What traits does an effective manager display in the workplace?

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Assignment Instructions

TOPIC:  Why Do Some Managers Hate the Performance Evaluation?

You are to conduct research and write a paper on the following subject, “Why Do Some Managers Hate the Performance Evaluation?” and answer the following two questions:

  1. Some managers would rather get a root canal than go through the performance evaluation process with their direct reports.  Why?
  2. What does research tell you?

As you respond to the two questions listed above, please address the following:

  • What traits does an effective manager display in the workplace?
  • Is there a profile for a manager who may struggle with the evaluation process?
  • What are the key elements of a successful employee evaluation process?  How should a manager prepare for the event?
  • Develop an evaluation form for your direct reports and show how the evaluation criterion correlates to the organization’s objectives.

You are to support your ideas, arguments, and opinions with independent research, include at least two (2) supporting references or sources (NOT Wikipedia, unknown, or anonymous sources), and format your work in accordance with 6th edition APA formatting which includes:

  • A Title Page
  • Abstract with Keywords
  • A minimum of 3 FULL pages of written content, Times New Roman, 12 font, 1″ margins, left justified, and
  • A Reference page

Explain the basic steps of designing a total rewards philosophy.

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FINC 331

Interest rates are the “cost” of money charged to borrowers and we look at what factors make up an interest rate this week.

STUDY:

Nominal vs Real interest rates

Stated vs APR interest rates

Stated vs Coupon rates

Effect of compounding

Bonds, Bond Valuation, Bond ratings

Risk and return and risk & return trade off

READ:

1)      Module 2: Financial Securities  (Content>Course Resources>Financial Securities Module)

a)      Financial Risk and Return

b)      Valuation and Characteristics of Bonds

 

2)      Course Text : Boundless Finance Online Text

(A PDF of the Boundless course textbook may also be found in Leo under Content > Syllabus)

a)        Chapter 6:  Bond Valuation

 

3)      TeachMeFinance.com – read topics:

a)     Kinds of Interest,  http://www.teachmefinance.com/kindsofinterestrates.html

b)     Bond Valuation, http://www.teachmefinance.com/bondvaluation.html

TO DO:

Participate in the Weekly Discussion

Problem Set in ‘Homework’ #4 – My Tools/ Quizzes & Exams/ Finc 331 Homework Week 4

Check out Alaina Mackin’s file called  FINC 331 Week 4 Homework Hints.pptx

Begin Work on Group Paper

Discussion

Do bonds have a place in your portfolio? Explain your logic. Some considerations to touch on: time horizon, risk tolerance, and return objective.

HRMN 395

Week 4: Designing and Implementing a Total Rewards Program

Objectives:

After completing this week, you should be able to:

1.  Explain the basic steps of designing a total rewards philosophy.

2.  Demonstrate why segmentation of the workforce is integral to the design of total rewards.

3.  Describe the implementation process of a total rewards approach to compensation management.

4.  List the levels, types, and components of communication to successfully market the total rewards philosophy.

Read:

. What is the leadership paradox? Give some reasons why a leader can encounter difficulty in newly formed teams or groups using a participative management system. Support your discussion with at least two (2) external sources

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Module 2: Team Performance, Productivity and Rewording Teamwork

Module 2 focuses on performance, productivity, and rewarding teamwork. Based on your understanding, discuss the following.

A. Discuss how to access team productivity:

B. What conditions need to be in place for teams to excel and why?

C. Suggestion ways to design teamwork so that threats to performance is minimized

D. As a manager, how would you reward teamwork?

Module 3: Designing Team and Team Identity

Part 1: Think about how to build teams in terms of designing the task, selecting the people, and then, managing their relationships. How would compose a team for completing a course/work project in terms of the three dimensions listed above. How would you incorporate diversity in designing a team?

Part 2: Discuss team identity. Why do you feel attached to certain groups and teams but not to others?

Module 4: Communication and Team Decision Making

Part 1: Sharpening the Team Mind: Communication and Collective Intelligence

A. What are some of the possible biases and points of error that may arise in team communication systems? In addition to those cited in the opening of Chapter 6, what are some other examples of how team communication problems can lead to disaster?

B. Revisit communication failure examples in Exhibit 6-1. Identify the possible causes of communication or decision-making failure in each example, and, drawing on the information presented in the chapter, discuss  measures that might have prevented problems from arising within each team’s communication system.

Part 2: Team Decision-Making: Pitfalls and Solutions

A. What are the key symptoms of groupthink? What problems and shortcomings can arise in the decision-making process as a result of groupthink?

