Syllabus Fall 2015 (A Schedule)
Course Instructors
Lecture Sections14720, 14726Lecture Sections 14732, 14738, 14750
Professor Kelly PattersonProfessor Michael Coombs
Office: HOH 505Office: BRI 303
Phone:213-740-6211Phone: 213-740-9290
Email: mail:
Office Hours: By appointmentOffice Hours: By appointment
Lecture Section 14744
Professor Tom Cummings
Office: HOH 820
Phone: 213-740-0733
E-mail:
Office Hours: By appointment
Discussion Instructors
Professor Christopher BresnahanProfessor Jody Tolan
Office: BRI 303GOffice: BRI 303H
Phone: 213-740-0175Phone: 213-740-4681
Email: mail:
Office Hours: Thursdays at 1 pm and by apptOffice Hours: Thursdays 4-5:30and by appt
Professor Mike Summerlin
Office: BRI 306
Phone: 213-740-0728
Email:
Office Hours: By appt
Course Description
Leadership requires effective management of people and a clear understanding of human behavior and social processes. Leaders need to have a good understanding both of themselves and of those whom they will lead. Leaders need to know why people behave as they do in relation to their job, work group, and organization. This knowledge of individuals’ perceptions, attitudes, and behavior enables leaders to choose appropriate leadership styles and managerial practices to increase organization effectiveness and positive human outcomes.
The course moves progressively through individual, group, and organizational levels of behavior drawing on concepts and practices from the field of Organizational Behavior (OB). It also examines the interrelationship of behavioral phenomena among these levels. Studying OB provides a basic understanding of your own and others’ behavior, particularly in teams. It enhances your ability to communicate and work effectively with others, core skills of leadership. Our goal is to help you strengthen your people management skills so you can be a successful leader in any field you choose.
Course Objectives
- Developing the behavioral skills you need to be a successful leader of yourself and others, including working in teams.
- Understanding the main ideas relating to organizational behavior and their impact on creating a high-performing organization.
- Understanding what leadership means and what is involved in becoming a successful leader in today’s business organizations.
- Appreciating leadership skills as an essential complement to the technical skills you are learning in other courses.
- Learning concepts and approaches that will enable you to analyze organizational problems and develop appropriate solutions.
Course Learning Outcomes
After taking this class, students should be able to:
- Describe and apply motivation theories to team and organizational scenarios in order achieve a team’s or an organization’s goals and objectives.
- Explain the effect of personality, attitudes, perceptions and attributions on their own and other’s behaviors in team and organizational settings.
- Explain types of teams and apply team development, team effectiveness, and group decision-making models and techniques.
- Analyze and apply leadership theories and better understand their own leadership style.
- Analyze bases of power and influence tactics and their impact on achieving their own personal career goals and the organization’s objectives.
- Identify and apply tactics for resolving conflict and handling interpersonal communication in work groups.
- Describe how organizational cultures are formed and sustained, and the benefits and liabilities of strong organizational cultures and subcultures.
- Describe the determinants and elements of organizational structure and its impact on an organization’s performance.
- Explain and apply a variety of organizational change methods to improve employee, team and organization performance.
Relation to Marshall School Learning Goals
In this course, emphasis will be placed on the USC Marshall School of Business learning goals as follows:
- Our graduates will understand types of markets and key business areas and their interaction to effectively manage different types of enterprises. Moderate
- Our graduates will develop a global business perspective. They will understand how local, regional, and international markets, and economic, social and cultural issues impact business decisions so as to anticipate new opportunities in any marketplace. Low
- Our graduates will demonstrate critical thinking skills so as to become future-oriented decision makers, problem solvers and innovators. High
- Our graduates will develop people and leadership skills to promote their effectiveness as business managers and leaders. High
- Our graduates will demonstrate ethical reasoning skills, understand social, civic, and professional responsibilities and aspire to add value to society. Moderate
- Our graduates will be effectivecommunicators to facilitate information flow in organizational, social, and intercultural contexts. Moderate
Course Format
Thishybrid or blended learning course is organized into six core concept modules that combine traditional face-to-face class time with online and out-of-class course work. Each module has a variety of integrated learning modes that you will engage in such as pre-class learning activitiesthat include online video lectures, readings and homework assignments. In-class learning activities take place in bi-weekly interactive lectures and weekly discussion sessions. One mode is not more important than another. Each builds on the other to help you understand and apply the concepts of the course. These learning activities are applied in several team learning experiences.
Each module has a Module Summary (located at end of syllabus and on Blackboard) that lists all of the learning activities and assignments to complete. You will want to review this document at least a week before each module begins.
Pre-Class Learning Activities
The online video lecturesand related readings will explain key conceptual frameworks and concepts of organizational behavior. They include short stories and videos to illustrate how corporate leaders are implementing the concepts you are learning. In addition, homework assignmentsgive you the opportunity to learn and practice the concepts being reviewed and applied in class so that you are prepared to fully participate in the class meetings. It is expected that you will complete these requirements prior to attending class.
In-Class Learning Activities
The bi-weeklylecture sessions will address the course material in a highly interactive format including case studies (based on your homework), self-assessment measures, and question-and-answer periods. It is expected that you will come to your lecture sessions prepared to discuss the assigned material and to participate fully in theseactive learning activities.
The discussionsessions will focus on skill building and experiential exercises to learn leadership skills. They will integrate skill development with the concepts covered in the core concept module.It is expected that you will come to your discussion section meeting prepared to discuss the assigned material and participate fully in these active learning exercises.
Changing Discussion Sections
Registration is managed online through the My USC portal. If you are registered for BUAD 304 but interested in another discussion section, monitor registration online for availability and drop/add online. Remember that each discussion section is attached to a lecture section. Before changing your discussion section, confirm that both the lecture & discussion section work with your schedule. If you are concerned about losing your spot before you can successfully add a different section, make sure you complete the transaction at the same time (i.e. in the same online session). The system will not drop you from the class if a new spot is not available. You may consult an advisor in the Advising Office located in BRI 104 if you need assistance using the online system. Contact your discussion instructor with any other questions about changing sections.
Required Course Materials
Course Reader:This course uses a required Course Reader that is a compilation of relevant articles, cases and selected book chapters. You can purchase the Course Reader at the USC Bookstore. Purchasing these required materials at the USC Bookstore is the easiest way to make sure you have all the required materials. The previous versions of the Course Reader from Fall 2014 & Spring 2015 semesters are acceptable for this semester.
2 Texts:(1) Nelson, D. L. & Quick, J. C. (2013) Cengage Learning..
Organizational Behavior: Science, The Real World, and You, 8th Edition: Chapters 5 (Motivation) & 11 (Power) Custom Reader.
Available in the USC Bookstore; or
eChaptersfor Ch. 5(Motivation)Ch. 11 (Power) available at
You do not have to purchase the whole book.
(2) Hammond, J. S., Keeney, R. L., & Raiffa, H. (1999). Random House LLC.Smart choices: a practical guide to making better life decisions.
Project Case:This separate case will be available for purchase at the USC Bookstore after Week 5.
Additional Readings, Resources and Assessments
- Videos are available on the USC Marshall Critical Thinking Initiative website to help you better understand how to do case analysis and use the Marshall USC-CT framework.
- Any additional readings and/or assessments will be posted on Blackboard.
Readings on Reserve
We have placed eligible readings in the ARES Online Reserve system accessible at Access to ARES requires your USC Net ID and password. YourUSC NetID, also referred to as your "username", is the first part of your USC e-mail address; the part before the "@". For example, if your email were '' you would enter 'ttrojan' in the USC NetID box. Your password is the same as the one you would use to access email using the USC emailsystem. NOTE: Not all readings are available on ARES, such as cases and articles published by Harvard.
Blackboard
All of the course learning resources will be availablethrough the course web page on Blackboard. To access Blackboard from your web browser, enter and use your USC username and password to log in. There are several sections of BUAD304 but only those sections you are registered for will appear on your Blackboard home page. You can use the tabs on the left-hand side to access the materials and navigate the course web page. This will be explained in more detail in your first discussion meeting.
For your discussion section web page, select the similar link that contains your discussion section number. You can use your discussion section web page to communicate directly with your discussion instructor, your project team members, and other classmates from your discussion section. Assignment and exam scores are posted on your discussion Blackboard site.
Grading
PARTICIPATION
Participation15%
HW Peer Evaluations (2)10%
Project Peer Evaluation5%
HOMEWORK
Individual Case HW (7)8%
Team Case HW (4)12%
Discussion HW (3)5%
Team Case Analysis Project15%
EXAMS
Progress Exam10%
Final Exam20%
TOTAL100%
*You must attend the lecture and discussion sections in which you are registered in order to receive participation and/or homework credit for those sessions.
Participation: This part of your grade will be based on consistent and effective contributions to class discussions primarily in Discussion. You are expected to attend every class session having read, thought about, and prepared any assigned material. You should be prepared to contribute to all class discussions, demonstrating your preparation by asking questions whenever necessary and by integrating the vocabulary and concepts from the readings and video lectures, as well as your own experiences, into your comments. The core component of your participation grade is an active and insightful contribution to the conversation in the classroom, not just attending the class.
