1.  Argue for or against the argument that employee benefits are seen by employees as an entitlement for their membership in companies. Support your position.2.  Analyze the components of designing and planning a benefits program to predict what additional issues will need to come into consideration over the next 10 to 20 years. Provide your rationale.3.  From the case study in Chapter 11, argue for or against the hiring of part-time workers based on the issues surrounding providing part-time workers with benefits.4.  Assuming that the firm should offer benefits to part-time workers, recommend which benefits should be offered. Provide your rationale.Please respond to the following:5.  What training would you suggest for an employee who has been assigned to the Middle East on a new project?  Do not select the same training as another student.  6.  Share a current event article with the class that relates to the concepts covered in this week’s reading. Write a brief summary, and explain why you felt the article was relevant.  (Concepts covered this week: Developing Leadership in Global Organizations, Employment and Employees in the Middle East)

In management, what is the difference between rational and organic approach to problem solving? Explain and give examples. Cite references when possible.

Week 2: The Historical Foundations of Management & The Contemporary Workplace What is an ‘organisation’ and why are managers important to an organisation’s success? Define the terms ‘Quality and performance excellence’, ‘Global awareness’, and ‘Learning organisations’. What is the benefit of seeing an organisation as a ‘system’? What difference would this view make to you as a manager? What are some of the opportunities an increasingly diverse and multicultural workforce offers with respect to potential performance gains in organisations?  Week 4: Information and Decision-Making What is the difference between an ‘optimising decision’ and a ‘satisficing decision’? Using examples, explain how ‘risk’, ‘certainty’ and ‘uncertainty’ influence the decisions that managers make. Identify the steps in the decision-making process. Use examples to illustrate your answer. Do an on-line search for the phrase ‘worst business decisions’. Choose TWO (2) examples and describe what happened. What is your reaction to each example? How could the managers in each have made better decisions?  Week 6: Planning and Strategic Management Identify and describe the steps in the five-stage planning process. Use examples to illustrate your answer. Describe the difference between ‘strategic plans’ and ‘tactical plans’. Using examples to illustrate your answer, describe the types of plans used by managers. What is a SWOT analysis? Discuss the types of issues and questions that should be dealt with when conducting a SWOT analysis.  Week 8: Ethical Behaviour and Social Responsibility What is meant by the term ‘corporate social responsibility’? In your opinion, should businesses be socially responsible? Support your answer with examples. Identify the alternative views of ethical behaviour and briefly describe the main emphasis of each view. What is an ethical dilemma? Describe some of the causes of ethical dilemmas in the management context. Discuss the ways in which ethical standards may be established and maintained in organisations.