Leadership and Organizational Behavior – BUS 520 Section 003-016

Syllabus and Course Guide

Prerequisite: None

Quarter Summer 2009

Meeting Days/Time On-line Monday through Sunday
Instructor Dr Dennis R Darlak, PhD
Instructor Phone 301-848-0307 (Cell)
Instructor E-mail [email protected] (primary)
Instructor Office Hours/Location Online or by phone 9AM-9PM Eastern Time
Academic Office Phone Number 877-540-1733

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL

Griffin, R.W., & Moorhead, G. (2007). Organizational behavior: Managing people and
Organizations (8th ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Kemp, S. (2006). Quality Management: Demystified. New York: McGraw-Hill.

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION

Integrates the predominate approaches to leadership, management theory, and operations

management concepts to structure competitive organizations, shape organizational behavior,
enhance organizational effectiveness, and foster an organizational culture that adapts and
capitalizes on change. Analyzes the interaction of individual, group, and organizational
dynamics that influence human behavior in an organization and determines appropriate
management approaches to foster a productive work environment.
II. COURSE OBJECTIVES

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 Upon the successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
a. Integrate the four functions of management in an organization to efficiently utilize
resources and achieve organizational goals.
b. Analyze the dynamics of situations and apply effective leadership styles to
motivate individuals, enhance organizational performance, and achieve stated
goals.
c. Adapt leadership styles to fit cultural differences and remain competitive in a
global setting.
d. Develop organizational structures to fit a variety of operating environments and
implement business strategies.
e. Develop work teams by integrating skills, knowledge and abilities to accomplish
the organizational tasks using a team development approach.
f. Formulate actions to improve communications in diverse work environments.
g. Formulate human resource management strategies that contribute to organizational
competitiveness, enhance productivity, and foster an ethical work environment.
h. Develop quality assurance programs to assess and improve organizational
performance.
i. Integrate the predominate approaches to organizational change management and
formulate change management strategies to implement strategic decisions and
evaluate performance.
j. Given an information requirement related to organizational behavior, determine
the nature and extent of information needed to effectively address the topic;
efficiently locate, determine the validity, and critically evaluate the resources; and
apply the information to accomplish the specific purpose (report, case analysis,
factual requirement, problem solving, planning).
k. Construct and implement a refined information search using various resources (the
University Learning Resource Center (LRC) collections and services, scholarly
journals in a field of study, the World Wide Web, and online database or other
sources appropriate to the topic), select relevant and valid information sources, use
this information ethically and legally avoiding plagiarism and composing proper
APA references, synthesizing this information to reach informed conclusions with
supporting rationale, and present the conclusions.
l. After taking the plagiarism module, students will be able to define plagiarism and
Strayer University’s academic integrity policy. Students will also demonstrate
knowledge of APA guidelines and how to avoid plagiarism in their assignments.

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III. COURSE EXPECTATIONS
• As adult students, we expect you to share your experiences and knowledge with your
peers in course discussions.
• As adult students, we expect active participation and commitment to your learning
experience.
• As adult students, we expect you to communicate professionally with your professor
about your progress in this course.
• As adult students, we know you expect prompt and qualitative feedback that will foster
learning.
• As adult students, we know you expect to apply what you are learning in your personal
and professional lives.

IV. COURSE INTRODUCTION

Welcome to BUS 520, Leadership and Organizational Behavior.

There will be much reading in the course and there will be both individual and group work.
There are four assessments, one quiz, a final examination plus a class participation component
that will constitute the final grade for each student. Class participation will count towards 15%
of the grade, and the assessments, quiz, and exam will each count 12.5%. The Plagiarism Quiz
will count 10% of the final grade. All written submissions must be submitted to the TurnItIn
originality check process prior to submission to the DropBox. Instructions for doing this are
provided in the course announcements. There will be no extra credit work available.
There will also be two non-mandatory ClassLivePro sessions during the term. These will be
general information and question & answer sessions for students. The dates and times for these
sessions will be Wednesday July 29th at 8PM EDT and Wednesday September 9th at 8PM EDT.
Section VII of this Syllabus delineates the procedures for installing and using ClassLivePro.
Please refer to Part II of the Syllabus in the Course Home for University notices and
policies.
For maximum class participation grades, each student must substantively participate in group
activities and discussions. Substantive responses do not include “I agree” or “Good Job.”
Details of the posting and grading of discussion questions are provided in Section VI of this
syllabus.

Instructor Background:

The instructor’s background is in the Class Introduction section of the Course Shell Home.

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Important Notes:

Five items of importance all class members must comply with are :
1. All papers turned in for grading must first be submitted to the TurnItIn process. The ID
and password for this will be provided in an announcement by the end of week one.
Papers not submitted to TurnItIn will be penalized 10 points.
2. Wikipedia is NEVER an appropriate reference. Use the library resources, especially
the EBSCOHost and ProQuest databases of the library located on the Resource
Center Tab of the course shell.
3. Late assignments will not be accepted unless prior approval is obtained. Even with
approval, there will be a 10 point penalty for a late input.
4. Students must comply with the format and style dictated by the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association 5th Edition (APA5) for all papers submitted for
grading. English is the language of business, and all papers must be in proper English.
Mechanics will constitute 20% of the grades and content 80% of the grades of each
assessment. The rubric for grading papers can be found in the DocSharing tab on the
course shell.
5. Each paper must have appropriate scholarly references outside of the texts for the course.
Use of the online library data bases is highly recommended. Avoid using Google, Ask,
and other internet search engines to develop a reference list. Internet resources may not be
reliable for an academic paper.

V. WEEKLY COURSE SCHEDULE

The weekly schedule below describes the learning activities that will help you achieve the course
objectives listed above and the assessments that will be used to measure your mastery of the
outcomes.

Each week is divided into sections consisting of activities to be completed before, during, and
after class:
Before class activities are individual activities that will help you prepare for the class session;
During class activities are those involving posting discussions in the discussion thread, group
activities and reports, and reading and following the posted lecture items;
After class activities will reinforce the material covered in the session.
All before, during, and after class activities will be conducted within the week of the class.
Activities labeled Class discussions will be conducted in the group threaded discussion area

All class discussion postings will be done prior to Midnight of the last day of the class week,
which always falls on a Sunday. All assessments will be submitted to the drop box by midnight
of the last day of the class week, which always falls on a Sunday. The final examination will be
due on Friday, September 18th. I do not normally work on Sundays, so any original posting made
on Sundays will not generally receive a response from me.

Homework consists of both after class activities of the current week and before class activities of
the following week. For example, before coming to class in Week 2 you should complete the
after class activities in Week 1 and the before class activities in Week 2.

Week 1 and 2 (6 – 19 July 2009)

Plagiarism Module and Quiz

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During the first two weeks of the course students must complete the Plagiarism Module that is
located within the Learning Resource tab of the course. After completion of this module, students
must take the Plagiarism Quiz located in the Course Home tab. This timed one hour quiz counts
as 100 points towards the 1000 points available in the course.

WEEK 1 (6-12 July 2009)

Course objective in focus:
• Integrate the four functions of management in an organization to efficiently utilize resources
and achieve organizational goals.

Supporting topics:
• Defining Organizational behavior
• Four functions of Management (Planning, Organizing, Influencing and Controlling)
• Managerial Roles (characteristics, functions)
• Managerial Skills (nature, application)

Activities:
Before class: None.

During Class:
• Lecture/discussion on Organizational Behavior and the four functions of Management.
The Professor will also explain how the four functions of Management will be integrated
with the Course Outcomes each week (Chapter 1).

• Class discussion on the Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion: Employees to the
100th Power Case Study on page 25 in the Griffin & Moorhead text and each team will
report out their results during Week 2. Class members will address all the case questions
and respond to classmates’ postings.

• Lecture/discussion on Managerial Roles and Skills (Chapter 1).

• Class discussion: Each student must complete and discuss the results of the Self-
Assessment Exercise: Assessing Your Own Behavior on p.23-24. The class will discuss
how the factors in the questions might affect performance: individually, as a manager, as
a group member.

After class:
• Read Chapter 1 (Griffin & Moorhead)

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 WEEK 2 (13-19 July 2009)
Course objective in focus:
Planning
• Integrate the four functions of management in an organization to efficiently utilize resources
and achieve organizational goals.
• Analyze the dynamics of situations and apply effective leadership styles to motivate
individuals, enhance organizational performance, and achieve stated goals.

Supporting topics:
• Review Week 1 Supporting Topics ( Quick review of management functions)
• Leadership Theories (concepts and application)
• Vroom’s Decision Tree Approach
• Leadership models (concepts and application)
• Transformation and Charismatic Leadership
• Changing Roles of Leaders (impact on leader actions)

Activities:
Before class:
• Read Chapters 12 and 13. (Griffin & Moorhead)
• Complete the Experiencing Organizational Behavior: Understanding Successful and
Unsuccessful Leadership exercise on p. 338 and be prepared to discuss the results in the
Class discussions.

