| Course | MT140 Introduction to Management |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 3 |
| Paper type | Planning memo |
| Length | About 770 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MT140 Unit 3
Three Objectives for the Fall Season: A Unit 3 Planning Memo at a School Portrait Company
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
MT140: Introduction to Management
Unit 3 Planning Memo
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Larkspur School Portraits, its staff, schools and every figure are composite and illustrative; bracketed figures stand where the company's own records would supply the numbers; the sources cited are real.
Memo
To: Dana Whitcomb, Owner From: Field Operations Supervisor Date: June 12 Subject: Fall season objectives and plan
Purpose: This memo proposes three objectives for the fall picture-day season and the tasks, owners and dates needed to meet them.
Objectives
First, complete every scheduled fall picture day by October 31, with no more than [two] rescheduled for company reasons, against [nine] last fall.
Second, reduce the share of students needing a retake for a company error, such as closed eyes, poor lighting or a missing student, from [6] percent last fall to under [4] percent.
Third, train every seasonal photographer on the lighting setup and the school check-in process before the first picture day on August 18.
Each objective is specific, carries a number and a date, and can be checked against our order system at the end of the season. Locke and Latham (2002) found that specific, challenging goals tend to produce higher performance than general intentions, which is why each objective names a figure rather than asking for improvement.
Forecast
Last fall we photographed [210] schools between August 18 and October 31, about [58] working days. Our school contracts for this fall add [14] schools, so I forecast [224] picture days. At an average of [3.9] schools per working day, that requires [16] photographer teams working every day, with no slack for illness. Last September, [11] percent of photographer days were lost to illness or family emergencies. Adding that margin, we need [18] teams available, two more than the [16] we employed last year. This forecast assumes the new contracts follow last year's school sizes; if two large high schools sign, the margin narrows.
Action Plan
To meet the first objective, the scheduling desk will build a standby rotation so that one photographer team is unassigned each weekday in September, owned by the scheduling lead and due by August 1. I will recruit two additional seasonal teams by July 15.
To meet the second objective, the lab manager will review the first fifty images from each school on the day of the shoot and flag lighting problems before the photographer leaves the building, starting August 18. I will add an eyes-open check to the photographer's on-site routine, with a second frame for every student whose first frame shows a blink.
To meet the third objective, the training lead will run three one-day sessions in early August, with a practice shoot at a summer camp. Every seasonal photographer must complete one session before August 18, and the training lead will report completion to me by August 15.
Contingencies
If we cannot hire two additional teams by July 15, I will ask the owner to approve overtime pay for permanent photographers to cover Saturday make-up days in October. If illness in September runs above the forecast margin, the standby team will cover first, and the scheduling desk will move smaller schools, which are easier to reschedule, rather than large ones.
A second contingency covers the training objective. If any seasonal photographer misses all three sessions, that person will shoot only alongside an experienced photographer until completing a make-up session in the first week of September, so no untrained photographer runs a school alone.
Fayol (1949) treated planning, which he called foresight, as the first duty of management, because it allows an organization to prepare for what it can predict. Our September illness rate is predictable, and this plan treats it that way.
Last fall's nine rescheduled schools were not bad luck; they were the September illness rate we had not planned for.
Request
I ask for approval of the two additional seasonal teams and the standby rotation by June 30, so recruiting can begin. Robbins and Coulter (2021) note that plans are most useful when they set goals and the means to reach them together, and this memo asks for both at once.
The cost of the plan is modest compared with last fall. Two additional seasonal teams cost about [$37,000] each for the season, and the training sessions cost about [$4,500] in wages and the camp shoot. Last fall's nine rescheduled schools cost us an estimated [$22,000] in overtime, free retake days and discounts, before counting any effect on contract renewals.
References
Fayol, H. (1949). General and industrial management (C. Storrs, Trans.). Pitman. (Original work published 1916)
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
Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. (2021). Management (15th ed.). Pearson.
