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300-Level Management
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Comparative Management Systems: U. S. and Japan MGT 343 WI & E Fall 2004 D. P. S. Bhawuk, Ph. D. Day:
Wednesday; Time: 3 to 5:45
pm.; Class Room: D-106 PREREQUISITE: BUS 315 TEXT: Assigned journal articles and book chapters, which are available from Professional Image, 2633 S. King Street, Honolulu, HI 96826, Tel: 973-6599. The Steel King by K. K. Seo available in Sinclair Library.COURSE OBJECTIVES This is an advanced management course that will prepare you for the global workplace. You will critically examine similarities and differences in management--people, processes, and environment--between U. S. and Japan. You will learn theories in social sciences, specifically in psychology, sociology, political science, and management, which attempt to explain differences in management practices between the United States and Japan. By focusing on Japan and the United States, the course will provide you the tools to compare and contrast management practices across nations. The course will particularly help you to examine the role of culture in shaping managerial behaviors. This course will also allow you to examine ethical issues facing various contemporary business activities and practices. In the post Enron business environment, ethics has come to take a center stage in business life, and it is critical for business managers to think about ethical issues in business, and to know their own position on these issues. You will examine ethical dilemmas facing managers in managing industrial conflict, downsizing, negotiating across cultures, and leading people. You will also examine the ethical consequences of adopting Taylorism, and driving organizations to be a market leader. This course will particularly help you to examine the role of culture in shaping our ethical perspectives, and how in the global workplace we need to develop a cross-culturally sensitive and relativistic ethical perspective. CLASS STRUCTURE A variety of methods like lecture, group discussions, experiential exercises, case studies, and films will be used. |
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You will write a 10-page paper, critically evaluating some aspects of management comparing the U. S. and Japan. This will help you polish your critical thinking and writing skills and apply the knowledge you acquire during the course. You will write a special section on ethical issues facing this particular management topic in US and Japan, and evaluate it from a cross-cultural perspective. To help you develop skills to work in groups, you will work in small groups to write a 25-page report comparing the management practices of a Japanese and an American company in the same industry. You will write a special section evaluating and critically examining how socially responsible or otherwise these two organizations have been in the past, and recommend a course of action for these organizations to become more responsible in the future. You will present your report to the class, which will provide you an opportunity to make a team presentation. You will also write a book review of the book The Steel King. The 10-page book review should focus on critically analyzing what you learned from the book in light of the concepts discussed in the course. Evaluate if you would consider Mr. T. J. Park an ethical leader, and explain why. |
Syllabus addresses Hallmark 1: writing promotes the learning of course materials |
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In the take-home final examination you will report what you learned in the course during the entire semester covering all the assigned readings, material covered in the lecture, and students’ class presentations. You will write a special section on what you learned about management of ethics in organizations, and the ethics of managing people and organizations across cultures. You should participate in the class by asking interesting questions, sharing ideas from your critical papers, and discussing what you learn from your group projects. Be ready to take a stand on some management issues and defend your position. |
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You must conference with me at least two times during the semester to discuss progress made on your written assignments and the effectiveness of the course in facilitating your learning. This will contribute to your class participation grade. POLICIES
EXTRA-CREDIT You can earn extra credit in two ways. Read an article from Harvard Business Review, California Management Review, and Sloan Management Review on Japanese management or ethical issues facing multinational organizations and write 3-5 pages about what you have learned from it (10 points; maximum of 50 points; Submission date: March 20, 2003). Read a book on Japanese management (my approval of the book is needed) and write a 10-page summary about what you have learned from it (50 points; Submission date: May 01, 2003). PLAN HOW MUCH EXTRA-CREDITS YOU WANT TO DO. DON’T TRY TO DO IT ALL IN THE END. IT DOES NOT WORK OUT.
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Syllabus addresses
Hallmark 2: interaction between teacher and students while
students do assigned writing Syllabus includes a statement regarding plagiarism and consequences. |
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EVALUATION (Suggested Submission Dates) Book report (…) 150 points Critical paper (…) 300 points Company report (…) 300 points What I Learned (…) 150 points Class participation 100 points Total 1000 points GRADE A+ > 975 A > 950 A- > 900 B+ > 875 B> 850 B- >800 C+> 775 C > 750 C-> 700 D > 675 D > 750 D-> 600 F < 600 YOU CAN SCHEDULE YOUR OWN SUBMISSION DATES, WHICH SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO ME BY ___________. IF YOU DO NOT SET YOUR OWN SUBMISSION DATES, THEN THE ABOVE DATES WILL BE BINDING. SET YOUR OWN GOALS AND submission dates. Remember, if you don’t control your life, somebody else will.
