Guideline for Exam

MGMT300
The exam will have three parts:
- Part I Essay: include 2 essay questions on what we covered in the lectures,
including cases and videos (30 pts). See sample of essay questions.
- Part II Case Study: I will post the case before hand. In the exam, you will be
assigned two questions to answer based on the case (40 pts).
- Part III Multiple Choice: include 30 multiple choice questions on chapters we
have covered after the Midterm (Motivation, Leadership, Communication,
Controlling). (30 pts)
All answers, including multiple choice questions, need to be recorded in your answer
papers.

Sample of essay questions (for the whole course):

You should be able to demonstrate your understandings of the following areas. The essay
questions of the mid-term exam will fall within these areas.

1. What are the four management functions? Briefly explain each function. How
would you analyze the Man Gulch disaster using the functions of management
(Mann Gulch video)?
1) Planning: It is all about setting goals, establishing strategies, and developing plans to
coordinate activities. This requires delegating responsibilities and allocating employee
resources as well as setting realistic timelines and standards for completion of the work.
Planning also requires those in management roles to effectively keep an eye on the
progress of the team in order to make adjustments when required, while still maintaining
a clear image of a company's big aims and goals.

On the other hand, the case is given above clearly says the proper planning wasn't there to
meet the situation. The smokejumpers were not well versed in their work and so they
were in a panic situation while working. They misjudged the situation, they lacked
information about the situation at that time. They have no backup plan. Additionally, they
lack experience and lack professional training in situations like this.

2) Organizing: It is all about a manager's organizational skills that can help a company to
run smoothly. Managers are also responsible for arranging and structuring work that
employees do to accomplish the organization’s goals. When managers organize, they
determine what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks are to be grouped,
who reports to whom, and where decisions are to be made. From setting up internal
processes and structures to understand which employees or teams can perform specific
tasks, keeping everyone and everything organized for daily operations are quite important
functions of management.

In the above-given case, the smokejumpers are not well equipped with the training and
equipment needed to meet the situation. They were confused and not organized for the
proper working of their team. They don't have a clear statement of who is the leader.
They have no idea who will do what job. Furthermore, they did not know each other
before so they did not trust each other. Also, they don't have clear communication

3) Leading: Every organization has people, and a manager’s job is to work with and
through people to accomplish goals. When managers motivate subordinates, help resolve
work group conflicts, influence individuals or teams as they work, select the most
effective communication channel, or deal in any way with employee behavior issues,
they’re leading. It is quite important for a manager to be comfortable and confident in
leading their team members’ daily work as well as during periods of important change or
challenges. This requires a strong sense of leadership and direction when setting goals
and delivering new services, processes, and products, or internal policy.

In the above case, no leader was there to lead the team in a proper way. They were on
their own to make decisions and work according to that due to which the team was not
able to work well. Especially they do not trust each other.

4) Controlling: It requires a manager to ensure the proper functioning of the work

towards the success of a company. To ensure goals are met and work is done as it should
be, managers monitor and evaluate performance. Actual performance is compared with
the set goals. If those goals aren’t achieved, it’s the manager’s job to get work back on
track. This process of monitoring, comparing, and correcting is the controlling function.
A manager should consistently monitor the performance of its employee's quality of work
and the effectiveness and efficiency of the workers towards the completion of the project.
Management is all about controlling and ensuring the ultimate goals of the business are
that is to be met, as well as looking for any essential changes when required.

In the above-given case, no one was there to ensure the proper functioning of the team.
The team was lacking in skills and proper support due to a lack of controlling function.
Since they don't have a plan or a leader, they don't have too much control.

2. Why do managers need to understand their organization environments? What

are some general environment factors in the PEST model? Give examples.

Any business organization cannot work in solace due to the advent of the concept of
globalization. The activities of a business are now affected by multiple factors. Some
factors are internal to the organization and some external.

In many ways, the external environment can predict the trends and needs of
consumers, and managers need to be able to interpret consumer trends and apply
those insights to the company. Whether consumers are becoming frustrated with the
company itself, are growing tired of the competition (and therefore opening up
potential purchasing power), are looking for a new product, or are developing new
concerns regarding the company's image, the power of the consumer to change the
economics of the company should be recognized by managers.

Understanding the organisational environment helps them make sure their team
 supports their organisation’s goals. It also provides the opportunity to understand
and influence issues and activities that may affect their team.

If the manager does not study the environment, the whole production will go to
waste, due to lack of demand, thus it is imperative for all managers to study and
understand their organizational environments. Not only studying implementing
change in business policies as per the environment is also vital.

Some general environment factors in the PEST model

Environmental factors refer to variables regarding the physical environment. These
factors include ecological and environmental aspects such as weather, climate,
environmental offsets and climate change which may especially affect industries
such as tourism, farming, agriculture and insurance. This can include things like
consumer health, environmental policies, climate change, natural disasters,
pollution, recycling standards, the availability of energy, or any direct consequences
of these things.

Environmental Factors Affecting The UAE

The UAE has a hot, arid climate. Therefore, the productivity of workers might not
be as high, farming may not yield as much, and air conditioning systems may have a
larger market.
The United Arab Emirates is situated near several coastal areas, allowing for
convenient sea based trade.

