PSY 434 Organizational Psychology – O’Neal – Spring 2008

 

 

Catalog Course Description

This course covers the subfield of psychology that deals with work in commercial and industrial settings. Areas covered include job morale, satisfaction, organizational effectiveness, growth, and change. The field covers the individual worker plus the worker in a group setting. 

 

Program Linking Statement

This course develops and assesses the skills and competencies for the program student learning outcome of Applied Psychology.  In addition, this course also addresses the program student learning outcomes of:  1) Scientific Method and its Application in the Field of Psychology; and 2) Cross-Cultural Psychology.

 

Course Description

This course will explore the concept of organizational structure from a psychological perspective, to include the application of psychological principles, theory, and research to the work setting.  The focus of this course surrounds not only the physical boundaries of the workplace, but takes into account the interdependence of individuals, organizations, and society.  This course will also explore:  psychology and organizations; the influence of personality on work behavior; social implications of work behavior (emotions, motivation, attitudes, leadership, and stress management); the individual-organizational fit; work performance;  staffing, evaluation, training and development; and organizational change.

 

Student Learning Outcomes

Student will demonstrate an understanding of:

 

1.         The application of the scientific method and research to managerial problems

within organizations.

2.         The impact of individuals, groups, and organizational structures on productivity,

job satisfaction, absenteeism, and turnover.

3.         The dynamic nature of organizational structures.

4.         The application of psychological principles to organizational structures.

5.         Ethical concerns within the context of organizational psychology.

6.         Cross-cultural concerns within the context of organizational psychology.

7.         Improving the quality of an individual’s life and morale at work.

8.         Organizational cultures.   

9.         The social, emotional, and interpersonal skills necessary to manage within

an organizational context.

10.       How the Five Marianist Educational Values are integrated into the course.

 

Assessment: Items that will be scored:

 

1.  Homework assignmentsWeekly assignments at 10 points each = 100 points. Due every Sunday by 11 pm HST.  ALL assignments shall be submitted weekly, via the assignment submission forum, which is located within the assignment icon.  Students will download the assignment from the link; complete the assignment; SAVE the assignment to the student’s documents; and UPLOAD the completed assignment in the assignment forum by the weekly submission deadline.  Students will NOT email the assignment.  Please use the Assignment Submission Feature.  Also check to ensure your assignment attaches and is submitted.  You will BROWSE for file, double click the file, then ATTACH file.  Once the file attaches, you press submit.

 

2.  Discussions – Weekly discussion regarding relevant topics at 10 points each = 100 points.

ALL discussions posts have deadlines, and are to be posted weekly.  This shall serve as the “conversation” in the class.  Students are REQUIRED to reply to the instructor’s initial question AND respond to another student. This means that two CONSTRUCTIVE posts are required
each week for full points. 

 

TWO constructive posts required weekly from week 2-10.   Discussion material will come from the text and from the second required reading:  The Art of Strategy ['the art of strategy'; translated by r.l. wing; 1988; broadway books/doubleday; 0-385-23784-7}

 

3.  FINAL exam – FINAL EXAM AT 100 points.  The final exam MUST be taken in-person, at an approved locale (Chaminade Main Campus, an approved military base exam site, or proctored off-island with approval).  No late final exams accepted, without prior approval from the instructor and main campus AUP office. (This requires written documentation from doctor, military, etc. –only legitimate inquiries will only be considered – the inability to locate a babysitter is not a legitimate reason)

 

Important information regarding exam proctors and dates to remember: (bookmark these):

http://www.chaminade.edu/online/index.php?pg=content_proctor.html

 

http://www.chaminade.edu/admissions/aup/index.php?pg=content_datesToRemember.html

 

 

4.  Research project / paper  = 100 points.  DUE  the END of week 8—JUNE 1, 2008.  This assignment will be emailed through WEB CT mail as a Word or Word Perfect attachment.

 

 

Research project / paper:  A Personal Exploration of Customer Service.

This research project will integrate your own personal observations of customer service with documented, peer-reviewed journal research.
THIS  PAPER  REQUIRES  TWO  SEPARATE   BUT   INTEGRADED  PARTS

  1. A SPECIFIC SUMMARY OF FOUR PERSONAL BUSINESS VISITS AND
  2. INTEGRATED SUMMARY OF RESEARCH RELATED SPECIFICALLY TO CUSTOMER SERVICE. 

TWO ACADEMIC JOURNAL ARTICLES REQUIRED FOR SUMMARY.

YOU WILL NOT USE BASIC INTERNET SITES, WHICH ARE NOT ACADEMICALLY APPROVED.  Approved journal sites may be found through Chaminade’s online EBSCO library.

