APPLIED

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES
GEB 4513, Section 01, Tuesday & Thursday
Spring 2016
COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor: Christopher Leo
E-Mail: christopher.leo@ucf.edu
Office: UCF Main CBA, room #312
Office Hours: Immediately after class or by appt.
Class Meeting Times: 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM
Class Location: BA1, Room 238
Textbook None
Canvas Portal: https://webcourses.ucf.edu/

I. Course Overview
“At this point in history, technology and business are inexorably linked, and those not trained to
evaluate and make decisions in this ever-shifting space risk irrelevance, marginalization, and
failure.” - John Gallaugher

The Applied Business Technology course will primarily focus on a firm’s ability to recognize,
evaluate and integrate business technologies in order to help small firms create value, solve
contemporary issues, and gain competitive advantage in what has become a tech-driven business
environment.

II. Course Objectives

This course aims to:
 define the importance and competitive role that business technology plays in small to
medium sized firms.
 explain how business technology can be applied and leveraged in all functional
departments – marketing, accounting, management, and finance.

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  distinguish between what is meant by eCommerce and eBusiness.
 demonstrate the decision making framework when evaluating and adopting business
technology solutions.
 prescribe the appropriate social networking platform for a firm’s business given the
industry in which they operate.
 analyze the relationship between business technology and contemporary ethical issues.
 evaluate and prescribe the appropriate business efficiency technology for small to
medium sized firms.
 decide when it makes sense to outsource business technology solutions for small to
medium sized firms.
 select the appropriate marketing technology solution given the needs of a small to
medium sized firm.
 analyze, evaluate, and implement a business technology solution for a small to medium
sized firm.
 effectively utilize technology to solve contemporary business problems

III. Course & Lecture Format

This course will follow a flipped classroom approach. Students will be expected to spend approx.
3 hours of study time via Canvas every week in order to prepare for the face to face portion of the
course. Approximately 98% of the course material will be delivered via Canvas. Since this course
requires no traditional textbook, all course material will be free! The course content will include
various items such as: .pdf files, podcasts, website articles, Ted talks, YouTube videos, business
periodicals, eBooks and other relevant content. The course structure is simple – in order to be
successful, every student must come to class fully prepared. That means completing all course
work for that week via Canvas. There will be LITTLE to NO lecturing during our weekly face to
face meetings – instead, each student will be expected to apply the content from the module for
that week through team based case studies and present their team’s findings to the class.

IV. Class Assignments

Class assignments for this course will include (but are not limited too) presentations, online
discussion posts, written analysis, and various software/tool usage. Some of your assignments
will be completed in class but most will require outside of class preparation and planning. Every
student will be required to present at least twice in order to have the chance to receive maximum
credit. Please allocate a designated team meeting time and place OUTSIDE of our regularly
scheduled classes in order to meet (and exceed) the expectations of the course.

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V. Online Quizzes:
All students will take 9 individual online quizzes during the semester via Canvas each week.
You will be given one week to complete your quiz. However, you must complete the quiz
BEFORE attending that week’s session so please plan accordingly. The quizzes are worth 20
points each. Check the opening/closing times in Canvas for your scheduled course. You will
have 10 minutes to complete each quiz and will only be allowed to take it only once. You must
complete the quiz during the specified quiz time period in order to receive full credit. No
exceptions will be made and there are no makeups for missed quizzes. Quiz content will
cover all material presented in Canvas including posted videos, and other content. You are
allowed to use your notes but are expected to take your quiz individually. I have the right to
revoke online quizzes and turn them into in-class quizzes (closed book) if it becomes
evident that the majority of students are not prepared for our flipped classroom.

VI. Grading
Your final course grade will consist of a combination of exams, online quizzes, assignments, and
reports/presentations.

Item Point Value

IB Research Quiz 10 points
Online Quizzes (9) 180 points
Class Assignments 110 points
Client Report 100 points
Client Presentation 100 points
Total 500 points

Final grades will be based on the following distribution:

A = 465-500 C = 365-389
A- = 450-464 C- = 350-364
B+ = 440-449 D+ = 340-349
B = 415-439 D = 315-339
B- = 400-414 D- = 300-314
C+ = 390-399 F = less than 300

Graded assignments, quizzes, and cases will be available through the Canvas portal...

VII. Course Policies: Student Expectations

Smart Phones, Laptops, Tablets, 3d Printers, Desk Tops, Fax Machines???

Yes!! This is a technology course so you are encouraged to bring your electronic devices
to class.

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Attendance & Participation Policy

The Flipped classroom learning process requires your physical (and mental) attendance and
participation. This includes your active and informed participation in all activities,
exercises and class discussions. Your ability to effectively participate in lab activities is
based on your preparation for class. Please ensure that you read/complete all assigned
material prior to each of our face to face sessions.

Attendance is taken in this class from the first day the class meets. In the business world
you are expected to go to work every day. This class is no different. Students are expected
to arrive on time for each scheduled class meeting during the semester and to remain for
the full class period. Attendance may be taken once or more at any time during each class
meeting; failure to be present for any roll call will result in the student being marked as
absent for the class. A student who signs in for a class when not physically present or
assists another student in signing in for a class at which they are not present has violated
class and University policies and is subject to the penalties described in the student conduct
portion of the class syllabus. Students are responsible for signing in the class before they
leave and for tracking their own attendance.

The table below provides the grade penalties (reduction in course grade) for excessive
unexcused absences:

# of Unexcused Absences # of Unexcused Absences

(Weekly Class Schedule) (Biweekly Class Schedule)
Penalty
0-1 0-2 No penalty
2 3-4 5%
3 5-6 10%
4 7-8 15%
5 9-10 20%
6 11-12 25%
7 13-14 30%
8 15-16 35%
Failed
9 or more 17 or more
course

Policy on Excused Absence

According to the UCF catalog, some absences may be excused. Reasons for excused
absence include the following:

..illness, serious family emergencies, special curricular requirements (e.g., judging trips,
field trips, professional conferences), military obligations, severe weather conditions, and
religious holidays.

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A student who desires to observe a religious holy day of his or her religious faith must
notify all of his/her instructors at the beginning of the term to be excused from classes to
observe the religious holy day. The student will be held responsible for any material
covered during the excused absence, but will be permitted a reasonable amount of time to
complete any work missed.

Students also should be excused for participation in official University-sponsored activities,

such as music performances, athletic competition, or debate. Students chosen for such
events, including intercollegiate athletics, band, choir, and academically related programs,
shall be listed on a “Program Verification” form. Program Directors shall provide each
student with a copy of this form. It is the student’s responsibility to present a copy of this
form to the faculty member(s) responsible for the class from which the student will be
absent. This verification is to be provided prior to the class period whenever possible and
no later than the first class following the event. A copy of the form listing students selected
to represent the University and signed by the Program Director shall be filed with the
Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (FC 155). If further verification is needed,
contact the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (FC 142; 407-823-6960) or, for
athletic events only, Academic Services for Student-Athletes, Wayne Densch Sports
Center, 103A; 407-823-5896.

Absences from classes for court-imposed legal obligations (e.g., jury duty and subpoenas)
must be excused. The student may offer other sound reasons. When absences threaten a
student’s satisfactory completion of a course, the instructor may report the absence to the
appropriate Dean of the student’s college/school and may choose to call upon the
college/school office to request additional information and insight into the significance of
or reason for the absences”.

If you miss a class or anticipate to miss a class on account of a valid excuse, please follow
the following procedure to have the absence removed from your record:

 Inform the instructor by e-mail as soon as you become aware of the absence. If this
is an event that you are aware of at the beginning of the semester, inform the
instructor within the first two weeks of class. Verbal communication will not be
considered official. In your e-mail, make sure to clearly provide the following:
o Your name
o The course and section number
o An explicit request for excused absence showing the exact date of the
missed class(es)
o A clear plan for how you intend to make up for the missed class meeting(s)
and any related assignments.
o Provide relevant verification document(s) in the form of email attachment of
scanned documents. Such documents are ideally included in the initial e-
mail where you request an excused absence, but may also be provided
separately in a follow-up e-mail no later than the first class following the
event

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 o The instructor will review your request and submitted documents.

 When an absence is excused, the student will required to submit a one page
summary of the topic discussed in the meeting they missed. This summary
should be based on the material provided on Webcourses and should be
submitted as an attachment to an e-mail no later than the first class following
the missed class.
 When an absence is not excused, the student will receive a grade of 0 for any
in-class work that is missed, and the absence penalty will be applied to the
student's grade.

Please note that absence from class does not excuse the student from meeting out-of-class
assignment, quiz and test due dates.

UCF Writing Center

The University Writing Center (UWC) offers writing support to UCF students from first-
year to graduate in every discipline. Trained peer consultants provide help at every stage of
the writing process, including understanding assignments, researching, drafting, revising,
incorporating sources, and learning to proofread and edit. The UWC’s purpose is not
merely to fix papers or to make better writers, but to teach writers strategies to navigate
complex situations for writing, both in and outside the University. Consultations are
available for individuals and small groups. To make the best use of the UWC, visit far
enough before your due date to allow yourself time to revise after your consultation,
browse the writing resources on our website, and arrange a regular weekly appointment if
you’d like long-term help. You may schedule a 45-minute appointment by phone or by
using the TutorTrac scheduler on our website; walk-in consultations are also available. In
addition, the UWC seeks graduate and undergraduate tutors from all majors; contact the
UWC to learn more about peer writing consulting and ENC 4275/5276: Theory & Practice
of Tutoring Writing, our three-credit tutor-education course.

