Syllabus for MGT301

Students are encouraged to participate in all cultural events at Hampton University.

The following topics and activities are planned to be covered on the dates indicated below. The instructor reserves the right to change the course schedule as necessary and will communicate the rationale and changes of dates in class. See mgmtguru.com for daily teaching plans and for notice of changes. The “Learning Objectives” identify specific information that the student ought to have learned and are, therefore, items appropriate for testing.

Week 1:

Topics: Introduction/Internet Laboratory (Material from Week 2 may be introduced, depending on time.)

Reading Assignment: Syllabus and Attachments; Teaching Notes for Week 1 (Management Guru).

Internet Laboratory: TBA: Class will convene at the ATM (Library) for instruction on Internet tools for this course. Participation is required.

Learning Objectives:

1. Know who the course instructor is and how to communicate with him outside of class;

2. Obtain a copy of the syllabus and gain an overview of the course to include a general understanding of the course content, required materials, assignments, deadlines, grading, and policies;

3. Know how to navigate the website that supports this course, access course related materials, use the forms, access password protected areas, and download class materials.

Week 2:

Topics: The History of Management

Reading Assignment: Teaching Note, “The History of Management” (ManagementGuru); Gilbreths, “Classifying the Elements of Work” (Management 02/03), pp. 80-88.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define "management" in the modern business context;

2. Have a foundation knowledge of the development of commerce and state economy from mercantilism to capitalism; the contributions of Adam Smith and Max Weber to understanding this historical development;

3. Explain the emergence of the modern manager in the U.S. and understand Frederick Taylor’s work to develop “scientific management”;

4. Through original readings appreciate the problems associated with creating a new discipline.

Friday: Self-Test#1. The Review Quiz 1 at ManagementGuru must be completed prior to Sep 16th. A confirmation will be sent to your email address. Keep this as proof that you have completed the assignment if there is a dispute. You must have an email address to complete this assignment.

Week 3:

Topics: Managers and Corporate Governance

Reading Assignment: From Management 02/03 the following articles-

Mintzberg, “The Managers Job: Folklore and Fact”, pp. 2-10; Hitt, “The New Frontier: Transformation of Management for the New Millennium”, pp. 11-17; Useem, “A Manager for All Seasons”, pp. 18-22;

From Cases in Management and Organizational Behavior the following cases-

“A New Magazine in Nigeria” – to be discussed in class on Wednesday. Not a written assignment.

Learning Objectives:

1. Know who Henri Fayol is and his contribution to management;

2. Describe what managers do and develop an opinion of the implications for their training;

3. Have a general understanding of how a corporation is governed and the role of the CEO;

4. Demonstrate an ability to research a company.

5. Learn how a case study is conducted for situational decision-making and cognitive skill development.

Group Project #1: After reading “The New Frontier: Transformation of Management for the New Millennium”, select one of the firms mentioned in the article, or select a company in which you have an interest. (Hint: The assignment will be easier if you select an American firm.) Use Internet links (beginning with Hoovers.com) to answer the following questions. Be brief, but type your paper. Identify each question. Make sure each contributor’s name is on the paper. The written assignment is due Friday, Sep 20.

1. What is the firm’s business?

2. Identify the 3 top competitors?

3. Historically why has this firm been successful? (Look at the firm’s website.)

4. See if the firm is listed among Fortune magazine’s 500. If so, what is the rank and what is the basis of this ranking?

5. Who is the current CEO of this firm? Who is Chairman of the Board?

6. What has been the stock performance of this firm over the past 5 years (show stock chart)?

7. In 1-2 sentences, explain why or why not you would invest in this firm (buy its stock).

Week 4:

Topic: Managerial Decision Making: Ethics and Values

Reading Assignment: Teaching Note, “Personal and Business Ethics”;

From Management 02/03, Meyer, “The Greening of Corporate America”, pp. 72-75; Weait, “The Workplace Ethic – Is It a Crime?”, pp. 211-213.

From Cases in Management and Organizational Behavior the following case: “Le Cabaret”, pp59-60 – to be discussed in class on Wednesday (Not a written assignment)

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe major ethical frameworks and understand the source of standards;

2. Be able to assess one’s own and other’s judgments as ethically based and the implications for this;

3. Develop a well reasoned position on the ethical obligations of a business to its employees and other stakeholders;

4. Know stakeholder theory.

5. Understand the ethical basis of the HU Code of Conduct.

Group Project #2: A Debate on Contemporary Business Issues

This is a group assignment in two parts:

1. Fact Paper.- On Friday Sep 27th you are to turn in a 2-4 page typed paper that lists the issues and facts that you consider key to defending or opposing one of the topics provided. This will require outside research. This assignment concerns fact gathering, not essay construction. See course website for details on grading. Keep a copy of this for the debate next week. (0-5 points)

2. In Class debate: During next week, Sep 30-Oct 4, your team is paired off against another team to present your side of one of the topics chosen. Each team will have 7-10 minutes for argument and 3 minutes for rebuttal and summary. Do not “dress-up”. The class will grade this assignment – see course website for details.

