Principles of Management MGT 301 Term Project Semester 072 Section 01 & 02 Deadline: May 21, 2008 12:00

0 PM Organization Analysis Project This project must be completed in a group of no more than three persons from our class. Your assignment is to do an in-depth study of the operating environment and managerial practices of an organization, which you admire and might want to work for. You should, then, choose your organization carefully and plan to imp ress the firm s managers with your skills in research, analysis and communication. Your project should include several well-structured interviews of managers, empl oyees, and perhaps even customers. These interviews and other research should b e completed over the entire semester. We will discuss topics and research metho ds each week in class. Think about it. Managers that you hope to impress will only be impressed if you call early to make an appointment, show up on time, dress professionally, and s peak maturely. You should have an interview sheet prepared with the questions y ou need to ask and space available to briefly write your notes. The best project reports (those wishing to earn an A, take note) will also inclu de library research of the industry trends, challenges and opportunities for you r organization. Search the newspapers and magazines to gather the most recent i nformation on the organization of your choice. Search the internet. Think broad ly and creatively. Make this project a central part of your professional portfo lio that you will be proud to show to potential employers in the future. You can submit your project before 12:00 PM on Wednesday May 21, 2008. No late submissions would be accepted and graded in any case. It must be in the following format: Cover Page: Overview of the Management Practices of (name of organization studied) Prepared for Dr. Jameel Qazi Principles of Management Course CIM, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals A Study Conducted by (names and IDs of members of your group) Submitted May 21, 2008 Section I. General description of the enterprise and its environment. Discuss the organization s legal name, its form of ownership, its management and rep orting structures, its workforce size and demographics, its products and service s, its location(s) and layout of facilities, its important resources and technol ogies, its competitors, its customers and clients, and any other information nec essary to make the operating environment clear to your reader. Discuss the background of the top managers and founders of the organization (if available). Highlight the key features of the culture and overall internal and e xternal environment. Do the SWOT analysis. Section II. Description of managerial functions. For each of the four manageme nt functions below, give a detailed description of the issues this organization faces and the procedures its managers use to deal with those issues:

A. Planning - This function includes defining the organization s goals, establishing an overall strategy for achieving these goals, and developing plans to coordina te their activities. In this organization, what must managers plan for? (Produc ts, personnel, inventories, financing, facilities, advertising, seasonal demand, etc.) What information and procedures do they utilize to do this planning? Wh o is involved? What are their long term ( strategic) and short term (tactical) plans? B. Organizing Draw and describe the overall structure of the organization. This fu nction includes determining what tasks must be done to meet their goals, how the tasks are to be grouped into jobs, who is to do them, who reports to whom, and where decisions are to be made. It also includes the location and layout of fac ilities and equipment. In this organization, what issues must managers consider when they design their structures of people and facilities? How have they chos en to delegate authority? C. Leading - This function includes the tasks of communication, motivation, and conflict resolution. In this organization, how are leaders identified, recruite d, selected, trained, developed, and supported? How is the workforce motivated? How are performance appraisals used? How do leaders communicate? How are con flicts resolved? What disciplinary structures do they use? D. Controlling - This function includes monitoring activities to ensure that the y are being accomplished as planned and correcting any significant deviations fr om the plans. In this organization, what things must be monitored (sales levels , inventory, productivity, employee satisfaction/morale/turnover, expenses, etc. ) to ensure the firm s success? What control tools and procedures do they utilize? Section III. Analysis and Recommendations. Using information which you have gai ned from our text, class discussions, other business courses, and additional res earch, analyze the management practices employed by this enterprise as you've de scribed them in Section II. Identify some major problems that the organization is currently facing. Make at least three recommendations for solving those probl ems and improving this organization s operations and/or work environment. For each recommendation you make, discuss the potential costs and benefits that could be expected from making the changes you suggest. Bibliography - This project, like all research, requires using interviews and li brary and internet resources for information. Cite all of your sources. For in terviews, note the name and title of the persons interviewed along with the date and location of the interview. PLEASE NOTE - This is a term project and should demonstrate the best of your entire se mester s learning. Begin your work now and plan to turn in your project well before the final acceptance time of 12:00 PM on Wednesday May 21, 2008.

You can always walk into my office to discuss any confusion and problem regardin g your project. Alternatively, you can arrange a meeting through WebCT. Good luck