Pre-requisites:

Required course specific fee of $20; CE students only and instructor permission; Degree students should register for BSAD 120 A.

Goals & Objectives:

Modern organizations operate in an environment of rapidly changing technology, increased globalization, and fierce competition for enhanced products and services. People are a major source of sustainable competitive advantage for many organizations. How people are managed and led have important implications for work motivation, job attitudes, behavior, and team member interactions. Employee participation, responsibility, autonomy, and teamwork are on the rise; thus, organizational behavior skills are not only important for managers, but for everyone.

Fundamentally, this course is about people in organizations: how they think and why they behave in the ways that they do. Students will learn about contemporary theory, research, and practice in the Organizational Behavior discipline, which draws predominantly upon psychology, organization development, and management sciences. Emphasis is placed on how principles of motivation and leadership affect the thoughts and actions of individuals and teams in the workplace. This course will also expose students to issues relating to ethics, diversity, and corporate social responsibility in a global business environment.

This course is highly experiential and interactive. Students are therefore expected to share in the responsibility for their own learning and for the collective learning of the class. A team project provides the capstone of experiential learning in this course through which theory and research is applied to understanding aspects of organizational behavior and management in local organizations. This project is designed to foster teamwork, critical thinking, writing, and presentation skills.

Course Content:

Personality, Values, Culture, & Diversity; Job Attitudes & Behavior; Motivation & Perceptions of Fairness; Leadership & Ethics; Teamwork & Conflict Management; Perception; Organizational Structure, Culture, & Change; & Corporate Social Responsibility.

Books & Materials

Organizational Behavior: Essentials. McShane, Steven, L., & Von Glinow, Mary Ann. McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2007. ISBN 0-07-353006-9.

Grading:

Grading Comments:

Tests:

Four tests comprise 50% of the final grade in the course: Test 1 = 10%, Test 2 = 15%, Test 3 = 15%, and Test 4 = 10%. The classroom and textbook content covered on each test is indicated in the Schedule (p. 6). Make-up tests are not offered except in the event of a legitimate absence (see below).

Assignments:

Assignments comprise 10% of the final grade in the course. Some assignments will take only 15 minutes to complete; other assignments will take longer (and will be weighted accordingly). Included in the assignment grade are the grades on the first and second drafts of the Team Project Proposal.

Team Project Paper:

A team project paper comprises 30% of the final grade in the course. The nature of the team project paper and grading criteria are described in the Team Project Outline. Other support documents will be provided, such as Creating Interview Questions and Writing Tips.

All team members will receive the same base grade on the team project paper. However, each students base grade will be weighted by his or her team member evaluation score. At the end of the semester, all team members will evaluate each other and themselves in terms of their teamwork behavior and contributions to the team. For each student, a team member evaluation score is computed by averaging the evaluations provided by other team members with his or her self-evaluation. This team member evaluation score is then used to weight each students base grade on the team project paper to account for the different contributions among team members. To illustrate, consider a team project paper that receives a grade of 90%. One team member was an exceptional leader of the team and did more than his or her share of the work, which is reflected in this students team member evaluation score of 105%. In contrast, another student was a slacker who did less than his or her share of the work, missed several meetings, and was often the source of conflict; this students team member evaluation score was 80%. As a result, on the team project paper that received a 90%, the strong team member receives 94.5% and the slacker receives 72%. Thus, it behooves each student to contribute meaningfully to the team and to maintain positive working relationships with all team members.

Team Project Presentation:

A team project presentation comprises 10% of the final grade in the course. Students must present their projects and attend presentations from all other teams during the regularly scheduled exam period. A team grade out of 5% is given to all team members based on the teams performance, and an individual grade out of 5% is given to each team member based on his or her performance. Advice for improving presentation skills and the grading criteria are described in the handout titled Team Presentations - Tips and Grading.

Percentage to Letter Grades:

99-100 = A+ 92-98 = A 90-91 = A-

88-89 = B+ 82-87 = B 80-81 = B-

78-79 = C+ 72-77 = C 70-71 = C-

68-69 = D+ 62-67 = D 60-61 = D-

0-59 = F

Attendance Policy:

To do well in this course students must attend class regularly. Attendance is rewarded in several ways. First, students will have a deeper understanding of the material, which will assist them during and after course. Second, the instructor will often explain in class what material will and will not be tested. Third, in many classes material not presented in the textbook will be covered. Fourth, several assignments will be announced during class time and will be due at the beginning of another class; thus, students who miss one of these classes may be unable to complete or hand in the assignments. (Note: Students with legitimate absences can email the instructor to ask about any assignments or to make arrangements for submitting completed assignments).

