UMUC BMGT 364 Entire Course-Latest November
2015
(All Week Discussions And All Assignmentts)
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Question
Theme
1
Who is the 21stCentury Manager? What are the characteristics of a
good 21stcentury manager? What is the role of the manager in
the 21stcentury organization? A manager is a person who is
able to achieve organizational goals/purpose by working with and through people
along with other organizational resources. The 21stcentury manager
is a person who organizes, executes, and plans the process and production of an
organization. The role of the manager traditionally has been the person who has
set short term goals for the organization to execute and perform tasks that
include the process, procedure, and production of the organization’s purpose or
vision. The modern role of the manager has developed to include the role of
facilitator in the way the manager accomplishes these tasks.
LA1
After
reading your material for this week, think of a manager that you have worked
with or currently work with who you would define as a good manager. If you have
none use the internet to find one. Supported by at least three of our class
resources define why this person is a good manager. Be sure to include in your
post the definition of a manager. What characteristics make the person you
selected “good”? CAREFUL: MAKE SURE YOU ARE DESCRIBING A MANAGER NOT A LEADE
week
2
Theme
1
What
is meant by the study of organizational theory, what are the classifications of
organizational theory and their precepts and what can we learn from its
history?
LA1
Part
One
Create
a time line of Organizational Theories (schools) showing the precepts of each
theory/school. Then in a summary paragraph compare the various theories on the
time line identifying the trends of perspective that are illustrated by the
time line.
Part
Two
Businesses to continue to succeed
must always maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. The key to
doing this has changed over the last century as is illustrated in our
discussion in week one of the 21st century
business challenges. Using your time line explain how the change in obtaining a
competitive edge is reflected in the change of organizational theory over the
last century?
THEME
TWO: The change of value regarding human resource to the organization coupled
with technology is shifting the design of organizations towards “boundaryless”
and flat organizational structures.
LA2
Search
the Internet and find an example of a boundaryless or flat organization explain
how it is human resource centric.
week
3
THEME ONE: The 21st century manager is a person who can implement
the leader’s vision by creating processes, procedure, and short term goals that
forward, the vision, purpose, culture, and structure set by the leader for the
organization. The manager does this through the implementation of the four
functions of a manager, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The
four pillars of management function.
LA1
Select
an organization that you work for, or have worked for, and identify the vision,
mission, organizational structure (including the decision making flow) and the
culture of the organization. Where possible use your course material to
identify the structural (bureaucratic, flat, horizontal, democratic etc.) or
cultural type (clan, collaborative, market, adhocracy etc.). Include in your
discussion a definition of the word organization.
THEME TWO: Some organizational
theorists suggest that the four pillars do not go far enough to explain how the
manager should approach the new 21st century
business landscape and that a systems thinking approach is more comprehensive.
Students should compare and contrast with respect to POLC.
LA2
Compare
and contrast the Fayol’s POLC functions of management with the systems thinking
approach and determine which is more comprehensive and explain why. Be sure to
explain each of the precepts and how they work.
week
4
Theme
1
The
manager creates a detailed action plan formulated from the long term goals,
vision and mission, set by the leader. This plan is created through planning
and strategizing. To understand the concept of vision and mission and its role
in the process, you will get to do the leader’s job and formulate the vision
and mission of an organization. By creating the vision and mission you should
take away the idea of their import in crating your short term plans and goals.
LA1
Create
a vision and mission statement to fit this company. Annie Oakley owns a
specialty rifle manufacturing company, ANNIE”S BABIES. She designs rifles to
fit the specific requirements of the individual. Her rifles range in price from
$2500 to her most expensive one to date at $25,000. She wishes to become the
Lamborghini of the rifle world. Currently she has a small but growing clientele
and receives her orders by word of mouth. Anxious to get her plant more active
Annie seeks to gain customers by being known for her attention to detail,
personal designs, and quick turnaround. Her employees are expected to produce
the rifles with these ideas in mind and never to give in to the temptation to
lower the quality of the rifle.
THEME
2
In
the planning phase, managers create a detailed action plan aimed at the
organizational goals. Strategic management, or what you will learn as
strategizing, is what an organization will do or not do to achieve the goals
and objectives that lead to meeting the stated mission and vision.
LA2
Annie
wishes to develop the business to incorporate a new style of rifle which is
computer generated, plastic, and collapsible. It also takes plastic bullets.
This process must cost less than 1 million dollars and take less than 2 months
to produce. She has one large client who will pay 3 times her investment and is
anxious to accept the project. However, it will be a one of a kind project and
Annie is not sure others will have a use for the gun in the future. It will
make a reputation for her in the gun community. Identify the principles of
strategizing and then apply the principles to develop a project action plan for
the company. Be sure to include the facts from the first LA to help. Use your
vision and mission statement as well. If you think you need to make up facts to
complete the assignment feel free.
week
5
THEME
One
Organization
is the phase in which the manager allocates resources both human and capital
within the organizational structure to best forward the vision and purpose of
the organization.
LA1
Annie
is considering amending her current organizational structure. Using your
reading try to advise her on what structure might work well to help solve her
project problem.
Annie
currently has four leadership team members that each head up one division:
rifle design, rifle manufacture, rifle customer service, and sales. They each
have final decision making authority within their departments. Annie says that
she is thinking of creating an additional link in the decision train for the
new project with one department head that like the others reports to the
leadership team. Alternatively, should she feel the need to disband the project
after the client sale is complete Annie would like to know what would happen if
the fifth link were self-contained. Explain how you would allocate the
resources of the company to make the new link in the train work on a daily
basis? Be creative and practical think of the types of people you would need to
accomplish the goal, money, resources of the business etc. Be sure to consider
the various other departments and how they would interface with the project
team. Alternatively, how would the link work if it were self- contained?
THEME
TWO: How has technology changed the way in which the manager defines how tasks
are performed and completed within the organizational structure? What happens
to structure when the walls are missing? How do the tasks get complete and by
whom?
LA2
Choose
one of the two questions below and answer it through your readings and at least
two additional sources from the Internet.
1)
How has technology changed the way in which the manager defines how tasks are
performed and completed within the organizational structure?
2)
The manager’s job is to keep stability within an organization. What happens to
structure when the walls are missing? How do the tasks get complete and by
whom?
week 6
THEME
ONE: What is the manager’s perspective of leadership? How does it differ from
the leader’s perspective? Managers focus on process, procedure, and
implementation of the organization’s purpose. Their perspective is on getting
the job done and keeping stability. The leader is about change and moving the
people toward the vision. The area of overlap comes in terms of the need to use
“soft or people skills” to get their job done yet even there a difference in
perspective is seen. The manager motivates while the leader empowers.
LA1
In
the five quotes above each leader is commenting on the perspective of a manager
in the organization as opposed to a leader. Keep these quotes in your mind when
reading this week’s material and formulate your management perspective. How
should a manager approach his or her job? What ideas should be their watch
words? Think of things like setting goals, making decisions, motivating
employees and allocating resources. What mindset should a good manager have to
approach these tasks?
THEME
TWO
The
manager must be able to solve problems, communicate, and lead teams toward the
completion of a task.
LA2
You
are the manager of the northern branch of the Laurel City bowling alleys. The
owner, Jill Espy, has 4 other bowling alleys around town. The average employee
assigned to the concession stand of all the Laurel City bowling alleys lasts 3
years. However, in your branch the average employee lasts only 8 months. Jill
is concerned about this huge discrepancy and wants to know your explanation for
the difference and what you can do to correct the problem. Training new
employees is costly to the company and this high turnover is costing her money
that could be better spent elsewhere.
You
have tried talking with your current concession staff and have learned that pay
and scheduling may have some effect on the turnover rate. However, one person
indicated that many of them do not know how to handle difficult customers. It
made them not want to come to work.
From
your reading this week on a manager’s need to lead their people how would you
solve this problem? Consider motivation techniques, mentoring or other ideas
from you reading to effectuate a positive change. Think outside the box. Be
sure to look at all your resources including those within the organization and
those without
week
7
THEME
ONE: Known as the critical thinking phase of the management functions the
“Control” function is designed to evaluate the goals to see what and who works
and doesn’t and why? In the traditional definition controlling involves
ensuring that performance does not deviate from standards. Controlling consists
of three steps, which include (1) establishing performance standards, (2)
comparing actual performance against standards, and (3) taking corrective
action when necessary. Performance standards are often stated in monetary terms
such as revenue, costs, or profits but may also be stated in other terms, such as
units produced, number of defective products, or levels of quality or customer
service.
The
measurement of performance can be done in several ways, depending on the
performance standards, including financial statements, sales reports,
production results, customer satisfaction, and formal performance appraisals.
Managers at all levels engage in the managerial function of controlling to some
degree.
Effective
controlling requires the existence of plans, since planning provides the
necessary performance standards or objectives. Controlling also requires a
clear understanding of where responsibility for deviations from standards lies.
Two traditional control techniques are budget and performance audits. An audit
involves an examination and verification of records and supporting documents. A
budget audit provides information about where the organization is with respect
to what was planned or budgeted for, whereas a performance audit might try to
determine whether the figures reported are a reflection of actual performance.
Although controlling is often thought of in terms of financial criteria,
managers must also control production and operations processes, procedures for
delivery of services, compliance with company policies, and many other
activities within the organization.
The
Organizational Control Process
The
control process involves carefully collecting information about a system,
process, person, or group of people in order to make necessary decisions about
each. Managers set up control systems that consist of four key steps:
1.
Establish standards to measure performance.
Within an organization's overall strategic plan, managers define goals for
organizational departments in specific, operational terms that include
standards of performance to compare with organizational activities.
2.
Measure actual performance. Most organizations
prepare formal reports of performance measurements that managers review
regularly. These measurements should be related to the standards set in the
first step of the control process. For example, if sales growth is a target,
the organization should have a means of gathering and reporting sales data.
3.
Compare performance with the standards. This
step compares actual activities to performance standards. When managers read
computer reports or walk through their plants, they identify whether actual
performance meets, exceeds, or falls short of standards. Typically, performance
reports simplify such comparison by placing the performance standards for the
reporting period alongside the actual performance for the same period and by
computing the variance—that is, the difference between each actual amount and
the associated standard.
4.
Take corrective actions. When performance
deviates from standards, managers must determine what changes, if any, are
necessary and how to apply them. In the productivity and quality?centered
environment, workers and managers are often empowered to evaluate their own
work. After the evaluator determines the cause or causes of deviation, he or
she can take the fourth step—corrective action. The most effective course may
be prescribed by policies or may be best left up to employees' judgment and
initiative.
These
steps must be repeated periodically until the organizational goal is achieved!
LA1
Below
are five questions that are set to challenge your understanding of the control
process management function. If your last name begins with A-M answer the
questions AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU CHOSE THAT ANSWER. Be sure to reference the class
material to prove your selection is correct. If you last name begins with N-Z
Grade at least one main post (if you notice over the week that some answers
haven’t been graded be sure to grade them so that everyone has peer feedback)
and explain how you arrived at your answers. Be sure to reference the class
material to prove your selection is correct. Answer each question and explain
how you arrived at your answer.
A.
Unpredictable and risky.
B.
a new leadership team is required.
C.
measured and the results don't meet company standards.
D.
in its early stag
2)
In measuring ____________, it is useful to evaluate internal operations and
core processes against benchmarks such as past performance, industry standards,
and legal expectations.
A
cost effectiveness
B
control processes
C
best practices
D
organizational impact
A
Strategy; goals
B
Standards; objectives
C
Controls; management
D
Objectives; standards
A
strategy
B
earnings
C
processes
D
employees
5)
Coca-Cola is thinking about entering a new industry, creating their own branch
of convenience stores. As a result, they should conduct:
A
internal research of operational efficiency.
B
financial objectives research for their R&D department.
C
industry process standards research.
D
competitor research in soft drinks.
LA2
In this article as well as your
reading this week the balanced score card is explained: .
One
of the best tools a manager has is a balanced score card. Remember our bowling
alley manager from week 5? Explain how the use of a balance score card could
help him to measure and possibly improve his problem. How does the score card
approach fit in to the control function of management? Be specific and attempt
to think through the manager’s problem using the scorecard. How can it
potentially fix the turn over problem he has in the branch?
(Just
so you don’t have to keep going back to week five)
You
are the manager of the northern branch of the Laurel City bowling alleys. The
owner, Jill Espy, has 4 other bowling alleys around town. The average employee
assigned to the concession stand of all the Laurel City bowling alleys lasts 3
years. However, in your branch the average employee lasts only 8 months. Jill
is concerned about this huge discrepancy and wants to know your explanation for
the difference and what you can do to correct the problem. Training new
employees is costly to the company and this high turnover is costing her money
that could be better spent elsewhere.
THEME
TWO: Traditionally theorist suggest that the managerial function of controlling
should not be confused with control in the behavioral or manipulative sense.
This function does not imply that managers should attempt to control or to
manipulate the personalities, values, attitudes, or emotions of their
employees. Instead, this function of management concerns the manager’s role in
taking necessary actions to ensure that the work-related activities of employees
are consistent with and contributing toward the accomplishment of
organizational and departmental objectives.
Research
the idea of controlling from afar in the virtual organization on the Internet
and answer the following question: How can a manager be assured or measure work
that is performed when the employee may be 5,000 miles away?
week 8
THEME ONE: Revisit the 21st century manager as an individual. Who is
s/he? What does s/he do? How does s/he accomplish their job within the
organization? What challenges are unique to the manager in contemporary
business?
LA1
Go
back through the class and select 5 of the most important themes and explain
why you feel they best illustrate what you will take away from this class.
THEME TWO: What is the 21st century organization? What challenges does
the manager face with this new organization?
Take the attached personality test
Take
the linked management style quiz
Share
with the class your results and explain to the class how you think your
personality is reflected in your management style. Also discuss if you think
that your personality and your management style will allow you to be a good
modern day manager? Be sure to reference the material in your discussion.
ssignments
Project 1 Organizational Theory
(Week 3)
In the first assignment, students
are given a scenario in which the shipping manager who has worked for Recycled
Furnishings since the inception of the company is getting ready to retire. The
scenario serves to set the stage for students to demonstrate how management
theories have changed over time. For example, managing 30 years ago is
different than managing in the 21st century.
In
selecting an organizational theory that best describes the current shipping
manager, students have to use the timeline to select a school of thought and a
theory or theories of that time frame. Students will need to research the
theorist and theories to complete the assignment and answer the questions
below. Students are expected to be thorough in responding to Part One.
In
Part Two, students are going to take what they have learned in weeks 1 – 3 and
compare the management skills of the current shipping manager to that of you as
the new shipping manager.
Scenario:
Recycled
Furnishings is a division of an international home furnishing company called
Thor Enterprises. Recycled Furnishings makes glass sofas for outdoor use from
recycled bottles and glass. The business has grown rapidly in the last thirty
years and now that it has become a division of Thor Enterprises, the company is
going international. The shipping manager for Recycled Furnishings, Robert, has
been in his job since the start of the company. Prior to coming to Recycled
Furnishings, Robert worked as a container manufacturing engineer at Damco, a
local shipping company and worked his way up to supervisor prior to joining
Recycled Furnishings. Robert, a baby boomer, quickly rose to supervisor at
Damco because his ability to optimize the way tasks were performed and
implemented processes so workers could be trained to perform their specialized
sequence of motion in one best way. He brought this management style to
Recycled Furnishing and helped to improve the methodology of furniture assembly
as well as the shipping processes.
A
major shift in management occurred in the late 1980’s and early 90’s that
caused Robert to reconsider his management approach. For example, advances in
technology, the organization joining a union, change in the value systems,
organizational design and globalization all affected the culture of Recycled
Furnishings. Robert was successful with this transformation and contributed
greatly to the company’s success.
Part
One
·
Select an organizational theory that you believe
best describes Robert’s management style in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s;
·
Identify the theorist(s) who proposed the
theory;
·
Discuss how the selected organizational theory
and theorist fit into the school of thought of that time period.
·
Address the principles of the theory and how the
manager would do his job and interact with his staff.
·
How does this organizational theory differ from
Robert’s early thinking;
·
Using the course readings and your own research,
explain in detail how you arrived at your conclusions.
Part
Two
Recently Robert announced his plans
to retire. You have been hired as his replacement and with the international
launch on the horizon you have big shoes to fill. You feel you are more than
capable of handling the management position and characterize yourself as a 21stcentury manager.
·
As a 21st century
manager, compare the way you would manage versus the way of Robert;
·
What implications do the changes in management
have for the future of Thor?
·
How will the new approach to the job likely change
the shipping division?
Required Formatting of the
Project 1:
·
This report should be double spaced, 12-point
font, and four to five pages in length excluding the title page and reference
page;
·
Include an introduction and a summary paragraph;
·
Title page with your name, the course name, the
date, and instructor’s name;
·
Use headings;
·
Write clearly and concisely;
·
Write in the third person;
·
Use APA formatting for in-text citations and
reference page. You are expected to paraphrase and not use direct quotes.
Deductions will be taken when direct quotes are used and found to be
unnecessary;
·
Outside resources may be used but the majority
of the support will come from the course readings with a wide array of
.
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