MGMT 4100 – Movie Project
The objective of this assignment is to give you experience in analyzing management situations and practicing your critical thinking skills. The written report gives you an opportunity to develop:
(1) Your ability to apply OB concepts from class and the text to a practical situation
(2) Your analytical and written communication skills
(3) Your intercultural competence
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1. Content of Paper
• 1 – For this project, you will need to watch one of the three movies: Outsourced, Gung Ho, or Mr. Baseball. These movies will be on reserve in the library for check-out, but are often available on outlets such as Netflix, HBO, AT&T U-verse or Amazon Prime Video.
• 2 – You will need to write a summary paragraph (synopsis) of the movie plot and its main characters.
• 3 – You will need to identify different scenes that demonstrate 8 (eight) OB concepts (see list of concepts below).
a. For each one, write up a description of the scene in enough detail so that someone who has not seen the movie will know what you are talking about. This means being detailed and descriptive about the context, the people, what everyone is saying/doing.
• 4 – Then, you will need to write a paragraph for each question explaining:
b. Which OB concept you believe the scene displays. Define and explain the concept (cite your sources) and explain why you feel that the scene is a good example of the OB concept (i.e., what do the people do/say/demonstrate in the scene you described that makes you conclude they are demonstrating the concept).
* For general concepts (i.e., leadership or motivation), please describe which theory is being displayed as well.
c. What you could/would do better/differently than the American and the other people in the scene to generate enhanced OB outcomes. (Be creative and specific here. “Learning about the other culture” is not sufficient. In addition, the response: “I would not do anything differently” is not allowed. There is always something you can change, but if you really cannot think of anything to change, please pick a different scene to analyze).
• Discuss here various OB concepts we discussed in class.
d. Why would your approach in part c work? What are the improvements/results/OB outcomes?
• Make sure to integrate OB concepts discussed in class or in the book as you discuss these explanations (i.e., since this is an OB paper, it should not all be opinion. Instead, you need to build your ideas and explanations on OB research). You may draw from any exercises or readings we have done as part of the class or from outside sources (however these need all to be cited and referenced).
Part 1 – International OB Concepts (3 total)
(Make sure to discuss both sides of the continua (i.e., for example, discuss both high power distance AND low power distance, individualism AND collectivism).
Choose from:
• Cross-Cultural Conflict
• Individualism vs. Collectivism
• High vs. Low Power Distance
• High vs. Low Uncertainty Avoidance
• Assertiveness vs. Nurturing
• Ethnocentrism
Part 2 – General OB Concepts (5 total)
Choose from:
• High performance workplace practices (+ type)
• Perception Biases (+ type)
• Motivation (+ theory)
• Emotional intelligence
• Emotional labor
• Team/Group development (+ stage)
• Decision-making biases (+ type)
• Conflict (+ type)
• Conflict management style (+ type)
• Barriers to communication (+ type)
• Influence techniques (+ type)
• Power (+ type)
• Negotiation (+ strategy)
• Leadership (+ theory)
• Organizational Culture (+ element and/or type)
• Organizational change (+ stage)
• Resistance to change (+ type)
2. Writing style of the paper:
• The paper should be well organized with headings and subheadings. The paper should have headings for the concepts and all the questions should be labeled with the appropriate letter. It needs to be clear which concept and which question you are discussing.
Example:
Motivation (+ Theory)
a. [Text – Explain the scene………]
b. [Text – Explain the concept. How does the scene exemplify this concept? ……….]
c. [Text – What would you do differently if you were the American expatriate and other characters? …]
d. [Why would your approach work better than what was done in the movie? What would be the result?…….]
• The writing should be clear and intelligible. Thus, it should display proper grammar and sentence structure. I would advise you to have the paper proofread at the AEC so that it displays proper spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax etc.
• The paper should use appropriate business and OB terminology.
• The paper should be typed and double spaced using 1” margins and Times New Roman 12-point font.
• All reports handed in for grading must meet professionalism standards. The professor reserves the right to reduce grades on unprofessional assignments (e.g., inconsistent font or formatting; lack of organization, spelling, grammar mistakes etc.)
• While there is not a specific total number of pages required for this paper, a rule of thumb is that each concept should contain approximately 2 pages in length (4 sections in each concept). In your writing, all aspects of the project should be thoroughly covered.
