THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
Bryan School of Business and Economics
Department of Business Administration
MGT 312 - Human Behavior in Business Organizations
Fall 2010
Professor E. Holly Buttner
Office: Bryan 361
Email: ehbuttne@uncg.edu or hbuttner@triad.rr.com (preferred) (See instructions below)
Office phone: 334-4529
Office Hours: Tues & Thurs. 12:30-2:00 or by appointment
Note: The Bryan School has an attendance policy that says if you are not in attendance
during the first class meeting, you can be dropped from the class to make room for
students on the waiting list.
TEXT and additional resources: The text for MGT 312 is Kreitner, Robert & Kinicki, Angelo,
Organizational Behavior, 9th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2010. You can purchase the text at the
UNCG Bookstore. The ISBN for the text 9780077398101. There are also additional resources
that accompany the text at the Online Learning Center (OLC) which contains practice quizzes,
power points, videos and exercises (Access to the OLC is at: www.mhhe.com/kreitner9e Click
on the link on the left that says, “First time users” and in the next screen click on “I am a
student”.). The OLC also contains the Asset Gallery (AG) which houses self-assessments you
will be completing as a requirement for the course. If you buy the text new from any other source
or if you bought a used book or an eBook, you can purchase access to the OLC by going to
www.mhhe.com/kreitner9e for $15. Used or new texts may also be available at reduced cost
from Amazon.com, Abebook.com or other booksellers. If you want to purchase access to an
eBook version of the text for 180 days, you have two options: 1) you can purchase it by going to
www.mhhe.com/kreitner9e. Once at that site, click on the Connect link on the left side. Then
click on the Connect link that appears in the center of the page. When you purchase access to
Connect, you will have access to the eBook as well as practice resources available through
Connect. You will need to pay an additional fee for the OLC software access (about $15) in
addition to the cost of a used or online text.
A copy of the syllabus is available online through Blackboard. The self-assessments, a
requirement for the course, are only available through the OLC. Copies of Power Point slides
that accompany the text as well as practice quizzes and other materials are also in the OLC. You
may find these materials useful for taking your notes in class and for review. However, reading
and studying the text is essential for passing the course. Reading the power point slides is
NOT a substitute for reading and studying the text. There will be a lot of material on the
tests that is not covered in the slides. I urge you to read and study the text from the first day of
class. Students who fail the first test have a very difficult time recovering and improving their
grades. You should check Blackboard at least several times weekly, if not daily, for course
announcements and updates.
EMAIL: If you have a question regarding the course, you can email your question to me at:
Holly_Buttner@uncg.edu You MUST put your name, (last name first) and MGT 312 in the
subject line (e.g. Smith, Nancy – MGT 312) or the email will be deleted and not opened. If you
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do not receive a response to an email within 48 hours, you should assume that I did not receive it
and you should resend it.
PREREQUISITES for MGT 312: Students enrolled in MGT 312 must have achieved at least
sophomore standing (31 or more earned credit hours, not including this term) at the beginning of
the semester in which you take MGT 312 and a minimum GPA of 2.0. Any student who does not
meet these requirements will be administratively dropped from the course. There is no guarantee
that this administrative drop will be processed before drop/add week is over, so if you lack any
prerequisites, drop yourselves so you may add another course in its place before the week’s end.
.
MGT 312 COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the end of this course, you should be knowledgeable
about major concepts and theories of Organizational Behavior. The learning outcomes for this
course are the following:
1. Explain the value dimensions of assessing national cultures using Hofstede's model.
2. Give specific examples of how the U.S. workplace is becoming more heterogeneous in
terms of gender, race, ethnicity, and age.
3. Identify the stages of group development and explain the managerial responses
appropriate to each stage.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of interpersonal awareness by explaining different styles
of conflict resolution and negotiation techniques.
5. Provide an example of an ethical issue pertinent to leadership today.
6. Predict how perception and attribution affect the decision making process.
7. Explain and give examples of how personality, values and motivation affect employees’
performance.
8. Identify and explain the dimensions of organizational structure and culture and the steps
of organizational change.
TOPICAL COVERAGE: The following topics will be covered in MGT 312.