Environmental Factors Affecting Marriott

Falling fuel prices might increase business, thanks to cheaper travel. Conversely,
increased fuel prices would reduce business — especially that funded by
international tourists who travel by airplane.
Over a greater span of time, climate change might affect the appeal of various
resorts.

3. Using PEST model to explain why it is so hard to stop counterfeiting products

in China (Counterfeiting product video)?

Political factor.
The government does not have a policy that inspects the goods produced and shipped
The government that is the political factor in China gives a big impetus to the
development of trade in China. They also have technology backing with which they are
able to imitate products. Neither the government nor the society revolts against the
products, so it is quite difficult to stop it.

Chinese authorities will do anything to avoid social unrest, and counterfeit factories keep
a lot of poor people employed. American firms may not like it, but they may just have to
live with it.
Faker's shop gets raided, usually not gone for good. It might change its name, it may shift
one floor up or down. But it will be back in business.

Economic Factors
It’s hard to root out fake goods in China e-commerce because of the sheer number of
sellers on marketplace platforms. It’s also hard because a fair chunk of China’s economy
depends on the value fake goods generate.
While China’s living standards improved greatly, the new industrial power lead to
counterfeits, as factories could cheaply re-create brand products. The counterfeit industry
in China seems like a minor symptom of industrialization. Hence, even if it is necessary
to tackle counterfeits, it was just the result of a growing Chinese industry.
Social Factors
People working in the production line are not informed about the illegal production of
counterfeit goods
- Chinese people do not know about the genuine goods they want to buy
he workers, mostly from rural provinces, make a few bucks a day and don’t have the
slightest idea that what they’re doing is illegal.

China may be the largest labor pool in the world, but ultimately, it’s all in the family. So
the buyer could be a daughter or a son.

The primary segment is buyers unaware that they are purchasing fake products. This
deceptive counterfeiting is rampant, but the market for fake goods in China is largely
driven by consumers who actively search for and purchase counterfeit products.
These aspirational Chinese shoppers purchase fake goods for the same reason the wealthy
buy real products: to emulate their high-class idols, impress peers, and enhance social
status. Fake goods allow shoppers to “consume” prestigious brands without actually
buying the high-quality goods.
Technological Factors
Chinese factories now have the skills needed to copy almost everything. While some
products may be legally imported as a generic, packaging or labels are later used to
disguise a counterfeit as the real thing just before it hits store shelves and online listings.

This same labeling technique is also used to provide false assurance that products have
met with certain safety and operational certifications, while in reality they’ve undergone
no such measures. This is an especially common problem with electronics.

Legal Factors
under Chinese law, someone cannot be prosecuted only because he sells a small quantity
of fake products

4. What are characteristics of an effective team? Please give examples.

Characteristics of effective team-

A strong team is that the foundation of a high-performing business and a decent

team ethic are often control for the most part in command of the success and sleek
running of the organization. If workers do not gel and work well along, issues will
arise, like poor organization, incomprehensible deadlines, and conflict among the
geographic point.

Following square measure the characteristics of a EFFECTIVE team:

A clear, elevating goal: typically|this can be} often a goal that has been
communicated to any or all or any .
A results-driven structure: The goal has been together set by all the team members.
they're absolutely committed towards achieving it.
Competent members: every team member has the required ability set therefore on
understand the team objectives.
Unified commitment: there's nothing happening in silos. With the complete
commitment from team members, achieving structure goals becomes easier.
A cooperative climate: Commitment from team members Associate in Nursingd an
honest leadership leads to a cooperative team with a productive work atmosphere.
Standards of excellence: Quality orientation is important to the success of any
organization.
External support and recognition: Appreciation additionally as appraisal is needed to
remain the morale of the team high.
Principled leadership: Leadership defines a team. Associate in Nursing fit leadership
will chart the team’s path to success.
Each team member participates actively and completely in conferences additionally
as comes. This shows a person’s commitment additionally as understanding towards
a project.
Each team member trusts the judgment of others: Mutual trust and respect is very
necessary for the team. this is often the only real because of attain the organization
goals.
The team has to be willing to need risks: Risk taking is Associate in Nursing
perspective that comes with confidence . Confidence on yourself additionally as on
the team, besides the facility to face all consequences.
Dissenting opinions square measure ne'er ignored: really , they are forever recorded
therefore on be revisited simply just in case the long run things dictate therefore.
Teams square measure given realistic deadlines: External support additionally as aid
is important to the success of any team.
An economical team desires support from each within and out of doors . It should
meet the individual desires of its members therefore on understand the
organization’s goals.
Example- The most obvious and likely the foremost in style example square
measure our sports groups. There square measure examples Loved by the media of
disagreement in some sports groups however overall the stress is on however well
every contestant on a team “does his part” in creating a team winning.

a supergroup that serves as a shining example of effective teamwork, look no further

than the Beatles.Arguably the most influential band of all time with over 100 million
 records sold and more accolades than we can possibly list, the Beatles’ success
didn’t happen by accident. In fact, it was the band’s ability to work together as a unit
that propelled them to superstardom.

5. Compare functional and product structures of organizations. Why most

organizations have some kind of mixed structure?

Functional Structure: As sales increase, organizations generally adopt a functional

structure. This structure groups employees into functional areas based on their
expertise. These functional areas often correspond to stages in the value chain such
as operations, research and development, and marketing and sales. They also include
support areas such as accounting, finance, and human resources. Fictional structure,
has reporting and authority relationships. The department head of each functional
area reports to the CEO; the CEO then coordinates and integrates the work of each
function. A functional structure allows for an efficient top-down and bottom-up
communication chain between the CEO and the functional departments, and thus
relies on a relatively tall structure. This type of organizational structure works best
in smaller organizations without too many distinct product lines, reports business
education and consulting firm Management Square. For example, if your business
manufactures and distributes two different types of ball, it wouldn't make much
sense to divide those two products into separate departments.

Product Structure: Product departmentalization organizes employees based on which

product line or set of services they work with. Each product line has a department of
its own, and each department has specialists in all of the functions needed to
produce and sell that product Companies with diversified product lines frequently
structure based on the product or service. GE, for example, has structured six
product-specific divisions supported by six centralized service divisions. (1) Energy,
(2) Capital (3) Home & Business Solutions, (4) Healthcare, (5) Aviation, and (6)
Transportation. Product divisions work well where products are more technical and
require more specialized knowledge. These product divisions are supported by
centralized services, which include: public relations, business development, legal,
global research, human resources, and finance. The departments in this type of
company operate autonomously from each other and are often better at responding
to changing circumstances in a flexible way.

Advantage and Disadvantages:

Functional departmentalization has the advantage of efficiency, because all of the

employees in each department are specialists in the same or closely related skills. It
has the potential disadvantage of inflexibility, because any issues that involve more
than one skill set require communication and cooperation between departments. This
is less likely to be an issue for a smaller organization, because the different
departments may be in frequent contact already.
 Product departmentalization has the advantage of flexibility but the potential
disadvantage that the departments may compete unintentionally. For example,
because each product line operates as an autonomous department, the actions or
strategies of one department may interfere with those of another department in the
same company.

The most organization have some kind of mixed model approach to because this
organizational structure is intended to combine the advantages of product and
functional departmentalization. A mixed model, or matrix organizational structure,
has multiple lines of authority with some employees reporting to at least two
managers. There are functional managers who oversee departments such as
engineering and marketing, and there are project managers who oversee employees
who work on specific projects. The project managers may also report to the
functional managers. Mixed model organizational structures optimize employee
experience and resources and work well for companies that are project-based. This
structure can improve lines of communication and provide flexibility for working on
multiple projects. Employees working on special projects still have links to their
functional departments and can refer back to the other members of their departments
for consultation and advice.

6. What do we mean by organizational culture? Describe the organizational

culture of the 3.dotcom companies?

Organizational culture has been described as the shared values, principles, traditions,
and ways of doing things that influence the way organizational members act
and that distinguish the organization from other organizations. In most
organizations, these shared values and practices have evolved over time and
determine, to a large extent, how “things are done around here.”

The organization culture can be defined as the set of values, practices, and
expectations which bind the employee and guide the actions of all members of the
organization

Organizational culture of the three dot-com companies:

1) Tellme

a) Open atmosphere in the company.

b) Ability to create your own job, define what you want to do.
Successes are public, so are screw-ups. It's like being in the boss's office all day
long.

Working close to the boss, seeing all the boss's activities "You'll be able to sit five
desks away from me, and watch me give a customer pitch, or talk to an investor, or
 talk to somebody from the press, or figure out what we should be doing with our
marketing strategy, or our sales strategy

2) Excite@Home

a) Open atmosphere, no codes, no rules, not business as usual.

b) Job is treated as love, passion.

c) Variety of services are offered to employees which helps employees to focus more
on work.
conveniences, they barely need to leave the office.

3) Bigstep -

a) Open atmosphere.

b) Everything is upfront, no politics.

c) Driven by the mission to help small businesses.

7. Choose ONE of three motivation theories: need theory, expectancy theory and
intrinsic/extrinsic. Briefly explain the key ideas. Use the chosen theory to explain
how SAS motivated their employees (in the SAS video).

Intrinsic motivation: rewards naturally follow from doing the task, e.g.,
achievement, autonomy, responsibility, feedback, challenge

Extrinsic motivation: rewards are external to performing the task and are
administered by someone else, e.g., wages, fringe benefits, promotions, recognition,
praise

8. Explain the concept of leadership and the differences between management and
leadership? Please give examples of leadership and management roles you observed
in your class? (Q2)

9. What are some key leadership qualities? What qualities did you see in coach Park
Hang Seo? (Q3)

10. Describe the control types and process (three-step model). Explain why Mr. Harris’s
venture failed? (Q5)

11. What do we mean by communication? Give examples. (Q1)

12. Choose 3 most important principles of communication. Explain and give examples.
How does coach Park Hang Seo communicate to his players (based on the video)?

13. Using four function of management to explain the win/lose of the teams in the
Apprentice video. (Q9)