M&IS 34185 Fall 2007 Gustavson

 

Sandra Gustavson, M.A., P.M.P.

email: sgustavs@kent.edu

Office Hours:  ½ hour before class and by appointment – please email request.

Phone: Contact Department Secretary, Mrs. Silliman, 330.672.1140

 

www.prenhall.com/robbins

Companion Website may give you practice quizzes that could be helpful in learning course material.

A word about the text: This text may be different from other texts you have used. It is an “Essentials” text, meaning that it contains only the major concepts without a lot of supporting detail. It is designed to be used with other supporting material. Please read the chapters carefully because every sentence has an important meaning. You cannot “skim” and expect to get the meaning of the concepts.

This course covers determinants of individual and group behavior within work organizations. Students will study behaviors and actions of individuals and groups in a work setting. Topics covered include: motivation, job design, learning, decision making, leadership and group behavior as they relate to performance and other outcomes in work organizations.

 

 

This course will provide an introduction to the theories and principles of organizational behavior. Organizational behavior is defined as the systematic study of actions and attitudes that people exhibit within organizations.[1] The goals of the field of organizational behavior are to help managers explain, predict, and control behavior in the work place. Upon completion of this course you should:

 

·         Understand the components of organizational behavior and its theoretical origins.

·         Understand research and theories, the “science,” underlying various aspects of understanding individual and group behavior in organizations. This course will include the development of research skills.

·         Apply these theories of motivation, leadership, teamwork, communication, and others to organizational behavior in the real world.

·         Understand how globalization affects manager’s skills and the need to manage a workforce that may differ in needs, aspiration and attitudes from those in the home country. Globalization is the leading cause of change in organizations.

·         Demonstrate the need for managers to encourage and stimulate change and innovation within organizations and to understand the impact of that change.

·         To increase knowledge of one’s self as an individual and as a participant in groups in every day activities.

·         To understand the ethical dilemmas facing employees and how managers need to create a healthy ethical climate

 

This course will stress collaborative learning and the use of technology in developing presentations.

 

Orion will be used for Class Management. You can register on this site by typing in http://131.123.8.28/. Begin your registration by clicking on Courses at the lower left corner. At the next screen, click on Enroll in a Course. You will be led through the rest of your registration. Orion will be used for on-line quizzes, posting handouts, links, communicating with the class and submitting coursework.

 

All completed assignments are to be uploaded on Orion – NO EXCEPTIONS! Assignments should be submitted as a hard copy in class and uploaded on Orion by the date due. Please give the instructor a hard copy of your presentation BEFORE you present.

 

Quizzes are found under the Requirements section of Orion.

Practice quizzes are found under the Study section.

Handouts or posted documents, including this syllabus, may be found in the Handouts section of Orion. PPTs for chapters, assignment descriptions and supplemental materials are included under Handouts.

To check and see if your file was uploaded, click on My Submitted Documents.

 

 

Papers will be formatted as follows: 1 inch margins, single spaced; Times Roman or Ariel fonts may be used; 12 point type. Paragraphs may be blocked. Use one space between paragraphs. A cover sheet with the title of the assignment and the names of all students submitting as a team should be included with each assignment.

 

All research papers and presentations should use APA format for all references. To create references use Citationmachine at www.citationmachine.net, also available from the Library webpage under style manuals. A three page paper requirement means three full pages. For this class, a summary or descriptive paragraph is at least 6 lines long. Points are deducted for not meeting the minimum length requirement. To achieve an “A,” the student must exceed the minimum requirements.

 

Students must provide the instructor with their paper and PPT presentation prior to their presentation.

 

 

 

Attendance is recommended. You will be given some opportunity to work during class toward completion of team assignments; therefore, your attendance will be an important contribution to your team. You must do your reading outside of class and come to class prepared. In addition, there may be in-class assignments during the semester. You will be required to submit in-class assignments in writing. These assignments are not subject to “make-up” unless you have a University-approved absence. Students are responsible for all instructions given in class.

Presentation Tips  As students who are or aspire to be managers, your oral communication skills are or will be an essential part of your effectiveness. I expect you to practice and display them in class. All students can develop excellent communication skills with practice.  Oral presentations and participation are critical skills for managers. When presenting, DO NOT READ FROM YOUR NOTES. This could result in a lower grade.

Teamwork Tips  Teamwork is integral to today’s workplace. We shall practice teamwork in this class setting. Students who do not participate and contribute to their team may be asked to leave their teams and will receive a lower grade. “Group presentation” means everyone in the group presents. In presenting your work, all members of the team or group are expected to participate. Each student will be evaluated by his or her peers at the completion of the course. Individual grades will be lowered for students who fail to contribute.

There will be 4 Chapter quizzes over the semester. These will be taken on line, covering objective material from the text such as definitions and major concepts. Each quiz will have a practice quiz which may be repeated as a study aid. All quizzes are open book, open notes, but they are timed. Therefore students must be prepared by having read the assigned chapters. Students are responsible for all chapter material, covered and not covered in class.

 

During the semester, you will be expected to collect “data” from your working environment for survey assignments. The survey assignments are related to material discussed in the text and are meant to give students a “real world” view of the theories presented in class and in the text. The students’ own working environments will be used as a laboratory for understanding and tying concepts from the text to real life. Students who are not presently working may use the university or past working environment as a reference. Students will work in groups and will collaborate with team members to obtain information and draw conclusions from their experience. Some class time will be given for teams to meet as an aid to the completion of this assignment.  In each assignment, students will present their results to the class. Topics are shown in the class schedule and will be detailed on Orion. All group work will be presented in a paper or in PPT for discussion. Added technology may be included in PPT.                   

 

 

In teams, students will conduct scholarly research on a topic of interest related to material covered in the course. To complete this assignment, each student is expected to contribute at least 4 references from academic databases, including relevant journal sources, general periodical or newspaper source, and trade or professional publication. All references must be derived from a research database. In addition, your completed assignment should include an interview with a person who has “expertise” in the area you select. A final summary and conclusion will complete the assignment.

 

 

Your grade will be a composite of several activities, calculated as follows:

  

4 Quizzes	20 %
3 Survey Assignments	60 %
Research Assignment	20 %
TOTAL	100 %

 

Students will receive a grade based on points earned, as follows:

 

POINTS	GRADE
90-100	A
80-89	B
70-79	C
60-69	D
< 60	F

 

All assignments are expected to be submitted on time. Students who turn in assignments past the due date are responsible for informing the instructor immediately of their situation. Failure to do so may result in a 0 (no credit) for the assignment. Credit may be given for a late assignment based in agreement between the instructor and the student. The key is for the student to give prior notice.

ACADEMIC HONESTY 

 

Academic honesty: Cheating under the Kent State University Digest of Rules and Regulations defines cheating as intentionally 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 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 (0 points) for the work or course.  Repeat offenses may result in dismissal from the University or even revocation of a degree. For this class, anyone making a request of others to perform their assigned work, in either a group or individual setting, is considered a violation of the academic policy and will result in a failing grade. A student may also face additional sanctions under the Code of Student Conduct, which may result in probation, suspension, or dismissal from the university.

Taking credit for the work of others, or representing the work of others as your own, is considered to be a violation of the Academic Honesty policy for this course. An example of this violation is taking credit for work done by others in your group by putting your name on the final product, or by asking others in your group to do your work for you. Asking others to perform work assigned to you will not be tolerated in this course.  

The instructor reserves the right to incorporate extra credit during the course of the semester.

 

Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Web for Students) during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section.  Should you find an error in your class schedule, you have until August 31, 2007 to correct the error with your advising office.  If registration errors are not corrected by this date 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.

 

For Fall 2007 the date to withdraw without receiving a “W” is September 9, 2007.  Students may continue to withdraw between September 10 and November 4 2007; however students withdrawing between these dates will receive a "W" on their official transcript.  Withdrawal after the deadline will require an assignment of a letter grade for the course.  Please see the undergraduate business advising office (107 BSA) for details and exceptions to this policy.

 

University policy 3342-3-18 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access equal access course content.  If you have 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 the Student Disability Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sds for more information on registration procedures).

INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP  BEHAVIOR   . CLASS SCHEDULE

 

 

This schedule may change with notice from the Instructor.

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