Discussion ForumsSyllabus for MSM-620
Leadership, Vision and Strategic Planning
Leadership, Vision and Strategic Planning examines the strategic management framework that integrates core business knowledge across all decision-making and functional areas of the organization, highlighting the issues and challenges of vision, leadership, and strategy in dynamic organizations. It provides students with knowledge and skills to implement value-added, ethically principled, economically sound strategy, and meet the challenges of global competitive advantage. The main topics covered include external and internal analysis in the strategic management process, functional strategies, competitive strategies, corporate strategies, and international strategies.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
Required Textbook
ISBN-13: 978-0-13-607828-9
Commentaries
The commentaries, found in the Module Commentaries area of this course site, serve to supplement, clarify, summarize, or illustrate text material.
Leadership, Vision and Strategic Planning is a three-credit online graduate course, consisting of five (5) modules. Modules include topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, and complete a final paper. See below for more details.
Consult the course Calendar for due dates.
Discussion ForumsIn addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum in Module 1, this course requires you to participate in six graded discussion forums based on information from the textbook and journal articles. All discussion forums take place asynchronously on the class Discussion Board.
Online discussions provide an opportunity for you to share your findings on a topic or question with your classmates. You are expected to post a well-reasoned and thoughtful reflection for each item, making reference, as appropriate, to that which you have read. Discussion board interactions promote development of a community of learners, critical thinking, and exploratory learning.
Please participate in online discussions as you would in constructive face-to-face discussions. You are also expected to comment on at least two of your classmates' posts in a respectful, professional, and courteous manner. You may, of course, post questions asking for clarification or further elucidation on a topic under Class Lounge forum.
Discussion Forum Evaluation Rubric
Written AssignmentsLeadership, Vision and Strategic Planning has three (3) written assignments. The assignments consist of essay questions based on associated chapters in the textbook and your personal reflection. Familiarize yourself with the written assignment questions before you begin each unit's study assignment. Conversely, be sure to complete all relevant readings before answering the questions. The written assignment is your opportunity to demonstrate understanding of each module as it relates to the course and to the field of study as a whole. You are encouraged to incorporate any resources you have found and are required to use APA format for your work. Your assignment should be approximately 5-7 pages in length and should address the specific topics assigned.
When you are satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor.
Written Assignment Evaluation Rubric
Final PaperYour final assessment will be a paper that allows you to synthesize and demonstrate what you have learned in this course. You will research and analyze a global company of your choice. Your final paper should be 10-12 pages in length and be completed by the end of Module 5.
Your final essay will include the answers to the following questions:
You are required to use APA format in organizing your paper and for any citations.
A Note About Research
The use of Wikipedia or other online encyclopedias for graduate-level papers is inappropriate. Aside from the uneven quality of the information that may be found in these sources, the real issue is that the information presented in these sources is "already digested." Use of such sources is an unacceptable shortcut for the graduate student. Students gathering information from these sites are essentially obtaining analyses done by someone else, not doing the work themselves. Rather than exploring the literature on a subject, such students are merely using the words of others who have already taken this vital step in academic research. It is imperative that graduate students be able to search the more academically-oriented literature, sift through useful (and not so useful) information, analyze, synthesize, and report the results of their activities. All of these steps are bypassed if information is cited from an online site such as Wikipedia. To sum up: Using information summarized or annotated by someone else is an unacceptable shortcut for a graduate student.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
A | = | 93–100 | B– | = | 80–82 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C+ | = | 78–79 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | C | = | 73–77 | |
B | = | 83–87 | F | = | Below 73 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.
First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:
Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.
Academic Dishonesty
Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:
Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized assignment, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.
A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.
If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.
Plagiarism
Using someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > "Citing Sources.")
Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else's. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.
Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.
Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.
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