MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
SPRING 2015-2016
BA 2206—ORGANIZATION THEORY
Tuesdays and Thursdays TBA/G110
INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Nazlı Wasti Pamuksuz
Room: H122
Tel: 2102010
Email: nazli@metu.edu.tr
Office Hours: TBA and by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The purpose of this course is to use lectures, videos, class exercises, and case studies to introduce
students to theories and concepts that are useful in understanding organizations. Given the domination
of organizations in society, it is important to understand and subsequently use the tools provided by
organization theory in order to better understand how organizations affect us and how we can shape
them. This course is meant to provide students with some of those tools, allowing them to better analyze
complicated organizations and organizational situations, and to discover ways of dealing more
effectively with them.
Hence the course learning outcomes are:
 To identify multiple perspectives on organizations
 To be able to apply these various perspectives in analyzing organizations and organizational problems
 To assess various organizational configurations and identify appropriate ones for the situation.
TEXT
Jones, Gareth R., Organizational Theory, Design, and Change: Text and Cases, 7th Edition, Prentice-Hall, 2013
(Available in library reserve. Students can also use older editions of this text; however, they will be
responsible for tracking which chapter corresponds to the material covered in class.)
Powerpoint slides for the course can be found in the METUCLASS system.
TENTATIVE GRADING SCHEME (Approximate weights):
3 mid-term exams:
95% total
Class participation:
5%
This class does not have a final exam.
Tentative midterm dates: April 1, May 2 and May 26, 2016; 17.45
Mid-term Exams: These will be true-false and multiple-choice exams. Everything in the chapters covered,
class discussions, and cases covered will be included. You will not be allowed to use class material,
dictionaries, cellular phones, etc. during the exams. The mid-term exams will cover everything since the
beginning of the term or since the last mid-term exam.
Class participation: A significant portion of the class will be spent discussing the related readings or cases.
Please note that attendance does NOT mean participation. You are encouraged to demonstrate your
knowledge of the assigned material or make comments during class. You may also be called on randomly.
This means that you are expected to have read the material prior to class. In participation, quality is more
important than quantity. Students who have not submitted their Student Information Sheets (in
METUCLASS system) by March 3, 2016 will NOT receive a participation grade.
TENTATIVE PROGRAM FOR THE SEMESTER
I will not be trying to finish a particular chapter at a given time and will allow the discussions to determine
how long a topic lasts. Once we finish a topic, you are expected to start reading the next one without me
saying so.
February 23-25: NO CLASS—MAKEUP SESSIONS WILL BE HELD ON FEB 29 AND MAR 1 AT 17.45: OT
definitions, measures of effectiveness—Jones Chapter 1, 2, case discussion
March 1-10: Organizational environment—Jones Chapter 3, case discussion
March 15-29: Basic definitions to describe organizations—Jones Chapter 4, case discussion
March 22-24: NO CLASS—MAKEUP SESSIONS WILL BE HELD ON MAR 29 AND MAR 31 AT 17.45: Weber
and bureaucracy—Jones Chapter 5, in class exercise, Modern Times video, Historical Perspetives video
April 1: MIDTERM 1
April 5-14: Organizational design—Jones Chapter 6, case discussion
April 19-21: Organizational culture—Jones Chapter 7, case discussion, Southwest Airlines video
April 26-28: Organizational design in an international environment—Jones Chapter 8
May 2: MIDTERM 2
May 3-10: Organizational technology—Jones Chapter 9, King Soopers Bakery video, case discussion.
May 12-26: Organizational life cycle—Jones Chapter 11, case discussion, Nantucket Nectars video
(NO CLASS ON MAY 19)
May 27: MIDTERM 3
Revisions in the program may be made and extra class sessions may be arranged as necessary.
CLASS RULES:
Please do not come if you are not willing to obey the following rules. If you do come, I will assume you
accept the following:
1. If the classroom door has been closed, it means I have started lecturing, so please do NOT open the door
and distract everybody.
2. Please switch off your cellular phones prior to coming to class and do NOT send messages during class
time. If you are expecting an urgent call, please wait for it outside the classroom or inform me of your
excuse.
3. If you are too sleepy to listen, please take your nap outside the classroom. Likewise, if you would rather
talk to your friends or read material unrelated to the class, please do all that outside.
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GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY THE CLASS!
Middle East Technical University
Department of Business Administration
Rules of Academic Honesty
Cheating: All university, faculty, and department principles on academic honesty will be strictly enforced.
The usual consequence for academic dishonesty is failure in the course and additional disciplinary action.
Examinations are individual and are to be completed without unauthorized outside assistance. Persons
observed cheating during examinations will automatically receive a failing grade in the course.
Homework assignments are individual, unless otherwise specified by the instructor, and are to be
completed without unauthorized outside assistance as well. Persons observed cheating in their
homework assignments will receive a score of zero for the portion of the semester grade that is allocated
to such assignments. In addition to the consequences above, the instructor will initiate disciplinary action
against the student(s) involved in academic dishonesty.
Plagiarism: The instructor assumes that students will do their own work. By placing their names
(individual or team) on assignments, students are affirming that the contents are their original work.
Ideas should be stated in the student’s own wording. Violation of this provision will be considered as
unethical behavior, subject to disciplinary action. If you have any doubt about the use of a specific
material, see the instructor ahead of time.
Civility in the Classroom: Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment which
is conducive to learning. In order to assure that all students have an opportunity to gain from time spent
in class, students are prohibited from using cellular phones or beepers, eating or drinking in class, arriving
late or leaving early without prior permission, or engaging in any other form of distraction. Inappropriate
behavior in classroom shall result in, minimally, a request to leave class.
Examination Rules: Students must present a valid METU Student ID before they can be allowed into the
examination rooms. Those students who cannot present this ID will not be allowed into the examination
room under any circumstances. Cellular phones must be turned off and stowed away during the
examinations. Students whose phones are observed to be turned on and/or not stowed away will receive
a score of zero for the examination.
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