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BA 352 - Organizational Behavior -- Spring 2005
Syllabus Page
[Go to Schedule Page]
|
Corrine Gobeli, Ph.D. 314 Bexell 541.737.3355 TA: Charles Thomas |
Office hours: Tuesday 12 noon – 1 PM Wednesday 9 AM – 10 AM Thursday 1 PM -1:50 PM or
by appointment |
Welcome to BA 352, a
course that deals with the challenge of working with others in contemporary
organizations. It is designed to help you think critically and act effectively
in some of the critical “people” situations you may encounter in your careers.
The course involves
both conceptual (know what) and skill (know how) learning. That is, you will
learn about theories and concepts through readings, lectures and case studies.
You will also apply principles through group work, simulations, role plays and
other interactive exercises.
To do well in this
course, think about your past experiences and your existing theories and
assumptions of why people do what they do at work. If you are willing to invest
time and thought and be open to new ideas and experiences, you will gain
valuable insight and skills.
Learning Outcomes
This course is
designed to help you to:
• Assess the
values, attitudes, perceptions and behaviors that affect how you interact with
others in an organization
§
Develop and
enhance the essential interpersonal skills for being an effective coworker and
manager
§
Work as a
productive member of a work group or team
§
Correctly use
organizational behavior concepts and terminology (i.e. talk like a manager)
§
Use
organizational behavior models and frames of reference to diagnose individual
and group situations in order to respond appropriately
E-mail Communication
All students
registered for business courses have an assigned e-mail address on the
Data Files
Supplementary
material including questions designed to help you understand the readings,
copies of handouts, assignments, class power points, and resource materials
will be available through the following links:
- [Assignment
files]
- [Chapter
Questions -- PowerPoint files]
- [Class note
files]
- [Writing
guidelines]
- [Other data
files]
Required Texts
• Kinicki, A. & Kreitner, R.
(2003). Organizational behavior: Key
concepts, skills & best practices. NY: McGraw-Hill. (one copy on
reserve at Valley Library)
• Byham, W.C. (1998) Zapp.
Readings
Homework assignments,
listed on the Course Schedule, include readings from the texts,
self-assessments and individual and team deliverables. Please read each
assignment and complete exercises prior to class so you will be ready to
participate. Think about the material critically and relate the theories and
concepts to your experience in organizations.
Individual Deliverables
Examinations (300 points)
There
will be six short quizzes, at 10 points each for a total of 50 points (you drop
your lowest score), one midterm exam at 100 points and a comprehensive final
exam worth 150 points. Completing the required readings on time is critical to
doing well. Exams cover the assigned readings as well as classroom
presentations, discussions and activities.
Exams include multiple choice questions, short answer, essay and
mini-cases, and will require you to understand, apply and integrate concepts.
The Student CD-ROM and
Zapp memo (25 points)
You
will write a one to two page memo about this short, perennially popular press
book. Detailed guidelines are posted to the web/public folders.
Team and Peer evaluation memo (50 points)
In
business organizations, it is common for a person’s performance and rewards to
be dependent upon the actions and performance of others. This condition will be
replicated in this course through the use of the Team Project. In the
evaluation assignment, each of you will assess the overall effectiveness of
your team, describe significant changes that occurred over the term, rate your
fellow team members on criteria defined by your team and provide specific,
detailed rationale to support each rating. These ratings will be compiled and
used to determine the number of points you will receive on the team resource
guide. Detailed guidelines will be distributed later and posted to public
folders.
Participation (25 points)
Every
student in the class has a contribution to make. And every student is expected
to contribute to in-class discussions and learning activities. The benefit is
that you will have an opportunity to share your ideas, insights, and
experiences, test your views and interpretations of the course material, ask
thoughtful questions and enhance your learning in a supportive climate with
your peers and the instructor. To receive points, you must contribute
meaningfully to class discussions. If you have difficulty contributing in large
classes, please see me privately about strategies to increase your comfort and
involvement. For more assistance, read pp 94-103 in the text about
self-efficacy and self management and pp. 145-152 about goal setting – then set
a SMART goal!
