Day: November 9, 2020

In this weeks discussion, you received feedback on a tentative thesis statement and MEAL plan paragraph for your paper. For this assignment, you will submit revised versions of your thesis and MEAL plan paragraph for feedback from your instructor. Remember that both your thesis and your MEAL plan paragraph are works in progress. They may change as you continue the research and writing process.

Be sure to follow APA guidelines when citing your source for the Evidence portion of the paragraph.

Instructions
In your assignment, first, provide your working thesis statement. Essentially, your thesis is the evidence-based argument or assertion you will make in response to your research question. Remember, this is just a working thesis, so it may change as you continue with your research process.

Then, following your working thesis statement, provide your revised MEAL plan paragraph based on the feedback you received from the discussion. Be sure to follow APA guidelines when citing your source for the Evidence portion of the paragraph.

Compose your work using a word processor (or other software as appropriate) and save it frequently to your computer. Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you upload it. When you are ready to submit your work, click “Browse My Computer” and find your file. Once you have located your file, click “Open” and, if successful, the file name will appear under the Attached files heading. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Submit.”

a) Think of a monopolisticly competitive industry that you think you could actually get into, possibly in a specific area of the garment industry (but not shoes or make-up).  What qualities would make it that kind of an industry?  (b) Do you think, that if you were successful, that other competitors would jump in to compete away your profits?  How could you try and maintain your profits? (c)  Are there monopolistic competition businesses that you are familiar with in your own experience that remain more than ‘normally’ profitable?

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
– George Santayana

One reason business students look at history and case studies is the chance to reflect on the facts of the case, determine the causes of a (regrettable) action, and through analysis make a recommendation regarding the policies and procedures that would have prevented such a disaster. To start the course, we will look at the 2007-2009 financial disaster. The actions leading up to the crises were not illegal at the time. Yet, in retrospect, they were unethical because the actions were unfair, lacked accountability and transparency, and held few responsible for any negative outcomes.

Financial institutions in the U.S. had governmental pressure to provide loans to potential homeowners. That pressure was intense enough such that lenders were lax on determining whether the borrowers could pay back those loans. At the same time, the availability of mortgages led to an increase in the cost of real estate, leading many investors to choose real estate investment funds. Typically, there are agencies that value all types of investment funds to determine the safety of the funds. Those rating agencies and government regulators did not assess the risk in these shady loans.

Here is a brief video to explain what happened next:

“The sad truth is that societies that demand whistleblowers be martyrs often find themselves without either, and always when it matters most.” ~ Edward Snowden

Assume that you work for one of the organizations that was the subject of the whistleblower complaint (see below). The directors of the organization want to eliminate the barriers to reporting issues, address concerns immediately, and thus avoid future embarrassing and costly whistleblower claims. In a 1-2 page paper, give a very brief overview of the matter, identify barriers to whistleblowing in the organization, and ways to overcome those barriers. Determine whether competition played a role in the unethical behavior or hindered potential whistleblowers. Give your recommendations for an updated whistleblower policy.

Read the following articles, and select the organization you want to focus on.

Harvey Weinstein’s Army of Spies (Links to an external site.)
Nova Nordisk Agrees to pay $58M for Failure to Comply with FDA-Mandated Risk Program (Links to an external site.)
Insurance whistleblower recoveries from Phillips & Cohen cases bring Novo Nordisk’s Victoza settlement to $60 million (Links to an external site.)
Military Whistleblowers Express Fears Over Safety & Health (Links to an external site.)
Air Force: No Punishment for F-22 Whistleblowers Captain Josh Wilson & Major Jeremy Gordon (Links to an external site.)

In this assignment, you will outline the process of whistleblowing from a personal and managerial perspective.  Consider reviewing this article (Links to an external site.) in preparation for the assignment. To earn maximum points:

Your paper should be 1-2 pages in length (not including title and reference pages) and must follow APA  guidelines, use Time New Roman, 12-point font, double spacing, with one-inch margins.
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence/paragraph structure do matter; spend time editing your paper. Suggest giving yourself a three-day cooling off period between finishing the paper and editing the paper; this approach can make a difference in what you catch and correct.
You must use and cite to the articles listed above and include at least one additional resource.
This assignment is due Sunday 11:59 PM EST.

The assignments, together, are worth 30% of your final grade.