MGMT 3000: Integrated Skills for Management
Tuesday 10:50am – 1:30pm (Section 002), Dwire Hall 104
Professor Kathleen A. Tomlin, Ph.D.
Email: ktomlin@uccs.edu
Office: Dwire Hall 341
Phone: (719) 255-5191
Office hours: Tuesday 2:00 – 4:00pm and by appointment
General information
Website:
bb.uccs.edu
Required Materials:
Textbook: MGMT3000: Integrated Skills for Management. ISBN: 13:978-1-308-55049-7
This is a custom McGraw Hill book that can be purchased through the UCCS bookstore.
Disability Accommodation:
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your
responsibility to register with Disability Services and provide them with documentation of your
disability. They will work with you to determine what accommodations are appropriate for your
situation. To avoid any delay, you should contact Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that
accommodations are not retroactive and disability accommodations cannot be provided until a Faculty
Accommodation Letter has been given to me. Please contact Disability Services for more information at
Main Hall room 105, 719-255-3354 or dservice@uccs.edu.
Writing Center:
UCCS offers free writing support at The Writing Center (Columbine 316). Students of all skill levels can
benefit from working with peer writing consultants at any stage of the writing process be it
brainstorming, drafting, revising, or final polishing. The Writing Center is open for 50-minute face-toface and online appointments Monday through Saturday. Appointments can be made by visiting our
website http://www.uccs.edu/writingcenter/. Information about our hours can also be found on our
website. More information about our workshop offerings can be found at
http://www.uccs.edu/writingcenter/workshops.html. Call 719-255-4336 or email wrtgcntr@uccs.edu
with questions about our programming and policies. If you have never used The Writing Center, we
strongly encourage that you read about what to expect here:
http://www.uccs.edu/writingcenter/whattoexpect.html
Courtesy and Respect:
In this course we aim to develop a culture of civility and courtesy. Treat your instructor and your class
members with respect. This means listening carefully, silencing your phone, closing laptops, and not
talking to your neighbor while your instructor or other students are speaking. A respectful class fosters a
supportive and safe learning environment and creates a climate that encourages an effective team
development – a core objective of this course.
BUAD3000 – Tomlin 1
Academic Honesty:
Students are expected to operate in an ethical and professional manner for all discussions, assignments,
and exams. Students are expected to understand and follow all university guidelines and policies
regarding academic conduct. Please familiarize yourself with the University’s Student Academic Ethics
Code (http://catalog.uccs.edu/content.php?catoid=11&navoid=603#Acad_Honor_Code).
Prof. Tomlin has a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism or cheating. If academic misconduct is discovered,
you will be required to meet with Prof. Tomlin to discuss the infraction. Plagiarism/cheating of any
magnitude will result in failure of the assignment or the course.
The faculty strive to cultivate a strong sense of personal and professional ethics in our students. The
College of Business is a member of the Daniel’s Fund Ethics Initiative and we apply their eight principles
to our courses:
1) Integrity: Act with honesty in all situations
2) Trust: Build trust in all stakeholder relationships
3) Accountability: Accept responsibility for all decisions
4) Transparency: Maintain open and truthful communications
5) Fairness: Engage in fair competition and create equitable and just relationships
6) Respect: Honor the rights, freedoms, views, and property of others
7) Rule of Law: Comply with the spirit and intent of laws and regulations
8) Viability: Create long-term value for all relevant stakeholders
Course goals
To succeed in the business world, one must be a skillful communicator. Across the past decade, a common
complaint has emerged from employers – that job candidates and workers lack the necessary “soft skills” to be
productive. These skills include: verbal communication, written communication, and teamwork. Regardless of
your intended career path (management, marketing, accounting, finance, entrepreneurship, HR, etc.), you will
find yourself working with other people and effective communication is a must.
It is often difficult to assess your own competency when it comes to communication. The goal of this course is to
provide you with a learning laboratory to practice teamwork and communication. Through collaborative
activities and assignments, this course will help you develop a clearer understanding of yourself and others.
