Assignment:
Examines operational theories of management under the functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Emphasizes the manager's role in creating and maintaining an internal environment for performance. Students discuss cases in detail.
Students will individually write and submit a research paper featuring an analysis of a corporation and a major issue facing that firm.
Paper should demonstrate that the student understands how business trends affect an organization's capability for achieving a competitive advantage in the 21st century business environment. The project will incorporate general management concepts and theory introduced and learned by students throughout the course and should demonstrate the student's ability to both comprehend these concepts and apply knowledge learned in a systematic way. Parameters and guidelines for the assessment are as follows:
STEP ONE: Company selection and analysis
• The student should select a company for analysis and write up a profile of the company selected. The profile should include: MY selection is on Facebook
• Presentation and discussion of firm Mission/Vision
• Presentation and discussion of the firm's current strategic plans and/or direction
• Presentation and discussion of the firm's culture
• A brief discussion of the firm's structure and organization
• The above subject areas could be presented in a "strengths/weaknesses" format as part of an overall SWOT-style analysis
• Approximately 5-7 pages, double-spaced, typed
STEP TWO: Article selection and analysis
• Write a report on an article that was written within the past year that deals with a topic directly affecting the competitiveness of the student's chosen firm. The article chosen should have something important to say about an element of organizational effectiveness - it can profile a dramatic social trend, give an industry prediction, address a strategic competency like leadership or HR, highlight a current environmental issue (for instance, the social responsibility component of sustainability), or comment on financial or market failures, etc.
• Students should give a brief summary of the article, identifying the issue that attracted them to the article, explain why this issue is important, and what they learned from the article.
• Students should discuss how the subject of the article will affect their firm from a competitive perspective, highlighting any relevant changes necessary to the management structure, culture, or strategic direction of the firm.
• Approximately 5-7 pages, double-spaced, typed
Required parameters:.
• 10 - 14 total pages, double spaced, typed
• All citations and references must be in MLA format