Author: chris

Design Thinking: Evaluation

In the business world, the final phase of design thinking is where a solution strategy is selected and a business case is made for the viability of the chosen solution. If the previous phases have been enacted diligently, the proposed solution has a very good chance of leading to an innovation.

By now, you have identified an issue or problem in your workspace that can be improved in some tangible way. You have generated a list of ideas that could lead to this improvement, and collaborated with your classmates to gain alternate perspectives and solutions. It is now time to step back from this process and evaluate how design-thinking can be applied to real-world business problems at your organization.

For this Application Assignment, imagine you have an opportunity to meet with the VP of Customer Services. You have 15 minutes to present on the value of the department’s use of design thinking to come up with a solution to a problem the team is experiencing.

Submit a Power-point-style presentation with a pitch script in the Notes section outlining your pitch for the use of design thinking to solve a problem. Be sure to include the following, with any other relevant information that you think is essential to an effective pitch:

• • Identify the potential customers or end users that would be positively affected if the organization adopted the more formal design thinking process.
  • Explain whether design thinking could be effectively integrated into the organization, and why?
  • How would you convince stakeholders within the organization of its value?

Be sure to draw on the articles by Brown (2008) and Brown and Anthony (2011) from this week’s Resources to support your conclusions.

Brown, T. (2008, June). Design thinking. Harvard Business Review, 86(6), 84–92. Retrieved from http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/pl/20331266/20331390/79d67270626d8aca2cb2e933457d14e3

When you think of design in the business context, do you think of the appealing packaging of a product like the iPhone or an iconic logo like the one on the Coca-Cola bottle? Design thinking, in the business context, refers not only to these aesthetic dimensions, but to a creative-thinking process that carefully considers user needs, financial possibilities, and many other factors. The design-thinking method is a new way to bring creativity to each step of the product or service development model. As you read this article, consider how creativity, when brought to every step of business processes, can lead to innovation.

Create a diagram in which you illustrate the energy flow among organisms of a food chain in a particular ecosystem. (See Ch. 20 of the textbook for details and examples) If you choose to use images of the organisms in your created diagram, cite EACH image you include in APA format.

Select an ecosystem, such as a temperate forest, desert biome, or the Everglades.

Explain  the interdependency of life in your ecosystem by examining its organisms (you can choose how you would like to do this - presentation, paper, etc.)

Include the following in your assignment:
Make (do not copy and paste one from the internet) a food web of the organisms that can be found in your ecosystem.
Label major organisms that live in your selected ecosystem: P for producers, C for consumers, and D for decomposers. 
Choose 2 food chains from your food web above and describe the following:
Name of the plants and animals from that food chain
Describe what they eat
Describe what eats them
Describe briefly how they are adapted to the ecosystem 
Choose 2 organisms from above and describe the following in detail (in their own paragraphs or slides):
Identify the structure and function of the main organs 
Indicate why they are suited for that environment.   
Describe the ecosystem's population growth and regulation through community interactions. 
Evaluate potential hazards caused by humans that might affect your ecosystem's stability, such as environmental pollution. 
Include labels and associated details in the diagram.
 
You should have a minimum of 3 references for this assignment.
 
Direct Quotes are limited to 2 small quotes (less than 40 words).

Format your assignment consistent with APA guidelines. Include all references and in-text citations - all should be formatted in APA style.  Include an in-text citation for each paragraph, and include a references section.  Assignments with either of these missing will be considered plagiarism and will not be graded.

Format your diagram consistent with APA guidelines.

Find an appropriate article on the Internet which relates to this week’s topic -Trends in Advertising on Television – What works – What doesn’t.. Find an article that discusses what sort of advertising (online or offline) seems to be the most effective in this day of media overload.

The article can be from any professional online business/marketing source. Do not use Wikipedia or other source which is edited by the public – these sources are not appropriate for serious graduate-level work. The article does not have to be from an academic Journal, but it does have to come from a business publication such as Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Money magazine, Advertising Age or any other respected publication. The Webster Library can help you if you need sources – go to that link on the course homepage.

