Organizational Behaviour:
Please review the following guidance note in preparation for your final exam.
General Information:
• 60% of final grade
• Based on the required readings
Exam Procedures:
Date and Time: Tuesday, 5 December 2017, 6pm As per school guidelines:
• Any student who is more than 10 minutes late cannot sit for the exam.
• All bags, notes and electronic devices are to be place in the back/front of the classroom.
Exam Length: 2 hours
Materials: Please bring your computer to class. All exams will be typed and submitted via Turnitin on Moodle.
Exam Structure:
Part I: Short Answer Questions (60%):
• You will be asked to choose 8 questions to answer from 15 options
• Aims to test knowledge of key concepts and issues
Part II: Case Study and Long Answer Questions (40%)
• You will be asked to choose 2 questions to answer from 5 options, based on the case study below.
• Aims to evaluate acquisition of theory and the ability to apply theory to practical situations and/or show an understanding of practical applications of management functions.
• Questions are designed to test your ability to use the content of this course to develop real-life interventions/ solutions that directly enhance organizational performance. The case study (below) is provided beforehand to help ensure your exam answers capture the depth of your critical thinking abilities. Questions will be provided the day of the exam.
• Your answers will be evaluated based on your:
1) Knowledge: understanding of key concepts and theories;
2) Critical and linear thinking: ability to synthesize, interpret and connect complex ideas;
3) Application of knowledge: ability to apply to apply concepts, theories, and facts to the analysis of real-life situations and/or to the development of practical solutions/ interventions;
4) Evaluation: ability to identify and weigh all the relevant variables and/or
communicate analysis in a logical and well-reasoned manner; and
5) Communication: ability to communicate analysis in a logical, structured, well reasoned, and properly evidenced manner, using clear and proper academic language.
Please see the grading rubric below for more information.
Case for Analysis:
Questions based on the case provided below will be used for long answer section of the exam. It is recommended that you:
• review this case in depth to ensure thorough understanding of the individuals, scenario, and important details;
• identify relevant theories and concepts that might be useful for designing
appropriate interventions (referencing all reading and lecture materials);
• clarify any confusing vocabulary, jargon or English colloquialism.
Carla Venter is a second-year, sales executive at Akbar Bank in Zurich. Prior to her move to Zurich, she worked in marketing for 3 years in the bank’s Dubai office. A recent performance review revealed that she is once again leading her group in sales and has secured the highest number of corporate accounts for the company for the 5th quarter in a row.
Her manager, Vibha Herrero Gomez, joined the company 6 months ago and has devoted much of her time to developing and motivating the underperforming members of the group. She was hired to increase the organizational commitment of the sales group, raise the performance of the weaker members, and to instill a culture of learning. Her strategy to achieve these goals is to strengthen the group orientation of the individuals working in sales. To leverage the diversity of experience and enhance inter-team learning, she plans to host more meetings.
She expects these meetings, along with more after work opportunities to socialize, to increase the bonds between employees and thus their commitment to the organization. She views Carla as self-sufficient and clearly not in need of her support as a manager. While Vibha is pleased with Carla’s performance, she thinks Carla has a bit of a negative attitude towards the group because Carla doesn’t engage in voluntary social engagements, such as drinks after work, and doesn’t actively contribute to team discussions. For this reason, and because Carla is performing well on her own, Vibha sees no reason to regularly make time to connect with Carla individually.
