Assignment Overview
Managers often notice the relationship between attitudes and job performance. Have you ever heard someone say, “With that go-get ’em attitude, she will set new sales records!” or “His attitude is so poor, he never produces quality work.” However, managers seldom realize that they can affect an employee’s work attitudes (such as job satisfaction and commitment), which in turn can affect job outcomes such as turnover, absenteeism, and productivity.
Case Assignment
In this first Case Assignment, you will be viewing a clip from the movie “Office Space.” This video demonstrates work attitudes, factors that can shape those attitudes, and the end effect on work behavior. As you watch the clip, make some notes about examples you see that give you some clues about the different characters and:
- Job satisfaction
- Attitudes toward management
- Attitudes toward co-workers
- Organizational Commitment
- Work environment and conditions (such as physical surroundings)
View the following movie clip from the movie Office Space:
Read the following article from the Trident University Library:
Riordan, C. (2013) The power of “thank you”: 3 steps to a culture of gratitude. HR Specialist, 11(17),7.
Hint: Just copy and paste the title of the article into the Library Access search box on the Trident University Portal page. Do not include the author’s name or publication; the article title is all you need.
After reading the above article, background material, and reviewing your notes on the video, consider the following questions:
- How would you characterize the general work environment at Initech?
- What are Peter’s attitudes about working at Initech? What are the likely causes of those attitudes?
- How does he feel about his supervisors?
- Do his co-workers show similar attitudes?
- What do you predict would be the effect of these attitudes on job commitment, absenteeism, and turnover? Why?
Now, write a 3- to 4-page paper discussing the film clip and the above questions. A good way to organize your paper would be to divide it into the following sections:
- Introduction that briefly describes the situation at Initech. (one paragraph)
- The Environment at Initech (including supervision style and physical environment)
- The observed job attitudes of Peter and his co-workers
- The likely outcomes of those attitudes
- Conclusion that makes one recommendation for a change that Lumbergh could make that would improve job satisfaction among employees at Initech.
Be sure to support your arguments with references to the background readings and use specific examples from the clip to illustrate your main points.
Upload your assignment to the Case 1 Dropbox. Be sure to review your TurnItIn Originality report. If the score is over 20%, you may not be writing in your own words and you will need to contact your professor and arrange to revise and resubmit your assignment.
Assignment Expectations
The Case papers in this course will be evaluated using the criteria as stated in the Case rubric. The following is a review of the rubric criteria:
- Assignment Requirements: Does the paper directly address all aspects of the assignment? Have the assignment instructions been followed closely?
- Critical Thinking: Does the paper demonstrate a college level of analysis, in which information derived from multiple sources has been critically evaluated and synthesized in the formulation of a logical set of conclusions? Does the paper demonstrate that the student has read, understood, and can apply the background materials for the module?
- Writing and Assignment Organization: Is the essay logical, well organized and well written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for college-level work? Are section headings included? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding, or is justification/support instead conveyed through excessive use of direct quotations?
- Use of Sources and Mechanics: Does the paper demonstrate that the student has read, understood, and can apply the background materials for the module? If required, has the student demonstrated effective research, as evidenced by student’s use of relevant and quality sources? Does the student demonstrate understanding of a consistent (e.g., APA) style of referencing, by inclusion of proper citations (for paraphrased text and direct quotations) as appropriate? Are appropriate sources from the background material included? Have all sources cited in the paper been included on the References page?
- Timeliness: Has the assignment been submitted to the Dropbox on or before the module’s due date?
