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FAQ - Management 485

Click HERE for the Spring 2011 syllabus

Frequently Asked Questions - Business Strategy & Policy

  Topics include description of Mgmt 485laptops and computers in class;  prerequisites, overloads, scheduling issues: vacations & attendance problemsarriving late/leaving class early;  voluntary & involuntary absenceshow to improve your grade, writing reports, computer crashesstudy groupslate paperspapers that exceed the maximum words/pages,  office hours, incomplete grades

 

 

What is Management 485?

Management 485 (MGMT 485) is Business Strategy and Policy. It is a 3 credit hour course offered as the capstone course in the business college.  Through lecture, casework and discussions, students learn to integrate and apply the concepts learned in (other) required business courses to the development of business strategy and policy level decisions.

The course emphasizes conceptual and analytical skills to examine the challenges of firms. Students are expected to have a solid understanding of the materials and concepts covered in accounting, finance, management, marketing, economics and other related business disciplines.   Three capabilities are particularly important to success in the Management 485 - Business Strategy & Policy class:  1. The ability to think critically.  2. An understanding of how organizations work., and   3.  Written and oral Communication skills.

This is commonly called "the strategy course."   Strategy involves creating and implementing plans to achieve a goal.  Think about the strategy involved in a tennis game.  A strategic move is to try to hit the ball to the weaker side of your opponent.  To be successful, you not only have to know how to play tennis, but also how to aim the ball in a particular direction and  you need to be able to determine which is the weaker side of your opponent..   A savvy strategic player would also be able to make their opponent wonder if the ball really was going to be hit toward their weaker side each time. 

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Should I (may I) bring my computer (laptop), smartphone to class?

You may NOT use any electronic devices during class.  This means NO laptops, NO smartphones, NO cell phones, NO computers, NO netbooks, NO iPads, etc. 

I'm planning on a one week  [two week, three week] trip to a wonderful exotic destination during the semester;  Or, I am extending my summer vacation break for an extra week.    Or, I am not planning on being in Norfolk for the beginning of the Fall term; Or I will be taking an extended Fall (spring)  break.  Will this affect my grade?

This will have a major negative impact on your grade.   If you miss more than five hours of class time (for any reason) your grade will drop by one full notch (e.g., A to B),  each additional 2 1/2 hours of missed class time will reduce the grade by another notch.

You should not be scheduling vacations, interviews, family reunions, or work for class meeting days or during class time.   You have registered for a three credit hour class at a major accredited University: You are expected and required to be in class.   This policy is not eligible for a debate, a bargain, or exceptions.   

If your personal or work schedule interferes with consistent class attendance, you are urged to either register for a different (more convenient) section of Management 485 or take the class in a future semester.

Please plan your  Fall term carefully.  Management 485 can be an extremely challenging course for students who miss class.

My work schedule sometimes extends into our class meeting time.  Therefore I might be late (or have to leave early) for some classes.  Will this affect my attendance grade?

This will have a negative impact on your grade.   If you miss more than five hours of class time (for any reason) your grade will drop by one full notch (e.g., A to B),  each additional 2 1/2 hours of missed class time will reduce the grade by another notch. 

Please note that I measure absenteeism by time, not by class session.  This means that if a student is late by 15 minutes (or leaves 15 minutes early), I  record that as a 1/4 hour absence.  Four days of 15 minute tardiness = one full hour of missed class time.   

You have registered for a three credit hour class at a major accredited University: You are expected and required to be in class for the full class period.   This policy is not eligible for a debate, a bargain, or exceptions.   

If your personal or work schedule interferes with consistent class attendance, you are urged to either register for a different (more convenient) section of Management 485 or take the class in a future semester.

Please plan your  Fall term carefully.  Management 485 can be an extremely challenging course for students who miss class.

  I noticed that the syllabus mentions voluntary and involuntary absences -- What's the difference ?

Involuntary absences must be documented, and are a result of confinement to a hospital, court appearances, military duties, death in immediate family (parent, sibling, child).

