| Course | MGT 500 Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | MBA planning paper |
| Length | About 1,089 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Master of Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MGT 500 Module 2
Twenty Percent More Visitors and Two Fewer Lifeguards: Planning and Goal Setting With Guardrails at a Water Park
Student Name
Master of Business Administration, Aspen University
MGT 500: Management
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Twenty Percent More Visitors and Two Fewer Lifeguards: Planning and Goal Setting With Guardrails at a Water Park
Panhandle Splash, a composite family-owned water park in Amarillo, Texas, opens for about 100 days each summer with slides, a wave pool, a lazy river and a children's area. It drew about 160,000 visitors last season. The owners set a single goal for the year: 20% more visitors than the season before. Managers worked hard toward it with promotions and group sales, and attendance rose 18%. But to stay within the labor budget as crowds grew, shift managers trimmed lifeguard hours, and on two busy afternoons the county inspector found lifeguard stands unstaffed while their attractions were open. The park was fined and nearly closed for a weekend. The owners want a better way to plan next season.
What Went Wrong
Last season's plan had one number and no limits. It said what to achieve but not what must never be traded to achieve it. The labor budget, set before the goal, did not grow with attendance. And no one reviewed the plan midseason, when the conflict between crowds and staffing became visible. The managers were not careless; they did what the plan rewarded.
Formal Planning and Flexibility
Some managers distrust formal plans, believing they make organizations rigid. Brews and Hunt (1999) studied more than 650 firms and found that formal planning and flexibility were complements rather than opposites: firms that planned formally and then adapted their plans as conditions changed performed better than those that did either alone. They also found that planning capability develops over several years, as organizations learn to plan. For Panhandle Splash, the lesson is to write a fuller plan and also to schedule when and how it will be adjusted.
Writing Goals That Guide
Doran (1981) proposed that management goals should be specific, measurable, assignable to someone, realistic and time-related, a format now known as SMART. The format turns a wish into a statement someone can act on and others can check. Last season's goal was specific and measurable but assigned to no one in particular and silent on how it should be reached.
When Goals Backfire
Ordóñez et al. (2009) contended that enthusiasm for goals has outrun the evidence and that their harms are routinely overlooked. Goals that are too narrow lead people to neglect important areas the goal does not mention. Goals that are too many or too challenging encourage risk-taking and unethical behavior. Short time horizons push out long-term concerns. And goals tied to rewards can reduce people's own motivation. They recommended setting goals with care and supervision, considering what behavior a goal will encourage. Panhandle Splash's attendance goal fits their warning closely: it narrowed attention to visitors and pushed safety, which it did not mention, out of view.
Why Guardrails Rather Than More Goals
One response to last season would be to add a safety goal beside the attendance goal. Ordóñez and colleagues' warning about too many goals suggests a different approach: a guardrail is not a target to be balanced against others but a limit that is never crossed. Treating safety staffing as a condition for operating, rather than one goal among several, removes the temptation to trade it for attendance.
Goals With Guardrails
| Level | Goal | Owner | Guardrail that cannot be traded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park | 175,000 visitors and $4.6 million revenue in the 2027 season | General manager | Zero citations for safety staffing |
| Park | Guest rating of 4.5 or higher | General manager | Wait times posted honestly |
| Department: aquatics | Every stand staffed whenever its attraction is open | Aquatics manager | Lifeguards work no more than six hours without a break |
| Department: food | Food revenue of $8.50 per visitor | Food manager | Food safety inspections passed |
| Department: sales | 300 group bookings | Sales manager | Groups booked only within daily capacity |
| Shift | Attractions open on time daily | Shift managers | Attraction closes if its stand cannot be staffed |
What Last Season's Numbers Show
Attendance data show where the pressure came from. Weekday attendance averaged 1,250 visitors, well within staffing, but Saturdays and holidays averaged 2,700, and the citations both came on Saturday afternoons above 3,000 visitors. Growth came mostly from group sales on weekends, exactly when the park was already busiest. A plan that spreads growth across weekdays, through school and camp groups and evening admission, can raise attendance without overloading the busiest days.
Pricing and Capacity
The plan uses price to shape demand. Weekday tickets will cost $8 less than weekend tickets, and group bookings will be offered mainly Monday through Thursday. A daily cap of 3,200 visitors, enforced through online tickets on weekends, keeps crowds within what staff and attractions can handle safely. These steps make the attendance goal and the safety guardrail work together rather than against each other.
Matching Resources to Goals
The labor budget will rise with attendance: for every 1,000 additional daily visitors above 1,800, the aquatics manager may schedule two more lifeguards without approval. A pool of 12 trained lifeguards on call will cover peak afternoons.
Making the Plan Known
Most of the park's 210 summer employees are students hired for one season. At orientation each will be handed the season's goals and guardrails on a single sheet, and shift managers will read the guardrail for their area at every opening briefing. A lifeguard who sees a stand that cannot be covered is expected to tell the shift manager to close the attraction, and will be thanked, not blamed, for doing so.
