Module 1 - Case Individual Differences in the Workplace Assignment Overview Managers often notice the relationship between attitudes and job performance. Have you ever heard someone say, “With that go-get ’em attitude, she will set new sales records!” or “His attitude is so poor, he never produces quality work.” However, managers seldom realize that they can affect an employee’s work attitudes (such as job satisfaction and commitment), which in turn can affect job outcomes such as turnover, absenteeism, and productivity. In this first Case Assignment, you will be viewing two clips from the movie “Office Space.” These videos demonstrate work attitudes, factors that can shape those attitudes, and the end effect on work behavior. As you watch the clips, make some notes about examples you see that give you some clues about the different characters and: o o o o o Job satisfaction Attitudes toward management Attitudes toward co-workers Organizational Commitment Work environment and conditions (such as physical surroundings) View the following two movie clips from the movie Office Space: Case Assignment Read the following article from the Trident University Library: Riordan, C. (2013) The power of “thank you”: 3 steps to a culture of gratitude. HR Specialist, 11(17),7. Hint: Just copy and paste the title of the article into the Library Access search box on the Trident University Portal page. Do not include the author’s name or publication; the article title is all you need. After reading the above article, background material, and reviewing your notes on the videos, consider the following questions: • • • How would you characterize the general work environment at Initech? What are Peter’s attitudes about working at Initech? What are the likely causes of those attitudes? How does he feel about his supervisors? • • Do his co-workers show similar attitudes? What do you predict would be the effect of these attitudes on job commitment, absenteeism, and turnover? Why? Now, write a 3- to 4-page paper discussing the film clips and the above questions. A good way to organize your paper would be to divide it into the following sections: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Introduction that briefly describes the situation at Initech. (one paragraph) The Environment at Initech (including supervision style and physical environment) The observed job attitudes of Peter and his co-workers The likely outcomes of those attitudes Conclusion that makes one recommendation for a change that Lumbergh could make that would improve job satisfaction among employees at Initech. Be sure to support your arguments with references to the background readings and use specific examples from the clips to illustrate your main points. Upload your assignment to the Case 1 Dropbox. Be sure to review your TurnItIn Originality report. If the score is over 20%, you may be copying too much material from the internet or other sources and you will need to contact your professor and arrange to revise and resubmit the paper. Assignment Expectations The Case papers in this course will be evaluated using the criteria as stated in the Case rubric. The following is a review of the rubric criteria: • • • • • Assignment-Driven: Does the paper fully address all aspects of the assignment? Is the assignment addressed accurately and precisely using sound logic? Does the paper meet minimum length requirements? Critical Thinking: Does the paper demonstrate graduate-level analysis, in which information derived from multiple sources, expert opinions, and assumptions has been critically evaluated and synthesized in the formulation of a logical set of conclusions? Does the paper address the topic with sufficient depth of discussion and analysis? Business Writing: Is the essay logical, well organized and well written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work? Are section headings included? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding, or is justification/support instead conveyed through excessive use of direct quotations? Effective Use of Information: Does the submission demonstrate that the student has read, understood, and can apply the background materials for the module? If required, has the student demonstrated effective research, as evidenced by student’s use of relevant and quality sources? Do additional sources used provide strong support for conclusions drawn, and do they help in shaping the overall paper? Citing Sources: Does the student demonstrate understanding of APA Style of referencing, by inclusion of proper citations (for paraphrased text and direct quotations) as appropriate? Have all sources (e.g., references used from the Background page, the • assignment readings, and outside research) been included, and are these properly cited? Have all sources cited in the paper been included on the References page? Timeliness: Has the assignment been submitted to TLC (Trident’s learning management system) on or before the module’s due date? Privacy Policy | Contact Module 2 - Case Workplace Motivation Assignment Overview As in some of the assignments in this course, you will draw upon your personal experience for this Module 2 Case assignment. For the assignment, you will consider the topic of telecommuting and motivation. You will prepare a blog entry that discusses your own experience and applies the background material to the prospect of becoming a telecommuter. For an overview of some important current issues in telecommuting and working remotely please read: Peck, E. (2015, March 18) Proof that working from Home is Here to Stay: Even Yahoo Still Does It. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/18/the-future-is-happeningnow-ok_n_6887998.html Case Assignment In the background materials, you read about some very traditional theories of motivation such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. There is sometimes a challenge in applying these theories. Begin with some personal reflection. Consider a time at work when you felt highly motivated. Apply Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory to your situation. Think about what motivates you personally. Can you apply Maslow’s and Herzberg’s theories to yourself? For this assignment, you will discuss these ideas in a hypothetical situation in which you are offered the opportunity to work remotely, that is, telecommute to your job. For this Module 2 Case Assignment, you will prepare a blog entry with the title: My company has offered me a chance to work remotely. Should I telecommute? How can I stay motivated working from home? If I decide to work from home, what can my company do to help me stay highly motivated? Your blog entry should discuss the following: • • • • What motivates you? How do Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory explain your own and other employees’ motivation? How can employees remain highly motivated when telecommuting? What can they do to motivate themselves? What can the company do to motivate telecommuting employees? Will you become a telecommuter? Why or why not? Your blog entry should be the equivalent of a four- to five-page paper. Also, be sure to use intext citations and a reference list. For administrative purposes, please add a title page so that your assignment can be readily identified. Assignment Expectations • • • • Be sure to address the questions presented directly. Stay focused on the precise assignment questions; do not go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials Use reliable and credible sources as your references. If you find articles on the internet, make sure they are from a credible source. Reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC portal. Privacy Policy | Contact Module 3 - Case Groups