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. The “Learning Objectives” identify specific information that the student ought to have learned and are, therefore, items appropriate for testing.

Week 1:

Topics: Introduction/The Historical Context of Management

Reading Assignment: Syllabus; Course website; Teaching Notes for Week 1 (Management Guru).

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 or view class materials;

4. Have 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;

5. Know the historical and Constitutional basis for American capitalism and the role of American large scale enterprise in laying the foundation of modern management.

Optional Assignment: An interactive practice test on this TN for Week 1 is available at my website.

Week 2:

Topics: Historical and Current Perspectives

Reading Assignment: Appendix A pp. 35-42; then, read: Chapter 1, pp. 4-28.

Learning Objectives:

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

2. Know the European influence of Weber and Fayol on organization theory in developing administrative management.

3. Know the contribution of Hawthorne experiments (Mayo) to management; and, know the developments of management into human relations, quantitative approaches, organizational behavior, and the systems and contingency approaches.

4. Be familiar with perspectives for management’s roles at differing levels for a career and for business competitive advantage.

Fri., Jan 25: Have groups formed. Submit a list of 3 group members with each member’s e-mail address.

Week 3:

Topics: The Business Environment

Reading Assignment: Chapter 2

Learning Objectives:

1. Distinguish between macro-environment and competitive (industry structure) environment

2. Understand the interaction between environmental forces and organizations;

3. Know how to analyze the competitive environment;

4. Appreciate the problem of organizational response to environmental uncertainty; and the role of organizational culture in responding.

Assignment 1: Use the External Environmental Worksheet on pp. 73-4 to analyze a firm (you need not use a music firm as the textbook requires). Answer “Discussion Questions” 1 and 2 on page 74 for the firm you analyze. Grading: 10 Environmental factors=.8 point each; 2 Questions= 1 point each. Your paper must be typed, signed, and submitted in class on Feb 1.

Week 4:

Topic: Managerial Decision-Making

Reading Assignment: Chapter 3

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify different types of decision-making

2. Know the rational decision model and its limitations

3. Understand group decision-making, its advantages and problems

4. Know the process by which organizations make decisions

5. Understand the limitations and necessity for managerial judgment in lieu of rationality.

Assignment 2: This 2-page paper cannot be constructed by 1 member. One member will defend his career choice using the rational decision model in 1 page. Other members will critique this career choice using concepts from the text/lectures. Grade: 5 points for rational defense; 5 points for critique. Due Feb 8^th.

Test 1: Monday, Feb 4. Covers materials Week 1- Week 3.

Week 5

Topics: Ethics and Social Responsibility of Business

Reading Assignment: Chapter 5

Learning Objectives:

1. Know different ethical perspectives that guide decision making

2. Develop a perspective on the social responsibility of business

3. Have a basic understanding of some of the major, contemporary social issues confronting business

Assignment 3: Answer and explain in a 1 page typed paper concerning the HU Code of Conduct:

The HU code is (not) effective in governing student/faculty behavior? Why?
How does this ethical code differ from what you would expect to see in a business? Due Feb 15th

Assignment 4: Select a notable business person or company that has been in the news as an example of bad ethical judgment. In a typed 1-page paper explain the relevant facts, identify the ethical breech, and (if known) describe the outcome of the incident. Due Feb. 15^th.

Week 6:

Topic: Entrepreneurship and Business Strategy

Reading Assignment: Chapters 7 and 4

Learning Objectives:

1. Know general characteristics of an entrepreneur

2. Know how to assess Opportunities and Threats

3. Know common causes of success and failure.

4. Know basics of formal planning processes

5. Understand strategy formulation methods and objectives at business and corporate levels

Assignment 5: Develop a SWOT analysis for Hampton University. Use the framework provided in the Experiential Exercise 4.2, on pp. 145-6, and follow steps 1-4. Due: Feb 22.

Week 7:

Topics: International Management

Reading Assignment: Chapter 6

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the impact of global integration on business

2. Know entry and business strategies for international business

3. Understand key cultural differences across countries that affect management.

Assignment 6: Understanding Multinational Organizations, pp 219-20. Type the worksheet questions and your researched answers (1-2 pages). Start your research at this website for Fortune 500 firms: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2005/. You will need to view Investor Relations at the firm’s own website and examine the Annual Report. Due Feb 29.