• The paper should have a cover page listing your name and class and a title of your paper, as shown in example below:
Title
Your Name
Georgia Gwinnett College
MGMT 4100
Professor Bontrager
3. Other considerations:
• Even though you may use a scene to analyze multiple concepts (maximum of two concepts per scene), you must discuss the scene and your analyses of each concept in separate paragraphs (i.e., write up the scene multiple times and do not discuss the different concepts together).
• The assignment has to be original. Cite the work of others properly. The textbook must be one of the references and the other references must be from either academic or professional sources. You can use GALILEO to find suitable references. Dictionaries and encyclopedias (Wikipedia) are not acceptable references for college work.
• Cite your sources in your text, as well as provide a reference page documenting the sources that are used to prepare the report. Each reference must contain the author’s name, name of article or document, name of journal/magazine/book or website where the article is published and date of publication.
• APA (American Psychological Association) formatting citation style is required. Please familiarize yourself with this style. Helpful link here: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html
4. Grading:
You will be graded on the following criteria:
a. Content – 240 points
• Following the project instructions
• Depth and completeness of your analysis. You need to add value above and beyond a simple summary of the movie scene.
• Demonstration of understanding of the movie and OB class concepts.
b. Format – 60 points
• Following the project instructions
• Clarity, organization, and professionalism (e.g., format, lack of typos, ease of reading) of your writing
• Appropriate citations and references
c. Late papers are not accepted.
Updates, changes, and corrections to this assignment may be announced in class or on D2L Brightspace.
Paper Template:
Synopsis
Part #1
International Concept #1 (e.g., Power Distance)
a. [Text – Explain the scene………]
b. [Text – Explain the concept. How does the scene exemplify this concept? ……….]
c. [Text – What would you do differently if you were the American expatriate and other characters? …]
d. [Why would your approach work better than what was done in the movie? What would be the result? OB outcomes?…….]
International Concept #2 (e.g., Individualism vs. Collectivism)
a. [Text – Explain the scene………]
b. [Text – Explain the concept. How does the scene exemplify this concept? ……….]
c. [Text – What would you do differently if you were the American expatriate and other characters? …]
d. [Why would your approach work better than what was done in the movie? What would be the result? OB outcomes?…….]
International Concept #3 (e.g., Assertiveness vs. Nurturing)
a. [Text – Explain the scene………]
b. [Text – Explain the concept. How does the scene exemplify this concept? ……….]
c. [Text – What would you do differently if you were the American expatriate and other characters? …]
d. [Why would your approach work better than what was done in the movie? What would be the result? OB outcomes?…….]
Part #2
General OB Concept #1
a. [Text – Explain the scene………]
b. [Text – Explain the concept. How does the scene exemplify this concept? ……….]
c. [Text – What would you do differently if you were the American expatriate and other characters? …]
d. [Why would your approach work better than what was done in the movie? What would be the result? OB outcomes?…….]
General OB Concept #2
a. [Text – Explain the scene………]
b. [Text – Explain the concept. How does the scene exemplify this concept? ……….]
c. [Text – What would you do differently if you were the American expatriate and other characters? …]
d. [Why would your approach work better than what was done in the movie? What would be the result? OB outcomes?…….]
General OB Concept #3
a. [Text – Explain the scene………]
b. [Text – Explain the concept. How does the scene exemplify this concept? ……….]
c. [Text – What would you do differently if you were the American expatriate and other characters? …]
d. [Why would your approach work better than what was done in the movie? What would be the result? OB outcomes?…….]
General OB Concept #4
a. [Text – Explain the scene………]
b. [Text – Explain the concept. How does the scene exemplify this concept? ……….]
c. [Text – What would you do differently if you were the American expatriate and other characters? …]
d. [Why would your approach work better than what was done in the movie? What would be the result? OB outcomes?…….]
General OB Concept #5
a. [Text – Explain the scene………]
b. [Text – Explain the concept. How does the scene exemplify this concept? ……….]
c. [Text – What would you do differently if you were the American expatriate and other characters? …]
d. [Why would your approach work better than what was done in the movie? What would be the result? OB outcomes?…….]