During Class:
 Lecture/discussion on leadership theories and Vroom’s Decision Tree Approach (Chapter
12).
 Class discussion: Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion: Employees to the 100th
Power Case Study. Post responses to the questions and to classmates in the class
discussion area.
 Lecture/discussion on leadership models, transformation and charismatic leadership, and
the changing roles of leaders (Chapter 13).
• Class discussion. The class will discuss/summarize the results of Experiencing
Organizational Behavior: Understanding Successful and Unsuccessful Leadership
exercise on p. 338 of Griffin & Moorhead and report out on their results.

After class:
• If not completed in class, complete the discussion and post conclusions to a threaded
discussion item on the class web page.

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 WEEK 3 (20-26 July 2009)
Course objective in focus:
Influencing
• Analyze the dynamics of situations and apply effective leadership styles to motivate
individuals, enhance organizational performance, and achieve stated goals.
• Adapt leadership styles to fit cultural differences and remain competitive in a global setting.

Supporting topics:
• Motivation (concepts and use of rewards)
• Globalization and Diversity (effects on organization, management considerations, nature of
diversity)
• Power (source, characteristics).

Activities:
Before class:
• Read Chapters 6, 2 (p. 28-42), and 14. (Griffin & Moorhead)
• Complete the Self-Assessment Exercise: Cross Cultural Awareness on p. 50 and be
prepared to discuss the results in the Class discussions.

During Class:
• Lecture/discussion on motivation (Chapter 6).
• Class discussion. Complete the Building Managerial Skills on p. 165, develop a response
to the questions, and post conclusions and responses to classmates’ postings in the class
discussion area.
• Lecture/discussion on globalization and diversity, and power (Chapter 2, p. 28-42 and
Chapter 14).
• Class discussion: Discuss/summarize the results of the Self-Assessment Exercise: Cross
Cultural Awareness on p. 50 and post conclusions and responses to classmates’ postings
in the class discussion area.
After class:
• If not completed in class, groups complete the discussion and post conclusions to a threaded
discussion item on the class web page.

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 Assessment #1: Management and Leadership.

Read the summaries below for situation A and Situation B, and using scholarly reference
materials, prepare a report totaling 4 pages answering the questions below. This means, as
it states, a total of 4 pages, not 4 pages for each. Use APA5 format for text citations and
references. After submitting the paper to TurnItIn, receiving the TurnItIn report, and
making appropriate adjustments, place responses in the DropBox for Week 3. Each
assessment must have at least 4 academic sources outside of the textbook with related
citations. Do not number paragraphs or repeat the questions in the paper. It should be
written as an essay, not as a question and answer document. The title page and reference
page are not counted as part of the 4 page requirement.

A. Performance Management at Merrill Lynch

Summary
This case discusses the transformation of the job performance reward
system at Merrill Lynch, a large, well-established financial services
company recently purchased by Bank of America, from a traditional,
internally competitive model to a progressive system that encourages
teamwork and growth. Each employee and his/her manager agree on
mutually acceptable performance objectives which are closely tied to
Merrill Lynch’s business goals. Ongoing review and feedback compare
progress against standards, de-emphasizing inter-employee comparison
and competition. 360-degree feedback is also used, involving each
employee’s superior, peers, and clients. The company believes this new
approach appeals to a diverse pool of applicants and recruits. Employee
compensation is unaffected by this new system, thereby having a calming
effect on employees’ fears of lost wages. Merrill Lynch, like others in its
industry, has experienced substantial layoffs and is certainly not immune
to the cut-throat competition so characteristic of the brokerage business.
It remains to be seen if the new employee job performance review system
helps Merrill Lynch become more efficient and effective.

Questions

1. Describe Merrill Lynch’s new approach to motivation in terms of goal difficulty and goal
specificity. What are the likely outcomes for goal acceptance and goal commitment?
2. Should Merrill make customers an important source of data for its 360-degree feedback
program? Why or why not?

B. Justice for Wal-Mart’s Workers

Summary

Wal-Mart is the world’s largest employer with 1.7 million workers

worldwide. While the company’s leaders pride themselves on creating
jobs, providing decent working conditions and pay, and treating
individuals with respect, many Wal-Mart employees accuse the company
of widespread gender discrimination and violating worker rights to
unionize. Wal-Mart is the target of a pending class-action lawsuit in
California claiming it pays women far less than men and promotes fewer of
them at a slower rate. Wal-Mart is attempting to delay action on the
lawsuit which makes it more expensive and time consuming for the
plaintiffs to pursue. The company is also accused of various illegal or
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unethical tactics to discourage unionization of its employees, including
discipline up to termination for employees who even show an interest in
unionization. Unions criticize Wal-Mart for its anti-union tactics, low
wages, and lack of health insurance for 660,000 of its employees.

