MANAGEMENT CONCENTRATION SEMINAR  -- MGTCTR 365 OUTLINE:

NONPROFIT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE, HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT, AND STRATEGIC PLANNING/STRATEGIC FUNDRAISING

Instructor: William Holmes

There are four possible competencies that can be demonstrated: nonprofit financial management, management principles and practice, human resources management, and strategic planning and strategic fundraising.  Except for the optional method for those doing both management theory and human resource management, there are four assignments for each competency.  No assignment may be submitted for more than one competency.  The assignments for each competency and their due dates are listed below.

Management Principles and Practice

1. Mission Statement.  Write a mission statement or select one from an agency or program with which you are familiar.  Identify the purpose of the organization and the vision it has for what it expects to accomplish. Discuss how the mission statement guides the operation of the agency or program.

2. Goals Statement.  Write a goal statement or select one from an agency or program with which you are familiar.  List two goals of the agency or program. Indicate what objectives are presented for meeting the goals. Discuss how the agency or program is going about trying to achieve its goals and objectives.  Discuss strengths and weaknesses of the goals.

3. Discussion of management theory application in program management.  Describe at least two different theories of management that might apply to the organization whose mission and goals you have previously discussed.  Discuss the strengths and limitations of each theory applied to your agency or program.  Give an argument why one of the two theories is better for your chosen agency or program.

4. Discussion of use of goals  in program management.  Describe how goals and objectives are used in the operation of your agency or program. Discuss obstacles to achieving those goals and actions that can b e taken by the organization to overcome those obstacles. Make a recommendation for a change in the agency or program that you think will improve its operation.

5. (Optional Method. Do the four assignments for human resource management and then write a paper on the use and benefits of strategic planning for the agency or program chosen.)

Human  Resource Management

1. Job Description.  Choose a particular job in your example agency.  For that job describe the tasks the person has to perform, skills needed, and education or experience required.  Avoid language that would be discriminatory, prejudicial, or illegal.

2. Hiring Process Summary.  For the job described in assignment one, describe the process used by your agency for hiring someone into that position.  Include information that must be submitted, to whom, and by what means.  Describe the interview process, what additional information is obtained by this process, and how it is used to reject or select candidates. List three questions that should not be asked of a job applicant.  Also describe who makes the final hiring decision.

3. Compensation and Benefit Summary.  Describe a typical compensation and benefit package for the job described.  Discuss salary range and factors affecting starting salary.  Summarize health and education benefits, vacation, personal days, promotion possibilities, and retirement options.

4. Labor Relations Summary.  List three laws that apply to the job you have been discussing (at least one must be a federal law and at least one must be a state law). Discuss how the laws apply your job.  Give an example for each law of a management practice that would violate the law.

Nonprofit Financial Management

1. Budget.  Provide a budget for a real or hypothetical organization and give the justification for each line item.  Describe the strategy of how the amounts in the budget were reached.  Discuss any uncertainties you see in the budget.

2. Summary of Activities/Profit-Loss Statement.  Provide a profit-loss statement (also called a summary of activities) for a real or hypothetical nonprofit organization. Describe the sources of income and expenses and discuss which income or expense has the most uncertainty. If the statement has a profit, indicate what the agency or program should do with the extra money.  If the statement has a loss, indicate what the agency or program should do to make up the deficit.

3. Balance Sheet.  Provide a balance sheet for a real or hypothetical nonprofit agency or program. Describe the assets and liabilities in the balance sheet. Discuss strengths of the agency or program revealed by the balance sheet.

4. Cash Flow Statement.  Provide a cash flow statement for a real or hypothetical nonprofit agency or program.  Describe the principle sources of income and expenses of the agency or program. Discuss how other income sources might be increased or expense sources might be decreased

Strategic Planning and Fundraising (Nonprofit Strategy)

1. Mission Statement. Write a mission statement or select one from an agency or program with which you are familiar.  Identify the purpose of the organization and the vision it has for what it expects to accomplish. Discuss how the mission statement guides the operation of the agency or program.

2. Strategic Plan Analysis.  Discuss strengths and weaknesses of a real or hypothetical agency or program.  Discuss how the strengths of the program may be used to achieve goals and seek funding for the organization.  Discuss how weakness of the organization may be reduced or overcome to enhance goal achievement or for getting funds for the program.

3. Funding Resources Summary.  Identify two possible sources of funding for the program whose strengths and weaknesses you discussed.  Describe how the strategic goals of the program fit with the goals of the sources of funding.  Discuss the advantages of disadvantages of obtaining funding from each source.

4. Strategic Funding Plan.  Write a strategic funding plan for a program.  Describe the program and its strategic goals.  Indicate what services or activities will promote those goals. Discuss what experience or success the program has in providing those services or activities. For the two sources of funding of assignment three, describe the process of obtaining funds from those sources.

TIMELINE

Week 1                 September 13 ORGANIZATION MEETING

Week 2                 September 20 MANAGEMENT THEORY AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Week 3                 September 27  STRATEGIC FUNDRAISING AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Week 4                 October 4 MANAGEMENT THEORY AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Week 5                 October 11 STRATEGIC FUNDRAISING AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

First assignment due

Week 6                 October 18 MANAGEMENT THEORY AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Week 7                 October 25 STRATEGIC FUNDRAISING AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Week 8                 November 1 SPRING BREAK

Week 9                 November 8 MANAGEMENT THEORY AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Second assignment due

Week 10              November 15 STRATEGIC FUNDRAISING AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Week 11              November 22                    MANAGEMENT THEORY AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Week 12              November 29 STRATEGIC FUNDRAISING AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Third assignment due

Week 13              December 6 MANAGEMENT THEORY AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Week 14              December 13 COMBINED FINAL SESSION

Fourth (and fifth) assignment due