APPLIED BUSINESS DECISIONS - Fall 2003

Transcription

1 APPLIED BUSINESS DECISIONS - Fall 2003 COURSE: BUS , 002 Applied Business Decisions Room: COB 251 Sec. 01: M, W 2:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Sec. 02: M, W 4:10 p.m. 5:40 p.m. INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Holman Phone: (406) Office: COB 207 Hours: M, W 9:00-11:00 pholman@msubillings.edu or by appointment COURSE MATERIAL: Required Text: Winning Decisions: Getting It Right the First Time, Russo, EJ. & Schoemaker, P.J., Random House, Inc., The Team Memory Jogger, GOAL/QPC and Oriel Incorporated, Management Simulations (Smith, D.C.) Capstone : Team Member Guide (Booklet is distributed in class; fee for materials and registration is $39.99 each student is REQUIRED to IMMEDIATELY sign up and pay through the website Prerequisites: Admission to upper division standing (ACCT 233, 234, ECON 200, 201, ENG 150, MATH 121, MIS 201, 202, 203, or MIS 225 and STAT 241) INTRODUCTION: The successful business professional of today and the future is likely to be a better listener than a talker, an effective team player, a critical thinker, and has the ability to make winning decisions in an increasingly unpredictable and less forgiving environment. Are you prepared to compete in a global economy? Applied Business Decisions is a required core business course in the business administration major. The course provides opportunity to reinforce and integrate fundamental business knowledge including accounting, economics, quantitative and technological skills in applied business decision-making. The major emphasis is using common business decision-making practices including financial statement analysis, market analysis using descriptive statistics, and risk analysis. Students are given the opportunity to practice the requisite skills through participation on teams in an integrated business simulation using the Internet and other technology to reach predetermined goals. The class is hands-on allowing each student to contribute to the team activities and goals. Students participate in the learning process through spreadsheet analysis, research, and collaborating with team members including providing critical feedback. The instructor s role is to facilitate the learning process in an interactive class. Students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss and to do activities related to assignments. The integrated business simulation is the semester project. In addition, case studies, exercises, and related activities will be used to develop and reinforce basic business decision concepts and skills.

2 BUS 315 Applied Business Decisions - Fall 2003 Page 2 OBJECTIVES: The primary objective is to develop the student s ability to make functional business decisions. The associated course content objectives identify the topics students are expected to understand and apply. The performance objectives identify the skills students are expected to demonstrate. The mission mandated student competencies/skills address the expected outcomes relative to the mission of the College of Business. Course Content Objectives The course will integrate a basic body of knowledge gained from accounting, mathematics, statistics, economics, and information systems. At semester s end, the A student will have demonstrated an ability to integrate accounting, economics, statistics, and use basic business tools and technology to make business decisions leading to demonstrated success in: 1 Using critical thinking skills through the integrated business simulation experience. 2 Understanding functional area strategic alignment, tactical business planning, competitor analysis, market positioning, and financial report analysis. 3 Demonstrating knowledge of organizational planning and communications challenges. 4 Building upon an understanding and mastery of collaborative, two-way communication through verbal (questioning, listening, responding), nonverbal application and meaningful interpretation, and written dimensions with emphasis on developing quality team decisions. 5 Understanding the concepts and processes of self-leadership including an effective framework for developing and enhancing skills and abilities through setting goals, analysis, assessment of performance results and goal attainment individually and as a member of a team. 6 Understanding the process of initiating, developing, and enhancing team relationships and presentation planning; 7 Understanding the importance of financial analysis through familiarity with reports and demonstrated ability to do financial analysis. 8 Identifying, understanding, and using decision-making tools to enhance the quality of business decisions. 9 Using technology for research and analysis of business problems. 10 Presenting a comprehensive analysis of the business results in an oral team presentation including a summary of what happened throughout the simulation and what direction the company would take in the next year.

3 BUS 315 Applied Business Decisions - Fall 2003 Page 3 Performance Objectives In addition, by the end of the semester, the A student will have demonstrated the following skills: 1. Acquisition: The student will have integrated concepts, facts, methods, terms and theories from prior courses as demonstrated in discussions, activities, and examinations. 2. Comprehension: The student will have demonstrated an understanding of the business facts, methods, terms, and theories used through exercises, examinations and the business simulation results. 3. Application: The student will have applied his or her acquired knowledge to actual situations through cases, exercises and the business simulation. 4. Analysis: The student will be able to classify or disassemble information into its components, understand the relationship between components, and identify the principle(s). Analysis, as a more advanced stage of comprehension, is known as critical or logical thinking. This skill will be demonstrated in each round of business decisions, the final stockholder presentation, and the related exercises. 5. Synthesis: The student will be able to utilize accumulated knowledge disassemble/reassemble to develop new insights as demonstrated in case analysis, exercises, and the business simulation. 6. Evaluation: The student will be able to create and effectively use comprehensive, logical processes of analysis; to identify options; to present arguments and counter arguments; to weigh options; to make decisions; and to develop action plans based on the decisions as demonstrated in the business simulation. COB Mission Mandated Student Competencies/Skills BUS 315 Applied Business Decisions will contribute to development of COB student competencies through placement of the following relative emphasis on each of the competencies: (Scale - 10 [low emphasis] to 50 [high emphasis]) Critical Thinking (50) the applied business decisions student will develop and enhance his or her ability to evaluate models, analyze situations, and apply appropriate concepts and skills in making business decisions. Oral Communications (20) the applied business student will improve oral communication skills through case discussion in class, team discussions, and the final stockholder presentation. Effective Writing (20) the applied business student will improve his or her writing competency through short case analyses, essay examination questions, executive reports, and activities within the business simulation. Utilization of technology for decision-making (50) the applied business student will improve his or her ability to utilize information and technology using Internet resources, participation in the Internet based business simulation; using electronic spreadsheets to analyze scenarios and solve business problems; and through the preparation of a PowerPoint presentation.

