Course Syllabus

QMB 3602: Business Research for Decision Making

Integrated Business, College of Business

3 Credit Hours

Instructor Information

  • Instructor: Dr. Sara Willox
  • Office Location: Integrated Business, Business Administration 1 #358
  • Office Hours: by appointment
  • Digital Contact: sara.willox@ucf.edu or Webcourses@UCF messaging

Course Information

  • Term: Spring 2021
  • Course Number & Section: QMB 3602
  • Course Name: Business Research for Decision Making
  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Class Meeting Days: Wednesdays
  • Class Times: 6:00pm-7:20pm; 7:30pm-8:50pm
  • Course Modality: V

Enrollment Requirements

Course Prerequisites: QMB 3200 Quantitative Business Tools II

Course Description

The course introduces students to the business research process. Course content is focused on the planning, collection, organization, and analysis of quantitative information to make business decisions. Course content and learning activities are designed to further develop analytical and applied problem solving skills using statistical concepts and methods introduced in QMB 3200. The course will also provide hands on experiences using Excel as an analytical tool and preparing business reports.

 

This REAL course is made up of three components - online learning, Active Learning Labs (called "ALL's" for short) and student groups.

Since this class will now be conducted completely online for this term, you will still be assigned groups, but you will be coordinating with your groups to complete the ALL activities.

Online Learning

All of the primary learning in this course will be through online materials that will be accessible through Webcourses. Instead of attending a class or listening to a recording of a live lecture, the instructor has created customized learning modules just for you. Students will read the book, view the videos, complete exercises and assignments to learn the material.

Groups

At the start the term (during the 2nd week of classes) students will be formed into a group of 6-7 students and your group will work together all semester. You will be able to communicate online, but you will primarily work together in the ALL sessions and the online discussion questions.

Active Learning Labs (AKA Group Projects)

There are 5 Active Learning Labs in addition to the orientation meeting during the semester.  The grade earned by the group's submission will be assigned to each student in the group, as long as all group members contribute to the assignment. Students will be advised ahead of time what skills will be required for the ALL session and are expected to come to the session prepared.  A peer review will take place after each group assignment which may impact the scores that you receive.

Course Materials and Resources

Required Materials/Resources

  • Custom: Hillier, Schindler, Jaggia 6th ed.

    Connect Access Card

  • Links to third party videos and online articles within the Webcourses Modules

Other Required Course Tools

  • Software: Microsoft Office: EXCEL (including the solver add in) and WORD (Please note that for purposes of this class, it is not permissible to use Google Sheets). All Excel functions in this class will be taught using a PC.  If you are using Excel on a Mac, you may need to find alternative methods to complete the functions and problems as there are differences between Excel on a PC and Excel on a Mac.
  • Internet capable device (laptop, tablet, phone) for in Active Learning Lab sessions.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course students will be able to:

  • Develop a framework to develop and answer business research questions
  • Understand the terminology associated with databases and how databases are constructed
  • Understand, identify and evaluate the different types (structured/ unstructured) and sources of data (internal/external, make/buy, primary/secondary) for business decision making
  • Understand the fundamentals of data collection design including survey research, sampling, data aggregation, and data cleaning
  • Understand and assess the quality of data as to its legitimacy/validity, reliability/consistency, timeliness, comprehensiveness, availability/accessibility, comparability, and granularity/uniqueness in making business decisions
  • Identify sources of business data
  • Use Excel to organize, manipulate and analyze data
  • Summarize and present data in useful charts, graphs, and tables with proper formatting (Excel, Word) to tell a story and provide support to business recommendations using the visualizations appropriate for the type of data
  • Interpret standardized business reports
  • Demonstrate a basic understanding of the ethical and legal issues in data collection, analysis, storage, and auxiliary use

Course Activities

End of the Semester

At the end of each semester, students are prone to flood the instructor with requests for exceptions, make-up assignments, or extra credit assignments because their grade is not turning out how they hoped. Please be forewarned that these requests will not be granted. If passing this course is required for you to graduate or move on to future courses in your major, then you need to dedicate yourself to doing well from the first day of the semester.  Lack of diligence in completing assignments will not be rewarded with makeup work at the end of the semester. Also, to be fair, each student must be graded according to the methodology outlined in the syllabus. There cannot be different grading standards for individual students.

