Course Outlines
Fall Term
NOTE: Course outlines are for reference only.
Availability and course offerings are subject to change
every year.
Gustavson School of Business (GSB)
University of Victoria
Contact: GSBWelcome@uvic.ca
Pre-Requisites: Courses with asterisks (*) have pre-requisites. Please look at individual course outlines and carefully
review them to see if you meet the criteria. Individual course outlines have their titles hyperlinked and will take you
to the website for more information about the pre-requisites.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Courses highlighted in this color are COHORT based (meaning work and assignments are
typically team based). Attendance is MANDATORY in these courses due to the team-based nature of these
courses. There is limited space available in each section of these courses and as a result, these courses will be
assigned on a first-come, first served basis to students who meet the minimum GPA requirement (“B”) and have
taken all course pre-requisites.
Course Numbers Course Title
Com 100 Introduction to Business Decision Making (Credit will be granted for only one of 100, 290, 390)
Com 202 Financial Accounting I (Credit will be granted for only one of 202, 315)
Com 206B Business English & Communication
Com 220 Organizational Behaviour
Com 240* Management Finance
Com 250 Fundamentals of Marketing
Com 302 Legal Environment of Business (Credit will be granted for only one of 302, 402)
Com 315* Financial Accounting (Limited space available; see important note)
Com 317* Managerial Accounting I
Com 321* Leading People and Organizations I (Limited space available; see important note)
Com 341* Operations Management (Limited space available; see important note)
Com 351* Marketing Principles and Management (Limited space available; see important note)
Com 361* International Business (Limited space available; see important note)
Com 390 Canadian Business Environment (Credit will be granted for only one of 290, 390, 100)
Com 400* Strategic Management
Com 402* Legal Issues: Management (Credit will be granted for only one of 402, 302)
Com 410* Leadership Strategies
Com 426* Management Accounting II
Com 435* Corporate Relations and Responsibilities
Com 445* Corporate Finance
Com 446* Investments
Com 450 Selected Topics in Management: Topics To Be Announced
Ent 100 Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Ent 402* Entrepreneurship & Small Business for the Non-Specialist
IB 301 International Environment of Business (Not open to students registered in Com 361)
International
Business COIL
Specialization
This specialization is a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program with the
University of Victoria and Kozminski University (Poland). This online program enriches crosscultural
learning experiences by placing exchange students, GSB students and Kozminski
students in a joint cohort - making the “international” component tangible in this
specialization. A certificate will be granted upon the successful completion of the
specialization. Please note that all five of the following courses must be taken together to
complete the International Business Specialization: IB 409, IB 415, IB 416, IB 417, and Com
400 concurrently. NOTE: IB 409, IB 416, and IB 417 CANNOT be taken on their own. COM
400 is the only course that can taken as individual stand-alone courses.
IB 409 Social Entrepreneurship & New Venture Creation
IB 415* Cross-National management
IB 416* International Marketing
IB 417* International Finance
COM 400 Strategic Management
Com 100
Introduction to Business Decision Making
Pre-requisites: None
Course Objectives and Description:
The objective of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of the major functional areas of
business including entrepreneurship, leadership, strategy, human resource management, operations, financial
management, and marketing, and the environment in which they operate. In particular this course focuses on
how all of these functional areas interlink to create a systems perspective of running a great organization.
Coursespaces:
Under coursespaces you will find additional readings, assignments and class preparation tasks. I will update this
most days. Please be sure to check for changes and announcements daily.
Course Materials:
In the past we have used textbooks, but over time recognized the value in creating a set of readings that
provide both frameworks for guiding your thinking and managerially focused processes for understanding
business. The readings are posted on coursespaces.
Course Format:
A blend of lectures, videos, guest speakers, amusing cats, mini case studies, and inclass exercises will be
employed.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule
10% Participation – participation through iClickers –
1% for each vote (10/14)
(ongoing dates)
10% Midterm 15th October – Quiz (multiple choice)
15% Midterm 26th November – Quiz (accounting
questions)
25% Individual Assignment (9th November first draft
and 30th November final draft)
40% Final Examination – at some massively
inconvenient date in December
100%
Requirements for Graded Work:
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all classes in which
they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning process in this course. Attendance
exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps clarify material that can lead
to better performance in the course.
Class Participation: Evaluation will be based on involvement in class using iClickers and voting on questions in
each class.
Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a group-based
assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group will receive the same grade.
Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative contribution, will be specified in writing prior to
the grading of the assignment.
Grading Scale:
Graded material in this course will be marked and reported to the Registrar using percentages. The percentage
grade, the corresponding letter grade and comparative grading information will be displayed on student
transcripts (official and administrative). The following table demonstrates the equivalent letter grades:
Percentage
Range
Grades Grade
Point
Value
Description
90 – 100
85 – 89
80 – 84
A+
A
A-
9
8
7
Exceptional, outstanding and excellent performance. Normally
achieved by a minority of students. These grades indicate a
student who is self-initiating, exceeds expectation and has an
insightful grasp of the subject matter.
77 – 79
73 – 76
70 – 72
B+
B
B-
6
5
4
Very good, good and solid performance. Normally achieved by the
largest number of students. These grades indicate a good grasp of
the subject matter or excellent grasp in one area balanced with
satisfactory grasp in the other area.
65 – 69
60 – 64
C+
C
3
2
Satisfactory, or minimally satisfactory. These grades indicate a
satisfactory performance and knowledge of the subject matter.
50 – 59 D 1 Marginal Performance. A student receiving this grade
demonstrated a superficial grasp of the subject matter.
0-49 E Conditional supplemental
0-49 F 0 Unsatisfactory performance. Wrote final examination and
completed course requirements; no supplemental.
“N” (incomplete) grades: All graded components must be completed or you will receive a failing grade of N
(grade point value of 0).
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business has
an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All cases of cheating or plagiarism, and
any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the Associate Dean, Programs. A student who violates
academic integrity standards will fail the assignment and potentially fail the course, with a letter of reprimand
placed in the student’s record in the Registrar’s office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and group projects
that have been adopted by our School.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
o using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without
referencing the source of these words.
o paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
o duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
o paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of another
person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a verbal presentation)
without referencing the source.
o copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
o providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
o taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
o impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the purpose of
submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
o stealing or mutilating library materials.
o accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
o changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
o submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior discussions
with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection software
program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
The course materials used in this course (electronic and paper) are the intellectual property of the instructor
and students cannot share the materials without the instructor’s consent and cannot sell or profit from the
instructor’s intellectual property.
Students should be aware of the expectations surrounding their professionalism. Please refer to the Standards
of Professional Behavior on the Gustavson website for details.
See schedule below:
Date Topic: Reading:
Thursday 7h
September
Introduction: Integrated Business Framework
Monday 11th
September
Environment: The Five Forces Reading: The Five Competitive
Forces That Shape Strategy –
Michael E. Porter, Harvard
Business Review
Thursday 14th
September
Leadership: Level 5 leaders Reading: Making of an Expert, by
K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J.
Prietula, and Edward T. Cokely,
Harvard Business Review, July
2007
Monday 18th
September
Leadership: Level 5 leaders Reading: What Makes a Leader?
Daniel Goleman, Harvard Business
Review
Thursday 21st
September
Strategy Planning: Diagnosis, Choice,
Execution
Reading: Can You Say What Your
Strategy Is? David J. Collis,
Michael G. Rukstad, Harvard
Business Review,
Monday 25th
September
Strategy Planning: Diagnosis, Choice,
Execution - continued
Thursday 28th
September
Customer and Market Focus: Creating
Value With Customers
Reading: The Ultimate Marketing
Machine, Harvard Business review
2014
Monday 2nd
October
No Class
Thursday 5th
October
Mid-Term
Monday 9th
October
Thanksgiving
Thursday 12th
October
Customer and Market Focus: Creating Value
With Customers
Case: Kiwi Experience
Monday 16th
October
Guest Speaker – Hannes Blum
Thursday 19th No Class
October
Monday 23rd
October
Human Resource Focus: Motivating Your
People
Reading: One More Time: How Do
You Motivate Employees? Frederick
Hertzberg, Harvard Business
Review
Thursday 26th
October
Human Resource Focus: Motivating Your
People - continued
Monday 30th
October
Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge
Management: Financials and Forecasting
Readings: on Coursespaces
Thursday 2nd
November
Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge
Management: Financials and Forecasting
Readings: Coursespaces
Monday 6th
November
Mid-Term 2 (in-class)
Thursday 9th
November
Guest Speaker: Martin Rissley
Draft Version of Individual Assignment Due
Monday 13th
November
No Class - RB
Thursday 16th
November
No Class – RB extended
Monday 20th
November
Process Management: Increasing Productivity
and Quality
Watch: The Founder
Thursday 23rd
November
Social Psychology Meets Business Draft
Version of Individual Assignment Handed
Back
Reading: Harnessing the Science of
Persuasion, Robert Cialdini,
Harvard Business Review
Monday 27th
November
Results: What is Success in Business? Reading: Using the Balanced
Scorecard as a Strategic
Management System, Robert S.
Kaplan, David P. Norton, Harvard
Business Review
Thursday 30th
November
Final Version of Individual Assignment Due
Exam overview and wrap-up
Com 202
Financial Accounting I
Pre-requisites: None
Text:
Text with WileyPlus
Financial Accounting, Tools for Business Decision Making, 7th Canadian Edition with Wiley Plus, Kimmel,
Weygandt, Kieso, Trenholm, Irvine
(ISBN: Hardcopy: 9781118885116)
For looseleaf or electronic copies of the text consult, the UVic Bookstore.
*Note:
 your textbook should include a code to access WileyPlus
 ensure you have the 7th
Canadian Edition
Course Objectives and Description:
This course is an introduction to financial accounting with emphasis on the basic concepts, mechanics,
objectives and judgments involved in using financial statements. The major challenges and problems of
financial reporting are much broader than just generating numbers. This course will illustrate that reporting
involves a great deal of judgment in order to provide the information required by the many stakeholders.
Reporting by public and private companies in Canada has undergone significant transition from Canadian GAAP
with the adoption of IFRS in the accounting for public entities.
The course objectives are to:
1. Develop the ability to recognize, create and examine basic financial statements; the statement of
comprehensive income (income statement), statement of financial position (balance sheet), statement of
changes in equity and the statement of cash flows.
2. Discuss the issues and judgments used in the identification, measurement, and communication of financial
statement information.
3. Use tools presented in the course to derive information from financial statements for use in developing
potential solutions to business issues.
4. Enhance both oral and written communication skills through class discussion of theory and practice using
problems.
Course Format:
The course consists of a combination of lectures and class discussions as well as some on-line work using
primarily WileyPlus. Lectures will be used as a supplement to reinforce key points and the use of problems and
/ or case studies will allow application of the theory and content. Students are expected to complete all
preparatory work including reading the course materials, cases and / or other content posted before each class
session and to be fully prepared for full and active participation in the class discussion. Developing an
understanding of the material requires practice and students are strongly encouraged to complete problems in
conjunction with their reading.
Participation and class attendance are important parts of the learning process in this course. Attendance
exposes you to an examination of material and to your classmates’ insights which clarify its meaning in a
manner often not covered in the reading and leads to better performance in the course. Also, there is a very
strong correlation between in-class participation and performance on the final exam. To facilitate
participation in discussions, cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices are not to be used during
class.
Requirements for Graded Work:
WileyPlus PRE Quizzes: In order to utilize class time most effectively, lectures will be condensed in order to
focus on key points and to provide additional time for discussion and practice problems. Students will be
required to read the applicable chapter in the text before attending class and to demonstrate that they have
completed this preparation by individually completing the weekly on-line WileyPlus PRE quiz by the dates
specified in the course schedule. Note that all WileyPlus PRE quizzes are due by 9:00 pm on the due date.
WileyPlus POST Exercises: Students will be required to demonstrate that they have understood the required
reading material and the points discussed during lectures for selected chapters by completing the on-line
WileyPlus POST exercises by the dates specified in the course outline. Note that all WileyPlus POST exercises
are due by 9:00 pm on the due date.
Assignment: The assignment is to be completed on an individual basis. It will be a problem that will require
students to demonstrate their knowledge of the material covered to date in the course. The date that the
assignment will be distributed to students and the date that it will be due to be handed in are specified in the
course schedule.
Midterm Exam: The midterm exam will be 90 minutes in length and may include multiple choice questions,
theory questions and specific problems. It will cover chapters 1 to 5 inclusive.
Final Exam: The final exam will be held during the regularly scheduled exam period in April. The date of the
final exam will be posted by the Registrar’s Office later in the semester. It will be 3 hours in length and may
include a combination of multiple choice questions, theory questions and specific problems. The final exam
will cover all the material studied in the course.
Active class participation and attendance are important parts of a successful learning process in this course.
As a result, the use of tablets, laptops, cell phones and other electronic devices during class is not permitted.
Attendance exposes you to material not covered in the reading, to your classmates’ insights and helps clarify
material that can lead to better performance in the course. In addition, there is a very strong correlation
between in-class participation and performance on the final exam.
Class Norms (which affect participation) include:
 Attendance (on time) in class
 Remaining in class for the entire class period
 Active participation in class discussions by adding new information (not repeating other comments),
asking and answering questions, constructive disagreement with other student’s viewpoints in an
environment of mutual respect
 Demonstrating professional skills such as sound judgment and effective communication (during
class/office hours/email)
 Exhibiting ethical behaviour, professionalism and integrity
 Discussion with the instructor, in advance, any exceptions to these norms.
No additional time, make-up prep-work, or quizzes will be given due to lateness or absence.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all classes in which
they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning process in this course. Attendance
exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps clarify material that can lead
to better performance in the course.
Com 206B
Business English and Communication
Pre-requisites: None
Texts:
There is no text for this course. Instead, readings will be provided as PDFs and links on Course Spaces. Please
be sure to check each week of the Course Spaces site to access the correct readings.
Course Objectives and Description:
Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind. Rudyard Kipling
Business Communications is a topic that you will continue to learn about as long as you work in a business
environment. Effective business communication will improve relations with your co-workers, your staff and
your customers. It will make you a better communicator in all parts of your life.
As an excellent communicator you will be in demand to help persuade high profile customers to use your
products, you will gain increased recognition in the workplace for your writing and presentation skills and you
will have the confidence to lead a company into relations with a North American audience.
My goal is that you become better communicators orally and in writing and develop the confidence to use your
English language skills in a professional work environment.
Specific course objectives include the following:
 Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of effective business communications;
 Assess your own speaking and writing messages for clarity and content;
 Choose specific language as well as writing and speaking techniques to make communication
more successful, as you speak and write;
 Plan clear, concise and correct business documents and papers;
 Write professional quality correspondence for specific purposes;
 Give oral presentations with and without the aid of multimedia;
 Understand team skills necessary for success in completing and communicating complex work.
Course Format
Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing. Rollo May
In this class I will share the stage with you. You will be encouraged to speak and share your thoughts and
information that you prepare for each class. The classroom will be more like a laboratory as we explore ways
of communicating and practice using different techniques to share our views.
We will start by learning communication theory, exploring various audiences and learning to write using a
specific writing process. A few weeks into the course you will realize what a supportive atmosphere we have
developed and you will look forward to case discussions, mini-presentations and other public speaking
activities.
Slides will be posted on CourseSpaces after each class. You can use these documents to review concepts in
order to complete assignments.
Course Experience Survey:
The BCom Program and its instructors value your feedback. As with all of our courses, you will have the
opportunity to complete a confidential course experience survey (CES) about your learning experience in this
class. The survey is vital to providing feedback to me regarding the course and my teaching, as well as to help
the Program make improvements.
Time will be set aside in one of the last sessions in the course for you to complete the online survey in class;
you will need to use your UVic NetLink ID to access the survey, which can be done on your laptop, tablet or
mobile device. I will remind you in advance of that class to bring your device to complete the survey. As well,
toward the end of the course, you will also receive an email inviting you to complete all of your course surveys.
If you do not receive an email invitation, you can go directly to http://ces.uvic.ca to complete the survey if
you don’t do so in the time provided in class.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
Title Individual
or Team
Due Date Weight % of grade
Class participation Individual Ongoing 20%
Business Document Individual Thursday, Jan 26 10%
Business Document Individual Thursday, Feb 16 10%
Business Document Individual Thursday, March
9
10%
Team Presentation Team March 17 – April
4
15%
Team Presentation
Slidedoc
Team March 17 – April
4
15%
Team Report Team April 4 20%
Total 100%
Requirements for Graded Work:
Description of evaluation standards for evaluation elements.
Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a group-based
assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group will receive the same grade.
Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative contribution, will be specified in writing prior to
the grading of the assignment.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all classes in which
they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning process in this course. Attendance
exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps clarify material that can lead
to better performance in the course.
Students with unexcused absences* from more than 3 classes will have grade reduced by 5 %
*unexcused absences = absences without appropriate documentation as per the University Calendar
Com 220
Organizational Behaviour
Pre-requisites: None
Text:
Organizational Behaviour: Understanding and Managing Life at Work, 10th Edition Johns, Gary and
Saks, Alan M.
Pearson Canada, 2014,
ISBN: 978-0-13-216112-1
Be advised that an electronic version is also available. An access code card can be obtained through
the Uvic bookstore or access can be gained via purchase on the publisher’s website.
Course Objectives and Description:
This course is an introduction to behavioural concepts and tools that will assist the manager in both
understanding behaviour in organizations and improving organizational effectiveness. Topics include
individual motivation, perception and communication, managerial roles, schools of management
theories, group processes and team work, leadership, supervision, and introduction to organizational
structure, processes, and culture.
Course Format:
A blend of lectures, case studies/group assignments, will be employed.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
Title Individual or
Group
Type Due Date Weight Description
COM220 –Test #1 Individual Test 20% Multiple choice, in class
COM220 – Test #2 Individual Test 25% Multiple choice, in class
COM220 – Class
participation exercises
Group Hand-in 15% Three or Four short in class group
assignments will comprise the
participation grade.
COM220 – Final Exam Individual Exam 40% Format TBA
Total 100%
Course Experience Survey:
The BCom Program and its instructors value your feedback. As with all of our courses, you will have
the opportunity to complete a confidential course experience survey (CES) about your learning
experience in this class. The survey is vital to providing feedback to me regarding the course and my
teaching, as well as to help the Program make improvements.
Time will be set aside in one of the last sessions in the course for you to complete the online survey in
class; you will need to use your UVic NetLink ID to access the survey, which can be done on your
laptop, tablet or mobile device. I will remind you in advance of that class to bring your device to
complete the survey. As well, toward the end of the course, you will also receive an email inviting
you to complete all of your course surveys. If you do not receive an email invitation, you can go
directly to http://ces.uvic.ca to complete the survey if you don’t do so in the time provided in class.
Requirements for Graded Work:
Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a
group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all present members of the group
will receive the same grade. Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative
contribution, will be specified in writing prior to the grading of the assignment.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all classes in
which they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning process in this course.
Attendance exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps clarify
material that can lead to better performance in the course.
Grading Scale:
Graded material in this course will be marked and reported to the Registrar using percentages. The
percentage grade, the corresponding letter grade and comparative grading information will be
displayed on student transcripts (official and administrative). The following table demonstrates the
equivalent letter grades:
Percentage
Range
Grades Grade
Point
Value
Description
90 – 100
85 – 89
80 – 84
A+
A A-
9
8
7
Exceptional, outstanding and excellent performance. Normally
achieved by a minority of students. These grades indicate a student
who is self-initiating, exceeds expectation and has an insightful
grasp of the subject matter.
77 – 79
73 – 76
70 – 72
B+
B
B-
6
5
4
Very good, good and solid performance. Normally achieved by the
largest number of students. These grades indicate a good grasp
of the subject matter or excellent grasp in one area balanced
with
satisfactory grasp in the other area.
“N” (incomplete) grades: All graded components must be completed or you will receive a failing grade of N
(grade point value of 0).
Final course grades are official only after they have been approved by the Program Director and may
be subject to change up until that point.
65 – 69
60 – 64
C+
C
3
2
Satisfactory, or minimally satisfactory. These grades indicate a
satisfactory performance and knowledge of the subject matter.
50 – 59 D 1 Marginal Performance. A student receiving this grade demonstrated
a
superficial grasp of the subject matter.
0 - 49 N Conditional supplemental.
0 - 49 F 0 Unsatisfactory performance. Wrote final examination and completed
course requirements; no supplemental.
Com 240
Management Finance
Pre-requisite: Financial Accounting I
Texts and Resources:
1. Textbook (Required) – Stephen A. Ross, Randolph W. Westerfield, Bradford D. Jordan, Gordon S. Roberts, J.
Ari Pandes, & Thomas A. Holloway, “Fundamentals of Corporate Finance”, 10th Canadian Edition, 2019,
McGraw-Hill Education. (note: An older or different edition is not acceptable).
Digital Only, Connect: ISBN 9781260305531
Package, Print Textbook with Connect Access Code: ISBN 9781260305869
2. “Connect” access (Recommended) – “Connect” is the website that accompanies the textbook. It has
recommended exercises and study tools.
3. Financial Calculator (Highly Recommended) – A financial calculator is a tool of finance. You should become
familiar with how it functions as part of the course. You will benefit enormously from having a financial
calculator – it will greatly enhance your ability to perform tasks in class and understand the course material.
Reference will be made in class to functions on financial calculators.
Course Objectives and Description:
This course provides an introduction to financial management. You will gain exposure to the frameworks,
concepts, and tools used in financial decision-making. Topics include the role of the financial manager,
financial statement and free cash flow analysis, time value of money, discounted cash flow valuation, bond
valuation, stock valuation, net present value analysis, internal rate of return, capital investment decisions, risk
and return trade-offs, and the cost of capital.
Upon completing the course, you should be able to define basic terminology, understand the theoretical
relationships, and apply the analytical techniques covered in the course to various decision-making situations.
