Midterm and Final Exams

THERE ARE TWO EXAMS IN THIS COURSE: MIDTERM EXAM (40% OF GRADE) FINAL EXAM (60% OF GRADE) Below is some information that you should keep in mind regarding each of these exams (see course Schedule for dates)

Mid Term Exam

To be held in Session SIX, during class time worth 40% of your grade Length: 2.5 hours. It is an open book exam : ie. class notes and both texts should be brought to the exam. A dictionary can also be used. No electronic aids can be used. It is a "thinking exam". That is, it require a sound understanding of the material contained in Sessions 1 to 4 inclusive.

The exam is divided into two parts: Part 1: A case study/newspaper article with 3 questions (worth a total of 60 marks) Part 2: A short essay-type question (worth 20 marks) Exam is marked out of 80 and is converted into a percent out of 100.

FINAL EXAM
To be held during final exam week date to be announced. Length: 3 hours Closed book exam: ie., notes, books, dictionaries etc are NOT permitted.

The exam is divided into two parts: Part 1: A case study with questions (total 60 marks) Part 2: 2 short essay-type questions (total 40 marks) This final exam will NOT be cumulative only material AFTER midterm will be included.

EXAM ADVICE
PREPARING FOR THE EXAMS Keep up with the material. Do not try to "cram" for the exams! Don't be "misled" by the notion of an "open book exam" for the midterm. You must be sufficiently familiar with the material to be able to read and respond to the questions in the allotted time. This course requires consistent work ie. Keep up with the readings and grapple with the cases well in advance of the exam date. The same advice holds true for the final exam which also requires a higher degree of challenge given that it is a closed book exam. You simply cannot cram for this. Summarize the readings and create your own notes. The powerpoint slides are just a guide to the topics we'll examine. You should be writing complete notes which may also involve summarizing the key ideas from the readings for each session. Practice applying concepts rather than simply memorizing them! The exams attempt to assess your understanding of the course concepts - a central measure of "understanding" is an individual's ability to apply the learned concepts to different situations. Through tackling the assigned cases, through class participation, through reading the popular press, you will be given ample opportunity to practice a critical exam writing skill: the APPLICATION of course concepts to examine the context of business. DURING THE EXAM Think before you write! Structure your response so that you are answering the required elements of the question! Use headings and subheadings if it helps you organize a clear response. A 20 mark question would likely be answered within 1-2 single spaced pages. (2-4 double spaced pages). Make sure you make clear reference to the course concepts! These exams are intended to assess your ability to apply course concepts/frameworks and theories to examine real business situations. The questions ask for your application of concepts they do not ask for opinions or speculations. Budget your Time! Note the assigned grade/weight of each question. You must use your time accordingly. There is no point spending too much time on one question if it prevents you from allocating sufficient time to another question. Be Prepared to Offer Course examples/illustrations. If a question asks you to refer to an illustration/example from the course (lecture, readings or session

discussions) then make sure you do so. The readings have many illustrations/examples of the different concepts and you should keep at least some of those in mind.

ANSWERING EXAM QUESTIONS (THIS ALSO APPLIES TO BOTH MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAMS)
There is no formal "structure" required to answering these questions (ie. You do not need to include an introduction and conclusion). However, you should offer a clear and well-organized response to each question and that may include the use of headings and sub-headings to clearly identify the different sections of your response. The "style" of your response is not being graded but certainly you need to clearly communicate your response. Be systematic and clear in your application of the concepts. Your job is simply to answer the requirements of the question to the best of your ability.