Exams - 60%

  • There will be four exams worth 150 points each. You must take all four exams and no exam grades are dropped.
  • Exam questions will cover material from videos, active learning lab assignments, homework assignments, examples, check your knowledge and the textbook. Questions will include both skill based, analytic and application questions.
  • You can expect multiple choice, true false, multiple answer, matching and fill in the blank questions. Some calculation questions require to you Excel or for you to calculate your answer and input it into the computer.
  • Exam scores will be released once the exam period closes and all exams have been graded.
  • Exams will be taken online during Webcourses.  They will be scheduled during our official class time from 6:00pm-8:50pm on Wednesdays.  Exams are 75 minutes and can be taken at anytime within the timeframe listed regardless of which section you are in. Exams automatically close and submit at 8:50pm even if time is remaining, so you must begin your exam by 7:35pm to have the full 75 minutes. 

Exam Dates - Policies on Emergencies and Illness

  • TESTS: Testing dates are firm and if you miss a taking a test you will receive a grade of zero on the test unless you have permission from the instructor to miss the test and take a makeup exam. Such permission is only granted in very rare circumstances.
  • If you must miss an exam period due to a documented illness or personal emergency (such as a death in the family) you must receive permission ahead of time from the instructor to miss the exam. If the nature of your personal emergency is so abrupt that you do not receive an excuse prior to the exam period you must IMMEDIATELY contact the instructor to provide documentation of your absence and petition to take a makeup exam. If a student with an emergency is a no-show for an exam period and does not contact the instructor within 24 hours of the exam closing time no make-up exam will be granted. A make-up exam will only be granted for extreme circumstances and you must provide documented proof of the event. If your situation involves an illness you must provide a doctor’s note to provide proof of your illness, no exceptions. A note from the UCF Clinic or doctor is acceptable with some exceptions. Your doctor's note is not sufficient justification if it just shows you visited a doctor/clinic on a certain date/time. The note must contain the clinic's contact information and specifically include the dates you were unable to attend school because of your illness.
  • Please do not ask the instructor for a makeup exam because you want to take a vacation, you are moving, start a new job, or have relationship problems, transportation issues, traffic problems, etc.  These will not be granted.
  • Exam dates are published at the beginning of the semester and will not change except for emergencies (such as a hurricane requiring school closure), so, mark them in your calendar at the beginning of the term.
  • If you are very ill and take the exam and do poorly, there is no way to retake the exam because you have seen the exam content. You are better off to visit the UCF clinic or your doctor and obtain a doctor’s note and request a makeup exam. The doctor's note must state the specific dates you are unable to attend school and include the doctor's contact information so we can call and verify the information. The dates noted by the doctor must cover the entire range of dates that the exam was available in order to be eligible to take a makeup exam.

Homework Assignments - 18%

You will have 12 homework assignments based on the Connect content.

Active Learning Labs - 10%

There will be five Active Learning Labs (ALLs) during the semester.  Since this is a remote class, you will need to arrange times with your team to work on your ALL group projects and submit by the deadlines. 

Each ALL assignment is worth 2% of your final course grade, so plan to participate in all projects.

Each group assignment will be graded based on the work submitted.  These ALLs are an opportunity to exercise the skills you have learned in this course. During these activities, you will work with the group you are assigned to the second week of the term. 

Peer Reviews - 0%

After each ALL, all students will be required to complete a peer review survey.  If it is determined that  a group member/s was not pulling his or her weight, I MAY adjust group project grades accordingly. 

Check Your Understanding - 8.4%

At the end of each module, you will find a link to review your knowledge in a quiz format. The course calendar contains reminders for the Check Your Understanding due dates.

Syllabus Quiz - 0.6%

The syllabus quiz will be due the Friday of the 1st week of the semester and also serves as verification for financial aid purposes.

