Category: Essays

In the past weeks, students have learned about leaders and leadership. Leaders are social architects who design an organizational environment that encourages a desired range of social behaviors in an effort to meet the organizational goals set forth. Social architects create vision and strategic direction, shape culture and values and lead change.

This assessment is designed in a way that students can demonstrate knowledge of the material covered in weeks 1 – 4 and apply leadership concepts and ideas to a real-world situation. Students will delve into the details of the case study and the course readings but must also look at the situation from a strategic point of view since Dunn wants a sustainable business.

Required Elements to include in Paper #1:

In this assessment, you will act as Joseph Dunn, the leader of Dunn’s Ski Emporium. You want to purchase The Deli, so there is a lot of work to do before entering into the possible addition of a business you know nothing about. As Dunn, you will develop a leadership plan (not a business plan) writing from a leader’s perspective. So, you ask, what it means to write from a leader’s perspective?

Writing from the leader’s perspective means you will approach Dunn’s vision through the people centric viewpoint of the leader. You are focused on how the two businesses will meet the vision through the decision making flow and grouping of people within the organizations. How do you best use the people to meet your vision? Even though it is tempting to write in the first person, a plan is written in the third person in which a story will unfold. Dunn is essentially telling a story of how he is going to purchase the Deli and bring George and the business in as part of the Dunn Ski Emporium. Dunn will need to figure out how he is going to combine these two businesses and use his leadership skills to do so. Remember, you are writing from the leader’s perspective and are not solving problems but literally creating and developing an environment in which problems will be resolved by those who make the business run.

Dunn plans on designing an organizational structure that fulfills his vision, one that he believes George has for The Deli, and one that will fulfill its mission. The organization must be open to change and possess a culture that empowers its employees to follow the vision created. Like all good social architects, the building must start with a design that suites the purpose of the business and seeks to make it the best building for the job. The entire paper is the plan. Students are expected to be creative but realistic in developing pieces of the plan. For example, feel free to assign names and roles to the people in the business. In being creative students may not change the facts in the plan. Dunn will provide the plan to George Atkins once Dunn sits down with him to begin negotiations, so the plan must be polished. Also to make sure questions can easily be addressed, Dunn is going to write in the active voice and support the reasoning behind his ideas. Dunn wants to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the leadership material, so a wide range of the readings will appear in the plan.

Dunn has created an outline for the plan and has determined the following headings or steps to use:

1) Introduction paragraph in which purpose of the plan is explained and How Dunn’s approach to designing the plan is appropriate to his role as a social architect in the organization

2) Evaluate the organization’s purpose and goals. For example, what does the business do to make money? what is required in terms of the type of people who need to run the day-to-day operations? Discuss the critical elements that must be in place for Dunn to be successful in this new venture.

3) Develop vision and mission statements;

4) Design an organizational structure including an organizational chart that compliments the business purpose and its purpose when the merger takes place. Evaluate the key people like George Aitkin’s role in Dunn’s plan and how the decision making and placement of people would make the business flow;

5) Design an organizational culture that complements the organizational structure, business(es) purpose, and supports Dunn’s vision (use the OCAI to help in your selection);

6) Assess the environment for change in your plan. For example, is there a mechanism built in to the organizational structure and culture to facilitate change? Joseph Dunn as a change agent for the business environment? What steps should Dunn take for short-term change? For long-term change?

Within the steps of the plan, Dunn will analyze the following elements of leadership. In covering these steps, it is necessary to perform an analysis in terms of how and why steps are taken. Students are not covering the topics superficially but are required to use the course readings to explain the detail:

1) Joseph Dunn as a social architect

2) Joseph Dunn as an individual – be sure to include what Dunn can do to enhance his role as leader?

3) Joseph Dunn as a change agent for the business environment? What steps should Dunn take for short-term change? For long-term change?

4) George Aitkin’s role in Dunn’s plan;

5) Based on your leadership plan, discuss how Dunn might integrate the role managers have to strengthen his vision.

