Assignment 3:  Applying the P-O-L-C (Week 8)

Assignment 3:  Applying the P-O-L-C (Week 8)

Purpose: 

The third assignment, a consultancy report, provides students with the ability to demonstrate that they have mastered the course content and can apply theories, concepts and ideas learned throughout the course to a situation that emulates a real world situation.  Students will read the case study that focuses on the four functions of management:  planning, organizing, leading and controlling (P-O-L-C) and respond to the required elements of the assignment. 

Writing reports in business is commonplace so writing a consultancy report provides students the opportunity to demonstrate a skill that employers are looking for from an employee. 

Outcome Met by Completing This Assignment:

•                   integrate management theories and principles into management practices
•                   employ effective planning processes to develop strategies, goals, and objectives in order to enhance performance and sustainability 
•                   organize human, physical, and financial resources for the effective and efficient attainment of organizational goals
•                   demonstrate leadership skills by communicating a shared vision, motivating and empowering others, and creating a culture of ethical decision-making and innovation 
•                   develop measures and assess outcomes against plans and standards to improve organizational effectiveness 
•                   identify the essential characteristics of decision making and indicate the range and types of decisions a manager makes

Instructions:

You have been hired as a consultant to help Mike Davis and his family to solve the problems with his business both day-to-day and over the long term (strategically).  You will create a consultancy report that covers the four functions of management.  In creating the consultancy report, you must also demonstrate how the four functions of management are interrelated showing how issues in one function impact other functions. 

In speaking with Mike, Ethan and Daisy, you already know the following about the business owners: 

1.      failed to develop or share a mission statement;
2.      failed to determine the best way to organize resources, including personnel;
3.      underestimates the importance of recruitment, job design and descriptions, and training;
4.      assumed that motivation will occur naturally;
5.      fails to define standards and other measurable outcomes;
6.      ignored negative information;
7.      delayed actions to improve organizational outcomes.

Be succinct in your writing but persuasive so that the recommendations will have positive outcomes for the business. 

Students are not using buzz-word and are not defining terms using a dictionary.  Students are expected to present the material in a professional manner describing and explaining to the owners.  As a consultant, you should be secure in your presentation to Mike, Ethan and Daisy.  Avoid telling the owners that they should do this or must do that but write in an action-oriented manner.  Students are expected to make connections between the facts of the case study and concepts, theories, and ideas presented in the course material.

Step 1:  Review “How to Analyze a Case Study” under Week 3 Content.

Step 2:  Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document.  This consultancy plan should be presented in a professional manner using single space, double-spaced between paragraphs.  The final product will be between 6-8 pages in length excluding the title page, diagrams and reference page.

Step 3:  Title page with your name, the course name, the date, and the instructor’s name.

Step 4:  Since students are probably not familiar with writing a consultancy report, the following resources have been provided to assist in writing the report. 

Outline for Consultancy Report

Step 5:  In writing a case study, the writing is in the third person.  What this means is that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing).  If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link:  http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person

Step 6:  In writing this assignment, students are expected to support the reasoning using in-text citations and a reference list.  If any material is used from a source, it must be cited and referenced.  A reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa.  View the sample APA paper under Week 1 content.

Step 7:  In writing this assignment, students are expected to paraphrase and not use direct quotes.  Learn to paraphrase by reviewing this link:  https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html

Step 8:  In writing this assignment, students may use external resources but the majority of resources will come from the course readings with a wide array of readings used.  

Step 9:  Review the grading rubric for the assignment. 

Step 10:  Read critically and analyze the case study provided under Week 8 content.   Notate the key points in the case study. 

Step 11:  Create an executive summary.   Although a report must be complete when presenting to a client, the expectation is that there is an executive summary so that the client can read quickly the main features of the report.  The executive summary should be written in a way that makes the client want to read more so it must have enough information to see the potential behind the recommendations without having to read the entire report. 

So you aren’t sure how to write the executive summary.  Check out this resource to help you write the summary:

How to Write an Executive Summary:  http://articles.bplans.com/writing-an-executive-summary/

Step 12:  Respond to the required elements of the assignment.  Be clear and concise in the writing and make sure the questions are comprehensively answered.

• In creating the consultancy report, students will first assess the business and identify specific areas of strengths and weaknesses of the business as it relates to the components of the P-O-L-C. In completing this section, do not create a heading for each element of the P-O-L-C but write from the perspective of the consultant discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the business;
• Select a management model (class hierarchy, democratic hierarchy, collaborative management or collective management) and explain why the selected model is most appropriate for Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park;
• Develop roles and responsibility of the owners and employees (Be creative in completing this task);  Discuss why these positions are necessary to the business;
• Discuss communication and the flow of decision making in relation to the management model;
• Make specific recommendations for improving the management of Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park. Cover all aspects of the P-O-L-C.  This area of the paper specifically addresses the areas of strengths and weaknesses identified above and puts in place a plan for the short and long –term success of the business;
• Create a balanced scorecard that will help Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park align its business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improves communication and monitors performance against goals;
• Students are expected to show what they have learned in the course by applying theories and concepts. Be sure to support your reasoning.

Step 13:  Using the grading rubric as a comparison, read through the paper to ensure all required elements are presented.

Step 14: Proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical issues, and third person writing. 

• Use the spell and grammar check in Word as a first measure;
• Have someone who has excellent English skills to proof the paper;
• Consider submitting the paper to the Effective Writing Center (EWC).  The EWC will provide 4-6 areas that may need improvement. 

Step 15:  Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder.