Describe at least 3 criteria that would determine whether the manager is making good decisions.

Assignment Objectives

Assess leadership, interpersonal skills, and earned values with emphasis on the area of concentration

Construct performance baselines and manage and measure performance

Assignment Details

Deliverable Length:  See Below

You have just been promoted from front-line supervisor to be one of the firm’s senior managers. During your business education, you learned that the primary role of a manager is to make good decisions. As a supervisor, you had frequently been making routine decisions, but you realize that decision making for the overall company can and will have far greater impact on the company and its employees.

Your boss, the chief executive officer (CEO), realizes that you do not have much practice in this higher level, decision-making process and has asked you to write a memo describing your understanding of how to make important decisions.

Your memo should address the following questions:

  • Describe at least 3 criteria that would determine whether the manager is making good decisions. What should be done to better assure that you are making a good decision?
  • In the realm of decision making, what are assumptions? Rather than use a dictionary definition, cite several specific assumptions that would go with any real-life decision you have made or have seen made at a company at which you have worked.
  • Given the importance of proper assumptions, your boss asked you to assess the accuracy of certain business assumptions and what could you do to test or confirm the credibility of them. The following were major assumptions for each firm:

o   An automobile manufacturer’s assumption that the demand for SUVs would continue because gas prices would continue to rise

 

o   An airline’s assumption that there was a need for an airline that provided no added amenities

What is the legal definition for sexual harassment?Explain.

Deliverable Length:  4 Pages ~APA: Deliverable is cited properly according to the APA Publication Manual (6th ed.).

An employee of 1995 Auto Corp. recently filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The charge states that 2 female employees in one of the nonunion satellite offices were subject to repeated and unwelcome sexual advances by their male supervisor who is on a work visa. The charge further states that the two women previously complained to the supervisor’s immediate superior letting him know they felt uncomfortable and would like the behavior to stop. The harassment did not stop, but rather, it continued over a period of 3 months. At that point, the female employees decided that the company would not help. They decided to file a claim with the EEOC, stating they were being sexually harassed at work.

The owner is certain the company can put together a response that will clear the company of the charge. He asked if you felt they had a pretty good case. You state that you are not legal counsel for 1995 Auto Corp.; however, you request permission to investigate the claim before giving your thoughts on the company’s policy documentation for a legal defense.

Given your knowledge of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, you are concerned with 1995 Auto Corp.’s ability to defend the EEOC charge. You plan to engage in your own investigation into the claim to learn more about the complaints made, who had knowledge, what type of investigation was conducted (if any), and what actions were taken.

As you prepare your strategy for investigating the claim and the union issues, consider the following:

  • What is the legal definition for sexual harassment?
  • What investigation process should 1995 Auto Corp. have engaged in when the claims were first made? Why will that be important to the defense of the EEOC charge?
  • What is the legal liability for 1995 Auto Corp. if the EEOC investigation finds the charge to be factual with employer knowledge of the events? Consider the options of mediation versus litigation with regard to organizational cost.
  • What should 1995 Auto Corporation do to prevent this type of charge in the future?
  • What are your overall recommendations for the owner with regard to preparing a response to the EEOC charge?
  • How should 1995 Auto Corp. address a harassment case when it involves employees with a work visa? Consider any special circumstances in employment law dealing with harassment and foreign labor in the workplace.

Explain how each of the four functions of management impacts the organization’s goals and objectives.

cenario

As the human resources (HR) manager for a public organization, you are conducting a New Hire Orientation session for all new employees. As research for your orientation, you are writing a report about the functions of the organization, its strengths and weaknesses, and its mission, vision, goals, and objectives.

