Syllabus School of Business MGT/521 Version 5 Management Course Description This course applies the tools available to graduate

students and the competencie s of successful managers to understand the functions of business. Students devel op an increased awareness of their own perceptions and values in order to manage and communicate with others more effectively. Other topics include MBA program goals, argument construction, decision making, collaboration, and academic resea rch. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adh ering to all policies contained within the following two documents: University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this do cument. Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the b eginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the moda lity in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read th e policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Hoch, S. J., Kunreuther, H. C., & Gunther, R. E. (Eds.). (2001). Wharton on maki ng decisions. New York, NY: Wiley. Nickels, W. G., McHugh, J. M., & McHugh, S. M. (2010). Understanding business (9 th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Robbins, S. P. & Judge, T. A. (2011). Organizational behavior (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Spatt, B. (2011). Writing from Sources (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Marti n s. Yukl, G. (2010). Leadership in organizations (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. All electronic materials are available on the student website.

Week One: Constructing and Supporting an Argument Objectives 1.1 Identify channels for business communications. 1.2 Evaluate credibility and validity of sources of information. 1.3 Develop effective arguments. Readings Read Ch. 11 of Organizational Behavior. Read the following sections of Writing From Sources: Using Evidence and Reasoning to Exercise 6: Analyzing an Author s Logic in Ch. 1 (PG 4 0-65) (41 to 66 of 72) Evaluating Print Sources to Exercise 28: Evaluating Internet Sources in Ch. 8 (PG 33 9-361) (2 to 24 of 52) Accommodating Argument in Your Paragraphs to Integrating Your Sources: Recruiting i

n College Athletics in Ch. 9 (PG 410-416) (22 to 28 of 40) Participation Participate in class discussion Nongraded Activities and Preparation Learning Activities Listen to the Course Overview podcast. Listen to the Week One podcast. Learning Activities: Valid and Credible Article Search: Locate an article from the University Library that is related to a topic or obje ctive for this week. Write a summary discussing the attributes of a good source fo und in your readings and describe how and why the selected article meets the crite ria for selecting a credible and valid source. Self Assessment: How Good Are My Listening Skills? Listening is a part of communication. When making important business decisions, you will work with and listen to others. Take this self assessment located on th e student website to see how good your listening skills are. To access this self -assessment, select the Assessment tab, then scroll to the Working with Others s ection and over to Communication Skills. Select How Good Are My Listening Skills ? Summarize your assessment results. What kind of listener are you? How can you use your results to help you work better with others? National Public Radio Debates Argumentation is foundational for your writing in an MBA program and for good pe rsuasive writing in general. Listen to one of the following "Intelligence Square d Debates" provided on the National Public Radio website: A debate on the whether ethics are worse in the art market or the stock market: (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100557165) A debate on Google and if it violates its motto of "Don't Be Evil": (http://www. npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97216369) A debate on who is to blame for the financial crisis: (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102312504) Determine what argumentation practices you see illustrated in the debates. What made these arguments more effective or less effective? Individual Communication Channel Scenarios Resources: Communication Channel Scenarios locat ed on the student website. Read the scenarios located on the student website. Answer the questions after each scenario. Be sure to select the communication ch annel appropriate for each scenario. Defend your responses. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Week Two: Values and Managing Others Objectives 2.1 Evaluate alignment of personal values and organizational values. 2.2 Determine strategies to promote collaboration. 2.3 Explain ethical decision making in a complex environment.

