; and (3) bi-weekly lecture sessions that you will attend six times during the semester. The online sessions will explain key conceptual frameworks found in the reading assignments. They will also use short stories and videos to illustrate how corporate leaders are implementing the concepts you are learning. It is expected that you will do the required reading prior to viewing the online sessions. The discussion sessions will focus on issues related to actual leadership situations and experiential exercises to learn leadership skills. They will integrate skill development with the concepts covered in the reading assignments and online sessions. It is expected that you will come to your discussion section meeting prepared to discuss the assigned material and participate in the learning exercises. The lecture sessions will address the course material in a highly interactive format including short case studies, self-assessment measures, and question-and-answer periods. It is expected that you will come to your discussion sessions prepared to discuss the assigned material and to participate in the learning activities.2Changing Discussion Sections If you are already registered for BUAD 304 but you would like to move to another discussion section without first dropping the class, you must find someone in the desired discussion section to switch places with you and take your space in your discussion. If you are switching to a discussion section that is attached to a different lecture section, you are automatically switching lecture sections as well. This is the only way you will be able to move to another discussion section without first dropping the class. Students who are already registered for the class are not eligible to sign up on the waiting list for other discussion sections. To avoid being inadvertently dropped from the class, you and the person you switch places with are responsible for informing both discussion section instructors of the switch as soon as you start attending another discussion section. During the third week of classes, your new discussion section instructor will provide you with an add slip so you can register for the correct discussion (and lecture) session. Text Stephen P. Robbins & Timothy Judge. Organizational Behavior, 12th Edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2007. Blackboard The weekly online sessions as well as overheads, course announcements, and communication will be available from the course web page on Blackboard. To access Blackboard, launch Internet Explorer, enter http://totale.usc.edu, and use your USC/Unix username and password to log in. For the course web page, select 20063_buad_304_14723: Organizational Behavior (or 14729, 14735, 14741 & 14747 depending on your lecture section). You can use the tabs on the left-hand side to access the materials and navigate the course web page. For your discussion section web page, select the similar link that contains your discussion section number. You can use your discussion section web page to communicate directly with your discussion instructor, your project team members, and other classmates from your discussion section. Grading Participation in Discussion Sessions 15% Homework in Discussion Sessions (5 written assignments) 10% Homework in Lecture Sessions (5 written assignments) 15% Midterm Exam 20% Team Case Analysis 15% Final Exam 25% TOTAL 100% Target Grade Average: Grading is done separately for each lecture section. In accordance with the grading guidelines of the Marshall School, each discussion section will have a grade point average approximating 2.85.3Participation in Discussion Sessions: This part of your grade will be based on effective contributions to class discussions. These include input that is relevant to the course content and the topic of discussion. Participation also comprises involvement in a research activity. To participate in a research activity, you will need to register at http://marshall.experimentrak.net no later than September 18, 2006. To provide opportunities that will fit your schedule, research sessions will take place on various days and times. Please note: If you reserve a time and then fail to appear without notifying the researcher, you will then need to participate in 2 research sessions to fulfill this part of your participation requirement. If you prefer not to participate in a research activity, you may arrange to write a 3-page research paper on a topic prearranged with your discussion section instructor. Papers must be turned in no later than December 1, 2006. Homework in Discussion Sessions: This portion of your grade will be assessed on both timely and complete submission of homework. Five assignments consisting of 1- to 2-page single-spaced answers to questions about a “Case Incident” or “Questions for Critical Thinking” will be due at the beginning of the discussion section on the dates as indicated in the course outline below. Your discussion section instructor will provide you with additional details about homework expectations. Homework in Lecture Sessions: This portion of your grade will be based on timely and complete submission of homework. Five assignments consisting of self-assessment measures