Homework
OVERVIEW
Develop three goals for two functional areas within an organization and identify activities that support achievement of each goal, using strategic alignment worksheets. Then write a 2-3 page summary analysis of the strategic alignment work you did.
Effective management encompasses four principal elements: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the limited resources of an organization to achieve stated goals. This Homework focuses on the first of these elements: planning.
An important responsibility of managers is to communicate the organizational vision, mission, and goals, and develop and execute strategies for achieving them. For this Homework, you will take on the role of a manager in a case study scenario, to plan how you will communicate goals to your team and develop achievement strategies and criteria. Your job as the department manager is to convert the organizational goals you have been given into departmental activities that can be accomplished and measured, and to align the daily activities of your department with the overall company goals.
By successfully completing this Homework, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and Homework criteria:
I. Competency A: Evaluate the purpose and relevance of management roles.
a) Analyze factors that define and shape management in the human resources functional area.
b) Analyze factors that define and shape management in a declared functional area.
II. Competency B: Evaluate how planning and decision-making influence the roles of a manager.
a) Analyze the value of planning in strategic management.
b) Create management goals for a human resources functional area.
c) Create management goals for a declared functional area.
d) Identify activities to achieve chosen goals for a declared functional area.
e) Identify activities to achieve chosen goals for a human resources functional area.
QUESTION TO CONSIDER
As you prepare to complete this Homework, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your Homework.
- Reflect on a time when you were part of a team that was assigned to make a decision. What were the circumstances? How did the process work? Were you in agreement with the decision? What were the results or effects of the decision? What would you have done differently?
Case Study Introduction
In this course, you will complete four Homeworks based on the Atha Corporation case study. Based on the scenario provided in the Atha Corporation materials, you will simulate an organization-wide strategy of goal setting and achievement by creating alignment between daily activities, department objectives, and organizational goals. As a manager of the fictional Atha Corporation, you will examine two functional areas within the organization:
a. The human resources functional area.
b. Your choice of one of the following three additional functional areas:
1. Sales and marketing.
2. Operations and production.
3. Accounting and finance.
For each functional area (both the human resources area and your additional chosen functional area), you will create a strategic alignment worksheet (SAW), developing different sections of both forms through successive course Homeworks. You will also create organizational charts for both functional areas. Note that you are expected to choose your second functional area in this Homework, and to continue to use that same functional area throughout the course.
Preparation
To prepare for this Homework, complete the following:
1) Select Functional Area: In addition to human resources functions, select one of the following functional areas to focus on:
o Sales and marketing.
o Operations and production.
o Accounting and finance.
2) Download worksheets: Download the strategic alignment worksheets for your chosen functional area and for the human resources area. (The SAWs are linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading.)
3) View Videos: Watch the Presentation from the CEO video and the Atha Corporation: Planning video, both of which are linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading. These videos introduce the Atha Corporation case study.
4) Read Atha Corp Documents: Read the Executive Department Management Instructions and the Doubling Sales Memo, both of which are linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading.
5) Research Planning Processes: Conduct independent research to familiarize yourself with the process of developing organizational project goals and activities. You may find the materials listed in the Suggested Resources for this Homework helpful, or you may search for other resources.
Strategic Alignment Worksheets
Complete Section 1: Goals and Activities in the strategic alignment worksheet (SAW) for both functional areas. For this Homework, complete only Section 1 in each worksheet.
1) Develop three new departmental goals (in addition to those provided in the worksheets).
2) Identify activities that support achievement of each goal, and list the achievement deadline for completing each activity
Instructions
For this Homework, consider that you were asked to assist an executive of the organization in establishing management goals and supporting activities for two functional areas of the organization. You will be acting as the interim department manager of each. Write a 2-3 -page summary analysis of the work you just completed for your Strategic Alignment Worksheets (SAWs). The executive is the primary audience for your summary, but he indicated he would likely share it with other key executives. To provide the executive with the best possible understanding of your work, your summary should address the following points:
1) For the human resources functional area, analyze factors that define and shape management (such as the economy, customer needs and wants, and innovation). For that same functional area, assess the relative influence of these factors (which of them have more impact than others).
2) For the second functional area you selected, analyze factors that define and shape management (such as the economy, customer needs and wants, and innovation). For that same functional area, assess the relative influence of these factors (which of them have more impact than others).
3) Analyze the value of planning in strategic management and the risks of not planning. As part of that, describe how planning is important to the achievement of organizational goals.
4) Indicate the research you used to support your work in arriving at the goals and activities.
5) Describe the current or past experience (if any) you used as the basis for this activity.
Format your homework according to the give formatting requirements:
1. The answer must be double spaced, typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.
Suggested Resources
The resources provided here are optional. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this Homework; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. The BUS-FP3011- Fundamentals of Management Library Guide can help direct your research, and the Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked from the left navigation menu in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help support you.
Capella University Library Resources
o Rao, P. S., & Pande, H. S. (2010). Principles and practice of management. Mumbai, IND: Himalaya Publishing House.
- You may want to pay particular attention to the chapters associated with planning and decision making, which are the focus of the Homework.
o The library e-books below contain relevant content on different functional areas of management that you will examine in your Homeworks.
o Aswathappa, K., & Shridhara Bhat, K. (2009). Production and operations management. Mumbai, IND: Himalaya Publishing House.
o Bogardus, A. M. (2004). Human resources JumpStart. San Francisco, CA: Sybex.
o Hiriyappa, B. (2009). Organizational behavior. Delhi, IND: New Age International Publishers.
o Peterson Drake, P., & Fabozzi, F. J. (2010). The basics of finance: An introduction to financial markets, business finance, and portfolio management. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
o Sheehan, B. (2011). Marketing management. West Sussex: GBR: AVA Publishing.
Bookstore Resources
These resources are available from the Capella University Bookstore:
o Robbins, S. P., Coulter, M., & DeCenzo, D. A. (2017). Fundamentals of management: Management myths debunked! (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.