- Using your own words, define organizational behavior (OB) and discuss the importance
of OB as a field of study. (Chapter 1)
- The Marketing Department employees have a reputation for not meeting deadlines,
coming into work late and leaving early. The Marketing Department employees have not
had a direct supervisor for three months. You have recently been hired as the new
Marketing Department Supervisor. Your supervisor has said you need to “fix the
problem” in the Marketing Department. As the new supervisor, how would you apply the
Nine Step Decision-Making System: A logical Approach to Problem Solving (Chapter 2)
to the situation? Explain each step and how you would apply it.
- What four resources do managers have the responsibility to allocate effectively? Explain
each resource and provide an example of each. How do these four resources relate to
the performance and productivity of the firm? (Chapter 7, page 179)
- You have been asked by the company President to lead a team that has been assigned
to evaluate the effectiveness of the merchandise shipment process for your company.
You are very excited about this opportunity to show management that you have
leadership skills and can handle these types of special assignments. Kay (your
coworker) is also a member of this team, but he has missed important team meetings,
hasn’t submitted his assigned tasks to the team and seems somewhat disinterested in
being a team member. Identify and discuss two communication concepts or ideas from
your text that you would use to resolve this issue. (Chapter 4)
- Describe and discuss factors that should be taken into consideration when determining
disciplinary action for an employee. (Chapter 9, page 247)
- Based upon the statements below explain the disciplinary action that you would take as
the supervisor and why.
a. Teresa has been an exceptional employee until the last few weeks. Two weeks
ago, you spoke to her about being late. Teresa apologized and stated she was
having personal problems at home. This week Teresa has arrived to work at least 30 minutes late on two days.
b. Gary, a driver for your company, arrived at work intoxicated.
c. Zack has been with your company for 20 years. He has an exceptional knowledge of the engineering aspects of a large project that the company is implementing. You were recently told that he was going home for hours at a time instead of “being at meetings” as you believed. When you confronted Zack about this accusation, he admitted he has been going home because he gets tired and needs a nap.
d. Six months ago, the Informational Technology (IT) Department provided all managers with a list of staff who are “surfing” the Web for long periods during working hours. Deb was on this list. Deb joined the company 15 months ago. She is good friends with the company President. She has been in your department for nine months. You talked with Deb about her personal use of work computers and reiterated the company’s policy of non-personal use. You thought the meeting went well and that she clearly understood the company’s policy. The IT Department just contacted you to let you know that Deb has again been surfing the Net, for hours at a time, on Web sites that do not relate to her work.
- Helpful Hints:
• Each answer must be written in an essay format (introduction, body, and conclusion).
• This is a Midterm Project. The answers must be detailed. Each answer should be at least a half a page in length and strong on content.
• All textbook concepts must be referenced by page number.
• Provide the appropriate citation for any material used other then the textbook.
• Use your own words.
Provide examples or experiences that you have had that could be used to explain your ideas.
• Remember to show your instructor that you can apply the information that you learned in the course.
