Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Summer Semester 2026

Management and Organizations (Online)

MGMT 3180-SW1

Course: MGMT 3180-SW1
Credits: 3
Term: Summer Semester 2026
Department: MHRH
CRN: 20203

Course Description

Management is a set of dynamic and complex activities that all organizations must master if they are to survive in the long run. MGMT 3180 is the introductory course to the study of managing people, resources, and processes, with an emphasis on understanding the behavioral and administrative theories and concepts needed to succeed in contemporary organizations.

Required Texts

Textbook

Bauer, Erdogan, and Short (2021). Management and Organizations (v. 5.0, adapted). Flat World Knowledge. Irvington, NY. Link:

Course packet

The course packet (consisting of three cases, one reading about performing case analysis, and one reading for the end of the course) costs $24.80 and should be purchased using this link:

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
  • identify and explain basic understanding of sound management principles with a special emphasis on understanding behavior in organizations
  • explain how the management process impacts both organizations and individuals
  • identify and explain the four functions of management
  • describe the characteristics of an effective leader
  • identify the characteristics of an effective team
  • identify the characteristics of an effective goal
  • distinguish the five basic conflict management styles

Professionalism – Building Your Brand:
This course is for students who are ready to move from the classroom into the working world. Since this might be the only business course in your program, I want to give you a "behind the scenes" look at how successful people handle their responsibilities.

Think of your reputation as your personal brand. Most people think a brand is something you create for a social media profile or an interview. In reality, your brand is built every single day by what you do. When people hear your name, do they think of someone who is reliable and consistent? This course is a safe place to practice the habits that will make you a person people want to hire and work with.

How to Succeed in This Course:
To get the most out of our time together, I want you to look at this class like a job. Ask yourself a simple question before you submit work or send an email: "Would I be proud to show this to my boss?"

Meeting Your Deadlines: In any job, people rely on you to get things done on time. If you miss a deadline, it affects the whole team. To help you build good habits, late work is either not accepted for reading, quizzes or videos. Additionally, exams and case studies have a 20% penalty per day.

Taking Ownership: Part of being a professional is taking charge of your own success. Stay on top of the schedule and keep up with the material. This is especially important because our course moves very fast.

Communicate Early: We all have emergencies sometimes. A real crisis is a legitimate reason to be late, but a lack of planning is not. If something serious happens, please tell me before the deadline instead of after. Think of it this way: what would you say to a manager if you couldn't make it to a shift?

Professional Communication: The way you write tells people a lot about you. Be respectful, assume positive intent about the situation. If you wouldn’t be okay with someone you deeply respected reading it, start editing.  

  • Where to communicate: Only use Canvas or your SUU email to contact me. I do not see comments left on assignments, only send communications to me through email.
  • How to communicate: Before you send an email, check your spelling and tone. Make sure you have looked at the syllabus or course announcements to see if the answer is already there. (Start Here page, this Syllabus, Class FAQ, and/or the assignment sheets). Being resourceful and finding your own answers is a skill that every employer loves to see. 
 
Privacy and Your Journey
In the professional world, you represent yourself. Because of FERPA laws and to help you grow as an individual, I only communicate with you directly. I cannot discuss your progress with parents or spouses. This is a great chance for you to take full control of your education and your future career.

Course Requirements

ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION:
  1. Do not put your name on the cases you submit through Canvas. Instead, label them ONLY with your SUU T-number. All work is graded anonymously to avoid any unintentional bias; failure to abide by this rule will result in a 5% reduction in your grade.
  2. Your grade is assessed based on your output and how it aligns with the course learning objectives and outcomes. This is part of the reason for the anonymous grading of papers. I am happy to meet with you at any time to discuss your performance and how you might improve going forward; note, however, that emails at the end of the term asking for grades to be adjusted/rounded upward will not be granted.

GRADING
Graduate Assessments
In this course, I will use the following grading schedule:
Weighted grades are rounded to the nearest .1.
Course Assignments
Exams: Midterms (two at 10% each) and Final (20%)
The exams will cover material from lectures, cases, and readings. They will consist of true/false and multiple-choice questions.
Exams will be available on Canvas. There are two main rules for the exams:
  • They will be timed and will submit automatically at the conclusion of the allotted time.
  • You may use the textbook, readings, and notes you have created, but you may not communicate or exchange information in any way (including but not limited to text messages, phone calls, WhatsApp, GroupMe, Google Docs, email, etc.) about the exam with any person or group (roommates, family, friends, classmates, etc.). Violation of this policy at any level – even attempting to do so – will be considered unethical behavior and will subject you to the penalties described in this syllabus.
To make sure you are doing the very best you can in this course, I offer the following. If you score better on the final than on a midterm exam, I will drop the lower midterm grade and add the weight to the final. For instance, if you scored 77 on Midterm 1 and 68 on Midterm 2, but achieved an 86 on the final, I will score your 86 as 30% of your course grade, 77 as 10% of your course grade, and ignore the score from Midterm 2. However, you must have completed both midterms in good faith and on time to qualify for this benefit; my judgment about what constitutes “good faith” will be final.
Case Analyses (2 at 20% each)
Business cases involve detailed factual scenarios detailing complex problems faced by real business leaders (and are found in the course packet; see above). Students will be given an opportunity to prepare written responses to three cases during the term, with a requirement to submit at least two; if you turn in all three on time and in good faith, the third case will receive a 5% bonus and I will then drop the lowest score. These assignments provide an opportunity to apply the course material to solve a real-life business problem. There are no specific page limits, but a complete analysis almost certainly requires several pages (4-5 is typical) to fully address the problems presented. The focus is on how you analyze and solve the problem, not whether you got a “right” answer or if you wrote a sufficiently long essay. More information about how to solve a case will be provided.
Quizzes (20%)
To help motivate you to keep up with readings and recorded content, there are quizzes associated with each of them. These will be completed in Canvas. I will drop your lowest quiz score.
Extra Credit
I typically do not offer extra credit. This is because your opportunity to improve comes in the form of other course policies: replacing a midterm score with the final; grading two of three case opportunities; etc. If the opportunity for extra credit arises, however, it will be announced in class and provided to all students equally. Extra credit is not offered upon request or on an individual basis.


