Bus 304 AB1 KRobertson PDF

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Description

School of Business BUS 304, AB1, Organization Theory & Applications Winter, 2019

Important dates

See http://www.ufv.ca/admissions/registration/imprtregdates/

Faculty

Kirsten Robertson

Office: C2438

Contact

[email protected]

Phone: 604-504-7441 x4380

Office hours

Tuesdays: 11:00-11:30am; 5:30-6:00pm Fridays: 11:00-11:30am; 2:30-3:30pm Wednesdays: By appointment

Prerequisite(s)

Bus 203

Calendar description

Organizations have a life cycle: they are born, mature, and die. During their lifespans they may evolve, conflict with, and cooperate with other organizations in an increasingly turbulent global environment. This course will equip students with a variety of analytical tools and perspectives to help them make sense of the organizational world around them.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: LO1. Describe the internal configuration of organizations LO2. Align an organization’s mission, goals, strategy, and structure LO3. Analyze the task, general, and international environments in which an organization operates

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LO4. Distinguish between competitive and cooperative approaches to interorganizational relationships LO5. Identify types of organizational- and departmental-level technologies LO6. Implement organizational changes in ways that address internal resistance LO7. Assess how organizations make decisions LO8. Manage power dynamics and conflict in organizations LO9. Work effectively in teams to apply theories of organization to real-world problems

Required resources

Daft, R. L. & Armstrong, A. (2015). Organization theory & design (3rd Canadian Ed.). Toronto: Nelson Education.

Methods of evaluation

Assignment

Value

Individual 1. Content quiz #1 2. Internal performance appraisals 3. Attendance/classroom contributions 4. Content quiz #2 5. Individual experience analysis

15% 5% each 5% 15% 10%

Team 1. Research paper (a) Research question (1%) (b) Annotated bibliography (3%) (c) Title and abstract (2%) (d) Final paper (14%) 2. Midterm case 3. “Game of Theories” presentations

Due

February 15 March 1 & April 15 Every week! April 5 April 5

20% total

5% 10% each

January 25 February 8 March 8 March 29 February 15 February 1 & April 12

Grading rubrics for all applicable assignments will be available in Blackboard. Assignments must be submitted via Blackboard before 11:59pm on the due date. Additional information about all of the assignments is provided in the “Assignments” section of the course outline below. IMPORTANT ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION You must retain a copy of each submitted assignment and all working files (including, but not limited to, draft versions of your assignments, articles cited, interview transcripts, surveys) until you have received your final grade for the whole course. By submitting an assignment, you are making a declaration of intellectual integrity.

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You are declaring that the work submitted is your own and complies with all regulations stated in the Academic Misconduct section in this syllabus as well as UFV Policy 70. You are also agreeing to allow your work to be compared against the work of others, including the use of plagiarism detection software, to detect plagiarism. The only acceptable sources of external help on assignments are the professor and the UFV Academic Success Centre. Students who involve others (e.g., tutors) in the writing of their assignments are engaging in Academic Misconduct. DEADLINES Extensions will NOT be granted on the team component of the firm analysis project. Under exceptional and unanticipated circumstances the individual section of the firm analysis project may be accepted after the due date. If the project is not submitted by midnight on the due date, the grade will drop by 20% per day. That means a project that is five days late will automatically receive a 0. MISSED EXAMS You are required to complete the individual assessments at their scheduled times. Failing to do so results in you receiving a “0” on that assessment. The only exceptions to this rule are: (a) serious physical illness that would significantly impair your performance, as determined by a physician, and (b) death of a family member. You must provide written documentation. Make-ups are NOT available for individual assessments. In case of documented illness or family emergency, your grade will be shifted to the assessment you did write (i.e. one assessment will be worth 40% of your mark). Where illness or family emergency prevents a student from taking both assessments, a cumulative exam will be held during the final exam period. Individual assessments will not be rescheduled due to timing conflicts with other courses. Any potential conflicts must be discussed with the instructor during the first week of classes. GRADING DISPUTES Students who have a question regarding the grade assigned to an exam or paper must first submit their dispute to the instructor in writing. The process is as follows: 1. Compose an explanation of why you believe your grade is not appropriate. Submit this explanation and your original assignment to the instructor. This must be submitted within two weeks of the receipt of the results. Your explanation must be documented with appropriate references from course materials. 2. Within one week of the receipt of your request, a re-evaluation of your assignment will be returned to you. Review of papers or exams for grade reconsideration could result in one of three outcomes: (1) no change in grade, (2) an increase in grade or (3) a decrease in grade, depending on the type of

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error found through the review process. 24-hour rule. For many students, their first reaction to a disappointing grade is an emotional one. After 24 hours the emotional reaction has usually passed and students are better able to reflect clearly and honestly on their grades. In this course, students should not approach the instructor about a grade dispute until 24 hours after an assignment has been handed back.

References

Written assignments must use the current APA style of referencing. See also guidelines from the Academic Success Centre.

English standards

Assignments must be free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Assignments containing such errors will be penalized (i.e. mark deductions up to 20%).

