24163 Stevens
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Principles of Management
MIS-24163-030-201560 CRN: 14508
Summer Session III 2015
Online Course Revised 6/22/15
Instructor: Dr. George E. Stevens
Department: Management & Information Systems
Telephone: 330-697-1026 (I live in the Mountain Time Zone – Two hours earlier
than Northeast Ohio)
Email: gstevens@kent.edu
Office Hours: May be reached by KSU email, Skype or text
Required Text: The book needed for the class is by Angelo Kinicki and Brian K. Williams, Management: A Practical Introduction Seventh edition (just published by McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2016) with Connect and other features. The two options available may be purchased through the KSU Bookstore. However, bigger savings may occur if you go directly to the McGraw-Hill website to avoid any bookstore markups. You need the textbook with the Connect/LearnSmart/Smartbook access code. At the Bookstore or at McGraw-Hill online you have two options: Purchase of a digital version or loose leaf print copy of Management: A Practical Introduction Seventh edition (just published by McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2016).
Option 1
Authors: Angelo Kinicki and Brian K. Williams, Management: A Practical Introduction, Digital access to Connect/LearnSmart/Smartbook card. The ISBN: 9781259304200. The book price: $115.00
Option 2
Authors: Angelo Kinicki and Brian K. Williams, Management: A Practical Introduction, Loose leaf print copy of book to include Connect/LearnSmart/ Smartbook card. The ISBN: 9781259677175. The book price: $137.75.
Do not purchase the 6th edition. The KSU bookstore, websites such as Amazon.com and other locations may stock the 6th edition. Please do not purchase the sixth edition or any edition other than the 7th edition. Absolutely be sure that you have the correct textbook. This edition is “hot off the press” and includes a number of changes that were not a part of the previous edition. If you go to the bookstore do not purchase any other package available. You will need the Connect supplement. Previously, Connect Plus came with the new book you bought from the bookstore; I do not know if this is still true. If an international edition is available from other sources, you do so at your own risk!
Connect should provide access to several things of value. For example, you are required to complete Learn Smart exercises to earn some of your points toward your final grade. Also, Connect provides students with a set of PowerPoint slides. One option, the digital access version you can purchase, offers an eBook. As you will see below, the digital version costs less but you must be comfortable with reading materials on a screen as opposed to having a book in your hand.
You will need to register in Connect to do your assignments. Here is the URL to register. This is a required process of the course. Go to: http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/class/stevens-summer2015.
You may purchase your book and Connect/LearnSmart/Smartbook information on a McGraw-Hill website. I will send along additional student registration information, so that you can do so. Also, on the McGraw-Hill website there is a registration tutorial available if you need additional help on how to register for Connect. (See the attachments.)
A possible opportunity to save money: You may check online to see if online sellers such as Amazon.com, Halfprice.com, Half.com and similar locations have relatively inexpensive copies of the used 7th edition. However this is a newly published edition, so that is unlikely. Remember that you will still need to check the McGraw-Hill Irwin website to purchase Connect. See instructions above. (I am not sure a Connect Plus option still exists.)
Suggested Reading: Business publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, The
New York Times, BusinessWeek, and other sources of current
business news. (Optional)
Other Sources: Radio reports, television presentations, documentaries and other media sources of information on the state of world business affairs. (Optional)
Course Withdrawal Deadline:
For Summer III, the final course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, August, 2, 2015.
Course Objectives: Welcome to M&IS 24163, Principles of Management! This is a course that provides an overview of management concepts and theory. It is a course that will allow us to blend theory and practice to help everyone better understand how management concepts may be applied in the so-called “real world”. The course is built on an introductory part, a part that takes a view of the manager’s environment and next the key functions of Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Control. Throughout the five-week course we will discuss management, leadership, and organizational behavior concepts as well as a variety of issues such as ethics, multicultural factors, the international context we live in and global elements that have shrunk our world. Think of monetary or economic events and natural disasters that occur in a particular country (for example Greece’s total economy continues to be in chaos, the United Arab Emirates’ had a near bankruptcy of Dubai, and several countries have suffered from natural disasters. The Middle East given the influence of ISIS and Al Qaeda has Arab neighbors mobilized to fight other Arabs! What are the implications for the rest of the world – in terms of currency, fuel supply, population, employment, war? What is the impact of significantly lower oil prices on the Middle East and on consuming nations (U.S.A) and providing nations (Russia, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia)? We will discuss the causes and consequences of current events – economic crises, financial bailouts, wars, etc. – that impact us as a society and specifically impact the business environment at well.
