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YORK UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF LIBERAL ARTS AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
SCHOOL OF ADMINISTRATIVE STUDIES
COURSE SYLLABUS1
ADMS 1000 - INTRODUCTION TO ADMINISTRATIVE STUDIES:
THE CONTEXT OF BUSINESS
Course Director: Indira.Somwaru
Instructor E-mail: isomwaru@hotmail.com
Course Website Access:
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Is Canadian business headed for a dismal future, or one that is bright? Assessing the prospects of
business requires a careful examination of the environment within which business operates. This
course offers an examination of the internal and external environment of business and the challenges of
managing in the Canadian business environment. Our exploration includes a consideration of internal
challenges such as the employee-employer relationship, people management, strategy and
organizational structure. External challenges include a consideration of such key areas as competitive,
global, political, societal and sustainability challenges. The broad aim is to provide insight into current
challenges and opportunities that can critically impact the functioning and fate of business.
COURSE GOALS
1. To identify the key factors which comprise the internal and external environment of business.
2. To understand the potential impact of these challenges on business.
3. To obtain an understanding of the challenges & opportunities present in the Canadian business
context.
4. To encourage critical thinking regarding the internal and external challenges that must be
addressed as part of successful business strategy.
Prerequisite: None
REQUIRED TEXT
Karakowsky, L. & Guriel, N. (2015). The Context of Business. Pearson: Toronto
GRADING
Midterm Exam
40%
Final Exam
60%
FINAL EXAM: HELD DURING EXAM WEEK – DATE & LOCATION T.B.A.
Note: Final course grades may be adjusted to conform to Program or Faculty grades distribution
profiles. Final examinations could take place in a different room and on a different day from the
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NB: This outline may be subject to in-class changes as deemed necessary.
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regularly scheduled class. Check the published Examination Schedule for a complete list of days and
times.
COURSE CONTENT AND SCHEDULE
INTRODUCTION
SESSION 1: Exploring Canadian Business: A Critical Approach
Learning Goal: Is Canadian business headed for a dismal future, or one that is bright? How does one
make sense of the current state of Canadian business? Assessing the prospects of organizations
requires a careful examination of the contexts within which they operate. This session introduces the
framework for this book—a critical examination of the internal and external forces that can critically
impact the functioning and fate of business.
Reading: Chapter 1
Case: Facebook: when your friends are worth a billion, pg.36
INTERNAL CHALLENGES
SESSION 2: The Employee-Employer Relationship
Learning Goal: Organizations fundamentally are about people and the relationships between “bosses”
and employees. This session aims to examine this labour relationship, with a particular emphasis on
the perspectives that shape debates about how that relationship should be governed. Should businesses
and workers be free to negotiate conditions of work, or should the government closely monitor and
influence those conditions? What explains the high volume of government regulation targeting the
labour relationship in Canada?
Reading: Chapter 2
Case: Immigrants unsure about labour rights, pg.74
SESSION 3: Managing the Workforce
Learning Goal: Organizations that succeed can only do so with the support of their organizational
members. The aim of this session is to achieve an understanding of the roles of managers in the
workplace. We will examine the fundamental philosophies underlying different management styles.
You will become familiar with the classical approaches and the behavioural approaches to
management. We will also consider the importance and role of trust in the workplace.
Reading: Chapter 3
Case: Kicking Horse Coffee, pg.112
SESSION 4: Establishing the Structure of a Business
Learning Goal: In recent years, many companies have reduced the number of levels in their hierarchy,
others have undergone a change in their whole business process, while others have simply closed
down. The aim of this session is to examine some of the approaches that organizations have adopted
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with regard to structure and design, including reengineering, downsizing, and going virtual. We will
also examine the reasons behind these changes and consider more generally the question, “What
determines how an organization is designed?”
Reading: Chapter 4
Case: Pixar: No Mickey Mouse Organization, pg.157
SESSION 5: Business Strategy
Learning Goal: The ability to respond effectively to the business environment is the fundamental
challenge of strategic management. The aim of this session is to identify the forces that shape industry
structure and consider how they influence business and corporate level strategies. We will examine
several major strategic business models and develop an understanding of strategic management and its
relationship to the external environment.
