School of Business and Economics
Department of Management
1200 Murchison Road
Fayetteville, NC
28301-4298
MGMT 615 Organizational Behavior
I.
LOCATOR INFORMATION
Semester:
Summer 2015 6/1-7/31
Course Number and Name: MGMT 615 Organizational Behavior
Number of Credit Hrs:
3
Day and Time:
Online
Classroom
Online
Instructor:
Dr. Eric B. Dent
Office Location:
SBE 360
Home Phone:
910-738-4997
E-mail Address:
edent@uncfsu.edu
Office Hours:
By appointment
FSU Policy on Electronic Mail: Fayetteville State University provides to each student, free of
charge, an electronic mail account (username@broncos.uncfsu.edu) that is easily accessible via
the Internet. The university has established FSU email as the primary mode of correspondence
between university officials and enrolled students. Inquiries and requests from students
pertaining to academic records, grades, bills, financial aid, and other matters of a confidential
nature must be submitted via FSU email. Inquiries or requests from personal email accounts are
not assured a response. The university maintains open-use computer laboratories throughout the
campus that can be used to access electronic mail. Rules and regulations governing the use of
FSU email may be found at http://www.uncfsu.edu/PDFs/EmailPolicyFinal.pdf
II. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is a combination of understanding theoretical
concepts, applying them through a simulation-based approach to learning, and then relating the
behavioral concepts to real life experiences with management and organizations. The topics to
be covered fall into three major categories: (1) individual behavior and processes, (2) team
processes, and (3) organizational processes.
Note: If you are not familiar with Blackboard, visit the Student Support Site at
http://www.uncfsu.edu/onlineeducation/getting-started
for the Online Orientation to Blackboard.
III. DISABLED STUDENT SERVICES
In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities
ACT (ACA) of 1990, if you have a disability or think you have a disability please contact the
Center for Personal Development in the Spaulding building, Room 155 (1’st floor); 910-6721203.
IV. TITLE IX – SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
Fayetteville State University (University) is committed to fostering a safe campus environment
where sexual misconduct — including sexual harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual
assault, and stalking - is unacceptable and is not tolerated. The University encourages students
who may have experienced sexual misconduct to speak with someone at the University so that
the University can provide the support that is needed and respond appropriately. The Sexual
Misconduct policy can be found at the following link:
http://www.uncfsu.edu/Documents/Policy/students/SexualMisconduct.pdf
Consulting with a Health Care Professional - A student who wishes to confidentially speak
about an incident of sexual misconduct should contact either of the following individuals who
are required to maintain confidentiality:
Ms. Pamela C. Fisher
Licensed Professional Counselor
Spaulding Building, Room 165
(910) 672-387
psmith@uncfsu.edu
Ms. Linda Melvin
Director, Student Health Services
Spaulding Building, Room 121
(910) 672-1454
lmelvi10@uncfsu.edu
Reporting an Incident of Sexual Misconduct - The University encourages students to report
incidents of sexual misconduct. A student who wishes to report sexual misconduct or has
questions about University policies and procedures regarding sexual misconduct should contact
the following individual:
Ms. Victoria Ratliff
Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Students
Spaulding Building, Room 155
(910) 672-1222
vratliff@uncfsu.edu
Unlike the Licensed Professional Counselor or the Director of Student Health Services, the
Deputy Title IX Coordinator is legally obligated to investigate reports of sexual misconduct, and
therefore cannot guarantee confidentiality, but a request for confidentiality will be considered
and respected to the extent possible.
Students are also encouraged to report incidents of sexual misconduct to the University’s Police and
Public Safety Department at (910) 672-1911.
V. TEXTBOOK
Required textbook:
1. McShane, S. & Von Glinow, M. A. (2014). Organizational Behavior, 7th Ed., McGraw-Hill,
ISBN 9780077862589.
2. Virtual Leader Simulation available through SimuLearn. Recognized by The Academy of
Management, The American Society of Training and Development and Training Media Review.