ALL other reasons for missing class are viewed as voluntary absences. Employee work hours, interviews, and appointments are viewed as voluntary absences and are not acceptable reasons to miss class.

The only acceptable reason to miss a class or an exam is an involuntary absence.

What are the prerequisites for Management 485?

Senior standing and successful completion of: Finance 323, Management 325, and Marketing 311. In addition, you must either have successfully completed or be currently enrolled in Operations Management 303.

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Are the prerequisite courses really necessary?  

Yes.   Much of the material in the Management 485 course builds on a foundation of knowledge acquired in the prerequisite courses.    The amount of new material that is introduced in the Management 485 course uses all the available class time.  Therefore classes do not include lectures or reviews of material from the prerequisite courses. 

These prerequisites for Management 485 have been set by a committee within the College of Business and Public Administration (these are not just my own personal ideas of prerequisites).  A group of faculty members investigated the courses and determined that success in Management 485 required a foundation in marketing, management, and finance.  

Students who lack one (or more) of the prerequisites and find a way to circumvent the system to register for Management 485 are administratively dropped from Management 485 .   Sometimes this administrative drop doesn't occur until several weeks into the term when it is too late to register for a different class. 

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I haven't successfully completed Finance 323.   May I enroll in Management 485 if I take  the Finance 323 class at the same time as the Mgmt 485 course?   [Or:]   I haven't successfully completed Marketing 311 (or Management 325), may I enroll in Mgmt 485?   

You will have to wait until you successfully complete (i.e., pass) all of the prerequisite courses.

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I  need to register for Management 485, but the class is full.  Will you sign an overload?

Suggestion:  check LEO on a daily basis to see if an opening becomes available in any of the 485 sections. Frequently, students find an available seat. 

OVERLOAD INFORMATION for Spring 2011:    I already have many people on a waiting list for my Tuesday/Thursday class.     It is doubtful that any new names on the waiting list will be able to be overloaded into Dr Bartkus' section of Management 485.

If you are graduating (scheduled to graduate) in May  of 2011,  you should check LEO Online daily for  an open section of Management 485.       We (faculty) will find an open seat for you in one of the classes, but it may not be a class at the most popular time (e.g., Tuesday/Thursday afternoon). 

Just for the record:  As a matter of policy, I do not sign overload slips.   Instead of a signature, I use my own coded password in LEO Online that gives registration permission to students.   This means that an  approved overload can be traced directly to my personal "ok."

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I heard that Management 485 is really difficult, Is that true?  What should I do to pass/earn a good grade?

Management 485 is definitely a challenging course.  It can be more challenging and extremely difficult to perform well in the class if you miss class.   Frequently, I hear students remark, at the end of the term, that they realize they would have earned a higher grade if they had read the chapters prior to each lecture (as recommended).

The Management 485 class builds on the prerequisite courses.  Students who struggled through the prerequisite courses (Finance 323, Management 325, Marketing 311, and/or Operations Management 303) generally have a more difficult time in Management 485.   

Students who struggled through many of the CBK (common body of knowledge) courses also may find that Management 485 is particularly challenging.   Many of the CBK courses are prerequisites for the Mgmt 485 prerequisites: these include courses such as accounting, economics, information technology, business law, and decision science.

Generally, students can improve their performance in Management 485 through regular and consistent class attendance (this includes staying alert for the entire class session) and careful preparation for each class (reading each chapter prior to the lecture is the minimum preparation).   If students' recall of  topics from previous coursework is fuzzy,  preparation will include rereading the relevant sections of economics, accounting or other texts.

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How do I know what is expected on the strategy reports? 

Check the syllabus for the specific assignment.  (Some assignments are explained in class, be sure to attend the entire class session!).    Also take a look at the webpage on "Writing  a case report."   You'll find help on everything from general external environment assignments and industry analyses,  to analyzing alliances.

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Can we study or work in groups or with other students on the strategy reports?

You may read and discuss the case with other students.  

You may not write the strategy report or the business report with other students. (Please read the question/answer that follows immediately after this one)   The strategy reports must reflect ONLY your own individual written effort.   