6) Discuss the critical elements that must be in place for Dunn to be successful in this new venture.

Required Formatting of The Plan:

Since this is a plan, students are able to write single, spaced with a double space between paragraphs.
Use 12-point font, and three -five pages in length including diagrams.
Title page with your name, the course name, the date, and instructor’s name;
Use headings as indicated;
Reference page;
Summary that provides the key points of Dunn’s plan;
Writing is expected to be clear and concise;
Write in the third person;
Use APA formatting for in-text citations and reference page. You are expected to paraphrase and not use direct quotes. Deductions will be taken when direct quotes are used and found to be unnecessary;
Outside resources may be used but the majority of the support will come from the course readings with a wide array of readings used

In the past weeks, students have learned about leaders and leadership. Leaders are social architects who design an organizational environment that encourages a desired range of social behaviors in an effort to meet the organizational goals set forth. Social architects create vision and strategic direction, shape culture and values and lead change.

This assessment is designed in a way that students can demonstrate knowledge of the material covered in weeks 1 – 4 and apply leadership concepts and ideas to a real-world situation. Students will delve into the details of the case study and the course readings but must also look at the situation from a strategic point of view since Dunn wants a sustainable business.

Required Elements to include in Paper #1:

In this assessment, you will act as Joseph Dunn, the leader of Dunn’s Ski Emporium. You want to purchase The Deli, so there is a lot of work to do before entering into the possible addition of a business you know nothing about. As Dunn, you will develop a leadership plan (not a business plan) writing from a leader’s perspective. So, you ask, what it means to write from a leader’s perspective?

Writing from the leader’s perspective means you will approach Dunn’s vision through the people centric viewpoint of the leader. You are focused on how the two businesses will meet the vision through the decision making flow and grouping of people within the organizations. How do you best use the people to meet your vision? Even though it is tempting to write in the first person, a plan is written in the third person in which a story will unfold. Dunn is essentially telling a story of how he is going to purchase the Deli and bring George and the business in as part of the Dunn Ski Emporium. Dunn will need to figure out how he is going to combine these two businesses and use his leadership skills to do so. Remember, you are writing from the leader’s perspective and are not solving problems but literally creating and developing an environment in which problems will be resolved by those who make the business run.

Dunn plans on designing an organizational structure that fulfills his vision, one that he believes George has for The Deli, and one that will fulfill its mission. The organization must be open to change and possess a culture that empowers its employees to follow the vision created. Like all good social architects, the building must start with a design that suites the purpose of the business and seeks to make it the best building for the job. The entire paper is the plan. Students are expected to be creative but realistic in developing pieces of the plan. For example, feel free to assign names and roles to the people in the business. In being creative students may not change the facts in the plan. Dunn will provide the plan to George Atkins once Dunn sits down with him to begin negotiations, so the plan must be polished. Also to make sure questions can easily be addressed, Dunn is going to write in the active voice and support the reasoning behind his ideas. Dunn wants to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the leadership material, so a wide range of the readings will appear in the plan.

Dunn has created an outline for the plan and has determined the following headings or steps to use:

1) Introduction paragraph in which purpose of the plan is explained and How Dunn’s approach to designing the plan is appropriate to his role as a social architect in the organization

2) Evaluate the organization’s purpose and goals. For example, what does the business do to make money? what is required in terms of the type of people who need to run the day-to-day operations? Discuss the critical elements that must be in place for Dunn to be successful in this new venture.

3) Develop vision and mission statements;

4) Design an organizational structure including an organizational chart that compliments the business purpose and its purpose when the merger takes place. Evaluate the key people like George Aitkin’s role in Dunn’s plan and how the decision making and placement of people would make the business flow;

5) Design an organizational culture that complements the organizational structure, business(es) purpose, and supports Dunn’s vision (use the OCAI to help in your selection);

6) Assess the environment for change in your plan. For example, is there a mechanism built in to the organizational structure and culture to facilitate change? Joseph Dunn as a change agent for the business environment? What steps should Dunn take for short-term change? For long-term change?

Within the steps of the plan, Dunn will analyze the following elements of leadership. In covering these steps, it is necessary to perform an analysis in terms of how and why steps are taken. Students are not covering the topics superficially but are required to use the course readings to explain the detail:

1) Joseph Dunn as a social architect

2) Joseph Dunn as an individual – be sure to include what Dunn can do to enhance his role as leader?

3) Joseph Dunn as a change agent for the business environment? What steps should Dunn take for short-term change? For long-term change?

4) George Aitkin’s role in Dunn’s plan;

5) Based on your leadership plan, discuss how Dunn might integrate the role managers have to strengthen his vision.

6) Discuss the critical elements that must be in place for Dunn to be successful in this new venture.

Required Formatting of The Plan:

Since this is a plan, students are able to write single, spaced with a double space between paragraphs.
Use 12-point font, and three -five pages in length including diagrams.
Title page with your name, the course name, the date, and instructor’s name;
Use headings as indicated;
Reference page;
Summary that provides the key points of Dunn’s plan;
Writing is expected to be clear and concise;
Write in the third person;
Use APA formatting for in-text citations and reference page. You are expected to paraphrase and not use direct quotes. Deductions will be taken when direct quotes are used and found to be unnecessary;
Outside resources may be used but the majority of the support will come from the course readings with a wide array of readings use

Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 300-500 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

Ethics in Research

Utilizing the internet, CTU Library, and/or your textbook, choose one example of unethical research:

· Summarize the research.

· Explain why the research was unethical.

· Explain what changes (if any) in research resulted.

For your portfolio project, you will evaluate a fragile (formerly called failed) state and develop a plan to help it recover and get back on the right track. This will involve a survey of the country’s history, the source of its problems, information about its people, economy, and culture, and its potential to succeed if given a chance.

The Global Policy Forum website provides information on fragile/failed states in general, as well as specific states.

ForeignPolicy.com provides the 2014 list of most fragile/failed states. You may choose your country for this study from the countries in dark red on the map at the bottom of the opening page.

General information:

Population of the country (see 1 below for more information)
Important ethnic or racial groups and divisions
Per capita gross domestic product (see 2 below for more information)
UN Human Development Index rankings (see 2 below for more information)
Freedom House scores for political rights and civil liberties (see 3 below for more information)
The economic position of your country compared to other countries (wealthy, poor, middle income).

History:

Provide an overview of the country’s history, focusing on when and why it began to have problems leading to its fragile/failed status.

Classification and structure of government:

Although fragile/failed states lack an effective government, this does not mean that no one is trying to run the country or at least parts of the country. Who is trying to govern your chosen country? How are they attempting to do this?
Are there attempts to hold elections? If so, how are these elections conducted, and what is voter turnout (See 4 below for more information)? When was the most recent election held, and what were the results?

Competition, stability and civil society:

Do political parties exist? If so, what are they, and what role do they play in the country’s problems and/or efforts to provide structure?
Are there any recent political changes?
Major social movements?
Are their divisions or conflicts based on race/religion/culture, etc? Has genocide taken place?
Who provides basic services such as utilities, education, medical care, etc?
What is daily life like for the people?

Economic environment:

Major industries
Natural resources
Other sources of revenue
Reliance on foreign aid.

Other questions:

What are the most important political, economic, environmental and human rights issues facing your country?
Is your country in conflict with its neighbors or other countries?
What are its relations with major global powers ‑- the U.S., Europe, China, etc?

Conclude the paper with your assessment of the country’s future. What could be done to help the country become stable and develop an effective government? Include what the people can do to help themselves, as well as the role that other countries and humanitarian aid groups could play.