Individual behavior concepts such as ability, personality, learning, values, attitudes,
perception, attribution, motivation, individual decision making, & ethical dimensions of
decision making;
Group behavior including stages of group development, group structure and processes,
group decision, work teams, leadership, power & politics, conflict, and negotiation
techniques.
Organizational systems and processes including organizational structure and
organizational change & stress management.
COURSE PHILOSOPHY: Webster's definition of "learn" is: to acquire knowledge, skill or
understanding; to explore; to investigate. The definition of "teach" is: to guide; impart
knowledge; to make aware by information or experience. These concepts form the basis of what
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we will be doing in MGT 312.
I see my role as "teacher" as that of a guide with responsibility to organize the class and
materials so that information will be understandable for you. I will use a variety of teaching
techniques including lecture, cases, role plays, self-assessment instruments, homework
assignments, group activities and exercises to give you an opportunity to acquire knowledge
about and to experience organizational behavior.
As a "learner" you also have responsibilities:
 to read the chapters before class
 to complete homework when assigned and turn it in during class on the assigned date
 come to class prepared to discus the reading assignment and assigned homework
 to attend class and participate in class discussions and in-class graded activities
 to complete an individual assessment project that consist of completing eight (8) assigned
self-assessments in the Asset Gallery or additional resources in the OLC.
 to write a paper summarizing the results of one (1) of the self-assessments, as described
in the section below
 study for and take two tests and
 complete the final exam.
Each of these requirements is explained in more detail in the Graded Course Requirements
section. I see this as a shared opportunity for us to investigate and explore organizational
behavior and I invite you to join your classmates and me for a thought-provoking semester.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLASS SUCCESS:
Class Attendance and Participation:
Experience is a wonderful teacher. Experience indicates that some of the keys to successful
performance in a class are preparation, attendance, and participation. Attendance is essential to
successfully completing MGT 312. I have found over the years that students who attend class
and actively participate consistently earn better grades. To maximize your opportunity for
learning, you should read the assigned material before we will cover it in class. Material covered
in class, some of which is not in the textbook, will be included in questions posed on the tests
and final exam. You are responsible for class material whether you are in class or not. I
encourage you to find a study buddy now who can give you notes if you should have to miss
class.
Study Aids and other resources available online in the OLC:
The Kinicki text comes with a rich package of resources to help you learn the material in MGT
312. In the main menu on the left of the MGT 312 OLC home page (access is at:
www.mhhe.com/kreitner9e ) is a link for the Asset Gallery (AG) where some self-assessments
you must complete reside. Also on the left side of the home page is a dropdown menu for each
chapter. Within each chapter link are online quizzes you can complete to practice for the tests
and final exam. There are also power point slides you can use to take your class notes as well as
some of the self-assessments you must complete. I encourage you to check out these resources
the first week of class and to make use of them throughout the semester. Students who practice
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using the quizzes AFTER a full review of the material have told me they were helpful.
CLASS ETIQUETTE: Please plan your schedule so that you will be on time and stay the
entire period, unless you have a genuine emergency. It is distracting for the rest of the class to
have students arriving late and getting up and leaving during the class. If you have to leave
class early for an emergency such as a doctor’s appointment, it is courteous to come up and
let me know before class. Please turn off all beepers and cell phones or set them to vibrate
before coming into the classroom. If you have an emergency call, please take it in the hall. Your
cooperation will help us have a better classroom experience.
GRADED COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1.
INDIVIDUAL SELF-ASSESSMENT PROJECT AND PAPER:
You must complete and print out the results for eight (8) of the self-assessments in the
Kreitner & Kinicki Asset Gallery and the Additional Resources section. The eight (8)
self-assessments you should complete are listed below. Printing on front and back to save
paper is preferable.
Assess.
Number
1
2
Assessment
Corporate culture preference scale
How do you score on the Big 5?
Location
AG1->Culture->Self Assessments (SA)
Ch 52-> Add. Resources->Self Exercises #1
3
What are your Self-monitoring tendencies?
Ch 5->Add. Resources->Self Exercises #2
4
What is your locus of control?
Ch 5->Add. Resources->Self Exercises #3
5
The Type “A” Scale
AG-> Individual Differences-> SA
6
Assessing how personality type influences goal setting AG-> Individual Differences-> SA
7
Career planning based on brain dominance
AG-> Individual Differences-> SA
8
What is your preferred conflict handling style?
