Ciencias Politicas

Contemporary Management Concepts

MAN 6055 Fall, 2012 CRN 80095

Mid-term Exam

Due on October 15, 2012

(covers chapter 1 – 8)

worth 25% of your overall course grade

Below is your mid-term exam. It consists of ten multipart questions (each worth ten points) that cover content from the first 8 chapters of your textbook. This is a significant grading component of your course. There is no minimum or maximum length for each answer. This is an open book exam. You do not need to use additional resources in completing this exam but if you choose to do so, please make sure you appropriately reference your sources.

One of the great difficulties in distance learning is that there is a burden on the student to document in detail the material covered to demonstrate that learning is taking place. In evaluating your particular responses to this midterm examination, I am looking for a demonstration of understanding of the chapter content and an ability to apply the material being covered to real world situations. As we cannot have an individual verbal dialogue to facilitate my ability to assess whether you understand and can apply the key issues and concepts focused on in this course, it is imperative that you provide sufficient depth and breadth in your written explanations.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments regarding this exam. Good luck!

Chapter 1 Management and its Evolution

1. a. Assume you are the manager of one of the local supermarkets. Next time you are shopping there, observe how it is managed and then apply the four functions of management ( p. 10) to that store. You should assign it a letter grade for each of the four functions and then recommend how it might improve its management.

Publix Supermarket

Planning

Function Grade Reason

Planning C Large crowds and long waiting time in registers. This could have been foreseen due to the weekend and nice weather.

Organizing B Transactions seemed to flow smoothly which indicate that systems are integrated throughout.

Leading A Customer service and staff seemed knowledgeable and felt comfortable requesting support from superiors.

Controlling C There was no security guard present which means there could be a lot of theft. Also, a lot of open packages throughout the store indicate low control measurements are being put into place.

b. What were the important contributions of scientific management? What were its limitations?

The main contribution of scientific management would be that it offered a way in which managers could dedicate their time to planning and controlling while employees would be paid depending on their merits which in turn meant there was a possibility for them to earn more money this way.

The limitations mentioned by Maslow were that money would only be sufficient to satisfy very basic needs. More motivation and meaning were needed in order to fulfill more complex needs and in this opinion scientific management could not reach this level of satisfaction in the workplace.

Chapter 2 Managing in a Global Environment

2. a. If you were CEO of a medium-sized U.S. manufacturing firm, which of the changing patterns of international business identified in this chapter would concern you most? Explain.

If I were, for example, the CEO of a toy making company, the pattern that would concern me the most would be the lowering of trade barriers due to the fact that it is possible that my product would have new competition which would enter the country at lower prices than what I can even manufacture at This mainly because labor and raw materials are lower in many countries compared to the US .

b. If you were the owner of a small but rapidly growing high-tech firm making sophisticated computer chips for medical equipment, which mode of entry would you prefer for entering foreign markets? Explain

I would use exporting. The reason I would choose exporting is that it would give my production plant higher productivity plus I would guarantee the quality of my products offered overseas. The advantage I find over licensing, joint ventures and the other methods which include partnering up is that I could not guarantee the quality of my products, the availability and also the fact that I might have to give up company secrets. The second option would be ownership but I would prefer having to deal with only one production plant rather than multiple.

Chapter 3 Managing Social Responsibility and Ethics

3. What Good is an Honor System?

Numerous universities, including Florida Gulf Coast University, have an academic honor system (You can read the FGCU policy statement at the bottom of the class syllabus). For example, if you saw another student cheating, you are supposed to turn that student in to the authorities. In reality, some students do cheat, but only rarely do other students report the problem. There seems to be several reasons for this (1) it is a hassle to get involved because you have to go to meetings, fill out forms, and answer numerous questions; (2) nobody wants to be considered a “tattletale” and (3) even if you are sure the person has cheated, you have to have very specific evidence to support the charge.

Many employers also have honesty policies in place. Perhaps your firm has one. For example, an article in FastTimes magazine discusses the honesty policy of three firms and how it impacts their culture and business success (go to http://www.fastcompany.com/online/37/honesty.html

to read the article). But as with an academic honesty policy bringing a complaint against another professional is difficult: (1) it takes time and energy to get involved; (2) no one trusts or likes a person who turns in a peer; and (3) evidence to support a complaint is often poor or difficult to obtain.

What are the ethical dilemmas students face while going to college? What examples can you provide from your own or others’ experience to support this? Discuss the ethical dilemmas employees face in performing their jobs. Give some specific examples (consider

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