Mgmt-3350-120-organizational behavior | organizational management | Texas A&M University–Central Texas

Group projects in this class will consist of weekly projects wherein students will present topics to their small groups via the group discussion boards.

Students are expected to review the text and slides for the topic each week. They will pick a

single theory or concept and find an example of this theory in non-academic, reputable, online

publications. Group members will then research applications of OB theory in non-academic,

reputable, online publications; writing a short post on a group discussion board that provides 1)

a quick overview of the article; 2) a definition of the theory; and 3) an example as to how the

theory relates to the article.

Students are also expected to contribute to conversation on other topics that group members

have posted. The grading of the group assignments will be based upon observed participation

of the student, by the instructor. This observation will be informed by student feedback, given

by the group. Both number of posts and quality of posts will be considered. 

Here is an example of a possible post:

In chapter 3, one of the concepts covered in personality is Machiavellianism. Below is an example of a post that has an example of this construct. The post is in bold, while my comments are in normal font:

The article presented discuses the life of the deceased ExSEAL, Chris Kyle, who was shot by an exmarine on a rifle range. The story, to include quotes from Kyle, talks about his time in the SEALs, specifically how he felt about his job as a sniper.

(Paragraph 1…a short overview of the article. The actual topic of the article was his death—remember, the article does not have to be about the construct I am talking about, just give an example of it)

The article clearly demonstrates the Kyle has Machiavellian traits. The text book defines the construct as ‘the use of manipulation, a cynical view of human nature, and a moral code that puts results over principles”. In the context of business, it is most often explained as, “the ends justify the means”. Essentially, that the final outcome of an action, or series of actions, justifies the behaviours that caused that outcome. 

(Paragraph 2…a clear definition of the construct. Notice that even though there are quotes and other information taken directly from a source, there is no need for citing anything. That is not the purpose of this assignment)

A sniper’s job is to shoot individuals, often from a distance. Mr. Kyle did this in the time of war. In the article, he described his first kill as a woman who cradled a toddler with one hand and held a grenade in the other. “I had to do it to protect the Marines,” Kyle told Time magazine a year ago. “You want to lose your own guys, or would you rather take one of them out?” He was able to rationalize killing the woman by saying that the ends (saving the lives of marines) justified his actions. This, like many other instances in the story, is a prime example of Machiavellian behavior.

(Paragraph 3 gives a direct example of the construct from the news article) 

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/03/us/texas-sniper-killed-kyle-profile/index.html?hpt=us_c2

(The link is from cnn.com, not some academic article. Also, notice how the actual post is pretty short)