MGT2015: Narrative and Management

Course Outline

MGT 2015HS

Course Name Narrative and Management

Instructor: Prof. Sandford Borins, Room 532

E-Mail: borins@rotman,utoronto.ca

Homepage: www.sandfordborins.com

Phone (Fax): 416-386-0440

Office Hours: Wednesdays 11:15 to 12:00

Course Goals

1. using the analysis of management narratives to model effective and ineffective managerial performance, hence improving the student’s performance as a manager

2.   to develop the student’s narrative competence, i.e. skills in understanding, analyzing, and creating effective narratives

3. to apply narrative competence to the issues of communicating, persuading, and leading within managerial situations

4. to support the Rotman School’s focus on integrative thinking.

Course Scope and Mission

The course will explore a variety of narrative forms (including history, biography, novel, and film) and focus on both form and content. The course begins with a conceptual framework incorporating the study of narrative (narratology) and Erik Erikson’s model of ego development in additional to more familiar management concepts. Management issues raised in the narratives studied include corporate governance, the mentor-protégé relationship, entrepreneurship, small group decision-making, media governance, challenging corporate authority, and decision-making in government.

Required Readings

Films to be purchased or rented every week.

Visit each film’s entry on www.imdb.com.

Readings provided on the course website (on Rotman portal).

Occasional Wikipedia entries or websites to visit (links on course website on Rotman portal).

Burnett, A Trail by Jury, complete book.

Evaluation and Grades

Grades are a measure of the performance of a student in individual courses. Each student shall be judged on the basis of how well he or she has command of the course materials.

Due Date

Class Presentation 15% Ongoing

Class Participation 15% Ongoing

Mid Term Exam (in class) 30% March 3

Final Exam 40% during exam period

Please note that in order to pass this course as a whole, students must pass the final exam. Students who fail a final exam will be given a grade of FZ (failing grade) for the course.

Missed Assignments/Examinations

Students may miss an exam due to illness, domestic affliction, or in the case of Three-Year students, work commitments, without academic penalty providing the appropriate documentation is received and approved in a timely manner.

In such cases students must notify the MBA Program Services Office on the date of the missed examination and a medical certificate, employer’s letter or other supporting evidence must be submitted to the Director, MBA Program Services within 48 hours of the due date of the assignment or the exam date.

Students who miss the mid-term or final exam will be required to write a term paper in its place with the nature of the term paper to be determined by the instructor. If a student misses the mid-term or final examination for any other reason, a resolution will be determined at the instructor’s discretion and may include an academic penalty. Students who do not notify the School of a missed mid-term or final exam will be given a grade of FZ (failing grade) for the mid-term or final exam.

Course Work & Academic Honesty

Submission of Assignments – Students are required to use the MBA Assignment Cover Sheet Template (see the Portal) for all submitted work which will be reviewed by the Professor. In the case of group assignments, all group members must sign the Assignment Cover Sheet. Late submissions of any assignment will be considered; however, a resolution will be determined at the instructor’s discretion and may include an academic penalty.

Academic Honesty - The University’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters (“Code”) applies to all Rotman students. The Code prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and the use of unauthorized aids. Students violating the Code may be subject to penalties up to and including suspension or expulsion from the University. A copy of the Code may be found at: http://www.utoronto.ca/govcncl/pap/policies/behaveac.html

The Rotman Code of Integrity

Students are expected to conduct themselves with the utmost integrity during their time at Rotman and, without limiting the foregoing, will:

· Submit only original work, giving credit to others where appropriate;

· Neither give nor receive unauthorized aid in examinations or on assignments;

· Contribute substantially and proportionally to each group assignment;

· Ensure enough familiarity with the entire contents of group assignments so as to be able to sign off on them as original work;

· Accept and acknowledge that assignments found to be plagiarized in any way will be subject to sanctions under the University’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters;

· Represent myself honestly to members of the Rotman community and to outsiders; and

· Represent Rotman appropriately to the outside world.

Team Behaviours & Protocols

All students are expected to treat teamwork as though they would in a business setting, ensuring professional behaviour at all times. Professional behaviour in group settings includes (but is not limited to) the following:

· Ensuring all team members voice their opinions, thoughts, and concerns;

· Taking personal responsibility to voice thoughts to benefit the team’s learning;

· Contributing to the learning of the team by giving equal time and work quality as others in the group;

· Committing to a standard of work agreed upon by the group;

· Participating in team projects at a level agreed upon by the entire team.

Weekly Schedule