Student Number: (enter on the line below)
Student Name: (enter on the line below)
hi6005
management and organisations in a global environment
final assessmeNt
Trimester 2, 2022
TIME ALLOWED: 24 hours
Assessment Weight: 50 total marks
Instructions:
All questions must be answered by using the answer boxes provided in this paper.
Completed answers must be submitted to Blackboard by the published due date and time.
Please ensure you follow the submission instructions at the end of this paper.
Purpose:
This assessment consists of six (6) questions and is designed to assess your level of knowledge of the key topics covered in this unit.
Question 1 (7 marks)
Work requires different skills. Explain how the managers in different levels of an organisation develop different levels of conceptual, human and technical skills required in organisational processes.
Answer this question in no more than 400 words.
ANSWER: ** Answer box will enlarge as you type
Question 2 (7 marks)
When companies decide to expand internationally, they have to be aware of cultural differences. To be effective, managers need to be attuned to their cultural surroundings. Explain how people view things, with some examples of six dimensions of culture.
Answer this question in no more than 400 words.
ANSWER:
Question 3 (11 marks)
Scenario: two weeks before their scheduled interview, Mary asked Ron to review his goals and accomplishments for the last six months and to note any major changes in his job that had taken place during that period.
In the meantime, Mary pulled out the file in which she had periodically recorded both positive and negative specific incidents over the last six months concerning Ron’s performance. She also reviewed the goals they had jointly set at the end of the last review and thought carefully about not only the possible goals for the next six months but longer-term development needs and goals that might be appropriate for Ron.
On the day of the interview, both Mary and Ron came well prepared to review the past six months as well as to think about and plan for the next performance period and beyond. The interview took nearly two hours. After candidly discussing Ron’s past performance and the extent to which both sides felt he had or had not accomplished the goals for that period, they began to focus on what should be accomplished in the future.
The discussion caused both sides to make changes in their original evaluations and ideas about targets for the future. When it was over, Ron left more motivated than before and confident that even though he had areas in which he could improve, he had a bright future ahead of him if he continued to be motivated and work hard.
Based on what you have learnt in the unit during discussion in the interactive session, examine this approach to Performance Appraisal, indicating which of the principles were used and why it was effective. Why is it important to engage employees in discussion about the future goals of a company?
Answer this question in no more than 700 words.
ANSWER:
Question 4 (11 marks)
Scenario: When Satya Nadella became the CEO of Microsoft in 2014, he set in motion a major transformation of the organization’s culture. He wanted it to shift from a culture that valued “know-it-alls” to one that values “learn-it-all.” Instead of employees feeling the need to prove that they were the smartest person in the room, he wanted them to become curious and effective listeners, learners, and communicators. Only through continual learning and collaboration with one another, and with customers, would Microsoft remain able to develop and provide great technology solutions.
One of Nadella’s first mandates as CEO was to ask all the members of the top management team to read the book Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg. The primary focus of the book is on empathetic communication—a kinder, gentler approach than Microsoft employees were accustomed to. Nadella believes that developing empathy leads to a heightened understanding of consumer needs and wants and an enhanced ability to develop better products and services through collaboration. Nadella has also embraced diversity and inclusion initiatives, though he readily acknowledges that there is more to be done. This is, in part, an extension of his focus on empathy. However, it’s also good business, because increasing the diversity of perspectives can help to drive innovation.
This cultural shift is reflected in Microsoft’s new mission statement: “To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” Empowering every person includes Microsoft’s own employees. Achieving diversity is particularly a challenge in an industry that is male dominated, and Nadella admits that he has made mistakes based on his own biases. At a Women in Computing conference early in his tenure as CEO, Nadella suggested that women did not need to ask for raises Improving the Quality of Decision-Making.
How can a manager improve the quality of her individual decision-making? Managers can use a variety of techniques to improve their decision-making by making better-quality decisions or making decisions more quickly. Senior management team meetings at Microsoft have apparently changed dramatically as a result of the culture change driven by Nadella. Previously, members felt the need to constantly prove that they knew all the right answers at team meetings. Nadella has established different norms; he seeks out honest opinions from team members and gives positive feedback on a regular basis. By moving the focus away from always being right and toward a focus of continual learning, the culture at Microsoft has become more collaborative, and employees are more willing to take risks to create something amazing.
The culture shift seems to be paying off: Microsoft’s products are being described as “cool” and “exciting,” its cloud-computing platform is outperforming the competition, and its financial performance has improved dramatically. Transforming the culture of an organization is a massive undertaking, but Nadella’s leadership of Microsoft clearly shows that it’s a decision that can pay off.
Based on what you have learnt in the unit during discussion of the case study, do you think a culture focused on learning makes sense for Microsoft? Why or why not? What are the advantages of a culture that emphasises empathetic communication? Can you think of any disadvantages?
The job of the CEO means making big decisions that impact the entire organisation—like deciding to change the culture. How do you think you would prepare for that job?
Answer this question in not more than 700 words.
ANSWER:
Question 5 (7 marks)
Leadership in business is the capacity of a company’s management to set and achieve challenging goals, take fast and decisive action when needed, outperform the competition, and inspire others to perform at the highest level they can.
In line with the above statement, explain different theories of leadership with examples.
Answer this question in no more than 400 words.
ANSWER:
Question 6 (7 marks)
Some of the many causes of work-related stress include long hours, heavy workload, job insecurity and conflicts with co-workers or bosses. Explain the consequences of job-related stress with appropriate examples.
Answer this question in no more than 400 words.
ANSWER:
END OF FINAL ASSESSMENT
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