AG-> Conflict & Power->SA
1
AG=Asset Gallery. AG is found in the left hand column of the Online Learning Center found at
http://www.mhhe.com/kreitner9e
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Ch=Chapter resources. These resources are found in the left column of the Online Learning Center found at
http://www.mhhe.com/kreitner9e Click on the chapter link to open the drop-down menu. In this area you will
see Additional Resources. In this area are Self-Exercises. Click on the Self-Exercises link to access the selfassessments.
This table, along with instructions for handing in your assignment, is on the last page of
the syllabus. After you have completed and printed all 8 assessments, select one (1) for
your report. In your 1 1/2-page paper (no more than 10 lines of print on the second page),
for the selected assessment, you should do the following:
 Indicate which assessment (the title) you have chosen to write about,
 Briefly indicate what the assessment measures,
 Summarize your feedback and what you have learned about yourself.
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
Indicate how you can use this information to be more effective at school, work
and/or your personal life.
You must complete and print out all 8 assessments along with the cover sheet (See the
end of the syllabus) and your paper and hand them in on the due date, September 14th,
in class. The paper reporting on the assessment results should be typed, double-spaced,
and limited to 1 1/2 pages (not including the cover page with the table). So, in total, you
should hand in the table (cover page), your 1-1/2 page paper and the printouts of the 8
self-assessment feedback reports.
Important instructions for preparing the self-assessments to turn in:
In order to earn full credit for the assessments, you must follow these instructions. First,
put your assessment printouts in the order indicated in the table above. For each of the
self-assessment feedback reports, write the title of the report on the top right hand corner
of the first page of the report and then the first two substantive words of the title on each
successive page. For example, if the title is: “The Type ‘A’ Scale”, you should write that
title on the first page and on each succeeding page write “Type A” in the top right hand
corner. Follow this labeling procedure for all 8 reports. Then number each and every page
of all the reports also in the top right, starting with page 1 for the first page of the first
report and so on to the last page of the last report. Please print front and back to save
paper if you can. Failure to follow this procedure will result in a lower self-assessment
report grade.
THE INSTRUCTOR WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ASSIGNMENTS
NOT PLACED INTO THE ORGANIZER BOXES BY STUDENTS AT THE
BEGINNING OF CLASS ON THE DUE DATE. SUCH BOXES WILL BE
LOCATED IN THE CLASSROOM AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CLASS PERIOD.
Late assessment printouts and reports will be downgraded one letter grade per day unless
you bring in written evidence that you were in the hospital or suffering some other
verifiable emergency on the date it was due. Unless you have a verifiable emergency,
after three days beyond the deadline, no credit may be earned for the assignment. Note
that printer breakdowns, computer failure, car breakdowns, and other difficulties are not
acceptable reasons to avoid the late penalty if your paper is late. Late self-assessment
reports handed in after the class period in which they are due MUST be handed in
to one of the departmental secretaries in the Department of Business Administration
Office in Bryan 366. Emailed assignments and assignments turned in via any way
other than to Bryan 366 will not be accepted. DO NOT PUT THE REPORT IN THE
BOXES OUTSIDE THE PROFESSOR’S DOOR AS THEY ARE NOT SECURE. The
assignment will not be returned to you. The complete self-assessment assignment,
including the paper and assessments is worth 16% of your course grade.
2.
IN-CLASS PARTICIPATION & HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS:
Throughout the semester, in-class activities will be randomly assigned, completed, and
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collected the same class day for grading. Depending upon course progression and time
constraints, a minimum of ten (10) in-class assignments will be collected. Homework
assignments also will be collected in class. I will announce any homework assignments in
class. Some of these activites will be individual activities and others group work. In
addition, at other times attendance will be taken. Completion of these activities as well as
participation in class discussions will constitute your class attendance and participation
grade. Simply attending class will not earn you full credit for attendance & participation.
You must also contribute thoughtful, value-added comments during class discussion in
such a way that I have opportunities to hear your comments. It is also important that I
know who you are. While I make a concerted effort to learn names, in a large class, this
may not be possible. Accordingly, I will hand out name cards in the beginning of the
semester and I encourage you to bring it with you to class each day and post it on your
desk so that your name is visible to me in the front of the classroom. Attendance,
participation and homework together will comprise 16% of your course grade.
