Principles of Management – Course Reflection Term Paper

The course enabled me to develop a deeper understanding of the principles of business management. It equipped me with the requisite knowledge to analyze the specific situation in management. It also provided me with an in-depth understanding of contemporary tools in handling overall management tasks. The course had clearly spelled out outcomes and competencies that all the students had to acquire. These outcomes enable me to quickly evaluate and gauge my competency in various areas that the course touched onAt the end of the course, I was competent in reading and appraising written text as well as understanding various rhetorical strategies. I was also able to comprehend ethical issues in management and learned how to resolve moral conflicts. These constituted the stipulated liberal outcome and competencies.Other specific outcomes and competencies involved knowledge of business management skills. In my opinion, these competencies provided the most important aspect of business management. I specifically gathered the following aspect of business management with regard to these expected outcomes: the ability to defend ethical guide for evaluating business practice; a clear understanding of decision-making models and ability to employ them; improved research skills both library and web-based; improved business communication skills both written and oral.In addition to the above-mentioned skills, by the end of the semester, I had a thorough understanding of the major functions of management including the ability to translate the impact of cultural diversity, technology, and external environment on management decisions. I was equally competent in various leadership styles and was able to exhibit these styles in an actual business enterprise. I also learned the importance of cooperation and the advantages of operating as a team to solve problems. The other core aspects of this course, which I undertook, were two book reviews and a career assessment exercise. In the book review, I critically appraise and summarize two contemporary business-related books.

The first was, “Fun Is Good: How to Create Joy and Passion in Your Workplace and Career” by Mike Veeck and Pete Williams, and the second, “The First-time Manager” by Loren Belker and Gary Topchik. In both the books, I summarized the structures and the content, capturing specifically the following key aspects: the information conveyed by the author in the book; the organization of the book; and the depicted theme.In my opinion, the book “Fun Is Good: How to Create Joy and Passion in Your Workplace and Career” provides valuable information, particularly to managers. The authors argue that success is not just guaranteed by strict discipline, research, and planning but rather work should be able to bring pleasure and pride to the employees for optimal performance. In the final analysis, I gathered that the book provided a different perspective on running a business. It is therefore an invaluable piece of literature for those wishing to start new enterprises or even those in running businesses who wish to change their management style for better performance of their employees, and consequently increased revenues.The second book, “The first-time manager” in my opinion, is very important for people wishing to start careers in management and even top managers wishing to refresh their skills. The conversation format in the book makes it easy to read and follow. I would therefore recommend the book to all audiences but more specifically to students who target careers in management.The career assessment component of this course was the most enjoyable. It provided me with an opportunity to self-search and know exactly who I am. This in essence enabled me to assess my strength and weaknesses and therefore, help me in determining the right career choice. I used various evaluation matrices in this career assessment to gauge my personality.