Assignment 1 The Role of The Manager and The Impact of Organizational Theories on Managers (Week 3)

Purpose:

In the first assignment, students are given a scenario in which the shipping manager who has worked for Galaxy Toys, Inc. since 1969. The scenario serves to set the stage for students to demonstrate how management theories have changed over time. For example, management 30 years ago is different than management in the 21^st century.

Outcome Met by Completing This Assignment:

• integrate management theories and principles into management practices

Instructions:

In Part One of this case study analysis, students are to use the facts from the case study to determine two different organization theories that are demonstrated. For Part Two, students will compare the 21^st century manager to that of the main character in the case study and the implications of change in being a 21^st century manager.

In selecting a school of thought and an organizational theory that best describes the current shipping manager, students will use the timeline to select a school of thought and a theory or theories of that time frame. Students will use the course material to respond to most of the assignment requirements but will also need to research the theorist(s) and theories to complete the assignment. Students are expected to be thorough in responding.

In Part Two, students are going to take what they have learned and compare the management skills of the 21st century shipping manager to the skills of the current shipping manager.

Step 1: Review “How to Analyze a Case Study” under Week 3 Content.

Step 2: Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is double-spaced, 12-point font. The final product will be between 4-6 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page.

Step 3: Review the grading rubric for the assignment.

Step 4: In addition to providing an introduction, students will use headings following this format:

• Title page with title, your name, the course, the instructor’s name;
• Background;
• Part One;
• Part Two.

Step 5: In writing a case study, the writing is in the third person. What this means is that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing). If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person. Also note that students are not to provide personal commentary.

Step 6: In writing this assignment, students are expected to support the reasoning using in-text citations and a reference list. If any material is used from a source document, it must be cited and referenced. A reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa. View the sample APA paper under Week 1 content.

Step 7: In writing this assignment, students will use resources from the course material and no more than 4 external source documents. NOTE: The expectation is that students provide a robust use of the course material.

Step 8: In completing the assignment, students are expected to use the facts from the case study and company profile paired with the weekly courses readings to develop the analysis. View the company profile here: Galaxy Toys, Inc. Company Profile.

Step 9: In writing this assignment, students are expected to paraphrase and not use direct quotes. Students are expected to paraphrase, which can be learned by reviewing this link: https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html

Step 10: In writing this assignment, students may use external resources to address the school of thought and the theorist but the majority of resources (a minimum of 3 course resources) will come from the course material.

Step 11: Read critically and analyze the following scenario:

Part One

Scenario:

The shipping manager for Galaxy Toys Toledo, Ohio branch, Bart Aldrin, has been in his job since 1969. Prior to coming to Galaxy, Bart worked as shipping clerk for International Shipping, a large container company. Bart quickly rose to supervisor at International Shipping because of his ability to plan daily work, provide detailed instructions to workers that helped optimize the way tasks were performed and his knack of implementing processes so workers could be trained to perform their specialized sequence of motion in the most efficient way. He brought this management style to Galaxy, which helped to improve the methodology of toy assembly as well as the shipping processes.

Employees often criticized Bart, who was heard to say (on many occasions), "It's my way or the highway" or "Just do your individual task the way you were trained and don't worry about what others are doing." In fact, it was clear that Bart was focused on efficiency and to that end, he had a keen understanding of all of the tasks that needed to be completed and was focused on hiring and training workers that could perform their individual task in the most efficient way possible. In his early days, one could find Bart on the shipping floor taking copious notes as to each individual task completed and figuring out ways to turn the employees into robots...programming them to perform their one task in the single-most efficient way possible (at least from his perspective).

A major shift in management occurred in the late 1980’s and early 90’s that caused Bart (and other managers) to reconsider their management approach. For example, heightened competition, advances in technology, the workers threat to unionize, a greater demand for employee management participation, work-life balance and a general shift in employee workplace values caused management to change the culture of Galaxy. A greater focus on employees led to a new approach to management at Galaxy: people focus within a learning environment. The owners of Galaxy embraced diversity and were willing to hear the ideas of employees and this was change in attitude and culture was evident in Bart, who embraced these changes wholeheartedly. These internal changes enabled the company to adapt to uncertainty and to respond to its competitors more quickly.

Answer the required assignment elements making sure that the facts of the scenario and the course readings support the reasoning of the answers provided.

• Identify and discuss the school of thought that best describes Bart’s management style when he first joined Galaxy. Remember to explain the facts that you have relied upon in your selection.
• Discuss the theorist under the identified school of thought that best depicts Bart’s management style when he joined Galaxy. What contribution did this theorist make to management and why was his or her contribution important to the field of management? Remember to explain the facts that you’ve relied upon in your selection.
• Identify and discuss the school of thought that best describes the management style Bart used once the shift took place? Why is this school of thought the best choice? Remember to demonstrate that the facts given in the scenario align with your choice.
• Identify and discuss the theorist who best supports this school of thought. Address the principles of the theory and how these principles affected the new approach to management as exhibited Bart and his fellow managers. How does what the theorist proposed, support the facts in the case study?
• Compare and contrast the two schools of thought that were identified above.

Part Two

Scenario:

Recently, Bart announced his plans to retire. His replacement is Joyce Barnhart. Joyce is confident as a 21^st century manager that she is capable of handling the new position as manager.

• As a 21^st century manager, how will Joyce’s understanding of the role of a manager be manifested/demonstrated in how she approaches her job? Remember that in responding to this question, students are expected to demonstrate their understanding of the 21^st century management concepts discussed in this course.
• How will the new approach to the job likely change the production and shipping department at Galaxy headquarters?

Step 12: Create the introductory paragraph. Within this paragraph, provide a brief overview of the scenario. Then, provide a thesis statement and tell the reader the main topics covered in the paper. The introductory paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper but is typically written after writing the body of the paper (Questions students responded to above). View this website to learn how to write an introductory paragraph: http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html

Step 13: Respond to the questions in Part One and Part Two following the format provided. Be clear and concise in the writing and make sure the questions are comprehensively answered.

Step 14: Using the grading rubric as a comparison, read through the paper to ensure all required elements are presented.

Step 15: Proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical issues, and third person writing.

• Use the spell and grammar check in Word as a first measure;
• Have someone who has excellent English skills to proof the paper;
• Consider submitting the paper to the Effective Writing Center (EWC). The EWC will provide 4-6 areas that may need improvement.