Accommodation

Students with documented disabilities requiring academic and/or exam accommodation should contact the Centre for Accessibility Services in Abbotsford or Chilliwack.

Grading scale

Grades will be assigned according to the following scale. Grade A+ A AB+ B BC+ C CD F

Percent equivalent 90 – 100 85 – 89 80 – 84 77 – 79 73 – 76 70 – 72 67 – 69 63 – 66 60 – 62 50 – 59 < 50 (fail)

Grade point value 4.33 4.0 3.67 3.33 3.0 2.67 2.33 2.0 1.67 1.0 0.0

Standard percentage equivalencies are used to determine the final letter grade. The final percentage will be rounded to the nearest integer, using standard mathematical practice (i.e. if the first digit after the decimal place is 5 or higher, rounding is to the next higher integer) before converting to a letter grade.

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Academic misconduct

Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, giving and receiving information during any test or exam, using unauthorized sources of information during any test; plagiarizing; fabrication, cheating, and, misrepresenting the work of another person as your own, facilitation of academic misconduct, and under certain conditions, non-attendance. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. You must reference your work and acknowledge sources with in-text citations and a complete list of references. This includes direct and indirect quotes, diagrams, charts, figures, pictures, and written material. For group projects, the responsibility for academic integrity, which can result in academic misconduct and its resulting penalties, rests with each person in the group and sanctions would be borne by each member. Students who represent plagiarised material to their teams as their own work may individually be subject to an Academic Misconduct investigation. Students are responsible for clearly identifying the sources of information that they use in all of their informal team communication. For more information see UFV Policy 70 on Student Academic Misconduct. Also watch the videos at www.ufv.ca/ai/faculty-resources/promoting-academic-integrity-, www.ufv.ca/asc/academic-integrity-matters, and www.ufv-aim.ca.

Student conduct

Students are required to conduct their behaviour in a mature and responsible manner, consistent with the University mission, policies, procedures and regulations. Students will be held accountable for their actions whether acting alone or in a group. Students should familiarize themselves with UFV Policy 204.

Examination policy

Examinations must be written at the scheduled, time, date, and location. The final examination period includes Saturdays. Writing the final examination at a time other than the one in the posted examination schedule will only be permitted when a student has a direct conflict between two scheduled examinations. Two exams on a single day is not considered a valid reason for moving an exam. Students must notify the affected instructors of a conflict by the end of Week 9 of the class. Exams may be scheduled at a time or day of the week different from the class meeting time. You must adjust your schedule accordingly. Only severe extenuating circumstances (such as serious documented illness) will be accepted as a reason for not writing an exam as scheduled. In this case, the

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instructor must be notified by the student at the earliest possible opportunity, and a doctor's certificate must be provided. The instructor will establish the alternate date and location for the make-up exam. Any travel plans need to be made for dates after the scheduled exam period which is published well in advance in the UFV Calendar Schedule of Events. No electronic devices (other than calculators, if required) will be allowed. Where calculators are allowed, the professor reserves the right to clear the calculator’s memory. All papers, mobile phones, books, bags, and outer garments must be placed at the front of the class or under the desk as specified by the instructor.

Assignments

CONTENT QUIZZES (15% EACH) Each student will write two closed-book quizzes that are designed to assess their individual knowledge of the course readings, lectures, and in-class activities. Each quiz will consist of 45 multiple-choice questions. Students will have one hour to complete the quiz. ORGANIZATIONAL CASE STUDY (5%) Each organization will prepare answers to a case in-class. The case will have two parts worth 20 points each. Every member of each organization will receive the same score. The team case is open book/notes, but no electronic materials are permitted (students are responsible for printing any notes they would like to use before the case starts). Students will assemble into their organizations to complete the case after content quiz #1. INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE ANALYSIS (10%) Students will write an in-class essay that analyzes their experiences in their organizations throughout the semester, including the in-class activities. The individual experience analysis is open book/notes, but no electronic materials are permitted. This will be completed after content quiz #2. GAME OF THEORIES PRESENTATIONS (10% EACH) Every theory that we will learn this semester provides us with a different perspective on the organizational world. In order to develop more insight into these theories, each organization will be assigned two theories that they will work to present and defend in-class. Presentation assignments will be done in class 1. Each organization subgroup will be responsible for doing one presentation. The CEO will be responsible for choosing who will do the research for the presentation and who will do the presentation itself. Not all students are required to present, and CEOs are not allowed to present. The presentation will be scored out of 40 points 6

