#1 Program Capstone

Individual Project 500- 750 words

The new chief executive officer (CEO) of your company is a strong believer in the four functions of management theory. In preparation for a management meeting, he has asked you to write a report that he can use to explain the theory to his management team. In the report, he would like to see some specific examples of firms that practiced these four functions. For a company with which you are familiar, use each of the four functions to do the following:

• Assess how the overall management team performed in terms of the four functions of management, which are as follows:
  • Planning
  • Organizing
  • Leading
  • Controlling
• Identify and explain the strong points of the managers.
• Identify and explain areas in which improvement is needed.

If you do not have any firsthand experiences, ask friends or colleagues for anecdotes or search the Web for specific, real-life examples.

Specifically regarding the controlling function of management, answer the following questions:

• How did most employees feel about the monitoring of activities that managers put in place to monitor employee performance and overall company performance?
• How well was the need for control and monitoring explained to everyone before the controls were put in place?
• Did the controls have a meaningful impact on the overall department or company performance? Cite some specific examples.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Discussion Board 150- 250 words

You were recently hired as a new manager in a company. You are fresh out of business school and have few management skills. More importantly, you know that your role will also involve inspiring your department's employees. You have been told that the prior department manager, although a capable manager, seemed to do little to inspire the team to achieve high goals.

Research 2 people in the news that you consider to be each of the following:

• An inspiring leader (not manager)
• An uninspiring leader (not manager)

For each person, you are to explain why you characterized him or her as inspiring or uninspiring.  You must use information presented in the course materials or outside sources, which you reference, to make your determination. Do not base your discussion on your subjective opinion.