SEM 321, Lec A1 – Fall Term 2021
Introduction to Strategic Management and Organization Design
Class: Tuesdays, Thursdays, 11:00 – 12:20pm Location: BUS 2-09
Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:00 am to 12:20 pm Course Platform: eClass
Instructor: Rodrigo Valadao ([email protected]) Office Hours: Remotely by appointment
Office Phone: 780-248-1190
Required Material: Organization Theory & Design, Third Canadian Edition, by A. Daft
& A. Armstrong. Nelson Education Ltd.
Course Description and Educational Objectives
This introductory course is designed for students interested in actively building an understanding about key foundational organizational topics, such as why do organizations look and behave the way they do, what roles do an organization's internal characteristics (e.g., strategy, culture) and external environment (e.g., competitors, government) play in organizational processes, and how organizations influence society – and vice versa. Because organizations play such a central role in the context of worldwide society, this class will be useful not only for developing a better
understanding of organizations but also for developing a better understanding of social life.
More broadly, this course will also encourage students' critical thinking, ethical awareness, teamwork abilities, and communication skills. The best analysis in the world means nothing if it is not well communicated and contextualized, and SEM 321 is designed to provide students with a number of opportunities to develop their rhetorical abilities. Students are encouraged to use this course as a safe environment to practice articulating their viewpoints in a coherent and persuasive manner. Moreover, as time is an increasingly scarce commodity in contemporary society, students will have the opportunity to practice making convincing arguments quickly, before the merits of their ideas become irrelevant.
Ultimately, the maximum benefits of this course will be the result of students' preparation, attendance of all classes, active participation in discussions, and full commitment to assigned tasks and team projects – which comprises special attention to specific deadlines.
Course Format
While I will direct class discussions, the quality of your learning experience will be directly determined by: (1) your degree of preparation, active listening, and participation, and (2) your classmates' preparation, listening, and participation. Some will not agree with you, and you may be asked to defend your argument or change your mind. So long as the criticism is directed at arguments and not at individuals, is relevant to the issues at hand, and coherently argued, it is very much welcomed.
Students may be called on, at random, to take the lead in various aspects of class discussions.
Typically, I will provoke discussions by asking the participants of the class to answer reflexive questions such as "how can we apply the specific concept that we are covering in the context of a real-world specific organization?" The quality of the contributions made during these periods affects a student's overall participation grade. Comments that demonstrate a lack of adequate preparation or distracts the class and indicate that the student has not been actively listening will be noted as "negative" course participation.
IMPORTANT: Since e-mails that I send to the class originate from the eClass system, it is your responsibility for the accuracy of your e-mail address to eClass by ensuring that your eClass account settings forward your messages to your preferred e-mail address.
Evaluation
Students will be assessed based upon their performance in class and in carrying out the following assignments:
Individual Effort:
Class Participation 20%
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam 30%
Sub-total Individual 75%
Group Project:
Outline 5%
Handouts 5%
Presentation 10%
Peer Evaluation 5%
Sub-total Group Effort 25%
Class Participation
Participation marks will be awarded based on the quality and quantity of the student's
contribution to the class discussion. Top marks for participation are not automatically given and cannot be achieved by simply speaking often. Examples of meaningful participation include:
raising an important point during the class discussion, engaging in a dialogue with the instructor
follow-up of a statement made by another student. Both quality and quantity measure
components will be registered by the instructor at the end of each class. While I recognize that some students are far more comfortable than others with in-class participation, it is important that you make an effort in every class to contribute in a meaningful way. More detail will be provided in the intro class, and please feel free to come and discuss with me ways to enhance your participation throughout the term.
Overall, participation is evaluated in a number of ways and is correlated with attendance. It is impossible to earn participation marks if a student is not in class. As exceptions, participation marks can be made up through short make-up assignments arranged with the instructor. Students remain responsible for submitting work due even if absent. Students should e-mail the instructor prior to any missed class. Students remain responsible for the material covered and assignments during an absence and are to discern this information from their peers.
Online Forums on e-Class
Even though we will have several break-out group discussions, not all students will have the chance to speak in every class. With that, I will set up weekly forums on e-Class for students to discuss topics relevant to each week's classes in an asynchronous manner. Participation in e-Class forums will count as class participation.
I expect your engagement in online forums to be:
• Relevant: connect your comment to topics pertinent to this course and, more specifically, to the content of each particular week.
• Concise: try to express your ideas with a few lines of text. You might always continue the conversation with additional comments after someone else replies.
• Clear: go straight to the point and re-read your text before hitting send. Will it make sense for the readers?
• Original: check the existing threads before submitting your post. Comments that just repeat what someone else has already said will not count points as Class Participation. Also, please DO NOT merely copy what is in the textbook or elsewhere.
• Respectful: while I strongly encourage divergence of opinions, be always polite and courteous.
As suggestions of participation, you can:
• Start a thread asking a question related to topics pertinent to the readings for that week.
• Answer your colleagues' questions.
• Complement your colleagues' answers.
• Disagree with your colleagues and provide evidence supporting your point.
• Provide examples of real cases that connect to concepts discussed in class. If you provide links to external websites, please explain in a few lines why that example is relevant.
• Articulate how a current topic is related to issues discussed in previous conversations.
Note: This list is not exhaustive. Feel free to engage in creative manners as long as you stick to the guidelines.
Finally, I will always be monitoring your discussions in the weekly forums, and I might speak to some of the threads during our synchronous sessions. However, I will try to refrain from jumping
in with answers, which might shut down the conversation. The objective is to provide the opportunity for you all to participate actively and learn from each other.
