Course Syllabus

Course Information

BA 3361.501 – Organizational Behavior

Fall 2008
MW: 5:30 – 6:45 P. M.
Room: SOM 1.217

Professor Contact Information

Professor: Rich Reed

Phone: 972.883.4748 (shared phone);
214-587-4959 (emergency only)
E-Mail: Please use WebCT internal e-mail only
Office: SOM 4.104 (office hours location)
Office Hours: Tuesday 3:00-5:00 P. M. (or by appointment)
Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions

None

Course Description

Welcome to Organizational Behavior (OB). This is a particularly important course

because in it you will learn how individuals and groups impact and influence behavior in
the places where you will work and spend a large percentage of your time. Your
knowledge of how and why people in work settings behave as they do and your
application of that knowledge can be key factors to your success as future managers and
executives. OB is a field of systematic study that focuses on improving productivity,
enhancing quality, and assisting practitioners to develop methods to empower people and
to enhance their functioning in their workplaces. We live in a world characterized by
rapid change, globalization, and diversity. In this course, you will gain knowledge about
these trends as well as guidance for managers interested in creating an ethically and
healthy work climate. Get ready to learn how to challenge your intuitive assumptions
about workplace behavior by learning and applying the findings based on systematic
research.

There are many different types of learning activities in this class. I have structured the
course so that varied learning preferences are accommodated. Given this instructional
goal, please engage fully with me and your classmates in all activities and assignments so

Course Syllabus Page 1

that the depth and breadth of your learning experience this semester will be rich,
interesting, and useful. You never know when an assignment or activity will capture
your attention and spur your learning in unanticipated ways.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

By the end of this class, you will:

1. Develop a regard for human values and the ability to make judgments based on
ethical and environmental considerations.
2. Apply theories and concepts of motivation to develop strategies for improving
work performance.
3. Apply theories and concepts of leadership to develop strategies for improving
work performance.
4. Apply theories and concepts of goal setting, feedback, and conflict management
to develop strategies for improving organizational communication.
5. Describe team processes and explain the characteristics associated with effective
team performance.
6. Apply ethical and value-related issues as they relate to human behavior in
organizations to making ethical and responsible decisions.
7. Explain and apply major theoretical and scholarly approaches, empirical findings,
and historical trends in Organizational Behavior.
8. Explain how diversity and multiculturalism affects the workplace environment
and develop some strategies to bridge differences to capitalize on the benefits of
multiculturalism.
9. Explain and apply the multicultural aspects and international dimensions of the
societies and world in which we live and be familiar with knowledge and methods
necessary to deal with related problems.

Required Textbooks and Materials

Organizational Behavior, 12th Edition

by Stephen P. Robbins and Timothy A. Judge (2007)
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall

Website readings as noted in course calendar and/or announced in class.

NOTE: I will be highlighting info from the text as well as explaining some info that is
not clear or needs elaboration. I will NOT repeat everything in all chapters.
BUT, quiz questions will come from information in the text that we did not
cover in class. If you do not understand something in your textbook, please ask
questions about it so I can make it clearer for you. I am happy to answer such
questions during class time.

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Assignments & Academic Calendar
(Topics, Reading Assignments, Due Dates, Exam Dates)

Date Topic Reading Assignments Due

Week 1 Course
Aug 25 Introduction
Aug 27 What is Org Ch. 1 Completed student information sheet
Behavior?
Week 2
Sep 1 NO CLASS
Sep 3 Individual Ch. 2 Assignment #1
Behavior
Week 3 Attitudes and Ch. 3
Sep 8 Job Satisfaction
Sep 10 Personality and Ch. 4 Final Project team roster;
Values Assignment #2
Week 4 Perception Ch. 5
Sep 15
Sep 17 Decision Ch. 5 Assignment #3
Making (cont’d)
Week 5 Motivation Ch. 6
Sep 22 (Concepts)
Sep 24 Motivation Ch. 7 Final Project team memo
(Application)
Week 6 Catch-up and Review
Sep 29
Oct 1 Quiz #1 Chapters 1 – 7