and Teams at Work Assignment Overview This Module 3 Case Assignment has two functions. First, it helps you develop and demonstrate your understanding of the topics in Module 3. Second, it will help to assess the development of your written communications skills. This Case will be graded using a special Written Communications Rubric, which you should review before you begin writing the assignment. Case Assignment For this assignment, you will engage in a roleplay, placing yourself in the role of Management Consultant. Your deliverable will be a PowerPoint Presentation. You will draw on the background material and your analysis of a scenario presented in a memo to prepare your presentation. Background: You work for a management consulting firm, Capital Consultants (CC). Your firm has been hired to advise Leading Edge Fashions, a small high-end house with a celebrity clientele. You have received the following memo from the head of CC. To: From: Vivian von der Bach, President and Senior Consultant I am assigning you to our newest client, Leading Edge Fashions. As you may know, this wellknown fashion house has experienced problems since the death of its chief designer, Sir Francis Green. In the two years since Sir Francis’s death, the CEO of Leading Edge, M. Etienne Roget, has delegated artistic control to a committee of experienced designers chosen from within the company. The results have been far from what was hoped. In the first year, the committee could not decide on a theme for Spring. As a result, that season’s collection was a confused mess that one critic referred to as “the remnants of a Hollywood garage sale.” In the second year, the committee tried to avoid making the same mistake and settled on a theme after meeting for only one hour. The “Game of Thrones” collection was another disaster, with such inappropriate items as a bronze helmet and a bearskin cape. M. Roget has been searching the world for a chief designer to fill the void created with Sir Francis’s death. He has been unsuccessful to date. Further, he fears that disbanding the committee would be seen by its members as a vote of no confidence and would lead to mass resignations. Your job is to join the committee as a co-chair and advise it on organizational matters, especially as relates to the team’s development. Obviously, you should not try to advise the committee on fashion—CC has no expertise in that area. Your task will be to guide the committee in its deliberations and to help a small group of experienced, opinionated designers achieve good results on Leading Edge Fashion’s Winter collection for next year. Before you join the committee, M. Roget would like to have some idea of what you will be looking for and what you may be able to accomplish. To that end, you should prepare a PowerPoint presentation in which you present what may have happened to the committee, namely what may have “gone wrong” in the past two years and what you could do to keep it from happening again. Your PowerPoint presentation should be professional with a recommended length of 8 to 12 slides. Please use the notes section of the slides to explain your slide content in detail. Be sure to include citations in the body of the presentation as well as a “references” slide. Congratulations on being selected for this important project. I am looking forward to reviewing your presentation. Assignment Expectations 1. Be sure to include a Title Slide and References Slide in your PowerPoint presentation of 8 to 12 slides. Be sure to use the notes sections to explain your slides. 2. Study the Written Communications Rubric. Review it before, during, and after preparing your presentation. 3. Demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the materials cited on the Background page. Supplement these with at least two relevant sources you locate from the Trident Online Library or from the Web. Privacy Policy | Contact Module 4 - Case Organizational Culture and Diversity Assignment Overview Southwest Airlines and Koch Industries are both known for their distinctive organizational cultures, and both have been highly successful and profitable companies. Southwest Airlines is known as a “fun” place to work, where socialization and humor in the workplace are strongly encouraged. Koch Industries, on the other hand, has a culture defined by the principles of “market-based management,” where performance and revenue growth is emphasized. Do some background reading on the cultures behind Southwest Airlines and Koch Industries. Here are some articles and video to get you started on your research that will give you some background about the cultures at these two organizations: Klein, D. (2011). Creating cultures that lead to success: Lincoln Electric, Southwest Airlines, and SAS Institute. Organizational Dynamics 41(1), 35-39 [Available in Science Direct. Note: you only have to read the middle portion of the article concerning Southwest Airlines and not the whole article] Bird, A. (Mar. 13, 2011). Southwest: Corporate culture combines work, play. The Post and Courier. [ProQuest] Whatley, H. (2013). Principles and dimensions of market-based management. Independent Journal of Management & Production, 4(1), 126-135. [ProQuest] Dissecting the Kochtopus. (Jun. 7, 2014). The Economist, 411, 76. [ProQuest] WorkatWorkTV. (2010) Successful Organizational Cultures. Retrieved at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSZ3IPDmqCg Case Assignment Prepare a 4- to 5-page (not including title page and references) critique per the following format: Title Page. Be sure to include the relevant information (e.g., Name, Class, Professor, Assignment, Date) on this title page. Introduction. Discuss the topic of the paper and how you will approach it. It is best to write this section after you have written the rest of the paper. The Culture of Southwest Airlines. Describe the key elements of the culture of Southwest Airlines and explain why these cultural elements are essential to Southwest Airlines’ success. Be sure to apply the background material. The Culture of Koch Industries. Describe the key elements of the culture of Koch Industries and explain why these cultural elements are essential to Koch Industries’ success. Be sure to apply the background material. Koch Industries Should Not Purchase Southwest Airlines. Make an argument that Koch Industries should not purchase Southwest Airlines. Discuss the specific differences between the cultures of Southwest Airlines and Koch Industries in support of this position. Be sure to use the background material to support your argument. Conclusion. Discuss the key points in your analysis that demonstrate the importance of understanding that organizational cultures are not easily changed and why culture should be a primary consideration when organizations contemplate merger. Reference List: List all references that you have cited in the paper using APA or other standard formatting. References include materials from the required background readings as well as any outside Internet or library sources you used in researching and writing your paper. Assignment Expectations • • • • Answer the assignment questions directly. Stay focused on the precise assignment question and the assertions to critique; do not go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials. Use reliable and credible sources as your references. Articles published in established newspapers or business journals/magazines are preferred. If you find articles on the internet, make sure they are from a credible source. Reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide, which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC portal. Privacy Policy | Contact
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