Questions:

1. Describe one example of how Wal-Mart appears to have violated workers’ rights to
distributive justice.
2. Describe one example of how Wal-Mart appears to have violated workers’ right to
procedural justice.
3. Choose one of Wal-Mart’s actions mentioned in the case. In your opinion, who is hurt
most by this action? Who benefits most? Use the answer to those two questions to
determine whether the action is ethical or not. Explain your reasons.

Be sure your papers are in the correct APA format with a title page and a reference page.
The entire paper should be no more than 4 pages, not counting the title page and the
reference page. Submit the paper to TurnItIn prior to submitting to the dropbox. A ten
percent deduction of the final grade will be applied to papers not submitted to TurnItIn. Be
sure to use correct APA5 format for citations and for references, and that each reference
has a corresponding citation. Scholarly references should be derived from the electronic
library data bases located in the Resource Center tab at the bottom left side of the course
shell. Avoid using web search engines such as Google, Answer, Ask, etc. These do not
provide scholarly references from recognized experts in their fields. Tables, matrices and
images do not count towards the 4 page limit. Be sure the papers are double spaced. APA
prohibits the use of first and second person in scholarly paper (I, we, you.) When giving
your opinion, do not write "in my opinion," but use a phrase such as "the literature can be
interpreted to mean . . . " or "research leads to the opinion that . . . ." The citation for the
source follows immediately after such a statement.

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 WEEK 4 (27 July-2 August 2009)

Course objective in focus:

Organizing
• Develop organizational structures to fit a variety of operating environments and implement
business strategies.

Supporting topics:
• Organization Structure (considerations, facilitates operations)
• Organization Goals (impact on structure)
• Organization Configuration (characteristics)
• Organization Design (formats, considerations
• Strategy (relationship/impact on organizational structure)

Activities:
Before Class:
• Read Chapters 16 and 17 in the text. (Griffin & Moorhead)
• Review the Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion: Nissan’s New Organizational
Structure on p. 444 and be prepared to discuss in class.
• Review the Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion: The Right Structure for Build-
A-Bear Workshop on p. 476 and be prepared to discuss in class.

During Class:
• Lecture/discussion on organization structure, goals and configuration (Chapter 16).

• Class discussion. Students will analyze the Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion:
Nissan’s New Organizational Structure on p. 444, develop responses to the case
questions, and report their conclusions.

• Lecture/discussion on organization design and strategy (Chapter 17).

• Class discussion. Students will analyze the Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion:
The Right Structure for Build-A-Bear Workshop on p. 476-477, develop responses to the
case questions, and report out on their conclusions.

After Class:
• If not completed in class, complete the discussion and post conclusions to a threaded
discussion item on the class web page.

Voluntary Class Live Pro session at 8:00 PM EDT on July 29th.

See Section VI of the syllabus for instructions on CLP.

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 WEEK 5 (3-9 August 2009)
Course objective in focus:
Influencing
• Develop work teams by integrating blended skills, knowledge and abilities to accomplish the
organizational tasks using a team development approach.

Supporting topics:
• Personality and Personality Traits (concepts, influence on behavior)
• Attitudes (concepts, influence on behavior)
• Affect and Mood
• Perception (concepts, influence on behavior)
• Workplace Behavior (characteristics)
• Motivation in organizations (theories/concepts, considerations)

Activities:
Before Class
• Read Chapters 3 and 4. (Griffin & Moorhead)
• Review the Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion: The Best Bagelers in Boston
on p. 80-81 and be prepared to discuss within the group.
• Review the Building Managerial Skills article on p. 114 and be prepared to discuss in the
group.

During Class:
• Lecture/discussion on personality and personality traits, attitudes, affect, mood and
workplace behavior (Chapter 3).

• Class discussion: Students will analyze the Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion:
The Best Bagelers in Boston on p. 80-81, develop responses to the case questions, and
report their results. Respond to classmates’ postings.

• Lecture/discussion on motivation in organizations (Chapter 4).

• Class discussion. Students will analyze the Building Managerial Skills article on p. 114,
develop responses to the questions, and report their results in the class discussion area.
Respond to classmates’ postings.

After Class:
• If not completed in class, complete the discussion and post conclusions to a threaded
discussion item on the class web page.

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 Assessment #2: Organizational Structure.
Read the summaries below and using scholarly reference materials, prepare a 4 page
report to answer the questions following the summary. Use APA5 format for text
citations and references. Place responses in the DropBox for Week 5. Submit your
papers to TurnItIn prior to submitting to the dropbox in week 5.