I look forward to exploring these issues and concerns with you, sharing my experiences, learning from each other, and discussing the many difficult issues that may have multiple “right answers” or perhaps none at all. By the end of this summer term, I hope that you acquire a set of tools that allow you to analyze management issues both in your personal and professional life, as well as the enthusiasm and desire to use them.
Common Courtesy:
As a faculty member I am here to serve our students, faculty, staff, and alumni among others. Within the online classroom or other communication, I will be respectful to each of you and I want you to be respectful to your fellow students. Here is a partial list of behaviors that will lead to repercussions should you be guilty of exhibiting these behaviors:
1. Whether in a Chat Room, Discussion Group or other electronic media; act disrespectfully to others.
2. Fail to meet deadlines for the various assignments; the five-week term will move along rapidly with relatively little outside of class time for getting classwork done!
3. Engage in unethical or other inappropriate behavior with regard to completing assignments including quizzes and examinations.
4. Copy or plagiarize (copy written work without attribution to that person). The latter is important when student completes an essay or other written assignment.
5. Exhibit disrespectful behavior towards the instructor.
Please obey these rules. I have no desire to engage in punitive behavior. Any form of academic cheating has a penalty that ranges from receipt of a zero on a paper or exam to expulsion from the course with a failing grade to recommendation of dismissal from your academic program.
The Following Policies Apply to All Students in this Course
A. Students attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisite risk being deregistered from the class.
B. Enrollment: Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes. Should you find an error in your class schedule, you need to correct the error with your advising office no later than Thursday, July 16 for Summer III. If registration errors are not corrected by the stated date of July 16 for Summer III and you continue to attend and participate in classes for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered. Last day to Add/Drop is July 16th. 123
Class Format: Class will consist mostly of Tegrity lectures, discussions and use of video or other supplements. A portion of the class will be used to learn from students what they have seen, learned, read about, or experienced on the job as these experiences relate to the topic under discussion. Do regularly check Blackboard and your devices for email messages from me!
Over the five weeks we will have Tegrity lectures and discussion on a given topic or topics indicated in the class schedule. I will provide the information electronically. For an online class, you are must be self-motivated, organized, and disciplined to keep up since I will not have you in a classroom where I can verbally ask questions. I will know where you are based upon the reports I see in Blackboard or on Connect for the class. The materials I provide will be available online; however, some items, such as the LearnSmart items will be available for only a limited time for completion.
If possible, I will do my best to add additional material and multimedia including music, videos, and internet news sites to liven up the course. You can assist by engaging in discussion when those opportunities present themselves, should I use chat rooms or discussion groups. We can then think about the issues that arise in the book or other materials.
A Special Note about
Professor Kinicki: Dr. Angelo Kinicki was born and raised in Cleveland and was a classmate of mine in the business doctoral program here at Kent State University. He is extremely knowledgeable, down-to-earth, and a hard working professor. He and his wife Joyce love our students. Periodically they come home to Cleveland to visit family and friends. Both are very special people.
Examinations: There will be five non-cumulative examinations in this course. Each exam will cover the material since the previous one. Keep in mind, however, that prior knowledge will be important for understanding future material. The final examination, the fifth exam, will not be comprehensive. Quizzes may come from non-textbook sources. Material for the exams will come from the following sources: 1) class lectures through Tegrity, a McGraw-Hill tool, 2) readings from the textbook, 3) class discussion likely using chat room technology, 4) videos, news articles, and other materials as well as “designated current events”. Each exam will be worth 120 points toward your (720 points) final grade. Exam grades will not be curved. The exam questions will consist of true-false, multiple choice, and short essay questions. I intend to offer the examinations electronically using a McGraw-Hill supplement known as Connect. You will need Connect to do your five exams. Typically, you will be given about three days to complete the examination. I offer no makeup exams to those who “forget” or because of other similar reasons they fail to take the exam in a timely manner.