What the MT140 Unit 3 assignment asks for
Unit 3 asks you to write a plan as a manager would hand it to a decision maker, usually in memo form. Prompts in this course generally want measurable objectives, a forecast or estimate that justifies them, the actions needed to reach each objective, and some thought about what could go wrong. Many sections mention SMART objectives or a similar test. You may use your own workplace or a case from the readings, and estimated figures are acceptable when you say they are estimates. The memo should open with a standard heading block and a one-sentence purpose so the reader knows what is being decided. Close with what you need from the reader and by when. Length is usually one to three pages, and a reference list for the course text and any other source sits on a separate page in APA 7 format.
How this MT140 Unit 3 example is built
After the heading block, the memo states three objectives in single sentences, each with a number and a date that the order system can check in November. A short paragraph cites Locke and Latham on why a named figure beats a general wish to improve. The forecast section then does the arithmetic: 210 schools last fall plus fourteen new contracts, about 3.9 schools per working day, and therefore sixteen teams booked solid. A margin note marks this as the point where the plan proves its own need. The action plan gives each objective a task, an owner and a deadline, including a standby rotation and a practice shoot at a summer camp. Contingencies follow for a failed hiring push and for a photographer who misses training. Fayol's foresight anchors the highlighted line about the predictable September illness rate, and the request lists the costs.
Where the points sit in the MT140 Unit 3 rubric
Instructors grading this memo tend to start with the objectives. Each should be specific enough that someone could check it at the deadline, and vague targets such as improving quality lose points quickly. The forecast earns credit when it connects data to the objectives, showing why the targets are needed and realistic. An action plan with named owners and dates scores higher than one that lists activities alone, because ownership is what makes a plan usable. Contingencies show judgment, and the strongest memos tie each one to a specific risk. Format is part of the grade as well: a memo heading, short sections with headings and a direct closing request. Citations should support decisions in the memo, as Locke and Latham do for the targets and Fayol does for the case for planning ahead. APA 7 references belong on their own page.
MT140 Unit 3 help from the desk
Planning memos often go wrong by listing goals with no numbers, or with numbers but no dates. Another frequent problem is a forecast that never connects to the objectives, so the figures sit in the memo without proving anything. Some writers produce an action plan in which every task belongs to the team, which in practice means nobody. Watch for contingencies that only say the plan will be adjusted if needed. A memo that runs four pages has usually lost the reader, since memos are written to be read and approved quickly. If you lack real figures, say plainly that they are estimates and show how you reached them. Our writers can build the objectives, forecast and owner table from your own workplace facts, keep the memo to its page limit and cite the planning sources your section uses.
Get an MT140 Unit 3 example written to your instructions
Tell us which department or team the plan covers and roughly what season or project it faces, then attach your section's Unit 3 prompt and rubric. The memo gets written in that setting, with dated objectives and a costed action table. Delivery usually takes 24-48h, and the first custom sample carries no fee. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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MT140 Unit 3 questions, answered
Where do I get numbers for the forecast?
From anywhere you can cite or reasonably estimate. Past sales, customer counts, staffing records or published industry figures all work. If you have no real data, state an assumption openly and label the figures as estimates, which most sections accept at this level. What costs marks is a forecast presented as fact with nothing underneath it.
Should the objectives follow the SMART format?
Many sections teach it, and it suits this memo well, since specific, measurable, time-bound objectives are exactly what a manager can approve. If your readings use a different framework, follow that instead. Either way the test stays simple: could someone check on the deadline whether the objective was met? If not, it still needs a number or a date.
How long should a planning memo be?
Usually one to three pages, depending on the prompt. Memos are meant to be read quickly, so length beyond that tends to hurt rather than help. If the assignment also asks for a reference page or an appendix holding the forecast figures, those normally sit outside the memo's own page count. Your rubric will say whether headings are expected.
Where can I find a free MT140 Unit 3 sample paper?
The full MT140 Unit 3 planning memo is on this page. It sets three dated objectives for a portrait company's fall season, backs them with a 224-school forecast, names owners and contingencies, and carries margin notes.
Why does the sample memo include a forecast of picture days?
Because the forecast proves the plan is needed. Sixteen teams booked every working day leave no room for illness, which explains last fall's nine reschedules and justifies the standby rotation and the two added teams.