Nissan’s New Organization Structure

Summary
Under the leadership of Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s first non-Japanese head,
the giant automaker (fourth largest in the world with partner Renault for
combined annual sales topping 5.7 million vehicles) made significant
organizational changes. A stagnating Japanese economy, global and
consolidating competition in the automobile industry, and changing
technology and consumer tastes made it necessary for Nissan to move
from the traditional Japanese business model to one emphasizing more
individual responsibility, greater decentralization and power for lower
level managers, cost cutting, outsourcing, layoffs, and closing some
facilities. These draconian measures were met with considerable
resistance at first but have paid off for Nissan, now an industry leader.

Questions
1. What has Ghosn done in order to change Nissan’s level of centralization? What are the
likely advantages and disadvantages of Ghosn’s approach to centralization?
2. In your opinion, how will Nissan workers respond to Ghosn’s demand that they assume
more individual responsibility? Is that the same way you might respond in a similar
situation? Explain.
3. Consider Fayol’s classical principles of organizing, found in Table 16.2 of your text.
Describe how Nissan’s transformation has affected the utilization of the fourteen principles
at the firm.

This assignment complements the class discussions on the same topic. Do not use the
questions as section headings, and do not number your paragraphs. Be sure your
papers are in the correct APA format with a title page and a reference page. The entire
paper should be no more than 4 pages, not counting the title page and the reference
page. Submit the paper to TurnItIn prior to submitting to the dropbox. A ten point
deduction of the final grade will be applied to papers not submitted to TurnItIn. Be sure
to use correct APA5 format for citations and for references, and that each reference has
a corresponding citation. Scholarly references should be derived from the electronic
library data bases located in the Resource Center tab at the bottom left side of the
course shell. Avoid using web search engines such as Google, Answer, Ask, etc. These do
not provide scholarly references from recognized experts in their fields. Tables, matrices
and images do not count towards the 4 page limit. Be sure the papers are double spaced.
APA prohibits the use of first and second person in scholarly paper (I, we, you.) When
giving your opinion, do not write "in my opinion," but use a phrase such as "the
literature can be interpreted to mean . . . " or "research leads to the opinion that . . . ."
The citation for the source follows immediately after such a statement. Again, do not
number paragraphs or repeat the questions in the paper. It should be written as an
essay, not as a question and answer document.

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 WEEK 6 (10-16 August)
Course objective in focus:
Influencing
• Develop work teams by integrating blended skills, knowledge and abilities to accomplish the
organizational tasks using a team development approach.

Supporting topics:
• Differentiate Teams from Groups (nature of, functioning, application)
• Benefits and Costs (group/team)
• Types of teams
• Implementing Teams (considerations, process, performance)

Activities:
Before Class
• Read Chapters 9 and 10. (Griffin & Moorhead)
• Review the Building Managerial Skills article on p. 256 and be prepared to discuss in
class.
• Review the Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion: The Rainmakers on p. 283-284
and be prepared to discuss in class.

During Class:
• Lecture/discussion on teams and groups, and the benefits and costs of teams/groups
(Chapters 9 and 10).

• Class discussion. Students will analyze the Building Managerial Skills article on p. 256,
develop responses to the questions, and discuss their results in the class discussion area.

• Lecture/discussion on the types of teams and implementing teams (Chapter 10).

• Class discussion. Students will analyze the Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion:
The Rainmakers on p. 283-284, develop responses to the case questions, and discuss their
results.

After Class:
• If not completed in class, complete the discussion and post conclusions to a threaded
discussion item on the class web page.

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 WEEK 7 (17-23 August 2009)
Course objective in focus:
Influencing
• Formulate actions to improve communications in diverse work environments.

Supporting topics:
• Nature of Communication (process, intent, flow)
• Methods of Communication
• Managing Communication (barriers, planning)
• Organization Culture (nature of, development, impact on operations)

Activities:
Before Class
• Read Chapters 11 and 18. (Griffin & Moorhead)
• Review the Building Managerial Skills article on p. 312 and be prepared to discuss in the
group.
• Review the Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion: The Fast-Breaking Culture of
the Whole Foods Market on p. 504-505 and be prepared to discuss in class.

During Class:
• Lecture/discussion on the nature and methods of communication, and managing
communication (Chapter 11).

• Class discussion. Students will analyze the Building Managerial Skills article on p. 312,
develop responses to the questions, and discuss their results in the class discussion area.

• Lecture/discussion on organization culture (Chapter 18).

• Class discussion. Students will analyze the Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion:
The Fast-Breaking Culture of the Whole Foods Market on p. 504-505, develop responses
to the case questions, and will discuss their results in class.

After Class:
• If not completed in class, complete the discussion and post conclusions to a threaded
discussion item on the class web page.

