MIS 34165-900 Spring 2011 Malone

Info

34165 • Spring 2011 • Malone

KENT STATE UNIVERSITY

DYNAMICS OF LEADERSHIP

MIS 34165-Spring 2011-Section #900

Tuesday, 4:25 -7:05 pm, LCCC - University Center, Rm. 314

Instructor:         Dr. Michael Malone

E-mail:               mmalon15@kent.edu

Telephone:        (440) 543-2189 (cell – emergency only)

Office Hours:    Tuesdays, 3:30-4:15 pm - and by appointment (Rm. 112A)

MATERIALS

Texts

Dubrin, A. J., (2010). Leadership-Research Findings, Practice, and Skills , 6^th ed. South-Western / Cengage Learning

Supplementary readings may be provided.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The fundamental purpose of this course is to provide the student with a heightened awareness and increased understanding of: 1) the basic concepts and processes that affect leadership in organizations; 2) how leadership affects organizational functioning; and 3) the importance and complexities of leadership in organizational settings. Through lecture, experiential exercises and class discussions, we shall not only address these issues, but will also consider the contributions of leadership to short- and long-term organizational functioning. Finally, the course will provide a basis for understanding how leadership helps to move an organization toward its goals.

COURSE OVERVIEW

This class is devoted to ensuring that you learn about leadership. Your work will consist of reading assigned material, completing specified written assignments , participating in discussions and activities during class, working with a group of classmates to complete and present a group project, and conveying your understanding of course materials via three examinations.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Exams

Three exams are scheduled for the semester. They will cover assigned readings, handouts, and lecture material. The format of the exams may include multiple choice and/or short answer essay questions. Each exam accounts for 20% of your final grade.

Cases Problems Exercise

Two case study exercises from your textbook will be assigned which will provide an opportunity for you to apply and integrate important concepts covered in this course. You will be expected to prepare a written report for each exercise which includes an overview of the key aspects of the case as well as a thoughtful response to the questions which accompany that case. Each paper (3 to 4 pages in length) should be double-spaced, convey a professional appearance, and be free of grammatical and spelling errors. The two case exercises represent 15% of your total grade.

Group Project/ Presentation  (Leadership-in-the-News )

The purpose of this exercise is to make you more aware of leadership practices as demonstrated in real current business situations. Your presentation will be based on a summary and analysis of a business leader who has appeared in the recent popular press (e.g., Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, etc.). The article (or articles) you choose should address the business leader’s background and career and, more important, provide a detailed analysis of how his/her behaviors and style helped to influence success in (one or more) business settings. You will be expected to supplement your initial article with additional source material which will be reflected in your presentation and cited in the materials you prepare. To ensure that your topic is appropriate, please confirm with me in advance.  You will have approx. 25 minutes to present your material and will be expected to address questions from the class at the end of the presentation. Keep in mind that presentation style is important! I expect this to be a professional presentation. Use of Powerpoint slides to summarize main points is required; preparation of handouts for the class is optional.

This will be a group presentation and group members will be expected to participate jointly in the project, including the choice of topic, preparation of content material, preparation of support material, and the class presentation .  At the end of the presentations, each group member  will  complete a peer evaluation form (to be provided). This form will reflect your assessment of the relative contributions of each of your group members - and will influence individual grades if limited contributions from specific individuals are noted.

Your grade (worth 15% of your final grade) will be based on several criteria: (1) the  quality of background information on the leader including likely formative influences; (2) your discussion of leadership-related implications (e.g., leadership behaviors demonstrated by the individual during his/her career, relevant situational factors, individual and organizational results achieved, etc.); (3) the quality of the  presentation materials; (4) the effectiveness of your delivery, and (5) your ability to address questions from the class.

Participation / Class Discussion

Class participation will account for 10% of your final grade. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation in class, including the class discussion exercises which will be conducted during several of our sessions. To receive an acceptable participation grade, you need to be actively engaged in the course.  It is important that you bring your name card to class every week as this will facilitate my ability to interact with you.

GRADES

Grades will be calculated according to performance on the three exams (20% each), group project (15%), case/exercises (15%), and class participation (10%).  Final grades will be assigned as follows:

Registration: Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Student Tools in FlashLine) 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 January 23, 2011 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.

Course Withdrawal Deadline: For Spring 2011, the course withdrawal deadline is March 20, 2011.

CLASS PROCEDURES

1. Generally, the most efficient way to communicate with me is via e-mail. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the electronic messaging capabilities made available. Also, as noted, I will have office hours prior to each class – and by appointment.

2. Please tell me about any problems you are having while there is still time to do something about them!

3. Attendance at class is expected. If you miss a class, YOU are personally responsible for obtaining lecture notes and other material from another student.  To succeed in this course, you must complete your reading assignments and attend class. Also, please do not e-mail me with questions such as “what did I miss?” or “will we be doing a case tonight?”—you need to come to class and be prepared.

4. Major grammatical or spelling errors on any written work will adversely affect the grade you receive. Carefully proof your papers for errors (you may even want to have a friend read your work). Also, try reading your work aloud. Doing so will help you identify awkward phrases and poor sentence structure.

5. You must make sure that your FlashLine account is up-to-date as this is the e-mail address to which I will be sending all class correspondence.

Policy on 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.

Student with Disabilities: University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided 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.

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Course Outline