Syllabus for MAN-301-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Principles of Management and the telecourse Taking the Lead are organized around the major functions of management—namely, planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. The telecourse presents topics of current importance such as the cultural and social diversity of the workforce, total quality management (TQM), social responsiveness and ethics, and multinational markets and competition.

Each program in the Taking the Lead series combines vision and reality and long-term goals with day-to-day strategies, providing you with the insight you need to survive—and succeed!—in the rapidly changing world of business.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

With the aid of twenty-six video programs, and through studying the telecourse guide and textbook Management: Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations, you should be able to:

• Investigate concepts and theories of management, with a focus on the five managerial functions of planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling.



• Present information in areas of great interest to the business community: change management, conflict management, organizational communications, stress management, and productivity.



• Identify the multiple demands placed on a manager, both from within and without the organization, and to indicate ways in which priorities can be established and a balance achieved.



• Define the concept of management and why managers and organizations are needed.



• Describe the communication process and the barriers to that process.



• Identify the characteristics of decision making and the importance of delegation.



• Explain the importance of employee training and development.



• Recognize the symptoms of organizational conflict and describe its sources as well as the manager's role in conflict management.



• Identify the phases of change management and describe the role and limitations of the manager in the change process.



• Discuss the impact of productivity on corporate and managerial success.

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COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete the work of the course. These materials are available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Telecourse Study Guide

Telecourse Guide for Taking the Lead: The Management Revolution, 5th ed., by Paul Sonnenburg and John Allman (Pasadena, CA: Intelecom; Thomson South-Western [Cengage Learning], 2008)

Required Textbook

Management: Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations, 9th ed., by Warren R. Plunkett, Raymond F. Attner, and Gemmy S. Allen (Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western [Cengage Learning], 2008)

Video Programs

Taking the Lead (26 half-hour video programs)

Note: The video programs are being offered via streaming video technology through this course site. Each study assignment includes the necessary links for accessing the video stream, using either WindowsMedia™ Player or RealPlayer_®.

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COURSE STRUCTURE

Principles of Management is a three-credit online course based on the telecourse Taking the Lead. Organized into seven (7) assignment modules, the course covers twenty-six lessons in the telecourse guide and their associated video programs and textbook readings. You are required to participate in six (6) graded class discussions, complete seven (7) written assignments, and take two (2) examinations—a proctored midterm and an uproctored, online final examination.

For details about the course's seven assignment modules (study assignments, online discussions, and written assignments), go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. (See also the course Calendar.)

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ONLINE DISCUSSIONS

Principles of Management requires you to participate in six graded class discussions, in addition to an ungraded introduction forum in module 1.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and at least two subsequent comments on a classmate's response. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation, including your use of relevant course information and your awareness of and responses to the postings of your classmates. Remember, these are discussions. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.

Click link for an evaluation rubric.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Principles of Management has seven (7) written assignments. The assignments consist of essay questions based on associated lessons in the Telecourse Study Guide and assigned chapters in the textbook. Questions may deal with text material, video material, or information from the telecourse guide.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the

>>View/Complete Assignment

link provided at the bottom of the respective assignment page. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and attach your assignment file. Click to turn in the assignment.

Click link for an evaluation rubric.

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EXAMINATIONS

You are required to take two examinations: a proctored midterm examination and an unproctored, online final examination. Consult the course Calendar for the scheduling of these exams.

Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers all material assigned through module 4 of the course. The exam consists of objective questions (multiple-choice and true or false) and essay questions.

You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).

If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.

For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Online Student Handbook.

Final Examination
The final is a closed-book, unproctored online exam. It is two hours long and covers all material assigned from module 5 through the end of the course. Like the midterm, the final exam consists of objective questions (multiple-choice and true or false) and essay questions.

The final exam is taken online in Blackboard. An exam link will be activated and made available to you at the start of final exam week. You may take the exam at any time during that week, but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). If you are on a course extension, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the final exam.

Statement about Cheating
The final examination in this course is an unproctored exam. That means you will not be supervised while taking the test. You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
• Plagiarizing answers.
• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Please also note that the exam is time-limited. That means you only have the allotted time in which to complete the exam. If you exceed the time limit on the exam, you will be penalized by having two points deducted for every minute that you exceed the time limit. This may also result in your failing the course.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and examinations are based on the following numerical grades:

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.



2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams and arrange for proctors, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.



3. Arrange to take your midterm examination by following the instructions in the Online Student Handbook. Then complete the "Proctor Request Form" and submit it to the Office of Test Administration (OTA). You must make arrangements to take your examination and send in your "Proctor Request Form" to OTA before the end of the first week of the current semester. (See Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site.)



4. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.



5. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations. For details on each assignment module and a complete listing of learning activities, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.



2. Read the preface to the textbook. Then read the introduction to the telecourse guide. This introduction will give you a good idea of how the course is structured.



3. Pay particular attention to the sequence of activities outlined in the "Assignments" section of each lesson in the telecourse guide. If you follow that sequence, you will meet with success in this course.



4. Become familiar with the "Key Terms" and consider the "Expanded Analysis" section at the end of each lesson. Also, be sure to do the "Self-Test." Where you are not certain of the answer, reread the text material before checking for the correct answer at the back of the telecourse guide.



5. Check the Announcements page and class Discussion Board regularly for new course information.

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