ENG 103 for BU113: Critical Thinking and Communication in Business

Team Evaluation Memo ASSIGNMENT

1. Due date -- 1st draft: Friday, April 5, 2012; 2nd draft: Friday, April 12, 2013

2. Type: individual writing assignment

3. Instructions:

TYPE/PURPOSE of assignment:
In an approximately 2-page, single-spaced memo, with headings and an introductory/concluding paragraph, evaluate the effectiveness/performance of your team. The team evaluation memo should discuss how your team performed as a whole throughout the semester--whether you had an effective team and ran a successful business.
The assignment provides feedback on the effectiveness of the team and is therefore part of the controlling function of management.

INTRODUCTION:
In the introductory paragraph, please state the purpose of the memo. Then provide some background information on your team—when it was formed, who was involved, what were the tasks of the team. Explain the team’s business in 1-2 sentences and express the overall outcome in the form of an evaluative statement. Finish the introductory paragraph with a thesis statement that includes the headings that you will include.
BODY:

Begin each paragraph with a heading (with or without numbers). Do not use an indentation.
Then write a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph, using the key words from the heading and making an evaluative statement about your team's performance with respect to this evaluation standard/criterion (see the key words, word forms and evaluative adjectives/adverbs below). You may also give a brief definition of each criterion/standard, based on (paraphrased from) your textbook (e.g. Technical skills include ....). Recycle these keywords and use synonyms and/or pronouns throughout the paragraph in order to achieve coherence.
Use the Grammar, Writing, and Vocabulary Notes below to write idiomatic sentences.
Reread Chapters 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and apply the business concepts and terminology from these chapters to discuss/analyze your own team. Provide specific examples from your group experience to support your assertions.

Chapter 5: The Management Process (setting business goals, formulating strategy, contingency planning and crisis management), Types and Levels of Managers (functional areas), Basic Management Skills (Technical, Human Relations, Conceptual, Decision-Making, Time-Management), Contingency Planning & Crisis Management, Corporate Culture

Chapter 6: Organizing (organizational structure—specialization, departmentalization—decision-making hierarchy—authority, delegating, (de)centralization)

Chapter 8: Motivating, Satisfying, and Leading Employees (The importance of satisfaction and morale, motivation in the workplace—various motivational theories—Strategies for enhancing job satisfaction and motivation—various theories—Management Styles and Leadership).

Chapter 9: Types of leaders/leadership (Situational Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Charismatic Leadership, leaders as coaches, cross-cultural leadership)

Chapter 10: Job descriptions and job specification

Suggest improvements to be made in each area.

CONCLUSION:
Write a concluding paragraph that summarizes your findings as well as the suggested improvements.

APPRAISAL FORM:
For the business professor, attach four completed Performance Appraisal forms for each team member, including yourself. Be honest. Use the % like a grade. This form is kept confidential--only your professor will see it. It does become part of the group member's overall evaluation of his/her contribution to the group, however.

Team Evaluation

The team evaluation memo should discuss how your team performed as a whole throughout the semester. Please address your team's performance with respect to

the management process (planning, organizing, directing, controlling),
your team’s basic management skills (technical, conceptual, interpersonal, decision-making, and time-management)

Answer such questions as

How do you make decisions?
How do you manage your time?

Examples should be provided to support your assertions.

Suggested questions to ask yourself as you draft the memo:

Ability to perform/achieve

How successful is the team overall? Use your own standards of evaluation.
How do you define success, i.e. what is the standard?
Why (or why not) was success achieved?

Job performance

How well did each team member complete the job assigned to him/her, as stated in the job description?

Organization (see Chapter 6)

How successful is the team in terms of organization? Use your own standards of evaluation.
What type of organizational structure does your team have? (functional? hierarchical/vertical or flat?) Did the organizational structure of the team work out—why or why not? Did changes occur in the organizational structure—as a result of group discussions or de facto?
How do you allocate resources (= organizing)? Is there any specialization or departmentalization? Who makes the decisions? Are tasks delegated or not?
How are the human resources allocated? Is this allocation effective? (Why or why not?) Is the work/responsibility divided up equally and appropriately (how, when?). Do members volunteer or how does the task assignment process take place? Do team members complete the tasks/responsibilities in time? What works and what doesn’t work? What improvements can you suggest?
What is the culture of the business like? Is it conducive to working? Staying in the company?

Motivation/Leadership/Initiative (see Chapters 8 and 9)

How successful is the team in this area? Use your own standards of evaluation.
Is there a leader in the group? Is this person the same as the General Manager of the group, or did a new leader emerge? How and why is he/she considered the leader? What is the leader's style (see the textbook discussion on different styles and theories, e.g. autocratic, democratic, free-rein, situational, participative).
Is the team as a whole motivated to perform? Why or why not? How does/did this become evident? Are particular people motivated?
How are different team members motivated? (see the textbook discussion on contemporary motivational theories—Theory X vs. Theory Y, Maslow’s Human Needs Model, Two-Factor Theory, Expectancy Theory, Equity Theory)?
Is there a slacker in the group? How has this management issue been addressed?