Discussion Board - 3%

There will be two discussion questions post in Webcourses throughout the class that will be part of your grade. For these assignments, you will be discussing topics with the same group of people that you work with in the ALL sessions. The discussion requirements are to post your initial response by Tuesday of the week that they are due and post two follow up responses to other members of your group by Sunday. Your initial response should be a minimum of 300 words and include APA formatted citations and references to at least 2 sources (the sources do not count towards your 300 word requirement). Your follow up responses should be a minimum of 150 words each and include APA formatted citations and references to at least 1 source (the sources do not count towards your 150 word requirement).

 

This is a public place that is strictly reserved for the discussion of academic issues. You are supposed to use it sensibly, responsibly and ethically with a great deal of discretion. The discussion board cannot be used for any of the following:

  • Soliciting information from students who have already taken the test.
  • Posting the answers for quizzes, tests, brain boosters, or homework problems. The students are supposed to study the materials to find out the answers by themselves rather than exploiting others hard work. It is okay to ask questions about brain boosters or homework as long as you don't post answers and images of questions.
  • Posting complaints about the course rules/policies or making a personal attack or criticism about other people.
  • Any unethical/unprofessional/non-academic use.
  • The discussion board will be monitored for proper use to maximize the benefits of all the parties involved.
  • Unprofessional behavior
  • Communicating with foul or crude language
  • Talking about other courses other than QMB 3602

Do not send messages to the instructor on the discussion board; utilize e-mail address for any questions that are specifically directed to the instructor.

 

BONUS POINTS/EXTRA CREDIT

Bonus points or extra credit may be available throughout the course at the discretion of the instructor. Note: students may not earn more than 2% of their course total from bonus points and extra credit.

Activity Submissions

All submissions will occur either through Webcourses or McGraw Hill Connect.

Make-up Exams and Assignments

Per university policy, you are allowed to submit make-up work (or an equivalent, alternate assignment) for authorized university-sponsored activities, religious observances, or legal obligations (such as jury duty). If this participation conflicts with your course assignments, I will offer a reasonable opportunity for you to complete missed assignments and/or exams. The make-up assignment and grading scale will be equivalent to the missed assignment and its grading scale. In the case of an authorized university activity, it is your responsibility to show me a signed copy of the Program Verification Form for which you will be absent, prior to the class in which the absence occurs. In any of these cases, please contact me ahead of time to notify me of upcoming needs.

Late Policy

Late work will not be accepted unless there is documentation of an authorized university event.

Cheating

If a student is caught cheating in this course, he or she will receive an automatic F for the entire course.

Cheating includes:

 - the use of Course Hero, Chegg, Quizlet, and other such websites.

 - taking screenshots or photos of quiz or exam questions.

 - discussing the content of quizzes or exams with other students on social media, in person , or through any other means. 

Social Media Groups

The rules for the UCF Webcourses Discussion Board listed above apply to any type of social media group that may be created for this course by any individual (such as GroupMe or Discord). Social media may not be used to post answers for exams, quizzes or any assignments. Doing so is considered cheating. All social media groups need to be open so a teaching assistant may join. If you start a social media group please contact the instructor so teaching assistants can gain access.

External Internet Sites

Posting any course materials to an internet site is expressly prohibited and is considered cheating. All course materials are subject to copyrights by either the publisher or the instructor. If you are found to have posted any materials such as excel projects, quizzes, homework solutions, test questions, or anything from this course on the internet you will receive an automatic “F” in this course and the instructor will file a report with the UCF Office of Student Conduct. If you post these materials with the intent of soliciting help online to complete them that is considered cheating. If you don’t post on these sites but you visit them and use the information this is considered cheating and you will be subject to disciplinary action. We monitor popular course help sites regularly to detect student misconduct.

External Study Aids

Some companies market study materials with the idea of helping you cram for tests. Use of these materials is at your own risk. The instructor has no relationship with any study guide publisher who sells these materials. In the past, some students have purchased these materials thinking they contain everything needed to do well on the test based on the advertisement of the publisher. Please realize that there is no guarantee they are prepared in accordance with the material presented in this course. The UCF Golden Rule Section UCF-5.008 (c) defines selling notes, handouts, etc. without authorization or using them for any commercial purpose without express written permission of the University and the Instructor is considered academic misconduct.