based on quality and content. Everyone in the organization will get the same grade for each presentation. Presentations should be a maximum of 25 minutes. They must involve at least two presenters. Visual aids should be set up at the beginning of class. You are expected to be able to get your presentation underway rapidly once you are called to the front of the class. Presenters who waste class time setting up their presentation may be penalized up to 3 marks. Each presentation must include: 1. A description of the assigned theory, including a short biography of key scholars who were instrumental in developing the theory. This biography should connect the scholars’ life experiences to the theory that they have developed. 2. An activity that helps the class to understand the theory. 3. An “offense” where you explain how your assigned theory does a better job of capturing what goes on in real-life organizations or industries compared to the other theory that will be presented on each day. In order to do this you will need to familiarize yourself with the strengths of your theory AND the weaknesses of the competing theories. Important: A “strong” theory is one that accurately captures what goes on in the organizational world. Therefore, an effective way to demonstrate that your theory is strong is to provide real-world examples of where your theory held true. Conversely, to provide evidence that a theory is “weak” you should look for real-world examples that do not adhere to what the theory would predict should happen. 4. You must incorporate information from high-quality peer reviewed articles throughout your presentation; the organization must submit an informal references page where they provide a written explanation of which articles helped them to develop which of their key arguments. This must submitted on Blackboard by midnight on the date of the presentation. Late submission of the references will result in a penalty of 10% off the final presentation grade per day. Organizations that submit a list of references without a written explanation will receive at most 1 / 4 marks. 5. A copy of visual aids (i.e. PowerPoints) must be submitted on Blackboard by midnight on the date of the presentation. Late submission of the visual aids will result in a penalty of 10% off the final presentation grade per day. After both organizations share their presentations, they will each present a “defense” to any of the critiques of their theories put forth by the opposing organization. The maximum length of the rebuttals will be 5 minutes, and organizations will be provided with 15 minutes of class time to prepare them. RESEARCH PAPER (20% TOTAL) Writing a research paper will help you to accomplish three important goals. First, it is critical that you develop the ability to conduct research. This is particularly true in a third-year business class, as research is something you will be doing more as you progress in your academic careers. Second, BUS 304 is largely survey in nature, which means we will be covering many topics over a relatively short period of time.

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The research paper will allow you to gain in-depth knowledge about one area of organization theory. Third, learning to communicate your findings is a central component of most business and academic careers. The demands of business writing are also distinct from those of other disciplines. The paper will provide you with an opportunity to practice your writing skills and to receive useful feedback. An excerpt from your research paper can be a good artifact to include in a portfolio for those students who are applying for co-op or other jobs. Because research papers can be challenging for many students, we are going to spend the semester working up to this project. It will be divided into four main components and you will receive feedback on each of the components to help you produce the final paper. Part 1: Research Question (1 mark, 1%) We will talk about creating effective research questions during class and you will be asked to submit your research question for feedback. Students will receive either a 1 (question is good and student can proceed to part 2 without revisions), 0.5 (question must be revised before proceeding to part 2), or 0 (not submitted) on their question. Relevant feedback will be included for students whose questions need revision. Part 2: Annotated Bibliography (5 marks, 3%) We will talk about how to find appropriate and reputable academic sources during class. You will be asked to identify 5 journal articles that will enable you to answer your research question. For each article you must include: (1) a correct APA formatted reference, (2) a 3-4 sentence summary of what the article says in your own words, and (3) a 1-2 sentence description of how the article will help you to answer your research question. For each source, students will receive either a 1 (correct citation of reputable source AND clear explanation), 0.5 (citation error OR unreputable source OR unclear explanation), or 0 (citation error AND unreputable source AND unclear explanation). Part 3: Title and Abstract (4 marks, 2%) You will submit a one-paragraph summary of your intended paper and an appropriate title for feedback. Your abstract should be succinct and summarize the main findings and arguments that you will include in your final paper. Students will receive either a 1 (good), 0.5 (needs improvement), or 0 (not included) on their title. Students will receive either a 3 (excellent), 2 (satisfactory), 1 (needs improvement), or 0 (not submitted) on their abstract, along with relevant feedback. Part 4: Complete Research Paper (40 marks, 14%) Your paper should use the sources you identified (at a minimum) to answer the research question you submitted. You should go beyond summarizing the literature by analyzing and critically assessing the articles you identified. Your individual research paper must adhere to the following formatting requirements: 1. Be no more than 10 pages in length (excluding title page, abstract, appendices,

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2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

and references), double-spaced, using 12-point Times New Roman font with 1inch margins. Have a proper APA formatted title page. Have a proper APA formatted abstract that incorporates feedback received earlier in the semester. Include APA formatted in-text citations and a references page. Include proper page numbering. Be submitted in Word format (papers submitted as PDFs or other formats may not be accepted and/or will be penalized 20%)

Papers that do not adhere to these requirements will be penalized 1-2 marks. Each organization will be responsible for producing at least three research papers. CEOs (in consultation with their organization-members) will decide the size and composition of the research paper teams. There are no requirements for the number of members responsible for working on each paper, as long as every organization submits three completed papers on the due date. For example, a 12member organization could have 4 members working on each paper; or, they could have 1 member work on one paper, 3 members work on a second paper, and 8 members work on a third paper; and so on. Each person must contribute to one paper and a list of which members of the organization will be working on which paper will be provided by the CEO to the instructor by the end of class on week 2. Organizations may also form smaller teams or work individually and produce more than three papers. Individually, students will receive the grade earned for the one paper that they have been assigned to cont...