SYLLABUS
BSAD 495 BUSINESS
POLICY – Fall 2005
3 Semester hours
Dates: August 22nd – December 5, 2005
Room: 316
Prerequisite: Senior standing and completion of Business core
INSTRUCTOR: Donald Maier, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Management
OFFICE:
OFFICE HOURS: Monday/Wednesday/Friday 9:00-10:00; 11:15- 2:15
Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45
Or by appointment
CONTACT INFORMATION: (815) 740-3666; Dr. Maier’s office
(800)
726-2600 –
(815)
740-3395 –
Email – dmaier@stfrancis.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course serves as
the capstone
course for business majors, which integrates the functional areas of
business
required for the effective operation of an organization. Students will
analyze
business problems from the viewpoint of top management in the
formulation and
implementation of a business strategy. Interwoven within the course is
the
importance of business ethics.
COURSE
OBJECTIVE:
The course is designed
as a
capstone course of your education while a business major at the
REQUIRED TEXTS: Capstone:
STRONGLY
RECOMMENDED: The Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) (Most current
edition).
ATTENDANCE: Required for when students are working in-groups, or are giving presentations, which will an impact on your grade. Missing class on these dates will severely impact your grade. Your attendance will not be held against you except for the one exception mentioned above. We are all adults who have made a commitment to lifelong learning. As such, you are responsible for your success or failure. Keep in mind that participation is a part of your grade as is group participation. If you are not here, you cannot participate.
GRADING: There is a total of 1000 points in this course divided into the following categories:
Strategic
Analysis Paper (Individual)
=
100 pts
Business
Pro Forma (Team)
=
100 pts
Board
of Director Report (Team)
=
200 pts
Company
Standings (Team)
=
50 pts
Decision
Debriefing (Individual)
= 100 pts
Debrief
Paper (Individual)
=
100 pts
Corporate
Meeting Presentation (Team)
=
100 pts
Class
Participation (Individual)
=
100 pts
Peer
Evaluation
=
200 pts
Total
Points
=
1050 pts
GRADE DISTIBUION:
90%
and above
= A
80
- 89%
= B
70
– 79%
= C
Less
than 70%
= F
STUDENT DISABILITY
POLICY:
All students with documented disabilities who need accommodations should contact your professor within the first two weeks of school and schedule an appointment with the Disabilities Coordinator, Pat Vivio at815.740.3402 in room L-214.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
STATEMENT:
Academic integrity requires that all academic work be wholly the product of an identified individual or individuals. Collaboration is only acceptable when it is explicitly acknowledged. Ethical conduct is the obligation of every member of the University community, and breaches of academic integrity constitute serious offenses. Since a lack of integrity hinders the student’s academic development, it cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. Violations include but are not limited to: cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and denying others access to information or material. See USF Catalog for further clarification and information on grievance procedures.
CLASSROOM
RULES/BEHAVIORS/POLICIES:
We are all adults hoping to learn something new about the world of business and/or ourselves. As such, everyone MUST respect the opinions, values, and differences of other students and the instructor. If at any time, a student becomes disrespectful to the instructor or to another student in any manner, that student will be required to leave the class for that day and will receive no credit towards their participation for that WEEK. Other rules etc, to be observed and followed in class will be:
▪ No food (drinks are acceptable) allowed
▪ No hats to be worn in class; it’s not recess and you won’t wear hats in the corporate world either
▪ No talking, answering, or calling on cell-phones. Be sure they are on silent mode, off, or don’t bring them to class.
▪ No playing or working on the computers during lecture or during presentations
▪ You will pick-up after yourself at the end of class
▪ Be prompt and courteous if arriving late. IF you are more than 10 minutes late for class, please do not bother attending that day, unless an extraneous situation develops.
▪ No talking when others are talking or presenting. Be respectful of other classmates.
▪ Come prepared for class – read the materials and be ready to provide answers.
▪ Come prepared with course materials
The instructor reserves
the right to revise/adjust the syllabus and
class schedule as circumstances may warrant during the semester.
Students are
expected to follow all policies in the USF Catalog and Student Handbook.
USF
As a Catholic university rooted in the liberal
arts, we are
a welcoming community of learners challenged by Franciscan values and
charisma,
engaged in a continuous pursuit of knowledge, faith, wisdom, and
justice, and
ever mindful of a tradition that emphasizes
reverence for creation, compassion, and peacemaking. We strive for
academic
excellence in all programs, preparing women and men to contribute to
the world
through service and leadership.
The mission of the
programs are designed for traditional and nontraditional students
providing a
blend of professional studies and a strong liberal arts curriculum.
