Home

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Virata School of Business

 

BA 151 Organizational Behavior

1st Semester AY 2023-24

Aliza D. Racelis

Email: adracelis@up.edu.ph Room: VSB 203-E 

 

 

COURSE OUTLINE

 

 

I. Course Description: An introduction to the behavioral aspect of management and the individual’s experience as a member of an organization. Likewise, aspects at the group and institutional levels shall be discussed.

II. Course Objectives:

1.       To increase awareness of the factors that affect an individual’s personal development

2.       Enable students to gain a better understanding of their own behavior and that of others

3.       Develop “soft skills” to effectively deal with interpersonal and managerial challenges

4.       Expose students to the realities and challenges of working in an organization

III. Course Methodology:

The course shall be taught through a series of lectures, class activities and discussions. Activities shall be used alongside lectures to illustrate concepts and to encourage class participation. Chief forms of assessment shall be: reflection essays, class activities, quizzes, and a final exam. To evaluate students’ ability to correctly apply concepts and methods learned in class, each group shall be required to discuss, analyze and report on cases. Lastly, each group shall also conduct an organization audit and presentation on a suitable organization of their choice.

Course Text: Organizational Behavior, 15th Edition. Stephen Robbins & Timothy Judge.

Also: Online book (OpenStax): Organizational Behavior - OpenStax

IV. Course Requirements

Quizzes, journals, class participation                     15%

Reflection Papers, Exam                                 40%

Case Analyses (Presentations, Reports)                 25%

Organizational Culture Investigation                     20%

                 Total                                             100%

V. COURSE OUTLINE

 

Topic

 

Schedule:

Session nos. 13 & 14: Organizational Culture:

     Nov. 3: Classes suspended. Enjoy the extra holiday!

     Nov. 8: F2F

Session nos. 15, 16 & 17: Conflict Management:

     Nov. 10: WFH - Paper 4 submission, deadline 11:59PM

     Nov. 15: F2F

     Nov. 17: WFH - Paper 5 submission, deadline 11:59PM

Session nos. 18 & 19: Leadership:

     Nov. 22: F2F

     Nov. 24: F2F

Session nos. 20 & 21: Organizational Structure:

     Nov. 29: Group Exercise

     Dec. 1:  WFH - Paper 6 submission, deadline 11:59PM

Session nos. 22 & 23: Change Management:

     Dec. 6: Group Exercise

     Dec. 8: Holiday - no classes.

     Dec. 13:  WFH - Paper 7 submission, deadline 11:59PM

Session 24:  Last contact time:    January 3, 2024.

Session 25: Deadline of submission of CASE written reports: January 10, 2024 (11:59PM)


VI.  GENERAL RULES ON WRITTEN REPORTS

A. ALERT: The use of ChatGPT, Bing AI Chat or other similar GenAI tools for this course is strictly prohibited. Reliable AI detectors shall be used for checking, such as GPTzero, Sapling, & ZeroGPT. In addition, UP faculty have, at their disposal, the use of plagiarism-check technology/software. 

B. Individual Reflective Paper/Essay:

1.     Answer the question/s that will be sent out on the date indicated as the deadline for the paper.

2.     File Labelling & Format: BA151_Section_Surname_Reflection#. Please submit in PDF format (e.g. BA151_WFU_Racelis_Reflection1.pdf).

3.     The header of your paper should contain the following: Last Name, Given Name and BA 193 Reflective Paper No. XX. Paginate your paper. Maximum: Two (2) pages (incl. References).

4.     Properly label your answers. The numbering of your answers should correspond to the number of the questions you are answering.

5.     Observe the following for the individual reflective paper:

a.  Font type: Calibri

b.  Font size: 12

c.  Border size: one inch at the top, bottom, left, and right

d.  Use regular single space between lines.

6.     This Semester, there are seven (7) reflective papers in total (15 pts. each or 105 pts. total). These reflective papers will help you internalize what you have learned from the topic/s. Therefore, it goes without saying that students should take this exercise seriously.

 

C. Case Report (by Group):

Prescribed presentation and solution format should include the following:

1.   Case Context. A very short discussion on the important events that triggered the problem or issue. This is important because it will place the problem or issue in the proper context, which is an important consideration when you finally resolve the issue. Try to show that you have a good grasp of the essence of the background. It is also important to identify your point of view in resolving the case. Do not analyze the case at this point. Do not summarize the case facts. You should assume that the reader of the report has read the case.

