| Course | MAN-2100 Principles of Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Career development assignment 1: planning applied to a career |
| Length | About 821 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Bachelor of Science in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MAN 2100 Module 2
Planning a Career the Way Organizations Plan Strategy: A Weighted Personal SWOT and Three SMART Goals
Student Name
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Thomas Edison State University
MAN-2100: Principles of Management
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Planning a Career the Way Organizations Plan Strategy: A Weighted Personal SWOT and Three SMART Goals
Module 2 presents planning as the management function that sets direction: deciding where an organization wants to be, assessing its situation and choosing how to get there (Lumen Learning, n.d.). The same tools can guide a career. I have run one branch of this fictional nine-branch library system for two years, after six years as a children's librarian, and I would like to move into a system-level role overseeing branch operations within five years. This assignment applies a personal SWOT analysis and SMART goal setting to that aim and turns them into a plan.
A Weighted Personal SWOT Analysis
SWOT analysis examines internal strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats. Helms and Nixon (2010) reviewed a decade of research on the tool and found it widely used and supported for planning, while noting criticisms that SWOT lists are often long, unprioritized and disconnected from the actions they should inform. To avoid those problems I limited each category to three items and rated each from 1 to 3 for how much it matters to my goal.
| Category | Item | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | Track record of growing program attendance at my branch by about 40% | 3 |
| Strength | Bilingual in English and Spanish, valuable in a diverse county | 2 |
| Strength | Strong relationships with schools and community groups | 2 |
| Weakness | Little experience with budgets beyond my branch's supply line | 3 |
| Weakness | No supervisory experience over other managers | 2 |
| Weakness | Avoid conflict rather than addressing it early | 2 |
| Opportunity | Two system-level deputies expected to retire within three years | 3 |
| Opportunity | County funding for a system-wide technology plan | 2 |
| Threat | Possible budget cuts that freeze promotions | 3 |
| Threat | Candidates from other systems with MBA or MPA degrees | 2 |
The weights change what the analysis says. My most important strength is a measurable record of results; my most important weakness is budget experience, which every system-level role requires; the most important opportunity is the expected retirements; and the most important threat is a budget freeze. The plan should use the strength, close the weakness, prepare for the opportunity and hedge against the threat.
Three SMART Goals
Goals guide behavior best when they are specific and challenging. Locke and Latham (2002) found across decades of research that clear, demanding targets tend to beat vague ones, provided the person actually accepts the target and can see how far along they are. The SMART checklist turns that finding into a habit: each goal names exactly what, how it will be counted, whether it is realistic, why it matters and by when.
Goal 1 addresses the main weakness. By June 2027, I will complete the county's public budgeting course and co-prepare the next annual budget for my branch and one neighboring branch with the system's finance officer, measured by a budget submitted on time and approved without major revision.
Goal 2 prepares for the opportunity. By December 2027, I will lead a system-wide project, the planned rollout of new self-service technology across all nine branches, measured by completing the rollout on schedule and documenting results for the director.
Goal 3 hedges against the threat. By September 2028, I will complete at least four courses toward a graduate certificate in public administration, so that if promotions freeze locally I will be competitive for system-level roles elsewhere, measured by completed credits with grades of B or better.
Turning Goals Into a Plan
Each goal needs milestones and resources. For the budget goal, I will meet the finance officer monthly and ask to attend two budget hearings this year. For the project goal, I will ask the director to sponsor me as project lead and will use project planning tools from this course to set a timeline and track tasks. For the certificate, I will use the county's tuition reimbursement and take one course per term. I will review progress every quarter with my supervisor, who has agreed to give feedback.
Planning also requires contingencies. If the deputy positions are eliminated rather than refilled, the same skills prepare me for a branch cluster manager role, which oversees three or four branches. If my workload grows during the technology rollout, the certificate courses will slow to one per year rather than stop. Building these alternatives into the plan reflects the module's point that strategic plans must adapt as the environment changes.
Each month I will jot down, in a single page, what I actually did toward each goal. Reviewing the log before each quarterly meeting will show whether my time matches my priorities, a simple form of the control step that completes the planning cycle.
Conclusion
Using organizational planning tools on my own career made my next steps clearer. A weighted SWOT showed that budget experience is the gap that matters most, and three SMART goals with milestones, feedback and contingencies turn a general ambition into a plan I can track.
References
Helms, M. M., & Nixon, J. (2010). Exploring SWOT analysis: Where are we now? A review of academic research from the last decade. Journal of Strategy and Management, 3(3), 215-251. https://doi.org/10.1108/17554251011064837
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Principles of management. Open Educational Resources. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-principlesofmanagement/
Reading the MAN 2100 Module 2 assignment instructions
MAN-2100 includes three career development assignments, worth 20% of the course grade together, designed to connect skills from the course to your own career planning; each module page gives the full directions. A planning-focused assignment like this one commonly asks you to assess your situation, for example with a SWOT analysis, set goals and outline the steps to reach them. Use the Lumen Learning reading on planning and goal setting, add scholarly sources from the TESU ProQuest database, and use I where the directions invite personal reflection. Be specific: name roles, dates and measures rather than general hopes. Attach any self-assessment results the directions request.
Inside the MAN 2100 Module 2 example
The assignment opens by linking the module's definition of planning to a career and stating the writer's five-year aim. The SWOT appears as a table limited to ten weighted items, and a short paragraph explains what the weights reveal, addressing research criticisms of the tool. Goal-setting research supports the move to SMART goals, and each of the three goals targets one weighted item, a weakness, an opportunity or a threat, with a date and a measure. A planning section adds milestones, resources, feedback and contingencies, and the conclusion states what the exercise changed. Sources are cited where their ideas are used. The weights, not the list itself, drive the goals.
Where the marks sit in the MAN 2100 Module 2 rubric
Career development assignments in MAN-2100 are graded on how well they apply course concepts to your own career, how complete and specific the work is, and how clearly it is written. For a planning assignment, mentors look for an honest assessment of strengths and weaknesses, goals that are genuinely specific and measurable, and a plan that connects goals to actions and resources. Linking the analysis to the goals, rather than presenting them separately, shows understanding of planning as a process. Use of sources, organization and correct grammar complete the grade for this assignment, which shares a 20% weight with the other two. Honest weaknesses earn more credit than flattering ones.
MAN 2100 Module 2 help from the desk
Personal SWOT analyses often list every trait the writer can think of, which makes them hard to use. Limit the items and weight them. Another common problem is goals that are not really SMART, such as improve my leadership, with no measure or date. Keep rewriting each goal until a stranger reading it could tell, a year from now, whether it was achieved. Students also forget threats, which are external and outside your control, or confuse them with weaknesses. Tie each goal to a SWOT item so the assignment hangs together. Our writers can prepare a MAN 2100 career development assignment built on your own background, following the directions in your module. Ask a colleague to read your goals and say whether they could check them.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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MAN 2100 Module 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MAN 2100 Module 2 sample paper?
The Module 2 career development assignment is shown above in full: a weighted personal SWOT table, three SMART goals, a plan with milestones and contingencies, sources and margin notes.
What are MAN-2100 career development assignments?
Three assignments, worth 20% of the course grade together, that apply skills from the course to your own career planning. Each module page gives the full directions.
How do I make a personal SWOT analysis useful?
Limit each category to a few items, weight them by importance and use the highest-weighted items to set your goals.
What makes a goal SMART?
It names a precise result, a way to count it, a realistic scope, a reason it matters and a deadline.
Can I write this assignment in the first person?
Yes, when the directions ask you to apply concepts to your own career. Stay professional and back up claims about yourself with evidence such as feedback or results.