Readings Read Ch. 13 of Leadership in Organizations. Read Values to Questions for Review in Ch. 5 of Organizational Behavior. (PG 145-159 ) (14 to 28 of 34) Read Ch. 7 & 14 of Wharton on Making Decisions. Read Ch. 4 and Leading: Providing Continuous Vision and Values in Ch. 7 of Underst anding Business. (PG 189-193) (14 to 18 of 24) Read this week s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation Participate in class discussion. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Learning Activities Listen to the Week Two podcast. Learning Activities: Personality and Values Self-Assessment Your personality traits and values influence your daily choices and decisions. Y our traits and values will even influence the decisions you make as a business m anager. Take the Personality and Values Self-Assessment located on the student w ebsite. To access the personality self-assessment select the Assessment tab, the n scroll to the What About Me section, and then to Personality Insights. Select What s My Jungian 16-Type Personality? To access your values self-assessment selec t the Assessment tab, then scroll to the What About Me section, and then to Valu es and Attitudes. Select What Do I Value? Complete both self-assessments. Write a short summary explaining the details of your results. How can these results as sist you in the workplace or selecting future careers? Audio: Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate ethics and social responsibility work together. Corporations must show concern for the welfare of both their owners and society. Corporations must com mit to maintaining integrity, fairness, and respect. However, even well-intentio ned activities of businesses can end up not doing any good at all. Listen to thi s audio clip located in this week s Electronic Reserve Readings to see how. Descri be the challenges one business faced in the audio clip. Explain in what ways the good intentions of this business turned out to be not so good. Learning Team Learning Team Weekly Reflection Discuss last week s objectives with your team. Include both the topics you feel co mfortable with, topics you struggled with, and how the weekly topics relate to a pplication in your field. Prepare a 1- to 3-page paper detailing the findings of your discussion Learning Team Credible Information Debate Begin a debate with your learning team. Divide your learning team evenly with one side for and one side against. Debate with your learning team whether Wikipedia is a credible and valid source of information. Refer to the debate to complete your individual assignment due this week. Individual Writing an Argument Resource: Learning team debate and Ch. 9 Writing from Sources

Option I Develop your own argument based on the debate outcomes. Use the four steps for fairly presenting arguments indentified in Ch. 9 of Writi ng from Sources to guide your writing. Write a paper of no more than 1,050 words supporting your argument by identifyin g criteria used to evaluate the credibility of sources of information. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Option II Write a paper of no more than 1,050 words where you are raising and countering o bjections regarding the decision to get an MBA. Support your point of view as part of countering objections with research. Examp les include department of labor statistics, fairly current articles on the impac t of education, especially graduate education on earnings. You can also cite a s ource to support your use of objections as well; for example, show the objection is documented as a valid concern. Identify the criteria you used to evaluate the credibility of sources of informa tion you selected. Discuss how raising and countering objections has helped inform your own decisio n to get an MBA and the reason(s) you have decided to go back to school. Your pa per should cite and reference at least two sources. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Week Three: Introduction to Business Analysis Objectives 3.1 Explain entrepreneurship versus working for others. 3.2 Identify wants and needs of various stakeholders. 3.3 Conduct SWOT analyses. Readings Read Ch. 1 & 6 of Understanding Business. Read Planning and Decision Making to Decision Making: Finding the Best Alternative i n Ch. 7 of Understanding Business. (PG 181-185) (6 to 10 of 24) Read the following sections of Leadership in Organization: Applications: Procedures for Developing a Vision to Implementing Change in Ch. 10. ( PG 312-315) (15 to 18 of 34) Multiple Stakeholders and Competing Values to Determinants and Consequences of Ethi cal Leadership in Ch. 13 (PG 412-413) (5 to 6 of 28) Participation Participate in class discussion. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Learning Activities Listen to the Week Three podcast. Learning Activities: Self Assessment: Becoming an Entrepreneur Does entrepreneurship interest you? Have you ever thought about starting your ow n business? Take this entrepreneur assessment to help you determine the skills y ou possess and the skills to develop for you to become an entrepreneur. The self assessment is located on the student website. Select the Assessment tab, then s croll to the What About Me section, and then to Other. Select Am I Likely to Bec ome an Entrepreneur? Describe what it takes to become an entrepreneur. Do you ha

ve what it takes to become an entrepreneur? Explain your answer. Kudler Fine Food SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis provides companies with important information about its internal and external environment. Management can use a SWOT analysis to make informed b usiness decisions. Visit the Virtual Business Portal located on the student webs ite to read about Kudler Fine Foods. Specifically, look at the company s strategic plan to review Kudler s SWOT analysis. Describe the information the analysis prov ides. Explain how management could use the information to make business decision s. Identifying Stakeholders: Riordan Manufacturing As a manager, it is important for you to recognize and respond to the needs of y our stakeholders. Visit the Virtual Business Portal located on the student websi te. First, visit Kudler Fine Foods and review the company s stakeholders identifie d in the strategic plan. Then, visit Riordan Manufacturing. Identify the company s stakeholders. Describe what the company does to meet their needs. Learning Team Learning Team Weekly Reflection Resources: Conflict Scenario Read the scenario and discuss with your team strategies to resolve the conflict in the scenario to achieve the desired goal or objective. Look at it from the perspective of the manager. Prepare a 1- to 3-page paper detailing the findings of your discussion Format your summary consistent with APA guidelines. Learning Team Values and Ethical Decision Making reness Inventory Resources: Williams Institute Ethics Awa

