MSE608B – MANAGEMENT OF ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Fall 2009, Thursday 7.00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., Room JD 3502

Instructor Dr. Mark Rajai

Professor of Engineering, Department of Manufacturing Systems Engineering and
Management
Faculty E-mail: mrajai@csun.edu
MSEM Department Office: JD3317
Telephone: (818) 677-5003
MSEM Department E-mail: msem@csun.edu
Office Hours: posted on Office Door
Personal Website: www.iajc.org/mr

Get to Know
The prof. In order to be successful in this course, you need to know the professor’ background and
his expectations for the course. Dr. Rajai is an internationally known educator and
researcher. Simply Google the name “Mark Rajai” to read more about the professor
previous works and achievements. Also visit the following Web sites:

www.iajc.org
www.ijme.us
www.iajc.org/nku click on the “In the News” and watch the videos

Textbooks 1- Hill, Linda A. “Becoming a Manager: How new managers master

the
Challenges of leadership.”
Second Edition – Harvard Business School Press. ISBN: 1-59139-
182-2.

2- Hofstede, Geert & Gert Jan. “Cultures and Organizations, Software

of
the mind.” Second Edition – McGraw Hill. ISBN: 0-07-143959.

3. Supplemental Materials Posted on Blackboard

Additional -- Recommended to enrich your knowledge and professional portfolio --

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Readings
· Deeprose, Donna. “Recognize Behaviors as Well as Outcomes”
and “Foster
Intrinsic Rewards,” from How to Recognize and Reward Employees.
New York: Amacom, 1994. ISBN 0-8144-7832-8

· Longenecker, Clinton O. and Laurence S. Fink. “Creating Effective

Performance Appraisals.” Industrial Management, September-October
1999.

· Sachs, Randi Toler. How to Become a Skillful Interviewer. New York:

Amacom, 1994. ISBN 0-8144-7831-X

· Straub, Joseph T. “Appraising Performance,” from The

Successful New Manager. New York: Amacom, 1994. ISBN 0-8144-7834-
4

· Swan, William S. & Phillip Margulies. “Why Managers and Employees

Dread Performance Appraisals,” “Performance Appraisal Systems,” and
“What Goes Wrong and Why: Eight Common Appraisal Errors,” from How
to do a Superior Performance Appraisal, (includes Swan’s model
performance appraisal system). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1991.
ISBN 0-471-51469-1

· Weiss, Donald H. “Safe Firing Practices,” “Safe Discipline and Firing

Practices,” “Public Policy,” and “Safe Management of Older Employees,”
from Fair, Square and Legal. New York: Amacom, 1995. ISBN 0-8144-
0253-4

Lectures This is a pilot course from in class to online, so the lectures are
combinations of online and in class presentations. Your feedback are greatly
appreciated. Currently there are 4 online audio lecture modules on Webct,
covering the employment functions of hiring & retention, performance
evaluation, firing, and conflict resolution. We will have several online
meetings throughout the course. To enhance the course, supplemental
materials will be uploaded onto Webct.

Course This course is designed to facilitate the student’s development of long-term

and
Purpose strategic cognitive and affective capabilities for the effective management
of engineering professionals and their assigned functions. Pre-requisite:
MSE504.

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 A key attribute of the technical professional is his/her emphasis on
and interest in
professional values and goals rather than those of an organization.
The technical professional who advances to a management position must
become a leader of technical peers (and, often, of technical superiors),
increasing his/her emphasis on organizational values and goals, while
simultaneously maintaining technical peer respect. With managerial
responsibility comes the need for knowledge of functioning within the
broader organizational structure (e.g., the “pushing paperwork” held in
great disdain by most technical professionals) and the need for
accomplishing technical tasks through others (rather than predominantly on
one’s own). As one consequence of these needs, the essence of this course
is the creation of a learning community in which aspiring and current
managers of technical professionals can gain essential knowledge and
experiential skills relevant to the range of organizational responsibilities
entailed in the management of technical professionals, from “pushing
paper” to hire a technical professional employee, to multicultural technical
professional work group considerations and interactions. Due to the fact
that this course is moving to become an online course, some self-
directed study is essential. The readings and course tasks are designed to
be useful to students as a prospective manager or to further develop the
skills of the current manager.
Course There are three learning activity tracks that run in parallel throughout this
course.
Structure The first track entails presentations and discussions of topics (on
Blackboard) particularly pertinent to the topics of “Professional
Management” and “Managing Engineering Professionals” along with
relevant educational material. A second track involves reading assignments
(2 textbooks), lecture modules, supplemental materials. The third track is
individual and group projects and presentations.

