Course Syllabus – Fall 2006 MANAGEMENT 301

BUSINESS ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

Times and Locations for Course Sections taught by Dr. Makamson:

REQUIRED TEXT:

Management: Leading and Collborating in a Competitive Workld (8^th Ed.). Bateman and Snell. ISBN13-978-0-07-338142-8. [The e-book edition is available at a 50% reduction from www.mhhe.com/bateman8e. If you have purchased a new book register at the publisher’s website for additional course materials.]

Other: Students are expected to use the Internet to access and read materials.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:

A survey and foundation course in management that typically covers the development of management as a discipline and current theories and practices of leading, organizing, decision-making, communications, and controlling applicable to the business enterprise.

PREREQUISITES:

None

COMPETENCIES AND ASSESSMENT:

About  the Course Grade:

1. The Course Requirements and How the  Course Grade Is Earned.

2. Course Grading System and What the Grade Means

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Requirement	Value to Grade	Explanation of the Requirement and How it is Graded
Participation	10	This is simply a percentage of the times that you were in class on time. It is calculated by summing attendance and dividing by the number of times I document class meetings. If you are late to class, see me immediately after class to assess half credit. If you are a student athlete or out of class on University business you are responsible to submit to me documentation for evaluation of an excuse. I typically will not provide “excused” absences, but see me if there are concerns.
Test 1	5	Weeks 1- 3.	There are 5 tests in the course. Except for the midterm and final exams these tests measure mastery of currently covered materials. The format may vary, but given the large number of students I rely mainly on multiple-choice, Scantron type items. At my option  the test may also use short answer/essay items.  Tests likely may not consume the entire class and may be timed at 30 minutes, so anticipate a need for quick recall of information. Expect that the Midterm and Final tests will be “comprehensive” – including prior tested material and material that is new.  Do not ask for a “make-up” if you miss a test unless you have a very sound excuse – limit is one make-up test.
Test 2	15	Weeks 4 – 5 + repeat 1-3
Test 3	5	Weeks 6 –9.
Test 4	5	Weeks 10- 13
Test 5	20	Comprehensive	The final exam is weighted more because it will test knowledge for Week 14 and will contain items from prior tests to measure retention and course mastery -  review prior tests.
Group Assignments:  The following must be completed in groups not to exceed 3 members:
Experiential   Exercises	20	There are 2 experiential assignments. Your group needs to select 1 exercise, download the instructions from mgmtguru, and complete the assignment.
Case Analysis	20	There are 3 cases. Your group needs to select 1 case, download the case from mgmtguru, and complete the assignment.
TOTAL	100

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To see class policies, go to FAQ.

I cannot “contract” and describe every possible contingency in a syllabus. At my website and below I provide answers to the most frequently asked questions about my course management, but it is only informative guidance. What I really expect is that we both follow the Code of Conduct and that we define our roles and relationship as “Professor” and “student”.  I have a responsibility to teach, evaluate, and manage my class. The student has a responsibility to study, learn, perform, and meet the expectations that, I think, should be fully understood after a student’s career in education. If a student is uncertain about what is permitted, one should ask.   

Class Decorum: I will ensure class decorum by ejecting students from class who cannot meet this expectation. Students may not return without my permission. Expectations include: compliance with the “hats-off” and dress policies; remaining in the classroom for the duration of the class and asking for permission to depart prematurely; turning off your “IPod”, cell phone or other communicator.

Attendance:  Students are asked to be in class on time and remain until our time is expired. If you must leave ask for permission before class or raise your hand for permission. A student departing the class, even momentarily, without permission will be penalized. I I document attendance through an oral roll call at the beginning of class for reporting a class “participation” grade. I may repeat attendance at the end of class to ensure accuracy in reporting attendance grades, as follows:  

My recording of attendance will be authoritative. If you have a reason for a prolonged absence, please communicate with me directly and bring confirmation of the rationale. If you claim an excuse for medical reasons, please have the Student Health Services validate your excuse. Students may attend my other section to “make-up” attendance for the same day but must identify self at Roll Call. Historically in my classes attendance highly correlates with course grade.