Midterm Exam
The midterm exam will cover topics from Chapters 1 to 6 of the assigned textbook plus the corresponding lecture content, including slides. Slides will be made available on e-Class. The exam date is listed in the course schedule below. Detailed information about the expectations and format of the exam will be discussed in class ahead of time.
Group Projects
For this group project, you will self-select into groups of 5 members. It is your responsibility to form teams.Students are encouraged to carefully consider the diversity of backgrounds, strengths, academic interests, and personal characteristics of other participants to ensure that there will be a wide variety of perspectives within each team. Ultimately, if arbitrage is necessary to equalize the size and/or the composition of the teams, the instructor will have the final decision on group memberships.
In this project, you will conduct a case study of a real organization within a specific
market/industry (details to be provided). Your team will need to identify an instance in which the selected organization either succeeded or failed to respond to an issue or pursue an opportunity.
For this, the group should use any publicly available materials about the selected case. In
developing the case study, the group will also need to engage at least three theoretical concepts discussed in class to explain the selected case of success or failure.
A key component for the success of the group project is that the group will need to elaborate a coherent narrative arguing that the instance selected was either a case of a success or a failure related to three theoretical concepts discussed in class. In principle, there are no right answers, but there are wrong answers. More detailed information about group project expectations will be discussed in class ahead of time. However, the group project comprises four main deliverables:
1) Project Plan: this written document will comprise the instance selected by the group with a succinct description about whether the group believes that is a case of a success or a failure, making some preliminary articulations with theoretical concepts discussed in the course. Also, the document shall comprise a visual timeline defining what each member of the group will do to contribute to the final outcome of the project and by when each specific step will be completed. The length of the project plan should be no more than three pages, using a common font with 12-point size, 1-inch margins, and double-line spacing.
2) Group Presentations: each group will present their case study in class using Powerpoint slides, after which the group will need to consistently and coherently respond to questions from the instructor and from other students. The presentations and handouts will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
a. Relevance: does the content of the final document bear on the subject at hand?
Content that does not contribute to the select case will be considered as a detractor in terms of grading.
b. Causal Linkage: are the logical antecedents or consequences of a particular argument traced out? Comments that push the implications of a fact or idea as far as possible are generally superior.
c. Analysis: is the reasoning employed consistent and logical?
d. Evidence: have appropriate data been employed to support the assertions made?
e. Importance: does the contribution further our understanding of the issues at hand? Is a connection made with the theoretical elements discussed in class, as requested?
f. Clarity: is the overall narrative succinct and understandable? Does it stick to the subject, or does it wander?
3) Presentation Handouts: All groups will submit their handout prior to the first presentation class, as specified in the schedule below. Any changes to the handout between the
submission deadline and the presentation will result in a 20% mark deduction.
4) Peer Evaluation: Group members will evaluate each other, more details will be provided in class ahead of time.
Final Exam
The final exam will focus on topics from Chapters 7 to 10 and 12 of the assigned textbook. Content from Chapters 1-6 remains relevant, and students will need to have mastered this material to answer questions adequately. Details about the final exam date, expectations, and format will be discussed in class ahead of time.
IMPORTANT: (1) All written assignments must be submitted on the due date via eClass. Unless otherwise stated, the deadline is 9 am on the due date listed in the course outline below for each deliverable. The late policy is that assignments will lose 20% of their grade for every day that they are late. (2) While herein and throughout the course I clearly communicate the expectations about aspects that will directly affect your final evaluation, it is your responsibility to reach out to me for clarification, in a timely manner, whenever you have specific concerns about the results you might achieve at each stage of this course.
Formal policies
Academic Integrity: The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.governance.ualberta.ca) and avoid any behavior which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts, and/or participation in an offense.
Academic dishonesty is a serious offense and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
Missed Assignments: Approval for an excused absence from term work is at the discretion of the instructor as per §23.3(1) of the University Calendar. Any student who is incapacitated because of illness, is suffering from severe domestic affliction or has other compelling reasons (including religious conviction) may apply for an excused absence for a missed assignment. If you have a conflict, please discuss it with me beforehand, and I will work with you to find a reasonable solution.
University Policy: In order to protect the integrity of the B. Comm. degree, the University may expel, suspend, reprimand, or reduce a course mark of any student who breaches the Code of Student Behaviour in one of the following ways:
1) Assisting another student in the commission of an academic offense;
2) Plagiarism;
3) Cheating;
4) Distributing confidential academic material;
5) Misrepresenting facts for the purpose of obtaining academic advantage.
Plagiarism includes the copying of data or information from electronic files of any sort, including that presented on the World Wide Web, and the presentation of the material without
acknowledging the source as a quotation, with proper documentation.
Recorded material: "Audio or video recording of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Recorded material is to be used solely for personal study and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the instructor." (GFC 61 JUL 2008)
Other Resources: If you have any personal concerns, the following support numbers may be helpful resources.
• Support Network, Crisis Support: 780-482-4357
• Community Urgent Services and Stabilization: 780-342-7777
Course Outline: Policy about course outlines can be found in Course Requirements, Evaluation Procedures and Grading of the University Calendar in the following link:
https://calendar.ualberta.ca/content.php?catoid=33&navoid=9816#Evaluation_Procedures_and_
Grading_System
Grade scale: The final grade distribution will reflect what is set out in the University of Alberta Marking and Grading Guidelines (The link to the official University of Alberta Assessment and Grading Policy is:
https://policiesonline.ualberta.ca/PoliciesProcedures/Pages/DispPol.aspx?PID=101)
Course Schedule