Costs of the New Plan
More lifeguards on weekends will cost about $46,000 over the season, and the on-call pool about $9,000 in training. Weekday discounts may reduce revenue per visitor slightly. Against these costs, last season's fine and the near closure would have cost far more, and a single serious injury could end the business.
Reviewing the Plan
On July 1, the owners and managers will review attendance, revenue, ratings and staffing. Targets may be raised or lowered; guardrails may not.
Learning to Plan
Brews and Hunt found that planning capability takes years to build. Panhandle Splash will keep a short record of what the plan assumed and what actually happened, so that next year's plan starts from evidence rather than memory. After three seasons, the owners expect planning to take less time and produce better targets.
Conclusion
Last season's single goal produced effort and a safety failure. Brews and Hunt's research supports a written plan that adapts, Doran's criteria make goals actionable and Ordóñez and colleagues' warnings explain why every goal now carries a guardrail that protects swimmers first.
References
Brews, P. J., & Hunt, M. R. (1999). Learning to plan and planning to learn: Resolving the planning school/learning school debate. Strategic Management Journal, 20(10), 889-913. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199910)20:10<889::AID-SMJ60>3.0.CO;2-F
Doran, G. T. (1981). There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), 35-36.
Ordóñez, L. D., Schweitzer, M. E., Galinsky, A. D., & Bazerman, M. H. (2009). Goals gone wild: The systematic side effects of overprescribing goal setting. Academy of Management Perspectives, 23(1), 6-16. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2009.37007999
What the MGT 500 Module 2 instructions ask for
Planning and goal setting come early in Aspen's MBA management course. A paper here generally sets out how an organization should plan and what goals it should pursue, with attention to evidence on what makes plans and goals work. Treat your classroom's Module 2 directions as the authority; one seasonal business is planned in this example. Review the organization's current planning and its results. Explain research on formal planning and on goals, including their risks. Set goals at several levels that connect to each other. Make goals specific and measurable, and add safeguards against side effects. Explain how and when the plan will be reviewed and adjusted.
Inside the MGT 500 Module 2 example
The paper opens with Panhandle Splash, a water park drawing about 160,000 visitors in a 100-day season. Last year's single goal, 20% more visitors, was nearly met, but managers cut lifeguard hours to stay within the labor budget, and the county inspector cited two unstaffed stands. Brews and Hunt's Strategic Management Journal study of more than 650 firms found that formality and flexibility in planning are complements, and that planning capability is learned over years. Doran's Management Review article introduced SMART goals. Ordóñez and colleagues' Academy of Management Perspectives article lists side effects of goals, including narrow focus, unethical behavior and excessive risk. A table sets park, department and shift goals, each with a guardrail, such as every stand staffed whenever its attraction is open. A review on July 1 adjusts targets but never guardrails.
Reading the MGT 500 Module 2 grading rubric
Planning papers are assessed on a clear diagnosis of past planning, accurate use of research and goals that are specific, connected across levels and protected against side effects. This example traces last season's problem to a single goal with no limits. Brews and Hunt's study supports combining a written plan with planned adjustment. Doran's criteria shape the goals, and Ordóñez and colleagues' research explains why each needs a guardrail. The table makes goals and guardrails visible together. The midseason review shows how the plan stays flexible without abandoning safety, and pricing and a daily cap keep growth away from the busiest days.
MGT 500 Module 2 help from the desk
Planning papers often set one ambitious target and treat it as the plan. Set goals at several levels, connect them and think about how people might reach them in ways you do not want. Another weakness is writing goals that cannot be measured; use specific numbers and dates. Explain research on why goals work and how they backfire. Add guardrails for safety, quality or ethics that cannot be traded away. Build in a review point, since conditions change during the year. Finally, assign an owner to each goal so the plan becomes someone's responsibility. Look at last year's data to see where pressure will fall.
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 Aspen 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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MGT 500 Module 2 questions, answered
What does MGT 500 Module 2 usually ask for?
Aspen's MGT 500 covers planning and goal setting in this module, so an MBA paper setting goals for an organization and explaining how the plan will work is typical. Look at your classroom prompt.
What are SMART goals?
Goals that are specific, measurable, assignable or achievable, realistic and time-related, a format Doran introduced in 1981.
Can goals cause harm?
Yes. Ordóñez and colleagues found that narrow, ambitious goals can lead people to ignore other priorities, take excessive risks or behave unethically.
Where can I find a free MGT 500 Module 2 sample paper?
The example above rebuilds a water park's season plan with goals at three levels, each paired with a safety or quality guardrail.
Does formal planning make organizations rigid?
Brews and Hunt found the opposite: formal planning and flexibility worked together, and firms got better at planning over several years.