GSBA 537 Managing Inside the Firm
Section # 15769
Fall 2016
September 6, 2016 – December 23, 2016
9.5 units
Course Syllabus
INSTRUCTORS:
Ken Merchant (Managerial Accounting)
Email:
Phone: (213) 821-5920
Kerry Fields (Employment Law & Business Ethics)
Email:
Phone: (213) 740-9307
Zal Phiroz (Operations Management)
Email:
Phone: (647) 393-1014
Arif Ansari (Statistics & Analytics)
Email:
Phone: (213) 821-5521 or (213) 999-3554
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment
EMERGENCY NUMBERS: USC Emergency Info Line: 213-740-9233
USC Emergencies: 213-740-4321
USC Information Line: 213-740-2311 or KUSC Radio (91.5 FM)
PREREQUISITES: GSBA 505
REQUIRED READINGS (Students are expected to purchase or rent the following):
· Cheeseman, H. (2015). Legal Environment of Business, 8th Ed. Prentice Hall. ISBN: 978-0-13-397331-0 (this is the textbook from GSBA 535).
· Fields, C. K., & Cheeseman, H. R. (2013) Contemporary Employment Law, Second Edition (Aspen College Series). Aspen Publishers. ISBN: 978-1-4548-1804-5.
· Klimberg, R. & McCullough, B. D. (2013), Fundamentals of Predictive Analytics with JMP, SAS Institute. ISBN-13: 978-1612904252.
· Merchant, K. A., & Van der Stede, W. A. (2012). Management Control Systems: Performance Measurement, Evaluation and Incentives (3rd ed.). Essex, UK: Pearson Education Limited. ISBN: 978-0-273-73761-2.
ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READINGS (Links will be made available within the course):
· McGraw Hill eBook: Accounting Text and Cases (13th ed.) by Anthony, Hawkins, & Merchant.
· McGraw Hill eBook: Matching Supply with Demand: An Introduction to Operations Management by Cachon & Terwiesch and Operations and Supply Chain Management by Jacobs & Chase.
· USC Course Reader: Managerial Accounting.
· USC Course Reader: Operations Management.
· Follow Prof. Fields in Twitter @USCProf (https://twitter.com/USCProf)
Course Description
GSBA 537 is an online course that comprises part of the OMBA Program. The core subject areas (managerial accounting, employment law, operations management, and organizational behavior) are offered over a 15-week period as part of an overarching theme that explores the internal management of a company. Analytics and communication are interwoven with the core subjects in the form of pre-recorded lectures as well as a portfolio of projects involving both written and oral presentations on core material. The percentage of time devoted to each of the core business subject areas in GSBA 537 is as follows:
Managerial Accounting 35%
Operations Management 35%
Employment Law & Business Ethics 15%
Statistics & Analytics 15%
Online Program Goals
1. Our graduates will develop a strategic level of understanding of traditional and contemporary management issues and the relationships between core business disciplines in order to analyze business situations and make holistic judgments about business innovations.
2. Our graduates will develop a global mindset through theoretical, practical, and experiential educational opportunities in order to incorporate economic and financial interdependencies that impact geopolitical relationships into business decisions.
3. Our graduates will demonstrate critical thinking skills through the use of quantitative and qualitative tools, theories and context in order to effectively solve problems, make decisions, and develop new business opportunities to strategically navigate the complex demands of current dynamic business environments.
4. Our graduates will develop interpersonal and intrapersonal skills to effectively guide team collaboration in order to derive optimal solutions to complex issues requiring multiple skills and diverse capabilities.
5. Our graduates will demonstrate ethical reasoning skills, understand social, civic, and professional responsibilities and aspire to add value to society.
6. Our graduates will be effective communicators, including communicating with the use of appropriate technology tools, to facilitate information flow in organizational, social, and intercultural contexts.
Course Objectives
The broad goal of this course is to introduce students to tools and concepts they will need to manage internal relations and operations within a company. Upon completing the course, students will be able to:
· Evaluate the financial status of the company based on accounting documents
· Recognize and manage employment law and discrimination issues
· Analyze internal processes involved in operations management
· Identify potential areas of conflict within the organization
· Lead effective teams
Grading Policy
The grade for this course is based 35% on managerial accounting content, 35% on operations management content, 15% on employment law content, 15% on communication content and 10% on statistics/analytics content. Weighted averages will be computed to determine the final score and final grade; students must have a passing score in each area in order to pass the course.
Grades
The course grade is based on synchronous class participation, moderated discussion forums, homework, projects, quizzes and exams. In order to earn full participation points, students must actively participate in all synchronous sessions via computer or laptop, with a webcam and headset/speakers. Students are expected to be visually present and to ask thought-provoking questions, offer relevant comments, and answer questions from faculty in a clear and concise manner. In order to earn full written discussion forum points, students must write thoughtful, robust posts as well as substantive responses to their peers. Unless otherwise stated, all readings, discussion forums, homework assignments, and quizzes must be completed prior to synchronous class sessions. In addition to individual assignments, students will select their own groups of 3-4 to work on team assignments. Unless otherwise specified, they will work within these course teams to complete all group or team assignments during this semester. All other work is to be completed individually. Students are expected to notify instructor(s) for prior approval if they are unable to attend a synchronous session or to complete a written discussion, assignment, or exam by the posted due date.