Instructions

  1. Choose a public organization, such as Target, McDonalds, Apple, etc., as the basis for this assignment. Be sure to choose an organization where the information needed to complete this assignment is publicly available and is easily accessible.
  2. Using research from at least threesources, develop a report that accomplishes the following tasks:
    • Identify the company’s mission statement, vision statement, goals, objectives, and tactical plans.
    • Explain how each of the four functions of management impacts the organization’s goals and objectives.
    • Discuss the ethical implications of the organization’s policies and strategies with respect to market expansion, human capital management, and the environment.
    • Conduct an internal and external assessment of the organization:
      • Identify the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats using SWOT analysis.
      • Illustrate the organization’s product portfolio using a BCG Matrix.
      • Analyze the internal and external environments using environmental scanning. Assess the organizational structure; the relationships and interactions among employees, management, and shareholders; market competitors; as well as the industry, national, and macro environments.

Support your responses using scholarly research from the Argosy University online library resources.

Write in a clear, concise, and organized manner. Your response should demonstrate ethical scholarship in appropriate and accurate representation and attribution of sources (i.e., APA); and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Explore how you apply different aspects of science in your daily life in a two part project.

The scenario for part 1 of the project will be: An unexpected road block/detour while driving to work, school, etc.

The category for part 2 of the project must be based upon one of the following 3 scenarios:

  • A problem with an appliance at your home
  • A problem with an injured or sick pet, family member, or friend
  • A problem faced at a place of work or school

 

Make sure you include a title page and reference page per APA format; there is a requirement for at least 3 references to be used for this assignment.  There is a minimum 1000 word count for this project.

Complete the Final Project

Science Meets Real Life

Whether you think of yourself as an up and coming scientist or not, you use science every day. You will explore how you apply different aspects of science in your daily life in a two part project. In 1,000-words (minimum), discuss the following:

The Scientific Method

Each and every day, you are faced with having to make split-second decisions, and the need to solve random problems that you encounter. To reach those decisions and work those problems out, you are subconsciously using the scientific method. Apply the steps of the Scientific Method to two situations that could occur in your everyday life. Use the scientific method in the first scenario provided by your instructor to solve the problem at hand.

Please come up with a second detailed scenario on your own, using the categories provided by your instructor, and follow the same steps in the scientific method to find a resolution.

For both scenarios, be sure to use terminology from the scientific method (hypothesis, experiment, etc.) while describing how you would address each problem, as well as a minimum of 3 references to provide factual support.

Scenario 1: Read the course announcements to find out the assigned scenario for your project.

Scenario 2: Develop your own detailed problem and apply the scientific method to solve it. Your problem should fall within one of the assigned categories provided by your instructor within the course announcements.

Your Final Project should be a minimum of 1,000-words written in APA style format. As always, be sure to provide appropriate citations, references, and links to any information you use in this paper. Be sur

Briefly evaluate your sources for bias, validity, and reliability.

Branches of GovernmentThe three branches of our government each play crucial roles in the U.S. national government. Each branch has specific power, duties, and responsibilities that are the most apparent features of our system of separate powers. Nevertheless, each branch has been critiqued for having definite strengths and weaknesses that become obvious in certain situations. Analyzing these strengths and weaknesses will enable you to evaluate and recommend ways to enhance and correct these fundamental assets and deficiencies of the branches of our national government.To complete the assignment, save the Week Three Learning Activity Worksheet to your computer, fill it out, and submit it.Develop a detailed outline of your third main point using the Week Three Learning Activity Worksheet.

  • Branches of Government:
    1. Provide a paragraph that briefly describes one strength and one weakness of one branch of our government: executive, legislative, or judiciary.
    2. Provide a paragraph that recommends one option to maintain the strength and one to correct the weakness.
  • Scholarly Support: (For assistance with your research, the Ashford University’s Library provides tutorials and recorded webinars on a variety of topics. To access these helpful resources look for the links located under the FindIt@AU search box on the library home page. For help with writing, please review the APA Style Aid, and Ashford Writing Center’s Sample Annotated Bibliography for additional help.)
    1. Provide two credible sources in APA format to support your main points.
    2. Briefly discuss how these sources support your main points.
    3. Briefly evaluate your sources for bias, validity, and reliability.