Problem solving and decision-making skills will be practiced through examples and assignments. You are also
expected to acquire knowledge of the Canadian institutional environments in which financial decisions are
made, and stay current on business news issues and events as they relate to management finance.
Course Format:
The course is based around in-class lectures, in-class activities, textbook and other readings, and practical,
course related exercises.
You will play a major role in the delivery of the course by means of in-class participation, class preparation and
time dedicated to working with the course material. You can create an excellent platform for learning by doing
the readings and practice exercises, and accessing the instructor.
Educational Technology:
I use a variety of educational technology in this course including internet-based technologies or web-based
applications, cloud services and social media. The use of technology is part of your engagement at the
University. Some of these learning tools may collect, use and/or disclose your personal information and store or
access that information outside of Canada.
UVic cannot require students to disclose personal information to technologies or organizations, which may store
information on servers located outside of Canada because disclosure of personal information to vendors,
systems or services storing or accessing that personal information outside of Canada is restricted by section
30.1 of BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy
Act (FIPPA). Personal information is information about an identifiable individual; for example, your name or
your email address.
The following educational technology, which stores or accesses your personal information outside Canada, is
required for this course: Zoom. I will make you aware if this list changes. I use this technology to enhance your
educational experience at UVic. The personal information is required by the service. The privacy policy and the
terms of use list the personal information stored outside of Canada and are available at
https://zoom.us/privacy. I encourage you to read these documents.
If you are not comfortable with your personal information being stored outside of Canada, please speak to me
within the first week of class about using an alternative (such as using an alias or nickname). Otherwise, by
continuing in this course, you agree to the use of the educational technology in the course and the storage of
personal information outside of Canada.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will
be evaluated
according to
the following
schedule: Title
Individual or
Group
Type Due Date
(m/d/yyyy
hh:mm AM/PM)
PST
Weight / % of
grade
Description
COM 240:
Assignments (8)
in BrightSpace
(Best 7 of 8)
Individual Hand-in
Assignment
Various Dates
(as per
“Schedule”)
15% 1.875% each, 8
assignments,
marked best 7
of 8, see
description
below**
COM 240:
Midterm Exam
(80 minutes)
Individual Exam February 17,
2022
30% Chapters 1, 2,
5, 6, 7, and 8
COM 240: Final
Exam (3 hours)
Individual Exam TBA –
Registrar’s
examination
period
40% Comprehensive
exam: Chapters
1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7,
8, 9, 10, 12, 13,
and 14
COM 240: Public
Company
Analysis Group
Project
Group Hand-In
Assignment
Due Friday,
March 18 at
11:59 PM
(Submitted to
dropbox in
BrightSpace)
15% See description
below***
Total 100%
If you disagree with the assessment received on a grade component, you may request, in writing, that the work
be reviewed. You need to cite why you think that it deserves a different grade, based on your work, relevant
course materials and the assignment’s grading rubric. Note that I may choose to review the work in its entirety,
not just the portion in question and that the review may lead to a higher, lower, or unchanged grade.
Assignments**
There are eight (8) assignments, each worth 1.875% of your total semester grade. Assignments are found in
BrightSpace, labelled “Graded Assignments” and are graded best 7 out of 8.
All assignments are due by the date and time specified in BrightSpace and the schedule on the last page of the
course outline. Late assignments will be given a grade of 0 – no exceptions. You will have two attempts at each
assignment with your highest grade counting toward your course grade. You must submit assignments
individually.
Public Company Analysis Group Project***
The purpose of this project is to have you perform ratio analysis with the challenge of using it in the real world.
You will complete an analysis which you will post to BrightSpace (in MS Excel).
Using the group choice activity in BrightSpace, you will form a group of 3-4 students. You must self-select into a
group by Friday, March 4, 2022 at 11:59 pm, otherwise you cannot take part in the Public Company Analysis
Group Project. Your group will be given a public company by the instructor. Each group will be given a different
company.
Later in the term, more information will be released about the project and we will walk through an overview of
the project, with example analyses, together in class.
The Public Company Analysis Group Project is due by Friday, March 18, 2022 at 11:59 pm. All parts of the
project must be submitted electronically to the BrightSpace dropbox. If the submission is 1-3 hours late, 5% will
be deducted. If the submission is 4-8 hours late, 10% will be deducted. If the response is 8-24 hours late, 20%
will be deducted. If the submission is 24-48 hours late, 30% will be deducted. Submissions more than 48 hours
late will not be accepted, and will receive 0 marks.
Groups are expected to submit their own unique project, reflecting their own work. You should be cognizant of
the University of Victoria’s policy on plagiarism (see the University Calendar and the section on “Academic
Integrity”) in all work you do.
Course Experience Survey:
The Gustavson School of Business and its instructors value your feedback. As with all of our courses, you will be
asked to complete a confidential course experience survey (CES) about your learning experience in this class.
The survey is vital to providing feedback to me regarding the course and my teaching, as well as to help the
School make improvements for students in the future.
Given the importance of your feedback, class time will be dedicated to completing the online survey. When
accessing the survey, you will need to use your UVic Netlink ID, which can be done on your laptop, tablet or
mobile device. Toward the end of the term, you will receive an email inviting you to complete all of your
course surveys. If you do not receive an email invitation, you can go directly to http://ces.uvic.ca to complete
the survey. I will monitor the response rate and will not continue class until a 70% response rate is achieved;
the goal is to gather enough feedback so that it is representative of the course experience. Please note that
your feedback is valued and critical for helping improve this course.
Course Assessment:
Description of evaluation standards for evaluation elements.
Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a group-based
assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group will receive the same grade.
Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative contribution, will be specified in writing and
emailed to me (jsugitani@uvic.ca) by the group project due date.
Attendance and Participation: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all
classes in which they are enrolled.” Attending and participating in class discussion and activities is an important
part of the learning process in this course. Participation exposes you to material not in the readings, to your
classmates' insights, and helps clarify material that can lead to better performance in the course.
Grading Scale:
Graded material in this course will be marked and reported to the Registrar using percentages. The percentage
grade, the corresponding letter grade and comparative grading information will be displayed on student
transcripts (official and administrative). The following table demonstrates the equivalent letter grades:
Percentage
Range
Grades Grade
Point
Value
Description
90 – 100
85 – 89
80 – 84
A+
A
A-
9
8
7
Exceptional, outstanding and excellent performance.
Normally achieved by a minority of students. These
grades indicate a student who is self-initiating, exceeds
expectation and has an insightful grasp of the subject
matter.
77 – 79
73 – 76
70 – 72
B+
B
B-
6
5
4
Very good, good and solid performance. Normally
achieved by the largest number of students. These
grades indicate a good grasp of the subject matter or
excellent grasp in one area balanced with satisfactory
grasp in the other area.
65 – 69
60 – 64
C+
C
3
2
Satisfactory, or minimally satisfactory. These grades
indicate a satisfactory performance and knowledge of
the subject matter.
50 – 59 D 1 Marginal Performance. A student receiving this grade
demonstrated a superficial grasp of the subject matter.
0-49 E Conditional supplemental
0-49 F 0 Unsatisfactory performance. Wrote final examination
and completed course requirements; no supplemental.
“N” (incomplete) grades: All graded components must be completed or you will receive a failing grade of N
(grade point value of 0).
Please note: Students completing or planning to complete a Business minor require a minimum grade of C+ in
each of the fundamental courses: Com 202, Com 220, Com 240, Com 250 and Com 317.
Final course grades are official only after they have been approved by the Program Director and may be subject
to change up until that point.
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business has
an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All cases of cheating or plagiarism, and
any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the Associate Dean, Programs. A student who violates
academic integrity standards will fail the assignment and potentially fail the course, with a letter of reprimand
placed in the student’s record in the Registrar’s office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and group projects
that have been adopted by our School.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
• using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without referencing
the source of these words.
• paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
• duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
• paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of another
person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a verbal presentation) without
referencing the source.
•copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
• providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
• taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
• impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the purpose of
submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
• stealing or mutilating library materials.
• accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
• changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
• submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior discussions with
the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection software
program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
The course materials used in this course (electronic and paper) are the intellectual property of the instructor
and students cannot share the materials without the instructor’s consent and cannot sell or profit from the
instructor’s intellectual property.
Students should be aware of the expectations surrounding their professionalism. Please refer to the Standards
of Professional Behavior on the Gustavson website for details.
Schedule Summary:
COM 240 – A01 & A02 Type (Case,
Example, Reading,
Supplemental
Reading, Other)
Due Date (mm/dd/yyyy) Description
COM 240: Week 1 –
Jan. 10
Read and prepare for
class
Reading Reading due for class on
01/13/2022
Course Introduction
Chapter 1: Overview of
Corporate Finance
Chapter 5: Time Value of
Money
COM 240: Week 2 –
Jan. 17
Read and prepare for
class
Reading, and
Assignment #1 due
Reading due for class on
01/17/2022 and 01/20/2022
Assignment #1 due
01/23/2022 at 11:59 PM
Chapter 5: Time Value of
Money
Chapter 6: Discounted Cash
Flow Valuation
COM 240: Week 3 –
Jan. 24
Read and prepare for
class
Reading, and
Assignment #2 due
Reading due for class on
01/24/2022 and 01/27/2022
Assignment #2 due
01/30/2022 at 11:59 PM
Chapter 6: Discounted Cash
Flow Valuation
Chapter 7: Interest Rates and
Bond Valuation
COM 240: Week 4 –
Jan. 31
Read and prepare for
class
Reading, and
Assignment #3 due
Reading due for class on
01/31/2022 and 02/03/2022
Assignment #3 due
02/06/2022 at 11:59 PM
Chapter 7: Interest Rates and
Bond Valuation
Chapter 8: Stock Valuation
COM 240: Week 5 –
Feb. 07
Read and prepare for
class
Reading, and
Assignment #4 due
Reading due for class on
02/07/2022 and 02/10/2022
Assignment #4 due
02/13/2022 at 11:59 PM
Chapter 8: Stock Valuation
Chapter 2: Financial
Statements, Cash Flow, and
Taxes
COM 240: Week 6 –
Feb. 14
Read and prepare for
class, and
Prepare for Midterm –
chapters 1,2,5,6,7,
and 8
Reading, and
MIDTERM EXAM
Reading due for class on
02/14/2022
MIDTERM EXAM DURING
CLASS-TIME 02/17/2022
Chapter 2: Financial
statements, Cash Flow, and
Taxes
Midterm - All material
covered in class from
chapters 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8
COM 240: Week 7 –
Feb. 21
N/A N/A No Class – Reading Break
COM 240: Week 8 –
Feb. 28
Read and prepare for
class
Reading, and
MUST register to a
group in
BrightSpace by
Reading due for class on
02/28/2022 and
03/03/2022
Chapter 3: Working with
Financial Statements
Friday, Mar. 4 at
11:59 PM to
participate in the
Public Company
Analysis Group
Project, and
Assignment #5 due
Group Registration due
03/04/2022 at 11:59 PM
Assignment #5 due
03/06/2022 at 11:59 PM
COM 240: Week 9 –
Mar.07
Read and prepare for
class
Reading, and
Assignment #6 due
Reading due for class on
03/07/2022 and 03/10/2022
Assignment #6 due
03/13/2022 at 11:59 PM
Chapter 9 : Net Present Value
and Other Investment Criteria
COM 240: Week 10 –
Mar. 14
Read and prepare for
class
Reading, and
Public Company
Analysis Group
Project due (15% of
grade), and
Assignment #7 due
Reading due for class on
03/14/2022 and 03/17/2022
Group Project due
03/18/2022 at 11:59 PM
Assignment #7 due
03/20/2022 at 11:59 PM
Chapter 10: Making Capital
Investment Decisions
COM 240: Week 11 –
Mar. 21
Read and prepare for
class
Reading, and
Assignment # 8 due
Reading due for class on
03/21/2022 and 03/24/2022
Assignment #8 due
03/27/2022 at 11:59 PM
Chapter 12: Lessons from
Capital Market History
COM 240: Week 12 –
Mar. 28
Read and prepare for
class
Reading Reading due for class on
03/28/2022 and
03/31/2022
Chapter 13: Return, Risk, and
the Security Market Line
COM 240: Week 13 –
Apr. 04
Read and prepare for
class
Reading Reading due for class on
04/04/2022 and 4/07/2022
Chapter 14: Cost of Capital,
and
Course Wrap-Up
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. In particular, if you have a
disability/health consideration that may require accommodations, please feel free to approach me and/or the
Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) as soon as possible. CAL staff are available by appointment to assess
specific needs, provide referrals and arrange appropriate accommodations. The sooner you let us know your
needs the quicker we can assist you in achieving your learning goals in this course.
New for 2021! The Gustavson School of Business Gill Graduate School is launching a new Master of Management
(MM). Students completing the Gustavson business minor are well positioned for this new 12-month post
graduate degree as it will leverages the skills and expertise you’ve developed in both your non-business
undergraduate program and business minor courses and build upon them. The MM program is designed to give
you tools to effectively collaborate, diagnose and address complex organizational problems that you will face as
you enter the professional workforce.
Com 250
Fundamentals of Marketing
Pre-requisites: None
Texts:
Lamb, Charles W. et al, MKTG, Third Canadian Edition, (Nelson, 2017, 978-0-17-653091-4)
You may use either the printed or e-text versions of this textbook.
Course Objectives and Description:
The course objectives are to:
 build a marketing vocabulary
 understand the process by which products/services are planned, priced, promoted
and distributed
 understand the relationship between marketing, other organizational activities,
and external stakeholders
At the end of this course you will have developed the necessary skills to analyze marketing
problems and develop solutions consistent with that analysis.
Course Format:
A blend of lectures, marketing news, case studies, exercises, assignments and group discussion
will be employed.
Course Experience Survey:
The BCom Program and its instructors value your feedback. As with all of our courses,
you will have the opportunity to complete a confidential course experience survey (CES)
about your learning experience in this class. The survey is vital to providing feedback to
me regarding the course and my teaching, as well as to help the Program make
improvements.
Time will be set aside in one of the last sessions in the course for you to complete the
online survey in class; you will need to use your UVic NetLink ID to access the survey,
which can be done on your laptop, tablet or mobile device. I will remind you in advance
of that class to bring your device to complete the survey. As well, toward the end of the
course, you will also receive an email inviting you to complete all of your course surveys.
If you do not receive an email invitation, you can go directly to http://ces.uvic.ca to
complete the survey if you don’t do so in the time provided in class.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
Title Individual
or Group
Type Due Date Weight Description
COM 250 – Midterm Exam Individual Exam, during
class time
02/08/2017 25% Covers text and material from chapters 1-7
and, lectures, cases and in-class discussions
COM 250 – Chapter
Quizzes
Individual Quiz See course
schedule
15% 10 quizzes, (1.5% per quiz) ten questions,
multiple choice, relating to textbook chapter
material and material taught in previous
classes. Completed via CourseSpaces.
COM 250 – In-class Group
Assignments
Group Hand-in
assignment
(completed
during class time)
See course
schedule
12% Three in class group assignments.
(4% per assignment)
COM 250 – Contribution Individual In-class
participatio
n
Each class 8% Based on attendance and in-class
contribution and participation
COM 250 – Final Exam Individual Exam During exam
period. Date TBA
40% Comprehensive, covers all textbook
chapters. Heavily weighted on in-class
lectures, discussions, activities and cases.
Total 100%
Requirements for Graded Work:
Description of evaluation standards for evaluation elements.
Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively.
When a group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of
the group will receive the same grade. Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for
relative contribution, will be specified in writing prior to the grading of the assignment.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend
all classes in which they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning
process in this course. Attendance exposes you to material not in the readings, to your
classmates' insights and helps clarify material that can lead to better performance in the
course.
Students with unexcused absences from 3 class sessions will have their grade reduced by
5%, in addition students with unexcused absences from more than 5 class sessions may
not be permitted to write the final examination.
*unexcused absences = absences without appropriate documentation as per the University
Calendar.
Assignments are due on the date scheduled: As in the business world, work has to be
received on time to matter. To be fair to all the students who submit on time, if you are
late on an assignment, your grade on that assignment will be reduced by 10% for each day
it is late.
The Gustavson School of Business guidelines for written work require the use of the APA
style for citations. For help on APA style, see here:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/
Com 302
Legal Environment of Business
Pre-requisites: None
Course Objective:
From the University of Victoria Calendar:
"This course examines a number of legal principles that affect businesses and other organizations (e.g.
nonprofit organizations) in our society. Course topics will include the law of tort, contract, business
organizations and property. The course will focus on specialized areas such as the law of negligence,
international business transactions, employment contracts, intellectual property and fiduciary
obligations."
This course is primarily concerned with law as it affects business. While there is no self-contained law of
business, the course will examine areas of law which impact business. Principal topics include, an
introduction to the Anglo-Canadian system of law, the law of tort and negligence, including professionals'
liability, the law of contract, the law of principal and agent, the law of employment. Within the above,
we will consider the differences which result from the choice of legal form of business, whether it be
sole proprietorship, partnership or limited partnership, corporation or trust. The respective liability of
the principals of each form of business will also be considered.
Methodology:
Instruction will principally follow the lecture and case-method approach. Questions from the class and
open discussion of topics by the class are especially encouraged. Readings and cases from the textbook
should be completed in advance of class. There will be opportunities for individual and group exercises.
Textbook:
Course Book: Contemporary Canadian Business Law Cases and Materials Willes, John A., Q.C., and Willes,
John H. (2018, Special UVic edition) available from bookstore.
Evaluation:
Student grades in Commerce 302 will be determined on the basis of performance in the following
components
1. 15 minute case presentations (groups of four students) 10 % of final mark
2. One-hour, open-book, mid-term examination 30 % of final mark
3. Mooting exercise (court simulation - groups of three students) 20 % of final mark
4. Two-hour, open-book, final examination 40 % of final mark
Total: 100%
Case Presentations:
Students must form groups of four students either themselves or on the basis of the instructor's random
assignments. The groups must be formed by the week following the last day to drop the course. Each
group will be given a trial or appeal court decision to present. Following a format which will be
explained, each group must brief the case and then present it to the whole class. Case presentations to
the class will be scheduled in class in February.
Case briefs summarise the essential elements of a case, including its procedural history (the path of the
dispute through the legal system), the relevant facts, the legal issues for resolution by the court, the
decision reached by the court and, most importantly, the reasons for decision.
In addition, groups are expected to comment upon the impact of the decision on business. By this is
meant the impact the decision is likely to have on business or industry having particular regard to the
functional areas of marketing, accounting, finance and human resources management. For example,
what will be the implication on personnel practices, marketing policies, management information
systems, financial strategies etc.?
Group case presentations should take approximately 15 minutes and involve each member of the group in
a speaking role. The typewritten case brief must be submitted to the instructor before the presentation
and indicate the part or parts contributed by each member.
Mooting Exercise - Court Simulation:
Students will form groups of three or seven students (different from the case groups) themselves or on
the basis of the instructor's random assignments. The groups will be formed before the mid-term
examination. One or two students in each group will assume the role of "Counsel for the Plaintiff", one or
two students "Counsel for the Defendant", and the remaining member of the group will be the appellate
Judge. Each member of the group will prepare its respective position in the mooting exercise for oral
presentation to the whole class. These presentations will take place between March 26 and April 5, 2018.
Background information will be provided in mid-February. Counsel for the Plaintiff and Counsel for the
Defendant must submit to the instructor, before their oral presentation, a typewritten brief of 3-5 pages
summarizing their position on the issues. Counsel must give each other and the Judge a copy of this brief.
At the oral presentation, the Judges will hear each party and deliver a decision. Following Counsels'
presentation, the Judges will deliver an oral decision, to be supported by a typewritten decision of 3-5
pages. The Judges' written decision need not be identical with the oral decision. The Judges' decision
must be deposited into the dropbox in the Faculty of Business within the week following the respective
moot.
The Briefs and Decisions will be graded using some or all of the following criteria: quality and merit of
legal argument, creativity, organisation, clarity and appropriate citation of case or statute.
University Calendar:
Students are encouraged to read the regulations applicable to the course found in the University of
Victoria Calendar.
Attendance:
The Senate of the University states that "Students are expected to attend all lectures in each course for
which they are enrolled". Regular attendance and preparation will enhance students' contribution and
success in the course.
Assistance with your work:
If a student intends to seek help or receives help from anyone on any coursework that will be evaluated
in this course (ie help from another student, a tutor or anyone), you must get my permission in advance
to submit that work for evaluation. Failure to do so will be treated in accordance with the university
and faculty policies on plagiarism.
Academic Integrity, plagiarism and cheating:
As a program which helps to create business and government leaders, the Faculty of Business has an
obligation to ensure the highest standard of academic integrity. Instances of cheating or plagiarism will
be referred to the Chair of the B.Comm. Committee. Students who participate in any form of cheating
and/or plagiarism may be required to withdraw from the Faculty of Business.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and group
projects that have been adopted by our Faculty.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
a. using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without
referencing the source of the words.
b. Duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
c. Paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of another
person, whether written or verbal (e.g., personal communication, ideas from a verbal presentation)
without referencing the source.
d. Copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
e. Providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
f. Impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the purpose of
submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
g. Stealing or mutilating library materials.
h. Reviewing a test or examination prior to the time and date set for the test or examination.
i. Changing names or answers on an assignment, test or examination after that assignment, test or
examination has been graded and returned.
j. Submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior approval
from the instructors involved.
Group Projects and Group Work
Students should be aware that group projects are subject to the same rules regarding academic
dishonesty. Because of the unique nature of group projects, all group members should exercise special
care to ensure that the group project does not violate the policy on Academic Integrity. Should a
violation occur, group members may be held jointly accountable unless the violation can be attributed to
a specified individual or individuals.
Some courses, while not requiring group projects, encourage (or at least do not prohibit) students to
together in groups before submitting individual assignments. Students are encouraged to discuss this issue
as it relates to academic integrity with their instructor to avoid violating this policy.
Provisional Reading and Topics List:
4 January Introduction to the Canadian Legal System: Text Ch. 1
8 January Introduction to the Canadian Legal System (continued): Text Ch. 1
15 January Video: Sources of Constitutional and Statute Law
18 January Introduction to the Canadian Legal System (continued): Text Ch. 1
22 January Video: Sources of Common Law
25 January Tort Law; Negligence and Professional Liability: Text: Ch. 2
29 January Tort Law; Negligence and Professional Liability (continued): Text: Ch. 2
1 February Contract: Introduction to Required Elements: Text: Ch. 3
12-16 February Reading Break (no classes)
19 February Contract: Offer and Acceptance – Practice Mock Mid-Term
TBA February Midterm Examination
26 February Case Presentations Begin - Information on Mooting Exercise
5 March Contract: Consideration, Capacity & Legality of Object: Text: Chs. 3
12 March Contract: Enforceability of Contracts: Text: Ch. 4
19 March Agency: Text: Ch. 6
26 March Mooting Exercises Begin
TBA Final Examination
Com 315
Financial Accounting
IMPORTANT NOTE: This course is COHORT based (meaning work and assignments are typically team based).
Attendance is MANDATORY in these courses due to the team-based nature of these courses. There is limited
space available in each section of these courses and as a result, these courses will be assigned on a first-come, first
served basis to students who meet the minimum GPA requirement (“B”) and have taken all course pre-requisites.
Pre-requisites: Finite Math, Statistics, and Microeconomics
Text:
Required: e-text with WileyPLUS
Financial Accounting, Tools for Business Decision-Making, 8th Cdn. Ed. with WileyPLUS, Kimmel,
Weygandt, Kieso, Trenholm, Irvine, Burnley
The text will be in the form of an e-text – the Wiley access code for the e-text and access to the Wiley
website for this course is available through the Uvic Bookstore https://www.uvicbookstore.ca/text/. Look for
Com 315 and your section and select the e-text. No loose leaf version is available this term due to Covid
19.
TRIAL VERSION: A free, two-week trial-version of the text and access to the WileyPLUS website is
available. See the Birghtspace COM 315 site for more information.
Course Objectives and Description:
This course is an introduction to financial accounting with emphasis on the basic concepts, mechanics,
objectives and judgments involved in using financial statements. The major challenges and problems of
financial reporting are much broader than just generating numbers. This course will illustrate that reporting
involves a great deal of judgment in order to provide the information required by the many stakeholders.
Reporting by public and private companies in Canada has undergone significant transition from Canadian
GAAP to multi-GAAP with the adoption of IFRS in the accounting for public entities as of January 1, 2011.
As such, the focus in this course will be primarily on IFRS.
The course objectives are to:
1. Develop the ability to recognize, create and examine basic financial statements; the statement of
comprehensive income (income statement), statement of financial position (balance sheet), statement of
changes in equity, and the statement of cash flows.
2. Discuss the issues and judgments used in the identification, measurement, and communication of
financial statement information.
3. Use the tools presented in the course to derive information from financial statements for use in
developing potential solutions to business issues.
4. Enhance both oral and written communication skills through class discussion of theory and practice using
problems.
Course Format:
COM 315 will be combination of synchronous (meeting in real time and on-line using Zoom Meeting
software) and asynchronous (on your own time-at your own pace) activities. Sign into uvic.zoom.us to
log in for class with your Uvic identification. Otherwise you will end up in the Zoom waiting room and not
be admitted to the class. A typical week looks like this:
 Read the assigned text materials for the upcoming week (see Course Schedule)

 Before Monday’s Class: (asynchronous) go to Brightspace and download that week’s
PowerPoint (PPT) slide deck. It is located in the “Week” that you are currently preparing for.
Typically, you will want to print those slides. Remember, you can save a lot of paper by changing 
the Settings in the PPT Print menu. On the Print page (in PPT), go to “Settings” and find the
“Slides:” dropdown menu. Change from “Full Page Slides” to “2 Slides” or “3 Slides” per page.
 With the printed slides in hand, you should now go and watch the video recordings for that
chapter (located in that “Week” on the COM 315 Brightspace site). Each recording will
generally be a 10-15 minute episode, with 5-7 episodes for that week’s coverage. In some
cases there will be problem examples worked through in the slides. These recordings are a
substitute for the typical class-room lecture on accounting theory.
 Monday’s synchronous (live/in-person) class will last approximately 30 minutes. It
will be a short poll on the chapter that you have reviewed for the week. It will also be a
chance for the professor to outline what is being covered that week and remind you of
the assigned questions that will be covered on Wednesday. Attendance at this class
counts towards your attendance grade.
 Before Wednesday’s Class: (asynchronous) prepare the assigned questions (see Course
Schedule) It is important that you complete the assigned questions before coming to this class.
 Wednesday’s synchronous (live/in-person) goes through the assigned questions (as specified
on the Course Schedule for that week) and develops solutions for them. Breakout rooms may be
used for this activity. If so, you will be assigned into groups (of approximately 5-6 students) to
review the work that you have done on the assigned questions and identify if your answers differ
from the other solutions in the group. For this class, it is expected that you will have prepared the
solutions to the assigned questions. It is not critical that your solution be correct but rather that
you are familiar with the problem and have made a “good faith” attempt at trying to solve it. Then
we will go through the solutions for the questions. Students will be asked for a solution to the
problem. These will be reviewed in class but will not be posted (the assigned questions do not
have posted solutions). Attendance at this class counts towards your attendance grade.
 Thursday drop-in Office Hours: Zoom links for office hours are posted on the first page of this
document. The office hours will be “drop-in” (open) Zoom meetings that you can join and ask
questions. For any issues that are more detailed or complex, please email your professor
(susanb@uvic.ca or grahamc@uvic.ca) for a Zoom appointment. Suggest a time that works for
your schedule on either Tuesday or Thursday (9:00 am – 5 pm PST) and is at least two days
ahead of when you sent your email. In your email, please identify which cohort you are in.
 Saturday/Sunday. Instead of a high-stakes mid-term and final exam, this course uses a series of
end- of-week (EOW) assignments/tests to test your understanding of that week’s materials. A
complete set of solutions for each chapter’s even-numbered exercises and problems will be on
Brightspace to help you prepare/review for these EOWs. There is also extensive materials on the
WileyPLUS site for review. You will be able to access the EOW anytime between Friday 6pm and
Sunday 11pm. You will be limited as to 90 minutes to compete the EOW once you have started
working on it. Please remember, these are tests, not assignments. You will find them
challenging and you should be prepared to answer questions on that week’s material before you
attempt the test. Each person’s EOW will be unique with regards to numbers and answers. The
usual rules regarding plagiarism and academic integrity apply to these EOWs.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
Com 317
Management Accounting I
Pre-requisite: Financial Accounting I
Texts:
Required Text & CONNECT Access Code
Garrison, Libby, Webb, Noreen & Brewer; Managerial Accounting; Tenth Canadian Edition with
CONNECT; McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2015, ISBN-13: 978125902490-0
eBook Version ISBN 9781259066818
If you choose to purchase a used copy of the text:
 it must be the Tenth edition
 you will need to purchase the access code for CONNECT separately – please check
with the bookstore
Course Objectives and Description:
This course is an introduction to the fundamental concepts of management accounting. It
complements the concepts covered in COM 202 Financial Accounting, by focusing on the
accounting functions internal to the organization. Management Accounting is concerned with
the analysis of and accounting for costs to support management planning, controlling and
decision-making. The course provides exposure to cost behaviour, variance analysis, short-run
choice decisions and budgeting, as well as activity-based costing and activity- based
management.
The course objectives include:
 Recognizing the importance of management accounting in an organization and how
it is used within the context of the other functions of the company.
 Identifying the characteristics and behaviour of costs and the decisions that
influence these costs.
 Using cost/volume/profit and contribution margin analysis, including calculating
the break-even point and potential profit in a given situation.
 Identifying and applying different pricing models.
 Recognizing where to use the various cost accounting systems.
 Calculating product costs and analyzing decisions that have an influence on these
costs, and interpreting them in a decision-making context.
 Recognizing the importance of activity-based costing in the evaluation
of organizational performance.
 Applying concepts of budgeting and cash management.
 Identifying responsibility centres and various types of transfer prices.
 Determining and interpreting divisional performance (segment reporting).
 Using the “balanced scorecard” for decision-making and discussing
different performance indicators.
Course Format:
The principle method of instruction will include discussion of any questions arising from
the chapter assigned readings on the relevant management accounting theory, combined
with the analysis and discussion of problems to further reinforce theory and practice.
Students are expected to come to class having read the in-class work and assigned chapter
readings.
Students are expected to be fully prepared for classes and active discussions. Developing a
full understanding of the material is enhanced by completion of all assigned problems and
students are strongly encouraged to do these, as a minimum. It may be helpful to meet
with fellow students, after having attempted the problems individually, to verify answers
and work out any difficulties. Problems will be reviewed in class using a team approach to
learning.
There is a very strong correlation between in-class participation and performance on the
final exam. To facilitate participation in discussions, cell phones, laptops and other
electronic devices are not to be used during class.
CONNECT assignments related to the assigned chapters will provide questions, solutions
and feedback which will allow students to practice concepts and technical aspects to
aid in their learning.
The CONNECT online learning system (access code included with the text or e-book, or
purchased separately) will be used to help you assess your preparation of course topics.
These questions are important practice and the content will be consideredtestable material for the
midterm and final exams, so you will definitely benefit from working through them.
A URL for the CONNECT learning system specific to your cohort will be posted on Course
Spaces. Check the tab for your section for this information. Registration in the correct
section (cohort) is important.
 CONNECT: The learning platform provides questions that can be done at any time.
They are designed to reinforce the chapter content. Solutions are provided and you can
do them over again with new numbers on each attempt.
Please note: In addition, there are specific CONNECT assignments that are assigned
for marks (see below). These have specific deadlines (see the course schedule).
 LearnSmart CONNECT: These are primarily theory-based questions that will allow
you to test yourself on how well you have grasped the material. LearnSmart provides
feedback and focuses on your individual areas of difficulty. It is highly recommended
that you use LearnSmart as a study tool.
Your instructor must be advised immediately regarding any missed assignment submission
or absence from the midterm exam, and acceptable documentation must be provided
within 7 days. No make-up assignment or exams will be provided: instead, when
appropriate, the final examination will be assigned the proportionate amount of additional
weight.
Com 321
Leading People and Organizations I
IMPORTANT NOTE: This course is COHORT based (meaning work and assignments are typically team based).
Attendance is MANDATORY in these courses due to the team-based nature of these courses. There is limited
space available in each section of these courses and as a result, these courses will be assigned on a first-come, first
served basis to students who meet the minimum GPA requirement (“B”) and have taken all course pre-requisites.
Pre-requisites: Finite Math, Statistics, and Microeconomics
Welcome! This course is designed to help you build skills as responsible business leaders who can lead
change for a better world throughout your careers. An easy way to think about the differences between
LPO1 and LPO2 is that in this course (LPO1), you’re learning about person-to-person interactions (making
difficult decisions, building strong teams, becoming responsible leaders), while in the spring you’re
learning about organizational processes for managing people (recruitment, performance management,
organizational culture and change, etc).
Leading Change through Organizations (LPO2, spring semester)
e.g. How can I build a responsible organizational culture? How do I lead successful organizational
changes?
Becoming Responsible Leaders
e.g. How can I motivate others? What is the best way to support the people I lead?
Building Strong Teams
e.g. How can I build a high-performing team? What’s the best way to structure team processes to
improve performance and well-being?
Making Difficult Decisions
e.g. How can I make good decisions? How can I act responsibly, even when it’s hard?
Course Objectives
By the time you finish the fall semester (LPO1), you should be able to do the following:
1. Discover how human behaviour -- employee’s differences, their relationships, and their shared values -
drive decisions and actions in organizations.
2. Develop your competence in navigating organizational life using the knowledge gained in this course.
3. Use your analysis of human behaviour to improve outcomes in real-life organizational situations.
4. Add to the learning community in this course by actively supporting your classmates.
Course Format
The course is consisted of synchronous (i.e., live sessions via zoom) and asynchronous sessions (i.e.,
materials you can engage on your own time). During our zoom sessions together, we will be interacting
about the readings, cases and doing activities together. Please come to class having read/watched the
materials, and ready to contribute. Most class sessions will have breakout sessions when your classmates
will expect you to be prepared. There will be a quiz to help you prepare for the first class of each week,
due by Sunday night, and a forum discussion between Monday and Wednesday’s classes.
How will you be evaluated?
If you disagree with the assessment received on a grade component, you may request, in writing, that the
work be reviewed. You need to cite why you think that it deserves a different grade, based on your work,
relevant course materials and the assignment’s grading rubric. Note that we may choose to review the
work in its entirety, not just the portion in question and that the review may lead to a higher, lower or
unchanged grade.
Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a
group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group will receive
the same grade. Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative contribution, will be
specified in writing prior to the grading of the assignment.
Late Work: In the absence of a medical or family emergency there will normally be a grade penalty of
10% for each day an assignment is late. No late submissions considered for forums and quizzes.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all classes in
which they are enrolled.” Attending and participating in an online synchronous session is an important
part of the learning process in this course.
Students with unexcused absences* from more than 2 class sessions will have their grade reduced by
5%. In addition, students with unexcused absences from more than 5 class sessions may not be
permitted to write the final optional assignment. To document an excused absence (illness, injury or
family affliction), please submit the Gustavson self-declaration form to the BCom office
(bssclerk@uvic.ca). Appropriate documentation must be submitted immediately upon your return to
classes (within 24 hours).
*unexcused absences = absences without appropriate documentation (self-declaration form). Due to the
ongoing Covid-19 situation, no medical documentation is required. Self-declaration forms can be found in
the BrightSpace course site.
Participation: Participation exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and
helps clarify material that can lead to better performance in the course. It represents how much – and how
well – you support your classmates’ learning. Your participation will be assessed in four approximately
equally weighted areas:
 Frequency of forum participation. We expect most students will post ~1.5 posts/week, which could
include original responses or replies to others.
 Quality of forum participation. We’ll assess a sample of your posts for their application of course
material, and the degree to which you’re engaging your classmates in conversation beyond “I
agree!”.
 Participation within your teams, as informed by end-of-semester peer ratings.
 Frequency and quality of contributions to zoom class discussions, using either voice or chat. If you do
not attend a synchronous class or miss portions of class due to being late or leaving early, then you
cannot participate in polls and breakout sessions and thus your participation grade will reflect your
attendance. Also, please note that habitual lateness or early exits may be treated as an unexcused
absence for that session.
Com 341
Operations Management
IMPORTANT NOTE: This course is COHORT based (meaning work and assignments are typically team
based). Attendance is MANDATORY in these courses due to the team-based nature of these courses.
There is limited space available in each section of these courses and as a result, these courses will be
assigned on a first-come, first served basis to students who meet the minimum GPA requirement (“B”) and
have taken all course pre-requisites.
Pre-requisites: Finite Math, Statistics, and Microeconomics
Introduction:
Welcome to COM 341 Operations Management!
Your COM 341 learning experience will be facilitated entirely online and your engagement in the
process is key to the success of this course. The majority of the dedicated class time each week
will be spent in synchronous Zoom sessions (typically we will meet for 50 minutes per class) and
the remaining content will be covered asynchronously (typically 30 minutes per class).
Synchronous sessions will begin promptly at the designated class start time so please ensure you
are logged in and ready for class in advance to that time. To ensure we are able to make the
most out of our synchronous time together, it will be important that you complete assigned
readings and any asynchronous work prior to each synchronous session. Most of the asynchronous
work will entail completing quantitative problems so you may practice the application of course
content.
Text:
Heizer J., B. Render, and C. Munson. Operations Management: Sustainability and Supply
Chain Management, 13th
Edition. Pearson © 2020. ISBN: 9780135202661.
Note: This is an eText.
Course Objectives and Description:
This course is designed to address the key operations issues that have strategic as well as
tactical implications for service and manufacturing firms. High-performing firms have
demonstrated that efficient and effective operations management can become a potent
competitive weapon in even the toughest business environments. We will examine both
quantitative and qualitative operational techniques and principles used by “world-class”
organizations from both the service and manufacturing sectors. Topics include operations
strategy, process strategy, process analysis, process mapping and improvement, quality
management, forecasting, inventory management, lean operations, and project management.
The course objectives are to:
 Understand core concepts, models and managerial issues in operations management.
 Appreciate the interdependence of operations management and other key functional areas
in business organizations.
 Develop the ability to recognize, formulate and analyze business problems/issues related
to operations management.
 Apply various quantitative and qualitative techniques to provide solutions to the
complex problems in operations management.
 Enhance both oral and written communication skills.
Course Format:
A combination of lectures, in-class discussions, readings, group and individual problem solving
assignments, and in-class exercises will be used to enhance student learning. The online format
will consist of both synchronous and asynchronous components. Most of the course will be
delivered synchronously through Zoom and the remainder of the designated class time will
comprise of asynchronous work. For example, if our synchronous session is 50 minutes then 30
minutes of asynchronous content will be assigned. Please note that the time dedicated for
asynchronous content does not include the completion of activities like reading the assigned
textbook chapters, working on additional practice problems, or studying for quizzes/exams,
etc. These types of activities while imperative to student learning, are expected to be done
outside of the designated class time as would be expected for any course, be it delivered
online or face-to- face. Both synchronous and asynchronous course materials will be posted to
Brightspace for each session.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
Participation (Individual) 15% of grade
Quizzes (Individual) 15% of grade
Midterm Exam (Individual) 30% of grade
Final Exam (Individual) 40% of grade
Total 100%
Participation (15%)
Participation is worth 15% of the overall grade and will be graded out of 15 possible points.
Given this online course is delivered both synchronously and asynchronously, your participation
grade will evaluate both your synchronous and asynchronous participation. One third of your
participation grade will be based on your engagement in the synchronous sessions (i.e.
synchronous participation will be graded out of 5 possible points) and the remaining weight will
be based on your completion of asynchronous work (i.e. asynchronous participation will be
graded out of 10 possible points).
Quizzes (15%)
There will be two quizzes during the term and their combined worth is 15% of the overall grade.
The quizzes are equally weighted thus 50% comes from the first quiz and the remaining 50%
comes from the second quiz. Work is individual for both quizzes and all students are expected
to pursue the highest standards of academic integrity.
Both quizzes will be given outside of the designated class time so all cohorts can take the quiz
at the same time. Please note that the BCom program has set aside time in COM 205 to
complete the COM 341 quizzes so there is no scheduling conflict with COM 205. The first quiz
will be held on Thursday, October 8th
and the second quiz will be on Thursday, November 19th
.
Both quizzes will start at 1:30pm and will end at 2:00pm. The quizzes will be distributed
through Brightspace and will not be released until 1:30pm on the listed dates and will no longer
be available for access after 2:00pm. Thus, it is very important that you start the quiz promptly
at 1:30pm or else you are taking away from your time to complete the quiz.
Midterm Exam (30%) & Final Exam (40%)
There will be two exams in this course, a midterm and a final. The midterm makes up 30% and
the final 40% of the overall grade. The midterm will cover all material up to the midterm.
The final exam will cover all course material. Therefore, it is a cumulative final and is
intended to offer students an opportunity to integrate course topics into a coherent whole.
Work is individual for exams and all students are expected to pursue the highest standards of
academic integrity.
Exams might contain (but are not limited to) multiple-choice questions, true/false questions,
short answer/listing types of questions, and/or quantitative or qualitative long answers/essays.
All synchronous and asynchronous content (e.g. readings, lecture content, discussions by fellow
students in the class, learning exercises and the like) will be fair game for exam information
about the exams will be provided in class as the exam date nears.
The final exam will be scheduled during the University’s final exam period.
Students who fail to complete the final exam (except in cases where there are validated excuses)
will receive a grade of N in the course.
*** Please make every effort to take the quizzes and exams at the prescribed date and time.
Students who should miss a quiz or exam without a valid excuse (such as documented cases of
illness, injury or family affliction) will not have an opportunity to make up this grade
component. If you should miss a quiz or exam and would like the opportunity to make up this
grade component, you will need to submit the Gustavson self-declaration form (within 24 hours
after the end of your absence) to the BCom office (bssclerk@uvic.ca). In addition, please be sure
to email your instructor, as soon as possible, to inquire about your eligibility to write a deferred
quiz or exam.
Attendance and Participation:
The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all classes in
which they are enrolled.” Attending and participating in an online synchronous session is an
important part of the learning process in this course. Participation exposes you to material not
in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps clarify material that can lead to better
performance in the course.
Students with unexcused absences* from more than 2 synchronous class sessions in the term will
have their course grade reduced by 5%. In other words, 5 percentage points will be deducted
from the overall grade (e.g. a final course percentage grade of 80% would be reduced to a 75%).
In addition, students with unexcused absences* from more than 5 synchronous class sessions in
the term may not be permitted to write the final examination.
To document an excused absence (illness, injury or family affliction), please submit the
Gustavson self-declaration form to the BCom office (bssclerk@uvic.ca). Appropriate
documentation (i.e. the self-declaration form) must be submitted immediately upon your
return to classes (within 24 hours).
*unexcused absences = absences without appropriate documentation
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, no medical documentation is required. Self-declaration
forms are considered appropriate documentation and the form can be found on the Brightspace
course site.
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. In particular, if you
have a disability/health consideration that may require accommodations, please feel free to
approach me and/or the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) as soon as possible. CAL staff are
available by appointment to assess specific needs, provide referrals and arrange appropriate
accommodations. The sooner you let us know your needs the quicker we can assist you in
achieving your learning goals in this course.
Com 351
Marketing Principles and Management
IMPORTANT NOTE: This course is COHORT based (meaning work and assignments are typically team
based). Attendance is MANDATORY in these courses due to the team-based nature of these courses.