COURSE PROPOSED PLAN

Notes:
1) Tentative schedule: dates/assignments/topics covered may change as
deemed necessary.
2) Research assignments will be announced as the semester progresses.
3) All course materials are on Webct.
4) Because of university budget cuts, there will be furlough days that
we will not meet in class. These days will be announced in advance
Week Ending Topic Area

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 Format: Tasks & Assignments
01 Introduction . Welcome message – getting acquainted with the
course/instructor
· Get familiar with the textbooks & material
posted on Webct.
. Read preface in Hill
02 Social Aspects · Hill, Section I.1
of interactions . Lecture Module 1: Hiring;
Supplemental Materials
03 Social Aspects · Supplemental Materials
of Interaction · Lecture Modules 1 & 2:
Hiring & Firing
. Hill, Section I.2

04 Social Aspects · Lecture Module 2: Firing

of Interaction . Hill, Section I.3 & Supplemental Materials

05 Social Aspects · Lecture Modules 2 & 3:

Firing & Performance Evaluation
of Interaction . Hill, Section II.4
Read Supplemental
Materials
06 Social Aspects . Lecture Module 3:
Performance Evaluation
of Interaction . Hill, Section II.5
.

07 Social Aspects · Lecture Modules 3&4:

Performance Evaluation & Conflict Resolution
of Interaction . Hill, Section III.6
Read Supplemental
Materials
08 Social Aspects · Lecture Module 4:
Conflict Resolution
of Interaction . Hill, Section III.7 ; Read Supplemental Materials
.
09 Dimensions of . Review Lecture Modules 1-4 (throughout the rest of the
semester)
Management Cultures . Hill, Section IV.8

10 Dimensions of . Review Lecture Modules 1-4 (throughout the rest of the

semester)
Management Cultures . Hill, Section IV.9
. Read Supplemental Materials
11 Dimensions of . Review Lecture Modules 1-4 (throughout the rest of the
semester)
Management Cultures . Hill, Section V.10
Read Supplemental
Materials

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 12 Dimensions of . Review Lecture Modules 1-4 (throughout the rest of the
semester)
Management Cultures . Hill, Section V.11
13 Dimensions of · Final Project Work Session – allocated to packaging the
power-point
Management Cultures . Read Hill, Section V.12
14 Presentations · Final Project Presentations – PowerPoint posted on Bb
Course wrap-up · Formal Report Write-Up
due (soft copy emailed to instructor)
· Class critique of the works submitted by all students
15 Final Presentations ·

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COURSE EVALUATION COMPONENTS

(Plus/minus grading is used – see page 9 for important

information)
10 % Individual eBook Portfolio Project
10 % Homework Assignments including in Class Assignments
30 % Individual Research Assignment (10%) and Presentation (5%)
Group Research Assignment (10%) and Presentation (5%)

35 % Comprehensive Final Team Project Report (25%) and Midterm Presentation

(5%) and Final Presentation (5%)
Team score and Individual Contribution

15 % Notebook (5%) and Class Attendance (5%) and Participation in class/on

Webct (5%)

Letter-Grade Scale:
A ≥ 95 90 ≤ A- < 95 87 ≤ B+ < 90
85 ≤ B < 87 80 ≤ B- < 85 77 ≤ C+ < 80
70 ≤ C < 77 60 ≤ D < 70 F < 60

***
-----------------------------------
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

1. Class members are encouraged to maintain personal and professional standards consistent with
The Fundamental Principles of the Code of Ethics of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and

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Technology; i.e.,

Engineers uphold and advance the integrity, honor and dignity of the engineering profession
by:
· using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare;
· being honest and impartial, and serving with fidelity the public, their employers and
clients;
· striving to increase the competence and prestige of the engineering profession; and
· supporting the professional technical societies of their disciplines.

2. Withdrawing from (dropping) this course should be accomplished during the first two weeks of
instruction. Please note that failure to officially drop this class results in a grade of U, which is the
equivalent of an F for your transcript and grade point average. For additional information
regarding withdrawals, see FAQs at www.csun.edu/~msem, or contact your academic advisor.

3. Class members are to rely on BlackBoard (the primary method of communication) for all
postings pertaining to the course. All students are expected to sign on regularly and actively
participate in the discussion forum. So that all students benefit from the answers, ALL
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COURSE MATERIAL MUST BE POSTED (on BlackBoard) in
the discussion thread titled: “Ask Questions”. Note: Email communication is secondary as it
is mostly reserved for handling students’ personal matters. Comments about the course material
and opinions about the instructor or the program – whether positive or negative – must also be
posted online.

4. Class members are to be CONTINUOUSLY considerate to, and respectful of, their colleagues,
particularly in regard to the class discussion forum, team effort/project and presentations.