Policy on Writing Recommendation Letters

Often students request recommendation letters. The dilemma in this course is that it is so large often the instructor does not have first hand knowledge of the student. Here are the requirements that must be met before requesting a recommendation letter:

  • You must have fully completed at least one course with me. I will not write a letter for a current first-time student, as I will not have an adequate sense of your academic abilities until you complete the term.
  • You should have earned a grade of at least a B+ in my course and completed all assignments. If you have earned a grade less than a B+, it is better to ask for a letter from another professor in whose course you especially excelled.
  • I must have a sense of you as a person beyond the letter grade that appears in my records. Especially for large enrollment courses, where it is difficult for professors to know their students well individually, reflect back upon your own behavior and ask yourself the following: Did you communicate with the professor during the term? Did you actively participate in all course assignments and sessions? Did you make use of office hours? Did you find other ways to leave a lasting, positive impression?

University-Wide Face Covering Policy for Common Spaces and Face-to-Face Classes

To protect members of our community, everyone is required to wear a facial covering inside all common spaces including classrooms (https://policies.ucf.edu/documents/PolicyEmergencyCOVIDReturnPolicy.pdf. Students who choose not to wear facial coverings will be asked to leave the classroom by the instructor. If they refuse to leave the classroom or put on a facial covering, they may be considered disruptive (please see the Golden Rule for student behavior expectations). Faculty have the right to cancel class if the safety and well-being of class members are in jeopardy. Students will be responsible for the material that would have been covered in class as provided by the instructor.

Notifications in Case of Changes to Course Modality

Depending on the course of the pandemic during the semester, the university may make changes to the way classes are offered. If that happens, please look for announcements or messages in Webcourses@UCF or Knights email about changes specific to this course.

COVID-19 and Illness Notification

Students who believe they may have a COVID-19 diagnosis should contact UCF Student Health Services (407-823-2509) so proper contact tracing procedures can take place.

Students should not come to campus if they are ill, are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, have tested positive for COVID, or if anyone living in their residence has tested positive or is sick with COVID-19 symptoms. CDC guidance for COVID-19 symptoms is located here: (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html)

Students should contact their instructor(s) as soon as possible if they miss class for any illness reason to discuss reasonable adjustments that might need to be made. When possible, students should contact their instructor(s) before missing class.

In Case of Faculty Illness

If the instructor falls ill during the semester, there may be changes to this course, including having a backup instructor take over the course. Please look for announcements or mail in Webcourses@UCF or Knights email for any alterations to this course.

Course Accessibility and Disability COVID-19 Supplemental Statement

Accommodations may need to be added or adjusted should this course shift from an on-campus to a remote format. Students with disabilities should speak with their instructor and should contact sas@ucf.edu to discuss specific accommodations for this or other courses.

Assessment and Grading Procedures

Grading Composition
Assignment Earn Points % of Overall Grade
Exam 1 150 15%
Exam 2 150 15%
Exam 3 150 15%
Exam 4 150 15%
ALL sessions x 5 100 10%
Discussion Questions x 2 30

3%

Connect Homework x 12 180

18%

Financial Aid/Syllabus Quiz 6 0.6%
End of Module Check Your Understanding x 12 84 8.4%
Total 1000 points 100%

All grades are final within two weeks of being posted. There will be no adjusting of any grades two weeks after the grade is posted for any reason. If you see a problem with any score please bring it to the instructor’s attention immediately.

  • For your security, grades will not be provided by phone or email.
  • Grades will be recorded in the Webcourses gradebook.
  • Grades are not negotiable. Students with extenuating circumstances which require them to receive a certain grade or maintain a particular GPA (e.g., graduation, loss of a scholarship, University probation or suspension, loss of a job offer, revocation of student Visa, etc.) need to realize that they are responsible for working hard to achieve the needed course grade. Exceptions will not be made for individual students.
  • Grades can be changed only if there is an input or calculation error.
  • Students should check their grades frequently and notify the instructor immediately if there are any discrepancies.
  • Final grades will be assigned based on the scale presented below.

