Students

BBA 111 – Organisational Behaviour

2015 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer
Senia Kalfa
senia.kalfa@mq.edu.au
Contact via 98508458
E4A 412
Tuesdays 3-4pm
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
Organisational behaviour considers how individuals behave in organisations. The unit provides an overview of major topics in organisational behaviour including: individual differences in people and their performance; motivation; learning and self-management; culture and organisations; leadership; group dynamics; teams and team building; negotiation; and decision making.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Understand classical and contemporary OB theory. Topics covered include personality, motivation, learning,culture, and teamwork.
  • Understand the relevance of OB theories and concepts for modern organisations. Topics covered include ethics, rationalisation, power and politics and aesthetic labour.
  • Apply OB concepts to case studies so as to appreciate the nexus between theory and practice
  • Develop teamwork and presentation skills

General Assessment Information

Task

Weight

Due date

Linked Learning Outcomes

Linked Graduate Capabilities

Brief Description

Assessed Coursework

20%

Ongoing

1,2,3,4

1, 2, 5

Debrief activities in

writing in lectures and

tutorials

Individual Essay

30%

Tuesday, 8th September (Week 7)

1, 2

1, 2, 3, 5

1,500 - 2,000 word essay

Group presentations

20%

Weeks 8-13

1, 2, 3, 4

2, 3, 5

Case analysis and presentation in teams

Final exam

30%

Final examination period

1, 2, 3

1, 2, 5

Open book exam

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI assisted?
Assessed Coursework 20% Ongoing No
Individual essay 30% 8/9/2015 (Week 7) No
Group presentations 20% Weeks 8-13 No
Final examination 30% Formal examination period No

Assessed Coursework

Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:

This assessment consists of 2 parts:

 

  1. In the lecture in weeks 3, 6, 9 and 12 students will be asked to complete a ’10 minute debrief’ (10MD) activity. In these activities students will work in groups of 3-5, to answer a set question on the running case of the textbook. Groups' handwritten answer to the question will be given to the lecturer on the spot. Details and assessment criteria are provided in the Assessment Guidelines Document available on iLearn and questions on this assessment will be answered in the lecture.
  2. Students are to prepare the weekly activities set for each tutorial. Student worksheets where they can record their answers prior to the tutorial are provided on iLearn. Students are expected to prepare their worksheet prior to the tutorial and bring with them a printed or soft copy in the tutorial for the tutor to check. In addition to their worksheet, students are required to engage in debate and ongoing class engagement. Details and assessment criteria are provided in the Assessment Guidelines Document available on iLearn and questions on this assessment will be answered in the lecture.

NOTE ON EXTENSIONS

No extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted the assessed coursework on time will be awarded a mark of 0 for this task, except for cases in which an application for Disruption to Studies is made and approved.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand classical and contemporary OB theory. Topics covered include personality, motivation, learning,culture, and teamwork.
  • Understand the relevance of OB theories and concepts for modern organisations. Topics covered include ethics, rationalisation, power and politics and aesthetic labour.
  • Apply OB concepts to case studies so as to appreciate the nexus between theory and practice
  • Develop teamwork and presentation skills

Individual essay

Due: 8/9/2015 (Week 7)
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:

Students are required to submit a 1,500-2,000 word essay including references. Details and marking criteria are provided in the Assessment Guidelines Document available on iLearn and questions on this assessment will be answered in the lecture.

NOTE ON EXTENSIONS No extensions will be granted. Late tasks will be accepted up to 120 hours after the submission deadline. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for Disruption to Studies is made and approved.

SUBMISSION DETAILS

The essay is to be submitted through Turnitin on iLearn and in hard copy in the box at BESS. Further details are provided in the Assessment Guidelines Document available on iLearn .
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand classical and contemporary OB theory. Topics covered include personality, motivation, learning,culture, and teamwork.
  • Understand the relevance of OB theories and concepts for modern organisations. Topics covered include ethics, rationalisation, power and politics and aesthetic labour.

Group presentations

Due: Weeks 8-13
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:

From week 8 onwards students will conduct 25 minute presentations in groups of 3-4. Students are expected to use Powerpoint or Prezi for their presentation and provide a print-out copy of their materials to their tutor. Peer evaluation will also be used for this assessment. Details and marking criteria are provided in the Assessment Guidelines Document available on iLearn and questions on this assessment will be answered in the lecture.

NOTE ON EXTENSIONS: No extensions will be granted. Students who are not present for their group's presentation will be awarded a mark of 0 for the presentation, except for cases in which an application for Disruption to Studies is made and approved.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand classical and contemporary OB theory. Topics covered include personality, motivation, learning,culture, and teamwork.
  • Understand the relevance of OB theories and concepts for modern organisations. Topics covered include ethics, rationalisation, power and politics and aesthetic labour.
  • Apply OB concepts to case studies so as to appreciate the nexus between theory and practice
  • Develop teamwork and presentation skills

Final examination

Due: Formal examination period
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:

In the final week of the semester students will be given a case study to prepare. During the open book exam they will demonstrate they can apply OB concepts and theories to this pre-prepared case.

ABSENCE FROM THE FINAL EXAMINATION Students who are unable to attend the Final Examination should apply for Disruption to Studies in advance of the exam date. If a Supplementary Examination is granted as a result of the Disruption to Studies process, the examination will be scheduled after the conclusion of the official examination period.

You are advised that it is Macquarie University policy not to set early examinations for individuals or groups of students. All students are expected to ensure that they are available until the end of the teaching semester (that is, the final day of the official examination period).
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand classical and contemporary OB theory. Topics covered include personality, motivation, learning,culture, and teamwork.
  • Understand the relevance of OB theories and concepts for modern organisations. Topics covered include ethics, rationalisation, power and politics and aesthetic labour.
  • Apply OB concepts to case studies so as to appreciate the nexus between theory and practice

Delivery and Resources

  1. The subject consists of a weekly 2 hour lecture and 1 hour tutorial
  2. To pass this course, students need to achieve an overall grade of 50%
  3. There will be no transfer of marks from other assignments (e.g. essay, group presentations, assessed coursework) to the final examination
  4. Students must attend 80% of all tutorials to complete this unit, i.e. miss no more than 2 tutorials,including medical absences. A log will be taken to record attendance. Medical certificates are required for medical absences and should be given to your tutors.
  5. You must stay in the tutorial to which you were enrolled as a cap is applied on the number of students to each tutorial in order to maximise your learning experience. However, you may change a tutorial, provided the tutorial to which you wish to change has a vacancy. The only way you can do this is via e-student within two weeks of the start of the semester. Changes cannot be made after week 2.
  6. Students are expected to arrive on time, certainly before five minutes past the hour and not to leave until the class ends.
  7. Mobiles should be turned off during classes, not simply set to silent. Texting or other mobile phone activity during class is distracting to the student concerned, the lecturer and other students and is strictly forbidden. Students violating this requirement will be asked to leave the class.
  8. Photography as well as audio and video recording by students is not permitted.

TIMETABLE The timetable for this unit can be accessed from: http://students.mq.edu.au/student_admin/timetables

PRIZES: A Certificate of Proficiency is awarded for this unit. Please see: http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/undergraduate_degrees/prizes_scholarships

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: King D and Lawley S (2013) Organizational Behaviour. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Students will be recommended scholarly journal articles as stretch readings in the lectures. These are available through the Libary Multisearch engine.

The required readings for the essay will be made available through e-Reserve.

Technology used and required

Students are required to familiarise themselves with iLearn (https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/). iLearn will be used to post course material, announcements, student grades and as a means of  communication between staff members and students.

Students are expected to check their university email account and contact the teaching staff through it. Gmail, hotmail and other personal email accounts are often blocked through the university's spam filter; communicating through those risks that your query will not be answered. Teaching staff will endeavour to respond to your query within 48 hours.

Tutorial presentations will require the use of Powerpoint or Prezi.

Unit web page

Course material will be made available on iLearn (https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/). 

Lecture slides, assessment details and other useful material will be made available from iLearn. If you have difficulties logging on to iLearn, please contact the university's technical support staff. Do not contact the lecturer or the tutors as they will not be able to help you with technical queries.

  • You are expected to save and/or print copies of the lecture slides and bring them along to the lectures. No printouts will be given by the lecturer.
  • You are expected to save and/or print the worksheets and other material necessary for each tutorial. No printouts will be given by the lecturer or the tutors.
  • All important announcements will be made on iLearn and you are expected to view the announcements page of the course website at least once per week

Teaching and Learning Strategy This unit comprises of four key elements: a 2-hour lecture, a 1-hour tutorial; group study and participation; individual study and participation.

The topics outlined in this unit are best explored through active participation and experiential learning. Classes therefore will involve tutorial activities such as case study analysis, debates, discussion groups and presentations so that participating in this unit is an interesting, challenging and fun experience. Core topics will be discussed in an integrated lecture environment, where you are encouraged to question and comment on aspects of each topic.

Changes from last offering

The presentations in S2 2015 will begin in Week 8 of the semester as opposed to Week 10

Unit Schedule

Week

Date

Lecture Topic

1

28th July

Introduction to the course & to case analysis

2

4th August

Rationalisation in organisations

3

11th August

The social organisation: Hawthorne studies/ groups and teams

4

18th August

Organisational culture

5

25th August

Personality

6

1st September

Motivation

7

8th September

Learning

 

Mid-semester Break

8

29th September

Leadership

9

6th October

Organisational Change

10

13th October

Power and politics

11

20th October

Ethics

12

27th October

Performative labour

13

3rd November

Conclusion and exam prep

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand classical and contemporary OB theory. Topics covered include personality, motivation, learning,culture, and teamwork.
  • Understand the relevance of OB theories and concepts for modern organisations. Topics covered include ethics, rationalisation, power and politics and aesthetic labour.

Assessment tasks

  • Assessed Coursework
  • Individual essay
  • Final examination

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand classical and contemporary OB theory. Topics covered include personality, motivation, learning,culture, and teamwork.
  • Understand the relevance of OB theories and concepts for modern organisations. Topics covered include ethics, rationalisation, power and politics and aesthetic labour.
  • Apply OB concepts to case studies so as to appreciate the nexus between theory and practice

Assessment tasks

  • Assessed Coursework
  • Individual essay
  • Group presentations
  • Final examination

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Apply OB concepts to case studies so as to appreciate the nexus between theory and practice
  • Develop teamwork and presentation skills

Assessment tasks

  • Individual essay
  • Group presentations

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Apply OB concepts to case studies so as to appreciate the nexus between theory and practice
  • Develop teamwork and presentation skills

Assessment tasks

  • Assessed Coursework
  • Individual essay
  • Group presentations
  • Final examination

Research and Practice; Global and Sustainability

This unit draws on extensive research from sources outside the textbook. Students will be provided with stretch readings for every week that will allow them to considerably expand their knowledge of OB. Such readings are for example:

  1. Christensen CM and Raynor ME (2003) Why hard-nosed executives should care about management theory. Harvard Business Review 81(9): 66-74
  2. Jaques E (1990) In praise of hierarchy. Harvard Business Review 68(1): 127-133

Conducting research independently is strongly encouraged for this unit and is rewarded.

This unit will give you extensive practice in applying theoretical knowledge on case studies

Issues of sustainability are integrated throughout the unit, with sustainability explicitly discussed in Week 11. 

Examples of practices from different countries will be discussed in the lectures and in tutorials.