 

Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion question, read Chapters 5 and 6 in American Government. In addition, read the following articles: “What Are the Arguments Made in Favor – and Against – the Electoral College?,” “GOP Leaders United in Defense of the Electoral College,” and the ProQuest article “Why the Electoral College is Bad for America.” Also, please watch this week’s videos,Episode I – A More Perfect Union and Episode II – It’s a Free Country regarding the U.S. Constitution.  
Reflect: As the textbook author asserts, the Framers intentionally designed a process for selecting presidents that would minimize the president’s political power – the Electoral College. They hoped this institution would insulate the chief executive from the public because they feared the power of presidents who might be elected by the people. However, the Electoral College has also spawned a long ongoing debate about whether the Electoral College should be abandoned in favor of new methods, which would ensure that the candidate elected has the most popular votes. The controversy over the Electoral College must be understood in order to better understand how and why U.S. presidents are elected.  
Write: In your initial post, summarize how the Electoral College works. Explain some of the main pros and cons in the debate about whether to keep or abolish the current Electoral College process. In addition, evaluate one proposal to change how the system works without formally abolishing it. Would this proposal effectively address some of the cons that you identified earlier in your post? Please explain your response.

Fully respond to all parts of the question and write your response in your own words. Your initial post must be 200 to 250 words. Support your position with APA citations from two or more of the assigned resources required for this discussion. Please be sure that you demonstrate understanding of these resources, integrate them into your argument, and cite them properly.

(Discussion 1) Due 11/19

Week Three Reflection
Prepare: Prior to beginning your reflection this week, read chapters 5, 6, and 7 in American Government. Review the videos, Episode I – A More Perfect Union and Episode II – It’s a Free Country regarding the U.S. Constitution.  
Reflect: The executive and judicial branches of the U.S. national government often seem to operate independently and with little conflict. Many laws are signed by the President and then implemented without a word from the judicial branch. However, there are times when executive decisions are challenged by the judicial branch in a process called judicial review. In addition, there are times when a judicial review has direct impact on your life. For example, when the Supreme Court declared the Affordable Care Act constitutional, many people without health care insurance were finally able to purchase health care insurance. Additionally, when the Supreme Court declared sections of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, some of the constraints that prevented many gay and lesbian couples from marrying were eliminated. Executive Order 13658 on February 20, 2014 also had a direct impact on many business people that contract with the federal government by increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. Clearly, the actions of the executive and judicial branches often directly affect our lives.  
Write: In your initial post, explain how and why the actions of the executive and/or judicial branches have personally affected your life. Fully respond to all parts of the question. Write in your own words. Support your position with APA citations to two or more of the assigned resources required for this discussion. Fully respond to all parts of the prompt and write your response in your own words. Your initial post must be 200 to 250 words. Please be sure that you demonstrate understanding of these resources, integrate them into your argument, and cite them properly.

 

(Discussion 2) Due 11/19

Discuss the impact of technology on business.

 

Assignment Objectives

Discuss the impact of technology on business

Appropriately use effective communication techniques

Assignment Details

Deliverable Length:  4-5 pages

Winsome Manufacturing Company produces plastic storage containers and sells them to the home consumer through home sales events. At the company’s quarterly meeting, the head of marketing described a new product to be introduced in the first quarter of the next fiscal year, approximately 9 months from now. The product will be a room-sized plastic storage unit suitable to the outside of the home; it is similar to a competitor’s product but will have significantly more features. This product will open new markets for the sales channel, lay the foundation for add-on products, and generate new revenues. Management has only seen preliminary sketches of the potential product but are very excited by the new product.

The project will require participation from the design, production, purchasing, shipping, sales, and marketing departments. Winsome Manufacturing owns a line of suitable injection molds, so all manufacturing will be done in-house. The project manager for this project has not yet been selected, but that decision is expected to be made in the next week.