NOTE: In-class work cannot be made up outside of class for any reason. Late
homework assignments handed in after the class in which they were due will not be
accepted. Students may miss up to two (2) of the in-class graded assignments,
homework assignments or attendance sign-in sheets without penalty. EXCEEDING
THIS GRACE NUMBER OF TWO WILL RESULT IN GRADES OF ZERO FOR
EACH ADDITIONAL MISS. No exceptions will be made for this course
requirement.
3. TESTS AND FINAL EXAM INFORMATION:
Test-Taking Procedure. The tests and final exam will be administered in class during
the regular class period. There will be two tests and a non-cumulative final exam. The
first test is worth 20% and the second test is worth 22% and the final exam is worth 24%
of your course grade. The tests will be multiple choice and possibly short answer
questions, depending on class size. They will be closed book and closed notes. You are
responsible for material in the text, material covered in class and any extra assigned
readings. I expect you to abide by the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy in taking tests as
well as all other work for the course.
Tips for successfully studying for and completing the tests and exam are posted in
the Course Documents section of BBD.
The test dates are:
September 30th for Test 1
November 4th for Test 2
The final exam schedule is listed in the Course Topics and Assignments section on
the last page of the syllabus.
Test Make-up Policy:
If you miss a test, for any reason, your only option is to take a make-up test which will be
administered on Thursday, November 18th, 2:00-3:15 pm. This make-up will cover the
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material on both tests and will be all short-answer questions. You are responsible for checking
with me ahead of time about location of the makeup. No other make-ups will be given. If you
know ahead of time that you will be unavailable on a test day, you should let me know well
ahead of time. If it is possible, we will set up a time for you to take the test early. If an early test
is not possible, you will have to take the make-up.
ADVERSE WEATHER/CLASS CANCELLATION POLICY:
If class is cancelled due to adverse weather, instructor illness or for any other reason, you should
consult the announcements section of Blackboard on line for available updates. You will be
responsible for being aware of any scheduling or other changes announced on Blackboard, so be
sure to check it frequently.
GRADING POLICY:
Your final grade will be weighted as follows:
Self-Assessments
Self-Assessment paper
Test 1
Test 2
Final exam
In-Class Attendance & Homework Assignments
8
8
20
24
24
16
100
points
points
points
points
points
points
Total Points
GRADING SCALE:
A+
A
A-
97-100
93-96.99
90-92.99
B+ 87-89.99
B 83-86.99
B- 80-82.99
C+
C
C-
77-79.99
73-76.99
70-72.99
D+
D
D-
67-69.99
63-66.99
60-62.99
F below 60
NOTE - NO EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES:
There are no opportunities for extra credit assignments. All credit earned in the course must
be earned through regularly scheduled assignments described in this syllabus and in the
Assignments section of BBD.
NOTE: THE PROFESSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY THE
DATES/ASSIGNMENTS OR ANY OTHER ASPECT OF THE ABOVE SYLLABUS.
ANY SUCH CHANGES WILL BE POSTED IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT SECTION OF
BLKBD.
NOTE – BRYAN SCHOOL SENIOR EXAM MATERIAL:
If you are a Bryan School major, you will be tested on the material we cover in MGT 312 in
a comprehensive written examination in MGT 491. Your score on this exam will comprise
a part of your grade for MGT 491. It is recommended that, at a minimum, you retain your
notes for MGT 312 for review in preparation for the comprehensive exam in MGT 491.
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UNCG ACADEMIC INTEGRITY CODE:
I expect you to uphold and abide by the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy in all matters
pertaining to this course. Violations of the Policy will be pursued in accordance with the code.
All written work submitted should include the UNCG Policy statement written out (“I have
abided by the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy in completing all aspects of this work.”)
followed by your signature, indicating that you have abided by the Academic Integrity Policy.
This pledge will also indicate that you have not used information, materials, or papers prepared
by or given by any other individual or from any other source. For information concerning the
Bryan School Faculty – Student Guidelines, explore the following website:
http://www.uncg.edu/bae/faculty_student_guidelines.pdf
The URL for the Academic Integrity Policy is the following:
http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/complete/
I look forward to working with you as we explore the behavioral topics that challenge managers
and professionals in their work each day.