Makeup exams will be given only when absolutely necessary. In order to be offered a makeup exam there must be a technical reason (such as an electronic problem with Connect, WI-FI or a server issue). You need a reliable computer and WI-FI setup. Once you begin an examination, you cannot pause the examination or leave the examination then return to it! Also, if there is a non-technical, health or other personal issue for missing an examination or other graded assignment, you must present the instructor with written documentation for the reason a makeup exam is requested.
Grade Components:
The final course grade will be based on a total of 700 points and weighted according to the following scheme:
Exam 1 120 points Chapters 1 - 3
Exam 2 120 points Chapters 4 - 6
Exam 3 120 points Chapters 7 - 9
Exam 4 120 points Chapters 10 - 12
Exam 5 120 points Chapters 13 – 15
Quizzes 20 points Assigned materials
Learn Smart 80 points Chapters 1 – 16
(Must get 60% or higher for all items in each chapter of a LearnSmart Module to get credit!)
+ Extra Credit 20 points (To be assigned)
+ FAQ: Extra Credit is obtained by successfully completing assignments randomly provided by the instructor typically distributed during the five week period. Dates are to be determined. My calculations of final grades are based on the 700 total, not 720 but a student CAN earn as many as 720 if he/she earns all points including the extra credit!
As listed above, part of the grade will be derived by successfully doing Learn Smart assignments on the Connect website using Smartbook. These assignments will reinforce your knowledge of the subject matter and enable you to perform better on exams.
Course Grading Scale:
Percentage Letter Grade
90 – 100 percentage points A 630 points = 90%
80 – 89 B 560 points = 80%
70 – 79 C 490 points = 70%
60 -- 69 D 420 points = 60%
50 – 59 F Less than 420 points below 60%
According to University Guidelines the grades are converted to your grade point average by the following scale:
A = 4.0
B = 3.0
C = 2.0
D = 1.0
F = 0.0
ü Plan your summer carefully. You may wish to “get ahead” by taking multiple classes but please realize you don’t have an equivalent amount of time outside of class that you would have during a regular semester.
ü Do not make the incorrect assumption that the examinations will only come from materials presented in the textbook. Given my experience in government, the military, small business, large corporations, academic administration, I will discuss other examples and issues as well as elaborate or managerial issues. I will attempt to convince you that theory when applied is not 100% reliable given real people are involved.
ü Please carefully review the book, look at Tegrity lectures, do the LearnSmart assignments, and carefully prepare yourself before completing these assignments. Recognize that I intend to add topics that are not covered in the textbook. The book alone covers 548 pages of materials so there is a great deal to know in only five weeks.
Any issues concerning grading need to be called to my attention within one week of receipt of the grading. Grades assigned at the end of the team are not negotiable. Because of the grading system that KSU uses, there will likely be several times that a student is just a few points away from the next grade. I do not round up – the time to accumulate points is during the session, not at the end of it. Further, the extra credit item provides an opportunity for additional points.
Doing well in the class:
There is no bell curve for this class, thus no “quota” on letter grades. This means that everyone starts the class with a chance to earn an “A”. Here are some ideas that may help you succeed.
ü Plan your summer carefully. You may wish to “get ahead” by taking multiple classes but please realize you don’t have an equivalent amount of time outside of class that you would have during a regular semester.
ü Look at any Tegrity Lectures or Mini-lectures: I will not track who is or is not looking at the Tegrity talks, lectures or mini-lectures I do. However, anything discussed on Tegrity is fair game for examinations or quizzes that I make up for students to do. I know that some topics I cover will NOT be in the textbook. I will draw upon my public sector, small business, military, industry, and academic administrative experience; even my athletic experience for test material or other class requirements.
ü Read the book: You are responsible for material assigned in the book as well as material from lectures. While lectures and the book are designed to complement each other, there may be material in the book that is not explicitly covered in the lectures and material in lectures that is not in the book (another reason to review Tegrity lectures). Also, do the LearnSmart modules! This is not done to punish you or “trick” you, but to help you gain the greatest understanding of management principles and theory. Note: Class discussions whether in the book or not are fair game, especially if the topic is discussed at some length or part of a Special Topic lecture. Also, do the LearnSmart modules. These help a great deal and they are part of your class grade.
