Assignment 1 Organizational Theory (Week 3)

Purpose: 

In the first assignment, students are given a scenario in which the shipping manager who has worked for Recycled Furnishings since the inception of the company is getting ready to retire.  The scenario serves to set the stage for students to demonstrate how management theories have changed over time.  For example, managing 30 years ago is different than managing in the 21st 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 21st century manager to that of the main character in the case study and the implications of change in being a 21st century manager.

In selecting 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 need to research the theorist(s) and theories to complete the assignment and answer the questions below.  Students are expected to be thorough in responding to Part One. 

In Part Two, students are going to take what they have learned in weeks 1 – 3 and compare the management skills of the current shipping manager to that of you as the new 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 4-5 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page.

Step 3:  Review the grading rubric for the assignment.

Step 4:  Use headings following this format:

• Title page with title, your name, the course, the instructor’s name;
• Introduction (one paragraph that briefly describes the situation and tells a reader the main points of the paper;
• 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

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, 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 are expected to paraphrase and not use direct quotes.  Learn to paraphrase by reviewing this link:  https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html

Step 8:  In writing this assignment, students may use external resources but the majority of resources will come from the course. 

Step 9:  Read critically and analyze the following scenario:

Part One

Scenario:

Recycled Furnishings is a division of an international home furnishing company called Thor Enterprises.  Recycled Furnishings makes glass sofas for outdoor use from recycled bottles and glass. The business has grown rapidly in the last thirty years and now that it has become a division of Thor Enterprises, the company is going international.  The shipping manager for Recycled Furnishings, Robert, has been in his job since the start of the company.  Prior to coming to Recycled Furnishings, Robert worked as a container manufacturing engineer at Damco, a local shipping company and worked his way up to supervisor prior to joining Recycled Furnishings. Robert, a baby boomer, quickly rose to supervisor at Damco because of his ability to optimize the way tasks were performed and his knack to implement processes so workers could be trained to perform their specialized sequence of motion in one best way.  He brought this management style to Recycled Furnishing and helped to improve the methodology of furniture assembly as well as the shipping processes. 

A major shift in management occurred in the late 1980’s and early 90’s that caused Robert to reconsider his management approach.  For example, advances in technology, the organization joining a union, change in the value systems, organizational design and globalization all affected the culture of Recycled Furnishings.  Robert was successful with this transformation and contributed greatly to the company’s success.

In answering the following questions, make sure that the facts of the scenario and the course readings support the reasoning of the answers provided.

• Discuss the school of thought that best describes Robert’s management style when he first joined Recycled Furnishings.
• Discuss the theorist under the identified school of thought that best depicts Robert’s management style. What contribution did this theorist make to management and why was his or her contribution important to the field of management?
• Select and discuss the school of thought that best describes the management style Robert used once the shift took place? Why is this school of thought the best choice?
• Select and discuss one theorist who supports this school of thought. Address the principles of the theory and how a manager would do his job and interact with his staff.  How does what the theorist proposed support the facts in the case study?
• Compare and contrast the current management thought with Robert’s early thinking;

Part Two

Scenario:

Recently Robert announced his plans to retire.  You have been hired as his replacement and with the international launch on the horizon you have big shoes to fill.  You feel you are more than capable of handling the shipping manager position and characterize yourself as a 21st century manager. 

• As a 21st century manager, compare the way you will manage versus the way of Robert;
• What implications do the changes in management have for the future of Thor?
• How will the new approach to the job likely change the shipping division?

Step 10:  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 11:  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 12:  Using the grading rubric as a comparison, read through the paper to ensure all required elements are presented.

Step 13: 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.

Step 14:  Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder.