Country Background Analysis
Purpose: To give students a better understanding of the complexity of doing business internationally and to familiarize them with some basic international reference sources.
Note: I encourage you to select your country of origin if you are a visitor or immigrant to the US. If you are U.S. born but your family has ties to another country, please consider selecting that country. Ultimately, select a country you are interested in to make the project more meaningful for you.
Assignment: This project has four parts: (Points possible found in parentheses for each section)
1. Country Snapshot and Background: Select a country and conduct some basic research about that country to develop a Country Snapshot using the template provided in this handout and online on our supplemental website. In addition, include two to three paragraphs describing the country’s major strengths and weakness as well as some relevant history. (20 pts.)
2. Business Background In at least one paragraph per topic listed below (30 pts.)
- Business Climate: Describe Major business strengths – for example, is there a strong tourism market, extensive industry or natural resources, cheap labor, technological innovation, technologically
- Business Culture: Compare and contrast interesting facts about the business culture and practices of the country you select. For example, the Japanese are known for wanting to take time to establish relationships with the individuals they do business with by playing golf, eating out and creating a more personal relationship.
- Current Economic Climate: Explain how some unusual economic activity such as economic collapse or surge of new business activity. OR - -Other topic preapproved by instructor.
3. Article: Find at least two articles, at least one should identify a specific business that is either based in the country you selected or does business there. Write a short summary of the issue discussed in each article – the articles should be about some recent activity, innovation, law suit, business practice, etc. (not more than 5 years old unless approved) and each article should be at least four paragraphs long. One paragraph per article. (20 pts.)
4. Conclusion: A one paragraph summary (10 pts.)
5. Works Cited/MLA: You should have at least three sources. Wikipedia may not be used as a source, except in providing maps (as an additional source). Use the MLA style guidelines for your citations, which can be found on the library webpage at http://libguides.montgomerycollege.edu/c.php?g=340985&p=2296769 (10 pts.)
6. Formatting: Use a professional format similar to the attached sample OR develop your own format which includes a country snapshot, map and text. Be sure to include a Title and Subheads for each section as illustrated in the example on page two. Be sure to include a title for the paper and write your name on the paper. (10 pts.)
Deliverable: A two to three-page paper PLUS citations which includes all of the above information. Also include a link to the article you selected.
Question
Module Two Assignment Guidelines
Overview
Using the management skills and practices that suit your team and its objectives can help to ensure the team’s efficiency and productivity. Analyze the provided scenario to determine how management skills and practices can help support the team.
Scenario
Imagine that you are an organizational consultant for the SNHU Pet Supply Company. The director of retail operations has asked you to evaluate the reason for some of the team's drop in productivity and make recommendations for their improvement. Further conversations with the team members and managers reveal a conflict in the way productivity and efficiency is being measured and handled.
The team members say that their managers micromanage them. Each week, the managers send out a task list for the team and expect them to fill out detailed timesheets every day to cross-reference the task list. Any deviations from the list must be explained in a separate email. Moreover, some team members feel their skill sets are not being used correctly, and that they would be beer suited to do tasks that are not being assigned to them. This has led to some resentment within the team, not to mention high levels of stress to meet the managers’ demands.
The managers maintain that they have just been following the process that’s been set out for years in the company. The many unresolved issues are taking a toll on the team’s productivity and efficiency, which then feeds back into the conflict, creating a vicious circle.
Prompt
Write a brief report to the director of retail operations that explains the management skills and practices you feel will improve team productivity and efficiency, using the module reading to support your recommendations.
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria
Overview: Provide a brief overview of the problem you have been asked to resolve, making sure to note specific areas of conflict between management approaches and employee feedback based on the provided scenario.
Management Approaches: Describe the general functions of management as well as the purpose and benefits of using established management skills and practices, making sure to use course resources to support your explanation.
Recommendations: Recommend a new management approach, consisting of a blend of management skills and practices, that you believe will help improve the team’s productivity and efficiency. Explain why you believe these approaches will be effective, and make sure to use course resources to support your recommendations.