There is limited space available in each section of these courses and as a result, these courses will be
assigned on a first-come, first served basis to students who meet the minimum GPA requirement (“B”) and
have taken all course pre-requisites.
Pre-requisites: Finite Math, Statistics, and Microeconomics
Introduction:
Welcome to COM 351! We are excited to be with you and are looking forward to introducing
you to the dynamic world of modern marketing. We are both passionate about the field of
marketing and bring our experience in various marketing positions along with our research
related to a variety of marketing functions. Marketing is arguably the area in an organization
that lives most closely to the consumer so we spend a great deal of time understanding human
behaviours, motivations and influence in purchasing along with making decisions based on both
the external environment and our internal capabilities. Marketing is one of the fastest moving,
volatile business topics we will study this term and we hope, by the end of the semester, you
will see
marketing in a whole new light. Brace for impact!
Texts:
Lamb, MKTG, 4th Canadian Edition, (Nelson, 2019, ISBN# 9780176832926). MindTap is the
online resources included with this e-textbook you will need to access various tools to complete
the course including the chapter quizzes.
Course Objectives and Description:
The main objective of this course is to prepare learners to be effective marketing
decision makers. To achieve this objective, learners need to:
 Understand, and be able to use, marketing terminology
 Be able to apply marketing theory, concepts, and principles to make key
decisions relating to marketing strategy, tactics, and implementation.
 Develop the necessary skills to analyze simple marketing problems and
develop solutions consistent with that analysis.
A secondary objective of the course is to enhance both oral and written
communication skills relating to the evaluation and presentation of marketing
solutions.
To achieve these objectives, we will devote most of our live sessions (synchronous) time to
making and defending marketing decisions. It is expected that you will come to live
sessions having read the assigned chapter and prepared assigned cases and exercises.
Descriptions of Major Assessment Components of the Course:
Sustainable Marketing Group Project: Students will work in their cohort groups to develop a
sustainable marketing project. This project tasks students to identify, analyze current
sustainability issues and develop viable, innovative, sustainable solutions to improve existing
practices and/or create new opportunities using sustainable marketing principles. Student
groups can choose between one of two options: Product Development Option or Consultative
Option.
Product Development takes an entrepreneurial approach where a solution (product and/or
service) is developed to address a current sustainable marketing issue. The Consultative Option
takes an analytical approach by analyzing a current business/industry with recommendations
for improved, sustainable practices. Guiding sustainable marketing concepts and principles
include (but are not limited to) societal marketing orientation, criticisms of current marketing
impacts: societal, business and environmental, stakeholder actions and concerns, marketing
ethics, product stewardship and clean technologies. Full details on this project will be launched
early in the semester on Brightspace.
Influencer Marketing Individual Assignment: This assignment tasks students to identify and
analyze a market influencer (an individual) over several weeks. The assignment is intended to
help students identify both the emotional/human need side to social media marketing (from
the consumer side) as well as the ability to recognize strategic, deliberate marketing initiatives
being used through social media to create influence (from the influencer, brand, organization
side). Full
details on this assignment will be launched early in the semester on Brightspace.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
Course Assessment:
Description of evaluation standards for evaluation elements.
Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively.
When a group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the
group will receive the same grade however, team assignments will be subject to a 360º peer
evaluation.
Individual grades may be adjusted based on this peer evaluation.
Late Work: In the absence of a medical or family emergency there will normally be a grade
penalty of 10% for each day an assignment is late.
Attendance and Participation: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are
expected to attend all classes in which they are enrolled.” Attending and participating in an
online synchronous session is an important part of the learning process in this course.
Participation exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps
clarify material that can lead to better performance in the course.
Students with unexcused absences from more than 2 class sessions will have their grade
reduced by 5%.
To document an excused absence (illness, injury or family affliction), please submit the
Gustavson self-declaration form to the BCom office (bssclerk@uvic.ca). Appropriate
documentation must be submitted immediately upon your return to classes (within 24 hours).
*unexcused absences = absences without appropriate documentation (self-declaration form).
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, no medical documentation is required. Self-declaration
forms can be found in the BrightSpace course site.
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. In particular, if you
have a disability/health consideration that may require accommodations, please feel free to
approach me and/or the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) as soon as possible. CAL staff are
available by appointment to assess specific needs, provide referrals and arrange appropriate
accommodations. The sooner you let us know your needs the quicker we can assist you in
achieving your learning goals in this course.
Com 361
International Business
IMPORTANT NOTE: This course is COHORT based (meaning work and assignments are typically team
based). Attendance is MANDATORY in these courses due to the team-based nature of these courses.
There is limited space available in each section of these courses and as a result, these courses will be
assigned on a first-come, first served basis to students who meet the minimum GPA requirement (“B”) and
have taken all course pre-requisites.
Pre-requisites: Finite Math, Statistics, and Microeconomics
Texts:
Hill, C. 2020. International Business – Competing in the global marketplace. 13th edition,
McGraw-Hill Education, ISBN# 978-1-260-092340-9
Note: Older editions, such as edition 10, 11, and 12 can be used
Course Objectives and Description:
The course focuses on the rapidly changing contemporary international business environment
and assesses the opportunities and challenges arising from this endlessly changing milieu. It
takes a macro, meso, and micro perspective and draws on key insights from economics, political
science, economic geography, and strategic management. For instance, students will learn
about globalization processes, the role of institutions and different political, economic, and
legal systems, global trade, investments, monetary systems, and the strategy and structure of
international business.
The course objectives are to:
 recognize worldwide dynamics linked to globalization.
 discuss complexities and challenges related to international trade.
 recognize the political, legal and financial environments in an international
context.
 evaluate how attractive and challenging different business environments are.
 discuss strategy and structure of international business activities.
Additionally, students will get the opportunity to enhance their leadership skills by working
collaboratively in groups, under time pressure and as individual researchers (e.g. making
strategic decisions on the organization of own work). Other skills (all of them critical for
students’ future professional practice) such as critical thinking, analytical skills, commercial
awareness, as well as integration and communication skills will be practiced frequently in this
course too.
Course Format:
This course will consist of asynchronous and synchronous learning. Asynchronous learning will
generally involve voice-over-PowerPoint presentations posted on BrightSpace for students to
watch. These videos are recommended to be watched prior to the synchronous sessions. They
are uploaded one week in advance to give you enough time to watch the videos. 30min of
asynchronous teaching are also allocated to the beginning of each session. This allows you to
catch up and refresh the session’s content prior to the synchronous sessions.
Synchronous sessions will be a combination of instructor delivered content, class discussions
and group discussions in breakout sessions. Students are encouraged to use and apply the
assigned readings and asynchronous components of each topic to contribute to the class
discussions. The aim is to create an interactive teaching environment in the synchronous
sessions. The sessions are 50min long and will be facilitated via zoom meetings. The
synchronous sessions are mandatory.
To prepare and study for this course we recommend:
Preparation in the week prior to the session
 reading the respective mandatory readings prior to the quiz
 watching the voice-over-PowerPoint video(s) associated with the mandatory readings
prior to the quiz
 If it is a week with a quiz, take the quiz after your preparation is complete and
before Sunday, 3pm
Preparation on the day of the session:
 refresh your memory on the readings by revisiting the asynchronous videos in the
first 30min of each class
 attend the synchronous session
Studying after the session:
 revisit the asynchronous videos and the mandatory readings if questions remain
 attend office hours or contact Jen or Kristin if you have any remaining questions
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
Course Assessment:
Description of evaluation standards for evaluation elements.
Quizzes: There will be 7 “pre-reading” quizzes, based on material in the assigned readings.
The specific readings covered for each quiz are in the table below. Where “part of” a chapter is
indicated, students will be provided with a specific list of which portion(s) of that chapter will
be covered prior to the quiz. Each quiz will have 10 multiple choice questions. Quizzes will be
done through BrightSpace. You can start each quiz at any time of your choosing after the “quiz
available” time specified for each quiz in the table below. Once you start, you have 30 minutes
to finish1
. Make sure you finish your quiz not later than the time indicated in the “quiz closes
at” column of the table below.
Quiz Readings Covered: Quiz Available Starting: Quiz Closes At:
#1 Chapter 6 & & pages 202-
207 of Chapter 7
8:00am PST on 09/17/2020 3:00pm PST on 09/20/2020
#2 Chapter 10 8:00am PST on 09/24/2020 3:00pm PST on 09/27/2020
#3 Chapter 12 8:00am PST on 10/01/2020 3:00pm PST on 10/04/2020
#4 Chapter 8 & parts of 9 8:00am PST on 10/22/2020 3:00pm PST on 10/25/2020
#5 Chapter 13 8:00am PST on 10/29/2020 3:00pm PST on 11/01/2020
#6 Chapter 14 8:00am PST on 11/12/2020 3:00pm PST on 11/15/2020
#7 Chapter 15 & parts of 17 8:00am PST on 11/19/2020 3:00pm PST on 11/22/2020
Midterm exam: The midterm exam will cover all in-class material up to the day of the exam,
i.e. all mandatory readings, session content, discussions, videos, learning exercises and the like.
This is an open book, individual exam and all students are expected to pursue the highest
standards of academic integrity (see more details below).
The exam will include multiple choice and long written answer style questions. The long answer
style question will need to be answered in written paragraphs, not a bullet point style answer.
Students will have to answer all posed questions. More information about the exams will be
provided in a session closer to the exam date. Submission will be through BrightSpace.
Final exam: The final exam will cover all course material, i.e. mandatory readings, session
content, discussions, videos, learning exercises and the like. This is an open book, individual
exam and all students are expected to pursue the highest standards of academic integrity (see
more details below).
The exam will include multiple choice and long written answer style questions. The long answer
style question will need to be answered in written paragraphs, not a bullet point style answer.
Students will have to answer all posed questions. More information about the exams will be
provided in a session closer to the exam date. Submission will be through BrightSpace.
Group Assignment: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively.
All members of the group will receive the same grade. The group report will require you and
your group members to use and apply the course content up to the submission of the report. In
the assignment, groups will need to analyze the implications of the global Covid-19 pandemic on
one multinational enterprise (MNE). More information about the assignment will be provided in
class, on BrightSpace, and in a session closer to submission of the report.
Attendance and Participation: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected
to attend all classes in which they are enrolled.” Attending and participating in an online
synchronous session is an important part of the learning process in this course. Participation
exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps clarify
material that can lead to better performance in the course.
Students with unexcused absences* from more than 2 synchronous class sessions will have their
grade reduced by 5%, in addition students with unexcused absences from more than 5
synchronous class sessions may not be permitted to write the final examination.
Please note that being late or leaving early from class is disruptive for everyone and, if habitual,
such behaviour may be treated as an unexcused absence for that session.
To document an excused absence (illness, injury or family affliction), please submit the Gustavson
self- declaration form to the BCom office (bssclerk@uvic.ca). Appropriate documentation must be
submitted immediately upon your return to classes (within 24 hours).
Com 390
Canadian Business Environment
Pre-requisites: None
Text:
Authors : Len Karakowsky and Natalie Guriel
Textbook title : The context of business: Understanding the Canadian business environment
Publisher : Pearson Canada Inc.
Year : 2015
ISBN : 978-0-13-291300-3
This textbook is fun to read, full of interesting examples, and emphasizes critical thinking. It also
provides a strong online and mobile support and can be a long term useful companion, especially
if you want to start a business in Canada or if you want to work in organizations in Canada.
Course Description and Objectives:
This course is about understanding the Canadian business environment, that is, the cultural, the
economic, the geographical, the historical, the legal, and the political factors that are a part of
the business environment in Canada. The topics include challenges faced by businesses, labor
relationships, leadership, organizational structure, business strategy, economic, competitive and
technological environment, globalization, governmental influence, social responsibility of
businesses, sustainability, and change management.
By the end of this course you will be in a position to:
1. Understand the internal and external challenges that businesses face in Canada, and
2. Identify ways to tackle those challenges.
Course Format:
This course is an important part of your ongoing development. The journey during this course will
consist of reflections, group and class discussions/exercises, case analyses, and lectures. Please
bring a laptop or IPad in order to access CourseSpaces and internet during the class.
In order to make the in-class experience effective, I encourage you to:
1. Actively participate in the class.
2. Feel free to ask questions about or offer comments on issues that intrigue you.
3. Write down your questions or comments before asking/delivering them – writing down helps to
organize thoughts.
4. Respect differences of opinions.
5. Show empathy for others.
Requirements for Graded Work:
The expectations for the reflection papers, in-class micro-reflections, in-class participation, and
the group work are mentioned above. The expectations and the grading rubric are also available
in CourseSpaces and will be explained in the class.
Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When
a group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group
will receive the same grade. Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative
contribution, will be specified in writing prior to the grading of the assignment.
Mid-term and final examination: The mid-term and the final examination will be based on the
course reading, the in-class discussions, and other in-class activities. The specific examination
format will be discussed in the class preceding the examination.
Submission format: Please keep the length of the reflections to within one 8.5-inch-by-11-inchsized
page, use double-spaced Times Roman font with size 12, and keep the margins 1 inch on all
sides.
Please keep the length of the Canadian business proposal to within eight 8.5-inch-by-11-inchsized
pages, excluding references, if any. Please use double-spaced Times Roman font with size
12, and keep the margins 1 inch on all sides.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all
classes in which they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning process in
this course. Attendance exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights
and helps clarify material that can lead to better performance in the course.
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B. Gustavson School
of Business has an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All cases of
cheating or plagiarism, and any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the Associate
Dean, Programs. A student who violates academic integrity standards will fail the assignment and
potentially fail the course, with a letter of reprimand placed in the student’s record in the
Registrar’s office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and
group projects that have been adopted by our School.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and
without referencing the source of these words.
paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of
another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a verbal
presentation) without referencing the source.
copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the
purpose of submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
stealing or mutilating library materials.
accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior
discussions with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection
software program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
Com 400
Strategic Management
Pre-requisites:
 Financial Accounting I
 Organizational Behaviour
 Human Resources Management
 Marketing
 International Business
 Business and Sustainability
 Management Accounting
 Introduction to Management Information Systems
 Operations Management
 Management Finance
Texts:
There is NO prescribed textbook for the course. All the relevant readings will be included in the
course pack (see below). Following are some books that you may refer for additional knowledge
and understanding other than the readings and cases given in the course package.
Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D., & Hoskisson, R.E. Strategic Management: Concepts: Competitiveness and
Globalization, Eleventh Edition, Cengage Learning, Stamford, 2015, ISBN-13: 978-1-285-42518-4.
Grant, R.M. Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Eighth Edition, John Wiley & Sons, West Sussex, 2013,
ISBN 9781119941880.
An open textbook of Strategic Management (Canadian Edition) can be found here:
https://open.bccampus.ca/find-open-textbooks/?uuid=91cdcf18-273d-44cc-8432-
865d09005fda&contributor=&keyword=&subject
Cases and Readings:
The course pack will include all reading materials for the course, which include case studies and
readings. In addition, short videos may be used in the class to illustrate or strengthen some of the
conceptual ideas discussed. COM 400 Course Pack is available at the Bookstore.
Course Objectives and Description:
This course seeks to discuss concepts and tools for designing and implementing effective
competitive strategies in the rapidly changing global business environment. Strategy is about the
direction of organizations (most often, business firms) and is aimed at understanding why some
organizations succeed while others do not. It includes those issues which are of primary concern to
senior management, or to anyone seeking reasons for the success and failure among organizations.
Students are placed in the role of key decision makers and asked to address questions related to
the creation or reinforcement of competitive advantage. Firms, if not all organizations, are in
competition; competition for factor inputs, competition for customers, and ultimately, competition
for revenues that cover the costs of their chosen manner of serving their customers. Firms have
choices to make if they are to survive and thrive. Those which are strategic include: the selection
of goals, the choice of products and services to offer; the design and configuration of policies
determining how the firm positions itself to compete in product-markets; the choice of an
appropriate level of scope and diversity; and the design of organization structure, administrative
systems and policies used to define and coordinate work. It is a basic proposition of the strategy
discipline that these choices have critical influence on the success or failure of the enterprise, and,
that they must be integrated. It is the integration (or reinforcing pattern) among these choices
that makes the set a strategy. Specifically, the course objectives are as follows:
To assist you in acquiring the skills necessary to analyze, assess, design and implement business
strategies and programs particularly those that transcend national boundaries.
To challenge you to think critically and in an integrative fashion about various facets of global
competition.
To foster an appreciation of the external forces that influence and shape the competitive
advantage of businesses.
Course Format and Pedagogy:
A combination of case discussions, and interactive lectures will constitute the key pedagogic
methods. The skills this course aims to develop are best acquired through practice and repeated
exposure to real world strategic scenarios. As the case method has been found to be the most
suitable teaching method in this regard, there will be a high emphasis on case discussions as a
pedagogic device. It is expected that all participants will read and thoroughly analyse the assigned
case before coming to the class. It is useful to hold discussions in small groups (such as your group
for the group project) before coming to class. The readings assigned along with the cases are
intended to provide conceptual frameworks though not necessarily applicable for each session and
for the paired case. The case discussions generally involve a wider range of issues than covered in
the designated articles.
The case situation provides a realistic context within which one can identify the major issues facing
the firm and reason one's way through to appropriate strategic responses and recommendations for
action. All the data necessary for reaching a decision about required courses of action are
presented in the case. The data are not complete, but nor are they in a real world situation. You
simply have to make the best judgment you can on the basis of the available information. This is
the reason too that cases can rarely be 'outdated'. The specific time period (or company or product)
covered in the case is often no more than an interesting sidelight. Rather, the principles illustrated
by the case are the key to learning. Since adequate preparation is essential for the case method to
be effective, it is important that you prepare thoroughly for each class. You may be called upon to
start the class or contribute to class discussions on any day. If for some reason you have been
unable to prepare adequately, please inform the professor before class. However, I urge you to
attend all classes, even if inadequately prepared. Use the discussion questions listed under each
session as a guide to case preparation. These questions will not necessarily be discussed in class.
Requirements for Graded Work:
Description of evaluation standards for evaluation elements.
Individual Case Assignments: There will be three individual assignments, the weights for each of
which will be 10%. The assignments will be related to the case discussion questions assigned for
each class in the course outline. Out of the case studies assigned for sessions 2 through 10 (a
total of nine), you can submit the analyses of any three (and only three) for grading purposes.
Please see the Table above for more details on the case assignments.
Class Participation (15%): Grading of class contribution will be based on the impact you have on
the class discussion during the course. The scoring pattern for the class participation grade is
indicated in the Table above. As the case method will be the primary pedagogical tool for the
course, you will be expected to actively participate in class discussions. However, as you would
be familiar by now, it is quality rather than mere quantity that will be rewarded. Simply
monopolizing 'air time' without adding to the learning of the group will not garner credit and may
even detract from it. Regular attendance will count toward the participation grade. If you are
unable to attend class for any reason, please let me know ahead of time. Lack of preparation for
the class, failure to listen, defensive behavior (e.g. aggression or withdrawal) and so on, drain
energy and distract from class goals and hence such activities will attract even negative marks.
Group Project Report and Presentation (25%+10%):
Guidelines for the Group Project
An important part of the course is the completion of a group project. Students are asked to form
groups of 5 to complete a strategic analysis of an organization or a specific strategic problem
within an organization. The chosen organization can be a for-profit or a not-for-profit
organization. One of the key purposes of group work is to enhance your skill in working
collaboratively. The project, which will involve the strategic analysis of the chosen
problem/issue, will give you the opportunity to apply the methodologies, skills, and techniques
you learn to real-world business contexts. In addition, the project is designed to help develop
skills in unearthing and evaluating business information from multiple sources. Therefore, the
group project helps in developing critical and integrative thinking.
Proposal Due: June 2, 2017
Each group should submit a brief outline (one page or less) for the project by June 2 2017 that
includes the name of the firm or firms to be studied, the research question, why it is interesting
for the group and the group’s research plan. This sheet should also be attached to the final
project report to be submitted later.
You may choose a topic from the following illustrative list. You could also choose a comparable
topic in consultation with the instructor.
A study of the strategy involved when a company has gained or lost competitive advantage
Competitive interaction and strategic moves by various selected players in a global industry
Entry strategies by multinational firms into various local markets (e.g., emerging markets such
as China)
Entry and globalization strategies of a Canadian firm competing in global markets.
Please note: Companies that have been used in the course as cases are off limits for the group
project.
Presentation: July 21, 2017
Report Due: July 28, 2017
Begin your report by presenting a one-page executive summary. Although each project will vary,
there should be segments of the paper on strategy identification, on the effectiveness of strategies
observed, and on implementable conclusions. There should be a strong attempt to link the project
with course concepts. The broad criteria for evaluation would include logical flow and integration,
use of appropriate conceptual tools, organization and clarity of writing (and presentation), clear
recommendations and/or implementable conclusions, and the research rigour and support. The
maximum length permitted for the project report is 15 double-spaced pages (excluding the title
page, exhibits, and references). Please use 12-point font, with 1" margins on all sides and all pages
numbered. Be sure to clearly reference your data sources, using footnotes or end-notes. Cite web
addresses in full where web-based information has been used. In case of verbatim quotes of a
sentence or more, it is usually necessary to use quotation marks and cite page numbers. Deviations
from these guidelines will be penalized.
All members of the group will generally receive the same grade. However, an adjustment for
relative contribution may be made, at the discretion of the instructor, if the remaining members
of the group state that one or more members did not participate in any meaningful way.
I will be happy to assist you in any way possible to help maximize your learning from the project
and encourage you to interact with me on your projects as often as you like.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all classes
in which they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning process in this
course. Attendance exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and
helps clarify material that can lead to better performance in the course. As you are expected to
participate in class discussions of the case assigned for each class, lack of attendance will have an
effect on your class participation grade.
Late arrival, attending only a part of a session, etc. are disruptive to the learning environment and
you are expected to refrain from such activities.