Research Studies Participation: A smaller component of your participation grade comprises your involvement in research activities. You can choose one of two options below to fulfill this requirement. Please note that, if you do not complete one of these two options, you will lose points for this part of your grade.
Option 1:
First, you can participate in research studies. To do this, you will attend sessions outside of class, conducted by researchers in MOR at Marshall. You will earn ½ credit or 1 credit for each separate study you complete; most sessions are no more than an hour long.You will need to obtain 4 credits during the semester in order to fulfill the research requirement. If you choose this option, please register for an account at (see instructions posted separately to Blackboard) no later than Monday, September 14, 2015. Those who do not register or reactivate by this date will be required to complete Option 2 (research papers). After you verify your account, you will need to check the site regularly to find open studies and sign yourself up for appointments. Studies are scheduled throughout the semester, on various days and times. It’s important that you complete your credit early; if you wait until the end of the semester, there may not be enough studies available. You are not guaranteed an available study spot.
To receive full participation points, you must earn your first credit by Friday, October 23, 2015. Your other credits can be earned any time before Friday, December 4, 2015 (the last day of classes). As a courtesy to the researcher and other students waiting for spots, please use the online system to cancel your appointment ASAP if you can’t make it.
Please note: If you earn your first 3 credits by showing up to ALL of your scheduled sessions, on time, then you will earn your 4th credit “free,” as a bonus. That is, the system is “earn three, get one free”--again, provided that you show up to all three early sessions as scheduled and on time.
Option 2:
Your second way to complete the research requirement is to write 3 short, 3-page research papers on topics prearranged with your Discussion Instructor. Papers must be turned in no later than Friday, December 4, 2015to your Discussion Instructor.
Students must be aged 18 or older by Friday, October 23, 2015 in order to choose Option 1; otherwise, you will need to use Option 2.
IMPORTANT NOTES: (A) If you already have a research study account from a past BUAD 304 or BUAD 497 course, you will need to email the administrator () in order to request account reactivation. Past credits earned CANNOT be used for current courses. (B) If you are enrolled for Marketing BUAD 307, please make sure you visit the Marketing research study website your Marketing Professor has given you. Please see your Marketing syllabus. Each course has its own unique Sona Systems web address. Credits will NOT transfer from one class to the other for credit fulfillment, no exceptions.
Case Homework for Lecture Sessions:This portion of your grade will be based on timely and complete submission of homework. Aligned with the core concept modules, there are case analysis assignments that require preparingCase Notes before lecture and writing up a Case Analysis Memo after lecture; both are submitted usingTurnItIn via Blackboard. Case Notes follows the 1-page template posted on Blackboard in Assignments. The1-page, single-spaced Case Analysis Memo should follow the guidelines and rubric posted in Blackboard and outlined in the first discussion meeting (Week One). Due dates are listedin the Weekly Assignments schedule at the end of this document. Bring a hard copy of the Case Notes to lecture classto be collected.
The first two Case Memos are individual assignments to be completed on your own as you learn how to complete a case analysis using the Marshall USC-CT Framework. The next four Case Analysis Memos will be completed in your assigned team using the framework. Each student will turn in theirown Case Memo #3 after working through the case together in the team. This memo will be assessed (graded) on an individual basis. Case Memos #4-6 will be submitted one per team and receive a group grade. Assignment scores and instructor feedback are viewable via Blackboard Gradebook. Case Notes are always individual assignments.
Important note: The assignment must be turned in online by the due date AND you must attend the entire lecture session to get credit for the homework. Having someone else hand in your homework when you did not attend class constitutes an academic integrity violation for both parties and will be treated accordingly. Your discussion section instructor will provide you with additional details about homework expectations.
HW Peer Evaluations: You will complete a self and peer evaluation online after every two team HW assignment providing feedback on your teammates’ contributions to the case analysis process. The criteria for the evaluation will be posted on Blackboard along with the link to the online form. These results will be assessed (graded) on an individual basis and will contribute to your overall course grade. They may also be used for discussions with your teammates to improve your and the team’s performance. Evaluation scores are posted on Blackboard and peer feedback is provided by email from your discussion instructor.
- Peer evaluation #1 will be submitted online on Friday, October 23.
- Peer evaluation #2 will be submitted online on Friday, November 20.
Homework in Discussion Sessions: This portion of your grade will be assessed on both the quality and timely submission of each homework assignment. Discussion HW assignments are noted in the Module Summary and posted in Blackboard. The assignmentis due at the beginning of discussionas indicated in the Weekly Assignments schedule at the end of this document.