MASTER SYLLABUS
Course Number & title: Organizational Theory & Design - 307
Department(s): Management
Credit hours: 3
Prerequisites: PSYC 101 & BUS 240
Fees and charges: No Fees for this course
Effective catalog date for this master syllabus: 2006-2007
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1. Catalog description: An advanced course in studying companies that are successful using organizational design concepts to compete in today’s complex business world. Students will study how organizations are social entities that are goal-orientated and which have coordinated activity systems linked to the organization’s working environment.
2. Course content: The framework in selecting a strong business strategy is the ability to integrate an organizational design which interacts successfully with the internal/external environments. New organizational designs are analyzed after mergers and acquisitions with the application of business leverage buyouts. Students will adopt a dispassionate, value-oriented view of corporate activities that recognize opportunities to create incremental value in designing an organization.
3. Student learning objectives:
1. Introduction Organizations and
Organization Theory. Students are introduced to characteristics of
organizations and organizations as systems. Structural and contextual
dimensions are introduced along with paradigm shifts in organizing contemporary
business organizations. Emphasis is placed on leverage buyouts and determining
a market value of a business which are applied extensively as an
introduction.
2. Strategic Management and Organizational Effectiveness. This objective explores top management strategic direction in terms of the types of goals and strategies. Since goals are important-mechanism for evaluating organizational effectiveness, several approaches are then explained that provide guidelines to measure and evaluate organizational effectiveness. Students will be able to explain a mission statement, official goals and operative goals. An emphasis is on organizational strategies, traditional effectiveness approaches, and contemporary approaches are identified.
3. The External Environment. Students identify that organizations are open systems and will explain the relationship between the organization and environment. Environmental domains are identified for analysis. This framework illustrates how the environment may influence the structure of an organization. Environmental uncertainty and resource dependence upon an organization are explored.
4. Manufacturing, Service, and Advanced Information Technologies. This objective explores the nature of organizational technology and the impact that technology has on organization design. Students must know that technology is reflected in the organization’s workflow and its structural design. It must be tailored to fit the workflow needs. The structure and function across departments may differ depending upon technology and the nature of technological interdependence across the departments. An emphasis on Joan Woodward’s classic study is reviewed for manufacturing technology and the technological interdependence among departments. Service technology is explained illustrating the different technology.
5. Organization Size, Life Cycle, and Decline. Students must describe the difference between small vs. large organizations. An emphasis is placed on bureaucracy in relation to organization size, growth, decline and performance. Also, the life cycle development stages and the organizational decline stages are defined and explained.
6. Designing Organization Structure. This category explains how to design an organization’s structure as it would appear on an organizational flow chart. Students must be able to define structure and must focus on how structure can help organizations achieve their goals. Strategies for grouping organizational activities are functional, product, and matrix structures.
7. Contemporary Designs for Global Competition. Students will identify the new designs for domestic advantage and describe the approaches to organization design for the global environment. An emphasis is placed on a model to fit organization structure to international strategy. The five structures are international division, global geographic structure, global product structure, global matrix structure, and hierarchy.
8. Innovation and Change. Students explore how organizations change with the focus on how managers direct the change process. A particular focus is given to the four types of change. They are technology, product and service, and strategy and structure. Management strategies for successful implementation of change are introduced to students.
9. Organizational Culture and Ethical Values. Students will describe an organization culture and the associated ethical values in a business structure. Students will know the nature of the corporate culture, its origins and purpose, and how to identify and interpret culture through ceremonies, stores, and symbols. Students will understand how leaders shape cultural and ethical values in directing suitable for strategy and performance outcomes.
10. The Learning Organization. Students must know the components of the learning organization. Peter Senge “Learning Organization” is reviewed.
11. Valuation: Measuring & Managing the Value of Companies- Students will apply Leverage buyout techniques, enterprise discount free cash flow technique, and economic profit free cash flow technique.
4. Student assessment criteria:
Percentage Points
Three (3) examinations - (mid-term and final) 67% 300
Multiple choice, short answer, essay test
One (1) quiz (blue book - essay tests) 11% 50
1 Student Portfolio 22% 100
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100% 450
5. Additional information (optional):
Students develop an E-portfolio for authentic assessment completed
during semester. Also, students compete in a computer simulation in generating
a profit. Financial and cash flow statements are utilized in determining a
business strategy in competing against other teams.