Module 1 – Case
PLANNING
Assignment Overview
Tesla Motors is a unique company that manufacturers
automobiles that run 100 percent on electricity and has received a lot of
attention in the media. In spite of loans from the federal government and
various tax advantages given to alternative fuel vehicle manufacturers, the
company has had huge ups and downs and has come close to bankruptcy at least
once. However, they have recently had enough success to repay a large loan from
the government.
Initially Tesla only produced expensive sports cars that
only the very rich could afford, but they are now expanding into producing more
cost effective vehicles. But in spite of recent successes they do face many
hurdles. They are a relatively small company compared to the world’s major auto
manufacturers. They face competition from hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota
Prius which are much cheaper. Nissan has even come out with a relatively
inexpensive fully electric vehicle – the Leaf.
Consumer may also be unwilling to face the inconvenience of
a fully electric vehicle. They are very few recharging stations compared to gas
stations in the U.S., and it takes far longer to recharge an electric vehicle
than to fill a vehicle up with gas. So while there is large public support for
environmentally friendly vehicles that will lower our dependence on foreign
oil, Tesla does face many obstacles and must carefully plan their future in
order to compete with the large auto companies and expand their consumer base.
Do some research on Tesla and the market for electric
vehicles, and see what you can find regarding Tesla’s strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats. Here are a couple of articles to get you started:
Tilley, P. (2014, February 20). Tesla Motors offers the
epitome of automobile innovation. The Dispatch. Retrieved from ProQuest.
Rechtin, M. (2014). Tesla’s biggest test. Automotive News,
88(6603). Retrieved from ProQuest.
Mandel, D. (2013). The great Tesla bubble. Automotive News,
88(6590). Retrieved from ProQuest.
Case Assignment
Once you have completed your research write a 4- to 5-page
paper addressing the following items:
Conduct a SWOT analysis of Tesla Motors with specific
discussion about what you think are the main strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats facing Tesla [This part of the assignment should be
roughly three pages in length and should include at least one paragraph
discussing each of the four aspects of SWOT as applied to Tesla Motors]
Based on your SWOT analysis, give some recommendation for
some specific steps Tesla should take in order to grow and remain competitive.
For example, what can Tesla do to address potential threats or address its
weaknesses? Or what can they do to take advantage of strengths or
opportunities? [This part of the assignment should be at least one page in length]
Assignment Expectations
Answer the assignment questions directly.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don’t go
off on tangents or devote a lot of space to general background materials.
Make sure to 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 it is 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 and 14 on in-text citations.
Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My
Resources” in the TLC portal.
Module 1 – SLP
PLANNING
For the Session Long Project (SLP) this session you will be
applying what you’ve learned to an organization that you are personally
familiar with. Choose an organization that you are currently working for, have
worked for in the past, or are otherwise personally familiar with. The papers
that you will write for each module will require a fair amount of detail about
the four functions of management, so it is important to choose an organization
that you know well.
Before starting this assignment, first thoroughly review the
background material and make sure you have a solid understanding of the
planning function of management. Then carefully think about the strategy of the
organization you have chosen to write about as well as how strategic decisions
are made at this organization. Then write a two to three page paper covering
the following issues:
Describe the best you can the mission, vision, and values of
the organization you work for. For example, if your organization has a formal
vision or mission statement include it in your answer. Refer to pages Tracy
(2015) for precise definitions of mission, vision, and values. [This part of
the assignment should be one to two pages in length, and should include one
paragraph each on mission, vision, and values of your organization]
What are the main strategic, operational, and tactical goals
of your organization? Refer to Allen and Economy (2008) for the definitions of
these three types of goals. [This part of your paper should be one to two pages
in length, and should include at one paragraph on each of these three types of
goals as applied to your organization]
SLP Assignment Expectations
Answer the assignment questions directly.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don’t go
off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background
materials.
Include both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the
Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13 and
14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which
is found under “My Resources” in the TLC portal.
Module 2 – Case
ORGANIZING
Assignment Overview
Zappos Shoes, led by young CEO Tony Hsieh, is well known for
its non-traditional approaches to the workplace. From the background materials
you should be familiar with traditional organizational structures such as the
hierarchical organization, the flat organization, or the matrix organization.
But CEO Hsieh plans an even more radical approach to organizing his online shoe
retailing company called holacracy. This is radical new approach involves
eliminating hierarchies and even eliminating job titles.
Many of you are used to working in a hierarchical
organization, so as you can see this new form of organization (or perhaps “lack
of organization”) will be a huge change over what most of us are used to. But
for purposes of this assignment we must decide whether or not holacracy is
likely to work for Zappos Shoes. This assignment reflects the radical new ideas
of a younger CEO like Tony Hsieh as compared to more traditional structures
found in the older and more established Fortune 500 companies.
Here are some readings on Zappos and holacracy to get you
started:
Frean, A. (2014, January 6). How holacracy killed the
hierarchy in companies going flat-out for success. The Times. Retrieved from
ProQuest.
Cook, D. (2014, January 7). Ready for holacracy? Zappos says
it is. Benefits Selling. Breaking News. Retrieved from ProQuest.
