Management 303 – Survey of Management

Management 303 – Survey of Management

Instructions for Class Project

Fall 2014

As noted in the class syllabus, a paper/project worth 100 points is required. Following are instructions for the assignment. These instructions will be augmented by class discussions regarding the assignment. You will be responsible for class discussions applicable to the project. You are encouraged to ask me questions and discuss your project as you progress, either in my office or in class.

The purpose of the project is to examine the impact of managerial decision making on people’s lives. To do this you will each interview three persons with working experience and ask them what one single decision made by a manager/boss they regard as having the most impact (personal or professional) on their life.

You will be provided with a template for recording the information you will need to obtain in your interview. Once you have done the three interviews, join with the other students in your team and write a three page synopsis of the findings from your combined interviews.

The project has three parts. The first two, conducting the interview and recording the interview will be done individually, the third part, writing the synopsis will be done in teams of three or four.

Conducting the interview – The template will have a question for you to ask each interviewee. Ask each interviewee the exact same question. Try not to influence their response by priming them. If you ask someone and they have no response, pass on them and ask someone else.

Recording the interview – Record the interview in story form. Stay as close to the interviewee’s words as possible. Record the interview in Word so you can share it with teammates and submit it as part of your completed assignment.

Writing the synopsis - In the synopsis you should analyze your interviews to determine where they are similar and/or where they differ. Look for themes, commonalities and contrasts among and between the stories and categorize the decisions accordingly. As a part of your analysis I would like you to address the following questions. Was the decision the type that would have been made with forethought or made quickly? Did the decision affect the interviewee’s personal life or professional life? Would the manager have realized the significance of the decision to the interviewee?

Synopsis suggestions:

Think beneath the surface, beyond the obvious (i.e. critical thinking)

Tie to things we have learned/covered (this course and others)

Address assumptions and values

About people/business:

Human nature (people can/can’t change, are basically good/bad)

Basic rights (deserve a chance, deserve the truth)

Relative importance (business/people come first)

Identify emotions

Expressed/implied

Manager’s/employee’s

Grading:

The distinguishing points for grading purposes will be:

The extent to which you followed directions

The thoroughness of your interview description

The depth of your analysis

The organization of your presentation

Due date:

The assignment is due Tuesday December 9th

Managerial Decision Making Impact Project

What one single decision made by a manager/boss do you recall as having the most significance to or impact on your life, either personal or professional.

Demographic characteristics of interviewee:

Time of interview Time of decision

Age _____________ _____________

Occupation _____________ _____________

Gender _____________

Ethnicity _____________

Number of years in a

Management position _____________

Answer given to the above question: