| Course | BUSI 503 Leadership Theory (BUSI503) |
|---|---|
| Credit hours | 3 |
| Program | MBA |
| Length | 8 Module/Weeks, online |
| Weeks with written work | 8 of 8 |
| Samples on this site | 8 week sample papers |
| Sources | Liberty's 2026-2027 catalog and the published BUSI 503 course guide |
| Updated | October 2026 |
What BUSI 503 covers
Northouse's Leadership: Theory and Practice is read two or three chapters at a time, each with its own self-assessment questionnaire, and Kouzes and Posner's The Leadership Challenge frames the course's practical side with its Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, alongside weekly Bible readings and two open-book quizzes.
Groups collaborate in their own forum to write a 2,500-word case study on an assigned leadership topic with at least 10 sources beyond the textbooks and the Bible, then every student responds to the other groups' papers in four Case Study Response Forums. The Leadership Profiles turn Northouse's questionnaires into strengths, weaknesses and an action plan of at least 300 words.
This course broadly surveys the body of leadership literature with heavy emphasis on the major practical theories. All leadership theories are evaluated in the light of biblical reasoning.
BUSI 503 week by week, with the sample for each
| Week | Written work in the course guide | Points | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Discussion Board Forum 1 (Course Requirements Checklist, Class Introductions and Leadership Profile 1 also due) | 50 | Read the Week 1 sample |
| Week 2 | Leadership Journal 1 (Group Case Study Collaboration Forum also due) | 40 | Read the Week 2 sample |
| Week 3 | Group Case Study Paper (Leadership Profile 2 also due) | 160 | Read the Week 3 sample |
| Week 4 | Leadership Profile 3 (Case Study Response Forum 1 also due) | 40 | Read the Week 4 sample |
| Week 5 | Leadership Profile 4 (Case Study Response Forum 2 also due) | 40 | Read the Week 5 sample |
| Week 6 | Case Study Response Forum 3 (Quiz 1 also due) | 50 | Read the Week 6 sample |
| Week 7 | Research Paper: Leaders from the Bible (Case Study Response Forum 4 also due) | 180 | Read the Week 7 sample |
| Week 8 | Discussion Board Forum 2 (Leadership Journal 2 and Quiz 2 also due) | 50 | Read the Week 8 sample |
Where BUSI 503 papers lose points
BUSI 503 work loses points when a thread or response carries fewer than its two citations, when a leadership profile reports scores without an action plan, when the case study describes a leader without applying a specific theory, and when the research paper on a biblical leader retells the story instead of testing theories against it.
Using a BUSI 503 sample well
The samples draw on research about personality and leadership, the heritability and development of leadership, leadership training, transformational leadership in organizations, authentic and ethical leadership, leader-member exchange, followership, team effectiveness and self-efficacy, with Northouse, Kouzes and Posner, and Scripture.
BUSI 503 questions, answered
What is the BUSI 503 Group Case Study Paper?
A 2,500-word research-based case study written with an assigned group on a leadership topic, with at least 10 sources beyond the textbooks and the Bible, posted for the class to respond to.
What are the BUSI 503 Leadership Profiles?
Four papers of at least 300 words in which students complete the assigned leadership questionnaires, reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and write an action plan.
What textbooks does BUSI 503 use?
Northouse's Leadership: Theory and Practice for the theories and questionnaires, and Kouzes and Posner's The Leadership Challenge for the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership.
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