Read the article and then write a one-page summary of the article, written in Microsoft Word using 12-point font, single spacing. Follow this format:

Name of the Article
Name of the source and include the Website’s address (URL) so the Instructor can look at the article
Author and Date of the article (must be less than one year old)
Approximately 50% of the paper content should be article summary
Approximately 50% of the paper content should be how it applies to this class

For Item 4 & 5 divide the paper into 2 sections. Entitle the first section Article Summary and summarize the article. For the second section, item 5, Title that section How this Article Relates to our Course. Tell what content in the article relates to the week’s topic. What concepts are being used and why? Relate it back to the book. It is not necessary to include the text of the article.

There are many ways to exercise promotion and public relations strategy. One way is to use humor to promote your product.

Please discuss a promotion (such as an ad or other promotion) that uses humor to achieve its goals.

One challenge of a humorous ad is that the humor can overshadow the core message of the ad. In other words, the ad is so funny that it is hard for the consumer to remember what was being promoted.

How does your example avoid that challenge?

Is there a link to an example of an ad that makes your point?

L’Oreal’s Integrated Marekting Communicates a decade old story

Read this case on pages 510-511 of the text (Marketing Author: Pride, Ferrell Publisher: South­Western Edition: Please Use Most Recent Edition-GOOGLE) and answer these questions within your case analysis:

1. Describe L’Orela’s integrated marketing strategy.  What are the strengths?  Weaknesses?
2. Describe the function and effectivenes of brand ambassadors.  What are some risks associated with choosing a brand ambassador?
3. Why is it important to have a story to tell when developing content marketing?

Find an appropriate article on the Internet which relates to this week’s topic –Discount Travel Pricing – Prices in a slow economy. The travel industry has been in rapid transition over the past few years, trying to balance several environmental factors at once. The challenges are enormous. Find an article that discusses the pricing challenges of one of these travel businesses; airlines or other transportation, hotels or resorts. What are their pricing challenges and how do they relate to our course?

The article can be from any professional online business/marketing source. Do not use Wikipedia or other source which is edited by the public – these sources are not appropriate for serious graduate-level work. The article does not have to be from an academic Journal, but it does have to come from a business publication such as Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Money magazine, Advertising Age or any other respected publication. The Webster Library can help you if you need sources – go to that link on the course homepage.

Read the article and then write a one-page summary of the article, written in Microsoft Word using 12-point font, single spacing. Follow this format:

1. Name of the Article
2. Name of the source and include the Website’s address (URL) so the Instructor can look at the article
3. Author and Date of the article (must be less than one year old)
4. Approximately 50% of the paper content should be article summary
5. Approximately 50% of the paper content should be how it applies to this class

For Item 4 & 5 divide the paper into 2 sections.  Entitle the first section Article Summary and summarize the article.  For the second section, item 5, Title that section How this Article Relates to our Course.  Tell what content in the article relates to the week’s topic.  What concepts are being used and why? Relate it back to the book.   It is not necessary to include the text of the article.

This Article Review is due Saturday of each week during the course.

• Read the two articles (Schultz, J & Ross, J.) on Proposition 13 that are available to you in the Library Reserve.
• Using the Word template on the Moodle Course Site, write a one-page (1” margins, double spaced) essay that addresses the following: Summarize the major State and local government impacts from Proposition 13 in California. How would you recommend Proposition 13 be modified today?
• Due in 24hours

Write a 2 page paper.  Address the following in your paper:

• Murder is usually categorized based on the relationship between individuals, as well as, how each state defines the taking of a person’s life. In you paper, research and discuss how your state defines murder and the associated criteria.
• Support your argument with examples from this week’s theory.

Include a title page and 3-5 references.  Only one reference may be from the internet (not Wikipedia).

Assignment checked through SafeAssign for plagiarism.

For this assignment watch both a real and a fictional crime show. Your choices for a real crime show are: First 48, Final Witness, or 48 Hour Mystery. Your choices for a fictional show are CSI, The Closer, or NCIS (Hint… You may want to record these episodes).

In a 2- 3 page paper, using APA formatting, summarize both cases and then compare and contrast the investigation of both crime scenes and the tools used. Consider how the influence of fictional crime shows impacts the investigations of real crime scenes.

Assignment checked through SafeAssign for plagiarism.