The UCCS College of Business has eight main learning goals for undergraduate students (across all of the
business courses). BUAD3000 addresses four of these learning goals; it is a primary course for developing (a)
effective teamwork skills and (b) communication competencies; it is a secondary course for understanding (c)
key issues of operating in diverse organizations and (d) how to integrate core business concepts across
disciplines. In addition you will learn how to apply understanding of these subjects in addressing the common
types of ethical issues that arise in organizations.
BUAD3000 – Tomlin 2
Specific learning objectives:
 Learn about the principles of teamwork and apply these across the semester
 Practice team communication and identify common communication pitfalls
 Develop skills for team decision-making, problem-solving, creativity, and conflict management
 Reflect on personal strengths/weaknesses and develop an action plan to capitalize on them
 Understand common ethical dilemmas you will be faced with in the business world
 Practice ways to effectively respond to ethical dilemmas
 Write a clear and compelling research report, using APA style
 Read a scientific research paper and effectively present the findings to the class
What to expect
Class sessions:
Multiple learning methods will be used throughout this course, including readings, lectures, class
discussions, videos, simulations, and team case assignments. Class sessions will highlight certain points
from the reading and provide additional information. If you have questions about something in the
reading that is not mentioned in class, please raise them in class. This course requires that you think
analytically about yourself and those with whom you interact in the context of accomplishing tasks.
Always engage in professional and courteous behavior when interacting with your colleagues.
Assigned readings:
All assigned readings are required. Each chapter or article should be read BEFORE the class session it is
associated with on the syllabus. Most weeks will include a team-based quiz – successful performance on
these quizzes will result in extra credit on the exams. It is in your best interest, and in the interest of
your teammates, to come to class prepared.
Class participation and team responsibilities:
Class participation includes contributions to in-class discussions and performance on your team. To
derive the most benefit from this course, please be attentive to the subject matter and participate
thoughtfully in discussions. Raise your hand before speaking and refrain from side-conversations.
Laptops, tablets, e-readers, and phones are prohibited from use during class, unless you are specifically
instructed to use them by Prof. Tomlin.
The view from the front of the room is excellent – inappropriate behaviors or violations of classroom
expectations are easily observed. Prof. Tomlin reserves the right to reduce the grade of any student who
exhibits negative classroom behavior.
An important part of this course entails working as a team member. Although you will not select your
team members, you must maximize your team’s performance. You will decide, along with your
teammates, how to complete each team assignment. Contributions (positive and negative) to your
team’s endeavors will be assessed by your teammates through online evaluations.
BUAD3000 – Tomlin 3
Assignments:
Assignments must be submitted on time. It is your responsibility to keep track of all assignments and
their deadlines. Reminders will often be sent out about pending assignments, but you should not expect
Professor Tomlin to take care of your schedule for you. It is strongly recommended that you utilize a
paper or electronic agenda to keep track of tasks and assignments. Late assignments will not be
accepted, except in the case of extreme circumstances (in which case, you should arrange to meet with
Prof. Tomlin during office hours to discuss the situation).
Exams:
Three tests (60 minutes each) will contain multiple choice and discussion questions. These tests
emphasize important concepts in the course. Questions will be drawn primarily from readings and class
discussions. A study guide will be provided before each test. Strong performance on the team-based
quizzes can earn extra credit on the exams. Rescheduled exams will only be allowed in extreme
circumstances. Professor Tomlin does not administer make-up exams – all make-up exams must be
scheduled through the UCCS testing center (please note they now charge $30 for exam administration).
Term paper:
You will be required to complete a term paper that you can include within your UCCS writing portfolio.
The course is considered a “writing intensive course”. As such, one of our major goals is to improve your
ability to communicate in an articulate and persuasive manner through writing. There will be several
assignments throughout the semester that are designed to guide and shape your final paper.
Attendance:
Due to the teamwork components and highly interactive nature of this course, attendance is required
and punctuality is expected. Absences are never excused. Prof. Tomlin will pass around an attendance
sheet at the beginning of class – it is your responsibility to ensure that your attendance is marked for
each week. If you miss a class, obtain notes and assignments from one of your classmates (do not
contact Prof. Tomlin to ask what you missed – reach out to a teammate first).
Accordingly, absences or lateness will result in a lower grade. The following system will be used to
deduct points from your final course grade based on the number of absences.