ü Start studying early for exams: Considering both the quantity and complexity of the material covered in this class in the short time frame of five weeks, cramming the night before (or worse – not studying at all) is a bad idea. Read the book chapters before and/or after Tegrity lectures, make sure you understand the terminology and theories, and ask questions of me or classmates or more carefully read the textbook.
ü It is not my intent to re-do a lecture or cover material you have not studied nor to discuss what will or will not be on the exam. If a quiz is offered in the classroom I will be in the room when the quiz is given. Feel free to ask questions when the terminology, phrasing, or nuance of a question is unclear or if you think there might be a mistake. Concepts are clearest when you read the materials before the subject is discussed in class. Concepts are clearest when you study in advance then later review what you have learned.
ü Keep your ears and eyes open outside of the classroom: I highly recommend frequenting websites, reviewing newspapers, looking at news programs that cover business matters, management issues, industry events, and international business, etc. Seeing what is going on in the “real world” and how it relates to what you have learned in the classroom and from the textbook is rewarding both now and into the future. Come prepared to discuss current events!
Academic Misconduct:
I take academic misconduct extremely seriously. Please keep your eyes on your own paper during exams, and should you witness or suspect that others are engaging in academic misconduct, please bring it to my attention. Strict confidentiality will be maintained. You work hard to get the grade you earn; do not let others free ride off of you or your peers.
Academic honesty: Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit. In addition, it is considered to be cheating when one cooperates with someone else in any such misrepresentation. The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense. It is the University’s policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course. Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.
Disability Services:
University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided with reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit www.kent.edu/sas <http://www.registrars.kent.edu/disability/ for more information on registration procedures).
NOTE: The material in this syllabus should be considered nominal and is subject to change by the instructor at any given time due to various constraints on the class, such as illness of the instructor, or other relevant issues.
D. Reminder: For Summer Session III, the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, August 2, 2015
Week Date Day Topic Reading Assignment
Week One – Week of July 13
Overview Introduction to Class Read syllabus
Chapter 1 “ “ “ Exceptional Manager Chapter 1
Chapter 2 “ “ “ Management Theory Chapter 2
Essential Background
Chapter 3 Manager’s Changing Work Chapter 3
Environment & Ethics
Learn Smart Modules (1-4) will be available from: July 13 – July 19
EXAM 1 Available July 15-17, 2015 All material since start of course
June 12, 2015 Deadline for Summer 2015 August Graduation
July 17-Aug.2, 2015 Withdrawal from any or all courses with a “W” assigned
Week Two – Week of July 20
Chapter 4 Global Management Chapter 4
Special Topic: Global Business Discussion
Quiz 1 (Topic to be assigned)
Chapter 5 “ “ “ Planning Chapter 5
Chapter 6 “ “ “ Strategic Management Chapter 6
Learn Smart Modules (5-8) will be available from: July 13 - 26
EXAM 2 Available July 22-24, 2015 All material since Exam #1
Week Three – Week of July 27
Special Topic (Topic to be assigned)
Chapter 7 Individual & Group Chapter 7
Decision Making
Chapter 8 “ “ “ Organizational Culture Chapter 8
Structure & Design
QUIZ 2 (Topic to be assigned)
Chapter 9 “ “ “ Human Resources Chapter 9
Management
Learn Smart Modules (9-12) will be available from: July 13 – August 2
EXAM 3 July 29-31, 2015 All material since Exam #2
Week Four – Week of August 3
Chapter 10 Organizational Chapter 10
Change & Innovation
Chapter 11 “ “ “ Managing Individual Chapter 11
Differences & Behavior
Chapter 12 “ “ “ Motivating Employees Chapter 12
LearnSmart Modules (13-16) will be available from: July 13 – August 9
EXAM 4 August 5-7, 2015 All material since Exam #3
Week Five – Week of August 10
EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT (Topic to be assigned
Chapter 13 Groups & Teams Chapter 13
Chapter 14 “ “ “ Power, Influence & Chapter 14
Leadership
Chapter 15 “ “ “ Interpersonal Chapter 15
& Organizational Behavior
Class Review & Wrap Up
EXAM 5 August 12-15, 2015 All material since Exam #4 except Chapter 16!!!
Commencement August 15
Date revised: June 22, 2015