Week 7 Emotions and Ch. 8

Oct 6 Mood
Oct 8 Group Behavior Ch. 9 Assignment #4

Week 8 Understanding Ch. 10

Oct 13 Work Teams

Course Syllabus Page 3

 Date Topic Reading Assignments Due
Oct 15 Communication Ch. 11 Assignment #5

Week 9 Leadership Ch. 12

Oct 20 (Basics)
Oct 22 Leadership Ch. 13
(Issues)
Week 10
Oct 27 NO CLASS
Oct 29 Quiz #2 (Chapters 8 – 13)

Week 11 Power and Ch. 14

Nov 3 Politics
Nov 5 Power and Ch. 14 Assignment #6
Politics (cont’d)
Week 12 Conflict and Ch. 15
Nov 10 Negotiation
Nov 12 Conflict and Ch. 15 Assignment #7
Negotiation (cont’d)
Week 13 Organizational Ch. 16
Nov 17 Structure
Nov 19 Organizational Ch. 17 Assignment #8
Culture
Week 14 Human Ch. 18
Nov 24 Resources
Nov 26
NO CLASS
Week 15 Organizational Ch. 19 Assignment #9
Dec 1 Change
Dec 3 Quiz #3 (Chapters 14 – 19)

Week 16 Course Wrap- Team Movie Analysis Paper;

Dec 8 Up Team Member Evaluations;
Assignment #10; and
Course Evaluation

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Grading Policy (including percentages for assignments, grade scale, etc.)

There are 100 possible points in the class. The assignments described in the following
table comprise your grade.

Assignment Due Date Points Instructions

Quizzes Oct 1 Each quiz is worth Quizzes with multiple choice, matching,
Oct 29 20 points for a total fill-in-the-blank on scantrons. Quizzes will
Dec 3 of 60 points. cover the readings as well as all notes and
outside activities. There will be
approximately 50 questions on each quiz.
Bring a scantron to during quiz days. I
WILL NOT HAVE EXTRA
SCANTRONS IF YOU FORGET
YOURS. You may substitute your highest
quiz score for your lowest quiz score. This
means that your lowest grade will be
dropped and your highest grade will be
doubled. There are NO make-up
quizzes. If you miss a quiz, that zero is
the grade that will be dropped. If you
miss more than one quiz, you will
receive a zero for the second one you do
not take.
Movie Analysis Dec 8 20 points. All members of your team will receive the
Team Paper 15 for the paper and same number of points UNLESS your
with self- and 5 for your self- and teammates’ or self-evaluations suggest that
teammates’ teammates’ you did not contribute to the team effort in
writing the paper. I reserve the right to
evaluations evaluations (Use
deduct points as appropriate for team
only the form members who do not contribute to the
provided.) You assignment. In addition, realize that
must turn in the team submitting a paper with the name of a
memo (due 9/24) to teammate who did not contribute is a form
avoid having 5 of academic dishonesty, which will be
points deducted from reported to the Dean of Students for
your final grade on appropriate academic penalties.
this assignment.
Assignments See course 20 points total. These brief assignments will be listed in
including self- calendar for Each assignment will the syllabus, given in class, and/or posted
assessments, assignment receive one of the in the "Assignments" Learning Module on
in-class due dates. following scores: WebCT and mentioned in class. Some
will be done outside of class (e.g. online
exercises, and 0=did not do it at all;
surveys) and some will be done in class
other brief 1=did not do it (e.g. brief written answers to questions
written tasks completely/correctly; discussed in class). The purpose of these
2=completed the assignments is to help you think about
assignment correctly highlighted issues and to help you become
engaged in course materials. Late
assignments will not be accepted.

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Grades will be assigned according to the following scale:

Points Grade Points Grade Points Grade

98 – 100 A+ 77 – 79 C+ >= 59 F
94 – 97 A 73 – 76 C
90 – 93 A- 70 – 72 C-
87 – 89 B+ 67 – 69 D+
83 – 86 B 63 – 66 D
80 – 82 B- 60 -- 62 D-

If you are taking this course CR/NCR, you must complete ALL parts of all
assignments at a "B" level to receive credit

If you do not understand the reason you received a specific grade on any assignment, I
definitely want to talk with you about it. If you believe that a grade should be
reconsidered, take time to review my comments about your work and follow these
instructions:

1. You must wait at least 24 hours after you received the grade but no more than
one week to talk to me about it.
2. Write a memo specifying the grade you think you deserve and your reasons for
asking me to change the grade you received. Address this memo to me.
3. Include your original evaluation and paper with your memo.

