OL 215 Final Project One Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
The final project for this course is the creation of a decision-making and principles of management paper.
As you continue on your path to earn a degree in business administration, you will deepen your understanding of how effective management is a crucial aspect of
overall business success, especially in today’s complex business world. As business and society continue to evolve, there will continue to be a demand for
managers who are able to organize their resources and strategically implement the functions of management to achieve the goals of an organization.
The final paper for the course is divided into two parts: Final Project One and Final Project Two. Both parts of the assessment will focus on decision making
and the fundamental principles of management.
In Final Project One, with the help of your instructor, you will select a successful company from the list provided. You will analyze the company’s best practices
and effective implementation of the fundamental principles of management. Final Project One is divided into two milestones which will be submitted at various
points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Module Two and Module Three.
Final Project One will be submitted in Module Five.
In Final Project Two, with the help of your instructor, you will select a struggling company from the list provided in the Final Project Two Document. You will
analyze the company’s ineffective implementation of the fundamental principles of management. Once you analyze the struggling company, your task will be
to make recommendations for a management improvement plan explaining how the company’s management team can improve in areas such as decision
making, employee performance, and sustainability. Final Project Two consists of one milestone, which will be submitted to scaffold learning and ensure quality
final submissions. The milestone will be submitted in Module Six. Final Project Two will be submitted in Module Eight.
In Final Project One, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
OL-215-01: Analyze how an organization’s goals influence organizational planning that informs strategic decision making
OL-215-02: Analyze the functions of management and ethical principles for executing effective decision making in organizations
OL-215-03: Apply management techniques that ensure the continuous improvement of personnel and business processes to measure
organizational performance
OL-215-04: Apply communication techniques aimed at increasing employee performance, thus achieving organizational goals and objectives
OL-215-05: Illustrate the important connection between management and organizational culture
Prompt
Your employer recently conducted an employee survey and the greatest area of concern was related to management. The survey revealed that many employees
are not satisfied with management’s performance, and the employees feel like the company’s poor performance is directly related to a lack of effective
management. The general manager has learned that you are currently pursuing a business degree and would like you to champion a team to help improve
management’s effectiveness. The general manager would first like to understand some best management practices from successful companies.
For the first part of the final project, you will identify a successful company. You must select a company from the list of suggested companies below. Resources
related specifically to the successful companies listed are provided.
SAS
SAS.com
SAS: A New No. 1 Best Employer
How SAS Became the World’s Best Place to Work
An Interview With the Godfather of Data Analytics, SAS’s Jim Goodnight
http://www.sas.com/en_us/home.html
http://archive.fortune.com/2010/01/21/technology/sas_best_companies.fortune/index.htm
http://www.fastcompany.com/3004953/how-sas-became-worlds-best-place-work
http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhigh/2014/05/12/an-interview-with-the-godfather-of-data-analytics-sass-jim-goodnight/
Google.com
How Google Motivates Their Employees With Rewards and Perks
Lessons From Google’s Management Style
Google’s Management Style Grows Up
Google’s Greatest Innovation May Be Its Management Practice
Zappos
Zappos.com
No Managers Required: How Zappos Ditched the Old Corporate Structure for Something
New
Zappos: A Workplace Where No One And Everyone Is The Boss
Zappos Company Culture (5:41)
o The captioned version of the video located in this document may be accessed in the following link: OL-215 Zappos Company Culture (CC)
Southwest Airlines
SouthwestAirlines.com
Southwest Airlines Opens for Business
Customers
Effective Management at Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines: Strategy Genius or Common Sense? (8:32)
o The captioned version of the video located in this document may be accessed in the following link: OL-215 Southwest Airlines: Strategy Genius
or Common Sense? (CC)
https://www.google.com/intl/en/about/
http://thinkingleader.hubpages.com/hub/How-Google-Motivates-their-Employees-with-Rewards-and-Perks
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/06/21/lessons-from-googles-management-style/
http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/12/google-intel-pg-leadership-clayton-christensen-chrome-netbook.html
http://www.fastcompany.com/1720052/googles-greatest-innovation-may-be-its-management-practice
https://www.zappos.com/about/
http://www.fastcompany.com/3024358/bottom-line/no-managers-required-how-zappos-ditched-the-old-corporate-structure-for-somethin
http://www.fastcompany.com/3024358/bottom-line/no-managers-required-how-zappos-ditched-the-old-corporate-structure-for-somethin
http://www.npr.org/2015/07/21/421148128/zappos-a-workplace-where-no-one-and-everyone-is-the-boss
https://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/index.html?clk=GFOOTER-ABOUT-ABOUT
http://www.forbes.com/sites/airchive/2014/04/22/southwest-airlines-opens-for-business-customers/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/airchive/2014/04/22/southwest-airlines-opens-for-business-customers/
Apple
Apple.com
Apple Management Lessons Every Company Should
Steal
8 Management Lessons I Learned Working at Apple
Steve Jobs Talks About Managing People (2:26)
o The captioned version of the video located in this document may be accessed in the following link: OL-215 Steve Jobs Talks About Managing
People (CC)
Once you have selected a successful company, you will then analyze its application of the fundamental principles of management.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Introduction. Provide a brief overview of the successful company that you have chosen to benchmark for management best practices. Consider
including specific examples relating to the fundamental principles of management and the company’s mission and vision statement.
II. Profile of a Successful Company
a. Explain how the company has communicated its mission and vision within the organization. In other words, explain how the
company demonstrates the importance of the mission and vision to employees and other stakeholders.
b. Identify the role management played in helping this company execute its strategic management plan. Justify your response. You could
consider including a specific example of a time when this management plan led the company to success.
c. Describe how management has helped to positively influence the organizational culture within this company. You could consider using
some specific examples, actions, or strategies that show how management has positively influenced organizational culture.
d. Explain management’s pivotal role in the decision-making process within this company. Be sure to include specific decisions made by
management based on principles of ethics. You could discuss specific decision-making models used by the company that may have helped
the company be successful.
e. Evaluate how the use of the functions of management within this company has adhered to the principles of ethics. You could consider how
using the functions of management while adhering to the principles of ethics may have impacted the employees of the company.
f. Explain how this company strategically uses human resources to develop its personnel. You could consider how this use of human resources
has enhanced the company’s business processes.
https://www.apple.com/about/
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-run-your-company-like-apple-2012-2
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-run-your-company-like-apple-2012-2
http://www.businessinsider.com/management-lessons-i-learned-working-at-apple-2010-7
III. Conclusion
a. Summarize how the company utilizes the fundamental principles of management to ensure optimal performance. You could consider
the actions taken by this company if optimal performance is not met.
b. Analyze the decision-making strategies of the company for how they consider all the parts of the company as an interrelated system. You
could consider how the decision-making strategies of the company align with a systems thinking approach.
Milestones
Milestone One: Introduction of a Successful Company
In Module Two, you will submit a one-page (maximum) document that will identify your chosen successful company from the suggested list. You are expected
to provide a brief overview of the successful company that you have chosen to benchmark for management best practices. You should also include specific
examples related to the fundamental principles of management and the company’s mission and vision statement. This milestone will be graded with the Final
Project One Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Profile of a Successful Company
In Module Three, you will submit a one- to two-page document that will provide a profile of your chosen successful company. This milestone will serve as a rough draft
and must cover the six critical elements described in Part II of Final Project One. You are expected to provide a minimum of two to three sentences for each of the six
critical elements: mission and vision, strategic management plan, organizational culture, decision making, principle of ethics, and human resources..
This milestone will be graded with the Final Project One Milestone Two Rubric.
Final Submission: Application of the Fundamental Principles of Management for a Successful Company
In Module Five, you will submit Final Project One. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should
reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This assignment will be graded using the Final Project One Rubric.
Final Project One Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Final Project One must be three to four pages in length (plus a cover page and references) with double spacing, 12-point Times New
Roman font, one-inch margins, and APA formatting. Include at least two references cited in APA format.
Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Introduction Meets “Proficient” criteria and Provides an overview of the Provides an overview of the Does not provide an overview of 7
includes examples relating to the company that was chosen to company that was chosen to the company that was chosen to
fundamental principles of benchmark for management benchmark for management best benchmark for management best
management (P-O-L-C) and the best practices practices but details lack practices
company’s mission and vision relevance or are cursory
statement
Successful Company: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Explains how the company has Explains how the company has Does not explain how the 11
Mission and Vision details chosen demonstrate communicated its mission and communicated its mission and company has communicated its
insight into how the company vision within the organization vision within the organization but mission and vision within the
crafts its communication for details are either inaccurate or organization
differing audiences cursory
Successful Company: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Identifies how the company Identifies how the company has Does not identify how the 11
Strategic Management justification includes an example has successfully executed its successfully executed its strategic company has successfully
Plan of a time when this management strategic management plan, management plan but does not executed its strategic
plan led the company to success justifying response justify response or details are management plan
inaccurate or cursory
Successful Company: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Describes how management Describes how management has Does not describe how 11
Organizational Culture includes specific examples, has helped to positively helped to positively influence the management has helped to
actions, or strategies that show influence the organizational organizational culture within this positively influence the
how management has positively culture within this company company but details are organizational culture within this
influenced the culture irrelevant or cursory company
Successful Company: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Explains management’s pivotal Explains management’s pivotal Does not explain management’s 11
Decision Making details discuss decision-making role in the decision-making role in the decision-making pivotal role in the decision-making
models that have helped the process within this company, process within this company, process within this company or
company be successful citing specific decisions made citing decisions made by cite decisions made by
by management based on management based on principles management based on principles
principles of ethics of ethics but details lack of ethics
relevance or are cursory or
examples lack specificity
Successful Company: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Evaluates how the use of the Evaluates how the use of the Does not evaluate how the use of 11
Principles of Ethics details include how using the functions of management functions of management within the functions of management
functions of management while within the company has the company has adhered to within the company has adhered
adhering to principles of ethics adhered to principles of ethics principles of ethics but details are to principles of ethics
may have impacted the irrelevant or cursory
employees of the company
Successful Company: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Explains how this company Explains how this company Does not explain how this 11
Human Resources details show insight into how the strategically uses human strategically uses human company strategically uses human
strategic use of human resources resources to develop its resources to develop its resources to develop its personnel
can lead to a company’s success personnel personnel but details are
inaccurate or cursory
Conclusion: Principles Meets “Proficient” criteria and Summarizes how the company Summarizes how the company Does not summarize how the 11
of Management details include insight into actions utilizes the fundamental utilizes the fundamental company utilizes the fundamental
taken by the company if optimal principles of management to principles of management to principles of management to
performance is not met ensure optimal performance ensure optimal performance but ensure optimal performance
details are inaccurate or cursory
Conclusion: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Analyzes the decision-making Analyzes the decision-making Does not analyze the decision- 11
Interrelated System details include how the decision- strategies of the company for strategies of the company for making strategies of the company
making strategies of the company how they consider all parts of how they consider all parts of the for how they consider all parts of
align with a systems thinking the company as an interrelated company as an interrelated the company as an interrelated
approach system system but details are cursory system
Articulation of Submission is free of errors Submission has no major errors Submission has major errors Submission has critical errors 5
Response related to citations, grammar, related to citations, grammar, related to citations, grammar, related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and organization spelling, syntax, or organization spelling, syntax, or organization spelling, syntax, or organization
and is presented in a professional that negatively impact readability that prevent understanding of
and easy-to-read format and articulation of main ideas ideas
Earned Total 100%
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