A preliminary project initiation meeting will result in the identification of the project sponsor, selection of a project manager, and creation of the project charter. A manager in the production department who knows you are taking a college project management course asks you to prepare a brief report to help him prepare for the meeting by answering the following questions:

  • Who are the project stakeholders? How will they be involved in the project?
  • Who should be the project sponsor? Why?
  • From which department should the project manager come? Why?
  • What skills and experience are likely needed by the project manager for each phase in the project life cycle, and how do they differ between the various phases?
  • What type of communication plan will likely be needed during the project?

o   What information should be shared with the project stakeholders?

o   What is the mechanism that could be used for each type of information?

o   What is the frequency with which information should be shared?

o   What should be done if project communications are not proving to be effective?

o   What technology could be used for project communications?

o   At what point could communication about the project become an ethical or legal issue?

  • What information should be included in the following elements of the project charter:

o   What is the problem the project proposes to address?

o   What business opportunity might project completion create?

o   What is the business case for undertaking the project?

o   What is the financial impact of the project?

o   What are the expected results of the project?

o   What value will the project add?

o   What are risks that might be involved with undertaking the project?

o   What is the potential impact to the company if the project is not undertaken?

Present your findings as a

Differentiate between various kinds of performance appraisal programs.

 

Differentiate between various kinds of performance appraisal programs

Summarize the key guidelines used to evaluate the relative worth of a set of jobs

StopNShopToday, Inc.’s management team has implemented several of your ideas on incentive pay and is now reviewing the company’s performance appraisal forms. These appraisal forms are very old: No one remembers where the forms came from or who made them. When the annual performance appraisals window comes up each store year, managers and assistant managers cringe. This reaction does not occur because the managers hate doing performance appraisals—they simply have not seen very much positive impact from the appraisal discussions, and at least one employee always reacts badly and has a downturn in performance as a result of the criticism. The managers feel that being honest with some employees is a huge risk, and they are not sure the process is worth the trouble.

The current performance form includes the following performance assessment categories:

  • Procedural knowledge and skill
  • Verbal communication skills
  • Creativity
  • Consistently good judgment
  • Attendance
  • Customer service skills

The performance appraisal is an 8-page form with a copy of the employee’s job description attached and 6 large blocks for the manager to write down his or her comments on each of the 6 categories. Managers differentiate between poor- and well-performing employees by using words such as great, okay, always, or rarely. An employee can usually infer the manager’s overall perception of his or her performance from the way the appraisal is phrased.

The performance appraisals are primarily used for manager and employee feedback. After they are completed and received at corporate headquarters, employees receive a 3% pay increase unless they are about to get fired, which they may receive a lower-pay increase percentage or no increase at all. This creates tension among the employees.

Managers are not given guidance regarding how to describe the employees’ positive behaviors and areas needed for improvement. Some managers take this much more seriously than others and are better at choosing factual scenarios to explain their perceptions of the employee’s work performance. Several times in the past, the company’s vice president of human resources has had to chastise managers regarding the quality of comments the managers included on the form.

Prepare a presentation that you, as an HR generalist, will give to the vice president of human resources and the company’s owners recommending changes to the current performance appraisal program at StopNShopToday, Inc. Include at least 5 PowerPoint slides.

Address several different types of performance appraisal systems, and make other comments or suggestions that address the applicability of the performance assessment categories that are currently used. Address each of the 6 performance assessment categories above, and make recommendations for changing any or all of them. It may be bene

Compares and contrasts Erikson and Freud’s stages of development.

Erikson and Freud are two of the few theorists who have developed a lifespan approach to development. Freud’s approach to development was psychosexual while Erikson’s was psychosocial. Even though Freud’s theory is better known, Erikson’s theory remains a leading and very much applied model in personality and developmental psychology today.

