OPERATIONAL ASSURANCE SERVICES
ACCOUNTING 623
SUMMER 2012
Welcome to Operational Assurance Services. I hope that you learn much from this course.
My name is Dr. Doug Ziegenfuss and I am both the author and facilitator of this course. My office phone is 757-683-3514, and e-mail dziegenf@odu.edu (e-mail is the best way of contacting me). If you leave a phone message please state your name and then the phone number you wish me to contact you and then the message. For e-mail message, put Acct 623 in the subject line of all e-mail messages for this class. Thank you in advance for following these rules.
You are expected to be proficient at sending and receiving e-mail transmissions as well as accessing and searching the internet. If you are unable to perform these activities, then your success in this course will be severely restricted.
In addition, you must have an Old Dominion University student e-mail account. I am required to use this in communicating with you. Also, it allows you to access course materials on blackboard.
This web page will serve as the course syllabus. Additional discussion of course information will take place during the first class period at 6:00 P.M. on Thursday, June 28, 2012 at the Virginia Beach Graduate Center. Subsequent classes will start at 6:00 P.M. to allow students to reach class.
HONOR AND BEHAVIOR CODES:
"We, the students of Old Dominion University, aspire to be honest and forthright in our academic endeavors. Therefore, we will practice honesty and integrity and be guided by the tenets of the Monarch Creed. We will meet the challenge to be beyond reproach in our actions and our words. We will conduct ourselves in a manner that commands the dignity and respect that we also give to others."
Section IV Student Disciplinary Policies and Procedures
Student behavior will conform to "Student Disciplinary Policies and Procedures" published in the latest edition of the Old Dominion University Catalog. Enrollment in this course constitutes acceptance of those policies and procedures.
DON'T ALLOW CELLPHONES AND PAGERS TO GET YOU IN TROUBLE! A cell phone going off in class is rude and disrupts the entire class! Repeated violations will result in a conduct code action. Please be considerate of your classmates. In addition, a cell phone going off during class is a conduct code violation and answering it is a honor code violation! Leave the cell phones in your car during the exams. Finally, if you need to have an emergency and must have your cell phone or pager turned on, then please notify me and we can arrive at an accomodation.
About Plagiarism
The College of Business and Public Administration
Old Dominion University
What is it?
The Old Dominion University (ODU) Catalogue (2004-2006, p. 14, F) defines plagiarism as follows:
A student will have committed plagiarism if he or she reproduces someone else's work without acknowledging its source; or if a source is cited which the student has not cited or used. Examples of plagiarism include: submitting a research paper obtained from a commercial research service, the Internet, or from another student as if it were original work; making simple changes to borrowed materials while leaving the organization, content, or phraseology intact; or copying material from a source, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks. Plagiarism also occurs in a group project if one or more of the members of the group does none of the group's work and participates in none of the group's activities, but attempts to take credit for the work of the group.
Hints for Avoiding Plagiarism:
- More than three words is plagiarism. This is a good yardstick to use when wondering whether or not quotes are appropriate. They are, if you are copying more than three words in sequence.
- One source is not "common knowledge." Common knowledge does not require citation. But something is not common knowledge if you have found just one source for the information.
- When in doubt, cite! If you have any doubt about whether or not to cite a source, err on the side of making the attribution.
- If your co-author sounds surprisingly eloquent, make sure the contribution is their own. We often work in groups and co-author papers and projects. You should ask the question of your co-author if you doubt the work is their own. In group work, you are responsible for the project/paper in its entirety.
- Look away. When you are writing, do not have open books or papers in front of you as you type. Read your sources, and then put what you have read into your own words.
- Writing is hard work. Paraphrasing is relatively easy, writing is hard. Learning to be a good writer is part of what your college education is about. Staring at an empty screen in MS Word does become less daunting over time!
- Just because it's on the Internet, doesn't mean it's yours. The Internet is a fantastic resource and search engines are terrific research tools. But what you find on the Internet was written by someone. You must cite Internet web sites, and if you use a quote, use appropriate quotation procedures.
- Paraphrasing is more than changing a verb tense or reordering a list. There is a difference between citing a source for a fact and creating a bad quote.
- Use a Style Guide. Purchase a style guide and refer to it. Your teacher may suggest one or look for one at Amazon. Popular and timeless guides are by the American Psychological Association, Strunk and White, and Kate Turabian.
The High Cost of Plagiarism
In your professional career, you will find that reputation is everything. Plagiarism can ruin your reputation and cost you your professional career, along with the respect of your peers and family. Plagiarism at Old Dominion University is an act of academic dishonesty that has serious consequences. Note that plagiarism is specifically covered in the ODU Honor Pledge. Refer to the Student Handbook and Student Affairs for details about sanctions and penalties for this behavior.
Office Hours
Acct 623 Office Hours 5:00 to 6:00 in the Graduate Center Atrium and immediately following class.
I also maintain office hours as a Department Chair on Monday's, Wednesday's, and Friday's from 8:00 - 3:00, Tuesday's and Thursdays from 10:00 - 3:00.