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B. Gustavson School of
Business has an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All cases of
cheating or plagiarism, and any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the Associate
Dean, Programs. A student who violates academic integrity standards will fail the assignment and
potentially fail the course, with a letter of reprimand placed in the student’s record in the
Registrar’s office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and
group projects that have been adopted by our School. Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are
not limited to, the following:
using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without
referencing the source of these words.
paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of
another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a verbal
presentation) without referencing the source.
copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the purpose
of submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
stealing or mutilating library materials.
accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior
discussions with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection
software program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
The course materials used in this course (electronic and paper) are the intellectual property of the
instructor and students cannot share the materials without the instructor’s consent and cannot sell
or profit from the instructor’s intellectual property.
Students should be aware of the expectations surrounding their professionalism. Please refer to
the Standards of Professional Behavior on the Gustavson website for details.
Com 402
Legal Issues in Management
Pre-requisites:
 Financial Accounting
 Management Accounting
 Human Resource Management
 Organizational Behaviour
 Operations Management
 Marketing
 International Business
 Business and Sustainability
 Introduction to Management Information Systems
 Management Finance
Course Objective:
From the University of Victoria Calendar:
"This course examines several aspects of commercial law that are particularly relevant to those
who own, manage, or are employed by a business enterprise. Subjects that will be addressed
include common law doctrines (such as contract and negligence), legislation (such as the
Employment Standards Act and the Company Act) and other legal principles that affect business
decision making in a global environment."
This course is primarily concerned with law as it affects business. While there is no self-contained
law of business, the course will examine areas of law which impact business. Principal topics
include, an introduction to the Anglo-Canadian system of law, the law of tort and negligence,
including professionals' liability, the law of contract, the law of principal and agent, the law of
employment. Within the above, we will consider the differences which result from the choice of
legal form of business, whether it be sole proprietorship, partnership or limited partnership,
corporation or trust. The respective liability of the principals of each form of business will also be
considered.
Methodology:
Instruction will principally follow the lecture and case-method approach. Questions from the
class and open discussion of topics by the class are especially encouraged. Readings and cases
from the textbook should be completed in advance of class. There will be opportunities for
individual and group exercises.
Textbook:
Contemporary Canadian Business Law, Principles and Cases, Willes, John A., Q.C., and Willes,
John H. (11th or latest edition) available from bookstore. Earlier editions from any source are
also recommended and very good value.
Evaluation:
Student grades in Commerce 402 will be determined on the basis of performance in the following
components
1. 15 minute case presentations (groups of four students) 10 % of final mark
2. One-hour, open-book, mid-term examination 30 % of final mark
3. Mooting exercise (court simulation - groups of three students) 20 % of final mark
4. Two-hour, open-book, final examination 40 % of final mark
Total: 100%
Case Presentations:
Students must form groups of four students either themselves or on the basis of the instructor's
random assignments. The groups must be formed by the week following the last day to drop the
course. Each group will be given a trial or appeal court decision to present. Following a format
which will be explained, each group must brief the case and then present it to the whole class.
Case presentations to the class will be scheduled in class in February.
Case briefs summarise the essential elements of a case, including its procedural history (the path
of the dispute through the legal system), the relevant facts, the legal issues for resolution by the
court, the decision reached by the court and, most importantly, the reasons for decision.
In addition, groups are expected to comment upon the impact of the decision on business. By this
is meant the impact the decision is likely to have on business or industry having particular regard
to the functional areas of marketing, accounting, finance and human resources management. For
example, what will be the implication on personnel practices, marketing policies, management
information systems, financial strategies etc.
Group case presentations should take approximately 10 minutes and involve each member of the
group in a speaking role. The typewritten case brief must be submitted to the instructor before
the presentation and indicate the part or parts contributed by each member.
Mooting Exercise - Court Simulation
Students will form groups of seven students (different from the case groups) themselves or on the
basis of the instructor's random assignments. The groups will be formed before the mid-term
examination. One student in each group will assume the role of "Counsel for the Plaintiff", one
student "Counsel for the Defendant", and the remaining member of the group will be the
appellate Judge. Each member of the group will prepare its respective position in the mooting
exercise for oral presentation to the whole class. These presentations will take place between
March 29 and April 5, 2018.
Background information will be provided in mid-February. Counsel for the Plaintiff and Counsel
for the Defendant must submit to the instructor, before their oral presentation, a typewritten
brief of 3-5 pages summarizing their position on the issues. Counsel must give each other and the
Judge a copy of this brief. At the oral presentation, the Judges will hear each party and deliver a
decision. Following Counsels' presentation, the Judges will deliver an oral decision, to be
supported by a typewritten decision of 3-5 pages. The Judges' written decision need not be
identical with the oral decision. The Judges' decision must be deposited into the dropbox in the
Faculty of Business within the week following the respective moot.
The Briefs and Decisions will be graded using some or all of the following criteria: quality and
merit of legal argument, creativity, organisation, clarity and appropriate citation of case or
statute.
University Calendar:
Students are encouraged to read the regulations applicable to the course found in the University
of Victoria Calendar.
Attendance:
The Senate of the University states that "Students are expected to attend all lectures in each
course for which they are enrolled". Regular attendance and preparation will enhance students'
contribution and success in the course.
Assistance with your work:
If a student intends to seek help or receives help from anyone on any coursework that will be
evaluated in this course (ie help from another student, a tutor or anyone), you must get my
permission in advance to submit that work for evaluation. Failure to do so will be treated in
accordance with the university and faculty policies on plagiarism.
Academic Integrity, plagiarism and cheating
As a program which helps to create business and government leaders, the Faculty of Business has
an obligation to ensure the highest standard of academic integrity. Instances of cheating or
plagiarism will be referred to the Chair of the B.Comm. Committee. Students who participate in
any form of cheating and/or plagiarism may be required to withdraw from the Faculty of
Business.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and
group projects that have been adopted by our Faculty.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
a. using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and
without referencing the source of the words.
b. Duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
c. Paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other
ideas of another person, whether written or verbal (e.g., personal communication, ideas from
a verbal presentation) without referencing the source.
d. Copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home
assignment.
e. Providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
f. Impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the
purpose of submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
g. Stealing or mutilating library materials.
h. Reviewing a test or examination prior to the time and date set for the test or examination.
i. Changing names or answers on an assignment, test or examination after that assignment,
test or examination has been graded and returned.
j. Submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior
approval from the instructors involved.
Group Projects and Group Work:
Students should be aware that group projects are subject to the same rules regarding academic
dishonesty. Because of the unique nature of group projects, all group members should exercise
special care to ensure that the group project does not violate the policy on Academic Integrity.
Should a violation occur, group members may be held jointly accountable unless the violation can
be attributed to a specified individual or individuals.
Some courses, while not requiring group projects, encourage (or at least do not prohibit) students
to together in groups before submitting individual assignments. Students are encouraged to
discuss this issue as it relates to academic integrity with their instructor to avoid violating this
policy.
Provisional Reading and Topics List
Week Beginning Topic
4 January Introduction to the Canadian Legal System: Text Chs. 1-3
9 January Video - Sources of Constitutional and Statute Law
11 January Introduction to the Canadian Legal System (continued): Text Chs. 1-3
16 January Video - Sources of Common Law
18 January Introduction to the Canadian Legal System (continued): Text Chs. 1-3
23 January Tort Law; Negligence and Professional Liability: Text: Chs. 4 & 5
25 January Tort Law; Negligence and Professional Liability: (continued)
30 January Contract: Offer and Acceptance: Text: Ch. 6
31 January Contract: Consideration, Capacity & Legality of Object: Text: Chs. 7-8
8 February Practice Mid-Term
12-16 February Reading Break ( no classes )
TBA February Midterm Examination
20-22 February Case Presentations Begin - Information on Mooting Exercise - Court
Simulation
27 February Contract: Assignment and Discharge: Text: Ch. 11
6 March Contract: Performance and Breach: Text: Ch. 12-13
13 March Agency: Text: Ch. 15
3 April Mooting Exercises Begin
5 April COM 402 Last Class
TBA Final Examination
Com 410
Leadership Strategies
Pre-requisite: Organizational Behaviour
Texts:
Harvard Business Review, HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Leadership, (Harvard Business School
Publishing Corporation, 2011, 978-1-4221-5797-8.)
Course Objectives and Description:
This course will provide students with an introduction to the process of leadership, and the need
for a manager to acquire leadership skills. More Specifically:
Understand the difference between management and leadership, and the
importance of mastering both processes.
Develop and identify the skills needed to lead people in an organization.
Create an awareness of what constitutes effective leadership.
Enhance both oral and written skills – both essential to the modern leader.
Understand the theoretical underpinning of transformational leadership based on
the research and writing of James Macgregor Burns, Warren Bennis and Bernard
M. Bass.
Course Format:
A variety of teaching approaches are used in this course. Several movies are shown to
demonstrate a variety of approaches by leaders in a variety of situations. These films are to be
analyzed by the students using the theoretical framework, provided by the previously mentioned
scholars. A 1500 to 2500 word analysis is required incorporating all of the movies, due one week
after the last film is shown.
Experiential exercises are conducted in the class to demonstrate some of the challenges
regularly faced by leaders. These exercises demonstrate decision making, conflict management
and communication problems typically faced by leaders in the workplace.
In order to further develop their verbal skills, students must prepare and deliver three “stump
speeches” to his or her small group. A written critique of each speech from fellow students is
reviewed by the instructor at the end of the course.
Evaluation includes a written examination, a small group project report and presentation, as
well
as a participation mark. Approximately 70% of the mark is based on the individual’s
performance,
and 30% on group work.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following:
Movie Reports 20%
Midterm 40%
Group Report 20%
Group Presentation 10%
Class Participation 10%
Course Experience Survey:
The BCom Program and its instructors value your feedback. As with all of our courses, you will
have the opportunity to complete a confidential course experience survey (CES) about your
learning experience in this class. The survey is vital to providing feedback to me regarding the
course and my teaching, as well as to help the Program make improvements.
Time will be set aside in one of the last sessions in the course for you to complete the online
survey in class; you will need to use your UVic NetLink ID to access the survey, which can be
done on your laptop, tablet or mobile device. I will remind you in advance of that class to bring
your device to complete the survey. As well, toward the end of the course, you will also receive
an email inviting you to complete all of your course surveys. If you do not receive an email
invitation, you can go directly to http://ces.uvic.ca to complete the survey if you don’t do so in
the
time provided in class.
Requirements for Graded Work:
Description of evaluation standards for evaluation elements.
Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When
a group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group
will
receive the same grade. Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative
contribution, will be specified in writing prior to the grading of the assignment.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all
classes in which they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning process
in
this course. Attendance exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights
and helps clarify material that can lead to better performance in the course.
Attendance in this course is compulsory. Students absent from more than 20% of the classes
without medical documentation may not successfully complete the course.
All written assignments are due on the last day of classes. Movie reports are due within one week
of the class in which the movie was shown.
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B. Gustavson
School of Business has an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All
cases of cheating or plagiarism, and any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the
Associate Dean, Programs. A student who violates academic integrity standards will fail the
assignment and potentially fail the course, with a letter of reprimand placed in the student’s
record in the Registrar’s office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and
group projects that have been adopted by our School.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and
without referencing the source of these words.
paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of
another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a verbal
presentation) without referencing the source.
copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the
purpose of submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
stealing or mutilating library materials.
accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior
discussions with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection
software program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
The course materials used in this course (electronic and paper) are the intellectual property of
the
instructor and students cannot share the materials without the instructor’s consent and cannot
sell
or profit from the instructor’s intellectual property.
Students should be aware of the expectations surrounding their professionalism. Please refer to
the Standards of Professional Behavior on the Gustavson website for details.
Schedule:
Will be distributed on the first class of the semester.
Com 426
Management Accounting II
Pre-requisite: Management Accounting
Texts:
Horngren’s Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis, Eighth Canadian Edition Plus My
Accounting Lab with Pearson E-text Access card Package 8/E
Authors: S. Datar, M. Rajan, L. Beaubien (Pearson Canada)
Text Hardcover with MyLab: ISBN#: 13: 9780134824680 or
Etext and Mylab with option loose leaf purchase: ISBN#-13: 9780134672052
Course Objectives and Description:
This course is a continuation of Commerce 316/317, which introduced management accounting.
It is designed to be transferable and satisfy the requirements of other second level management
accounting courses and the requirements of the CPA program. It should also assist the general
manager who needs to know more about how accounting information is useful in making daily
business decisions
Major topics covered include the terminology and objectives of management accounting, flexible
budgets, variances, variable and absorption costing models, cost allocation decisions, joint and
by-product costing, process costing and transfer pricing. Problem solving and decision-making
skills will be practiced through the use of problems and case studies.
As specific learning outcomes, students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
• Prepare and analyze a Cost of Goods Manufactured and related Income Statement
• Understand and apply the various types of cost definitions (fixed, variable, mixed, direct,
indirect, period, product) when constructing budgets
• Prepare flexible budgets
• Understand and compute variances
• Understand and calculate variable and absorption costing problems
• Analyze, determine and complete cost allocations
• Understand and calculate joint and by-product costs
• Understand and calculate process costing
• Understand and compute various pricing decision models.
• Develop confidence sharing ideas and thoughts in a safe environment to develop critical
thinking and analysis skills
Course Format:
Synchronous sessions will offer a live opportunity to interact with one another and walk through a
few more complex problems. There will be participation marks assigned for speaking up in class
in addition to online activities. If you know you cannot regularly attend class, or earn
participation marks in this way, you should let the instructor know. Our live class time is
scheduled with the expectation you have independently worked through Brightspace activities
and recommended problems in advance. At times, you will also be required to complete and hand
in problems as a group.
Note: Coming to class does not equal participation - see the Gustavson Bachelor of
Commerce Standards of Professional Behaviour. Consequently, it is imperative that you prepare
your problems before class and be ready to discuss them and ask questions about areas that are
unclear. Problems will be reviewed in class using a team approach to learning, and you may be
called upon to answer questions pertaining to the assigned pre-reading. Because of the inclass
group activities, you be should let your teammates know if you’re unable to attend a given class,
and ask them what you missed. If you know attending the live sessions will be a challenge for you
more generally speaking, you should speak with your instructor to arrange alternate means of
achieving participation points, which may include being grouped with other students unable to
attend the live sessions for certain activities.
Educational Technology
I use a variety of educational technology in this course including internet-based technologies or
web-based applications, cloud services and social media. The use of technology is part of your
engagement at the University. Some of these learning tools may collect, use and/or disclose your
personal information and store or access that information outside of Canada.
UVic cannot require students to disclose personal information to technologies or organizations,
which may store information on servers located outside of Canada because disclosure of personal
information to vendors, systems or services storing or accessing that personal information outside
of Canada is restricted by section 30.1 of BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy
Act (FIPPA). Personal information is information about an identifiable individual; for example,
your name or your email address.
The following educational technologies, which stores or accesses your personal information
outside Canada, is required for this course: Zoom; Pearson MyLab; Poll Everywhere; Tableau
Public. I will make you aware if this list changes. I use these technologies to enhance your
educational experience at UVic. The personal information is required by the service. The privacy
policy and the terms of use list the personal information stored outside of Canada and are
available at https://zoom.us/privacy [https://www.pearson.com/ca/en/legal/privacy-
statement.html
https://www.polleverywhere.com/privacy-policy
https://www.tableau.com/privacy#:~:text=Tableau%20believes%20in%20the%20importance,colle
ct%20and%20receive%20about%20you. I encourage you to read these documents.
If you are not comfortable with your personal information being stored outside of Canada, please
speak to me within the first week of class about using an alternative (such as using an alias or
nickname). Otherwise, by continuing in this course, you agree to the use of the educational
technology in the course and the storage of personal information outside of Canada.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
Title Individual
or Group
Type Due Date Weight
/ % of
grade
Description
COM 426:
Contribution
Individual In-Class
Contribution
/
DSMs
Ongoing 20% Contribute to class;
Spend 30 minutes
working on or achieve
80% in the Dynamic
Study Modules on
Pearson
COM 426:
MyLab
Assignments
Individual Online
Assignments
Ongoing 15% Best 5 of 6 assignments;
3% each
COM 426:
Group
Exercises
Group Assigned
Problems
September
22nd
(5% Ch 4),
October 20th
(2% Ch 7),
November 3rd
(2% Ch
12/21)
9% 2% Ch 7, 2% Ch 12/21.
Assigned Problems to be
completed as a group
and uploaded prior to the
following class
COM 426:
Midterm #1
Individual Exam September
29th
15% Chapter 1, 2, 4
COM 426:
Midterm #2
Individual Exam October 13th 12% Chapter 14, 15
COM 426:
Midterm #3
Individual Exam November 3rd 14% Chapter 16, 7, 8
COM 426:
Midterm #4
Individual Exam December 2nd 15% Chapter 17, 18
Total 100%
If you disagree with the assessment received on a grade component, you may request, in writing,
that the work be reviewed. You need to cite why you think that it deserves a different grade,
based on your work, relevant course materials and the assignment’s grading rubric. Note that I
may choose to review the work in its entirety, not just the portion in question and that the
review may lead to a higher, lower or unchanged grade.
Course Experience Survey:
The BCom Program and its instructors value your feedback. As with all of our courses, you will be
expected to complete a confidential course experience survey (CES) about your learning
experience in this class. The survey is vital to providing feedback to me regarding the course and
my teaching, as well as to help the Program make improvements.
Time will be set aside in one of the last synchronous sessions in the course for you to complete
the online survey; you will need to use your UVic Netlink ID to access the survey, which can be
done on your laptop, tablet or mobile device. As well, toward the end of the course, you will also
receive an email inviting you to complete all of your course surveys. If you do not receive an
email invitation, you can go directly to http://ces.uvic.ca to complete the survey if you don’t do
so in the time provided in class.
Course Assessment:
Description of evaluation standards for evaluation elements.
Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When
a group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group
will receive the same grade. Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative
contribution, will be specified in writing prior to the grading of the assignment.
Late Work: In the absence of a medical or family emergency there will normally be a grade
penalty of 20% for each day an assignment is late. Anything submitted more than one hour after
the deadline is considered a day late and subject to the 20% penalty.
Attendance and Participation: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are
expected to attend all classes in which they are enrolled.” Attending and participating in an
online synchronous session is an important part of the learning process in this course.
Participation exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps
clarify material that can lead to better performance in the course.
Students with unexcused absences* from more than 3 class sessions will be penalized as follows:
5% reduction in participation grade for each class missed.
*unexcused absences = absences without appropriate documentation (self-declaration form). Due
to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, no medical documentation is required. Self-declaration forms
can be found in the BrightSpace course site.
Grading Scale:
Graded material in this course will be marked and reported to the Registrar using percentages.
The percentage grade, the corresponding letter grade and comparative grading information will
be displayed on student transcripts (official and administrative). The following table
demonstrates the equivalent letter grades:
Percentage
Range
Grades Grade
Point
Value
Description
90 – 100
85 – 89
80 – 84
A+
A
A-
9
8
7
Exceptional, outstanding and excellent performance.
Normally achieved by a minority of students. These
grades indicate a student who is self-initiating, exceeds
expectation and has an insightful grasp of the subject
matter.
77 – 79
73 – 76
70 – 72
B+
B
B-
6
5
4
Very good, good and solid performance. Normally
achieved by the largest number of students. These grades
indicate a good grasp of the subject matter or excellent
grasp in one area balanced with satisfactory grasp in the
other area.
65 – 69
60 – 64
C+
C
3
2
Satisfactory, or minimally satisfactory. These grades
indicate satisfactory performance and knowledge of the
subject matter.
50 – 59 D 1 Marginal Performance. A student receiving this grade
demonstrated a superficial grasp of the subject matter.
0-49 E Conditional supplemental
0-49 F 0 Unsatisfactory performance. Wrote final examination and
completed course requirements; no supplemental.
“N” (incomplete) grades: All graded components must be completed, or you will receive a failing
grade of N (grade point value of 0).
Final course grades are official only after they have been approved by the Program Director and
may be subject to change up until that point.
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B. Gustavson School
of Business has an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All cases of
cheating or plagiarism, and any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the Associate
Dean, Programs. A student who violates academic integrity standards will fail the assignment and
potentially fail the course, with a letter of reprimand placed in the student’s record in the
Registrar’s office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and
group projects that have been adopted by our School.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
• using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and
without referencing the source of these words.
• paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
• duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
• paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of
another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a verbal
presentation) without referencing the source.
• copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
• providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
• taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
• impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the
purpose of submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
• stealing or mutilating library materials.
• accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
• changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
• submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior
discussions with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection
software program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
The course materials used in this course (electronic and paper) are the intellectual property of
the instructor and students cannot share the materials without the instructor’s consent and
cannot sell or profit from the instructor’s intellectual property.
Students should be aware of the expectations surrounding their professionalism. Please refer to
the Standards of Professional Behavior on the Gustavson website for details.
Please refer to BrightSpace for a detailed course schedule, including planned problems and a
set of additional problems students may use in their independent study.
Students are expected to subscribe to our regularly check the Instructor Announcements
forum in BrightSpace where changes to the course schedule may be posted.
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. In particular, if you
have a disability/health consideration that may require accommodations, please feel free to
approach me and/or the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) as soon as possible. CAL staff are
available by appointment to assess specific needs, provide referrals and arrange appropriate
accommodations. The sooner you let us know your needs the quicker we can assist you in
achieving your learning goals in this course.
Com 435
Corporate Relations and Responsibilities
Pre-requisite: Organizational Behaviour
Texts:
I have chosen the Bayers, Stanberry Ethics text for this course, which is a FREE, online, open
source textbook. Ethics textbooks are generally expensive, but this text offers a thorough
overview of ethics and the critical topics a business student should consider. The text is
American however, which is why we will just use portions of the book, and additional PDFs from
other texts and readings are also assigned.
Everything you need for this course will be available on Coursespaces. The text and readings
were chosen to offer explanation of concepts, illustration of CSR and ethical situations in
business and to help structure the order of the course. Together the text and readings give you
an excellent set of resources to draw on in breaking down ethical problems and making ethical
decisions.
Course Objectives and Description:
This course will explore ethical decision‐making and corporate social responsibility at the
personal and firm level. Readings will offer multiple perspectives on ethical decision‐making,
building an ethical culture in an organization, and the strength of strong values in a firm. The
purpose and value of corporate social responsibility activities will broaden your understanding,
and develop your ability to be a responsible leader in any organization.
This course requires a previous sustainability (Com 362) and or ethics course as a prerequisite.
This allows you to build on material you already know, and for all of us to dig into some
complex ethical discussions. It also allows us to consider CSR and stakeholders in a more
sophisticated manner. You will find this course to be very practical, with tools you can apply to
many situations in your life.
I value your participation in this class and have built in activities and opportunities where you
can share your ethical experiences and your ideas for better corporate social responsibility in
firms. I have high expectations for the quality and variety of our discussions. To get the most
out of our classes we all need to be prepared. I will prepare by selecting readings that can
challenge and inform us, planning a lesson that demonstrates issues that managers grapple with
and theory that can help us form good ethical judgements and offer you feedback, both in class
and on exams and assignments that will help you further develop your thinking on ethics and
CSR. You need to come to class having read the assigned readings, and prepared to use those as
a jumping off point for in class discussions, debates and activities. Together we will meet and
even surpass the learning objectives for this course.
Learning objectives
This is a practical course where you will learn theory and practice using tools to make you
better at ethical decision making and understanding how to implement corporate social
responsibility initiatives
Specifically, upon successful completion of Com 435 you should be able to:
 Be aware of and have an increased understanding of the nature of business ethics in the
Canadian as well as a global business environment
 Examine the ethical implications of business practices from a stakeholder perspective
 Describe the challenges of social responsibility in a business
 Apply ethical concepts and theories to business cases
 Debate and defend an ethical position based on theory and precedents
 Develop and communicate specific actions to building a positive ethical culture in an
Organization
Course Format:
This course will be taught using the readings as a starting point for lectures, group activities and
classroom discussions. As such, it is important for students to complete the readings prior to
class. In class activities will be a key way to earn participation marks, and readings are critical
to being able to participate effectively.
Evaluation Elements:
Please note that all evaluation elements of the course must be completed to receive a passing
grade in the course.
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
* The final exam schedule is set by the University Registrar’s office and is usually available by
mid‐October.
1) Personal Ethical Dilemma (Mandatory submission; pass/fail grade)
Please submit an actual ethical dilemma that you have encountered in a work or school
environment. The write‐up should include two parts:
‐ Part A ‐ a brief description of the situation, the central issue or dilemma, and the possible
options (clearly identify them);
‐ Part B ‐ how the dilemma was resolved including any remaining issues.
Dilemmas may be selected for discussion during the course. Be prepared to acknowledge that
you were the author of the dilemma, and to discuss it in class. In order to respect privacy and
the confidentiality of others however, you are not required to identify other individuals
involved, nor any organization involved.
Dilemmas should not exceed one page, 12 pt Times New Roman font with one inch margins.
The assignment should be posted in the dropbox on the CourseSpaces site prior to our second
class on Jan 14. Please indicate your name and student number, on the assignment.
2) Participation
Active participation in this course can take several forms:
‐ answering questions in class
‐ leading/facilitating small group work
‐ participating in pair and small group work
Participation is encouraged to both deepen your understanding of the material, as well as the
understanding of your peers. Questions and answers that are on topic, draw on the readings
and on previous class conversations, and are not repetitive will gain participation points.
Participation requires attending class. I will take attendance at the beginning of each class and
this will contribute to your participation grade. Students with more than three unapproved
absences from the course will receive a zero for participation in the course.
Arriving late and or leaving during class can be disruptive and disrespectful of your colleagues.
As a result these actions will reduce your participation score for that class.
3) Midterm Exam ‐ Case Analysis: Apply the “Thinking Ethically” framework to a case and
support it with ethical theory. In class, Feb. 11. You will have two hours to complete the exam.
We will cover the framework in class and you will have the opportunity to practice using it in
class prior to the exam.
4) Final project – Plan to build a culture of ethics at an organization. This is an excellent
opportunity to make use of your work experiences (co‐op or other), and apply some of the key
elements of this course. The goal of this assignment is to give you experience thinking through
the purpose and scope of creating an ethical culture in an organization that participates in
corporate social responsibility, and developing tools that will help guide managers make ethical
decisions. The report should include:
 a brief summary of the organization (what it does, the number of employees, how long it
has existed, who its main competitors are, and where it is located – 1/2 page maximum)
 a description of the current status of the organization regarding its ethical behaviour: are
managers left to make decisions regarding customers and suppliers on their own, or is there a
code they should follow? Is there a whistleblower hotline? Are there any other instructions,
policies or rules in place to help guide employees? What level of trust is given to managers and
employees regarding ethics? (1/2 page maximum).
 Does the company have a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative? What is it? How
long have they been doing this? Is the initiative aligned with its mission and values? How? (1/2
page maximum).
 Create a code of ethics for employees, board of directors and suppliers. If the
organization already has a code of ethics, look at it critically and evaluate to for ease of use
and thoroughness. (1‐2 pages).
 Consider ethics training that you would offer staff at this firm. What training is necessary
for staff to make ethical decisions and when/how often should it be offered? Create a plan of
courses and workshops you would offer annually. Be sure to address the levels of the
organization. For example, the CEO and Board will need different training than the front line
employees. (1 page).
 Design a 12 month communications plan to increase awareness of ethical decision‐making
and CSR at the firm. How often will you communicate? What channels will you use? Who,
specifically will you reach out to and how will you reach those people? Also address from whom
the messages will come (CEO? Managers? Human Resource department?). Perhaps most
importantly, what will you communicate? What are the key messages you want staff to know?
(1‐2 pages).
This assignment will likely require 5‐7 pages. The normal 12 pt, Times New Roman (or
equivalent), and one inch margins rules apply. Please hand this assignment in via the dropbox
on Course Spaces.
5) Final Exam – The Final exam will be cumulative and will test your knowledge and
understanding of ethical theory and application as well as your ability to analyze a firm to
develop appropriate CSR strategies.
General Rules for Assignments and Exams
‐ All assignments will be submitted through a dropbox on course spaces. I grade electronically
and will return your assignments with feedback and a grade through course spaces.
Com 445
Corporate Finance
Pre-requisite: Management Finance
Course Material:
Textbook: Introduction to Corporate Finance, 4th
edition, ISBN: 978-1-119-17128-7 by Laurence
Booth, Sean Cleary, Ian Rakita.
Online Coursepack: see Coursespaces for link.
Course Objectives and Description:
This course serves as a continuation of the introductory finance course to more advanced
applications of the techniques, concepts, and tools of corporate finance. Main topics include shortand
long-term financial management, cost of capital, capital structure, financial leverage, dividends
policy, working capital management, leasing, mergers and acquisitions, and the use of derivatives
for risk management.
The course objectives are to:
- Understand corporate finance terms and methodologies;
- Be able to use Excel for a variety of calculations and analyses including time value
of money, capital budgeting and valuation.
- Enhance analysis, oral and written communication skills.
Course Format:
The course takes place in the classroom and computer lab and includes lectures, flipped classroom
activities and guest speakers.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
Title Individu
al or
Group
Type Due Date Weight /
% of
grade
Description
COM 445: Ratio
Analysis
Individu
al
Hand-in
Assignment
5/24/2018 10% Details in
Coursespace
s
COM 445: Exam I individu
al
Exam 6/5/2018 25% Online in
Lab
COM 445: Options
Analysis
Individu
al
Hand-in
Assignme
nt
6/26/2018 5% Details in
Coursespace
s
COM 445: Exam II Individu
al
Exam 7/5/2018 25% Online in
Lab
COM 445: Final exam Individu
al
Exam TBA 25% Online in
Lab;
comprehens
ive
COM 445:
Contribution
Individu
al
Participation Ongoing 10% Details in
Coursespace
s
Total 100%
If you disagree with the assessment received on a grade component, you may request in writing,
that the work be reviewed. You need to cite why you think it deserves a different grade, based on
your work, relevant course materials and the assignment’s grading rubric. Note that I may chose to
review the work in its entirety, not just the portion in question and that the review may lead to a
higher, lower or unchanged grade.
Course Experience Survey:
The BCom Program and its instructors value your feedback. As with all of our courses, you will have
the opportunity to complete a confidential course experience survey (CES) about your learning
experience in this class. The survey is vital to providing feedback to me regarding the course and
my teaching, as well as to help the Program make improvements.
Time will be set aside in one of the last sessions in the course for you to complete the online
survey in class; you will need to use your UVic NetLink ID to access the survey, which can be done
on your laptop, tablet or mobile device. I will remind you in advance of that class to bring your
device to complete the survey. As well, toward the end of the course, you will also receive an
email inviting you to complete all of your course surveys. If you do not receive an email invitation,
you can go directly to http://ces.uvic.ca to complete the survey if you don’t do so in the time
provided in class.
Requirements for Graded Work:
Description of evaluation standards for evaluation elements.
Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a
group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group will
receive the same grade. Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative contribution,
will be specified in writing prior to the grading of the assignment.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all classes
in which they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning process in this
course. Attendance exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and
helps clarify material that can lead to better performance in the course.
Students with unexcused absences from 3 class sessions will have their grade reduced by 5%, in
addition students with unexcused absences from more than 5 class sessions will not be permitted to
write the final examination.
*unexcused absences = absences without appropriate documentation as per the University
Calendar
Grading Scale:
Graded material in this course will be marked and reported to the Registrar using percentages. The
percentage grade, the corresponding letter grade and comparative grading information will be
displayed on student transcripts (official and administrative). The following table demonstrates the
equivalent letter grades:
Percentage
Range
Grades Grade
Point
Value
Description
90 – 100
85 – 89
80 – 84
A+
A
A-
9
8
7
Exceptional, outstanding and excellent performance. Normally
achieved by a minority of students. These grades indicate a
student who is selfinitiating, exceeds expectation and has an
insightful grasp of the subject matter.
77 – 79
73 – 76
70 – 72
B+
B
B-
6
5
4
Very good, good and solid performance. Normally achieved by the
largest number of students. These grades indicate a good grasp of
the subject matter or excellent grasp in one area balanced with
satisfactory grasp in the other area.
65 – 69
60 – 64
C+ C 3
2
Satisfactory, or minimally satisfactory. These grades indicate a
satisfactory performance and knowledge of the subject matter.
50 – 59 D 1 Marginal Performance. A student receiving this grade demonstrated
a superficial grasp of the subject matter.
0-49 E Conditional supplemental
0-49 F 0 Unsatisfactory performance. Wrote final examination and
completed course requirements; no supplemental.
“N” (incomplete) grades: All graded components must be completed or you will receive a failing
grade of N (grade point value of 0).
Final course grades are official only after they have been approved by the Program Director and may
be subject to change up until that point.
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B. Gustavson School of
Business has an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All cases of
cheating or plagiarism, and any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the Associate
Dean, Programs. A student who violates academic integrity standards will fail the assignment and
potentially fail the course, with a letter of reprimand placed in the student’s record in the
Registrar’s office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and
group projects that have been adopted by our School.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
• using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without
referencing the source of these words.
• paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
• duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
• paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of
another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a verbal
presentation) without referencing the source.
• copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
• providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
• taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
• impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the
purpose of submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
• stealing or mutilating library materials.
• accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
• changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
• submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior
discussions with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection
software program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
The course materials used in this course (electronic and paper) are the intellectual property of the
instructor and students cannot share the materials without the instructor’s consent and cannot sell
or profit from the instructor’s intellectual property.
Students should be aware of the expectations surrounding their professionalism. Please
refer to the Standards of Professional Behavior on the Gustavson website for details
Com 446
Investments
Pre-requisite: Management Finance
Course Material:
Textbook: Fundamentals of Investments, 2015, ISBN: 9781259459160, McGraw-Hill CreateTM custom
textbook based on Jordan, Miller, Dolvin, 7th edition, 2015.
Problem sets, assignments and projects: Downloadable from CourseSpaces.
Course Objectives and Description:
This course will deal with the fundamental principles and issues that are crucial to understanding
the securities traded in international financial markets. The main topics include market structure,
asset allocation, valuation and trading of stocks, bonds, options and futures.
The objective of the course is to assist students to acquire knowledge of investments. Upon
completing the course, students should be able to define the basic terminology, to understand
theoretical relationships, and to apply the analytical techniques covered in the course to various
investment decision-making situations. Students are also expected to acquire knowledge of the
relevant Canadian institutional environment in which investment decisions are made.
Course Format:
In keeping with the objectives of this course, lectures will be given to each topic. Problems and
readings will be assigned. Students are expected to come to the class fully prepared for discussion
of assigned material. Questions will be asked and discussed in class and students are expected to
actively participate in these discussions. Cold calls may be made. Students are encouraged to read
business newspapers, such as Wall Street Journal and Financial Post. We will discuss current events
in class.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
Title Individu
al or
Group
Type Due Date Weight /
% of
grade
Description
Class Participation Individu
al
Other Every class 10%
Exercise 1 and 3 individu
al
Hand-in
Assignme
nt
Exercise 1: May 15
Exercise 3: July 10
1%
1%
Portfolio Simulation
Report
Group Hand-in
Assignme
nt
July 26 13%
Stock Valuation
Report
Group Hand-in
Assignme
nt
July 19 15%
Mid-term Exam Individu
al
Exam June 7 20%
Final Exam Individu
al
Exam To be announced
by the Office of
the Registrar
40%
Total 100%
Class Participation includes: attendance at the beginning of class; participation in class discussions
by adding new information and competently answering questions; providing solutions to the multiple
choice questions in the teaching notes and other assigned problems; exhibiting ethical behavior,
professionalism and integrity.
Students are expected to come to the class fully prepared for discussion of assigned material.
Participation and class attendance are important parts of the learning process in this course.
Attendance exposes you to material not covered in the readings, to your classmates’ insights and
helps clarify material that can lead to better performance in the course.
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class. If you arrive late, you will miss that portion of
the CP assessment but can still achieve CP marks with active participation once you arrive. Excuses
accepted are medical or UVic representation in competition.
Exercise 1 and 3: Students will work independently on the assigned problems and submit their
answers on the due date at the beginning of class. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Global Portfolio Simulation: Students will organize themselves into groups (maximum of six
members). The group will act as decision-making units to participate in the simulation of trading
stocks, bonds, options and futures in global markets. Each group will submit a written report,
including investment strategy, trading history, ending portfolio and a summary of learning from the
simulation. Details will be discussed in class.
Stock Valuation Report: Students will work in groups (maximum of six members) to prepare a stock
valuation report on a stock chosen by the instructor. The report will include an analysis of the
industry outlook and security valuation. Details will be discussed in class.
Global Portfolio simulation and stock valuation report must be done in groups. As new
investors, students should learn from their team members.
The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a group-based
assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group will receive the
same grade. Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative contribution, will be
specified in writing prior to the grading of the assignment.
Examinations: Both exams are closed-book and consist of multiple-choice questions and short
answer problems. There will be no make-up exam for the mid-term. If you miss the mid-term exam
for a legitimate reason, the corresponding weight will be transferred to the final exam. Do not book
your travel plans before you know the final exam schedule (determined by the Office of the
Registrar). No final exam will be given outside of the UVIC schedule.
Academic Integrity:
As a program which helps to create business and government leaders, the Faculty of Business has an
obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All cases of cheating or
plagiarism, and any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the Associate Dean. Students
who participate in any form of cheating and/or plagiarism may be required to withdraw from the
Faculty of Business.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and
group projects that have been adopted by our Faculty.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
• using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without
referencing the source of these words.
• duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
• paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of
another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a verbal
presentation) without referencing the source.
• copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
• providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
• taking any unauthorized materials into an examination or term test (crib notes).
• impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the purpose
of submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
• stealing or mutilating library materials.
• accessing test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
• changing name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
• submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without discussions
with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection
software program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
Com 450
Selected Topics in Management
Topics vary from term to term. For your reference, past Com 450 topics included the following:
 Business Analysis
 Doing Business in India
 Infusing Sustainability into Operations
 Coaching for Higher Performance in Organizations
 Japan in the Context of Globalization
ENT 100
Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Pre-requisites: None
Texts:
There is no assigned textbook for this course.
Two readings are mandatory – the Business Model Canvas and the Value Proposition Canvas. Links to
these PDFs are provided on CourseSpaces and copies are available at the library.
Weekly suggested readings are also posted to CourseSpaces.
You are also encouraged to find and read additional materials on entrepreneurship and innovation that
support your own interests.
What you take away from all readings completed in this course should be woven into your final
portfolio assignment.
Course Objectives and Description:
This course will provide you with an introduction to the theory and practice of entrepreneurship and to
key principles of innovation. Through a variety of delivery methods including lectures, workshops,
interactive assignments and panel discussions, you will explore the key elements of the Business Model
Canvas – an important tool that fosters venture readiness. You will have an opportunity to hone your
skills in entrepreneurial thinking including opportunity recognition, opportunity evaluation, value
proposition development and product concept creation. You will also explore some of the key
requirements and concerns with setting up a new venture or introducing a corporate innovation,
including how to select a winning team, how to get buy-in, how to form a business, how to protect your
ideas, and how to fund it all. Emphasis will also be placed on helping you learn about resources
available to support nascent entrepreneurs in Victoria and beyond.
A core principal of this course is to bring the theory we discuss into focus by hearing and learning from
entrepreneurs who have started, grown and/or exited their ventures. Through a series of guest
speakers and panel discussions, entrepreneurs will share with us their experiences and their expertise
in entrepreneurship at the front line – the good, the great, the bad and the ugly.
The course objectives are to:
o Inspire students to the possibilities of entrepreneurship and innovation regardless of their
chosen career path
o Develop a broad understanding of the key elements of entrepreneurship and innovation
theories
o Create a shift in mindset towards opportunity recognition and entrepreneurial thinking
o Familiarize students with the Business Model Canvas as an organizing tool for turning good ideas
into viable businesses
o Expose students to the broad experiences and tacit knowledge of a number of entrepreneurs
and innovators
o Introduce the principals of value proposition formation and detailed development
o Enhance persuasive presentation skills
o Foster critical thinking, analytic and synthesis skills in general and as specifically applied to
entrepreneurship and to students’ personal, education and career goals
o Enhance understanding of the resources available to help first time entrepreneurs start new
ventures.
Course Format:
Course material will be delivered through a variety of modes, including:
o Lectures
o Mini in-class workshops
o Class discussions
o Case studies
o Panel discussions with entrepreneurs/innovators
o Panel discussions with topic experts
o Guest speakers
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
ENT 100 Individual
or Group
Type Due Date Weigh
t
Description
Assignment 1:
Interview
Individual Class Hand-in
Assignment
Sept. 28, 2017
Beginning of
class
5% 300 word LIMIT
Assignment 2:
Idea Journal
Individual Class Hand-in
Assignment
Nov. 2, 2017
Beginning of
class
25% No limit
Assignment 3:
Class Exercise
Group In-class
assignment
Oct. 16, 2017
End of class
10% Details TBA
Assignment 4:
Pitch-it Video
Individual Submit to
CourseSpaces
Video due:
Nov. 9, 2017
beginning of
class
And
Assessments
due: Nov. 16,
2017
beginning of
class
10% 90 second video
2 peer assessments
Assignment 5:
Connections
and
Reflections
Portfolio or
Business Model
Canvas
Individual Hand-in
Assignment unless
otherwise
approved by
Claudia in
advance
Nov. 30, 2017
Beginning of
class
40% Document-10 page
LIMIT
Other formats to be
pre-approved
Participation Individual In-class ongoing 10% Note that your
participation grade is
EARNED through
thoughtful
contributions to class
discussions
Note: You will find detailed assignment descriptions and evaluation criteria posted to CourseSpaces in
two places: in the top/first section below News Forum, References and Resources and under the due
date for each assignment
Course Experience Survey:
The BCom Program and its instructors value your feedback. As with all of our courses, you will have the
opportunity to complete a confidential course experience survey (CES) about your learning experience
in this class. The survey is vital to providing feedback to me regarding the course and my teaching, as
well as to help the Program make improvements.
This course is intentionally designed so that all of the puzzle pieces do not come together until the
completion of the final assignment (Assignment 5). Thus, students are STRONGLY encouraged to wait
until the final class to complete the course experience survey. It is important that your feedback
represents your perspective after having completed all of the course. Time will be set aside on the last
day for you to complete the online survey in class; you will need to use your UVic NetLink ID to access
the survey, which can be done on your laptop, tablet or mobile device. I will remind you in advance of
the class to bring your device to complete the survey. As well, towards the end of the course, you will
also receive an email inviting you to complete all of your course surveys. Please WAIT until after our
last session before completing the survey for ENT 100. If you do not receive an email invitation or
complete the survey in the class time provided, you can go directly to http://ces.uvic.ca to find it.
Requirements for Graded Work:
Description of evaluation standards for evaluation elements.
Assignments: You will find a detailed grading ruberic for each assignment posted to CourseSpaces in the
lead section and under the date that it is due. Additional questions should be brought to my attention.
Group Work: Given the difficulties, that many students encounter trying to coordinate schedules in first
year, group work has intentionally been kept to a minimum to improve your course experience. There
is, however, one group assignment (Assignment 3). For this assignment, students are expected to work
together, participate equally and to share equitably in the workload – there will be no tolerance for
social loafing. The instructor reserves the right to lower the student’s mark by one or more letter
grades if a student has not contributed equally to the team’s task or to the assignment.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all classes in
which they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning process in this course.
