Analyzing Management Strategies
As mentioned in the introduction to this week's readings, there are many approaches to management strategy, and while theorists have debated the validity of each over time and in different circumstances, there exists no one theory that can fully explain the effects of human behavior on productivity and quality. In this week's Application, you are asked to make your own judgment on which strategy seems most effective to you and to justify your choice through an analysis of the information provided to you in this week's readings.

Review at least one of the articles for each management theory listed below using information found in the Learning Resources for this week. Make sure that you gain a basic introduction to key concepts in each.
Scientific management

Theory X and Theory Y

Expectancy theory

Management by Objectives (MBO)

Contingency theory

Total quality management (TQM)

Five Forces model

Business Process Reengineering

Six Sigma
Then respond to the following in a 3- to 5-page paper:
Select one of the theories above that you are most interested in learning more about (perhaps because you feel that it would have the most impact in your current environment) and discuss why you selected that particular theory.

Identify several possible applications for the theory and discuss its relevance to those applications. How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the theory within the applications you selected? Once you establish your criteria, assess the effectiveness or room for improvement for each application.

Are there additional challenges of using the theory in today's global and/or virtual environment?

How has the field of management changed because of the introduction of the theory you selected?

Has the theory itself evolved as the world has changed?
In additional to articles listed in this