See Blackboard under Course Information for instructions on how to purchase the simulation.
VI. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
The course is intended to facilitate cognitive learning, increased self awareness and interpersonal
skill development. Students should benefit through:
 Increased understanding of concepts and theories of organization behavior
 Building skills for continuous learning by learning how to learn from experience
 Developing your leadership skills in a multi-scenario based simulation followed by analyzing
your performance and comparing your approaches with other class members and the
simulation’s suggested best approach.
 Greater awareness of individual differences and their impact on group and organizational
effectiveness
 Knowledge of various leadership models and how they impact organization performance
 Improved understanding of group behavior and ways of building effective teams
VII. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA
A.
Grade Distribution
Virtual Leader Scenarios
30%
Research Paper
20%
Quizzes
10%
Discussion Boards
20%
Final Exam
20%
B.
Grading Scale
90 - 100% = A
80 - 89% = B
70 - 79% = C
Below 70 = F
Please note the following University policies:
INTERIM GRADE X = NO SHOW – Assigned to students who are on a class roster, but never
attend class. For warning purposes only; NOT a final grade.
INTERIM GRADE EA = EXCESSIVE ABSENCES - Assigned to students whose class absences
exceed 10% of the total contact hours. For warning purposes only, NOT a final grade.
FN = FAILURE DUE TO NON-ATTENDANCE – Assigned to students who are on class roster, but
never attend the class. An FN grades is equivalent to an F grade in the calculation of the GPA.
NOTE TO STUDENTS ABOUT CLASS WITHDRAWALS:



Students receive no refund for withdrawing from individual classes and they slow their
progress toward degree completion.
Students who withdraw from or fail more than one-third of their classes will no longer be
eligible for financial aid.
STUDENTS MUST STRIVE TO EARN CREDIT FOR ALL THE CLASSES IN WHICH THEY
ENROLL. STUDENTS SHOULD WITHDRAW FROM CLASSES ONLY WHEN IT IS
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
NOTE: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO READ AND UNDERSTAND THE
FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS COURSE.
1. Technology Requirements
This course assumes you already have a demonstrated competence in basic computer skills as
listed below. If you are not familiar with the items listed below, you will need to use tutorials,
additional self-help tools, or campus resources to improve your competency.
o Blackboard Interface. You should be familiar with blackboard, including the use of on-line
quizzes and accessing information.
o The Internet. You must be capable of using the Internet, especially for purposes of getting
course-related information from the web page of the textbook hosted by the publisher. The
professor may also send you email updates requiring that you visit selected web sites as part
of the participation portion of the course and/or homework and tests.
o Email Services. You must be proficient in sending and receiving email, including the use of
attachments. And, you need to check your e-mail often for course updates/announcements..
o Turnitin software. You will be required to upload writing assignments to Turnitin.
Instructions will be given to you.
2. Online Participation (Discussion Board)
Participating on the discussion board is very similar to class participation in a face to face class.
In this course, the discussion board is 20% of your grade. Discussion posts will be due on
Thursday and Sunday of the week that they are assigned.
The basic rule for this course is that you are expected to join the discussion board at least twice a
week and complete assignments on a timely basis. Students are expected to:
 Post a minimum of 150 words.
 Read assignments in advance of joining the discussion board. It is often helpful to start
your response with a brief definition of the concept.
 Read other class members’ input and respect their views, even when different from your
own

Enter into exercises or simulations with an open mind and help make this learning
experience useful for yourself and others.
 Write your response using good grammar and spelling. I consider the discussion board a
form of business communication so organize your thoughts, be clear, direct and concise.
No texting abbreviations.
Your participation on the discussion board will be graded using the rubric posted on Blackboard.
I will post your participation grade for each week in the grade center.
3. Quizzes Due on Sunday of the week assigned
The quizzes consist mainly of multi-choice questions. You can take the quizzes three times to
improve your score. When you get answers wrong, go back and reread the section of the
textbook that relates to the question. The quizzes are due on the date that they are listed on the
syllabus. No late quizzes will be accepted.