Attendance exposes you to important material not in the readings, to opportunities to clarify key
concepts, and to your classmates' insights that can help solidify your own. Together, these can help
deliver better performance in the course.
A core component of this course is a series of panel discussions and guest speakers. You cannot benefit
from the insights these entrepreneurs and source experts will share with us or ask a pertinent question
unless you are present. In addition, you are asked to work together with your peers during class time to
effectively discuss key concepts, challenge assumptions and further understanding. A number of key
learning outcomes for this course are tied directly to in-class experiences. Your class participation
grade will be EARNED by actively and thoughtfully participating in class discussions, by engaging with
guest speakers and by contributing to workshops. Missing more than three classes without PRIOR
approval from the instructor or a medical certificate will be grounds for receiving a failing grade in
the course.
Grading Scale:
Graded material in this course will be marked and reported to the Registrar using percentages. The
percentage grade, the corresponding letter grade and comparative grading information will be
displayed on student transcripts (official and administrative). The following table demonstrates the
equivalent letter grades:
Percentage
Range
Grades Grade
Point
Value
Description
90 – 100
85 – 89
80 – 84
A+
A
A-
9
8
7
Exceptional, outstanding and excellent performance. Normally
achieved by a minority of students. These grades indicate a student
who is self-initiating, exceeds expectation and has an insightful grasp
of the subject matter.
77 – 79
73 – 76
70 – 72
B+
B
B-
6
5
4
Very good, good and solid performance. Normally achieved by the
largest number of students. These grades indicate a good grasp of the
subject matter or excellent grasp in one area balanced with
satisfactory grasp in the other area.
65 – 69
60 – 64
C+
C
3
2
Satisfactory, or minimally satisfactory. These grades indicate a
satisfactory performance and knowledge of the subject matter.
50 – 59 D 1 Marginal Performance. A student receiving this grade demonstrated a
superficial grasp of the subject matter.
0-49 E Conditional supplemental
0-49 F 0 Unsatisfactory performance. Wrote final examination and completed
course requirements; no supplemental.
“N” (incomplete) grades: All graded components must be completed or you will receive a failing
grade of N (grade point value of 0).
Note that it is required that you pass the final assignment (Assignment 5) to pass the course. In the
case that you do not attain a passing grade in this component, it will result in a final course grade of
Incomplete (N), with the maximum possible percentage grade of 49.
Final course grades are official only after they have been approved by the Program Director and may be
subject to change up until that point.
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B. Gustavson School of
Business has an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All cases of
cheating or plagiarism, and any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the Associate Dean,
Programs. A student who violates academic integrity standards will fail the assignment and potentially
fail the course, with a letter of reprimand placed in the student’s record in the Registrar’s office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and group
projects that have been adopted by our School.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
o using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and
without referencing the source of these words.
o paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
o duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
o paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas
of another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a
verbal presentation) without referencing the source.
o copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
o providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
o taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
o impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the
purpose of submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
o stealing or mutilating library materials.
o accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
o changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
o submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior
discussions with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection software
program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
The course materials used in this course (electronic and paper) are the intellectual property of the
instructor and students cannot share the materials without the instructor’s consent and cannot sell or
profit from the instructor’s intellectual property.
Students should be aware of the expectations surrounding their professionalism. Please refer to the
Standards of Professional Behavior on the Gustavson website for details.
Schedule:
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
100
A = Monday
B = Thursday
(Link to Business
Model Canvas)
Type Date Description
ENT 100 Week 1:B
Welcome to ENT 100
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Sept 7
Session Plan:
Course overview &
Entrepreneurship introduction
Introduction to Assignment #1 – Interview
Introduction to Assignment # 5 – Connections &
Reflections Portfolio/ Business Model Canvas
ENT 100 Week 2:A
Value Propositions
See
CourseSpaces
Monday,
Sept 11
Session Plan:
How can you find Ideas
Introduction to Assignment #2 – Idea Journal
ENT 100 Week 2:B
Value Propositions
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Sept 14
Session Plan:
Guest Speaker – Mr. Don Mattrick
ENT 100 Week 3:A
Value Propositions
Customer Segments
See
CourseSpaces
Monday,
Sept 18
Session Plan:
How can you use Design Thinking to build ideas
Guest speaker – Dr. David Dunne
ENT 100 Week 3:B
Value Propositions
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Sept 21
Session Plan:
How can you use creativity to find ideas
ENT 100 Week 4;A
Value Propositions
Customer Segments
See
CourseSpaces
Monday,
Sept 25
Session Plan:
How do you develop Value Propositions and
Product Concepts
Introduction to Assignment #4 – Pitch-it Video
ENT 100 Week 4:B
Value Propositions
Customer Segments
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Sept 28
Session Plan:
Case Study ~ Value Propositions & Product
Concepts
Assignment #1 – Interview – DUE
ENT 100 Week 5:A
Value Propositions
Customer Segments
See
CourseSpaces
Monday,
Oct 2
Session Plan:
How do you build an Entrepreneurial Mindset &
Transaction Thinking - Part 1
ENT 100 Week 5:B
Guest Panel
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Oct 5
Session Plan:
Panel Discussion ~ Where do ideas come from
and how do they evolve?
ENT 100 Week 6:A
Holiday Break
See
CourseSpaces
Monday,
Oct 9
NO CLASS – Thanksgiving Holiday
ENT 100 Week 6:B
Value Propositions
Customer Segments
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Oct 12
Session Plan:
How do you build an Entrepreneurial Mindset &
Transaction Thinking – Part 2
Introduction to Assignment #3 – Transaction
Thinking
ENT 100 Week 7:A
Value Propositions
Customer Segments
See
CourseSpaces
Monday,
Oct 16
Session Plan:
How do you build an Entrepreneurial Mindset &
Transaction Thinking – Part 3
Assignment #3 – Transaction Thinking - DUE
ENT 100 Week 7:B
Customer Segments
Customer
Relationships
Value Propositions
Channels
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Oct 19
Session Plan:
How do you make Strategic Customer Decisions
ENT 100 Week 8:A
All
See
CourseSpaces
Monday,
Oct 23
Session Plan:
Guest Speaker ~ Mr. Dean Lindal
ENT 100 Week 8:B
Customer Segments
Customer
Relationships
Value Propositions
Channels
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Oct 26
Session Plan:
How do you evaluate Value Propositions and
Opportunities
READ ‘Cupcakes’ case BEFORE class
ENT 100 Week 9:A
Key Resources
Key Activities
Key Partners
See
CourseSpaces
Monday,
Oct 30
Session Plan:
How do you build your founding team & lead
and motivate first employees
ENT 100 Week 9:B
Revenue Streams
Cost Structures
Key Activities
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Nov 2
Session Plan:
How do you finance your venture
Guest Speaker – Ms. Mia Maki
Assignment #2 – Idea Journal – DUE
ENT 100 Week 10:A
Guest Panel
See
CourseSpaces
Monday,
Nov 6
Session Plan:
Panel Discussion ~ Social innovation and social
enterprise - context and considerations
Guest speakers – Mr. Derek Juno and Mr. Paul
Latour
ENT 100 Week 10:B
Key Resources
Revenue Streams
Key Activities
Key Partners
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Nov 9
Session Plan:
Where can you find internal University
resources
Where can you find external resources
Guest speakers – Mr. Rob Bennett and Mr.
Jerome Etwaroo
Assignment #4 – Pitch It Video – DUE
ENT 100 Week 11:A
Reading Break
See
CourseSpaces
Monday,
Nov 13
NO CLASS – Fall Reading Break
ENT 100 Week 11:B
All
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Nov 16
Session Plan:
How do you create a Business Model and
Canvas – the rest of the elements
Assignment #4 – Pitch-It Video Assessments –
DUE
Assignment #5 – Option 2 – Optional hand-in of
BMC for feedback from Claudia (not grades) -
DUE
ENT 100 Week 12:A
Key Resources
See
CourseSpaces
Monday,
Nov 20
Session Plan:
How do you form your venture
Key Activities
Cost Structures
Key Partners
How do you set up your venture
How do you protect your ideas
ENT 100 Week 12:B
All
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Nov 23
Session Plan:
What matters to you as an entrepreneur?
ENT 100 Week 13:A
Guest Panel
See
CourseSpaces
Monday,
Nov 27
Session Plan:
Panel Discussion ~ Lessons learned through
serial founding
ENT 100 Week 13:B
All
See
CourseSpaces
Thursday,
Nov 30
Session Plan:
Let’s reflect & wrap-up
Assignment #5 – Connections & Reflections
Portfolio or Business Model Canvas - DUE
ENT 402
Entrepreneurship & Small Business for the Non-
Specialist
Pre-requisites:
 Organizational Behaviour
 Marketing
Texts:
Required readings are posted on CourseSpaces. There is no assigned textbook for
this course. However, I would like to suggest (but not require) you to read the
following books.
 Good, W. S. (2003). Building a dream: a Canadian guide to starting a business of
your own. McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
 Hisrich, R. D. (2012). International Entrepreneurship: Starting, Developing, and
Managing a Global Venture: Starting, Developing, and Managing a Global
Venture. Sage.
A few other sources for entrepreneurial thinkers include:
www.canadianbusiness.com (Canadian magazine)
www.profitguide.com (Canadian Profit Magazine)
www.fastcompany.com (U.S. magazine)
www.forbes.com (U.S. magazine)
www.fortune.com (U.S. magazine)
www.inc.com (U.S. magazine)
www.cfib.ca (Canadian Federation of Independent Business)
www.cvca.ca (Canada’s Venture Capital & Private Equity Association)
www.wec.ca (Women Entrepreneurs of Canada)
Course Objectives and Description:
ENT 402 is an exciting course that is guaranteed to change the way you think about
entrepreneurship, and the way you look at yourself and the opportunities around you.
Through a variety of delivery methods including lectures, in-class activities, interactive
assignments and discussions, you will explore the developmental stages of a firm,
particularly emphasizing on opportunity recognition and venture creation. An
important philosophy of this course is to learn from entrepreneurs who have started,
grown and/or exited their ventures through entrepreneurship stories and guest
speeches. This course is not limited to those who want to start their own business, as
entrepreneurial practice also exists inside large organizations.
After you finish the course, you should be more successful at the following:
 Applying entrepreneurship concepts and theories to better understand real-world
entrepreneurial activities.
 Analyzing entrepreneurial situations to separate good opportunities from good
ideas and developing entrepreneurial business plans by using a variety of
abilities and skills.
 Assessing an entrepreneurial business plan to determine the valuation of a new
venture from both the entrepreneur’s and investor’s perspectives.
 Starting your own enterprise or adding value to an existing organization.
Course Format:
This course involves lectures, in-class activities, class discussions, case studies, guest speakers,
individual and group assignments. If you are fully committed to the learning process, ENT 402 has the
potential to be an important part of your development as a successful entrepreneur.
In order to make this course a positive learning experience for both yourself as well as
your peers, I encourage you to come to class with the following guidelines in mind:
 Complete readings before class, and use those readings as a basis for your
active participation during in-class activities and discussions. Developmental,
theory-based comments are valuable for moving the discussion forward.
 Ask questions that add to your understanding of the course material as well as
the knowledge base of your classmates. Encourage your classmates to get
involved. Avoid repeating what has already been said.
 Be considerate – come to class on time and do not leave early. Do not interrupt
or engage in private conversations while others are speaking.
 To limit distractions for your peers and to facilitate active learning, this course
has a policy of no web/email/texting during class.
 Have an opinion and respect others’ rights to hold opinions and beliefs that are
different from your own, recognizing that there are many different ways to view
the material.
 Allow everyone the chance to talk. If you have much to say, try to hold back so
that your peers might have an opportunity to participate. If you are hesitant, look
for opportunities to contribute.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
ENT 402 Individual
or
Team
Type Due
Date
Weight
/ % of
grade
Description
Class Participation Individual Participation Ongoing 15% Based on in-class
contributions.
Entrepreneurship
Stories
Team In-class
activity
Ongoing 15% Details to be
discussed on May 2.
Draft Opportunity Pitch Individual Presentation May 30
June 1
10% Individual
presentation (3-
minutes).
Opportunity Pitch Individual/t
eam
Submit to
CourseSpaces
June 13 20% 2-page limit.
Draft Business Plan Team Submit to
CourseSpaces
July 6 NA 10-page limit.
Business Plan
Presentation
Team Presentation July 20
July 25
July 27
40% Team presentation (15
minutes + 5 minutes
Q&A).
Total 100%
Course Experience Survey:
The BCom Program and its instructors value your feedback. As with all of our courses,
you will have the opportunity to complete a confidential course experience survey
(CES) about your learning experience in this class. The survey is vital to providing
feedback to me regarding the course and my teaching, as well as to help the Program
make improvements.
Time will be set aside in one of the last sessions in the course for you to complete the
online survey in class; you will need to use your UVic NetLink ID to access the survey,
which can be done on your laptop, tablet or mobile device. I will remind you in
advance of that class to bring your device to complete the survey. As well, toward the
end of the course, you will also receive an email inviting you to complete all of your
course surveys. If you do not receive an email invitation, you can go directly to
http://ces.uvic.ca to complete the survey if you don’t do so in the time provided in
class.
Requirements for Graded Work:
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to
attend all classes in which they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of
the learning process in this course. Attendance exposes you to material not in the
readings, to your classmates' insights and helps clarify material that can lead to better
performance in the course. Unexcused absences from any class session will have a
significant impact on the class participation grade.
Class participation: Students are expected to actively participate in class discussions
by attending each class, undertaking assigned readings, offering questions, insights
and comments on the material presented and participating fully in class discussions.
Assignments: Assignments are due on the date scheduled. Any additional questions
should be brought to the attention of the instructor.
Group work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working
collaboratively. When a group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a
grade, all members of the group will receive the same grade. Any exception to this
policy, such as adjustments for relative contribution, will be specified in writing prior to
the grading of the assignment.
Requirements for Non-Graded Work:
The draft business plan will be required to be submitted even though there is no grade
assigned. This will allow the instructor to add value to the team’s individual plan
development process.
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B.
Gustavson School of Business has an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the
highest standards. All cases of cheating or plagiarism, and any variations thereof, will
be immediately referred to the Associate Dean, Programs. A student who violates
academic integrity standards will fail the assignment and potentially fail the course,
with a letter of reprimand placed in the student’s record in the Registrar’s office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic
integrity and group projects that have been adopted by our School.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
 Using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation
marks and without referencing the source of these words.
 Paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
 Duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the
source.
 Paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any
other ideas of another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal
communication, ideas from a verbal presentation) without referencing the
source.
 Copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home
assignment.
 Providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home
assignment.
 Taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
 Impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate
oneself for the purpose of submitting academic work or writing any test or
examination.
 Stealing or mutilating library materials.
 Accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
 Changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and
returned.
 Submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment,
without prior discussions with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism
detection software program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other
assignments.
The course materials used in this course (electronic and paper) are the intellectual
property of the instructor and students cannot share the materials without the
instructor’s consent and cannot sell or profit from the instructor’s intellectual property.
Students should be aware of the expectations surrounding their professionalism.
Please refer to the Standards of Professional Behavior on the Gustavson School of
Business website for details.
IB 301
International Environment of Business
Pre-requisites: None
Texts:
Coursepack is available at the UVic Bookstore. It includes:
1. Leslie Hamilton and Philip Webster, The International Business Environment 3rd Edition,
(Oxford University Press, 2016). (Second edition is acceptable).
2. Cases Pack:
• Wal Mart Stores in 2003 (Harvard Business Case 704430-PDF-ENG)
• Levendary Café: The China Challenge (Harvard Business Case 4357-PDF-ENG)
• Toys "R" Us Japan (Harvard Business Case 796077-PDF-ENG)
• SKS Microfinance (Harvard Business Case 208137-PDF-ENG)
• Life, Death, and Property Rights: The Pharmaceutical Industry Faces AIDS in Africa
(Harvard Business Case 702049-PDF-ENG)
• Caffeine with a Conscience by Mead and Wicks (Darden Business Case UVA-E-0327)
• Foxconn Technology Group (A) (Harvard Business Case 112002-PDF-ENG)
3. Additional Required Readings - Various Cases, News Articles and Notes will also be required
for the class. Links/References to these will be available on Coursespaces.
Course Objectives and Description:
Description: This course examines the global environment in which firms operate and how that
environment affects the strategies and choices of companies. We will examine how businesses are
managed across different countries, considering factors both external and internal to the company. For
example, while considering international expansion, a firm needs to take into account exchange rates,
international taxation, free trade agreements, market conditions, culture, law, politics and many other
factors which will affect it’s operations, but over which it has little control. In the context of these
external factors, a firm must then make internal decisions to devise a strategy effective for operations
in the global environment. Does the firm choose to export its products or invest in production facilities
in a new country? Should the company buy production facilities or businesses already present or build
its own? What about a joint venture with a local entrepreneur? How does local culture influence local
and international operations of the firm? Under what circumstances do different international
strategies make sense? This course will investigate these and other questions as part of an exploration
into how international corporate strategy is shaped and what are the economic factors that influence
it.
Objectives: By the end of this course you will:
• be able to analyze the external environment of an organization operating in diversified cultural and
political settings; to identify threats and opportunities, and to assess strategic risk and potential profits
resulting from international operations;
• know the most important concepts related to international business and management of a large
multinational company;
• know the basic facts about the world economy and major players shaping the global business
environment;
• have experienced both advantages and challenges of teamwork in an international setting and you
will be able to meaningfully contribute to a group effort.
Course Format:
The class will meet twice a week and will be structured around the relevant chapters of the textbook,
cases, and readings as shown in the accompanying schedule.
Requirements for Graded Work:
Description of evaluation standards for evaluation elements.
Assignment Due Dates: Assignment 1 should be uploaded on coursespaces at 8:00 am on the due date.
Assignments 2, 3 and 4 must be handed in before the start of the class at 4:30 pm. Any assignments
turned in late will be penalized one full letter grade (e.g., B to C) for each day it is late. Assignments
cannot be changed after this time. Assignments 2, 3 and 4 will not be accepted online. Students that
turn in only an electronic version of these assignments will be asked to also turn in a printed document
and will be penalized for a late assignment.
Group Work. The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a
group-based assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group will
receive the same grade. Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative contribution,
will be specified in writing prior to the grading of the assignment. Groups that feel that one or more
members have made little to no contribution to a hand-in assignment must address the issue with the
professor before the next hand-in assignment is due. The professor can, at his/her discretion, require
the group to evaluate one another’s relative contribution on the next hand-in assignment. Students
that are identified as not contributing to group projects may receive a reduced grade on the
assignment.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all classes in
which they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning process in this course.
Attendance exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps clarify
material that can lead to better performance in the course.
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B. Gustavson
School of Business has an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All cases
of cheating or plagiarism, and any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the Associate
Dean, Programs. A student who violates academic integrity standards will fail the assignment and
potentially fail the course, with a letter of reprimand placed in the student’s record in the Registrar’s
office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and group
projects that have been adopted by our School.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
• using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without
referencing the source of these words.
• paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
• duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
• paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of
another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a verbal
presentation) without referencing the source.
• copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
• providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
• taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
• impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the purpose of
submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
• stealing or mutilating library materials.
• accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
• changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
• submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior
discussions with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection software
program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
The course materials used in this course (electronic and paper) are the intellectual property of the
instructor and students cannot share the materials without the instructor’s consent and cannot sell or
profit from the instructor’s intellectual property.
Students should be aware of the expectations surrounding their professionalism. Please refer to the
Standards of Professional Behavior on the Gustavson website for details.
IB 409
Social Entrepreneurship & New Venture Creation
AIMS - KNOWLEDGE The objective of the course is to deliver students knowledge on concepts,
theories and research results from the field of entrepreneurship, which will
improve understanding of entrepreneurial process and factors, which
influence the establishment, survival and development of the new
ventures.
AIMS - SKILLS During the course students will develop entrepreneurial skills required to
prepare social business project such as ability to identify social and
business opportunities and analyze environmental changes, skills on
developing new venture strategy, preparing financial analyses and building
the network.
AIMS - SOCIAL
COMPETENCES
The objective of the course is to develop transferable skills related to
establishing and developing a new venture.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
DESCRIPTION OF LEARNING OUTCOMES ON THE COURSE LEVEL
o has knowledge on internal changes, which take place in the
enterprise during the development process
o has knowledge of the most typical mistakes made by entrepreneurs
in the process of new venture development
o has knowledge on the role of critical incidents in the process of the
development of a firm
o has knowledge on qualitative methods of gathering and interpreting
the data
o understands the importance of adjusting tools and methods of
gathering data to the specificity of the research problem
o has knowledge of principles, methods and tools of preparing a
business plan, combining knowledge from different disciplines
o is able to design the business plan for the social enterprise
o understands the factors, which influence the growth of start-ups
o understands the mechanisms of influence of intangible factors in
the process of the development of an enterprise
Skills
DESCRIPTION OF LEARNING OUTCOMES ON THE COURSE LEVEL
o is able to identify critical mistakes made by entrepreneurs in
establishing and managing the growth of the enterprise, analyze its
causes and consequences
o is able to identify organizational problems, analyze them, and
develop solutions using selected methods and tools
o is ably to critically analyze the business problems using appropriate
analytical tools
o is able to evaluate the attractiveness of market opportunity for new
business ventures applying theoretical knowledge and market data.
o is able to present innovative business ideas (to potential investors)
o Is able to perform the comparative analysis of data collected to
address the research problems
o Is able to prepare and conduct in-depth qualitative interviews with
entrepreneurs
o is able to prepare report on comparative analyses of the new
venture creation and development process
o is able to prepare a well-structured new venture proposal
o is able to conduct new venture presentation in convincing way using
selected multimedia tools
Social Competences
DESCRIPTION OF LEARNING OUTCOMES ON THE COURSE LEVEL
o understands the role of network in developing a new venture
o understands the structural and relational mechanisms of creating
social capital in entrepreneurial networks
o is able to create a social business proposal to solve a social problem
o is able to choose an important social problem using appropriate
social and economic criteria
o is able to apply different techniques to identify opportunities on
the market
o is able to identify opportunities for development of an enterprise
o is able to identify social opportunities
MODULE CONTENT NUMBER OF
HOURS
Elements of entrepreneurial process. Phenomena of entrepreneurship through
different lenses: qualitative and quantitative views.
