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comments on issues that have arisen during the course around this topic which will, hopefully lead to further reflection by both the professor and the students.

inquiries about assignments and/or course procedures.

Students can contribute to this page by posting an e-mail message to the professor at Lawrence.Ulrich@notes.udayton.edu

1. How do I send written work to the professor? (01/01/08)
Careful attention to the following process should minimize problems in the transmission.

Send your work in MS WORD format.
Be sure to include your name, date, and title of the assignment at the beginning of the body of the text.
Name your file by using your last name and the number of the assignment.
Go to your appropriate e-mail carrier.
Insert the professor's address.
Insert the course for which the assignment has been written as the "subject."
Click on "attachment."
To check to see if your assignment has been successfully transmitted, send a copy (cc.) to yourself. If you receive it, the professor has probably received it.
Always keep a back up copy for yourself.
Be sure that the disk which you use to send the "electronic" is not contaminated by a virus.

2. In doing a case study, what is the role of conceptual analysis? (01/01/08)
Conceptual analysis means examining an issue by resolving it into its component or essential parts. This is a "general" and "abstract" exercise. Then the concept is applied to the issue in the case. For example, first look at what is involved with the concept of "virtue" or "being a professional" or "quality of life" or what it means to have a "right" in general and then apply it to the case at hand.

3. What do I mean by "human values?" (01/01/08)
Human values are those values that play a central role in the life of every human being regardless of his/her cultural situation, gender, racial identity, etc. They are those values that you probably attempted to identify in your Humanities Base courses when you talked about "what it means to be human." A good example of a human value might be "honesty." Isn't this of central importance to everyone. How about "safety?" How about a "dignity?" Now you probably get the idea.

4. What is the difference among the various Threaded Discussions in this course? (01/01/08)

One of the goals of the MBA program and the School of Business in general is to build teamwork. The Threaded Discussions are one of the ways I try to accomplish this goal in MBA 652. The team/group analyzes a problem and it works together to generate a comprehensive analysis/solution.

There are actually 3 kinds of Threaded Discussions in this course. Each one is described on its own webpage. They are designed to allow for new ideas to be introduced and for students to react to each other's comments.

1) The Independent Threaded Discussions stand alone and are graded separately. You are expected to make 5 contributions (3 points for each contribution) to these for a total of 15 points for each ITD#. The contributions should be a "healthy paragraph." to explain an idea.

2) The Threaded Discussions Attached to Exams are a part of the exam. You are expected to make 3 contributions(10 points for each contribution) to each for a total of 30 points for each TD#EX. The contributions should be two "healthy" paragraphs. These were introduced into the course about one year ago when students suggested that interaction to hear other students' ideas would enrich the examination of a key issue for that particular examining period.

3) In the CWP#, there is a Threaded Discussion component that occurs before the actual drafting of the paper. In this TD you should be discussing the issues raised in the CWP case. I expect about 5 contributions about the CONTENT of the case to be made by each student. When I refer to the "CONTENT of the case," I mean the ethical issues involved in the case. In addition, I encourage you to use this TD to work on the manner in which your report will be generated. The package (TD and report) is graded as a whole. I expect the report to reflect the TD preceding that particular report.

[I see the CWP an an opportunity to develop the skill of producing a team report at a distance. Someday you may have to produce such a report with collaborators in London, Sidney, Toronto, Cairo, Chicago, and Baghdad. It's a complicated world out there.]

Threaded Discussions ##1 and 2 are programmed and posted one week prior to the due date for the TD. The assignments to the groups are made randomly and change with each assignment. The group assignments are to be found at the bottom of the webpage for the various assignments. I send around an e-mail to notify you when the TD has been posted, groups assigned, and that it is ready for your participation.

One last VERY IMPORTANT matter. Please make one or two early postings for each assignment so that the others in the group will have something to which to respond. And don't just sit in front of your computer and type in all of your comments at the same time. That does not constitute a "discussion." On-going contributions to a TD are particularly important in the CWP assignments.

A note about my participation in the Threaded Discussions. I do monitor the Threaded Discussion as you are working on them. However, I rarely enter into the discussion itself. My approach is that my students should battle over issues without my interloping. I frequently find that, if I were inclined to say something in the midst of a discussion, by exercising a bit of patience, one of the members of the group would say something similar. So I do not want students to wait for an "authoritative" statement on my part. The dialogue creates its own form of authority.