B. Do you think that individuals or groups are better decision-makers? Justify your choice. In what situations would individuals be more effective decision-makers than groups, and in what situations would groups be better than individuals?

Module 5: Discussion Conflict with Teams

Part 1: Conflict within Teams

Think of a conflict that occurred in a team you were a part of and analyze it. What were the main sources of the conflict? What interventions can be used to improve the quality of conflict a team?

Part 2: Creativity in Teams

Evaluate yourself using the three indices of creativity. What strategies can you use to enhance your creativity?

Module 6: NETWORKING: A KEY TO SUCCESSFUL TEAMWORK

A.     Consider the different teams presented in your reading assignment. How do the teams manage their team boundaries? What are the trades-offs between internal cohesion and external ties within each type of team? Support your discussion with at least two (2) external sources.

B.     Consider the list of common roles for team members which of these roles do you think you play in your own team or group? Why?

Module 7: Leadership Paradox and Inter-team Relations

A. What is the leadership paradox? Give some reasons why a leader can encounter difficulty in newly formed teams or groups using a participative management system. Support your discussion with at least two (2) external sources.

B. Present a discussion of the strategies for encouraging participative management in the workforce, and how to implement each of these strategies. Support your discussion with at least two (2) external sources.

C. What serious biases or misassumptions do groups that are involved in inter-team conflict sometimes experience? How do these biases and prejudices affect the ability of teams to accomplish their goals? Support your discussion with at least two (2) external sources.

Module 8: Reflection/Critical Evaluation of Your Learning Outcomes

Write a critical evaluation of your learning outcomes. In your response, consider:

1. The content of this class as they relate to Team Management and managerial decision making.

2. Base on the course content, discuss new skills you acquired from this class? How relevant are the new skills to your current and/or future profession?

3. How would you apply your new knowledge?

NOTE: Each MODULE has to be in a Separate word document.

Identify the information needed to develop a template that will be used to complete the individual employee’s learning plan.

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Assignment 2: Required Assignment 2—Career Development Plan

In this assignment, you will recommend the components of a career  development planning program and explain how the plan will integrate the  organization’s mission and value statements.

Consider the following scenario:

You work in the HR Department of an electric power company in the  southwestern region of the U.S. The company was founded in 1940 and has  an excellent reputation as a provider of electricity. It is also  considered to be an outstanding corporate citizen and known to be an  excellent place to work. It has been ranked among the top three  employers in the community for several years.
Its mission is to serve customer’s needs for electric power in ways  that provide exceptional value to all stakeholders including customers,  shareholders, employees, and the communities in which it operates.
Its values include providing a safe work environment; fairness and  respect for customers, employees, shareholders, and partners; honoring  commitments to use resources wisely; providing a high quality of work  life for its employees; and striving for excellence and having fun.
Given its long history, many of its current employees are children or  grandchildren of former employees so there are close family ties to the  company as well as a sense of loyalty.
However, technological advancements in the power generation business  over the years have resulted in jobs being either redesigned or  eliminated. For example, in the past, the company had many employees who  read meters, which showed the amount of electricity used by households.  Meter readers traveled from house to house each month to log the  information for billing purposes. Now meters are read automatically and  data is transferred to the billing department via computer. This  technological advancement eliminated the need for many employees who  were required to resign, be laid off, or be retrained for other  positions in the company.
The company faces a challenge as it strives to maintain its  reputation as an excellent employer in the community, and, yet leverage  advances in technology, which help it increase efficiency and remain  competitive.
As a member of the HR team, you have been tasked with the  responsibility of drafting a plan for a career development program for  the company which will help managers effectively guide their staff in  developing individual career development plans that are integrated with  and support the company’s mission and values. Your report will be  reviewed by senior HR managers as well as executive directors.
The HR department will have conducted a needs assessment as part of  its strategic planning process to determine how the company will achieve  its goals and objectives over the next 5–10 years. This assessment  identifies areas where employees with new skill-sets will be required as  well as areas where current employees with skill-sets may need to be  either maintained or reduced (laid off).
As part of their annual performance appraisal, all employees will  draft a personal and professional development plan on their own which  will then be discussed with their manager. This plan should cover a  five-year period and be reviewed and adjusted annually. It should  include both formal training programs and individual initiatives to  support personal and professional development interests.
By combining information about the company’s needs from the needs  assessment and employees’ interests from the personal and professional  development plans, it will be possible to develop a career planning  program for the company that identifies the overlap between the  company’s needs and employees’ interests and also detects gaps which  could become opportunities for growth in the future. Overlapping areas  indicate where the company needs skill-sets and the employees want to  develop them while gaps indicate where the company needs skill-sets and  there are no current employee interests in that area.
This process should help the company achieve a greater return on  investment (ROI) from its training budget thus improving the bottom  line. It should also result in lower employee turnover since employees  will see that their personal and professional growth and the company’s  needs are in alignment so they will be able to stay with the company and  meet their personal and professional development goals.