Perform the Williams Institute Ethics Awareness Inventory Assessment. Select an organization to research or use your own organization. Write a paper no more than 1,500 words evaluating personal values, organizationa l values, and ethical decision making. Discuss one team member s results from the inventory and how the results align and do not align with the organization you selected. Think of a scenario in which the selected team member would make a different eth ical decision from the organization and answer the following questions. Based on the outcome of the Ethics Awareness Inventory, what is the most likely decision-making process your selected team member would go through to make the e thical decision based on their values? What is the most likely decision-making process the organization would go throug h to make the ethical decision based on its values? Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Week Four: The Business Environment Objectives 4.1 Conduct benchmarking analyses. 4.2 Explain the basic tenets of managerial accounting and financial accounti ng. 4.3 Identify the effects of technology utilization on business. 4.4 Identify the effects of globalization on business.

Readings Read Ch. 3, 17, 18, & Bonus Ch. B, and Benchmarking and Core Competencies to Restru cturing for Empowerment in Ch. 8 of Understanding Business. (PG 218-219) (19 to 2 0 of 28) Read this week s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation Participate in class discussion. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Learning Activities Listen to the Week Four podcast. Learning Activities: Finance Tutorial: Evaluating A Firm Financial statements can be used as tools for evaluating a firm s financial perfor mance. Complete the Finance tutorial located on the student website to gather so me tips about how to evaluate a firms performance. Select Chapter 3: Evaluating a Firm s Financial Performance. Select the tab on the left titled Lecture Notes. Re ad through the lecture notes. Complete the Try It Now exercises along the way. Aft er completing the tutorial, brainstorm a list of strategies you can use for eval uating a firm s financial performance. Business Line of Credit: Businesses must seek options to obtain short-term or long-term financing. Visit a local bank or research a bank s website to identify the types of financing avail able to businesses. Describe the types of financing available for small and larg e businesses. Video Case: The Mouse that Doesn t Come with a Computer

Companies can benefit from entering the global market. Before entering the globa l market companies must make some critical decisions, such as where, when, and h ow they will enter the global market. Read the video case located at the end of Ch. 3 of Understanding Business to see the decisions one company had to make whe n it entered into the global market. Describe the challenges the company faced e ntering the global market. Explain the decisions the company made. Learning Team Learning Team Weekly Reflection Resources: Video Case: College Entrepreneurs Do Good and Make Money from Ch. 1 of Understanding Business. Discuss the case with your team and the Thinking it Over Questions with your tea m. Prepare a 1- to 3-page paper detailing the findings of your discussion and answe rs to the questions at the end of the video case. Individual Business Analysis Part I Write a paper no more than 2,200 words in which you assume the role of a mutual fund manager deciding whether to invest in a specific company. You will conduct a business analysis in the remaining weeks based on the company you select. Select one company from the list below: Motorola Mobility Apple

Ford Bank of America Merck Conduct a SWOT analysis for the organization you selected. Based on the informat ion you have gained from this analysis which parts of the SWOT analysis are most relevant to your decision of whether or not to invest in this company? Identify the company s internal and external stakeholders. Describe their wants and needs. Explain how the company is fulfilling those needs. If the company is not fulfill ing those explain why the stakeholders needs are not being met and what the compa ny needs to do to ensure they are. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines,

Week Five: Business Overview Objectives 5.1 Identify methodologies for adapting different types of businesses to cha nging markets. 5.2 Determine the impact of economics on business. 5.3 Describe the role of human resource management in achieving business goa ls. Readings Read Ch. 2, 8, & 11 of Understanding Business. Participation Participate in class discussion, Nongraded Activities and Preparation Learning Activities Listen to the Week Five podcast. Learning Activities: Economic Tutorial: The Relationship of Basic Decision Making Units in the Market

Firms and households play a large role in the economy. Complete the Economic tut orial located on the student website to learn more about the role both play. Sel ect Chapter 1: Demand, Supply, and Market Equilibrium. Select the tab on the lef t called Lecture Notes. Read through the lecture notes. After completing the tut orial describe the role firms and households play in the economy. Provide an exa mple to illustrate the relationship between these basic units in the economy. Selecting the Right Employees One task of the human resource manager is to hire employees. Different companies seek different types of employees. A human resource manager must find for emplo yees who will help the company achieve its goals. Read the Video Case: Surf s Up at Patagonia at the end of Ch. 11 of Understanding Business. How does a human resou rce manager select potential candidates at Patagonia to achieve company goals? W hat tactics does Patagonia use to satisfy its employees?

Video:

After the Spill

Listen to this audio clip located in this week s Electronic Reserve Readings from The Economist to learn more about how the halt of deep water oil drilling affect ed Louisiana s economy. Generate a list of ways in which the economy in Louisiana was affected by the decisions made by the government. Learning Team Learning Team Weekly Reflection Discuss last week s objectives with your team. Include the topics you feel comfort able with, you struggle with, and how the weekly topics relate to application in your field. Prepare a 1- to 3-page paper detailing the findings of your discussion Individual Business Analysis Part II Continue your business analysis using the company you selected in Week Four. Write a paper no more than 2,400 words in which you research the company s busines s environment. Review the company s income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow to determine t he financial health of the company. Be sure to compare your company to at least two other companies in the industry. Be sure to answer the following: What have you learned about the company by reviewing each statement? Is there information in any of these statements that concerns you? If so describ e what it is and what it concerns. How can management use this information moving forward? Summarize the company s financial health. How does it compare to other companies i n the industry? Include a summary of the company s technological advantages, or lack thereof, in c omparison to at least two other companies in the same industry. Describe how globalization has affected the company s business strategies. Conduct a benchmarking analysis. Be sure your analysis includes the following in comparison with other companies in the same industry: Best practices Operational processes and procedures Products or services Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Week Six: Business Analysis Objectives 6.1 Perform business analyses. 6.2 Differentiate between strategy and tactics. Readings Read this week s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participation Participate in class discussion.

Nongraded Activities and Preparation Learning Activities Listen to the Week Six podcast. Learning Activities: Video: David Bach on "non-market" strategy

Watch this video clip located in this week s Electronic Reserve Readings from The Economist to learn more about why managers must consider the political and socia l impact of their strategic decisions. Describe the nonmarket strategy David Bac h discusses and how it can be used to make strategic decisions. Strategy and tactics: Kudler Fine Food Strategies and tactics are important for achieving business goals. A strategy is an idea and tactics are the actions taken for executing a strategy. Visit the V irtual Business Portal located on the student website to read about Kudler Fine Foods. Identify one strategy and the tactics Kudler Fine Foods used to execute t he strategy. Video: Evan Williams on Twitter

Providing a service or a product to the entire world is not an easy task. Watch this interview located in this week s Electronic Reserve Readings with Twitter s cofounder to discover his plan for serving the entire world. Describe the strategi es and tactics the company plans on using to expand and serve the entire world. Learning Team Learning Team Weekly Reflection Discuss last week s objectives with your team. Your discussion should include the topics you feel comfortable with, you struggle with, and how the weekly topics r elate to application in your field. Prepare a 1- to 3-page paper detailing the findings of your discussion Individual Business Analysis Part III Finish your business analysis using the company you selected in Week Four. Write a paper of no more than 3,500 words reviewing the strategic initiatives ta ken by the company relative to organizational and operational adaptation to chan ging markets. Explain the following in your paper: How recent economic trends are influencing the business Strategies the company has used or could use for adapting to changing markets, s uch as an economic downturn or recession Tactics the company has implemented or could implement to achieve their strategi c goals The role human resource management plays in helping the company achieve its busi ness goals Write a conclusion for your overall business analysis in which you determine if you would be willing to invest in this company as a mutual fund manager. Be sure to support your conclusion with information you have gathered from parts one an d two of your business analysis.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Individual Final Exam Final Examination

Resources: Understanding Business, Organizational Behavior, and Leadership in Or ganizations Click the link to the Final Examination on the student website available from th e end of Week Five through the end of Week Six. Complete the Final Examination. You are allowed one attempt to complete the exam , which is timed and must be completed in 3 hours. Results are auto graded and s ent to your instructor. Note. Final Examination questions are adapted from the Understanding Business, O rganizational Behavior, and Leadership in Organizations textbooks.