4. Virtual Leader Exercises Due on Sunday of the Week that they are assigned
The Virtual Leader simulation consists of five scenarios. Virtual Leader allows you to assume
the role of leader in a simulated environment, and to receive a score on how well you respond to
typical leadership situations. You can practice and are expected to practice the scenarios several
times to fine tune your leadership style. Be sure to read the simulation workbook because it
provides strategies that will help you improve your score. After completing the scenario, you are
required to submit a paper (Key Learning Points) answering a set of questions posted on the
Blackboard. Your grade for the scenario will be 50% your VL score and 50% your paper grade.
5. Research Paper on Best Practices of Corporations due July 9th
You are to select one of the concepts from the course and do further research on the best
practices of corporations related to this concept. For example, you may be interested in
knowledge management and want to write your paper on this concept. You should then find
journal articles that describe how companies are building and utilizing their intellectual capital
by applying knowledge management practices. The expectation is that you would describe at
least three companies and their best practices and base the paper on at least ten references. In
addition to the content, the way you present your ideas on paper will contribute to the grade.
This includes the organization of the paper, logic flow, development of ideas, grammar, spelling,
and mechanics. The following guideline will be used. You need to get the topic for your paper
approved by me.
Thesis and Organization
20%
Well organized: clear statement of the thesis, body paragraphs supporting thesis, and conclusion
Use of References
30%

Well researched: Demonstrate a good understanding of the journal articles you have
found and integrate them effectively into your paper. Select thoughtful journal articles.
Reference the journal articles correctly in your paper: Use APA; if you are not familiar
with this style or writing use the APA writing manual.
Assessment of the Best Practices
30%
 Well thought out: Add your thinking to what you have researched. Compare and contrast
different company’s best practices, add your own experience, assess feasibility of practices
and/or provide your evaluation of the effectiveness of the various approaches
Grammar, Spelling and Mechanics
20%
 Well written: Clean of errors in spelling, grammar and mechanics
6. Final Exam
The final exam will be a based on what you have learned throughout the course including
concepts from the textbook and from the scenarios in the Virtual Leader. The final exam will be
proctored in accordance with the UNC system proctoring service.
7. Academic Dishonesty
Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and may be punished by failure on exam; failure in
course; and/or expulsion from the University. Plagiarism is a serious academic and business
(legal) offense and is considered theft of intellectual property. Please visit the Georgetown
University web site (http://www.georgetown.edu/honor/plagiarism.html) for plagiarism
discussions. All students enrolled in FSU classes at all levels are responsible for knowing what
constitutes plagiarism. Whether by design or by accident, plagiarized content is unacceptable.
There are no explanatory circumstances.
Plagiarism occurs when:

Students submit work that directly quotes or paraphrases the work of another, without
specific citation of the passages crediting the creator of the work

Students combine the works of another with their own original effort, including comments on
those passages, without specific citation of the passages crediting the creator of the work.

Students include a list of references at the end of an assignment but do not indicate which
words or passages specifically (by use of quotation marks) are from those sources and which
words or passages are original work
8. Policy on Missed or Late Assignments - All assignments are considered due before 11:55
on the due date. Make-up quizzes will not be given. Missed quizzes will result in a zero.
Assignments will be assessed a late penalty of 10% per day, with a maximum of 50% credit
after 5th day of tardiness. No assignments will be accepted after the sixth day except if you
have been granted an extension in advance by the instructor. This applies to written
assignments as well as discussion board postings.
VIII. COMMUNICATION WITH THE INSTRUCTOR
This is an online course using Blackboard (http://blackboard.uncfsu.edu/). All class
announcements and materials such as syllabus, handouts, and presentations are available on
Blackboard. The grade book posts all student grades associated with tests and assignments, but
it does not calculate your midterm or final grade. You should use the Blackboard grade book to
review your grades and then refer to the syllabus for the weighting (%) to calculate your course
grade. Please check the Blackboard frequently for updates related to the class, especially read all
announcements.