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 Assessment #3: Groups/Teams and Motivation.

Read the summaries below for situation A and Situation B, and using scholarly reference
materials, prepare a 4 page report answering both questions. This means a total of 4 pages,
not 4 pages for each section. Use APA5 format for text citations and references. Place
responses in the DropBox for Week 7. Submit your papers to TurnItIn prior to submitting
to the dropbox in week 7.

A. Effective Group Decisions at the Denver Broncos

Summary
Effective decision making by a mature group while avoiding the pitfalls of groupthink
seems to characterize the marketing group at the Denver Broncos professional football
time, a team who won three Super Bowl championships between 1987 and 1990 and very
strong fan support. Brainstorming is a popular technique and strong cohesiveness, yet
openness and freedom to question, challenge, and debate ideas within the group, typify the
group’s work pattern.

Questions
1. Describe the decision-making process at the Denver Broncos’ marketing group. Why is
the group decision process beneficial for this organization?
2. What aspects of the marketing group lead to high decision quality and high
effectiveness? What factors might potentially reduce decision quality or effectiveness?
3. How does the Denver Broncos’ marketing group avoid groupthink? In your opinion, is
there anything else the group could do to decrease the chances of groupthink? Explain your
answer.

B. CollabNet Overcomes the Silo Effect

Summary
In the “silo effect” various departments within an organization or across organizations act
as if each were a stand-alone unit, ignoring important shared resources and interactions.
Even hostility may break out between “silos” as they compete for resources, recognition,
and other desirable “goodies”. At CollabNet, a unique software company, marketing and
sales do not operate as silos. They cooperate. They both take on tasks that will benefit the
other department. Marketing views the sales department, not the buyer, as its “customer.”
Cooperation, not competition, is the underlying attitude in both departments.
Questions
1. Describe the jobs of salesperson and marketer at a typical firm in terms of the employee
needs that are being met. Then describe the jobs of salesperson and marketer at CollabNet
in terms of met needs. What are the differences?
2. Use equity theory to compare inputs and outcomes for a salesperson and a marketer at
CollabNet. In your opinion, does equity exist? Why or why not?
3. Based on what you read in the case, does worker satisfaction seem to lead to higher
performance at CollabNet? Or does higher performance lead to satisfaction? Explain.

Be sure your papers are in the correct APA format with a title page and a reference page.
The entire paper should be no more than 4 pages, not counting the title page and the
reference page. Submit the paper to TurnItIn prior to submitting to the dropbox. A ten
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percent deduction of the final grade will be applied to papers not submitted to TurnItIn. Be
sure to use correct APA5 format for citations and for references, and that each reference
has a corresponding citation. Scholarly references should be derived from the electronic
library data bases located in the Resource Center tab at the bottom left side of the course
shell. Avoid using web search engines such as Google, Answer, Ask, etc. These do not
provide scholarly references from recognized experts in their fields. Tables, matrices and
images do not count towards the 4 page limit. Be sure the papers are double spaced. APA
prohibits the use of first and second person in scholarly paper (I, we, you.) When giving
your opinion, do not write "in my opinion," but use a phrase such as "the literature can be
interpreted to mean . . . " or "research leads to the opinion that . . . ." The citation for the
source follows immediately after such a statement. Do not number paragraphs or repeat
the questions in the paper. It should be written as an essay, not as a question and answer
document.

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 WEEK 8 (24-30 August 2009)
Course objective in focus:
Influencing
• Formulate human resource management strategies that contribute to organizational
competitiveness, enhance productivity, and foster an ethical work environment.

Supporting topics:
• Competition (nature of, HRM influence on competitiveness)
• New Employment Relationships
• Work Design (characteristics, impact on performance)
• Employee Involvement and Motivation (nature of)
• Alternative Work Arrangements (characteristics, formats)

Activities:
Before Class
• Read Chapters 2 (p. 42-47), and 5 . (Griffin & Moorhead)
• Review the Building Managerial Skills article on p. 51 and be prepared to discuss in the
group.
• Review the Building Managerial Skills article on p. 137 and be prepared to discuss in the
group.
• Read and complete Chapters 3, 4 and 5 as a Self-Study assignment for Week 9. (Kemp)

During Class:
• Lecture/discussion on competition and new employment relations (Chapter 2, p. 42-47).

• Class discussion, each student will address the Building Managerial Skills article on p. 51
and report their results in the Class discussion area.

• Lecture/discussion on HRM, Work design, Employee Involvement and Motivation, and

Alternative Work Arrangements (Chapter 5).

• Class discussion, each student will address the Building Managerial Skills on p. 137 and
report their results in the Class discussion area.