Course & Instructor Policies

Classroom Citizenship
With approximately 100 students in this class, it is easy to distract others and interfere
with their learning. I expect all students to behave professionally and as upper-level
university learners. This means contributing to a positive learning environment in the
following ways:

Please do NOT
 Forget to turn OFF your cell phones or pagers.
 Use computers in class.
 Answer your cell phone in class.
 Walk to the front of the classroom for a personal conversation with me while
I’m trying to conduct class.
 Read newspapers, magazines, other textbooks, etc.
 Study for another class or do other work during our class time.
 Play video games, do text messaging, etc.
 Talk to your neighbor while someone is speaking.
 Come in late and walk around the room--sit near the door you entered.

Course Syllabus Page 6

 Please DO
 Get plenty of SLEEP BEFORE class (if you snore out loud, we will laugh out
loud at you).
 Be prepared – bring the correct equipment – pen, scantrons, paper, etc.
 Review your notes from our previous class session prior to class.
 SKIM or READ the assigned reading.
 READ or RE-READ the assignments after class.
 Prepare for the exams a LITTLE EACH DAY.

Tips for Success after class

 REWRITE your notes in a final neat format…this allows you to review the
information, elaborate on it, and fill in blank spots while the information is
fresh.
 Look up any terms, definitions, etc that you struggled with in class.
 Practice EXPLAINING the concepts from lecture to someone else.
 Study with your team…I suggest creating your own “test bank” file after each
class session; then you will have a great study tool for exams.
 Remember: The secret to success in this class is simple: Keep up.
 Ask me to clarify anything you do not understand.

Important Points to Remember

 As a courtesy to both your classmates and me, please turn off cell phones and
put them away. No computer use is allowed in this class. I will ask you
publicly to leave the room if you are doing activities unrelated to class.
 We will be using WebCT throughout the semester. Updates, documents, and
answers to frequently asked questions will be posted on WebCT. You are
responsible for any information posted on WebCT.
 When calling my office, please leave a local phone number where you can be
reached, as I am unable to return long distance phone calls (i.e. to out-of-town
cell phones).
 General PowerPoints from class will be posted on WebCT but these will not
always be exactly the same as what you see in class. I will add/delete slides
and information to encourage and reward you for attending class.
 There will be multiple forms of each quiz on the day it is given. While yours
might appear the same as your neighbor's, it is unlikely that all questions are
in the same order and all sets of answers for each question are in the same
order. Comparing your quiz with that of one or more classmates in order to
find the differences in versions will be treated as an act of academic
dishonesty by each person involved, regardless of your intent to participate.
Thus, it is in your best interest to keep your quiz confidential.

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Rules for Teams
Your participation on a team for the film assignment is designed to help you put into
practice what you will learn in this class about working with others to accomplish a
common goal. There are various ways work teams are structured in organizations and
various levels of control that team members have over their working situations. In this
class, the following rules apply to your project teams:

1. You may fire any group member who is not contributing to your project. If you
decide to fire a group member, there is a procedure for doing so:

a. First, meet as a team and discuss with the member your dissatisfaction
with his/her level/quality of work. Give that person one chance to recover
the team's confidence.
b. After the one chance, meet with me to discuss the best way to approach
the situation.
c. Have a full team meeting and give effective and constructive feedback to
the member you are firing. Make sure that all members, including the one
you fired, sign a statement of understanding that the person is no longer on
your team. Submit the statement to me no later than one week after it is
signed.

2. With your team's permission and the permission of a new team, you may switch
teams. No team may have more than 6 members.

3. If you are fired, you may submit an individual project for 1/2 credit.

4. No individual papers for full credit will be accepted. That means is it to your
advantage to make sure you stay on a team.

5. You can control whether or not your team members are all contributing. If you do
the intro team exercise provided in class, you increase your chances of
functioning together effectively. Please do not complain to me about team
members who are not meeting your expectations. Instead, use your knowledge
gained in this class to do something about it. As a future manager and executive,
one of your frequent and most important tasks will be motivating and inspiring
low-performing team members.

