Riyadh Philanthropic Society for Science
Prince Sultan University
College of Business Administration
‫مؤسسة الرياض الخيرية للعلوم‬
‫جامعة األمير سلطان‬
‫كلية إدارة األعمال‬
Department of Marketing & Management
BUS 201 – Organizational Behavior
Credit: 3 (3,0,0)
Instructor
:
Office
#
Phone
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E-mail
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Office Hours :
Prerequisite: BUS 101
Dr. George Thomas
A - 245
4548011 - 304
gthomas@fnm.psu.edu.sa
See the working schedule put in my website and affixed on my office door.
Course Description and Objectives
This course introduces the students to the basic concept of organizational behavior and
exposes them to the actual practices of such concepts in business through real–life case
studies. The major topics of emphasis in this course include fundamentals of organizational
behavior; motivation and reward systems; leadership and empowerment; individual and
interpersonal behavior; group dynamics, stress management; and emerging aspects of
organizational behavior.
The course is one of an introductory level; hence, the focus would be more on conceptual
aspects than on their applications. Upon completion, the course is expected to realize the
following specific objectives.
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
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To familiarize students with the conceptual aspects of organizational behavior and to
expose them to the inter-disciplinary skills required to mange the human factor in an
organization.
To facilitate understanding behavior in organization at individual, group and
organizational levels.
To enable predicting behavior in organization at different levels and to apply
psychological techniques for improving motivation and inculcating desirable attitudes
among employees.
To develop leadership qualities essential for achieving goals of an organization and to
train on scientific decision-making practices, especially on the human factor in an
organization.
Text Required
John W. Newstrom; Organizational Behavior – Human Behavior at Work, 12th Edition,
McGraw-Hill, Boston; 2007.
Reference Book
Stephen P. Robbins; Organizational Behavior, 11th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2005.
P.O. Box No. 66833, Riyadh - 11586, Tel. No. 454-8011, 454-8489 - Fax No. 4548317
‫مؤسسة الرياض الخيرية للعلوم‬
Riyadh Philanthropic Society for Science
‫جامعة األمير سلطان‬
Prince Sultan University
College of Business Administration
‫كلية إدارة األعمال‬
Department of Marketing & Management
Grading
Your grade will be based on the following:
First Major Exam
15%
Second Major Exam
20%
Final Exam
40%
Assignments & Case studies 15%
Class-Participation
10%
Class participation means making meaningful contributions and showing evidence of
preparation during the discussion of the issues in the class. You may be a proficient problem
solver, but if you are unable to communicate with your peers about possible solutions, your
abilities will never become apparent, either in this class or in any other setting. On the other
hand, even if you are very good at communication, you must be able to back up your
assertions with reliable evidence and logic. Having the wrong numbers or an incorrect
analysis may not be detrimental to your grade if you have reasonable support for your
assertions. Half of the class-participation marks would be awarded, based on your attendance
level, as follows.
Number of
Absences
4 or less
5
6
7
8
Score awarded
5.0 / 5.0
4.5 / 5.0
4.0 / 5.0
3.5 / 5.0
3.0 / 5.0
Number of
Absences
9
10
11
12
13 & Above
Score awarded
2.5 / 5.0
2.0 / 5.0
1.5 / 5.0
1.0 / 5.0
DN or Zero
During the semester, you will be given few assignments and case studies. They together will
count for 15% of your final grade. The purpose of the assignments is not only to broaden
your understanding on the specific topic but also to familiarize you with the literature on
organizational behavior. Besides, this will help you to practice for the exams.
Case studies, of late, have become an indispensable tool of business management learning. It
is, rather, impractical for a business management teacher to put his students into real world
business situations and teach them. Hence, case studies are increasingly resorted to bring the
real world business situation into a classroom setting. A case material would present you a
real world business experience condensed into manageable information of relevance in an
assumed decision context. Based on the material, you will be asked to do homework to
identify and state the problem with specificity, list out the alternatives available to solve the
problem, weigh the alternatives, and pick the appropriate one in the decision context. That
will be further discussed in the class to sharpen your decision-making skill. Also, it may
enable you to identify and appreciate the areas in which your knowledge on organizational
behavior could be applied into. The deadline given for the assignments and case studies
should be strictly adhered to.
P.O. Box No. 66833, Riyadh - 11586, Tel. No. 454-8011, 454-8489 - Fax No. 4548317
Riyadh Philanthropic Society for Science
Prince Sultan University
College of Business Administration
Department of Marketing & Management
‫مؤسسة الرياض الخيرية للعلوم‬
‫جامعة األمير سلطان‬
‫كلية إدارة األعمال‬
The midterm and final examinations will follow the normal college pattern. However, care
will be given to elicit your ability to transform the theoretical understanding into realistic
settings.
DN Policy
Any student, who earns 13 absences, will be recommended for DN. The absences will be
counted from the day first of the official start of classes given in the semester calendar, no
matter when the student has actually registered the course. Besides, any student who is late
by more than five minutes after the scheduled start of a class will be marked absent, and such
absences will also be counted for DN purpose.
Indicative Course Contents
Week 1
Read selected pages from Chapter 1
 Understanding organizational behavior
 Fundamental concepts of organizational behavior
 Challenges and opportunities for organizational behavior
Week 2
Read selected pages from Chapter 2
 An organizational behavior system
 Models of organizational behavior
 Case study
Week 3
Read selected pages from Chapter 3
 Communication fundamentals
 Upward and downward communication
Informal communication
Week 4
Read selected pages from Chapter 4
 Role
 Status
 Organizational culture
Week 5
Read selected pages from Chapter 5
 Motivational drives
 Human needs and motivation
 Content theories of motivation
First Major Exam
P.O. Box No. 66833, Riyadh - 11586, Tel. No. 454-8011, 454-8489 - Fax No. 4548317
Riyadh Philanthropic Society for Science
Prince Sultan University
College of Business Administration
Department of Marketing & Management
‫مؤسسة الرياض الخيرية للعلوم‬
‫جامعة األمير سلطان‬
‫كلية إدارة األعمال‬
Week 6
Read selected pages from Chapter 5 and additional hand-outs given
 Behavior modification
 Goal setting
 The expectancy model of motivation
Week 7
Read selected pages from Chapter 5 and additional hand-outs given
 The equity model of motivation
 Motivational applications
 Case study on motivation
Week 8
Read selected pages from Chapter 6
 Organizational behavior and performance appraisal
 Economic incentive systems
 Review of previous portions
Week 9
Read selected pages from Chapter 7
 The nature of leadership, and behavioral approaches to leadership styles
 Consideration v/s structure – Blake and Mouton’s managerial grid
 Contingency approaches to leadership style
Week 10
Read selected pages from Chapter 8
 The nature of empowerment and participation
 The participative process
 Programs for participation
Second Major Exam
Week 10
Read selected pages from Chapter 9
 Employee attitudes
 Job satisfaction
 Effects of employee attitudes
Week 11
Read selected pages from Chapter 11 and additional handouts given
 Conflict in organizations
 A model of conflict
 Conflict resolution strategies
Week 12
Read selected pages from Chapter 11 and additional handouts given
 Transactional analysis
 Application of TA
 Role play or management game
P.O. Box No. 66833, Riyadh - 11586, Tel. No. 454-8011, 454-8489 - Fax No. 4548317
Riyadh Philanthropic Society for Science
Prince Sultan University
College of Business Administration
Department of Marketing & Management
‫مؤسسة الرياض الخيرية للعلوم‬
‫جامعة األمير سلطان‬
‫كلية إدارة األعمال‬
Week 13
Read selected pages from Chapter 12
 Group dynamics
 Informal organizations
 Formal groups
Week 14
Read selected pages from Chapter 13
 Organizations and teamwork
 Team building
 Management game or case study on team building
Week 15
Read selected pages from Chapter 15
 Employee stress
 Employee counseling
 Types of counseling
Week 16
Read selected pages from Chapter 16
 Managing an international workforce
 Summary briefing
 Review of the previous portions.
Final examination
P.O. Box No. 66833, Riyadh - 11586, Tel. No. 454-8011, 454-8489 - Fax No. 4548317