5. Class members are responsible for the course material covered in reading and homework
assignments, class presentations and class group discussions. Class members are expected to
logon regularly to Blackboard and to prepare for and participate constructively in group
discussions.

6. Budgeting 6-9 hours per week for this course, in addition to class participation, is NOT
unreasonable. Class presentations are NOT replicas of the reading assignments.

7. All graduate students majoring in MSEM Department programs (i.e., Automation Engineering,
Engineering Management, Materials Engineering) are encouraged to add their email addresses to
the Department listing. This listing is used for special notifications (e.g., course scheduling
changes, academic advisement notices, social events, and emergencies). The list may be accessed
at www.csun.edu/~msem/faqs.htm or by emailing a request to msem@csun.edu to be added to the
list.

8. Plus/minus grading will be used for the overall course grade. Please refer to the grading
system.
Suggestions for Group Research Assignments
Coverage One: The Hiring Processes
· Research the complete hiring process for technical professionals at the employers

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 of partnership members
· Compile examples of key forms used in the process
· Prepare step-by-step summaries of key steps in each hiring process
· For each hiring process, identify and summarize the nature of the hiring authority
and hiring responsibilities of the manager who will supervise the new hire
· Summarize the primary similarities and differences among the processes and the
manager’s hiring authority and responsibilities
Coverage Two: The Termination (Firing) Processes
· Seek out and summarize at least four publications that address termination
processes.
· Based on the publications researched, class handouts, and other sources as
appropriate, identify at least two productive managerial approaches to the
implementation of a termination process.
· Research and summarize termination processes for professional employees at the
employer of one of the partners.
· Acquire copies of primary termination forms used as part of the employer’s process
· Evaluate the role(s) of a professional employee’s manager in the termination
processes of the organization.
Coverage Three: The Performance Evaluation Processes
· Seek out one publicly available reference that addresses at least one ostensibly
desirable performance evaluation process & summarize the process provided in the
reference
· Research the performance evaluation process for professional employees at the
employer of one of the partnership members
· Acquire copy of primary performance evaluation form (if any) used as part of the
employer’s process
· Prepare a step-by-step summary of the key steps in the employer’s process
· Critique the employer’s process in the context of the reference selected
· Critique the performance evaluation form in the context of the employer’s process
Coverage Four: The Conflict Resolution & Management Processes
· The theme for this assignment is managing conflict – between people who report to
you; between you and someone who reports to you, or between you and a
managerial peer. Within this theme, project partners should identify and propose
their own applied research assignment.

Report Write-Up Format: a comprehensive 25-30 page report (double-spaced)

sectioned
into: Abstract, Introduction, Discussion/Analysis,
Conclusion.
As the semester progresses, more details will be posted in the “Final Project” discussion
thread.

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 For Your Information: Grade Criterion
* 'A' grade range (A to A-) is reserved for work that is
exceptional. This means that it (1) is professional and
reflects the writer's/s' careful consideration of audience
and purpose; (2) shows perfect to near-perfect understanding
of the necessary concepts and analytical tasks; (3) where
appropriate, it shows the capacity to think creatively or to
see implications beyond the immediate scope of the question;
(4) contains all necessary information (invention); (5) is
arranged in a logical manner (6), is memorable; (7) delivery
is visually appealing; and (8) is free of mechanical errors
and is formatted as specified. Work must be flawless to
attain an A/A-. Work with minor flaws that is nonetheless
excellent in other ways will earn an A-.

* A grade in the B range means that the work is acceptable

at the graduate level (B- range) to very good (B/B+). This
work satisfies all (B+) or most (B/B-) of the requirements of
the question/research task, shows the capability to think
beyond the task by relating it to other areas of knowledge in
or outside of the course; is neatly presented and shows
above-average use of academic English. If the work is
decently written, is formatted basically correctly, and
covers most of the required content, but has several minor
flaws or one major flaw, the grade will be B-.

* A grade in the C range means that the work, while

covering much of the required ground, does not show graduate-
level analytic and expressive ability. That is, major and
minor items may be missing or incorrect; and while the
language may communicate most points adequately, it does not
qualify as above-average academic work.

* A grade in the D range shows that the work does not,

overall, achieve an acceptable level of coverage of the
requirements AND/OR the language is insufficient to make the
writer's points understandable to the reader. The content
may be either incorrect to an unacceptable degree, or very
incomplete.

* A grade of F indicates that so little of the required

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content is covered that grading the paper is an exercise in
futility. It may mean that very major points have clearly not
been grasped or have been misunderstood by the student. An F
may also indicate that the ideas are expressed in such a way
that they are not at all understandable to the reader. A
grade of F is also awarded when assigned work is not handed
in, or not handed in by the set deadline.

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