2.   Problem definition and statement. Clarity and concreteness are key characteristics of this step. Do not be obscure, do not sit on fences! The problem should likewise be operational. What do you expect to resolve by the end of the presentation? This will enable the reader to visualize what to expect after reading the report. Be very specific.

3.   Analysis: Discussions of important issues and considerations. All exhibits in the case must be examined and used. Voluminous information may be summarized to highlight important characteristics. Important quantitative information should likewise be highlighted. Use the power of illustration for clarity. All discussion should focus on the issue that is defined in 2 above. By using logic and proofs, convince the reader how you arrive at your conclusion/s. Note that you won’t have any avenue to explain because the report itself will be your final output so make sure your arguments are well supported so that the reader will be able to follow and understand where your group is coming from.

4.  Decision. Your decision, if necessary, should clearly be in response to your problem definition and your analysis. 

5.   Video Guide: Check THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO for a guide to case analysis.


Written reports must not exceed three (3) pages (exclusive of charts, graphs, tables, references).

 

The group number and the names of the members of the group must be indicated on the first page of the report on the first line. The title of the case should also be indicated on the first page after the group number and names of members.

 

Observe the following for the written reports:

1.  Font type: Times New Roman 12 or Arial 11

2.  Border size: one inch at the top, bottom, left, and right

3.  Use regular single space between lines.

 

Group reports should be submitted in pdf file to ensure integrity of your report.

 

D. Organizational Culture Investigation

The organizational culture investigation is an exercise involving the application of concepts and methods related to Organizational Culture in describing, critically assessing, and giving recommendations for the culture of a particular Philippine organization. The investigation is intended to identify key culture issues that have the greatest impact on organizational effectiveness and to make practical recommendations and solutions to improve that organization’s culture. Suitable organizations for this requirement include: 

1)  Organizations (private or public) with a minimum of 40 regular employees

2)  Departments or subunits of a larger organization with a minimum of 40 regular employees (ex. College of Science, U.P. Diliman)

Methods such as interviews, focus group discussions and surveys may be employed to collect data for the organizational audit. These shall supplement an initial, comprehensive review of existing literature on the organization (Web site, articles, etc.).

A short 25 minute presentation of the Culture Investigation shall be conducted at the end of the semester, it shall present: 1) overview of the company, 2) summary of the issues related to the Culture of the Organization, 3) analysis, and 4) recommendations.

A 10-page written report shall be submitted at the end of the term. 

  

VII. HOUSE RULES

         1. Honesty and Integrity.

The University does not condone academic cheating or plagiarism in any form. UP students are expected to adhere to our beloved values of honor and excellence, by exercising utmost honesty, fairness and integrity in their academic work. Upon receipt of this course outline, the student is bound by the Academic Integrity pledge below:

As a student of the University of the Philippines, I pledge to act ethically and uphold the value of honor and excellence.

2. Absences. Only excused absences are entitled to "make-up quizzes/activities". To be entitled to such, the student must: (1) submit to the Instructor an official signed letter in case the absence is due to official representation at a conference/course/workshop (or any similar activity); (2) secure a medical certificate from the UP Health Service (& submit this to the Instructor upon return to the classroom) in case the absence is due to illness. [Patterned after UPLB guidelines HERE.]

3. Bonus Points. There will be NO incentives for any activities outside BA 151 (ex: attendance in ACLE, BACBACAN, seminars, lectures outside of BA151, etc.).

 

4. Grade Solicitation. University rule on grade solicitation shall be enforced. Article 194.

PROHIBITION AGAINST GRADE SOLICITATION

“No student of the UNIVERSITY shall SOLICIT directly or indirectly (ask any person to recommend him to his professor or professors) any grade FROM AN INSTRUCTOR (in his record, examination paper or final report of grades). Any student violating this rule shall lose credit in the subject or subjects regarding which such (recommendation) SOLICITATION is made (the fact that a student is thus recommended shall be prima facie evidence that the recommendation is made at the request of the student concerned), WITHOUT PREJUDUCE TO THE FILING OF A CASE FOR DISCIPLINARY ACTION.”


5. Respect: Remember the value of RESPECT when dealing with the instructor and classmates.

Updated: 26 October 2023

Copyright © 2020-2023. Aliza Racelis. All Rights Reserved.

The Course Guide found on this page may not be copied or duplicated in whole or in part by any means.