Instructions:

  1. Develop a six-to-eight-page document in Word format detailing how  you would approach and organize a program to address needs for  development of the company as well as individual employees. Be sure to  clearly explain how you would create the plan, but do not create the  plan itself. Use the following file naming convention:  LastnameFirstInitial_M5_A2.doc.

Address the following in the plan:

  1. Identify the information needed to develop a template that will be used to complete the individual employee’s learning plan.
  2. Identify the information needed in order to develop the company’s needs assessment.
  3. Explain how you would coordinate both the individual employee’s plan  and the company’s needs assessment into a comprehensive development  plan. Be sure to identify overlaps or gaps.
  4. Explain how you would use this information to create a roadmap for development of a career development program for the company.
  5. Identify other factors that should be considered in this program’s development.
  6. Explain how the proposed plan would help managers effectively guide  their staff in developing individual career development plans that are  integrated with and support the company’s mission and values.
  7. Next, create a PowerPoint presentation for the senior management  explaining how this proposed plan would contribute to the resolution of  HR issues facing this company. Use the following file naming convention:  LastnameFirstInitial_M5_A2.ppt.

Utilize at least three scholarly sources in your research. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

what might be some of the things you will plan to do and implement to build an effective team and culture?

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Team Management Activity and Reflection

This assignment focuses on how the management practices of planning, leading, organizing, staffing, and controlling are implemented in your workplace. Using the Ashford University Library and other credible online resources, find three Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources that provide information on Amazon.com’s business structure.

Here is the scenario and situation:

Assume you are an employee working in the Amazon warehouse, and you pack orders and categorize them into small, medium, and large batches. You are considered a packer. You have experience packing all sizes and have been with the organization for two years. You are considered one of their best employees, you have a solid reputation for being a hard worker, and all of your orders are packed correctly. You have also been busy; you recently completed Amazon’s management training program, and you have completed your BABA degree at the Forbes School of Business and Technology at Ashford University.

Congratulations: You have just been promoted to manager. You will be relocated to a new plant that is two hours away that employs 100 employees. You will oversee a team of 10 supervisors and 90 packers and will now oversee the entire warehouse operation. How will you work to use and apply the five functions of management?

Now let’s apply the five functions. In your paper, include the following sections:

  • Planning: Examine the specific areas you will choose to manage that fall under the planning function.
    • For example, what might be some of the things you will plan to do and implement to build an effective team and culture? People are the most important resource in any business, what do you plan to do to build a positive team culture? What processes and systems do you plan to use?
  • Organizing: Assess if the present structure that Amazon has set up is working.
    • Do you need to make or suggest any changes to make it more efficient and effective? What structure will you use and implement? Explain how you will use departmentalization in your organizational structure.
  • Staffing: Analyze your staffing needs.
    • How do you intend to staff your organization and replace members that leave or are promoted? How does the HR process apply? What things (if any) will you suggest?
  • Leading: Justify the leadership theory and style you will follow to ensure efficiency.
    • Will you use transformational or transactional leadership? Why or why not?
  • Controls: Identify what controls and measures you will implement.
    • How will you apply the four steps of control (these are in Chapter 5; i.e., establishing standards, measuring performance, comparing performance, and making decisions)?

Be sure to integrate vocabulary learned throughout this course and citations from the text to support your analysis. The paper should be five to six double-spaced pages in length, must include at least three scholarly sources, in addition to the textbook, and be formatted according to APA style guidelines as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

The Team Management Activity and Reflection paper

  • Must be five to six double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
  • Must include a separate title page with the following:
    • Title of paper
    • Student’s name
    • Course name and number
    • Instructor’s name
    • Date submitted
  • Must use at least three scholarly, peer reviewed, and/or credible sources in addition to the course text.
    • The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
  • Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
  • Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

What possible risks and liabilities could arise related to this contract term that designates specific and required training for GC cleaner-employees?

