10-102-160 Business Decision Making
22110
Spring, 2012
Day and Time:
Instructor:
Office:
E-Mail:
Telephone:
Office Hours:
Tuesday (10:00 – 11:50 a.m.) and Thursday (10:00 – 10:50 a.m.)
Diane G. Wolf
Marshfield Faculty Offices
[email protected]
715-389-7022
Monday, Wednesday @ 10:00 – 10:50 a.m. and Tuesday, Thursday 3:00 – 3:50 p.m., or
by appointment
Required Text:
Students are required to register for the Foundation® Business Simulation at www.capsim.com. The
cost is $53.99 and can be paid via credit card or checking account. As part of the registration process you
will be asked for an Industry ID number. This will ensure that you have registered for the industry that
has been set up for this course. Even though the simulation will be completed in groups, everyone must
register.
Course Description:
The Business Decision Making course develops skills to enable students to make individual decisions and
participate in and facilitate group decisions in pursuit of the goals and objectives of an organization.
Students will analyze decision making environments; employ a systematic decision making process; use
creative and analytic thinking tools for information gathering and analysis; employ ethical and social
standards; contribute in group decision making; and facilitate the group decision making process.
Prerequisite: 12 Business Management or Supervisory Management credits
Technology Requirements: To work through the Internet-based activities, assignments and projects
you will need the following:
 Broadband Internet connection
 PC Users: Office 2000 (or later), MAC Users: Office X (or later)
 Experience and basic knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel. Microsoft Word is the required
word processing package for this class. Microsoft Excel is required in order to
complete the simulation.
Course Competencies:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Analyze the decision-making role in the job of managers.
Analyze the effect of environmental factors on managerial decision-making.
Analyze personal dominant decision making styles.
Employ the decision making process.
Use decision making tools.
Facilitate group decision making.
Participate in group decision making.
Apply ethics and social responsibility in decision making.
Develop basic decision making skill.
Course Policies:

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

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Class attendance: It is expected that you will actively participate in your group. Attendance
will be taken and students are expected to attend all scheduled classes to participate in lectures,
simulation demonstrations, and capsim decisions. A review of the grading policies below will show
that there will be participation points earned during simulation class periods.
Completion of work: All individual and group assignments are due as assigned and announced in
class.
Class conduct: Please do in class and in your group as you should do in life:
o Respect the diversity of people, cultures, opinions, and viewpoints
o Listen to fellow students and your instructor with respect
o Arrive on time - prepared
o Attend the duration of class - not reading other materials, books, or newspapers
Cell Phones and other electronic devices: Students are expected to ensure that cell phones or other
electronic devices are turned off and stored away during class.
E-mail: Students are required to check and use their individual MSTC e-mail account.
Grading Policies and Determination:
Course grades will be determined by proficiency in fulfilling the competencies. Your grade will be
comprised of the following:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
Final Team standing
Individual: Exams (two will be offered at 50 points each)
Individual: Decision Journal
Individual: (Participation and discussion)
Group: Foundation Simulation rounds
Team evaluations
Group: Stockholders Debriefing Presentation
Group: Mind Mapping Exercise
TOTAL
50
100
72
38
200
30
70
50
600
As a general rule, I do not provide extra credit. All requirements of the course should be met in order to
earn the grade below:
Points
570 - 600
540 - 569
522 - 539
498 -521
480 - 497
462- 479
438 - 461
420 - 437
360 - 419
Below 360
MSTC Scale
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
F
A. Individual: Homework Assignments
Throughout the semester you will be required to submit written essays. All written work in the course
must conform to the following standards at the basic minimum. Other grading criteria will be provided
with each assignment. Due dates will be announced at no later than the class prior to the due date. Late
homework assignments are no accepted without just cause.
 Work is written in complete sentences with proper grammar, spelling and punctuation.
 If applicable, work includes source information (i.e. where did you find the information?).
 Responses are complete.
 Ideas are well supported, justified and fully explained with examples given.
 Ideas should be reasonable.
 Written work is concise.
B. Individual: Exams
Students will be required to take two exams throughout the semester based on the handouts and
lecture. The value for each exam is 50 points.
C. Individual: Decision Journal
Students will be required to keep a decision journal of 12 weeks (either personal or work-related).
Journals will be submitted at the end of semester for evaluation. Each week a few students will be asked
to discuss their decision-making process with input from their colleagues. The value of the presentation
and journal documentation is 72 points.
D. Individual: (Participation and Discussion)
Contribution to class discussion is extremely important. Students may earn up to 38 points throughout
the semester.
E. Individual: Peer Evaluations
Each student is graded by team members on how much he/she contributes to the team effort. In
completing the evaluations, students should carefully consider how much and how well an individual has
contributed to the simulation. Responses are confidential, but a student may be asked to justify his/her
answers if there is a conflict.
Evaluations need to be completed within 24 hours of each round’s answers being
submitted. Late evaluations will not be accepted. Students not completing evaluations for their
team members will receive only half of the points from evaluations by others. For example, if Sally has
received all 20 points for a round from her team evaluations, but hasn’t submitted any evaluations for the
rest of the people in her group, she would receive only 10 points for that round. The evaluation criteria
will be as follows:
1. Always on time.
2. Attendance at group meetings.
3. Came to group meetings prepared to solve the requirements of the project.
4. Contribution of time to overall group project.
5. Exerted individual effort in getting things done as needed.
6. Showed a willingness to listen to, and to consider, the ideas of others.
7. Worked hard to become sufficiently knowledgeable of all aspects of the simulation.
8. Willingness to cooperate with others (if not at meetings then cooperation would be difficult).
9. Displayed leadership, i.e. provided some direction to others in our company and/or accepted
responsibility for specific aspects of company strategic initiatives.
10. Rate overall contribution to team effort.
E. Group: Overall Place Finish in Simulation
Each team will also be graded on the outcome of each simulation round. We will be measuring success on
the basis of points provided in the analyst report for the following categories: margins, profits, emergency
loans, working capital, market share, forecasting, customer satisfaction, productivity, financial structure,
and wealth creation. Each round winning team will earn 25 , 23, 20, 18, 15. Final winners will earn 50, 45,
40, 35, 30 points respectively.
G. Group: Stockholders Debriefing Presentation
At the end of the simulation each team will verbally present their strategy and overall activities to the
class, who will play the role of stockholders of the company. More information will be provided during
class. Value for presentations will be a total of 70 points.
H. Group: Mind Mapping Exercise
Teams will be required to do a mind-mapping exercise/presentation to the entire class. The total project
will be worth 50 points.
Academic Dishonesty:
The Mid-State Technical College Boards, administration, faculty, and staff believe that academic honesty
and integrity are fundamental to the mission of higher education. All students are expected to maintain
and promote the highest standards of personal honesty and professional integrity. These standards apply
to all examinations, assigned work, and projects. Therefore, a student who is found to have been
dishonest, fraudulent, or deceptive in the completion of work or willing to help others to be so or who is
found to have plagiarized (presented the work of others as his or her own) is subject to disciplinary action
up to and including suspension. For purposes of this course, if you are found to have been
academically dishonest, you will receive a grade of zero on the particular examination,
assigned work or project. No exceptions.
Students with Disabilities Procedures:
If you know you have a recognized disability, or suspect that you might have one, it is your responsibility
to identify yourself as soon as possible to the Disability Services staff available on each campus. Adequate
and reasonable time will be required to develop and provide appropriate accommodations, so contact
Disability Services as soon as possible. It is MSTC’s goal to assist you in your individual education plan.
Final Words…
This syllabus is intended to be a guideline for student success and course management. Please recognize
that it cannot cover every situation that may occur. Decisions will be made by the instructor as needed
throughout the semester to address specific issues and the syllabus is subject to change as necessary.
I look forward to working with you.
Course Schedule:
Week of
Due
1/17/12
1/24/12
1/31/12
2/7/12
2/14/12
The following is a Tentative Schedule, (subject to change as issues arise).
Topics
Course Overview, Simulation
Competency 1 – Analyze
decision making role in the job
of managers
Competency 2 – Analyze the
effect of environmental factors
on managerial decisionmaking.
Competency 3 – Analyze
personal dominant decisionmaking styles.
Competency 3 continued
2/21/12
2/28/12
Competency 4-Employ the
decision-making process.
3/7/12
Competency 4 continued
Mind Mapping Discussed
3/14/12
Competency 5 – Develop basic
decision-making skills.
4/4/12
Competency 5 continued
4/11/12
Competency 6 – Use decisionmaking model
4/18/12
Competency 6 continued
Advising
Catch-up
5/8/12
5/15/12
Registration for Foundation
Simulation overview
Practice Round #1
Decision Discussion
handouts
Practice Round #2
Decision Discussion
Making Decisions (pp. 1- 39)
Practice Round # 3
Decision Discussion
handouts
Round #1
Decision Discussion
Making Decisions (pp. 40 70)
Round #2
Exam 1-Making Decisions
Decision Discussion
Round #3
Decision Discussion
handouts
Round #4
Decision Discussion
Round #5
Decision Discussion
Mind Mapping Exercises
3/27/12
4/26/11
5/1/12
Assignment
Review and evaluation
Grade Review
Round #6
Decision Discussion
handouts
Round #7
Decision Discussion
Round #8
Decision Discussion
handouts
Decision Discussion
Simulation Debrief and
Presentation
Exam 2