I will primarily use the Blackboard’s e-mail system to communicate to students. Although you
can change your e-mail address in Blackboard, the University’s Banner system updates
Blackboard weekly and will change your e-mail address back to your FSU e-mail address so it is
essential that you check your FSU e-mail.
Contacting the Instructor: My preferred means of communicating is by e-mail and I do check email several times a day. Even if you want to talk with me on the phone, it may be best to also email and set up a time to talk. My home phone number is listed on Blackboard. During the
summer months I am not if my office at the university and do not check my voice mail.
Submitting Assignments: All assignments must be submitted through Assignments on
Blackboard.
IX.
COURSE OUTLINE WITH ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
ALL QUIZZES AND VIRTUAL LEADER SCENARIO ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE DUE
ON SUNDAY OF THE WEEK THAT THEY ARE ASSIGNED. WHEN THERE ARE
TWO DISCUSSION BOARD POSTS, THE FIRST IS DUE BY THURSDAY AND THE
SECOND BY SUNDAY.
JUNE
Week of:
1st
Introduction to the Field of OB
Chapt 1
Individual Behavior, Personality, and values
Chapt 2
Introduction of Class Members
Discussion Board Week One (two forums for participation)
Quizzes 1-2
8th
Perceiving Ourselves and Others in Organizations
Chapt 3
Workplace Emotions, Attitudes and Stress
Chapt 4
Virtual Leader Practice Sessions 1 – 5
Discussion Board Week Two (two forums for participation)
Quizzes 3-4
VL Learning the Principles Quiz
15th
Foundations of Employee Motivation
Virtual Leader Scenario 1
Chapt 5
Discussion Board Week Three (two forums for participation)
Key Learning Points for Scenario 1
Quiz 5
22nd
Decision Making and Creativity
Chapt 7
Team Dynamics
Chapt 8
Virtual Leader Scenario 2
Discussion Board Week Four (two forums for participation)
Key Learning Points for Scenario 2
Quizzes 7-8
29th
Summer break
Research Paper Due: July 9th, Wednesday
JULY
Week of:
7th
Communicating in Teams and Organizations
Chapt 9
Virtual Leader Scenario 3
Discussion Board Week Six (one forum for participation)
Key Learning Points for Scenario 3
Quiz 9
Research Paper Due: July 9th, Wednesday
14th
Power and Influence in the Workplace
Chapt 10
Conflict and Negotiation in the Workplace
Chapt 11
Virtual Leader Scenario 4
Discussion Board Week Seven (two forums for participation)
Key Learning Points for Scenario 4
Quizzes 10-11
21st
Organization Culture
Chapt 14
Virtual Leader Scenario 5
Discussion Board Week Eight(one forum for participation)
Key Learning Points for Scenario 5
Quiz 14
JULY/AUGUST
Week of:
28th
Organizational Change
Quiz 15
Final Exam Due by: July 31st
X. BIBLIOGRAPHY
The following references are additional resources for this class.
Chapt 15
Allison, J. (2014). Leadership crisis and the free market cure. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Gentile, M. C. (2010). Giving voice to values: How to speak your mind when you know what's
right. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Latham, G. P. (2009). Becoming the evidence-based manager. Boston: Davies-Black.
Lawrence, Paul R. (2010). Driven to lead: Good, bad, and misguided leadership. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Mackey, J., & Sisodia, R. (2013). Conscious capitalism: Liberating the heroic spirit of
business. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
Pflaeging, N. (2014). Organize for complexity. New York: BetaCodex Publishing.
Pfeffer, J. & Sutton, R. I. (2006). Hard facts, dangerous half-truths, and total nonsense:
profiting from evidence-based management. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Rosenzweig, Phil (2007). The halo effect: ... and the eight other business delusions that deceive
managers. New York: Free Press.
Stewart, Matthew (2009). The management myth: Why the experts keep getting it wrong. New
York: W. W. Norton & Company.