4 BUS 315 Applied Business Decisions - Fall 2003 Page 4 Quantitative Reasoning (40) the applied business decisions student will improve his or her quantitative reasoning ability through financial statement analysis, creating scenarios, market analysis, and statistical analysis of business problems. STUDENT PARTICIPATION: Successful students come to every class and participate in the learning process. Experience indicates student success is based on keeping current through reading, completing all assignments when due, studying for exams, participating in class activities, and being a productive team member. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND GRADING POLICIES: Evaluation 1. Homework and Individual Class Activities 25% 2. Integrated Business Simulation Results: 50% Meeting Deadlines, Mission, Analysis, Strategy (15%) Team Results Stock Price, ROS, Asset Turnover, ROA, ROE, Market Share, and Profits as weighted by team (20%) Final Stockholder Presentation (15%) Peer Evaluations will affect your final grade! The three peer evaluations are averaged with the final evaluation given a weight of two (i.e. evaluation #1 = 25%, #2 = 25%, #3 = 50%). The individual grades on team submissions will be adjusted by the weighted average of the peer evaluation. For example if the team earns a 90% on the presentation and the individual earns an 80% weighted average on the peer evaluation, the final individual grade on the presentation will be weighted (e.g. 80% X 90% = 72 %). 3. Three Exams (100 points each) 25% NO MAKE-UPS ON IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES LATE HOMEWORK OR SIMULATION SUBMISSIONS WILL RECEIVE A 10% PENALTY Written Assignments All written assignments are evaluated on content and quality of writing. Word process all papers and staple multiple pages. Proofreading, writing in active voice, using correct sentence structure and clear communication of ideas are important business skills. Writing skills are developed with practice and responding to feedback. Students are expected to use the appropriate tools (spell check, etc.) to enhance their ability to communicate in writing. The writing lab, located in the building formerly known as the Computer Annex, is available to help students improve writing skills. All homework requiring analysis is submitted on an electronic spreadsheet and in hard copy. Frequently, submission of assignments is electronically in a designated personal file on the campus network. Grades

5 BUS 315 Applied Business Decisions - Fall 2003 Page 5 Your final grade in the course is determined on a standard academic scale and recorded as follows: A - 90%+ B 80% - 89%) C - 70% - 79% D - 60% - 69% F - Less than 60% TEAMWORK: Applied Business Decisions is a team-based course. Fifty percent of your final grade is based on team competition in the integrated business simulation. Teams increasingly are the norm in business and other organizational activities, and there is no reason to expect that will change anytime soon. Teams, on average, make better decisions than individuals do. Synergy results when each individual contributes his or her best effort to the team. This course is designed to help you learn how to be an effective team member, through improved communication, quality contributions, and focusing on team skills. You can expect the following: Time commitment expect to spend hours per week in initial team meetings to finalize business simulation decisions. Using technology effectively through , chats, and shared files will help. Deadlines these must be met without excuse or exception. Your team members will expect you to do your work on time, every time. Conflict there will be divergent views on most issues. Conflict is healthy when it occurs in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect. Relationship conflict is destructive and must be avoided, or at least resolved outside the team. Task conflict (i.e., different opinions on how to complete the current task) is essential to avoid groupthink. Process Management set each team member up to succeed! It is not who makes the decision, but how. Each team needs to have processes in place to expedite decision-making. Remember the goal is to WIN! Winning is meeting goals, learning, succeeding in each and every task. and in the end you will say, This Was the Best Team Ever! GENERAL POLICIES: Students are expected to come to class on time and remain at the computer through the entire class period. Do not plan to leave early or move in and out of the area during the class period! The restricted space and potential for computer failure if the wiring is touched lead to the requirement that all students stay seated during the entire class. Cellular phones are turned off during the class period. Out of respect for others, students are asked not to eat during the class period. Drinks are not allowed in the computer lab. All students are expected to take all exams at the scheduled time. In rare instances, a unit exam may be re-scheduled to accommodate a special need. The circumstances must be documented. Assignments are due on the scheduled dates. Decisions for each round must be completed at the assigned time to facilitate processing. Incompletes in the course will follow the university policy as published in the general catalog:

6 BUS 315 Applied Business Decisions - Fall 2003 Page 6 Incomplete I Grade: An Incomplete is given only when a student has attended for at least three-fourths of the semester but has been prevented by circumstances beyond his/her control from completing all of the requirements of the course. A student must provide adequate evidence to the instructor as to the reason why he/she was unable to complete the requirements for the course. If a grade of I Incomplete has been given, the instructor shall advise the Office of Admissions and Records in writing what the student must do to remove the deficiency. An Incomplete must be made up within one calendar year. An I grade is not included in the computation of the GPA. An Incomplete grade not made up in the prescribed length of time automatically becomes an F grade. Once the grade of Incomplete has been converted to an F grade, the course must be repeated in order for the grade to be changed. Academic misconduct will be handled according to Student Affairs Policies and Procedures, Part IX B.1. (Student Handbook, page 142.) Students with disabilities, whether physical, learning, or psychological, who believe that they may need accommodations in this class, are encouraged to contact Disability Support Services as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Please meet with [DSS] staff to verify your eligibility for any classroom accommodations and for academic assistance related to your disability. Disability Support Services is located in the Academic Support Center. If you have any questions or concerns, please call DSS at In addition, students with documented disabilities, who need academic accommodations, should make an appointment with the instructor as soon as possible. Please contact the instructor to discuss any other issues of concern. Appointments may be scheduled outside of regular office hours.