Assignments

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The assignments in this course are openly licensed, and are available as-is, or can be modified to suit your students’ needs. Selected answer keys are available to faculty who adopt Waymaker, OHM, or Candela courses with paid support from Lumen Learning. This approach helps us protect the academic integrity of these materials by ensuring they are shared only with authorized and institution-affiliated faculty and staff.

If you import this course into your learning management system (Blackboard, Canvas, etc.), the assignments will automatically be loaded into the assignment tool.

Half of the written assignments are based on a fictional business called “Sun City Boards.” The business is initially profiled in the Why It Matters and Putting It Together sections of the Planning and Mission module. Additional information about the business appears in the Scenario and Preparation sections of each assignment. While these assignments work well together as a common framework for applying knowledge and skills developed through the course, it is not required to use all of the Sun City Boards assignments. Each assignment can stand on its own with the background information provided in previous assignments.

The other written assignments and discussions use a variety of approaches, depending on the subject and learning outcome being assessed; many ask students to go beyond course content to form connections between research topics and what they’ve learned in class. We recommend assigning one discussion OR one assignment per chapter, rather than all of them.

You can view them below or throughout the course.

Module Alignment Assignment Discussion
Module 1: Introduction to Management Assignment: Primary Functions of Management Discussion: The Importance of “Why”
Module 2: History of Management Assignment: History of Management Discussion: How the Past Influences the Present
Module 3: Planning and Mission Assignment: Creating a Plan for Sun City Boards Discussion: Mission Accomplished?
Module 4: Environments and Strategic Management Assignment: Strategizing for Sun City Boards Discussion: The Strategy Behind Your Favorite Product
Module 5: Decision Making Assignment: Your Decision-Making Process Discussion: Could These Bad Decisions Have Been Avoided?
Module 6: Organizational Structures Assignment: An Organizational Structure for Sun City Boards Discussion: Considering Organizational Structures
Module 7: Human Resource Management Assignment: Memo to Costco’s CEO Discussion: Show Me the Benefits
Module 8: Groups, Teams, and Teamwork Assignment: Team Plan for Sun City Boards Discussion: What Makes Teams Successful?
Module 9: Culture and Diversity Assignment: Memo on Diversity at Sun City Boards Discussion: Evaluating Company Culture

Discussion: Color Blind or Color Brave?*
Module 10: Leadership Assignment: Evaluating Leadership Discussion: What Makes a Good Leader?
Module 11: Motivation Assignment: Motivation Discussion: Rethinking Motivation
Module 12: The Individual and the Organization Assignment: New Operational Plans at Sun City Boards Discussion: Exploring Personality in the Workplace
Module 13: Ethics in Business Assignment: Memo to 3M CEO Discussion: Are They Simply Guidelines?
Module 14: Communication Assignment: Communication Plan for Sun City Boards Discussion: Communication Breakdown on Mars
Module 15: Control Assignment: Financial Controls vs. Balanced Scorecard Discussion: Out of Control
Module 16: Globalization and Business Assignment: Taking Sun City Boards Global Discussion: Managing Globalization

*This discussion invites conversation on race, which might require additional monitoring and involvement from instructors. This blog post from the Choices Program at Brown University contains links to helpful resources to facilitate talking about race in the classroom: “Approaching Race in the Classroom, Actively”

Rubrics for Written Assignments and Discussion Posts

For faculty using the assignments or discussions included here, there are also rubrics to assist you in grading. Instructors may download and modify these guidelines or use their own.

Grading Rubric for Discussion Posts

Written Assignment Rubric