Letter Grade

Points

A

900 – 1000

B

800 – 899

C

700 – 799

D

600 – 699

F

599 and below

 

Consult the latest Undergraduate or Graduate catalog for regulations and procedures regarding grading such as Incomplete grades, grade changes, and grade forgiveness.

Course Schedule

Week

Topics Deliverables

Week One

Module 0: Getting Started

Module 1: Decision Making Framework and Data Analytics Introduction

Syllabus Quiz (Webcourses)

Module 1 Assignment (Connect)

Module 1 Check Your Understanding (Connect)

Week Two Module 2: Ethics in the Research Process and Decision Making Traps

Module 2 Assignment (Connect)

Module 2 Check Your Understanding (Connect)

Week Three

Module 3: Stakeholders and Problem/Root Cause Analysis

 

Module 3 Discussion (Webcourses)

Module 3 Check Your Understanding (Connect)

Group Project 1 (Webcourses)

Week Four

Module 4: Business Research Questions

Module 4 Assignment (Connect)

Module 4 Check Your Understanding (Connect)

Week Five

Module 5: Data Collection and Analysis

Module 5 Assignment (Connect)

Module 5 Check Your Understanding (Connect)

Exam 1 (Webcourses)

Week Six

Module 6: Break Even Analysis

Module 6 Assignment (Connect)

Module 6 Check Your Understanding (Connect)

Week Seven

Module 7: Queuing Methods

Module 7 Assignment (Connect)

Module 7 Check Your Understanding (Connect)

Group Project 2 (Webcourses)

Week Eight

Module 8: Linear Programming - Basic Introduction

Module 8 Assignment (Connect)

Module 8 Check Your Understanding  (Connect)

Group Project 3 (Webcourses)

Week Nine

Module 9: Linear Programming Problems

Module 9 Assignment (Connect)

Module 9 Check Your Understanding

Exam 2 (Webcourses)

Week Ten

Module 10: What-If Analysis

Module 10 Assignment (Connect)

Module 10 Check Your Understanding (Connect)

Group Project 4

Week Eleven

Module 11: Network Optimization Problems

Module 11 Assignment (Connect)

Module 11 Check Your Understanding (Connect)

Week Twelve

Module 12: Non-Linear Programming

Module 12 Assignment (Connect)

Module 12 Check  Your Understanding (Connect)

Exam 3 (Webcourses)

Week Thirteen

Module 13: Triple Bottom Line

Module 13 Discussion (Webcourses)

Module 13 Check Your Understanding (Connect)

Week Fourteen

Module 14: The Business Report

Module 14 Assignment (Connect)

Module 14 Check Your Understanding (Connect)

Group Project 5 (Webcourses)

Exam 4 (Webcourses)

University Services and Resources

Academic Services and Resources

A list of available academic support and learning services is available at UCF Student Services. Click on "Academic Support and Learning Services" on the right-hand side to filter.

Non-Academic Services and Resources

A list of non-academic support and services is also available at UCF Student Services. Click on "Support" on the right-hand side to filter.

If you are a UCF Online student, please consult the UCF Online Student Guidelines for more information about your access to non-academic services.

Policy Statements

Academic Integrity

Students should familiarize themselves with UCF’s Rules of Conduct. According to Section 1, "Academic Misconduct," students are prohibited from engaging in:

  • Unauthorized assistance: Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids in any academic exercise unless specifically authorized by the instructor of record. The unauthorized possession of examination or course-related material also constitutes cheating.
  • Communication to another through written, visual, electronic, or oral means: The presentation of material which has not been studied or learned, but rather was obtained through someone else’s efforts and used as part of an examination, course assignment, or project.
  • Commercial Use of Academic Material: Selling of course material to another person, student, and/or uploading course material to a third-party vendor without authorization or without the express written permission of the university and the instructor. Course materials include but are not limited to class notes, Instructor’s PowerPoints, course syllabi, tests, quizzes, labs, instruction sheets, homework, study guides, handouts, etc.
  • Falsifying or misrepresenting the student’s own academic work.
  • Plagiarism: Using or appropriating another’s work without any indication of the source, thereby attempting to convey the impression that such work is the student’s own.
  • Multiple Submissions: Submitting the same academic work for credit more than once without the express written permission of the instructor.
  • Helping another violate academic behavior standards.

