SYLLABUS
Japanese Management
BA 410 5 credits
Online course
Business Administration Program Leadership, Management, and Organization Option Elective
Business Administration Program International Business Option Elective


THE NOTE SECTION--CHECK HERE REGULARLY FOR CLASS ANNOUNCEMENTS!!

TEXTS:
Texts are best obtained on Amazon.com or another online bookstore as three of the texts are currently out of print. Paperbacks are fine and you should not have to spend very much on them.

other materials you may find useful in the class:
1. Course description. This course is aimed at enhancing the student's appreciation and knowledge of Japanese culture and its impact on business practices. We will explore communication, leadership, group behavior and values, baseball, and samurai fighting methods in our search of an some enlightenment about the rise of Japanese business in the 1980s. At that time, Japanese business practice became the model for the rest of the world to study and imitate. Japan continues to be the best at manufacturing quality and multinational management. Consider Toyota, Sony, Matsushita, Honda, etc. In the class students will increase their knowledge of Japanese culture as it relates to business practice; they will increase their understanding of Japanese baseball; they will analyze some differences between western and eastern business practice; and students will gain a sense of a portion of the spirtual base of Japanese management. Students will be expected to thoughtfully complete all readings and actively consider the assignments.

2. Grading. Grades will be based on student performance on the assigned papers. Grades are based on a 90-80-70% breakdown of total points earned during the term. Point values for papers are listed below.

3. Papers. Each student will prepare a series of four papers, a minimum of five pages in length, font size 12, and utilizing the assigned texts as sources along with a minimum of three other sources. All papers will be in proper form (APA or Tarabian) with footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography page. Papers will be emailed to my email address as an attached word document. The topics for the papers can be found at Paper Assignments. Papers will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  1. Production quality-10 pts. This means that you did a professional job preparing the document--grammar, spelling, style (APA etc.), format.

  2. Appropriate use of source material-15 pts. This means that you made good and detailed use of the materials in the texts and your other sources--with lots of specific references to the facts, ideas, concepts, etc. in the text and did not simply make some general statements. You used the right facts to make the right points in your paper. You also cited your source material when appropriate.

  3. Organization and writing style of paper-10 pts. Your papers should be logically organized and flow well from section to section. This makes them more interesting and your logic easier to follow.

  4. Analysis-15 pts. This is the core of the paper. Did you make a logical and complete argument for your position in the paper? Did you complete the assignment or wander off on a tangent?

Point value assignment-
  1. individual papers--50 points each
  2. total points available--200
Grade breakdown
  1. 180+ points A
  2. 160-179 points B
  3. 140-159 points C
  4. 120-139 points D

4. Individual activity. The texts can be read in the order of the paper assignments with the WA book first, 'The Japanese Mind' second, and 'A Book of Five Rings' third and 'The Art of Japanese Management last. Keeping a set of notes as you read the books is a good idea--record your impressions of what you have discovered.

5. E-mail discussion. You are free to discuss issues in the class with the other students in the class. Feel free to email me and do not be surprised if you receive email from other members of the class or YFI. If we were on campus, we would spend most of our time in discussion. Feel free to use the email structures in blackboard or webster to email the entire class-this is the most efficient way to contact everyone at the same time.

6. The Note Section. The note section of the syllabus should be checked regularly as it will be used for announcements by YFI that will affect the class.

Last updated 07/06/08 by RDL