Reading: Chapter 5
Case: Lululemon: For the Love of Yoga, pg.189
SESSION 6 MIDTERM EXAM: (during class time, 2.5 hours, CLOSED-BOOK EXAM)
EXTERNAL CHALLENGES
SESSION 7: Competitive & Technological Forces
Learning Goal: Why do industry-leading firms sometimes lose their market position to rivals? Why do
some entrepreneurial firms fail to survive and grow following early marketplace successes? These
questions can be addressed through an understanding of industry life cycles and competitive behaviour.
We will see how an industry’s stage of evolution is a critical determinant of the degree and type of
competition faced by businesses.
Reading: Chapter 7
Case: Has soda lost its fizz?, pg.265
SESSION 8: Global Forces
Learning Goal: In this session, we will examine different types of global business activity and identify
the fundamental driving forces behind globalization. We will discuss one of the central controversies
of globalization: the multinational corporation and its impact on host countries. We will also aim to
understand why nations desire, or do not desire, to promote international trade, including an
examination of the pros and cons of Canada’s free trade agreement with the United States. The
implications of foreign ownership and trade will also be addressed.
Reading: Chapter 8
Case: Beijing and the Calgary oil sands, pg.306
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SESSION 9: Political Forces
Learning Goal: Should the Canadian government take a more active role in the welfare of Canadian
industry? In this chapter, we will examine how government can intervene in business activity while
fulfilling its role as both guardian of society and guardian of business. We will consider current and
critically important trends regarding the shift toward reduced government involvement in the business
sector. We will discuss the impact of government actions on business with special attention given to
issues such as government subsidies and regulation. We will also explore the trends toward
deregulation & privatization.
Reading: Chapter 9
Case: The wireless service industry in Canada, pg.350
SESSION 10: Societal Forces & Sustainability
Learning Goal: The purpose of this session is to draw attention to the ethical dimension of business. To
this end we will examine models of ethical reasoning in organizations. We consider what societal roles
and responsibilities businesses owe to their stakeholders. We define and discuss the notion of corporate
social responsibility and analyze the debate regarding what role business should play in this area. This
session also examines the importance of sustainability and the benefits and challenges it presents to
business.
Reading: Chapter 10, and selected pages from Chapter 11 (p.408-409; p.426-433)
Case: Joe Fresh and the Bangladesh Tragedy, pg.400
SESSION 11: Confronting Change
Learning Goal: To succeed in today’s business environment requires the ability to quickly adapt to
changing market conditions. In this session, we will examine the forces for change and identify
organizational approaches to facilitate change. Within this discussion, the concept of the “learning
organization” will be explored. In addition, we will consider how organizations may facilitate or
impede change.
Reading: Chapter 12
Case: When good companies go bad: the case of Kodak, pg.484
SESSION 12: Exam Review
RELEVANT UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS
Deferred Exams: Deferred standing may be granted to students who are unable to write their final
examination at the scheduled time or to submit their outstanding course work on the last day of classes.
In order to apply for deferred standing, students must complete a Deferred Standing Agreement (DSA)
form and submit their request no later than five (5) business days from the date of the exam. The
request must be properly submitted with supporting documentation directly to the main office of the
School of Administrative Studies (282 Atkinson), NOT to the Course Director. These requests will be
considered on their merit. Students can check the status of their requests by logging in the link for
Status of Deferred Exams Request: http://www.yorku.ca/laps/sas/links.html
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Students with approved DSA will be able to write their deferred examination during the School's
deferred examination period. No further extensions of deferred exams shall be granted. The format and
covered content of the deferred examination may be different from that of the originally scheduled
examination. The deferred exam may be closed book, cumulative and comprehensive and may include
all subjects/topics of the textbook whether they have been covered in class or not. Any request for
deferred standing on medical grounds must include an Attending Physician's Statement form; a
“Doctor’s Note” will not be accepted.