First absence
-4 points (1%)
Second absence
-6 points (1.5%)
Third absence
-10 points (2.5%)
For example, if you are absent twice, a total of 10 points (2.5%) will be deducted from your overall
course grade.
IMPORTANT: If you miss four or more class sessions for any reason, you may fail the course, regardless
of grades on assignments and exams. This is effectively missing one third of the class
activities/experiences and does not merit receiving credit for the course. You are responsible for
keeping track of the number of your absences, as Prof. Tomlin does not tally up attendance until the end
of the semester.
BUAD3000 – Tomlin 4
Grading
The following scale (out of 400 points) will be used in determining your letter grade for the course:
372 or higher = A
348 to 359 = B+
308 to 319 = C+
240 to 279 = D
360 to 371 = A−
332 to 347 = B
292 to 307 = C
239 or lower = F
320 to 331 = B−
280 to 291 = C−
This course is challenging and you should expect to put forward a great deal of effort to achieve a high grade.
“A” grades are reserved for students who perform exceptionally well and should not be expected as the norm.
The course is designed to account for many different learning styles and aptitudes. As such, anyone is capable of
performing well, but it is your responsibility to put forward the effort to succeed. For example, simply submitting
an assignment does not merit full credit – it must be complete and well done.
Professor Tomlin does not curve any grades during the semester, but reserves the right to curve final grades if
the grading distribution merits it. You may keep track of your progress in the course through the grade center
on Blackboard. However, understand that your overall course grade is not final until all assignments, exams, and
other assessments have been calculated. Your overall grade may go up or down significantly as a result of the
end-of-semester marks. The total number of possible points may change over the course of the semester.
Students will be notified of changes via the Blackboard course site announcements and/or email.
Course Grade:
Exams:
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Term Paper:
Real-world team problem report
Term paper topic identification report
Annotated bibliography
Complete rough draft of paper
Final submission of paper
Individual Work:
Online assessment
Individual case report
-Reasons & Rationalizations
Team-member evaluations
-#1 Student Privileges
-#2 No “I” in Team
-#3 Team presentation
Class participation
Team Work:
Team case reports
-Student Privileges
-No “I” in Team
Team presentation
Points %
50
50
50
12.5%
12.5%
12.5%
10
10
10
20
40
2.5%
2.5%
2.5%
5%
10%
20
5%
20
5%
10
10
10
20
2.5%
2.5%
2.5%
5%
20
20
30
5%
5%
7.5%
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Course Schedule
Week
Date
Module 1: Teams
1
8/25
2
Class content & Readings
Building teams and work groups (Janasz 10)
9/1
Facilitating team success (Janasz 13)
9/8
NO CLASS – LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
(Gentile: Ways of thinking about our values…)
Ethics & Understanding the self
3
9/15
4
9/22
EXAM 1
Decision-making (Janasz 14)
Module 2: Effective communication
5
9/29
Written communication (Cardon 5 & Cardon
13)
6
10/6
Email and other traditional tools for business
communication (Cardon 7)
7
10/13
Verbal communication (Cardon 14 & Cardon
15)
Module 3: Time and people management
8
10/20
Effective meetings (Janasz 12) & Time
management
9
10/27
Networking and mentorship (Janasz 16) &
Social media presence
10
11/3
Coaching and providing feedback (Janasz 17)
& Team rewards
11
11/10
EXAM 2
Module 4: Conflict and team challenges
12
11/17
Managing conflict (Janasz 11)
13
11/24
Week off to write – no class session
14
12/1
15
12/8
Working with diverse others (Janasz 5) &
Communicating across cultures (Cardon 4)
Final Day of class
16
12/15
FINAL EXAM
Assignment due before/at
class
Online pre-course
assessment
Reasons & Rationalizations
(individual report)
Real world problem report
Student privileges
(team case report)
Team presentation of SP
Term paper topic report
Team member eval #1
Annotated bibliography
No “I” in Team
(team case report)
Team member eval #2
Complete rough draft of
term paper
Term paper (HARDCOPY
DUE AT CLASS)
Team PRESENTATIONS of
empirical papers
Team member eval #3
BUAD3000 – Tomlin 6