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MNGT 215 Spring 2008-2009

Fieldwork Exercise (By a group of three)
INTERVIEW WITH A MANAGER

Due Date: Saturday 4 April 2009
The Assignment consists of interviewing a manager. The manager can be a first-line manager, a
middle manager or a top manager in any kind of organization. Make sure you are actually
interviewing a manager. It is recommended to ask the manager you interviewed for a letter
certifying that he has been interviewed by you (include in the letter students names and date of the
interview). If it is not possible to get that letter, ask for his business card.
This assignment is designed to help you understand what managers, what factors affect their
activities, and what approach they adopt to manage people in their organization.

The following questions are general guidelines to help you develop your questionnaire and
they are mandatory. It is your responsibility to elaborate those questions and to add other
questions you judge relevant.

1. How do you spend your day?
2. What are the tasks you perform and how much time do you spend on each?
3. What is your management style?
4. What are the current issues and challenges you face at work?
5. What are the main objectives you try to achieve?
6. What are the major decisions you take? How do you take them?
7. What are the major problems you encounter at work? How do you deal with them?
8. What are the factors related to the internal and external environment that affect the way you
do your job?
9. How would you describe your employees behaviors and attitudes? How to you affect them?
10. How do you encourage communication and teamwork?
11. How do you lead and motivate your employees?
12. What is your advice for becoming a successful manager?

Paper Organization
The assignment consists of three parts. The first part is an overview of the company (its history, its
business, its size, its mission and vision, its main competitors) and an introduction of the manager
(title, position, career progression in the company). Browse the companys website and look for this
information before conducting the interview. By indulging in some advance preparations, you
would avoid asking questions for which answers can be found on the companys web page. This
part should not be longer than 1-2 pages. The second part should be the transcription of the
interview. It should be presented in questions and answers format, without editing and without
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modifications. The third part (and this is the most important part) is YOUR OWN ANALYSIS of
what you have learned from the fieldwork. The analysis should not rehash what has already been
said in the interview. Rather, you should process the supporting facts obtained from the interview
and link them to the course material to diagnose the internal dynamics of the organization, its
external contextual setting, and the manager roles and responsibilities in light of such an
environment. A comprehensive conclusion should be written that reflects your opinions and your
thoughts regarding what you learned or experienced during the assignment. Of particular
importance is the determination as to whether or not the practical observations of the fieldwork are
similar or different from the theoretical concepts learned in class and why.

Paper Format
The assignment should include a cover page stating the name of all three group members, the class
and section (i.e. MNGT 215 section 1) as well as the date of the interview, the position of the
manager interviewed and the name of the company.
You should also include on a separate page the outline of your report with the corresponding page
number of each heading.
You should also include an appendix certifying to the effect that you have conducted the interview
with the manager (a letter, signature, and stapled business card).
The assignment should be 10-15 typed pages and should have the following format:
Line spacing 1.5
J ustified paragraphs
Numbered pages
Font: Times New Roman
Size: 12 (except for titles16, sub titles 14)

Paper Submission
The assignment should be uploaded on Turnitin by one group member by the due date. Please
review the syllabus for class policy regarding late assignments. A hard copy should be presented
to the instructor during the session following your submission of the assignment on Turnitin.