Required Resources:

Data can be accessed through the World Bank website.
Data can be found on the website of the UN Human Development Report
Data available at Freedomhouse.org
Data on election turnout available on the website of the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance

Additional Requirements:

Write a formal eight to ten page essay complete with discussion and citation from at least ten credible academic sources other than required course readings to support your findings. The CSU-Global Library is an excellent place to search for scholarly sources.
In addition, provide a reference list, in alphabetical order by last name of author, in APA format, and include a title page at the beginning

For your portfolio project, you will evaluate a fragile (formerly called failed) state and develop a plan to help it recover and get back on the right track. This will involve a survey of the country’s history, the source of its problems, information about its people, economy, and culture, and its potential to succeed if given a chance.

The Global Policy Forum website provides information on fragile/failed states in general, as well as specific states.

ForeignPolicy.com provides the 2014 list of most fragile/failed states. You may choose your country for this study from the countries in dark red on the map at the bottom of the opening page.

General information:

Population of the country (see 1 below for more information)
Important ethnic or racial groups and divisions
Per capita gross domestic product (see 2 below for more information)
UN Human Development Index rankings (see 2 below for more information)
Freedom House scores for political rights and civil liberties (see 3 below for more information)
The economic position of your country compared to other countries (wealthy, poor, middle income).

History:

Provide an overview of the country’s history, focusing on when and why it began to have problems leading to its fragile/failed status.

Classification and structure of government:

Although fragile/failed states lack an effective government, this does not mean that no one is trying to run the country or at least parts of the country. Who is trying to govern your chosen country? How are they attempting to do this?
Are there attempts to hold elections? If so, how are these elections conducted, and what is voter turnout (See 4 below for more information)? When was the most recent election held, and what were the results?

Competition, stability and civil society:

Do political parties exist? If so, what are they, and what role do they play in the country’s problems and/or efforts to provide structure?
Are there any recent political changes?
Major social movements?
Are their divisions or conflicts based on race/religion/culture, etc? Has genocide taken place?
Who provides basic services such as utilities, education, medical care, etc?
What is daily life like for the people?

Economic environment:

Major industries
Natural resources
Other sources of revenue
Reliance on foreign aid.

Other questions:

What are the most important political, economic, environmental and human rights issues facing your country?
Is your country in conflict with its neighbors or other countries?
What are its relations with major global powers ‑- the U.S., Europe, China, etc?

Conclude the paper with your assessment of the country’s future. What could be done to help the country become stable and develop an effective government? Include what the people can do to help themselves, as well as the role that other countries and humanitarian aid groups could play.

Required Resources:

Data can be accessed through the World Bank website.
Data can be found on the website of the UN Human Development Report
Data available at Freedomhouse.org
Data on election turnout available on the website of the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance

Additional Requirements:

Write a formal eight to ten page essay complete with discussion and citation from at least ten credible academic sources other than required course readings to support your findings. The CSU-Global Library is an excellent place to search for scholarly sources.
In addition, provide a reference list, in alphabetical order by last name of author, in APA format, and include a title page at the beginning

Financial ratios are a much used tool in assessing corporate performance, but the use of such ratios is often criticized.

Research a UK Plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, which operates in more than one country. Research the financial performance of the company over the last 5 years, complete a report covering the following areas:

* Discuss the use of financial analysis in modern finance, evaluate the strengths and weakness of this form of analysis.

* Analyse the financial performance and current position of your selected company using appropriate ratio anaysis.

* Assess the potential impact of current developments in international financial reporting on future financial reporting for your chosen company.

Quality Management and Continuous Improvement Class for Phyllis Young

Must be 100% original with references.

Quality Management and Continuous Improvement Class

DB Assignments

Unit 1 1 to 2 pages

o How will accomplishing the below objectives support your success in management?

o What risks or challenges might a manager encounter if he or she has not mastered these objectives? Explain.