You are required to physically visit four (4) businesses / organizations.  Examples:  Wal-Mart, the Commissary, Times Supermarket, Your Bank, Chaminade University Bookstore, Starbucks, the PX/NEX, Fantastic Sams.  You will observe the level of customer service shown to you. 

 

You shall name the organization and indicate the services provided, describe the nature of the organization – upon entry,  how does it appear? (Crowded, clean, accessible, adequate amount of product). How are you welcomed ?

You will also observe and note the following:

Employee job skills – Is the employee knowledgeable? Organized? Dressed appropriately?

Employee social skills – Do they greet you cheerfully, use your name, chat with you, or behave rudely?  Employee emotional status – Does the employee(s) smile, frown, appear angry, sad?

What impact does their job skills, social skills, and perceived emotional status have upon you and other customers?  On a scale from 1-10, how do you rate the level of customer service?

Observe the cultural (and ethnic) status of the employees.  Does the customer’s race, age, emotions, or appearance appear to have any effect upon how the customer is treated? 

 

From your observations, what does the customer service of each organization tell you about how they relate to and feel about their customers?

Does the organization have a business website?  Is the site easily accessible, provide useful information, or provide information related to customer service?

Does the employee appear to be satisfied with his or her job?

List areas you feel could be improved upon and make suggestions.

 

This research project shall begin with an introduction.  You will research the concept of  customer service utilizing Chaminade’s EBSCO Journal search via the Chaminade.edu website. To search for articles, click on:

 

http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=ehost&defaultdb=aph

 

USER ID is:  Sullivan    and the   PASSWORD is ahinahina.

 

You are required to summarize information from TWO journal articles relevant to the concept of Customer Service.   You will use the APA style of writing,  12 point font, 1-inch margins, and the CONTENT OF THE PAPER  must fill a minimum of six (6) double-spaced pages; and no more than eight (8) full double-spaced pages.

 

The title page, abstract page, and bibliography page do not count toward the SIX pages of written content.  Please make a note.  You MUST include an APA style reference section at the end of your paper.   The department requires that we use the APA style of writing, which comes from the American Psychological Association.  The bookstore has a writing guide book for purchase.

 

This paper / project is DUE by 11 PM, HST, on Sunday, June 1st, END OF WEEK 8

Begin your research by week 5, as you will need to visit and evaluate four businesses.  No late papers will be accepted for full points.   A minimum of 5 points per day will be deducted for a tardy submission.  If you have any questions, email me early.  I am happy to assist.

 

Grading   400 total points exist in this course

A =  90%-100%                                  B =  80%-89%

C =  70%-79%                                                D =  60%-69%

F =  Below 60% of points

 

Attendance

Students are expected to attend regularly all courses for which they are registered. Students should notify their instructors when illness prevents them from attending class and make arrangements to complete missed assignments. It is the instructor’s prerogative to modify deadlines of course requirements accordingly. Any student who stops attending a course without officially withdrawing may receive a failing grade.

 

Unexcused absences equivalent to more than a week of classes may lead to a grade reduction for the course. Any absence of two weeks or more must be reported to the Associate Provost and the Records Office by the instructor.

 

Federal regulations require continued attendance for continuing payment of financial aid. If attendance is not continuous, financial aid may be terminated. When illness or personal reasons necessitate continued absence, the student should officially withdraw from all affected courses. Anyone who stops attending a course without official withdrawal may receive a failing grade.

 

Students with Disabilities

Chaminade will provide assistance for any student with documented disabilities.  Any student who believes he/she may need accommodations in this class must contact Dr. June Yasuhara, 739-4603, at the Counseling Center (office next to Security) in order to determine if the student meets the requirements for documented disability in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  It is important to contact them as soon as possible so that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

 

Marianist Educational Values

Chaminade University is a Catholic, Marianist University.  The five characteristics of a Marianist education are: 

 

  1. Educate for Formation in Faith

Catholic Universities affirm an intricate relationship between reason and faith.  As important as discursive and logical formulations and critical thinking are, they are not able to capture all that can be and ought to be learned.  Intellectual rigor coupled with respectful humility provide a more profound preparation for both career and life.  Intellectual rigor characterizes the pursuit of all that can be learned.  Respectful humility reminds people of faith that they need to learn from those who are of other faiths and cultures, as well as from those who may have no religious faith at all.

  1. Provide an Excellent Education

In the Marianist approach to education, “excellence” includes the whole person, not just the technician or rhetorician.  Marianist universities educate whole persons, developing their physical, psychological, intellectual, moral, spiritual and social qualities.  Faculty and students attend to fundamental moral attitudes, develop their personal talents and acquire skills that will help them learn all their lives.  The Marianist approach to education links theory and practice, liberal and professional education.  Our age has been deeply shaped by science and technology.  Most recently, information and educational technologies have changed the way faculty and students research and teach.  At Marianist Universities, two goals are pursued simultaneously:  an appropriate use of information technology for learning, and the enhancement of interaction between students and teachers.  As Catholic, Marianist Universities seek to embrace diverse peoples and understand diverse cultures, convinced that ultimately, when such people come together, one of the highest purposes of education is realized: a human community that respects every individual within it.

  1. Educate in Family Spirit

Known for their strong sense of community, Marianists have traditionally spoken of this sense as “family spirit.”  Marianist educational experience fosters the development of a community characterized by a sense of family spirit that accepts each person with loving respect, and draws everyone in the university into the challenge of community building.  Family spirit also enables Marianist universities to challenge their students, faculty and staff to excellence and maturity, because the acceptance and love of a community gives its members the courage to risk failure and the joy of sharing success.

  1. Educate for Service, Justice, and Peace

The Marianist approach to higher education is deeply committed to the common good.  The intellectual life itself is undertaken as a form of service in the interest of justice and peace, and the university curriculum is designed to connect the classroom with the wider world.  In addition, Marianist universities extend a special concern for the poor and marginalized and promote the dignity, rights and responsibilities of all people. 

  1. Educate for Adaptation to Change

In the midst of rapid social and technological change, Marianist universities readily adapt and change their methods and structures so that the wisdom of their educational philosophy and spirituality may be transmitted even more fully.  “New times call for new methods,” Father Chaminade often repeated.  The Marianist university faces the future confidently, on the one hand knowing that it draws on a rich educational philosophy, and on the other fully aware for that philosophy to remain vibrant in changing times, adaptations need to be made.

 

Selected from Characteristics of Marianist Universities: A Resource Paper, Published in 1999 by Chaminade University of Honolulu, St. Mary’s University and University of Dayton

 

Each of these characteristics is integrated, to varying degrees, in this course.

 

Instructor:                  Patricia  O’Neal, MSCP

 

Email:                          [email protected]

Preferred:                  COMMUNICATION WITHIN WEB CT MAIL

 

Term Dates:               April 7, 2008June 16, 2008

 

Required Text:          Work in the 21st Century, An introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology:  Landy, F. & Conte, J., 2004 [Blue text with a helicopter on the front]

Requited Book:         The art of strategy; translated by r.l. wing; 1988; broadway books/doubleday; 0-385-23784-7

 

Tentative Course Schedule

 

Week 1:

--- Introduce Yourself. Read Chapter 1. Homework assignment and week 1 introductory discussion posting due this week Sunday, by 11 pm HST. 

Week 2:
--- Read Chapters 2 & 3. Homework and discussion posting(s) due this week Sunday by
11 pm HST.

Week 3: Begin Reading Second Book – The Art of Strategy – Wing’s Edition
---Read Chapters 4 & 5. Homework and discussion postings due Sunday by
11 pm HST.

Week 4:
---Read Chapters 6 & 7. Homework and discussion due by Sunday
11 pm HST.

Week 5: 
--- Read Chapter 8. Homework, discussion postings, due on Sunday
11 pm HST.

Week 6:
---Read Chapters 9 & 10. Homework & discussions due Sunday by
11 pm.

Week 7:   Contact Donna Yoshimura with exam proctor contact information
---Read Chapters 11 & 12. Homework and discussion due Sunday by
11 pm. 

Week 8: PAPER / PROJECT  DUE THIS WEEK
--- Read Chapter 13 & 14. Homework, PAPER, and discussion due by
11 pm Sunday.
 

Week 9:
---Read Chapters 15 & 16. Homework & discussion due by Sunday
11 pm.
 

Week 10:
---Review for final exam. *** FINAL WEEK OF Homework and discussion due Sunday by
11 pm HST.

 

MANDATORY FINAL EXAM is:

*  The LAST Saturday   ***I am tentatively guessing June 14th, as I have not yet confirmed the date***

*  IN PERSON -- at the main campus – or by RESERVING A SEAT AT AN APPROVED MILITARY BASE EXAM SETTING.  CONTACT YOUR accelerated evening program ADVISOR FOR DETAILS AND RESERVATIONS. 

You must take the exam on the date in which it is scheduled OR PRIOR TO, if you live OFF-ISLAND.  Off-island students may take the exam earlier in order for the PROCTOR to get the exam back to Chaminade’s AUP, who will forward final to the instructor.  You are responsible for attaining an approved proctor, through the main AUP campus approval representative. See rules on the site below:

http://www.chaminade.edu/online/index.php?pg=content_proctor.html


Work smart, keep up with your work and schedule, print a copy of the syllabus, study, and do well. If you have ANY questions, EMAIL me through
WEB CT EARLY ON. I do respond.   Ms. O’Neal       ** Instructor has authority to update this syllabus.