University Writing Center

Colbourn 105
Satellite Locations: Main Library, Rosen Library & Online
407-823-2197 http://uwc.cah.ucf.edu/

Information to Include in Communications to Instructor

Never write your social security number on any assignment or email message. To help me
identify you, always include the following information on every assignment and email
message: your name, your lab section, the assignment title, and the date the assignment is
turned in.
Students are expected to check their respective class Canvas site regularly.
Announcements and updates will be communicated to the class through this site. It is the
student’s responsibility to keep current with class activities.

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Late Work Policy
Assignments turned in after the due date will not be accepted. My secondary goal, as your
Instructor, is to prepare you for a highly competitive and unforgiving business world. As
such, any late assignments will not be accepted resulting in a score of “0” for that student’s
assignment. Part of your long term business success will require that you to be
accountable, prepared, organized and ahead of scheduled due dates.

The Golden Rule

Academic dishonesty in any form will be dealt with in strict accordance with UCF
Academic Behavior Standards in The Golden Rule: A Handbook for Students and the UCF
Undergraduate Catalog. Please review the Golden Rule to learn your rights, obligations,
and responsibilities. The Golden Rule is available at http://www.goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/

Cheating, Plagiarism, and Academic Dishonesty

I have a strict “Zero Tolerance” policy towards cheating, plagiarism, and academic
dishonesty as they relate to all aspects of the course, its assignments, exams, and all other
activities. Any student caught violating any policy in the Golden Rule Handbook will
receive an “F” for the semester and will be immediately dismissed from class. The student
will also be referred to Student Judicial Affairs for further potential sanctions.

Incompletes
Incompletes are awarded only under extenuating circumstances, such as hospitalization,
and are conditioned on the student completing a significant portion of the class
requirements (as determined by the instructor). Documentation will be required.

Canvas Portal
All relevant course materials including reading assignments, assignment instructions,
syllabus, grades, announcements, etc. will be posted to the class Canvas. You are required
to check the Canvas portal on a regular basis for any updates / changes to schedules. If you
experience problems with the Canvas site, contact the UCF “techrangers” at
techrangers@mail.ucf.edu or by phone at 407-823-0407.

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 This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. It is the student’s
responsibility to become aware of any announced changes and to note any changes in
the syllabus or course calendar.
Section 01 (Tuesday & Thursday 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM) Weekly Schedule
Quizzes / Exams /
Week Date Course Topic Assignments

Course Structure Overview Introductions

 Canvas Orientation Complete IB
1 Jan 12  Don’t “Flip” Out – We’re Flipping the Research Quiz
Jan 14 Classroom! In-Class Presentation
 Review Syllabus “Why IB”
 Review Sample Episode

No Quiz
2 Jan 19 The Pilot Episode: Exercises Due:
Jan 21 NETiquette, Communications & Presentations (1) Business Email
(2) Team Prezi

Episode 1: Episode 1 Quiz

3 Jan 26 Defining Business Technology Exercises Due:
Jan 28 (1) Discussion Post
*Pass out Industry selections @ end of class (2) Team Prezi
(3) Team Contract

Episode 2 (Ex) Quiz

4 Feb 2 Episode 2 (PART 1) Class Activity:
Feb 4 Researching Technology - An External View Create & present
SGM (in-class)

Episode 2 (In) Quiz

5 Feb 9 Episode 2 (PART 2) Class Activity:
Feb 11 Researching Technology - An Internal View Present SimplyMap

Episode 3 Quiz
6 Feb 16 Episode 3 Class Activity:
Feb 18 Mobile Technologies Team Prezi

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7 Feb 23 Episode 4 Episode 4 Quiz
Feb 25 Social Networking for Small Business Class Activity:
SMB Deadline

8 Mar 1 Episode 5 Episode 5 Quiz

Mar 3 eCommerce vs eBusiness Class Activity:
Team Prezi

9 Mar 8 SPRING BREAK

Mar 10 Don’t drink
and TEXT!

10 Mar 15 Episode 6 Episode 6 Quiz

Mar 17 Business Technology & Ethics Class Activity:
Ethics in Biz

11 Mar 22 Episode 7 Episode 7 Quiz

Mar 24 Security for SMBs Class Activity:
Team Prezi

12 Mar 29 Episode 8 Episode 8 Quiz

Mar 31 Outsourcing Business Technologies Class Activity:
Q&A for Project

13 Apr 5 Episode 9 Episode 9 Quiz

Apr 7 TBA Class Activity:
Team Time

14 Apr 12 Episode 10 No Quiz

Apr 14 Emerging and Future Technologies Class Activity:
Team Time

Client Reports Due

15 Apr 19 Presentations
Apr 21 Team Presentations Begin

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 16 Apr 26 Team Presentations Presentations
Apr 28

17 May 3 Team Presentations End Presentations

May 5

Please note that the schedule is subject to change. It’s your responsibility to verify dates and assignments
each week – thank you!

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