In-class
exercises are designed to apply concepts and build skills. To gain the most
from these experiences and to support your peers, your behavior needs to be
authentic and serious – and you need to be present.
Two
missed classes during group activities are permitted (although not encouraged).
Showing up after class or a group activity has begun, as well as leaving early,
may count as an absence. Twelve points may be deducted from your overall total
for each missed class beyond two –
no matter what the reason.
The
two “missed classes” allowance should provide enough flexibility to deal with
unexpected emergencies, illness, athletic events or job interviews. Obviously,
coming to class is very important!!!!
Team Deliverables
Early in the term you
will form project teams of no fewer than five nor more than six persons. Many
class activities will take place in these teams. It‘s up to you to organize and
structure the team in order to achieve course goals. The major deliverables for
your team are:
• a formal work plan (20 points)
• a 10-15 page resource guide (100 points)
• a 10-12 minute oral presentation (80 points)
Detailed guidelines
will be distributed and posted to the web and public folder.
Written Assignments
The
ability to write clear, complete, concise and compelling business materials is
a critical workplace basic skill. Your written materials, both individual and
team, will be assessed against the standards of business English, including
grammar, spelling, organization and presentation.
·
When writing a memo, use standard memo format.
• Use a writing style appropriate for your
audience. Refer to Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style or another
standard business English text or confer with the
writing labs on campus if you anticipate difficulty.
• Use headings and bullets to organize your
text and assist the reader. Use tables,
charts, graphs and other creative figures to display information succinctly.
Make sure all figures, tables or charts have appropriate titles and citations.
• Cite any and all references using either MLA
or APA formats.
• Unless otherwise indicated, type all
written assignments, with one and one-half or double-spacing, with one inch
margins, using a 12 point font (Times/Roman) or 10 point (Arial) on white
paper.
• Staple pages together. Do not use plastic or paper
folders. Please refer to the public folder for additional guidelines.
No written
assignments will be accepted late unless you receive permission from the
instructor prior to the due date. Permission will be granted only for serious
reasons and then only with adequate (at least one class period) advance notice.
Any paper received after the class period will be docked points.
Extra Credit
You may earn up to 5
points of extra credit by attending a specific campus activity related to the
world of work and reporting on it in a one - two page memo – and presenting
information to the class. Write-ups must be submitted within one week of the
event. Check the web/public folder for detailed guidelines.
Academic Honesty
Good ethical behavior
is an increasingly important aspect of organizational life. Similarly, you are
expected to abide by strict academic honesty standards. Infractions will result
in an “F” for the course and an Academic Dishonesty Report will be filed with
the University. Refer to Academic Regulations and Procedures described in the
Schedule of Classes, if you have questions about these policies. For more
information, refer to the student conduct website http://www.orst.edu/admin/stucon/index.htm
and /or the Academic issues page http:www.orst.edu/admin/stucon/achon.htm.
Special Needs
If you have any
special needs that will need to be accommodated, please contact me during the
first week of the term.
Assessment and Grading
Your individual grade
will be assigned according to the number of points earned throughout the term.
Maximum number of points for each assignment is listed below. However, an
adjustment to the overall class distribution may be made by the instructor at
the end of the term to account for the degree of difficulty in course
examinations. The expanded (+/-) letter grade system is used for this course.
You are expected to
keep track of your own points.
Any appeals to the
grades received must be submitted in
writing within one week of the receipt of the grade and must give detailed,
specific rationale for a review of the grade.
|
Course Assignment |
Points |
Your score |
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Individual assignments |
|
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Quizzes (best 5 of 6) |
50 |
|
|
Mid-term exam |
100 |
|
|
Final exam |
150 |
|
|
Zapp memo |
25 |
|
|
Team and Peer evaluation: rating and memo |
50 |
|
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Participation (-Attendance costs per
absence > than 2) |
25 |
|
|
Team
assignments |
|
|
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Team Project |
|
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Work plan |
20 |
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Resource Guide |
100 |
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Presentation |
80 |
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Total Course Points |
600 |
|
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Extra credit |
Max 5 |
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