Percentage Per Topic / Due DatesMANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING
(35% of total course grade)
Participation
MarshallTALK / 15%
Discussion/Video Forums / 10%
Midterm Exam / 30% / M8
Final Exam / 35% / M15
Group Project / 10% / M14
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
(35% of total course grade)
HBR (individual) discussion forum / 25%
YouSeeU (group) discussion forum / 25%
Group Project / 25% / M14
Final Exam / 25% / M15
EMPLOYMENT LAW
(15% of total course grade)
Participation
MarshallTALK/Presentations / 20%
6 Quizzes (drop worst 1) / 20%
Midterm Exam / 30% / M7
Final Exam / 30% / M15
STATISTICS & ANALYTICS
(15% of total course grade)
Participation
MarshallTALK / 15%
Discussion/Video Forums / 10%
Quizzes/Exams / 35% / M8/M15
Homework / 30%
Group Projects / 10%
Asynchronous Activities
All readings, videos, and assignments can be found in the Virtual Classroom. There are three ways to access materials in Canvas:
1. Via the Home Page
2. Via Modules
3. Via Assignments
Synchronous Activities
Students are required to attend MarshallTALK sessions each week in order to earn full participation credit. Links to weekly MarshallTALK sessions will be found within each Module and are also listed under Assignments. If you cannot attend a MarshallTALK session, please notify faculty prior to class.
Please note that the synchronous sessions for Fall 2016 will be using the Zoom platform.
MarshallTALK will be held every Tuesday and Thursday, starting at 5pm Pacific Time as follows:
COURSE INTRODUCTION
Tuesday, Sep 6 Intro 5pm-6pm ALL FACULTY
MODULE 1 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Sep 13 Session 1a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Sep 15 Session 1b 5pm-7pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 2 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Sep 20 Session 2a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday,Sep 22 Session 2b 5pm-7pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 3 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Sep 27 Session 3a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Sep 29 Session 3b 5pm-7pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 4 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Oct 4 Session 4a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Oct 6 Session 4b 5pm-7pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 5 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Oct 11 Session 5a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Oct 13 Session 5b 5pm-7pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 6 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Oct 18 Session 6a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Oct 20 Session 6b 5pm-7pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 7 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Oct 25 Session 7a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Oct 27 Session 7b 5pm-7pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 8 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Nov 1 Session 8a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Nov 3 Session 8b 5pm-7pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 9 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Nov 8 Session 9a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Nov 10 Session 9b 5pm-7pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 10 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Nov 15 Session 10a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Nov 17 Session 10b 5pm-7pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 11 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Nov 22 Session 11a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Nov 24 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY – NO MARSHALLTALK
MODULE 12 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Nov 29 Session 12a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Dec 1 Session 12b 5pm-7:30pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 13 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Dec 6 Session 13a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Dec 8 Session 13b 5pm-7pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 14 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Dec 13 Session 14a 5pm-7pm Ansari and Phiroz
Thursday, Dec 15 Session 14b 5pm-7pm Merchant and Fields
MODULE 15 - MarshallTALK
Tuesday, Dec 20 Session 15a 5pm-7pm Office Hours
Thursday, Dec 22 Session 15b 5pm-7pm Office Hours
Academic Conduct
Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Section 11, Behavior Violating University Standards https://scampus.usc.edu/1100-behavior-violating-university-standards-and-appropriate-sanctions/. Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university policies on scientific misconduct, http://policy.usc.edu/scientific-misconduct/.
Discrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university. You are encouraged to report any incidents to the Office of Equity and Diversity http://equity.usc.edu/ or to the Department of Public Safety http://capsnet.usc.edu/department/department-public-safety/online-forms/contact-us. This is important for the safety whole USC community. Another member of the university community – such as a friend, classmate, advisor, or faculty member – can help initiate the report, or can initiate the report on behalf of another person. The Center for Women and Men http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/cwm/ provides 24/7 confidential support, and the sexual assault resource center webpage describes reporting options and other resources.
Support Systems
Students whose primary language is not English should check with the American Language Institute http://dornsife.usc.edu/ali, which sponsors courses and workshops specifically for international graduate students. The Office of Disability Services and Programs http://sait.usc.edu/academicsupport/centerprograms/dsp/home_index.html provides certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations. If an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency Information http://emergency.usc.edu/ will provide safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued by means of blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technology.
Technology Support
· Canvas
Check out the "Help" link at the bottom, left-hand of each Canvas page. You may also call +1 (844) 408-6460. They are available 24/7.
· Zoom Video Web Conferencing System (MarshallTALK)
For assistance using Zoom, go tohttps://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us. You may also call +1 (888) 799-9666 ext. 2 or +1 (650) 397-6096 ext. 2. They are available 24/7.
· YouSeeU
For assistance in using YouSeeU go tohttp://youseeu.info. Advanced support technicians are available 7:00am-midnight (Pacific) via email . General support is available 24/7 by phone at +1 (877) 667-7338.
· USC Systems(USC Login, MyUSC, USC Gmail, GoogleApps)
For assistance with your USC login or other USC systems, please call +1 (213) 740-5555 or . They are open Mon – Fri 9:30am – 5pm and weekends from 8am - 5pm (all Pacific time).
· Marshall Systems(MyMarshall, Marshall Outlook email, Office365, OneDrive)
For assistance with Marshall systems you can call +1 (213) 740-3000 Mon-Fri 8am-6pm (Pacific), ,edu, or use our self-help service portal as shown below. The portal allows you to get immediate assistance by searching for the information you need. You can also use it to chat with a technician or input a request. To access the service portal follow these steps:
1. On a computer or mobile device, go tohttps://mymarshall.usc.eduand click the “Help” link on the upper right.
2. Log in using your Marshall username and password.
(If you don’t know your Marshall login please follow the onscreen instructions pertaining to login issues)
Note:Please refer to the resources listed above if you need technical assistance.If any of the support options belowdo not sufficiently address an issue or if you have additional questions or feedback, please USC Marshall Online MBA program staff at.
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