DSA Form: http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/pdf/deferred_standing_agreement.pdf
Attending Physician's Statement form:
http://www.yorku.ca/laps/council/students/documents/APS.pdf
The deferred exam period for the Summer 2014 term shall be held in the period of September 26, 27,
28, 2014.
Academic Honesty: The School of Administrative Studies considers breaches of the Senate Policy on
Academic Honesty to be serious matters. The Policy on Academic Honesty is an affirmation and
clarification for members of the University of the general obligation to maintain the highest standards
of academic honesty. As a clear sense of academic honesty and responsibility is fundamental to good
scholarship, the policy recognizes the general responsibility of all faculty members to foster acceptable
standards of academic conduct and of the student to be mindful of and abide by such standards.
Suspected breaches of academic honesty will be investigated and charges shall be laid if reasonable
and probable grounds exist. Students should review the York Academic Honesty policy for themselves
at:
http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/document.php?document=69
Students might also wish to review the interactive on-line Tutorial for students on academic integrity,
at: http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/
Students must be aware of their rights and responsibilities, for more detail please visit:
http://www.yorku.ca/laps/students/rights.html
Grading Scheme and Feedback Policy: The grading scheme (i.e. kinds and weights of assignments,
essays, exams, etc.) shall be announced, and be available in writing, within the first two weeks of class,
and, under normal circumstances, graded feedback worth at least 15% of the final grade for Fall,
Winter or Summer Term, and 30% for ‘full year’ courses offered in the Fall/Winter Term be received
by students in all courses prior to the final withdrawal date from a course without receiving a grade,
with the following exceptions:
Note: Under unusual and/or unforeseeable circumstances which disrupt the academic norm, instructors
are expected to provide grading schemes and academic feedback in the spirit of these regulations, as
soon as possible. For more information on the Grading Scheme and Feedback Policy, please visit:
http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/document.php?document=86
In-Class Tests and Exams - the 20% Rule: For all Undergraduate courses, except those which regularly
meet on Friday evening, on a weekend or are on-line, tests or exams worth more than 20% will not be
held in the two weeks prior to the beginning of the official examination period. For further information
on the 20% Rule, please visit:
http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/document.php?document=141
For further information on examination scheduling please refer to the following:
http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/enrol/dates/index.htm
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Reappraisals: Students may, with sufficient academic grounds, request that a final grade in a course be
reappraised (which may mean the review of specific pieces of tangible work). Non-academic grounds
are not relevant for grade reappraisals; in such cases, students are advised to petition to their home
Faculty. Students are normally expected to first contact the course director to discuss the grade
received and to request that their tangible work be reviewed. Tangible work may include written,
graphic, digitized, modeled, video recording or audio recording formats, but not oral work. Students
need to be aware that a request for a grade reappraisal may result in the original grade being raised,
lowered or confirmed. For reappraisal procedures and information, please visit the Office of the
Registrar site at:
http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/grades/reappraisal/index.htm
Accommodation Procedures: LA&PS students who have experienced a misfortune or who are too ill to
attend the final examination in an ADMS course should not attempt to do so; they must pursue
deferred standing. Other students should contact their home Faculty for information. For further
information, please visit:
http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/exams/deferred/index.htm
Religious Accommodation: York University is committed to respecting the religious beliefs and
practices of all members of the community, and making accommodations for observances of special
significance to adherents. For more information on religious accommodation, please visit:
https://w2prod.sis.yorku.ca/Apps/WebObjects/cdm.woa/wa/regobs
Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities: The nature and extent of accommodations
shall be consistent with and supportive of the integrity of the curriculum and of the academic standards
of programs or courses. Provided that students have given sufficient notice about their accommodation
needs, instructors shall take reasonable steps to accommodate these needs in a manner consistent with
the guidelines established hereunder. For more information please visit the Disabilities Services
website at http://www.yorku.ca/dshub/
York’s disabilities offices and the Registrar’s Office work in partnership to support alternate exam and
test accommodation services for students with disabilities at the Keele campus. For more information
on alternate exams and tests please visit http://www.yorku.ca/altexams/
Please alert the Course Director as soon as possible should you require special accommodation.