3 Lecture
The nature and the process of identification of business opportunities 3 Lecture
Social entrepreneurship: innovative concept for solving social problems 6 Lecture
Challenges for social entrepreneurship 3 Lecture
New venture proposal: structure and elements 3 Lecture
Entrepreneurial network. The role of social ties in entrepreneurial process 6 Lecture
Small business development process 3 Lecture
Entrepreneurial mistakes 3 Lecture
TOTAL CONTACT HOURS 30
Methods Of Teaching - Knowledge
Discussions of the concepts and newest research results, case studies, interviews with entrepreneurs,
reading.
Methods Of Teaching - Skills
Case studies, workshops, presentations, interviews with entrepreneurs
Methods Of Teaching - Social Competences
Case studies, workshops, presentations, interviews with entrepreneurs
International Dimensions
Students will learn cases of successful entrepreneurs, who are active on international arena, as well as
newest concepts and research findings published in international journals dedicated to
entrepreneurship such as Journal of Business Venturing or Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice.
Compulsory Reading
NO AUTHOR, TITLE, PLACE & DATE OF PUBLISHING, PUBLISHER, PAGES
1. Portales, L. (2019) Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship Fundamentals,
Concepts, and Tools, Palgrave Macmillan.
2. Gudkova, S. (2015) Exploring Entrepreneurship. Inspirations from the Field, Warsaw:
Poltext.
3. Kickul, J., Lyons, T.S. (2012) Understanding social entrepreneurship. The relentless
pursuit of mission in an ever changing world, Routledge.
4. Baron, R., Shane, S. (2007) Entrepreneurship: A Process Perspective, South-Western,
International edition
Additional Reading
NO AUTHOR, TITLE, PLACE & DATE OF PUBLISHING, PUBLISHER, PAGES
1. Rezac, D., Thomson, J., Hallgren, G. (2003) The Frog and the Prince: Secrets of Positive
Networking To Change Your Life, Frog and Prince Networking Corporation.
2. Dollinger, M.J. (2007) Entrepreneurship. Strategies and Resources, Prentice Hall
3. Gitomer, J. (2006) Little black book of connections: 6.5 assets for networking your way to
rich relationships, Bard Press
4. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report - 2010-2019
MODE OF ASSESSMENT DURATION PERCENTAGE
OF TOTAL
GRADE
Case study
Case studies and
workshops
25%
Written assignment
(project, report,
essay)
1. Social business
project - 30% 2.
New venture creation
and development - a
comparative analysis-
45%
75%
IB 415
Cross-National Management
Pre-requisites:
 Organizational Behaviour
 International Business
Texts:
Cross-Cultural Management: Essential Concepts (3rd edition) by David C. Thomas and Mark F. Peterson,
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2015.
A CoursePack is also available for purchase at the UVic Bookstore, which contains required cases. Other
materials (readings, additional cases, exercise instructions, powerpoints) will be posted on
CourseSpaces as needed, or are available on-line through UVic libraries
http://www.uvic.ca/library/.
Course Objectives and Description:
The decades after World War II have witnessed an enormous increase in the movement of goods,
services, ideas, information, and expertise across national boundaries, and a tremendous growth of
transnational organizations, including multinational corporations (MNCs) and other forms of
international alliances. The world has begun to resemble a global village. At the same time, dramatic
demographic changes in the workforce are occurring in Canada and many other countries, both
developed and developing. Tomorrow's managers, in domestic or overseas assignments, will
increasingly work with people from different countries, cultures, and ethnic groups.
This course is intended to build on your direct international experience with theoretical perspectives,
and prepare you for continuing your journey in international business, with a particular focus on
strengthening your knowledge and skills in managing and interacting with people from different
cultural backgrounds and countries of origin, and thus be able to operate effectively in our globalized
environment.
Course Format:
There will be a combination of different learning activities: readings, short lectures, class exercises,
case discussions, assignments, and group work.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following elements:
Midterm exam 25%
Final exam 30%
Team project 20%
Class preparation assignments 15%
Class participation 10%
TOTAL 100%
Course Experience Survey:
The BCom Program and its instructors value your feedback. As with all of our courses, you will have the
opportunity to complete a confidential course experience survey (CES) about your learning experience
in this class. The survey is vital to providing feedback to me regarding the course and my teaching, as
well as to help the Program make improvements.
Time will be set aside in one of the last sessions the course for you to complete the online survey in
class; you will need to use your UVic NetLink ID to access the survey, which can be done on your
laptop, tablet or mobile device. I will remind you in advance of that class to bring your device to
complete the survey. As well, toward the end of the course, you will also receive an email inviting you
to complete all of your course surveys. If you do not receive an email invitation, you can go directly to
http://ces.uvic.ca to complete the survey if you don’t do so in the time provided in class.
Requirements for Graded Work:
Evaluation standards for each evaluation element are described below.
Team Project (20%): You will be assigned in groups of 3-4. The team project requirement is described
in a separate document. The team project is to be submitted by 5 pm Mar. 26 (Monday) via
CourseSpace. Submissions after the deadline will be given a 2% deduction from the assigned percentage
grade per day that it is late; submissions after 5 pm Nov. 27 will no longer be accepted.
The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a group-based
assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group will receive the same
grade. However, adjustments may be made for relative contribution through peer evaluation. Each
team member must rate the participation of their teammates. Rate each teammate on the following
statement: “This team member did their fair share of work in a timely and high quality manner.” Use
the following rating scale: 1= Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Neither Disagree nor Agree; 4 =
Agree; 5 = Strongly Agree. Please submit through CourseSpace on April 5 a list of each of your team
members along with your assigned rating.
Please note Gustavson’s standard of professional behavior when it comes to group activities: Standards
of Professional Behavior.
Credit work to all members of the group, especially when using the work for other purposes (e.g.
when submitting a group report to a potential employer as a sample of your writing ability, you should
cite the names of the other students who worked on the paper).
It is unprofessional to let one or two members of the group do most of the work when the final grade
or reward will be shared by the entire group as it circumvents the learning process. The group should
attempt to resolve any misallocation of workload early in the process, and if difficulties persist, should
seek advice from the professor or instructor as soon as possible.
Collaboration on class assignments is only permitted with the instructor's permission and then only to
the extent stipulated by the instructor. Be sure you understand the acceptable level of collaboration in
each of your courses.
We should each be a responsible and professional part of the group. This means delivering on work
commitments, being prepared and on-time for meetings, and carrying an equitable workload share.
We all deserve respect, consideration and common courtesy as members of the Gustavson School of
Business. Deal with anger, tension and personality conflicts in constructive ways. Rude, insulting or
disrespectful language or actions is neither professional nor appropriate.
If group members reveal anything about themselves in confidence to other group members, and do
not wish this information to be divulged outside the group, this should be respected. This would also
apply to any confidential information about a third party or organization (e.g. a previous employer)
that a member may divulge for group work purposes only.
Class Preparation Assignments (15%): These are written submissions in preparation for class (both
individual and team). Specific instructions for each assignment will be posted on CourseSpace as
needed. Unless otherwise specified, all submissions are to be done by 12 noon the day before class
through CourseSpace. Submissions after the deadline will have a 50% deduction from the awarded
points; submissions after the class starts will not be accepted.
Assignments that show care, thought, insight and effort in completion will be awarded more than one
point (up to a maximum of 3 points). Keep your submissions short (no more than 3 pages, single line
spacing).
Class Participation (10%): Class participation is an effective means of understanding the concepts,
principles and processes covered in the course. There are two components: (1) contribution during
general class discussion, and (2) submission of in-class exercises.
1. Contribution during general class discussion includes answering questions, raising points, sharing
insights that contribute to a better understanding of the required readings or better awareness of the
implications and issues involved; asking thought-provoking questions; sharing personal experiences to
illustrate concepts and principles; sharing current news items from your reading of business periodicals
relevant to the topic being discussed; volunteering for class activities. Needless to say, to actively
participate requires coming to class prepared (having read all required reading assignments for the
class, as well as exercise or case materials that need preparation). Please note that you may be called
upon during class to answer questions or share your thoughts and experiences.
2. From time to time, there will be in-class exercises that will require submissions at the end of class.
Only written submission in class will be accepted as part of class participation, as they are a product of
participating during the class. Submissions in-class can be done by e-mail; no submissions will be
accepted after class has ended.
Examinations (55%): There will be two exams, both closed-book and in-class. The first exam worth 25%
is 1.5 hours long. The second exam is cumulative, worth 30% and 2 hours long. Exams will utilize
different formats, such as multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, true-or-false, and short essay questions.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all classes in
which they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning process in this course.
Attendance exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps clarify
material that can lead to better performance in the course.
Students with unexcused absences for more than three (3) classes may be penalized with a course
grade reduction of 3%. Excused absences are those that are due to illness, accident or family affliction;
documentation may be required.
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B. Gustavson School of
Business has an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All cases of
cheating or plagiarism, and any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the Associate Dean,
Programs. A student who violates academic integrity standards will fail the assignment and potentially
fail the course, with a letter of reprimand placed in the student’s record in the Registrar’s office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and group
projects that have been adopted by our School.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without
referencing the source of these words.
paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of
another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a verbal
presentation) without referencing the source.
copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the purpose of
submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
stealing or mutilating library materials.
accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior
discussions with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection software
program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
The course materials used in this course (electronic and paper) are the intellectual property of the
instructor and students cannot share the materials without the instructor’s consent and cannot sell or
profit from the instructor’s intellectual property.
Students should be aware of the expectations surrounding their professionalism. Please refer to the
Standards of Professional Behavior on the Gustavson website for details.
IB 416
International Marketing
Pre-requisites:
 Marketing
 International Business
Texts:
Optional Textbook: Warren J. Keegan and Mark C. Green, Global Marketing, 9th Edition, (Person,
2016, ISBN#. 9780133545005)
Required Material: Casepack
(accessible at Ivey Publishing: https://www.iveycases.com/CoursepackView.aspx?id=12262)
Course Objectives and Description:
The course objectives are to help students:
Understand the basic global marketing process model;
Appreciate the differences and similarities of consumers from different parts of the world;
Develop a clear picture on how global and local forces jointly shape marketing activities;
Apply basic marketing mix into global context;
Enhance analytical skills for case study and learning.
Expectations:
As your instructor, I expect that you will:
Take full responsibility for your own learning (e.g., come on time, well prepared);
Be an active participant in class discussions;
Complete all work on time with proper thought;
Perform your share of team work;
Treat your fellow students and instructor with respect;
Ask questions when you don’t understand;
Contribute to building a positive learning community by helping others learn.
Course Format:
This class is designed to teach you not only the basic concepts involved in international marketing, but
also how to apply the knowledge in your life or career. Lectures, case study, in-class group discussions
and exercises, and out-class group projects are designed to lead you to a better understanding of the
applicability of the discipline.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
Title Individual
or Group
Type Weight
/ % of
grade
Description
Participation Individual Participation 20%
ICEs Individual Quiz 15%
Case Presentation Group Presentation 10%
Mid-Term Paper Individual Hand-in 20%
Schneider Project Group Hand-in and
Presentation
35% 25% for the hand-in paper, 10% for
the final presentation
Total 100%
Course Experience Survey:
The BCom Program and its instructors value your feedback. As with all of our courses, you will have the
opportunity to complete a confidential course experience survey (CES) about your learning experience
in this class. The survey is vital to providing feedback to me regarding the course and my teaching, as
well as to help the Program make improvements.
Time will be set aside in one of the last sessions in the course for you to complete the online survey in
class; you will need to use your UVic NetLink ID to access the survey, which can be done on your laptop,
tablet or mobile device. I will remind you in advance of that class to bring your device to complete the
survey. As well, toward the end of the course, you will also receive an email inviting you to complete all
of your course surveys. If you do not receive an email invitation, you can go directly to http://ces.uvic.ca
to complete the survey if you don’t do so in the time provided in class.
Requirements for Graded Work:
Individual Class Participation (20%): You are expected to actively participate in classroom discussion
and presentations. During the semester, I will evaluate the students after each session regarding your
contributions to the overall learning experience. Students who do not show up will receive no point;
students who show up but do not participate (i.e., ask and answer no question, provide zero comment)
will receive about 25% of the grade; students who do participate in a very limited level (i.e., provide
general comments, repeat what others have already said) will receive about 50% of the grade, students
who show good participation (i.e., provide reflective comments, give valid support for a conclusion)
will receive about 75% of the grade, and students who show excellent participation (i.e., provide
insightful comments, show critical thinking, provide alternative ways) will receive about 100% of the
grade. Your final grade on this part will be the average of the scores you get throughout the semester.
As part of the participation, students are required to attend each class meeting. Students with
unexcused absences from 3 class sessions will have their participation grade reduced by 25%, in
addition students with unexcused absences from more than 5 class sessions may not receive any
participation grade.
ICEs (In-Class Exercises, 15%). You are expected to review your notes regularly to assist effective
learning. To achieve this, there will be multiple ICEs during the semester to check whether you have
learned what we have discussed before. The dates of the ICEs will be randomly determined. Your final
grade will be the average of the scores you get throughout the semester.
Case Presentation (10%). At the beginning of each session with a case to be discussed, an assigned
team will present their analyses and conclusions. The presentation needs to be brief (no more than 15
minutes) and captures the key points. Although you may choose your own presentation style, below is a
general guideline you might consider following:
Executive summary (1 slide)
Background (1 slide)
Key question at hand (1 slide)
Your conclusions (1 slide)
Providing supporting evidences
Discussing alternatives
Implementation (1 slide)
Key learning (1 slide)
Mid-Term Paper (20%). In the middle of the semester, you will need to submit a paper individually. The
focus of the paper should be on the first two steps of the marketing process model, namely understand
consumers and plan ahead. You can choose any brand, product, or company you want. Your job is to first
identify a new country market it is about to enter (either real or imagining), and then make a plan how
to understand the consumers in the new market and how to implement STP. Below is a general guideline
to follow:
󠅅 The paper should be about 10 pages using 11 pt. Time New Roman font, double space with default
margins. Please submit a word document through course space;
󠅅 Start with a brief summary with information such as the company’s background, which country it is
interested in entering, and what are the key issues;
󠅅 Explain why it is important and/or necessary for the company to expand to international markets;
󠅅 Provide a brief analysis to show how the new market’s environmental factors might be different from
its home country, and discuss possible marketing implications;
󠅅 Check Hofstede’s website and other online resources to see are these two countries different from
each other on the five cultural values. Then, explain in detail how such differences might impact the
marketing practices;
󠅅 Design a marketing research project, using both secondary and primary data, to help the company
better understand the new market;
󠅅 Do a STP analysis and clarify possible target markets as well as the corresponding positioning for the
company;
󠅅 Summarize your recommendations.
Schneider Project – Paper (25%): After the field trip to Schneider Electric, you need to identify a
country or a foreign market that Schneider has not yet been present. Then, you need to write a paper
on how Schneider might manage its marketing efforts to be successful on the new market by following
the international marketing process model. Your grade will not only be determined by showing how
much you have learned in the class, but also how well you apply the knowledge into actual marketing
practices. Individual accountability will be taken into consideration. The paper is due by July 26th,
2017.
Schneider Project – Presentation (10%): At July 27th, 2017, a joint group presentation will be held. In
this presentation, you will present your findings in the paper by combining International Marketing and
the other three courses you are taking within the IB module. I will grade you on your overall performances
with a special emphasizes on the International Marketing part.
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B. Gustavson School of
Business has an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All cases of
cheating or plagiarism, and any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the Associate Dean,
Programs. A student who violates academic integrity standards will fail the assignment and potentially
fail the course, with a letter of reprimand placed in the student’s record in the Registrar’s office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and group
projects that have been adopted by our School.
Acts of acadamic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without
referencing the source of these words.
paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of
another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a verbal
presentation) without referencing the source.
copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the purpose of
submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
stealing or mutilating library materials.
accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior
discussions with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection software
program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
The course materials used in this course (electronic and paper) are the intellectual property of the
instructor and students cannot share the materials without the instructor’s consent and cannot sell or
profit from the instructor’s intellectual property.
Students should be aware of the expectations surrounding their professionalism. Please refer to the
Standards of Professional Behavior on the Gustavson website for details.
IB 417
International Finance
Pre-requisites:
 Management Finance
 International Business
Texts:
Multinational Business Finance – 14th Edition, by C. Eiteman, Stonehill and Moffett; Pearson, 2016,
ISBN-13: 978-0-13-387987-2. (Referred to as ESM text)
Note: A digital version of this text is available at a discount.
Course Objectives and Description:
The objective of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental principles and issues related to
the functioning of international financial markets and their implications for corporate decision-making,
in particular for firms operating with multiple countries/currencies. Topics covered include
international monetary systems, foreign exchange markets and currency derivatives, international
parity relations, exchange risk management, interest rate & currency swaps, and financing decisions in
global capital markets.
As a 4th year finance course, concepts covered in previous finance courses will be incorporated.
Students are expected to have a good working knowledge of these concepts, and good quantitative and
analytical skills.
Course Format:
Lectures will be the principal method of instruction.
Evaluation Elements:
Students will be evaluated according to the following schedule:
Course Experience Survey:
The BCom Program and its instructors value your feedback. As with all of our courses, you will have the
Title
(begin with Course Code)
Individual
or Group
Type
(Exam, Hand-in
Assignment,
Presentation,
Quiz, Other)
Due Date
(m/d/yyyy
hh:mm AM/PM)
Weight
/ % of
grade
Description
IB417: Quizzes (2) Individual Quiz Selected classes 10% Each quiz will be of approximately 10 to 20
minutes duration and take place during the
regular class schedule.
IB417: Mid-term exam Individual Exam 17-Oct 30% Closed-book exam in the regular class schedule.
Note: Section A02 will attend the class
time/location of Section A01 for the mid-term
exam on this day in place of their regular
time/location
IB417: Research project Group Presentation and
discussion.
23-Nov
28-Nov
20% Each group selects a research topic related to
current international financial issues and prepares
a class presentation.
IB417: Final exam Individual Exam TBC 40% Closed-book exam covering all course topics
(cumulative)
Total 100%
opportunity to complete a confidential course experience survey (CES) about your learning experience
in this class. The survey is vital to providing feedback to me regarding the course and my teaching, as
well as to help the Program make improvements.
Time will be set aside in one of the last sessions in the course for you to complete the online survey in
class; you will need to use your UVic NetLink ID to access the survey, which can be done on your
laptop, tablet or mobile device. I will remind you in advance of that class to bring your device to
complete the survey. As well, toward the end of the course, you will also receive an email inviting you
to complete all of your course surveys. If you do not receive an email invitation, you can go directly to
http://ces.uvic.ca to complete the survey if you don’t do so in the time provided in class.
Requirements for Graded Work:
Quizzes: Each quiz will take place at the beginning of a selected class and be approximately 10-20
minutes long.
Exams: Both the mid-term and final exam are closed book and consist of short problems and multiple
choice questions as well as essay questions. There will be no make-up exam for the mid-term exam. If
you miss this exam for a legitimate reason, the corresponding percentage will be transferred to the
final exam.
Research project: For the research project you will be asked to work in groups on selected research
topics. Each group will conduct research on their topic and prepare a 15 minute class presentation that
will take place in-class. Detailed description and guidelines will be posted separately on CourseSpaces.
Group Work: The purpose of group work is to enhance your skill in working collaboratively. When a groupbased
assignment forms part of your evaluation for a grade, all members of the group will receive the
same grade. Any exception to this policy, such as adjustments for relative contribution, will be specified
in writing prior to the grading of the assignment.
Attendance: The University of Victoria Calendar states: “Students are expected to attend all classes in
which they are enrolled.” Attending class is an important part of the learning process in this course.
Attendance exposes you to material not in the readings, to your classmates' insights and helps clarify
material that can lead to better performance in the course. Students with unexcused absences from 3
class sessions will have their grade reduced by 5%, in addition students with unexcused absences from
more than 5 class sessions may not be permitted to write the final examination.
Academic Integrity:
As our programs help to create business and government leaders, the Peter B. Gustavson School of
Business has an obligation to ensure academic integrity is of the highest standards. All cases of
cheating or plagiarism, and any variations thereof, will be immediately referred to the Associate Dean,
Programs. A student who violates academic integrity standards will fail the assignment and potentially
fail the course, with a letter of reprimand placed in the student’s record in the Registrar’s office.
Students are expected to carefully review the following points discussing academic integrity and group
projects that have been adopted by our School.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:
using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without
referencing the source of these words.
paraphrasing a published or unpublished author without referencing the source.
duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source.
paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other ideas of
another person, whether written or verbal (e.g. personal communication, ideas from a verbal
presentation) without referencing the source.
copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment.
taking any unauthorized materials (crib notes) into an examination or term test.
impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the purpose of
submitting academic work or writing any test or examination.
stealing or mutilating library materials.
accessing a test prior to the time and date of the sitting.
changing the name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned.
submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without prior
discussions with the instructor(s) involved.
Students should be aware that all instructors reserve the right to use any plagiarism detection software
program(s) to detect plagiarism for essays, term papers and other assignments.
The course materials used in this course (electronic and paper) are the intellectual property of the
instructor and students cannot share the materials without the instructor’s consent and cannot sell or
profit from the instructor’s intellectual property.
Students should be aware of the expectations surrounding their professionalism. Please refer to the
Standards of Professional Behavior on the Gustavson website for details.