Rules for Quizzes

1. No electronic gadgets of any kind allowed during quizzes including cell phones,
iPods, computers, and/or calculators.
2. No wearing hats during quizzes.
3. No food or drinks allowed during quizzes.
4. No wandering eyes. There will be multiple forms of the quizzes but you do not
get extra points for figuring out the differences among them.
5. No paper, notebooks, or books visible during the quiz. I will keep these articles
in the front of the room if I find they are causing a problem.

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 6. When you turn in your quiz, please put your initials by your name on the quiz
roster.
7. Bring your own scantron for each quiz. I will not have extras for you. You may
not leave to get one after the quiz begins.
8. If you leave during a quiz, you will submit it to be graded. This means no in and
out during a quiz. Make sure you attend to issues before the quiz begins.
9. You will receive your scores for your quizzes on WebCT. If you would like to
see your own quiz, please make an appointment with me during my office hours
and you can review your quiz and your answer sheet. I will be happy to discuss
your answers with you.

Make-up Quizzes
Because you are able to drop your lowest quiz grade, there are no make-up quizzes. I
reserve the right to make an exception only in an extenuating case involving your own
documented hospitalization. Do not ask for an exception for any other reason.

Incompletes/Drops
According to the Undergraduate Catalog, “a grade of Incomplete may be given at the
discretion of the instructor of record for a course” (italics added). Consequently, in
exercising this discretion, I will not grant a grade of Incomplete in this course.

If your circumstances are such that you anticipate not being able complete the work
assigned, please make sure you drop the course. I will not do this for you—it is your
responsibility to drop the course if your circumstances require you to do so. Failure to
drop this course could result in a failing grade.

Class Attendance
It is fundamental to your success in this class that you attend regularly. Our time in class
will give you the opportunity to work through important topics with your peers and me
and help you to meet the objectives of the course. Although I will not take attendance,
you will have frequent in-class assignments that will be collected and counted toward
part of your grade. There are no excuses accepted for missing these assignments--you
will receive zeros for missing them.

Extra Credit
I do not give extra credit because there is already a lot of work to do in this course.
Therefore, do not ask me if you can do additional work to get extra points, make up for a
low grade, or make up for a missed assignment. If you focus on doing the assignments to
the best of your ability and effectively managing your non-class time, you will not need
or have time available for extra credit.

If You Have Problems or Questions

I hope you enjoy participating in this course as much as I enjoy teaching it. If you are
having any problems, questions, or just want to talk, I encourage you to see me before
class, during my office hours, or call me. In any case, I WANT TO TALK TO YOU!!!
Don't let small problems during the semester grow to a crisis at the end. It's always easier
to fix anticipated difficulties than to untangle a mess; please see me beforehand.

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Field Trip Policies
Off-campus Instruction and Course Activities

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and
University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information
regarding these rules and regulations may be found at the website address
http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm. Additional information is
available from the office of the school dean. Below is a description of any travel and/or risk-
related activity associated with this course.

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations
for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and
each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations that govern student
conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the
UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and
Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and
in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating
Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the
Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship.
He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules,
university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the
standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or
criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because
the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the
student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrates a high standard of individual
honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or
material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the
following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students
suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other
source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see
general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the
web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Email Use

Course Syllabus Page 10

 We are communicating in this class via WebCT e-mail only. However, the
following policy applies to any other regular e-mail you send to faculty and
students on campus:

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues
concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university
encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email
address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a
UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the
identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD
furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with
university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method
for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses.
These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures
must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any
class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork
to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the
class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities,
of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments
of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to
resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the
grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain
primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at
that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the
respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the
respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not
resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of
Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic
Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic
appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at
the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade
must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the
required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the
specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Course Syllabus Page 11

Disability Services
The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities
equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the
Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments
necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary
to remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for
students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example,
a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes
enrolled students with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities.
The college or university may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or
mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members
to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special
accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for
the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are
exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding
the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to
take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period
equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the
instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A
student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a
failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of
observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has
been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the
student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or
his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative
intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief
executive officer or designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

Course Syllabus Page 12