Principles of Management

FOR 560 Principles of Management, 3 Credits

Instructor

René H. Germain

316 Bray Hall

(315) 470-6698

rhgermai@mailbox.syr.edu

Day and Time: Tuesday/Thursday 9:30 – 10:50am

Room: 324 Bray Hall

Introduction

Principles of Management is an important course for ESF students who are preparing for professional careers. Professionals must understand the scientific basis of their field and be able to practice the technical skills of the profession. Most of your study at ESF is in basic and applied sciences and in technical skills like measurement, design, and planning. Few professionals, however, practice alone for their whole career. They work with others, report to bosses, and sooner or later guide or direct the work of others. All these relationships require the skills and knowledge of management.

Personalize the course! I ask that you try your best to personalize this course. At some point in the near future your respective professions will demand of you the ability to function in the capacity of a manager whether it is implied in the job description or not.

Purpose and Methods

The purpose of FOR 560, Principles of Management, is to students with an understanding of management and the basic skills of managing people and organizations in context of natural resources and environmental values. The course covers the following:

· definitions and principles

· problem solving and leadership skills

· business policy and environmental relationships

· case studies to illustrate ideas and provide experiential learning

Management definitions include the following:

· Management is getting work done through others

· Management is setting goals and measuring progress toward them

· Management is identifying and solving problems

· Management is decision-making

· Management is planning and controlling against plans

· Management is organizing and leading

Each simple statement is partially true; altogether they are good starting points for understanding management. Our study of management will cover several definitions, but the focal points will be definitions and principles based on:

· Leadership

· Problem solving

· Functions of management

· Managerial environment

Learning Outcomes

1. Students will understand functions of management as they relate to environmental professions.

2. Students will understand the principles of effective leadership.

3. Students will learn how to systematically approach problem solving.

4. Students will understand how environmental management systems influence the managerial environment.

Textbooks

Jones and George (JG), Essentials of Contemporary Management, 4^th Edition, Irwin/McGraw-Hill.

Miller, Shinn, and Bentley (MSB), Rural Resource Management, Iowa State U. Press

Covey, Stephen (COV), Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Simon &Schuster

Drucker, On the Profession of Management, HBS Press

All textbooks are available at the Orange Bookstore.

The Jones-George textbook is available on-line at www.coursesmart.com as an e-book at a reduced price. You can download the e-book at the same price at the following: www.textbooks.vitalsource.com

Additional Readings

Textbook readings will be supplemented by various articles and case studies from primary management and business journals, as well as from popular media. These materials will be available to you online or, when not available online, will be provided in hard copy or as an email attachment. Reading and understanding these articles will be critical to your participation in the lecture session and to your success in the course.

Lecture Sessions

The lectures will both integrate the readings directly and draw on a variety case studies and examples not covered in the readings to illustrate management concepts in different ways. Though many of the case studies covered will incorporate natural resource and environmental issues, examples will be drawn from a wide variety of business, public agency and non-profit situations to demonstrate specific ideas and points. Required case study readings will be provided in advance. Please come to class prepared. Cell phones must be turned completely off prior to class. If a student is found using a cell phone during class it will be confiscated.

Attendance

Attendance is required at all sessions. Excuses for late work and absences due to illness or personal reasons must be approved by ESF Career & Counseling Services. Planned absences for academic field trips or legitimate extracurricular events must be pre-approved by the instructor at least one week in advance of the absence. If you miss class you will need to rely on fellow students for notes and handouts.

Course Deliverables

Exercises

You will write short papers throughout the semester on topics pertaining to the readings. The instructor will provide the questions, which may be based on one of the textbooks or a case study.

Semester Paper on Problem Solving

The problem solving paper is to apply the decision-making framework to a problem you have encountered in your professional career.

The first step is to define your particular problem. Please confirm the topic with the instructor prior to starting. Then apply the steps of the decision-making framework (from Chapter 4 of Rural Resource Management) to your problem. It is helpful to develop a matrix and include it with your paper.

Approximate length -- 10 pages

Grading Criteria for Problem-Solving Paper

Definition of your problem 25%

Use of the framework to address problem 25%

Analysis of the effectiveness of the framework 25%

Writing (organization, clarity, concision, grammar) 20%

Follow directions 5%

Performance Criteria for Papers

· Clear writing is important for all professionals, but essential for managers. I expect correct spelling and simple, clear sentences.

· Put your name and the date at the top of the first page.

· Use one-inch margins, 12-point font, double line spacing, and page numbers.

· Use headings if you feel they help block your ideas into clear groupings.

· Always start a paper with an introduction and close with a summary/conclusion.

· Always state your purpose at the end of the introduction. (The purpose of this paper is . . . )

· Avoid using second person in your papers – it is less professional and formal.

· If you use quotations, cite them according to an accepted format (i.e., MLA or Chicago Manual of Style).

Late assignment policy: Unless notified otherwise, all assignments are due by the beginning of class on the day the assignment is due. For each hour the assignment is late, 5 points will be deducted from the final grade.

Hard copy submission of papers and assignments: All assignments must be submitted in hard copy, either at the beginning of class or, if the assignment is late, in person in 316 Bray Hall or in the instructor’s mailbox in 320 Bray Hall. DO NOT email completed assignments to the instructor. See “Attendance” guidelines if your work is late for acceptable personal or academic reasons and you must email it due to extenuating circumstances.