Chapter Learning Objectives
The learning objectives are listed on the first page of each chapter in the text. You are
responsible for learning the material pertaining to the objectives for each chapter listed in the
table below. While we will cover most of the objectives for each chapter listed below, we may
not cover all for a particular chapter in class. You are still responsible for the material for testing
purposes. Please bring any questions you have about material pertaining to a learning objective
with you and ask about it in class.
Chapter
Learning Objectives
1
1,6-9
2
1, 4-6
3
1,3,4,8,9
4
1-5
5
1-5,8
6
1-3,5-8
7
1,3-8
8
1-7,8 (Job Characteristics model only)
9
4,5,8
10
2-4,8,9
11
3-5
12
1,2,4-6
13
2,3,7,9
15
1-4,6,7
9
16
17
18
2-5,8
1, 7
2,5-9
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Course Topics and Assignments
Week
Topic
8/24
Introduction to MGT 312; Managing Diversity
8/31
Managing Diversity; Organizational Culture
8/31 HW: How does your diversity profile… @ Ch 2 AR->Self &
group Ex-> second Self Exercise
Organizational Culture; International OB
9/7 HW: Johnson & Johnson case – See BBD -> Assignments section
International OB; Self-Concept, Personality, and Emotions
Self-Assessment Project and OB Reflective Paper Due on Tuesday,
9/14 at the beginning of class. See instructions on the syllabus.
Self-Concept, Personality, and Emotions; Values, Attitudes & Job
Satisfaction
9/23: HW: Personal values clarification exercise @ Ch 6->Additional
Resources->Self Exercises #4
9/28: Values, Attitudes & Job Satisfaction
9/30: Test 1 on Chapters 1-5.
Perception & Attribution
Fall break – No class on Tuesday; Thursday 10/14, Motivation
Motivation; Improving Job Performance
Group Dynamics; Teams
10/26: HW: Team Role Preferences Scale @ AG->Groups & Teams->
SA and
Measuring role conflict & anxiety scale @ AR->Ch 10-AR-> Self &
group Ex->SE #2
Individual & Group Decision making;
11/4: Test 2 on Chapters 6-11.
Conflict & Negotiation; Power & Politics
Power & Politics; Leadership
HW: 11/16: How political are you scale @ Ch 15 -> AR -> SE #2; and
What’s your self-perceived power @ Ch 15 -> AR -> SE #3
Leadership; Creating Effective Organizations;
11/25 Thanksgiving
Managing Organizational Change & Stress
MGT 312-01, 11:00 section: Final Exam, 12/14, 12-3 pm
MGT 312-02, 12:30 section: Final Exam, 12/9, 12-3 pm
9/7
9/14
9/21
9/28
10/5
10/12
10/19
10/26
11/2
11/9
11/16
11/23
11/30
Chapter
Assignments
Ch. 1-2
2-3
3-4
4-5
5-6
6
7
8
8, 9
10, 11
12
13, 14
14, 16
16, 17
18
AR=Additional Resources found under the chapter links on the left in the Online Learning
Center (OLC) ; AG=Asset Gallery found in the Online Learning Center (OLC); SE=Self
Exercise. See notes below the table on p. 4 for general information about location of resources
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MGT 312
Self-Assessment Report Cover Sheet
Your name (Please print)_______________________________________
Student ID #________________________ Section_________________
Please copy and paste this page into a new screen. Then print it off. Check off each assessment
that you have completed in the table below. Place your paper immediately behind the cover page,
followed by the printouts for each assessment in order according to the table indicated below. Be
sure to follow the instructions for properly preparing your assessment feedback pages on the
syllabus. Then clip together your complete Self-Assessment Report. Failure to follow these
instructions will result in a lower grade.
Assessment
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Assessment
Completed
Corporate culture preference scale
How do you score on the Big 5?
What are your self-monitoring tendencies
What is your locus of control?
The Type “A” Scale
Assessing how personality type influences goal setting
Career planning based on brain dominance
What is your preferred conflict handling style?
Please write out the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy and sign your name here: