ASHFORD MGT601 Full Course latest 2019 November

MGT601 The Functions of Modern Management

Week 1 Discussion

DQ1 Three Levels of Management

Imagine yourself as the executive manager of an organization.  You are responsible for establishing the three levels of management and how each level functions in the organization. One of the executive board members does not agree with having three levels of management. How would you justify to the executive board that three levels of management should be implemented in the organization? In your initial post, please include an explanation of the function that each level performs and why it is important.

DQ2 Evolution of Management

Read the article, “The Management Century”. Based on the content presented in the article, describe the evolution of management and how management practices have changed over time.  How has our understanding of management changed over time? Why has it evolved in the ways that it has?

 

MGT601 The Functions of Modern Management

Week 2 Discussion

DQ1 Manager’s Decision Support Tools

Read the journal article, “Executive Information Systems: Their impact on Executive Decision Making”. Based on the information presented in the article, discuss the following:

The tools executive managers use when making major decisions

The relationship between the tools the executive managers’ use and the managers’ tasks

The reasons for using the support tools

DQ2 Managerial Planning

What are the types of plans? How are they distinguished from one another? Do you think plans with incremental objectives are more effective than those that contain stretch goals? Why or why not? What role should ethics play with strategic planning? Support your opinion with outside resources.

 

MGT601 The Functions of Modern Management

Week 3 Discussion

DQ1 Job Design

What kinds of jobs are needed in an organization? How has specialization of labor, or division of labor, been implemented in an organization in which you have worked (or researched)? How are departments organized? Do you perceive these groupings to be effective? Why or why not?

DQ2 Organizational Life Cycles

Read the article, “Organizational life cycles and shifting criteria of effectiveness: Some preliminary evidence”. Describe the chronicle of life cycle change and the early stages of development, performance and resource acquisition, events leading to later stages of development, and the development of the formalization and control stage. Why do you think the author wrote about this topic? Why is it important?

 

MGT601 The Functions of Modern Management

Week 4 Discussion

DQ1 The Staffing Function

Why is staffing important? Who is responsible for it? Is it a function of personnel/human resource departments? What are some of the ways managers can adapt to changes in the external environment (shrinking work force, impacts of technology, etc.) to recruit and maintain quality personnel?    

DQ2 Performance Appraisal

The effectiveness of the performance appraisal is often a topic of debate. Read the Forbes article, “Eliminating Performance Appraisals (Links to an external site.)”. Based on the content of the article, identify three key points related to the author’s position on the elimination of performance appraisals. From the view of the manager and using the concepts found in our text, prepare a rebuttal to the article discussing each of the key points you identified and define the reasons why the performance appraisal should not be eliminated. Develop a potential solution to the performance appraisal debate, keeping in mind the intent of the appraisal and the desired outcome for both the organization and the employees. Support your solutions with a minimum of one outside resource.

 

MGT601 The Functions of Modern Management

Week 5 Discussion

DQ1 Leadership and Motivation

Based on the readings from the course text, please identify the leadership traits, skills, and behaviors that you consider the most important in leading and motivating subordinates.  Examine specifically why you selected the traits, skills and behaviors in relation to employee motivation.

DQ2 Human Needs and Motivation In Organizational Management

Read the article, “A Theory of Human Motivation.” Based on the information presented in the article, discuss the elements of self-esteem, esteem needs, and belonging to a group. What is the relationship between self-esteem, esteem needs, and belonging to a group? Why is it important for a manager to understand and appreciate employees’ self-esteem, esteem needs, and belonging to a group?

 

 

MGT601 The Functions of Modern Management

Week 6 Discussion

DQ1 Organizational Control Process

Analyze how the four steps of the control process and explain how each step contributes to the control function. Describe the three types of controls. How can the effectiveness of controls be assessed in an organization? Is this assessment different for a global organization?

DQ2 Financial Controls

What is the primary financial control tool used to manage the operations of an organization and how can it equip managers with the information they need to make decisions? How are financial controls different for a global organization? Provide three examples.

 

MGT601 The Functions of Modern Management

Week 2 Assignment

Strategic Planning Process

In a four- to five-page paper (excluding the title and references pages), discuss the strategic planning process. In your paper:

Explain the basic steps in the planning process.

Describe the steps in the decision-making process, and predict how the personal attributes of the manager influence decision making. 

Predict how the steps of the strategic planning process and the environmental factors that influence decision making impact the quality-productivity-profitability link.

Your paper must include in-text citations and references from at least three scholarly sources, in addition to the text, and be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.).

 

MGT601 The Functions of Modern Management

Week 4 Assignment

Human Resource Planning and Organizational Strategy

In a four- to five-page paper (excluding the title and references pages), discuss the relationship between human resource planning activities and the organization’s strategic development and implementation. Describe the eight elements of the staffing process. Examine the relationship between the eight elements of the staffing process and the four activities related to human resource planning.

Based on the information in Chapter 9: Case: Concussion and the National Football League, review the human resource planning process and the previous readings from Chapter 6. Explain the relationship between the four activities of human resource planning and the organization’s strategic planning, development, and implementation.

Your paper should include in-text citations and references for at least three scholarly sources, in addition to the text, and be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.).

 

MGT601 The Functions of Modern Management

Week 5 Assignment

Situational Leadership Theory and Organizational Leadership

As the new top-level executive of a medium-sized corporation, you have noticed that the leadership culture in the organization has been ineffective, which has lowered employee morale. To change the leadership culture you have decided to discuss this issue with all the managers and supervisors in the organization. Prior to meeting with all the managers and supervisors, you have decided that you need to develop a how-to guide on effective leadership. 

In a four- to five-page paper (excluding the title and references pages), explain why situational leadership theory is useful and relevant in developing an effective leadership culture. Describe the three theories of situational leadership and what you consider to be the strengths and weaknesses of each theory when leading staff in the organizational environment.

The written assignment should include at least three scholarly sources, in addition to the text, and be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.).

 

MGT601 The Functions of Modern Management

Week 6 Assignment

Operational Plan

Develop an operational plan for an organization of your choice. Read the article, Operations Plan (Links to an external site.), for an overview of the required elements in this type of plan. Create a fictional organization that includes the name, type of business, size of organization, and the product or service that the organization offers. The paper must be between 8-10 pages in length and include five scholarly sources, in addition to the text. Your paper must:

Develop an organizational chart for the proposed organization.

Include the title of positions and a brief description of the positions’ duties and responsibilities.

Chapter 8: 8.4-8.7 will provide you with the examples of how different organizations are structured.

Define the organization’s vision, mission, and values

Outline the basic planning process for the organization, and describes how the three levels of management influence this process.

Explain why the quality, productivity, and profitability are important elements in the planning process

Evaluate the relationship between the human resource planning activities and the overall organizational strategy

Discuss the philosophy of management that will be applied to the management of the organization and how the structure of the organization will foster a positive work environment where employees will be motivated and productive.

Compose the steps of control and types of controls included in the control process for the organization.

The Operational Plan

Must be 8 to 10 double-spaced pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.).

Must include a separate title page with the following:

Title of paper

Student’s name

Course name and number

Instructor’s name

Date submitted

Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.

Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.

Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.

Must use five scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library in addition to the course text.

The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesPreview the document table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.

Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

 

MGT601 The Functions of Modern Management

Week 3 Quiz  

Question 1The most common form of organizational structure is the ______ structure.

  functional

  hybrid

  multidivisional

  holding company

Question 2Abraham Maslow and Douglas McGregor both advocated that approaches to management should

  be more scientific.

  be more quantitative.

  return to classical principles.

  be more humanistic.

Question 3All of the following are arguments in favor of social responsibility EXCEPT

  businesses created many of the problems, so they should participate in finding solutions.

  businesses may lose their focus on profit-making.

  acting in a socially responsible manner prevent more government regulation.

  the survival of a healthy economy depends on businesses being socially responsible.

 Question 4Gloria presents a trophy at her company’s annual awards banquet for employees. In this example, Gloria performs the role of

  leader.

  liaison person.

  spokesperson.

  figurehead.

 Question 5Sasha sells gourmet mushrooms at $100 an ounce. She has a secret supplier. Sasha’s gourmet mushrooms are better than her competitors’ mushrooms, and only the wealthiest Americans buy them. Sasha is using the business strategy called

  strategic analysis.

  differentiation.

  focus.

  premium pricing.

Question 6In terms of the organization and its resources, managers are individuals who

  make decisions about the organization’s resources.

  keep abreast of changing technology.

  have greatly varying task activities.

  set the organization’s strategic goals.

Question 7While functional area managers may differ in their specific duties, all functional area managers engage in the same fundamental duties, which are

  hire, fire, train, and promote.

  record, review, report, and respond.

  think, do, check, and act.

  plan, organize, lead, and control.

Question 8Cameron is desperate for some creative ideas to crack open the closed Japanese import market for his high-protein soybean solution. He pulls his management team together and tells them they have the entire day to freely suggest and discuss possible solutions without fear of being criticized for their ideas. Cameron’s management team is engaging in which group decision technique?

  Groupthink

  Brainstorming

  Framing

  The nominal group technique

Question 9Which of the following is the most accurate example of the technological dimension of the general environment?

  Converting all production to robotic operators

  Adding 50,000 sq. ft. of production space

  Developing an offshore call center

  Switching from in-house accounting to an accounting service

Question 10When several different businesses are permitted to operate autonomously under the coordination of a parent company, the organizational structure is a

  holding company.

  hybrid structure.

  matrix structure.

  network organization.

Question 11Most organizations find that their external environment presents

  both threats and opportunities.

  threats, almost exclusively.

  opportunities, almost exclusively.

  a competitive imbalance.

Question 12When a firm offers a unique good or service to a customer at a premium price, it is following the business-level strategy of

  market penetration.

  cost leadership.

  premium branding.

  differentiation.

Question 13Keith is the CEO of a chocolate company, and he tells his managers that he expects a 25 percent increase in production this year, even if it means lowering the quality of his fine lines of chocolates. Keith may create an ethical issue through

  management pressure.

  low personal morals.

  perceived social irresponsibility.

  situational ethics.

Question 14One of the major reasons that a company buys another company is that it believes

  it will achieve synergy and cut costs.

  a bigger company is always better.

  it will have less access to raw materials.

  in the spirit of competition and free enterprise.

.Question 15Daisy watches a painter paint a house and videotapes the painter’s movements. Later, she makes specific recommendations for reducing painting motions so the painter can be more efficient, and she also designs a movable ladder for the painter to reduce fatigue. Daisy practices methods emphasized by

  Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.

  Henry Gantt and Max Weber.

  Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol.

  Douglas McGregor and Abraham Maslow.