You would be surprised how easy it is to recognize papers that are the result of two (or more) students' combined effort.  If you "coauthor" a strategy report with another student, it will be viewed as academic dishonesty (which is a violation of the ODU Honor Code.)

Two of us in the class are writing the business report on the same company. May we work together?

No.  The business report is expected to be your own individual work.  

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Why don't you accept late papers?

Students who hand in a paper following class have a huge advantage over everyone else: they have the knowledge acquired from the class discussion.   Requiring papers prior to class keeps it fair for everyone.

In business, late reports and late projects result in lost business deals, lost profits, and sometimes lost jobs!   The penalty in our class for a late paper is nothing compared to the penalty for late reports in the "real world."

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My computer/printer crashed... I can't get the paper completed on time. What do I do?

This is a tough one.  Late Strategy reports aren't accepted.  Late business reports lose 10-20% the first day and 20% for each additional day.

You are living in the electronic age.  By this time (your senior year) you should be in the habit of saving your work and emailing it to yourself (particularly if you have put a great deal of time and effort into the report).   There are no "special considerations" for computer virus problems or disk crashes.   Plan on completing your assignments ahead of time; if/when your computer stalls, you have enough time to rewrite the report and turn it in on time.

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My strategy report is longer than the maximum word limit for the analysis,  Is that ok?

You'll have to rewrite it until it does not exceed the maximum word limit (A paper with fewer words is acceptable).  In business, people prefer concise reports.   Take a good look at your paper: Did you include any non-essential sentences?   There's no need to include a summary of the case -- I read the case, too.   You only need factual evidence from the case to support your views.    All the strategy reports are designed to fit into the word limits.  

If you are having a great deal of difficulty fitting your ideas into the word limit, you might need to reread the chapter and create an outline of the main points you need to include in your paper.  Then only include the specific factual evidence from the case that supports each main point. 

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My business report is longer than 9 pages, is that ok?

 (see the answer to the previous question!).  You will have to rewrite your paper and make it more concise.    It might be helpful to know that although you must have headings and subheadings for each section, you do not need to start each section on a new page.

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Do you give "Incompletes" if I can't finish the project during the semester?

Not usually.  Incompletes are only given when the student has successfully completed at least 80% of the coursework and there is a family or personal emergency situation that prohibits the student from completing any of his/her classes that semester.

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Your office hours aren't a good time for me to meet with you.  Will you meet with me at a different time?

Yes!    I am happy to meet with you at other times/days.  During the Fall term in 2010, the best 'alternative' times for meeting with me are Tues/Thur late afternoons.   It is also possible to schedule an appointment on a different day.  

To schedule a meeting time, please contact me (via phone or email), be sure to leave a clear message (if via phone, please spell your name and include your phone number and area code).   

 

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I'm curious, what do you do with your weekdays when you aren't teaching?

One of the surprising things about the life of a Professor is that the in-class teaching is actually only one part of the job.   

Class preparation, grading, administrative functions, and University/College/Department committee work  also take up a large part of our time. 

We are also expected to perform theoretical and/or empirical research in our field.  This means we are frequently reading, gathering data, writing, and/or discussing what to do with the study with our coauthors.  (Imagine trying to create topics for several major term papers and then writing the papers.. and hoping that someone will publish the final result!).  

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Contact Information

Email Barbara R. Bartkus

Office: 757.683.3581





Office Hours - Fall 2012

Tuesday & Thursday

3:00 to 4:30 pm

other days/times by appointment





Mgmt 427

General info Mgmt 427

Mgmt 427 FAQ





Mgmt 485 quick links

485 FAQ





Mgmt 840  Fall 2009  PhD Seminar

Classics Reading list





Resources

Acad. Resources: Library databases

Citing Other Authors: identify your sources

Policy on Drop & Withdrawals

CBPA views on Plagiarism

Online Textbooks

The following links will take you out of Bartkus' website

ODU HONOR PLEDGE

What is cheating?

Blackboard

ODU Library