Test 2 (MidTerm): Monday, Feb 25. Covers materials Weeks 4-6, repeats items from Test 1

Week 8:

Topics: Organizational Structure

Reading Assignment: Chapter 8

Learning Objectives:

1. Know basic organizational design concepts;

2. Understand how authority operates in business through the board of directors and CEO;

3. Identify common structural archetypes;

4. Know types of integrative mechanisms.

Assignment 7: The Business School Organization Chart From President downward. (If your major is not business use the departments and school of your major.) Due Mar 14.

Week 9:

Topics: Organizational Agility

Reading Assignment: Chapter 9

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the rationale and common means for improving organizational responsiveness;

2. Know strategic and structural concepts e.

3. The strategies and dynamic organizational concepts that can be used to improve an organization’s responsiveness.

4. Know technology typologies and impact on organization.

Assignment 8: Identify 3 core competencies (strengths) of Hampton University as a competitive educational organization . Describe how each of these competencies are VRIO (Valuable, Rare, non-Imitatable, and Organizationally exploitable). A 1-2 page, typed analysis. Due Mar 21.

Test 3. Friday Mar 21. Covers materials in Week 7-9.

Week 10:

Topics: Managing People: Human Resources and Diversity

Reading Assignment: Chapters 10 and 11

Learning Objectives:

1. Appreciate human resource management as “strategic”;

2. Understand the processes of recruitment, selection, socialization, and performance evaluation as part of a business HRM program;

3. Have a basic understanding of business reward systems and the role of unions;

4. Appreciate the legal and competitive issues of diversity management.

Assignment 9: “The Pay Raise,” p. 354. Allocate a pay raise to workers. Explain your method and rationale for each person. Show that the $30,000 has been allocated (do the math). Read the text first. Due Mar 28.

Week 11:

Topics: Leadership

Reading Assignment: Chapter 12 (Appendix E)

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the organizational role of leaders and their sources of power;

2. Distinguish characteristics of trait, behavioral, contingency, equity, expectancy, and transformational leadership theories;

3. Know how to apply one theory of leadership.

Case 1: “No, Sir Sergeant” – Download this case as a pdf file at mgmtguru.com. Read directions. Due Apr 4.

Week 12:

Topics: Motivating

Reading Assignment: Chapter 13

Learning Objectives:

1. Know key factors and their interrelationships important in designing effective jobs;

2. Understand key theories in motivation;

3. Know the use of behavior, goal setting, fairness, and rewards in motivating people.

Case 2: “Perfect Pizzeria” – Download this case as a pdf file at mgmtguru.com. Read directions. Due Apr 11.

Week 13:

Topics: Managing Teams and Group Conflict

Reading Assignment: Chapter 14

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand how teams are efficient organization;

2. Know how groups sometimes fail and what to watch for;

3. Know How to build and manage an effective team;

4. Understand the sources of conflict and how to manage conflict.

In class: Prisoner’s Dilemma (Time permitting)

Assignment 10: Groups and Teams: Due Apr 18 [This is the last assignment].

1. Explain a group activity that you were involved in here at HU. I need to know the task and size/composition of group and the situation, and any other relevant information. No names.

2. Was the group effective or not? Why? Use concepts from the text to analyze the group's performance.

3. What would you now recommend to improve the group's performance? Explain why you think these improvements would work.

Test 4. Apr 18. Covers materials Weeks 10-13.

Week 14:

Topics: Control and Managing Technology

Reading Assignment: Chapters 16 and 17

Learning Objectives:

1. Have a basic understanding of control systems for HRM, budgets, and other operations;

2. Understand the role of culture in control and innovation;

3. Know the strategic importance of technological innovation and its life stage passage;

4. Know the key characteristics of project development and management.

Week 15

Topics: Communications and Managing Change

Reading Assignment: Chapters 15 and 18

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the rationale for and means to effective communications;

2. See communications differ in horizontal and vertical flows;

3. Understand the mechanisms for achieving organizational change.