Business Management (BMC 205): Generative AI Policy
Purpose
You may use generative AI tools in this course to support learning. Use them to think, not to replace thinking. What you submit must be your own work and judgment. This mirrors the BMC 205 outline, which permits AI use when it follows assignment instructions, requires citation of AI use, and places responsibility on you to verify accuracy.
What you may do
- Brainstorm and plan
Use AI to gather ideas, outlines, checklists, and questions. Then revise into your own words and add course concepts. This fits the outline’s allowance to use AI under instructor guidance. - Summarize sources you already selected
Ask AI for short summaries to support reading. You are still responsible for checking accuracy against the original. The outline makes you responsible for fact-checking statements created by AI tools. - Language support
Use AI to check grammar, clarity, and tone. - Research support
Use AI to improve search terms, compile initial reading lists, and draft interview questions, followed by your own verification and synthesis. Cite AI use when it shapes your submission.
What you may not do
- Copy or lightly paraphrase AI for any submission
Discussion posts and assignments must be in your own words and based on your own thinking. This is consistent with the UCalgary notice language adapted here. - Upload a classmate’s work to AI tools without consent
Do not put other people’s work into AI systems unless they have given explicit permission. The outline forbids this. - Skip citation or fact-checking
The outline requires citation of AI use and makes you responsible for accuracy and bias awareness. - Use AI to generate images or graphics unless an assignment explicitly allows it
If a task allows AI images, you must say so in your AI Use Note. A related UCalgary course policy models this restriction for visuals.
Misuse or undocumented use may be handled under the Student Academic Misconduct Policy.
Privacy and data care
- Be mindful of privacy, security, and bias in AI systems.
- I will not upload your work to AI tools without your explicit consent.
Documentation required when you use AI
Add a short AI Use Note at the end of any submission that is meaningfully shaped by AI.
AI Use Note template
- Tool and version, for example: ChatGPT, Copilot
- Purpose, for example: idea generation for the SWOT section, grammar check
- Most important prompt, one line
- How you changed the output, for example: I rewrote the outline, added BMC 205 concepts, verified facts
Guidance by activity type
➔ Online discussions
- OK: grammar checks, outline prompts, question ideas.
- Not OK: posting AI-written sentences or paragraphs. Discussions must be in your own voice.
➔ Team or project work
- OK: brainstorming norms, roles, checklists, structure.
- Not OK: submitting AI-written analysis, or uploading team materials to AI without consent.
➔ Peer or self-evaluations
- Write these yourself.
If you are unsure, ask early. The outline says it is your responsibility to understand limits for each assessment, cite AI use, and check accuracy.
How to cite AI output when it matters
Cite AI if you quote it, closely paraphrase it, or if a specific AI statement materially supports your work. University materials advise treating AI output as the product of an algorithm and citing the maker of the tool.
APA7
Option A: Crediting the tool as software
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Use this when the tool helped you think or draft, and you are not quoting exact AI text.
- In-text
When prompted with “Explain break-even analysis for a new food truck,” the response defines fixed and variable costs and shows how to compute the break-even quantity (OpenAI, 2025). - Reference list
OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/
Option B: Quoting or closely paraphrasing AI text that readers cannot retrieve
Treat it as personal communication. In-text only. No reference entry.
- In-text
“Break-even quantity equals fixed costs divided by contribution margin per unit” (ChatGPT, personal communication, September 9, 2025).
Option C: You have a stable public link to the exact AI output
Create a reference entry for that item.
- In-text
(OpenAI, 2025) - Reference list
OpenAI. (2025, September 9). ChatGPT response to “Explain break-even analysis for a new food truck” [Large language model output]. https://example.com/direct-link
Chicago Notes and Bibliography
- Footnote
1. ChatGPT, response to “Explain break-even analysis for a new food truck,” OpenAI, September 9, 2025. - Bibliography
Usually omit. If there is a public link to the exact exchange, include:
OpenAI. ChatGPT. Large language model. Accessed September 9, 2025. https://chat.openai.com/.
Resources for students
- APA Style: How to cite ChatGPT
https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt - Background for publishing: APA Journals policy on generative AI
https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/resources/publishing-tips/policy-generative-ai - Chicago Manual of Style: FAQ on citing AI https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Documentation/faq0422.html
- Context only, not a rule source: Kris Hans, “Bringing AI into Business Communication: A First at MRU” (Medium, February 27, 2025). https://medium.com/businesscommunication/bringing-ai-into-business-communication-a-first-at-mru-74fea5bfebb7
Note: This post describes a different course. The BMC 205 policy and course outline are authoritative.
How authorship may be verified
You may be asked to discuss your process, show drafts, or explain your sources. This confirms authorship without relying on any single tool or detector. Academic misconduct processes may apply if there are concerns.
A Note on Reuse
This AI policy is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. That means you’re free to reuse, adapt, and remix it — whether you’re an educator, student, or institution — so long as you give proper credit to me, Kris Hans. AI in education is evolving fast, and we all benefit from sharing what works (and what doesn’t).
If you do use this policy, I’d love to hear how it’s working for you. Feel free to reach out!