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Syllabus addresses Hallmark 3: writing contributes significantly to each student's course grade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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CLASS SCHEDULE Day/Date Quiz/Paper Topics Wed Course overview Why comparative management? Overview of Japanese Management Practices
Wed IR systems in the US and Japan
Wed CP outline: 3 page HRM systems in the US and Japan
Wed Quality control in the U. S. and Japan
Wed CP draft #1: 6 page Worker participation in the U. S. and Japan
Wed Taylorism, Fordism, and Toyotism
Wed Book Report Negotiation, Mediation, and Conflict Resolution
Wed Company Report - 10 pages Culture and management
Wed CP draft #2: 10 page Individualism and collectivism
Wed Ex-Cr Articles Review Ethics in Business Practices in US and Japan
Wed Organizational commitment in the U. S. & Japan
Wed Company Report -25 pages Workgroups in the U. S. & Japan
Wed CP draft #3: 10 pages Leadership in the U. S. & Japan
Wed Presentation and group Discussion
Wed Ex-Cr Book Review Presentation and group Discussion
Wed Summing Up
Reading Assignments [Contact Professor Bhawuk for the reading list]
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Syllabus addresses
Hallmark 2: interaction between teacher and students while
students do assigned writing. Weekly class schedule builds in a writing process (assignments are broken into manageable parts and students receive guidance as they complete each part) |
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GUIDELINES FOR COMPARATIVE CRITICAL PAPER You should take the critical paper as an opportunity to learn about a topic or issue that is of interest to you. The objective of this paper is to learn about a management issue by analyzing secondary information available on that issue on Japan and the United States. You could write about environmental protection in US and Japan, business education in US and Japan, sexual harassment in the workplace in US and Japan, and so forth. Any topic or issue is acceptable, as long as you connect it to the business world. Focus on management and human resource management topics rather than finance and marketing topics. For example, one student whose major was finance compared the organizational structure of the U. S. and the Japanese organizations, specially the board of directors, and explained why the boards are different in these two countries. It was an interesting comparison, and something that was not covered in the course. Don't write a critical paper on a topic listed in the syllabus (e,g., human resource management in US and Japan, quality in US and Japan, negotiation in US and Japan, etc.) using the material I have provided in the reading package. You will learn that material and will be rewarded for doing so through the credit earned for the exam, class participation, etc. I DEFINITELY DO NOT WANT YOU TO FIND AN ARTICLE IN A JOURNAL THAT HAS DONE THE WORK FOR YOU COMPARING AN ASPECT OF MANAGEMENT BETWEEN US AND JAPAN, AND WRITE YOUR PAPER BY SIMPLY TAKING THE SAME STAND THAT THE AUTHOR HAS TAKEN. THAT IS PLAGIARISM. IF YOU AGREE WITH THIS PERSON'S POSITION, YOU SHOULD DO MORE RESEARCH AND PRESENT THE PROs AND CONs RELATED TO THE ISSUE. SIMPLY SUMMARIZING AN ARTICLE IS ALSO NOT ACCEPTABLE. It will require some research (10 to 12 references) beyond the prescribed material. Remember, the internet is a rich BUT NOT THE ONLY source of information.See Some Writing Challenges and Writing Tips (below).