Shiers, L. (2010). Touring Zappos. Footwear Plus, 52.
Retrieved from ProQuest.
Case Assignment
When you have finished researching Zappos’ current business
model and holacracy, then write a 4- to 5-page paper answers the following
questions:
What risks and challenges does Zappos face in implementing
holacracy? [Your answer to this question should be one to one and a half pages
in length]
Overall what do you think the chances are of holacracy
succeeding at Zappos? [Your answer to this question should be one to one and a
half pages in length]
What advantages or disadvantages do you think holacracy has
over more traditional structures such as a hierarchical or matrix structure? Of
the structures you have read about in the background materials, which one do
you think would be the best match for Zappos? Explain your reasoning and make
sure to cite Stanford (2014) and at least one other book chapter from the
background materials as part of your answer. [Your answer to this question
should be around two pages in length]
Assignment Expectations
Integrate readings on the concept of holacracy, Zappos
Shoes’ organizational structure, and traditional forms of organization
structure.
Answer the assignment questions directly.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don’t go
off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background
materials.
Include both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the
Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13 and
14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which
is found under “My Resources” in the TLC portal.
Module 2 – SLP
ORGANIZING
For this assignment, continue to write about the same
organization that you wrote about for your Module 1 SLP. Carefully review the
background materials and make sure you understand the concepts of
centralization versus decentralization, geographic versus functional divisions,
span of control, and other key concepts covered in the Pearson tutorials and
required textbook reading. Then carefully think about how these concepts apply
to your chosen organization.
Once you have finished reviewing the background materials
and have carefully thought about how they apply to your organization, write a
2- to 3-page paper answering the following questions:
How would you characterize the design of your organization?
Is it flat, or have many layers? Is it a rigid hierarchy, or use alternative
structures like team-based or matrix? [Your answer to this question should be
about one paragraph in length]
Is decision making mostly centralized at the top, or is
there room for decentralized decision making at lower levels? [Your answer to
this question should be about one paragraph in length]
What kind of departmentalization does your organization use
– it is divided into functional divisions, geographical divisions, other
divisions? [Your answer to this question should be about one paragraph in
length]
What is the typical span of control for managers in your
organization? Is it broad or narrow? [Your answer to this question should be
about one paragraph in length]
Are employees highly specialized, or do employees have a
wide range of tasks and responsibilities? [Your answer to this question should
be about one paragraph in length]
SLP Assignment Expectations
Answer the assignment questions directly.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don’t go
off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background
materials.
Make sure to 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 it is 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 and 14 on in-text citations.
Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My
Resources” in the TLC portal.
Module 3 – Case
LEADING
Assignment Overview
Few CEOs have been subject to as much criticism and attacks
as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Most famously, he was portrayed as the
villain in the move The Social Network. Shareholders have complained about his
leadership and failure to increase the stock price of Facebook, and others have
claimed he is socially inept and too young and immature to be a CEO of a multi-billion
dollar corporation.
However, in spite of this criticism Zuckerberg is unarguably
one of the most successful CEOs and entrepreneurs in corporate history. His
small project that he created while he was a college student has become world
dominant in the social media business and is still growing and expanding. So in
spite of all of the criticism he clearly has been a successful leader.
For this assignment, do some research in the online library
and find out what you can about Zuckerberg’s leadership style. Take a look at
both the criticisms as well as what you think he is doing right or what lead
him to his strong success.
Here are a few articles to get you started:
Facebook’s leadership: Time for an update? (Jun. 13, 2010).
The Washington Post. [Available on ProQuest]
Bailey, B., & May, P. (2014, Feb 03). Facebook at 10:
Zuckerberg pushing for change. Oakland Tribune. [ProQuest]
Lesley, C. T. (2012, Jan 27). Job at Facebook not for
sensitive types. Toronto Star. [ProQuest]
Case Assignment
Once you have finished your research, write a 4- to 5-page
paper addressing the following questions:
How would you describe Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership traits?
Explain your reason and refer to specific leadership traits from Theories and
leadership approach (2014) and Avery (2004). [Your answer to this question
should be one to one and half pages in length]
How would you describe Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership style?
Was it transformational, transactional, autocratic, democratic? All of the
above, or none? Refer to concepts from Armstrong (2013, Kirimi and Barine
(2012) as part of your answer. The Pearson tutorials should help as well. [Your
answer to this question should be about two pages in length]
Consider both the positive and negative aspects of
Zuckerberg’s leadership style and traits. What is good, and what is detrimental
to Facebook? Did the good outweigh the bad? [Your answer to this question
should be one to one and half pages in length]
Assignment Expectations
Answer the assignment questions directly.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don’t go
off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background
materials.
Make sure to 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 it is 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 and 14 on in-text citations.
Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources”
in the TLC portal.
Module 3 – SLP
LEADING
In this section of the Session Long Project, please write a
2- to 3-page paper about one of your current or former leaders. Preferably this
should be a leader in the organization you wrote about in your Module 1 and 2
SLPs or someone who is your current or former supervisor who you had a lot of
direct experience with. Please do not write about yourself, even if you are a
CEO or senior leader.
Review the background materials and think carefully about
how the various leadership traits and styles apply to the leader you are
writing about. Does anything ring a bell like “that exactly describes my
leader!”? After carefully thinking about how the concepts from this module
apply to your leader, write a 2- to 3-page paper answering the following
questions:
How would you describe this person’s leadership traits?
Explain your reason and refer to specific leadership traits from Theories and
leadership approach (2014) and Avery (2004). [Your answer to this question should
be one to two paragraphs in length]
How would you describe this person’s leadership style? Was
it transformational, transactional, autocratic, participative? All of the
above, or none? Refer to concepts from Armstrong (2013, Kirimi and Barine
(2012) as part of your answer. The Pearson tutorials should help as well. [Your
answer to this question should be one to two paragraphs in length]
How does this leader motivate their employees and
communicate their vision? [Your answer to this question should be one paragraph
in length]
Based on any of the background readings, what suggestions do
you have for how this leader could improve their effectiveness? [Your answer to
this question should be one paragraph in length]
SLP Assignment Expectations
Answer the assignment questions directly
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don’t go
off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background
materials.
Make sure to 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 it is 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 and 14 on in-text citations.
Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My
Resources” in the TLC portal.
Module 4 – Case
CONTROLLING
Assignment Overview
Before starting on this assignment, carefully go through all
of the required background readings including the Pearson tutorial and the
textbook chapters. Focus on the four main steps involved in the control
process: setting goals and standards, measuring performance, comparing actual
performance to performance goals, and taking corrective actions. Also, pay
close attention to the different methods of control outlined in the background
materials.
Case Assignment
For this assignment you will be reviewing four hypothetical
scenarios. Go through each scenario, and think about what went wrong regarding
the control process. For each scenario, discuss the following two issues:
What do you think went wrong in terms of the four main steps
in the control process? Refer to the four steps in the control process
discussed in Section 9.3 of Badenhorst, et al. (2010).
What control system do you think should be implemented to
correct this problem in the control process. Refer to one of the methods of
control discussed on pages 212-219 of Hill and McShane (2006). Your paper
should be four to five pages in length, with roughly equal space in your paper
devoted to each of the four scenarios below:
Suppose as part of a company’s standards they require their
salesforce team to make 12 phone calls per hour with no more than five minutes
of phone time per customer. The company fails to meet their profit targets, and
a review of salesforce records reveals that they were only making an average of
10 phone calls per hours. Corrective actions are taken, and the salesforce
starts making 12 phone calls per hour. But profits still don’t improve and fail
to meet targets. [Discuss both questions A and B above regarding this scenario.
Your answer should be one to one and a half pages in length]
Now suppose an airline sets strategic goals of both reducing
flight delays and improving safety requirements. At the end of year a
comprehensive review is done that shows that the company met its standards both
in terms of reduced flight delays and improvements in safety standards.
However, shortly after the review the airline company receives several fines
from the Federal Aviation Administration for safety violations. [Discuss both
questions A and B above regarding this scenario. Your answer should be one to
one and a half pages in length]
An automobile manufacturer decides on a goal of reducing
production defects from 10% to 5%. Defects are monitored closely, careful
records are kept, and production line is often videotaped. At the end of year
production defects are still around 10%. Management decides that even more
monitoring is necessary and decides that all production processes be
videotaped. But after another year production defects are still around 10%.
[Discuss both questions A and B above regarding this scenario. Your answer
should be one to one and a half pages in length]
A video game company decides to boost profits by creating
five new games over the coming year. Carefully monitoring is done over the new
game development process and all five new games are created as scheduled with
high quality standards. However, only one of the five games ends up selling and
the other four end up losing money. So overall profits have not been boosted
and have actually declined. [Discuss both questions A and B above regarding
this scenario. Your answer should be one to one and a half pages in length]
Assignment Expectations
Answer the assignment questions directly.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don’t go
off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background
materials.
Make sure to 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 it is 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 and 14 on in-text citations. Another
resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in
the TLC portal.
Module 4 – SLP
CONTROLLING
For this final SLP you will be looking closely at the
control function of management within your organization. All organizations have
numerous methods of control, but think carefully about what control mechanisms
are most vital for your organization’s success. Then write a three page paper
answering the following questions:
Review the four steps in the control process discussed in
Section 9.3 of Badenhorst, et al. (2010). How are these steps done in your
organization, and which of these steps do you think is most vital or your
organization? [This answer should be at least half of your three page paper,
and should include at least one paragraph on each of the four steps in the
control process as applied to your organization.]
Refer to some of methods of control discussed on pages
212-219 of Hill and McShane (2006). Which of these methods does your
organization use (if any), and which ones would you recommend your organization
adopt to improve their performance? [This answer should be around one page in
length]
SLP Assignment Expectations
Answer the assignment questions directly
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Don’t go
off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background
materials.
Make sure to 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 it is 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 and 14 on in-text citations.
Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My
Resources” in the TLC portal.