After Class:
• If not completed in class, complete the discussion and post conclusions to a threaded
discussion item on the class web page.

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 WEEK 9 (31 August – 6 September 2009)
Course objective in focus:
Controlling
• Develop quality assurance programs to assess and improve organizational performance.

Supporting topics:
• Quality Management Framework (concepts, models)
• Quality Teams (characteristics, functions)
• Quality Engineering (characteristics)
• Auditing Quality (processes)
• Challenges and Leadership
• Global Quality (considerations)

Activities:
Before Class:
• Read Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 17 and 19 for Lecture/discussion. (Kemp)
• Review the “All The Angles” exercise on p. 95 (Kemp) and be prepared to discuss in the
group.
• Research a company that operates in a foreign country to find an example of the firm’s
quality assurance actions and how that action could contribute to improved performance.
Be prepared to discuss in the group.
• Read and complete Chapters 11, 12 and 13 as a Self-Study assignment for Week 9.
(Kemp)

During Class:
• Lecture/discussion on the quality management framework and quality teams (Chapters 6
and 7, Kemp).
• Class discussion. Students will complete the “All the Angles” exercise on p. 95 (Kemp)
and report their conclusions in the Class discussion area.
• Lecture/discussion on quality engineering and auditing quality (Chapters 8 and 9, Kemp).
• Class discussion. Students will select a company that operates in a foreign country,
research to find an example of the firm’s quality assurance actions, and how that action
could contribute to improved performance. Discuss conclusions in the class discussion
area.
• Lecture/discussion on Challenges and Leadership, and Global Quality (Chapters 17 and
19, Kemp).

After Class:
• In not completed in class, research and identify the application of quality assurance by
companies operating in a global environment. Use the group threaded discussion item in
the class eCollege web page to compile the findings.

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 Assessment #4: Communications and HRM Issues.

Globalization has been an area of focus for many different organizations (i.e., retail,
manufacturing, fast food, and etc.). When organizations move into foreign markets they
must adapt to communication, culture and human resource issues. For this assessment, you
are an HR manager and you have been tasked to transfer several managers from your
tropical fruit growing and canning company in the US to manage the opening up a new
facility in Viet Nam. Please complete the following actions and write a 4 page report that
you will submit in the DropBox for week 9. Submit your papers to TurnItIn prior to
submitting to the dropbox in week 9.

1. Analyze the communication differences between the US and this country,

summarize the expected communication issues and recommend corrective
actions.
2. Analyze the cultural and workforce differences between the US and this
country. Summarize the differences and explain how each of these could
create HRM issues for your US management team such as job design,
motivation, and other HRM issues.
3. Recommend corrective actions for the HRM issues you outlined.
4. Support your conclusions (country information, actions taken by firms
operating in the country, best practices with HRM) with at least 3 reference
sources, other than the course textbook. Cite your references in APA format.

Be sure your papers are in the correct APA format with a title page and a reference page.
The entire paper should be no more than 4 pages, not counting the title page and the
reference page. Submit the paper to TurnItIn prior to submitting to the dropbox. A ten
percent deduction of the final grade will be applied to papers not submitted to TurnItIn. Be
sure to use correct APA5 format for citations and for references, and that each reference
has a corresponding citation. Scholarly references should be derived from the electronic
library data bases located in the Resource Center tab at the bottom left side of the course
shell. Avoid using web search engines such as Google, Answer, Ask, etc. These do not
provide scholarly references from recognized experts in their fields. Tables, matrices and
images do not count towards the 4 page limit. Be sure the papers are double spaced. APA
prohibits the use of first and second person in scholarly paper (I, we, you.) When giving
your opinion, do not write "in my opinion," but use a phrase such as "the literature can be
interpreted to mean . . . " or "research leads to the opinion that . . . ." The citation for the
source follows immediately after such a statement. Do not number paragraphs or repeat
the questions in the paper. It should be written as an essay, not as a question and answer
document.

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 WEEK 10 (7-13 September 2009)
Course objective in focus:
Controlling
• Integrate the predominate approaches to organizational change management, formulate
change management strategies to implement strategic decisions and evaluate performance.

Supporting topics:
• Organizational Change (nature of, resistance to)
• Organization Development (concept)
• Decision Making (process)
• Problem Solving (considerations, process)

Activities:
Before Class
• Read Chapters 19 and 8. (Griffin & Moorhead)
• Review the Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion: Toyota Reinvented on p. 533-
534 and be prepared to discuss in the group.
• Review the Building Managerial Skills article on p. 221 and be prepared to discuss in the
group.

During Class:
• Lecture/discussion on organization change and development (Chapter 19).