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Syllabus addresses
Hallmark 1: increases students' understanding of course
materials
The professor lets students know what the professor expects (e.g., an issue not covered on the syllabus; focus on management topics, not finance topics). He also provides advice and tips in the following sections. |
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Some Writing Challenges Challenge #1: Constructing an inquiry Once you have a topic to investigate, you must find in it questions to answer. A good place to start is with what you don't know, including the standard who? what? when? and where? Give special attention to why/how questions that move beyond matters of fact into inquiry:
Another strategy for creating questions from a topic is to work through a sequence: name the topic, state what you want to find, and provide the rationale for the research. For example,
Challenge #2: Making sense of the readings A. Evaluate your readings Do not attach equal weight to everything you read because "it was published." Evaluate what you read:
B. Compare / contrast perspectives Read several articles on a topic and answer these questions for each one:
Challenge #3: Composing the report or argument Do "rhetorical analysis." To get a sense of the overall shape of your report, ask yourself these questions:
Writing Tips Organize your paper. Check for the following:
Proof read your paper
These tips will help:
EFFORT COUNTS (also for grade!). PLEASE TRY! Guidelines for Comparative Company Report 1. Introduce your paper or report in a paragraph or two: Briefly describe what you have presented in the report. 2. Introduce the industry in an opening paragraph or two. Who are the key players in this industry? 3. Introduce the two companies in the next two sub-sections (2-3 paragraphs). Give global market share of the companies as well as their share in US and Japan. 4. Compare and contrast the practices of the two companies along four or five dimensions (10-12 pages). The following chart may help you to organize general comparative material about these companies:
5. In the discussion section (5-6 pages) include the following:
It is very important that you spend some time thinking critically about some issues. 6. Describe what you have learned from this exercise (1-2 page). 7. Do not use ONLY generic Japanese management practices (e.g., lifetime employment, Nenko wage system, enterprise union, etc) to describe the Japanese company in your report. Do more research to find out some of the unique practices followed by the company. 8. Do try to get details about the management practices you describe. For example, if a company has a unique selection procedure or a unique training and development program, then do describe the system or practice in some detail. Do not spend too much effort on learning about the nitty-gritty details of the company, unless you can use it to describe a management practice.
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The next four
sections of the syllabus demonstrate Hallmark 2: providing
for various interactions between teacher and students while
students do assigned writing. The professors gives students tips and advice on how to write for the course. |
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My Teaching Philosophy Teaching is a complex process of multiple interactions between the teacher and students in the classroom, and outside of the classroom. I try to keep my classroom environment friendly, two-way communication going, and communication barriers at bay to get the students involved in the learning process. I strive to achieve excellence in teaching, and work hard to match the high standards of the best professors I have known personally. · Application of Theory Y in the Classroom: Every student is interested in learning, will take responsibility for learning, and will rise to the occasion if challenged, if the professor is enthusiastic about teaching, is accessible, is open to student feedback, gives timely feedback, and rewards performance. You can learn what you want, and are responsible for your learning. Make your own schedules of submission of individual assignments, and focus on your individual learning goals while doing term papers, self-reflection papers, etc. · Celebration of Learning: Rather than telling student what they don't know, I prefer to focus on what they have learned, and spend the first 15 minutes of the class on what individual students have learned in the past week. This approach strengthens the Theory Y approach in that it keeps students' learning at the center of the class room stage. · Students as Customers: I treat students like customers and try to meet their individual needs and demands within the realm of fairness to all. I encourage you to negotiate a learning contract with me that serves your unique needs. · Respect for Diversity: Every student is different and every class is different. Therefore, I approach every class with an open mind, consider the uniqueness of every individual, and try to fine tune with the spirit and energy level of the class. This also helps individual students to focus on their individual learning needs. · Integration of Theory and Practice: I think it is my duty as a professor to expose the students to the latest theories, ideas, and thinking in the field, and invite them to think of ways of applying them in the workplace. I believe in the Lewian philosophy: THERE IS NOTHING SO PRACTICAL AS A GOOD THEORY! · Presentation of Current Knowledge: I include current articles for both the graduate and undergraduate courses that I teach, and include recent findings in my lectures. This allows me to keep on top of the subject matter, and the students get current knowledge. · Student Participation in the Learning Process: I allow students to influence the course structure with their input. I only propose the submission dates for assignment, and students decide their own schedule. I also allow them to reschedule, if necessary. However, since managerial life is full of deadlines, I remind them that they should respect their self-made schedule. This allows them to balance their schoolwork and social life. · Interaction with Students: I try to be friendly and approachable to students. To achieve this, I start my class with jokes. Not all of them fly, but that makes the task all the more challenging. Also, if I make a mistake, I say sorry. I reflect on my interactions with students, and avoid being defensive. I prefer to look at my students as a whole human being, and I am happy to listen to their personal problems, and this has helped many students pull themselves through difficult personal times. · Grading Philosophy: Grades are like wages earned and should be linked to effort. Therefore, I allow opportunities for improving assignments, and also students can negotiate extra-credit opportunities. |
Syllabus addresses Hallmarks 1 & 2: the course uses writing both in and out of the classroom and promotes interaction between teacher and students |
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