Human relations skills (see Chapter 5)

How successful is the team in this area? Use your own standards of evaluation.
What is the atmosphere and morale on the team (“corporate culture”)? Are the team members open and honest with each other?
How do the members communicate? Who shows leadership here? Is the same method used each time?
How effective is the method of communication--does it work? Why or why not?
Accountability: How do you hold each other accountable for tasks not completed, meetings or deadlines missed, lack of communication?

Problem solving skills/contingency planning/crisis management (see Chapter 5)

How successful is the team in this area? Use your own standards of evaluation.
What problems or crises have arisen? Discuss specific examples/instances. Had your team planned for contingencies?
How did you resolve the crisis? How did you resolve conflicts—interpersonal/schedule/task conflicts? Who handled the problem(s)? Why this person?
How did the group members try to resolve problems resulting from slacking?

Conceptual skills (Chapter 5)

How successful is the team in this area? Use your own standards of evaluation.
Does the team discuss, understand, and apply the business concepts embedded in the tasks/assignments? How does the team deal with each group task/assignment? Are business concepts discussed by the team? How often? By whom?
How are issues related to the BU113 business resolved, e.g. keeping track of sales revenue, expenses, stock investments, creating financial reports, etc.?

Technical skills (Chapter 5)

How successful is the team in this area? Use your own standards of evaluation.
How effective is the team in incorporating business concepts and vocabulary into its reports, memos, and presentations?
How effective is the team in projecting sales, costs, and net income or figuring out stockholders’ equity, return on equity?
How effective are the team’s skills in creating attractive promotional materials, creating presentations, reports, spreadsheets, etc.? Who is the expert on technical skills? Why?
How effective is the team in proofreading written work?
What improvements have been/could be made?

Presentation skills

How successful is the team in this area? Use your own standards of evaluation.
How effective is the team in presentations in class? (appearance, speaking, eye contact, voice, graphs, slides, etc.)
What improvements have been made/could be made?

Grammar, Writing, & Vocabulary Notes

Tense

Remember that tense markers determine the tense to be used in a sentence.
Appropriate tenses: Present Perfect, Simple Past, Habitual Past, Simple Present

	Simple Past (for a completed event)	Habitual Past (would + Vsimple) (for a habit)	Present Perfect (for an ongoing but not completed process)	Simple Present (for a habit, fact)	Implied Negative Meaning (with perfect modals)
Tense Markers	at the beginning of the semester when we started selling our product	Every (weekend, day, afternoon, ...), we would meet and discuss ...	from ... to so far up to now until now until since	now at present at the moment	could+ have + Past Participle should + have + Past Participle) would + have + Past Participle)
	was/were able to (instead of could in the past)

Keywords & Word forms

TOPIC SENTENCES: the topic of the memo (team evaluation/performance appraisal of the team) + paragraph heading (criterion/standard of evaluation) + evaluative adjective/adverb (see examples below) ==> repeat these keywords and use synonyms throughout the paragraph
evaluate (v) - evaluation (n)
assess (v) - assessment (n)
appraise (v) - appraisal (n)
perform (v) - performance (n)
succeed in (v) - success (n) - be successful in (adj) - successfully (adv)
lack (v) - lack of (n) - have a deficiency in - be deficient in
effective (adj) - effectively (adv) - effectiveness (n)
productive (adj) - productively (adv) - productivity (n)
achieve (v) - achievement (n)
complete (v) - completion (n)

Evaluative adjectives/adverbs (& other expressions)

adequate(ly)
poor(ly) ==> average ==> outstanding/superb(ly)/excellent(ly)
above/below expectations
below average ==> average ==> above average
leave much to be desired

Collocations/standard phrases

make a profit
complete a task/tasks
achieve/reach a goal/goals
make eye contact with
set/hold a meeting
perform average (or below/above expectations)
throughout the semester

Vocabulary: Words to watch out for (i.e. NOT use)

thing => factor, element, or name of the item
works => tasks, assignments, projects
get => (informal); find a replacement in the dictionary (e.g. become, receive, etc.)

Wordiness (V + NP) => use the action verb itself

do a better job => improve
make a reflection => reflect
have communication => communicate
make a presentation => present
make contact with => contact

Introductory Phrases, esp. for topic sentences

with respect to (+ criterion/standard)
in terms of (+ criterion/standard)
regarding (+ criterion/standard)
in regard to (+ criterion/standard)
as far as (+ criterion/standard) is/are concerned

Verb or Noun + Preposition combinations (watch for differences in meaning!)

discuss + NP (but: talk about + NP)
succeed/be successful in (+ N or gerund)
take care of (+ N or gerund)
care about (+ N or gerund)
as a consequence of (+ N or gerund)
have a background in (+ N or gerund)
at the beginning
be in charge of (+ N or gerund)
a lack of cooperation
be lacking in (+ N or gerund)
according to expectations
meet expectations/objectives
keep in touch with
communicate with
in theory ... in practice
cooperate with

Prepositions

on time vs. in time
at/to our meetings