• Class discussion, each group will address the Organizational Behavior Case for
Discussion: Toyota Reinvented on p.533 and report out on their conclusions.

• Lecture/discussion on decision-making and problem solving (Chapter 8).

• Class discussion. Analyze the Building Managerial Skills article on p. 221, develop
responses to the questions, and report out on their results

After Class:
• If not completed in class, groups complete the discussion and post conclusions to a threaded
discussion item on the class web page.
• Review course materials in preparation for the Week 11 assessment.

Voluntary Class Live Pro session at 8:00 P.M EST on September 9th
See Section VI of the syllabus for instructions on CLP.

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 Assessment 5 - Quiz – Due September 13th

The quiz will be available to students from September 7th to September 13th, and will cover
the material from Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 17 and 19 in the Kemp textbook, and
Chapters 8 and 19 in the Griffin and Moorehead textbook, which are the readings and
discussions from weeks 9 and 10. The format will be true/false, multiple choice, and fill in the
blanks.

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 WEEK 11 (14-20 September 2009)
Course objective in focus:
• Integrate the four functions of management in an organization to efficiently utilize
resources and achieve organizational goals.

Supporting topics:
• No new material, no lectures in Week 11.

Activities:
Before Class
• Review course materials.

During Class:

Assessment #6: Organizational Behavior Issues.

During class students will answer questions using the concepts discussed during the course.
Selected organizational behavior topics will be covered, including
o Organizational change
o Work-design, HRM contributing to competitiveness.
o Individual behavior (attitudes, other factors)
o The concept of power (sources, characteristics)
o Impact of culture, workforce diversity.

This will be a timed exam, and will be a comprehensive examination covering the entire
course. The exam will be in week 11 of the course shell. The exam will be opened to
students on Thursday, September 10th, and must be completed by Friday September 18th.

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VI. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS/PARTICIPATION GRADING

There will be 10 discussions, one for each of the first 10 weeks of the class. Each week’s
discussion is worth 15 points, for a total of 150 out of the 1000 points available for the course.

The discussion questions provide a forum for dialog among class members. Please note the term
dialog – it is a two-way or multi-way discussion. Students should post their original responses to
the discussion questions early in the week to allow others to read and respond to them. Do not
wait until the last day of the class week to post your responses to questions and to classmates.
This defeats the purpose of the discussion.

For ease of discussion, the class will be broken into groups. There will be a tab under each week
in the course shell for each group, and each tab will have the same question and instructions.
Group members are to discuss the questions among themselves throughout the week. I will grade
each student based on their original discussion input and responses to other class members.
Every original response must include a scholarly reference to support it.

Each student can earn up to 15 points for each week in class participation. Some weeks have one
discussion question and other weeks have two discussion questions. When there is one (1)
question, eight (8) points will be awarded for each original response, plus one (1) point for each
substantive response to other class members up to a maximum of 7. In weeks where there are
two (2) discussion questions, each original response will be worth five (5) points, and each
response to classmates will be worth one (1) point, up to a maximum of five (5) points.

VII. Class Live Pro

This class will offer a minimum of 2 live sessions via ClassLivePro. Students’ attendance is
optional. Students may learn more about ClassLivePro (CLP) by reviewing the orientation
course (Online 101) under the “Special Courses” tab in eCollege. This course contains a tutorial
on CLP with a simulation demonstrating how to locate and use some of the tools of this platform.
Or, students may go directly to this simulation, by clicking on the following URL:
http://online.strayer.edu/simulation/Class_live_demo.htm

All CLP sessions are automatically archived each time the “Lead Session” or “Join Session”
links are activated. CLP is available under the “Chat” tab in eCollege.

Students may review the specific hardware/software requirements for CLP posted under the
“Technical Requirements” tab in the eCollege site:
http://strayeronline.net/index.learn?action=technical

For further support with CLP, please contact Strayer University helpdesk at 1-877-642-2999. You
can also contact the Elluminate support website at http://www.elluminate.com/support/ which
contains a wizard that automatically tests your system compatibility and also a Support Portal
where you can enter a help ticket.

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VIII. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY
Percent of Grade Points
th
Plagiarism Quiz due July 19 10% 100
Assessment 1 due July 26th 12.5% 125
th
Assessment 2 due August 9 12.5% 125
Assessment 3 due August 23rd 12.5% 125
Assessment 4 due September 6th 12.5% 125
th
Week 9 & 10 Quiz due September 13 12.5% 125
Assessment 6 due September 18th 12.5% 125
Class Participation due weekly 15% 150
Total 100% 1000

Grading Scale
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
Below 70 F

Please refer to Part II of the Syllabus in the Course Home for University notices and
policies.

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