Tests, assignments and make-up work: If you anticipate a conflict with a test date, let me know before my test – this will make it much easier to permit a “make-up.” If a test is missed, do not ask for a “make-up” unless you have a confirmed excuse. A “make-up” requires me to construct a different test than the one I normally administer; and, I will not do this just for a student’s convenience or because you “overslept”. All assignments are due when scheduled. I will not accept any work after the date on which it is due. While “0”s for assignments not completed do not reflect your intelligence, they do reflect discipline and constitute an informative part of the grade as a measure of ability to meet schedules. All electronic devices are prohibited during tests. Once a test has started you may not leave the room until the test is completed.

Grades: Grades measure a student’s acquisition of competencies on multiple tools – tests, participation, cases, and assignments. The criteria for grading your work rely either on facts that are available directly from the readings or class lecture, or on the judgment of the professor typically supported by a rubric. To contest a grade on an assignment, request an appointment as soon as practicable, and no later than two weeks after receiving the grade. Students who contest a grade need to demonstrate concrete reasoning and facts pertaining to the contested content – not academic standing, scholarship jeopardy, or personal problems. In the absence of content related reasoning, the grade will be penalized half a letter to discourage opportunistic grade negotiations- reflecting poor ethical conduct. Students need to monitor grades which I will post at my website. On conclusion of the last scheduled class meeting grades, except for the final test grade, are closed to permit me time to calculate course grades. Once the final test grade is posted students have 24 hours to contest the test grade. After that time, the course grade is reported to the Registrar and is deemed final, requiring petition for administrative review to contest the grade.        

Academic Honesty:  I believe that learning means making mistakes, but this is not the same as errors of character. I do not tolerate cheats. Students who plagiarize, cheat, or engage in any form of academic dishonesty, will be penalized to include dismissal from the university. You are responsible to ensure that any assignment that you have signed is, in fact, an honest academic effort. I may use a commercial application, such as Turnitin.com, to verify originality of submitted work.    

The Hampton University Code of Conduct

1. To respect himself or herself.

2. To respect the dignity, feelings, worth and values of others.

3. To respect the rights and property of others and to discourage vandalism and theft.

4. To prohibit discrimination, while striving to learn from differences in people, ideas and opinions.

5. To practice personal, professional, and academic integrity, and to discourage all forms of dishonesty, plagiarism, deceit, and disloyalty to the Code of Conduct.

6. To foster a personal and professional work ethic within the Hampton University Family.

7. To foster an open, fair, and caring environment.

8. To be fully responsible for upholding the Hampton University Code.

 

TEACHING & LEARNING STRATEGIES

This is a survey course in Management that is structured around topics defining the managerial perspective in business. The course supports a student’s acquisition of important management competencies at the foundation level about the history of management as a discipline and career, decision-making, leadership, group dynamics, organization theory, operations, and strategy.

In the classroom the student can anticipate predominately a formal lecture format using PowerPoint presentations. I do not care for this and prefer an interactive (socratic) style which I often lapse into. The more formal, structured approach has developed through observation of and discussion with students who express a preference for the higher level of organization that this provides.  As my classes have grown larger I also find the formal approach simply easier. But, since I prefer interaction, please raise your hand to engage me on any issue or to ask for clarification during the presentation.  Expect that I may call on you and engage you in a dialog about the material at some time during this course. Many of my questions may not have a “right-wrong” answer. The skill that I attempt to develop is simply your ability to make a thoughtful, well defended position – a skill needed in business. Class attendance is expected and monitored. It is also recorded for part of the course grade.

Since business is something one does it is not enough to know concepts and theories, the student must also learn to apply them. I evaluate a student’s ability to do this though experiential exercises. These include activities that simulate business application of the materials and structured case analyses that have an embedded problem the student must solve. These assignments vary on content but require the student to demonstrate an ability to apply what has been learned. Simply answering questions is not sufficient because the student is expected to use terminology, concepts and theories in these assignments. As business is a collaboration, experiential exercises should be completed as a group effort. In the group you are expected to participate, organize and execute these requirements.  A group may expel a member for non-performance in which case the member will need to make other arrangements. Membership cannot exceed 3 members unless I approve this.  

Typically students who have failed my course do so because they fail to do the assigned work on time. For students accomplishing all requirements there is a strong likelihood of passing the course. I expect that the difference between lower grade level students and “A-level” students this semester will be preparation for the tests which account for 50% of the course grade. 

 

Students are encouraged to participate in all cultural events at Hampton University.