When considering these two stage-oriented theories, you can directly compare the majority of their stages. These are matched in the following table:

Approximate Age
Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development
Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial development
Infancy (Birth to 1 year)
Oral stage
Trust versus mistrust
Early childhood (1–3 years)
Anal stage
Autonomy versus doubt
Preschool (3–6 years)
Phallic stage
Initiative versus guilt
School age (7–11 years)
Latent period
Industry versus inferiority
Adolescence (12–18 years)
Genital stage
Identity versus role confusion
Young adulthood (19–40 years)
Intimacy versus isolation
Middle adulthood (40–65 years)
Generativity versus stagnation
Older adulthood (65–death)
Integrity versus despair

When considering Erikson’s eight stages of development, the way a person moves through each stage directly affects their success in the next stage. Their personality is being built and shaped with each stage. At each stage, there is a turning point, called a crisis by Erikson, which a person must confront.

In this assignment, you will observe or interview two different people, each at a different stage of development. For a third observation, take a look at yourself and the stage that you are in (this stage must be different from your other two observations).

  • Record your three observations in a template. Include the following information:
    • Name
    • Age
    • Gender
    • Current developmental stage
    • Status within the stage (i.e., identity achievement or role confusion)
    • Events that have lead to this status

Download a Development Template from the Doc Sharing area to record your observations.

  • Summarize what you have learned about psychosocial development through these observations/interviews.
  • Summarize the trends you see in your observations/interviews regarding psychosocial development.
  • How does movement through Erikson’s stages influence personality development? Again, be specific.
  • How do Erikson’s stages of development compare to Freud’s stages? How are they similar? How are they different?
  • Between these two theories, which one do you feel best explains your own personality development? Justify your answers with specific examples.

Compare and contrast Freud’s view of the unconscious with Jung’s view and apply this case example in your explanations.

One of the very first cases that caught Freud’s attention when he was starting to develop his psychoanalytic theory was that of Anna O, a patient of fellow psychiatrist Josef Breuer. Although Freud did not directly treat her, he did thoroughly analyze her case as he was fascinated by the fact that her hysteria was “cured” by Breuer. It is her case that he believes was the beginning of the psychoanalytic approach.

Through your analysis of this case, you will not only look deeper into Freud’s psychoanalytic theory but also see how Jung’s neo-psychoanalytic theory compares and contrasts with Freud’s theory.

Review the following:

The Case of Anna O.

One of the first cases that inspired Freud in the development of what would eventually become the Psychoanalytic Theory was the case of Anna O. Anna O. was actually a patient of one of Freud’s colleagues Josef Breuer. Using Breuer’s case notes, Freud was able to analyze the key facts of Anna O’s case.

Anna O. first developed her symptoms while she was taking care of her very ill father with whom she was extremely close. Some of her initial symptoms were loss of appetite to the extent of not eating, weakness, anemia, and development a severe nervous cough. Eventually she developed a severe optic headache and lost the ability to move her head, which then progressed into paralysis of both arms. Her symptoms were not solely physical as she would vacillate between a normal, mental state and a manic-type state in which she would become extremely agitated. There was even a notation of a time for which she hallucinated that the ribbons in her hair were snakes.

Toward the end of her father’s life she stopped speaking her native language of German and instead only spoke in English. A little over a year after she began taking care of her father he passed away. After his passing her symptoms grew to affect her vision, a loss of ability to focus her attention, more extreme hallucinations, and a number of suicidal attempts (Hurst, 1982).

Both Freud and Jung would acknowledge that unconscious processes are at work in this woman’s problems. However, they would come to different conclusions about the origin of these problems and the method by which she should be treated.

Research Freud’s and Jung’s theories of personality using your textbook, the Internet, and the Argosy University online library resources. Based on your research, respond to the following:

  • Compare and contrast Freud’s view of the unconscious with Jung’s view and apply this case example in your explanations.
  • On what specific points would they agree and disagree regarding the purpose and manifestation of the unconscious in the case of Anna?
  • How might they each approach the treatment of Anna? What might be those specific interventions? How might Anna experience these interventions considering her history?

Write a 2–3-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.