Graduate
programs are designed for working professionals and are practitioner
based. All
programs in the
ASSIGNMENTS:
All assignments are to be typed or otherwise do not submit. Late papers will automatically receive one grade level lower for each day they are late, unless prior approval has been granted by the instructor. As a capstone course, you are free to decide the length of the paper. Quantity is quickly balanced by quality. Ask yourself the question, "Did I convey my thought process well enough and do I have enough supporting evidence as well?" You are also responsible for maintaining a backup copy for all assignments. If a paper is lost the student is responsible for submitting the backup copy for grading. The students must also furnish their own computer disk for any computer assignments.
CLASS PARTICIPATION:
Usually I am not one to give points for participation as it is a requirement regardless of your intended career. Given the nature of this course, participation will certainly be expected from all students. The course is not your typical lecture class. This is an application course and as such you will be evaluated on your ability to apply what you have learned. Your ability to effectively communicate orally is a critical skill that will be evaluated even though grading is highly subjective. EVERY STUDENT is expected to participate in the class discussions and to be involved in their group assignments. Furthermore, because participation in class discussion of lectures and simulation counts towards your grade, it is expected that each student will contribute significantly to in-class analysis of the simulation/discussion. This means that each student is expected to be an active participant as well as to make competent and meaningful comments regarding the discussion at hand. You should make a conscientious effort to attend the classes and moreover, to be sufficiently prepared to continue to the discussions.
PEER EVALUATION:
We will utilize a variety of sources for evaluations from your peers.
The first source of peer evaluation data is the mid-term group member evaluation form. This form as the one above is used as a control document rather than as a source of a grade. Any deviation of a student’s effort as described by the group will result in a conversation with the instructor.
At the end of the semester each company will evaluate the members of their company including yourself. This form will be used in assigning grades for your group work. Peer evaluations play a significant role in determining your overall grade.
CAPSTONE SIMULATION:
Most strategic decisions are made after consultation with key executives and colleagues in committee’s and thorough discussions. To simulate this procedure, each student has the opportunity to select his/her team. Each team is required to manage and analyze their own CAPSTONE company and has to develop and implement strategic concepts. The management team will make decisions about various aspects of an assigned company’s management for a period of "simulated time". It is expected that all management teams meet regularly to analyze the strategic position of the company and discuss the issues, problems, and operations.
The game is played over several simulated periods to maximize the firm’s objectives. The objectives are achieved more systematically and successfully by considering and applying concepts previously developed in lectures and discussion. The simulation is graded as a joint effort of the entire team. All members of that team will receive the same grade for the simulation, unless performance issues of specific individual’s warrants a different approach and grade. The simulation is designed to encourage teamwork. Let’s face, you might as well get used to working in groups as the corporate world is full of them. Be thankful for group work as well – otherwise all of this work falls solely upon your shoulders.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE:
As this simulation is played, the instructor is not only interested with the final result but also how each team achieved their position within Capstone. Each team will have the opportunity to analyze their team and the critical incidents that led to their performance after the final round (although your team may decide during the course of the simulation to keep detailed notes on how you arrived at each decision in the functional areas). A STOCKHOLDERS’ DEBRIEF that will be due at the end of the course. In this debrief, each team will be able to examine:
COURSE OUTLINE
Week of -
Topic
August 23 Introduction to class
Capstone simulation
Register under Mgmt Simulations website
Read Capstone
Obtain an Annual Report of any company of your choice
August 30 Continued discussion of Capstone
September 6 Continued discussion of Capstone
8th
Class starts at 11:30 – 12:15
September 13 Continued discussion of Capstone
Strategic
Analysis Paper 1 Due – Thursday Sept. 15
September 20
NO
IN-CLASS Sessions
Strategy
Paper Due Tuesday Sept. 20th
Practice Round 1 DECISION Tuesday September
20 11:00
September 27 Practice Round 2 Decision
Simulation Evaluation Criteria Posted to
CapSim
Situational
Analysis Exercises Due
October 4 Round 2 Decision
Mission State/Grd Strategy/ProForma Due –
Thursday Oct. 6
October 11
Round
3 Decision
October 18
FALL Break – BUT Decisions MUST
be made
External Environment
Round
4 Decision
Note: No
formal classes will be held this week. All student work will
be submitted through web sites.
October 25
NO
In-Class Sessions
Core
Competency Paper Due Tuesday October 25th
Round 5 Decision
November 1 Strategy and Competitive Advantage
Round 6 Decision
Decision Debrief
November 8
Matching
Strategy to a Company Situation
Round 7 Decision
Decision Debrief
November 15 Round 8 Decision
Decision Debrief
November 22 Final Presentation Preparation
Decision Debrief
November 29 Final Presentation Preparation
Board of
Director Performance Report Due
Executive
Summary for Board Members Due
Abstract Due
December 6
Presentations
to the Board of Directors to be determined
The
instructor reserves the
right to revise/adjust the syllabus and class schedule as circumstances
may
warrant during the semester. Students are expected to follow all
policies in
the USF Catalog and Student Handbook.