In our department, we have two majors, and within one major, we have four (4) concentrations. The department faculty have decided to consider the concentrations to be Disciplines.
Therefore, we propose the following lists of courses for the concentrations, and we propose to eliminate the requirement for students to take ENGL 230 Business Writing. Each of the courses listed is required in its concentration, and each of the courses requires multiple discipline-specific writing assignments.
Supporting descriptions of the requirements are shown on the following pages.
Management – General MGT 301 Foundations of Management MGT 341 Business, Government, and Society MGT 320 HR Management MGT 322 Organizational Behavior MGT 329 Organizational Management
Management – Human Resources MGT 301 Foundations of Management MGT 341 Business, Government, and Society MGT 320 HR Management MGT 322 Organizational Behavior
Management – Operations MGT 301 Foundations of Management MGT 341 Business, Government, and Society MGT 348 Operations Management
Management – International MGT 301 Foundations of Management MGT 341 Business, Government, and Society MGT 345 International Business
Management – General
Writing in the Discipline of general management (GM) concerns three major areas: writing done by managers; writing clearly and concisely; and writing with others. Topics include planning, organizing, leading, and controlling aspects of the company’s structure, operations, employees, and relationships with the external environment (e.g., economy, laws).
MGT 301 Foundations of Management
Management students (in all concentrations) and marketing students must be able to plan, write, and complete reports, recommendations for action, memoranda, and letters. Instructions for planning, writing, and completing these documents are provided in the assignment handouts and during discussions in the course.
In some sections of the course:
1. Students will complete a field research project in which they profile the management functions and issues of a manager in a local organization. This assignment has multiple elements and counts for 20% of the course grade.
- Students must write a two paragraph memo proposing a manager they would like to interview for the assignment.
- Based on an interview they conduct with the manager, students write a paper that (a) presents a narrative report of the management functions and issues of the organization, (b) compares and contrasts what they find with concepts we cover in the course, (c) compares and contrasts what they find with their expectations, and (d) makes a six-part recommendation proposing an action the manager may adopt to improve management in the organization. The paper is typically 8 to 15 pages long.
- A complete first draft is peer reviewed using a structured review form.
- The final draft, along with a copy of a thank you letter the student sent to the manager, is submitted for scoring.
2. In groups of 4 to 6, students read and analyze a popular book about management. They write:
- a project plan,
- an annotated presentation outline, and
- a slide show supported 15-minute presentation of their findings.
- Multiple drafts of the documents may be created and submitted for feedback. This assignment counts as 10% of the course grade.
In other sections of the course:
- Students write a term paper in four parts. The whole paper is worth 15% of the final grade.
- Papers are two-pages in length to allow students to focus on their good writing as well as the technique of writing for general management.
- In the papers, students apply lessons on the business environment, ethics and social responsibility, and the four functions of managing (planning, organizing, leading, and controlling) to their group as a mini-organization.
MGT 341 Business, Government, and Society
Instruction on writing the assignments is embedded in lectures on various BGS topics throughout the semester.
In some sections of the course, students are taught how to write about BGS through a series of eight 4-page case studies, which count for 80% of the course. These assignments are graded on content. Students also must write five 2-page sets of textbook questions which count for 20% of the course, and which are graded on grammar, punctuation, and length. Students are taught how to gather and analyze data on numerous variables (e.g., laws and regulations; economic variables; company activities; and populations) to produce reports analyzing and describing various aspects of the relationships between business, governments, a populations. Subsequent assignments build on feedback given on earlier assignments.
In other sections of the course, students write a term paper in four parts. The whole paper is worth 20% of the final grade. Papers are two-pages in length to allow students to focus on their good writing as well as the technique of writing for general management. In the papers, students apply lessons on the business environment, ethics and social responsibility, and business-to-business, business-to-government, and business-to-society relationships.
MGT 320 HR Management
Instruction on writing the assignments is embedded in lectures on various Human Resources topics throughout the semester. Students are taught how to write about Human Resources and occupations through a series of eight 4-page case studies, which count for 80% of the course. These assignments are graded on content. Students also must write five 2-page sets of textbook questions which count for 20% of the course, and which are graded on grammar, punctuation, and length. Students are taught how to gather and analyze labor force, job description, compensation, and union data, and how to produce reports analyzing and describing various aspects of Human Resources functions. Subsequent assignments build on feedback given on earlier assignments.
MGT 322 Organizational Behavior
Management students (in the general and human resource management concentrations) and marketing students must be able to collaboratively plan, write, and complete reports, recommendations for action, memoranda, and letters.
Instructions for planning, writing, and completing these documents (and their components) are provided in the assignment handouts and during discussions in the course. Emphasis is placed on learning to write collaboratively.
In groups of 4 to 6, students will complete a field research project in which they profile and analyze the motivational practices use in a local organization. This assignment has multiple elements and counts for 25% of the course grade.
- Students write a project plan outlining tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines.
- Students then write a two paragraph memo proposing a manager they would like to interview for the assignment.
- Based on an interview they conduct with the manager, students write a paper that (a) provides a narrative report describing the motivation practices and issues of the organization, (b) analyzes what they find in light of motivation theory and research, and identifies strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s approach, and (c) makes a six-part recommendation proposing an action the manager may adopt to improve motivation practices in the organization. The paper is typically 10 to 15 pages long.
- A first draft of each major section of the paper (i.e., interview findings, analysis, and recommendation) is submitted in sequence to the instructor for a substantial content and “style” review.
- The final draft, along with minutes of each of the group’s meetings and a copy of a thank you letter the student sent to the manager, is submitted for scoring.
- Students then prepare and deliver a 15-minute slide show supported presentation of their report to the class.
MGT 329 Organizational Management
Instruction on writing the assignments is embedded in lectures on various topics throughout the semester.
• Students write six case studies throughout the semester for a total of 30% of the final grade.
• Three of the cases are two-page papers that allow students to focus on their good writing as well as the technique of writing for general management. Three of the cases are four-page slide presentations that teach students how to write slides clearly and concisely.
• The cases cover organization structure, inter-organizational relationships, international organizations, organizational technology, information technology, and innovation and change.
Management – Human Resources
Writing in the Discipline of Human Resources entails use of various labor force statistics and occupational information to produce reports analyzing and describing various aspects of Human Resources functions, and how these functions relate to organizational strategy. In addition, writing in Human Resources entails use of industrial / organizational psychology principles to manage the workforce.
MGT 301 Foundations of Management
See above.
MGT 341 Business, Government, and Society
See above.
MGT 320 HR Management
See above.
MGT 322 Organizational Behavior
See above.
Management – Operations
Writing in Operations Management entails reporting on the design, direction, control and strategy of processes that changes inputs into outputs for internal and external customers in both service and manufacturing industry. Such effort may focus on one of many elements of operations and production along supply chain.
MGT 301 Foundations of Management
See above.
MGT 341 Business, Government, and Society
See above.
MGT 348 Operations Management
Instructions in Writing in the Discipline of Operations Management (OM) and also presentation skills are embedded in lectures. Students will write in discipline (OM) by:
1. Students will do between 4 to 6 mini collaborative projects in class while continuously supervised and get feedback from instructor. These mini projects will be written and submitted for %20 of final grade.
2. Students will take two tests (%25 each) where each will contain %30 of grade providing short answers in writing.
3. Students in groups of 5 will be a team responsible for starting a novel business which would promises success. For their chosen business they will make decisions on all aspect of operations, such as; process type and strategies, core competencies, compatible capabilities, break-even analysis, market analysis, inventory management, logistics, layout, capacity determination, forecasting, distribution, and more…. This project will include a written paper and a presentation, and is basically a substitute for final cumulative exam for %30 of final grade.
Management – International
Writing in the Discipline of international management concerns three major areas: writing done by managers; writing clearly and concisely; and writing with others. Topics include planning, organizing, leading, and controlling aspects of the company’s structure, operations, employees, and relationships with the external environment (e.g., economy, laws), especially in regard to government issues and global issues.
MGT 301 Foundations of Management
See above.
MGT 341 Business, Government, and Society
See above.
Approved by the Committee on General Education
February 24, 2012