Legitimate absences are limited to (a) medical reasons that are accompanied by appropriate documentation and, if discussed with the instructor in advance, (b) athletic obligations, (c) religious holidays, and (d) career management opportunities.

Religious Holidays: Students have the right to practice the religion of their choice. Each semester students should submit in writing to their instructors by the end of the second full week of classes their documented religious holiday schedule for the semester. If a religious holiday schedule is submitted in time, students who miss course work for the purpose of religious observance will have the opportunity to make up the work.

Athletic Obligations: As soon as possible, student athletes should submit in writing to their instructors the days on which they will be absent due to athletic obligations.

Career Management Opportunities: Students who must schedule job interviews and other career related opportunities during class time should inform the instructor in advance in order for the absence to be considered legitimate.

Additional Comments:

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

In this course, you are expected to be an active participant in the learning process. This means that you take responsibility for your learning. Part of being an active learner is to seek help about concepts with which you are having trouble: Do not hesitate to email me, come to office hours, or use your classmates as a learning resource.

In the classroom, although I will review many key concepts from the textbook, my role goes beyond reiterating and clarifying the textbook material. I do not merely teach for the test. This means that material will be covered in the classroom that will not be tested.

In the classroom, I aim to link theory and research to the real world. This is accomplished through linking the material to events in real organizations, your own experiences, the shared experiences of your classmates, and my experiences working in teams and organizations. Experienced-based learning will occur through group discussion of concepts and short cases, facilitated reflection, in-class exercises, and the illustration of concepts through data collected from you and your classmates.

The capstone of your experiential learning occurs through your team project. Through this team project you will be exposed to managers (and in some cases employees) in the organization(s) you study. You will also be exposed to the good, and possibly some of the bad, of working within a team. Most former students say their team project was a very rewarding experience.

For students who want to learn beyond the course material, optional readings will be placed in the public folder. If you desire it, I will work with you to set and prepare for class-related and career-related goals.

My overall aim as an instructor is to push you to learn and achieve more than you might on your own. I am not just a disseminator of information; I am a coach and facilitator of your learning and development as a future business leader and as a person. Former students say that this course is not an easy one and that it requires hard work to achieve a high grade. The good news is that most students say they find the course enjoyable, rewarding, and applicable to both their work and non-work lives.

Academic Honesty

The principal objective of the policy on academic honesty is to promote an intellectual climate and support the academic integrity of the University of Vermont. Academic dishonesty or an offense against academic honesty includes acts that may subvert or compromise the integrity of the educational process. Such acts are serious offenses that insult the integrity of the entire academic community.

Offenses against academic honesty are any acts that would have the effect of unfairly promoting or enhancing one's academic standing within the entire community of learners which includes, but is not limited to, the faculty and students of the University of Vermont. Academic dishonesty includes knowingly permitting or assisting any person in the committing of an act of academic dishonesty.

The policy distinguishes between minor and major offenses. Offenses purely technical in nature or in which the instructor does not perceive intent to achieve advantage are deemed minor and handled by the instructor. Major offenses are those in which intent to achieve academic advantages is perceived. A full statement of the policy can be found in the Cat's Tale. Each student is responsible for knowing and observing this policy.

Classroom Code of Conduct

Faculty and students will at all times conduct themselves in a manner that serves to maintain, promote, and enhance the high quality academic environment befitting the University of Vermont. To this end, it is expected that all members of the learning community will adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Faculty and students will attend all regularly scheduled classes, except for those occasions warranting an excused absence under the policy detailed in the catalogue (e.g., religious, athletic, medical).
2. Students and faculty will arrive prepared for class and on time, and they will remain in class until the class is dismissed.
3. Faculty and students will treat all members of the learning community with respect. Toward this end, they will promote academic discourse and the free exchange of ideas by listening with civil attention to the comments made by all individuals.
4. Students and faculty will maintain an appropriate academic climate by refraining from all actions which disrupt the learning environment (e.g., making noise, ostentatiously not paying attention, and leaving and reentering the classroom inappropriately).
5. Food and drink are not allowed in classrooms.

Instructors will inform students of any special/additional expectations.