Objectives:
Calculate the costs associated with quality.
Total Quality Management
Defined
Customer satisfaction
Employee empowerment
Continuous improvement
The cost of quality
Damage of any defects
Material-in-process
Cost of reworking finished goods
Guarantee of inspection
Delivering defective product before caught in inspection
Quality performance
Cost control methodology
Quality overview
Maintaining quality
Quality concepts
Quality control
Quality management systems
Learning organization
Personal mastery
Mental models
Shared vision
Team learning
Systems thinking

Unit 2 1 to 2 pages

o What questions do you have about the assignments in Units 1–4?

o What questions do you have about the overarching Unit 5 assignment?

o Although it is not due until the end of the class, it is important that you begin planning for this project early in the course. What are your initial thoughts about how you will approach this assignment? Explain.

Objectives:
Describe management quality initiatives such as TQM and Six Sigma.
Evaluate the quality control tools used to analyze and improve processes.

Unit 3 1 to 2 pages

· Collaboration in a business environment is a best practice that leverages the collective knowledge of the team that is assembled. Peer evaluation and support, provided in the spirit of continuous improvement and organizational success, result in higher quality deliverables than what are generally possible by the efforts of an individual. Complete the following:

o Describe the process that you plan to use to conduct research, identify findings, and develop the Comprehensive Project that is due in Unit 5.

o Present a preliminary outline that indicates how you intend to organize the project deliverable.

o Review the process and outlines of other students, providing an objective assessment and constructive feedback that will help strengthen the effectiveness of their efforts and the quality of their finished products.

Objectives:
Evaluate the quality control tools used to analyze and improve processes.
Discuss the opportunities provided by technology for businesses.

Unit 4 1 to 2 pages

Post an executive summary of your Comprehensive Project in the body of a post in this Discussion Board (do not use attachments). An executive summary is a 1-page document that outlines the purpose, process, findings, discussion, and findings of a report that is submitted to management. Chief executive officers (CEOs) often read and assess executive summaries before deciding to read entire reports, so this must be a high-quality narrative that demonstrates the significance of the work that is being undertaken, the objectivity of research and analysis underpinning the report, and the credibility of the resulting conclusions.

· Objectives:

o Recognize situations that present potential ethical and legal issues, and develop solutions for those issues.

Unit 5 1 to 2 pages

· For this assignment, discuss the following:

o What competencies were you able to develop in researching and writing the course Comprehensive Project?

o How did you leverage knowledge gained in the intellipath assignments (Units 1–4) in completing the Comprehensive Project?

o How will these competencies and knowledge support your career advancement in management?

Objectives:
Describe management quality initiatives such as TQM and Six Sigma.
Evaluate the quality control tools used to analyze and improve processes

Please write an organized essay of about 1,000 words, using plenty of evidence from this course only, that answers ONE of the following questions per the instructions in the midterms to use as many of the total readings as possible in a cohesive essay.

a) After World War II, ecology gained a reputation for being a “subversive science.” Was this reputation justified? Defend your view using specific historical examples

b) Pick a viewpoint that you had about the natural environment before taking this class, and write an essay disagreeing with it. Formulate a strong thesis in opposition to your prior view, and support it with specific historical examples.

c) “Environmentalism is a rich man’s game.” Evaluate this sentiment and agree or disagree with it, using historical evidence to substantiate your claim.

Attached reading would be helpful and inspired for you to write this paper. Please provide all the work cited

Please write an organized essay of about 1,000 words, using plenty of evidence from this course only, that answers ONE of the following questions per the instructions in the midterms to use as many of the total readings as possible in a cohesive essay.

a) After World War II, ecology gained a reputation for being a “subversive science.” Was this reputation justified? Defend your view using specific historical examples

b) Pick a viewpoint that you had about the natural environment before taking this class, and write an essay disagreeing with it. Formulate a strong thesis in opposition to your prior view, and support it with specific historical examples.

c) “Environmentalism is a rich man’s game.” Evaluate this sentiment and agree or disagree with it, using historical evidence to substantiate your claim.

Attached reading would be helpful and inspired for you to write this paper. Please provide all the work citedYou will submit a reference page in current APA format for your Research Paper. In addition to the textbook and the Bible, your reference page must contain at least 6 scholarly sources, 4 of which must be peer-reviewed journal articles. For the 4 peer-reviewed journal articles, 2 of these must support/use Behavioral Learning Theory and 2 must support/use Cognitive Learning Theory. Remaining sources must address educational implications, historical context, and/or biblical worldview topics related to Behavioral and Cognitive Learning Theories. At least 4 of the sources (the peer-reviewed journal articles) must have been published within the last 10 years. Popular writing and web pages are NOT acceptable sources for this paper.

Research Paper: Final Submission Instructions

You will write a Research Paper that will compare Behavioral Learning Theories and Cognitive Learning Theories. You will include a title page, a 150–250-word abstract, an 8-page body, and a reference page. The body will include an introduction, 6 sections, and a conclusion. The paper must be written in current APA format. Current APA Level 1 sub-headings must be used throughout the paper. The 6 main sections of the paper will address the following topics:

1. Historical Development of Each Theory—For each theory, discuss prominent persons and their corresponding historic research. Include how the theory has been developed over time. Have there been significant changes from its development to what current researchers in the area believe?

2. Key Concepts of Each Theory—This section will focus on the major points of each theory. How is new information acquired? What are the goals of learning? What is unique about each theory?

3. Research Support for Each Theory—This section will include a review of 4 peer-reviewed scholarly research articles. The first 2 articles will address research in which Behavior Learning Theory has been applied. The other 2 articles will use Cognitive Learning Theory in the research. Each article must show the effectiveness of the learning theory it addresses.

4. Educational Implications—This section will discuss the implications for how learning takes place in the classroom. Discuss the benefits and applications of each theory. How would each theory say people learn in a classroom setting? What are the benefits to teaching new information utilizing each theory?

5. Biblical Worldview—Discuss what the Bible says regarding learning behavior in humans. How would a biblical worldview impact a learner? Include chapter and verse when citing the Bible.

6. Most Effective Theory of Learning—Select which theory of learning (Behavioral or Cognitive) you believe is most effective. Substantiate your decision with research support citing journal articles and your textbook.

Reference Requirements

Required sources for this paper include the Bible, your textbook, 4 peer-reviewed journal articles, and at least 2 additional scholarly sources. Remaining sources must address educational implications, historical context, and/or biblical worldview topics related to Behavioral and Cognitive Learning Theories. At least 4 of the sources (the peer-reviewed journal articles) must have been published within the last 10 years. Popular writing and web pages are NOT acceptable sources for this paper. Refer to the provided grading rubric to fully understand the requirements for this assignment

This question is based on Chapters 1 and 2 of the textbook

(Management Information Systems – Managing the Digital Firm, 13th Edition).

(a) How could information systems be used to achieve greater customer intimacy in an auto manufacturer and distributor?

(b) What are the main changes taking place in organizational use of information systems. Which of these do you think is having the greatest impact on businesses?

(c) You have been hired by an international architectural firm, with offices in Singapore, Paris, and Mumbai. The firm would like architects and draftsman from different teams to be able to collaborate efficiently. How will you determine what the best collaboration tools are for their needs?

Question 2

Read the case study “Monitoring Employees on Networks: Unethical or Good Business” on pages 296-297 of the textbook (Management Information Systems – Managing the Digital Firm, 13th Edition).

Answer the following questions.

(a) Describe the FOUR (4) social media sites mentioned in the case study that employees frequently tend to access at work.

(b) Should managers monitor employee email and internet usage?

(c) Apply the Acceptable User Policy (AUP) framework and draft an email policy for a company.

Question 3

Read the case study “Stuxnet and the Changing Face of Cyberwarfare” on pages 336-337 of the textbook (Management Information Systems – Managing the Digital Firm, 13th Edition). Answer the following questions.

(a) What was the damage caused by the Stuxnet worm on Iran?

(b) What are the TWO (2) other cyberweapons mentioned in the case study and outline their capabilities.

(c) Analyse the status of the United States strategy on cybersecurity as outlined in the case study