In this course, I will use the following grading schedule:

 | > 93% | A
 | 90 – 92.99% | A-
 | 87% - 89.99% | B+
 | 83% - 86.99% | B
 | 80% - 82.99% | B-
 | 77% - 79.99% | C+
 | 73% - 76.99% | C
 | 70% - 72.99% | C-
 | 67% - 69.99% | D+
 | 63% - 66.99% | D
 | 60% - 62.99% | D-
 | < 60% | F

Weighted grades are rounded to the nearest .1.

Course Outline

Note: all readings in the textbook unless otherwise stated; (CP) = course packet
MODULE: | TOPICS | READING | WORK DUE
Week 1 | Class Overview
Introduction to Management & Organizations
History, Trends, Globalization, and Ethics
The Legal Environment | Syllabus (Canvas)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2 | N/A

Week 2 | Developing Mission, Vision, and Values
Strategic Management
Walmart: The Living Wage (CP) | Chapter 3
Chapter 4 | Case Analysis 1

Week 3 | Decision Making
Organizational Culture
Organizational Structure and Change
MIDTERM EXAM #1 | Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7 | N/A

Week 4 | Goals and Objectives
Leading People and Organizations
Motivating Employees
Dr. Jack Perry, DDS (CP) | Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 11 | CASE ANALYSIS 2

Week 5 | Personality, Attitudes, and Work Behaviors
Diversity in the Workplace
Communication in Organizations
Managing Groups and Teams
MIDTERM EXAM #2 | Chapter 10
N/A
Chapter 12
Chapter 13

Week 6 | The Essentials of Control
Strategic Human Resource Management
DRW Technologies (CP) | Chapter 14
Chapter 15 | CASE ANALYSIS 3

Week 7 | Career Management
FINAL EXAM | How Will You Measure Your Life? (CP) |

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

All assignments (quizzes, exams, writing assignments) are due BEFORE the due date/time listed (either on Canvas or on the Vantage website). As noted above, late work will either not be accepted (reading quizzes and lecture videos) or heavily penalized (20% per day for exams/papers) absent an extreme emergency (of which you should notify me as soon as reasonably possible). I reserve the sole right to determine whether an emergency is sufficiently extreme, or notice is provided at a reasonable time, to warrant the submission of late work. 
I want to help you to complete assignments and exams online and to the best of your ability. If you need help, please reach out early through email or scheduling a virtual office visit. If you need an accommodation, the first step to take is through the Disability Resource Center. They will notify me of specific requirements.

Attendance Policy

As an online-only course, there is no required attendance. The main difference between an online course and an in-person course is the extent to which the student is taking responsibility for how they get work done. In an in-person class, the student would see me (instructor) multiple times per week, which would allow me to help students manage their work. In an online environment, this rests entirely on the student's shoulders. Thus, an online class allows students the flexibility to complete their work when they want, but if they try to do it all at the last minute, it's unlikely that they would be as successful than if they were more disciplined.

I STRONGLY ADVISE that students not rely too heavily on the “To Do List” or the “Calendar” in Canvas; rather, students should work through the Module for each week. Why? Well, because there’s a reason I put things in the order I do. Each item typically builds on the next, and this is clearly reflected in the Modules. When students rely too heavily on the “To Do” or “Calendar,” this "order of operations" may not be reflected in the same way and it often leads to lack of planning (e.g., students only begin working on assignments when they see the assignment is due in Canvas that day. This won't work in the student's favor as most assignments take notable prep time). When I receive emails from students who are having difficulty in the course and/or not understanding course requirements, they are nearly always failing to use the Modules for guidance.

Modules are generally structured with an overview, followed by chapter readings and recorded lectures, a chapter reading quiz, any assignments (when applicable), any exams (when applicable), and a summary. Each module is structured to "start" on a Wednesday (corresponding with when the semester starts) and "close" on a Tuesday, making that week's information applicable for an entire week and following the layout of the academic calendar. This will also mean that most due dates for the course will be on Tuesday, unless denoted otherwise because of campus holidays or closures.

My suggestion is that students should work through each module each week, in the order the materials are listed in the module. I have organized them this way on purpose, both to build a common and predictable pattern for students to work from (thus making the coursework an easy habit to adopt each week) and ensure students stay on task with what they need to be successful in each module/week of class.

Course Fees

The course packet (consisting of three cases, one reading about performing case analysis, and one reading for the end of the course) costs $24.80 and should be purchased using this link:

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.