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Learning Activity 4

General Instructions for Learning Activities   

· Read/watch all assigned materials listed for the week in the Course Content

· Cite to assigned materials in all responses in Learning Activities

· Use only assigned materials to complete Learning Activities; do not use internet unless otherwise instructed

· Include in-text citations and a Reference List for in-text citations

· Write in correct, complete sentences, in paragraph format unless otherwise instructed

· Submit Learning Activities to Assignment Folder

Learning Activity:  due 11:59 pm ET, Thursday

SUBMIT TO ASSIGNMENT FOLDER. 

Background:  Contracts are essential for business, and will be an integral part of GC operations, so the owners now want to focus on contract law.   Each of the owners has experience with contracts in their own businesses, and appreciates the probable risks and liabilities associated with contracts.

The GC owners know that there are various types of contract agreements relevant to their business.  For example, GC will have individual contracts with employees, independent contractors, and other agents who will represent the company.  Also, GC will engage in sales contracts with other businesses, and sales contracts between businesses and consumers and clients.  Furthermore, GC will use electronic contracts, or e-contracts, in conducting online business transactions.

To reduce risks and liabilities associated with contracts, the owners want all contracts to be written, with specific, complete, and clear terms.  Contracts must define rights and responsibilities of the parties.  Also, since employees and/or independent contractors will be performing cleaning services on clients’ properties, these contracts should consider bonding.

You, Winnie and Ralph presented draft contracts for several GC employees, including contracts for cleaners, office managers, marketing specialists, sales representatives, and IT employees.

The GC owners reviewed the drafts and have some questions about the contracts.

Instructions:  At Winnie’s and Ralph’s request, it is your responsibility to research and provide answers to the GC owners’ questions.

The first questions relate to the GC cleaner-employee contract.

The cleaner-employee contract specifies the following terms and conditions:

· duties to be performed by cleaner-employee

· salary for cleaner-employee

· work hours

· terms of payment for overtime or holiday work, if any

· sick leave

· vacation

· training for cleaner-employee

· length of contract

· bonding for cleaner-employee 

· periodic performance evaluation and how it will be conducted

· termination of contract, i.e., notice of termination, etc. 

Research, evaluate, and respond to the owners’ questions about the contract terms below.

A.  duties to be performed by cleaner-employees

1.  What potential risks and liabilities could arise if the specific duties of cleaner-employees were not included in their contract with GC?  Explain.

B. training for cleaner-employees 

1.  What possible risks and liabilities could arise related to this contract term that designates specific and required training for GC cleaner-employees?

2.  Would the risks and liabilities be greater or less if GC did not train its cleaner-employees and hired only experienced cleaner-employees?  Why?

C.  bonding for cleaner-employees 

1.  What possible risks and liabilities could arise for GC if cleaner-employees were not required, specifically in their contracts, to be bonded?  Explain.

Format Instructions:

Prepare responses to GC questions in a report, addressed to Winnie and Ralph, to be used in discussion with the Green Clean owners.

The report should address the questions in the Instructions above.  Follow the format below.

REPORT

TO:              Winnie James, Ralph Anders

FROM:         (your name)

DATE:

RE:              Green Clean Negligence Risks and Liabilities

A.

1.

B.

1.

2.

C.

Identify specific legal and ethical issues that should be considered before, during, and after the merger.

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Assignment 2: Required Assignment 1—Ethical and Legal Issues

HR ethics are important to organizations as they can have legal and  moral implications. In this assignment, you will develop a plan to  resolve some of the ethical and legal issues involved in a merger. Use  the Argosy University online library and textbooks to read about ethical  and legal issues.

Consider the following scenario:

As part of the employment contracts, employees have certain rights.  For example, employees have the right to not be coerced into situations  against their will. They expect to be able to access the information,  which affects their job, company, and career. Such work situations can  increase stress, lower self-esteem and productivity, cause loss of  trust, and decrease efficiency.
Good employees who are looking for a more secure work environment may  resign and take valuable tacit knowledge and talent with them. It is  the responsibility of HR management to create an ethical work  environment before, during, and after the merger.

Instructions:

As a strategic HR Director, you have been asked to identify ethical  and legal issues involved in a merger and develop a plan to resolve  these issues. Your plan should address the following:

  • Identify specific legal and ethical issues that should be considered before, during, and after the merger.
  • Develop an implementation plan for managing the potential legal and ethical concerns for the merger.
  • Explain how the proposed plan would help managers establish an ethical work environment.
  • Develop a plan for how to resolve ethical and legal issues.

Write a five-to-six-page plan in Word format

Describe any symptoms that you have observed that support the diagnosis. You can include direct quotes or behaviors that you may have observed.

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Assignment 3: Diagnostic Case Reports

Access the Faces of Abnormal Psychology website. (For best results, use the High Resolution, Low Speed  link there.) There, you will see twelve different disorders listed. For this module, view the following disorders:

  • Major Depression
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)

After clicking a disorder, click the Diagnostic Overview tab in the left column. This will cover the major diagnostic features of the disorder. After that, click the DSM-5 Features tab. You can then go though the Case History, Interview, and Treatment sections on the website. Finally, in the Assessment section, you can complete an optional multiple-choice quiz. You have to write a case report for each case study. You should use the format provided on the web page. There is a sample report that you can also view by clicking the link in the upper-right corner.

The format for the sample report is as follows:

Your Name
Instructor’s Name
Class/Section Number

Background

  • Outline the major symptoms of this disorder.
  • Briefly outline the client’s background (age, race, occupations, etc.).
  • Describe any factors in the client’s background that might predispose him or her to this disorder.

Observations

  • Describe any symptoms that you have observed that support the diagnosis. You can include direct quotes or behaviors that you may have observed.
  • Describe any symptoms or behaviors that are inconsistent with the diagnosis.
  • Provide any information that you have about the development of this disorder.

Diagnosis

  • Did you observe any evidence of general medical conditions that might contribute to the development of this disorder?
  • Did you observe any evidence of psychosocial and environmental problems that might contribute to this disorder?
  • As per your observations, what is the client’s overall level of safety regarding potential harm to self or others (suicidality or homicidality)?
  • What cross-cultural issues, if any, affect the differential diagnosis?

Therapeutic Intervention

  • In your opinion, what are the appropriate short-term goals of this intervention?
  • In your opinion, what are the appropriate long-term goals of this intervention?
  • Which therapeutic strategy seems the most appropriate in this case? Why?
  • Which therapeutic modality seems the most appropriate in this case? Why?

Writing

  • Write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in the accurate representation and attribution of sources; and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Include citations in the text and references at the end of the document in APA format.

Submission Details:

  • By the due date assigned, save your report as M1_A3_Lastname_Firstname.doc and submit it to the Submissions Area.

Assignment 3 Grading Criteria   Maximum Points    Described the major symptoms of each disorder, outlined each person’s background, and described any factors in the person’s background that might predispose him or her to their disorder.  20    Described any symptoms that were observed that support each diagnosis and any symptoms or behaviors that are inconsistent with each diagnosis and provided relevant information from the case history about the development of each disorder.  20    Described any evidence of psychosocial or medical issues that might have contributed to each disorder, identified any safety concerns regarding suicidality or homicidality, and discussed any cross-cultural issues affecting the differential diagnosis.  20    Discussed appropriate short-term and long-term goals of each intervention, discussed the most appropriate therapeutic strategy and therapeutic modality for each case, and presented appropriate reasoning for your selection.  20    Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in the accurate representation and attribution of sources; and displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.  20    Total:  100       Due DateSep 12, 2018 11:59 PM

Identify, using simple heuristics, the indicators that show that the specific problems experienced by the three stores can be resolved through training

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Assignment 2: Case Study—Training Assessment

Training assessment is an important task for HR personnel. Use the  Argosy University online library and textbooks to read about training  assessments.

Then, consider the following scenario:

You have recently been appointed as a training manager for the  southeast region of a major supermarket chain in the U.S. Your territory  includes 15 retail stores. Your responsibility involves working  directly with store managers and other stakeholders to develop training  solutions to meet specific needs of employees in various stores. This  includes, but is not limited to, performing needs assessments,  determining appropriate instructional design and training delivery  methods, as well as implementing and evaluating training initiatives.
Three of the stores in your territory have missed sales goals for the  last two quarters. All three stores have received low customer  satisfaction scores and are experiencing increased employee turnover  rates. The high employee turnover has resulted in the store managers  hiring many new and relatively inexperienced sales associates, which  further contributes to the problem.
The senior management team of the supermarket chain believes that  training and development may help decrease employee turnover and  increase customer satisfaction. You have been asked to assess training  needs and develop a proposal to address the situation in these three  stores.

Instructions:

Use scholarly resources and your learning, address the following:

  1. Identify, using simple heuristics, the indicators that show that the  specific problems experienced by the three stores can be resolved  through training.
  2. Design a needs assessment plan and identify three specific training  initiatives you would recommend for these employees. Include the  expected outcomes for the three training initiatives in your proposal.
  3. Select one of the specific training initiatives you identified and  develop a budget of projected costs to implement this initiative.

Write a seven-to-nine-page training proposal in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

California Sutter Health: In depth look at Key accounting practices

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