BUS 207 Principles of Business Management - Online

Spring 2009

CREDITS/
HOURS

Essentials of Contemporary Management 3rd Edition by Jones and George.. McGraw-Hill Irwin, (c) 2009. ISBN 0073530247.

This book is available as an e-book from http://www.coursesmart.com. The electronic version is approximately half the price of the print version.
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STUDENT
LEARNING
OUTCOMES

1. explain fundamental management principles and the tasks of managers;
2. compare and contrast various management theories - systems, behavioral, classical, contingency, and quantitative - and discuss how each school of management thought has contributed to the study and practice of management;
3. critically examine current topics in management such as ethical issues, globalization, managing diversity, total quality management, leadership, motivation, change, and the decision-making process;
4. chose from the different types of management careers;
5. identify their own potential for a management career;
6. use the Internet to access and use relevant business materials.
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Topics:
Introduction to the Course and WebCT
The Management Process Today
Values, Attitudes, Emotions and Culture.
Managing Ethics and Diversity
Managing in the Environment
Decision Making, Learning, Creativity, and Innovation
Planning, Strategy, and Competitive Advantage
Designing Organizational Structure
Control, Change, and Entrepreneurship
Motivation
Leaders and Leadership
Effective Team Management
Building and Managing Human Resources
Communication and Information Technology Management
Operations Management
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1. read the assigned materials prior to attempting quizzes and assignments;
2. complete quizzes, cases, and assignments by specified dates;
3. participate in online discussions;
4. stay current with news relevant to the course material;
5. use related resources as directed by the instructor;
6. stay in regular contact with the instructor via email, discussion forum, and/or phone.

All quizzes are online and consist of 25 short answer, usually multiple choice, questions. There is one quiz per week each covering one chapter. The questions will be drawn from the textbook, from assigned readings, or notes posted to the web site (where applicable) by the instructor. Quizzes must be completed by the assigned date and time. Quizzes are graded automatically by the course management tool and grades are posted immediately. Although quizzes are open book you are expected to prepare for the quizzes in advance. Not enough time is allowed to look up more than a few questions and many questions require that you apply a concept rather than regurgitate basic information. Students are encouraged to review quiz results carefully and, after checking the textbook for backup, challenge any questions they believe may have alternate answers.

Students who require extended testing time must submit the appropriate documentation prior to the first quiz.
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A much more difficult issue of academic dishonesty arises in the submission of written work. It has been my experience that many students do not understand what is acceptable and what constitutes academic dishonesty. The following list is not meant to be a complete itemization of all the ways in which you can be dishonest but to point out the major problems.
(1)You cannot purchase, borrow, or commission someone else’s written work and submit it as your own. Some examples. Your friend went to another school or to BCC and had to write a similar case study; you cannot “borrow” it and submit it as yours. You do a search on the Internet and you find a case study that’s similar. You can’t copy it or pay for it and submit it as your own.
(2)You cannot copy any part, as little as a piece of a sentence, of someone else’s work and incorporate it into your own without giving the citation. This includes information from books, newspapers, magazines, unpublished work written by someone other than yourself, interviews with someone, and from the web. Some examples. When researching your case study you find a good description of a relevant theory. You cannot copy and paste it into your report as if you wrote it yourself. What can you do? You can say something like this. According to Maslow's theory, “blah, blah”. The “ ” signal that you have taken it verbatim (exactly word for word) from your source. You then give an in text citation or footnote and list the full citation in your bibliography. Or, you can paraphrase it, that is, take the main idea and put it completely in your own words, and say something like this. As I discovered when reading about Maslow in XYZ Theory of Management, blah, blah. The absence of “ ” means you have not used any of the author’s words. You still give the citation in text citation or footnote and the full citation in your bibliography.

It is very tempting to think that you are free to use information from the web and incorporate it into your own work without using quotes or giving the proper citation. Don’t fall into that trap. BCC uses plagiarism software and I personally check all written work against the software and other resources

What happens if you submit work that is not your own? You get a zero for that assignment and, as required by BCC policy, you are reported to the Vice President for Student Affairs.
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Because you may work on discussions, quizzes and assignments at any time during the specified time period, no make-up work will be given. If there is some extenuating circumstance, for example, you are ill or there is a family crisis, which prohibits your completing a quiz or assignment by the assigned due date you must contact the instructor to make alternate arrangements. Should there be extenuating circumstances approved by the instructor, different assignments may be substituted in lieu of an assignment or quiz not completed by the due date.

There is NO extra credit work. Don't even ask. Do your work all semester long.
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Each lesson has a corresponding discussion. Students have repeatedly told me that they found the discussions to be the most valuable part of this course. You are expected to participate regularly in the discussion forum. You are expected to prepare, at minimum, thoughtful comments, an original response and a minimum of two replies to other students' comments on three different days for each topic. Your comments should reflect what you have learned about the topic and what others have already posted. You are expected to respond to the initial question no later than midnight Thursday and to reply to at least two of your classmates' comments before the Monday, 9:00 AM deadline. Your grades will depend on how thoroughly and competently you prepare your comments and how actively and thoroughly you respond to other students' work.

Discussions are graded on the basis of 10 points. To earn a grade of 7.5 (C) there should be at least three meaningful postings, your initial response and two replies, made on three separate dates. Simple comments such as "I agree" don't count as meaningful nor do comments that repeat what others have already said. The grade increases from 7.5 to 10 or decreases from 7.5 based on the substance, number, and timing of the postings.

There is no late submission nor is any makeup possible for discussions. Once a discussion has closed, it's closed! Discussions close each week at 9:00 AM Wednesday morning.
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Most of the lessons have a corresponding written assignment. Some of the assignments are relatively brief while others may require some research and more extensive answers. You are expected to develop well-written solutions that will be word processed and uploaded to the assignment drop box by the deadline.

Assignments are graded on a basis of 10 points. Your grades will depend on how thoroughly and competently you prepare the assignments; I also consider how well-written they are. For every day that an assignment is late the grade is dropped one point. No assignments will be accepted more than one week late. If there are extenuating circumstances that preclude your completing an assignment on time be sure to get in touch with the teacher as soon as possible.

Assignments are due each week by 9:00 AM Monday. .
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EVALUATION AND GRADING