Topics: Select one. There should be an opposing team – but class numbers may not permit this.

a. In America, corporate CEOs are overcompensated – Pro (too high) or Con (about right)

b. The U.S. should pursue a policy of Free Trade. - Pro (yes) or Con (against free trade)

c. Collective bargaining by labor unions is harming American business and the economy. – Pro (anti-union) or Con (pro-unions)

d. The stock options of CEO’s should be shown as a cost to the company. – Pro (yes) or Con (not shown as a cost). (Suggested for finance or accounting majors.)

e. The World Bank should cancel debits of Third World Nations. – Pro (cancel debts) or Con (not cancel debts)

f. U.S. retailers should be prohibited from selling goods manufactured using foreign child labor, “sweat shops”, and environmentally harmful processes. – Pro (prohibit selling these goods) or Con (allow these goods).

g. The corporation tax for U.S. businesses should be abolished. – Pro (abolish the tax) or Con (tax businesses).

Week 5:

Topics: Managerial Decision Making: Critical Thinking

Reading Assignment: Teaching Note, “Managerial Decision-Making: Critical Thinking”;

From Management 02/03, Vroom, “A New Look at Managerial Decision-Making”, pp. 38-47.

Learning Objectives:

1. Be familiar with the terminology and understand the structure of a logical argument;

2. Recognize common fallacies and identify a sound argument;

3. Develop an understanding of critical thinking and its applications to managerial decision-making;

4. Know the difference of “theory”, “model”, and “analogy”;

5. Be able to apply critical thinking to formulate a business argument and provide a rational critique of an argument.

In-Class Debates. This week the professor will schedule team debates as part 2 of Group Project #2. Each team will have 10 minutes for argument and 3 minutes for rebuttal and summary. Do not “dress-up”. The class will grade this assignment using the format provided. (0-5 points)

Week 6:

Topics: Managerial Decision Making: Using Judgment and Negotiating

Reading Assignment: Teaching Note, “Managerial Decision-Making: Judgment and Negotiations”;

From Management 02/03, Klein and Weick, “Decisions”, pp. 48-52; Hamel, “WHY…it’s better to question answers than answer questions”, pp. 55-62.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify limitations of "rationality" and explain how judgment differs from rational decision-making;

2. Explain how heuristics are used in judgment and identify common errors;

3. Demonstrate ability to identify errors in judgment;

4. Differentiate competitive negotiation from collaborative integration, and be able to describe strategies under both decision-making types.

Case Analysis #1: "Jenna's Kitchen, Inc.", in Cases, pp. 50-52 – due Friday.

Self-Test #2: Building Decision-Making Skills You must complete and confirm this assignment before Oct 14th for credit. See pages at ManagementGuru for details. When completed you will receive an email confirmation. Keep this if there is a dispute as to your completing the assignment.

Confirm Individual Project Status with Professor. Project is due Nov 27th.

Week 7:

Topics: Business Model Changes and Change Management

Reading Assignment: From Managing 02/03, Leana & Barry, “Stability and Change as Simultaneous Experiences in Organizational Life”, pp. 95-98; Challenger, “Workplace Trends for the 21^st Century”, pp. 171-173; Shuichi, “The Changing Corporate Climate in Japan”; pp. 194-198; Hamel, “Avoiding the Guillotine”, pp. 214-215.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the general sources of business change, an adaptive system mechanism of business change, and sources of resistance to change.
Identify key sources of change that impact future business.
Have a general understanding of e-commerce and its impact on business.
Demonstrate an ability to solve a business problem involving entrepreneurial change.

Group Case Analysis #2: “Unmovable Team”, pp. 107-112. Due Friday.

Test #1 (Midterm): Covers all material through Week 6—Monday, Oct 14.

Week 8:

Topics: Managing Business Processes

Reading Assignment: From Management 02/03, Sherwin,” The Meaning of Control”; pp. 137-140; Cloud, “Supply Chain Management”, pp. 151-153; Stevens, “The Changing Audit”, pp. 143-145; Selinsky, “Insanely Great Customer Service”, pp. 154-155.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the relationship of operations, processes, and controls to create profit through “value chain”.

2. Know key process management activities and appreciate the limitations in controlling processes;

3. Know the difference between an Income Statement and a Balance Sheet and the basic information in each

Internet Assignment: Go to http://www.ameritrade.com/educationv2/fhtml/learning/ubalsheets.fhtml. This is an introduction to understanding financial statements (courtesy Ameritrade, on-line broker). Read the material on balance sheet and income statement.

Case Analysis #3: “Costume Bank”, pp. 13-26. Due Friday

Week 9:

Topics: Managing in the Business Environment

Reading Assignment: From Managing 02/03, Harper, “Timing – The Bedrock of Anticipatory Management”, pp. 63-71; Hyatt, “The Death of Gut Instinct”, pp. 199-203; Cohen, “What Keeps You Up at Night”, pp. 29-33.

Learning Objectives:

1. Have a basic familiarity with Porter’s Five Forces model and the three generic strategies of a business;

2. Understand the concept of “strategy”, the role of timing to pursue profit potential, and the key issues that confound managers in finding the competitive advantage.

3. Apply learned concepts to developing a business concept.

Group Project #3: Creating a Business- Go to http://www.sba.gov/starting/indexbusplans.html. Look at what the Small Business Administration recommends for a business plan. As a group, develop an idea for a business. Keep it simple – something that college students might do. Your project is to complete the “Business Description” for your idea. This will be a typed paper (or poster, or other visual presentation) to be presented to the class on Wednesday/Friday that will address the following elements:

1. Legalities - business form: proprietorship, partnership, corporation.

2. Business type: merchandizing, manufacturing or service.

3. What your product or service is.

4. Is it a new independent business, a takeover, an expansion, a franchise?

5. Why your business will be profitable. What are the growth opportunities? Will franchising impact growth opportunities?

6. When your business will be open (days, hours)?

What you have learned about your kind of business from outside sources (trade suppliers, bankers, other franchise owners, franchisor, publications).

Week 10:

Topics: Leadership: Power Dynamics in Organizations

Reading Assignment: Business Fundamentals, “Power Dynamics in Organizations”; From Management 02/03, Zenger, et al., “The New Leadership Development”, pp. 114-118.

Learning Objectives:

1. Know what is power;

2. Understand why political conflict in organizations is inevitable;

3. Identify source of power;

4. Be able to make sense of power dynamics in organizations.

Case Analysis #4: “No, Sir, Sergeant”, pp.63-69. Due Friday.

Week 11:

Topics: Leadership: Exercising Influence

Reading Assignment: Business Fundamentals, “Exercising Influence”; “Power to Persuade”;

“Letter from Birmingham Jail”, by ML King at: http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/ (At page click on the image for “Popular Requests”. Then click on the title link for PDF copy.)

1. Understand how influence is exercised in organizations;

2. Identify the network of people on whom managers depend to get their work done, and pinpoint sources of cooperation and opposition within the network;

3. Understand how to avoid abusing power and influence;

4. Demonstrate an understanding of how transformational leadership mobilizes for change.

Case Analysis #5: Letter from the Birmingham Jail. Examine this article critically as a case study on leadership. Due Friday. Here are your study questions or guides for this case:

(1) What type of leadership or theory of leadership is exhibited? Why this type?

(2) Cite specific examples why this is effective leadership? For each example, explain how it mobilizes.

(3) Can this style work in business? Why or why not?

(4) What does personal character have to do with leadership and why is it important?

Week 12:

Topics: Leadership: Managing Bosses

Reading Assignment: Business Fundamentals, “Why Should Anyone Be Lead By You?”, “Managing Your Boss”,

From Management, “Women, It Seems, Are Better Bosses”, pp. 204-206.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand why you should manage relationships with a boss;

2. Identify how you are incompatible and compatible with a boss;

3. Evaluate how bosses prefer to receive information and make decisions;

4. Articulate steps to respond appropriately to a boss’s organizational objectives, problems, and pressures;

5. Think about the issues of gender in management.

Case Analysis #6: “Heart Attack”, pp. 47-49, due Friday.

Test #2: Monday, Nov 18 – Covers material from Weeks 7 through 11.

Week 13:

Topics: Leadership: Managing Your Team

Reading Assignment: Business Fundamentals, “Managing Your Team”, pp. 43-66.

From Management 02/03, “The Abilene Paradox: The Management of Agreement”, pp. 104-113; Longenecker & Neubert, “Barriers and Gateways to Management Cooperation and Teamwork:, pp. 119-126.

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognize team-building responsibilities of the leader;

2. Understand the role of an agenda and how to articulate it;

3. Identify how to exploit a team’s strengths and compensate for weaknesses;

4. Assess a team’s culture and decide what to do to influence norms.

Individual Projects Due on Monday, Nov 25

Case Assignment #7: Cases in Management, “A Team Divided or a Team United?”, pp. 9-12.

Week 14:

Topics: Leadership: Managing Your Career

Reading Assignment: Business Fundamentals, “Managing Your Career”,

From Management 02/03, “Management Women and the New Facts of Life”, pp. 160-166

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand why you should manage your career;

2. Define your career goals;

3. Understand how to evaluate a network of relationships and the significance for career;

4. Investigate your fit with a career and the expectations of that choice.

Individual Project Reports. An informal reporting of each student’s findings.