For more information about Academic Integrity, students may consult The Center for Academic Integrity.

For more information about plagiarism and misuse of sources, see “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices”.

Responses to Academic Dishonesty, Plagiarism, or Cheating

Students should also familiarize themselves with the procedures for academic misconduct in UCF’s student handbook, The Golden Rule. UCF faculty members have a responsibility for students’ education and the value of a UCF degree, and so seek to prevent unethical behavior and when necessary respond to academic misconduct. Penalties can include a failing grade in an assignment or in the course, suspension or expulsion from the university, and/or a "Z Designation" on a student’s official transcript indicating academic dishonesty, where the final grade for this course will be preceded by the letter Z. For more information about the Z Designation, see http://goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/zgrade.

Course Accessibility Statement

The University of Central Florida is committed to providing access and inclusion for all persons with disabilities. Students with disabilities who need disability-related access in this course should contact the professor as soon as possible. Students should also connect with Student Accessibility Services (Ferrell Commons 185, sas@ucf.edu, phone (407) 823-2371). Through Student Accessibility Services, a Course Accessibility Letter may be created and sent to professors, which informs faculty of potential access and accommodations that might be reasonable.Determining reasonable access and accommodations requires consideration of the course design, course learning objectives and the individual academic and course barriers experienced by the student.

Campus Safety Statement

Emergencies on campus are rare, but if one should arise during class, everyone needs to work together. Students should be aware of their surroundings and familiar with some basic safety and security concepts.

  • In case of an emergency, dial 911 for assistance.
  • Every UCF classroom contains an emergency procedure guide posted on a wall near the door. Students should make a note of the guide’s physical location and review the online version at <http://emergency.ucf.edu/emergency_guide.html>.
  • Students should know the evacuation routes from each of their classrooms and have a plan for finding safety in case of an emergency.
  • If there is a medical emergency during class, students may need to access a first-aid kit or AED (Automated External Defibrillator). To learn where those are located, see <http://www.ehs.ucf.edu/AEDlocations-UCF> (click on link from menu on left).
  • To stay informed about emergency situations, students can sign up to receive UCF text alerts by going to <https://my.ucf.edu> and logging in. Click on “Student Self Service” located on the left side of the screen in the toolbar, scroll down to the blue “Personal Information” heading on the Student Center screen, click on “UCF Alert”, fill out the information, including e-mail address, cell phone number, and cell phone provider, click “Apply” to save the changes, and then click “OK.”
  • Students with special needs related to emergency situations should speak with their instructors outside of class.
  • To learn about how to manage an active-shooter situation on campus or elsewhere, consider viewing this video (<You CAN Survive an Active Shooter>).

Religious Obligations

The University of Central Florida will reasonably accommodate the religious observances, practices, and beliefs of individuals in regard to admissions, course attendance, and the scheduling of examinations and work assignments. A student who desires to observe a religious holy day of his or her religious faith must notify within the first two weeks of the term to be excused from course activity to observe the religious holy day. For more information, see the UCF policy. Links to an external site.

Deployed Active Duty Military Students

Students who are deployed active duty military and/or National Guard personnel and require accommodation should contact their instructors as soon as possible after the semester begins and/or after they receive notification of deployment to make related arrangements.

Copyright

This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this online classroom environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Third-Party Software and FERPA

During this course you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as a blog or wiki. While some of these could be required assignments, you need not make any personally identifying information on a public site. Do not post or provide any private information about yourself or your classmates. Where appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to disclose any personally identity-sensitive information. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your instructor.

Third-Party Accessibility and Privacy Statements

McGraw Hill Privacy Statement

McGraw Hill Accessibility Statement

Course Summary:

Date Details Due