Day: April 1, 2021

Company Strategic Analysis

April 1, 2021 Leave a comment APA (edition "APA 6"), Business and Management

Please conduct an analysis for the company ExxonMobil by addressing the following 3 questions.

1. What competitive advantages does this company have in comparison to its peers? What specific actions do ExxonMobils competitors need to do to gain a competitive advantage, and in what order? If not, why?

2. What type of business model, or models, does your firm use?

3. Briefly describe ExxonMobils primary business strategy. Name a firm that is currently using a different business strategy and could benefit from adopting the companys strategy. Justify your perspective.

3-1 Discussion: Communication and Technology

April 1, 2021 Leave a comment APA (edition "APA 6"), Humanities

An important part of presentations is selecting the most appropriate tool for the audience, purpose, and tone. In this discussion, you will recommend a tool based on an assigned scenario and module resources.

For your initial post, use the scenario associated with your last name:

Last name starts with:   
Scenario:
A-F    You are going to start hosting a weekly discussion of trending topics in your field of study, and would like anyone interested to be able to access it whenever they want to listen.
G-L    You have been asked to host a live presentation for an online-only international conference.
M-R    You are hosting a small, live training for the remote workers on your team.
S-Z    You have been asked to record a series of interviews with high-level executives while they are all visiting your branch this week, but the recordings would need to be shared one at a time, once a week, with all staff to watch at their convenience.

In your initial post, address the following:

What general technology-mediated channel might you consider using to suit your audience, purpose, and tone? Why?
What are key considerations you will need to address regarding your audience, purpose, and tone when selecting a specific technology platform?
In your response to at least one peer who was assigned the same scenario as you, and one who was assigned a different scenario, address the following:

What specific technology platform would you recommend they consider in addition to the tool they mentioned in their initial post, and why do you think it is appropriate?
What specific technology platform may not be well-suited to their scenario based on their initial post, and why do you think it is not appropriate?

Peer 1
If I were asked to host a live presentation for an online only international conference, I would first start by evaluating where this conference will reach, as well as the audience for the presentation. For example, in my personal experience, I have found that Microsoft Teams is an effective resource to use for something like this. For one, you are able to have hundreds of people in a conference at one time, it uses features such as being able to mute your audience during a presentation, you can use cameras while speaking and my favorite, using screen sharing feature to share a presentation or demonstration on your computer. The screen sharing feature allows you to do many different things as I mentioned before, as well as presentation slides. However, if you are doing any type of walkthrough with a computer system, this feature makes it very easy. Additionally, it allows you to have a chat box for any questions and a raise hand feature for questions as well. This allows you to have a professional tone for your conference rather than people speaking up in the middle of a presentation to ask a question.

One key thing that always needs to be considered when conducting an international conference is figuring out where your audience is in the world and finding a convenient time for each time zone to hold a conference. For example, if you are in New York conducting this conference and you have members of the audience in  California, London, and Berlin you want to pick a time convenient for everyone. If you were to conduct your conference at 1100 in New York, your audiences times would be 0800 in California, 1500 in London and 1600 in Berlin, making this a conference that would accommodate most people’s work schedule throughout your audience. I would also need to address any language barriers for my audience and figuring out how to accommodate anyone who may not be a natural born English speaker. Depending on who your audience is, it is wise to send out an itinerary of the conference, this allows your audience to prepare questions based on the outline of the conference. The last thing to consider when preparing for an international conference in regards to the technology platform is making sure everyone has access to your platform. This is another reason I prefer to use Teams for conferences like these, because it allows you to send out a link that you can use either in the Microsoft Teams app, or within any web browser making it convenient for both people with the app or without, additionally it has a dial in option that you can use with any cell phone to call in and listen to the audio of the conference.

Narrative reflection

April 1, 2021 Leave a comment English and Literature, MLA

Narrative Reflection
Alongside your compilation of visualizations, your other task is to construct a narrative reflection of your work. The narrative has multiple objectives:

1. (~ 2 paragraphs) Introduce your work – In about two paragraphs, provide a general overview of your portfolio. What did you visualize and what do you hope the reader will take away? What should the reader know about you to better understand how to engage with your work? This is not the space to get into the technical details of the visualizations (see below). Instead, focus on drawing the reader in and motivating the visualizations and how your own personal background and experiences shaped the creation. This introduction should be entirely new (i.e., not something you already submitted as part of previous assignments). Since these visualizations were created specifically for a community partner, this is an opportunity to describe what you hoped to communicate to the Edmonds School District staff through your work.

2. Dashboard Reflections – Include the following for each of the three visualizations (i.e., repeat the three bullets below for each of the three dashboards):

(~1-2 paragraphs) Introduce the dashboard by discussing the theme and rationale for the work. What was the question driving the exploration and visualization? What source(s) of data did you use in your visualization? Who is the intended audience?

(~2-3 paragraphs) Walk the reader through your process. Why did you select the specific charts for this visualization? What design (color, placement, etc.) features did you employ and why?

(~1-2 paragraphs) How did your visualization change from the first draft to the current version? What motivated the changes? How do you think it has improved? What are the remaining limitations of your work? Some considerations might include accessibility, functionality, beauty, facilitation of dissent, etc.

Some of the details above may be pulled from your existing narratives for each assigned visualization. However, a substantial portion of what I am asking is novel information. Any content that is copied from your original group narratives should be cited or otherwise denoted.

Mentoring

April 1, 2021 Leave a comment APA (edition "APA 6"), Philosophy

Read Chapter 7 of the Steneck text (Links to an external site.). Prepare 2-3 paragraphs that address the following:

1. Address each of the questions at the end of Chapter 7 of the Steneck text. Your answers can be brief.

2. Imagine that, five or ten years from now, you are running a laboratory similar to the one you are in now and that you supervise graduate students and/or postdocs. How would you mentor them? Are there ways you would mentor them that are different from the ways you are currently mentored? What forces might cause you to not mentor your future graduate students and/or postdocs in the ways you now view to be desirable?

Emotional intelligence of tv characters

April 1, 2021 Leave a comment APA (edition "APA 6"), Business and Management

Discussion: Emotional Intelligence of TV Characters

For the Case Assignment you will be doing some serious reflection about your own leadership development and those you work with.  But for the discussion forum, try to have some fun.

Based on what youve read about emotional intelligence (EQ), try to diagnose some characters from your favorite TV show.  What aspects of EQ from the readings are these characters high or low in?  If you are not sure what show to use, I highly recommend the show Silicon Valley as the entire premise of the show revolves around a group of people with low EQ who are suddenly thrust into leadership of a multimillion dollar start-up company.  Big Bang Theory should also be a ripe target for your diagnosis. This first post should be within the first few days of the module. Be specific with respect to which component of EQ these characters are high or low in.

Also, make note of interactions in your everyday life.  If you experience any awkward situations with coworkers, friends, staff at a restaurant or store, etc., try to explain it in terms of the persons EQ.  Share your experience with a high or low EQ person sometime during the second week of the module.
Required Material
First, start out by reading the following resources that will introduce you to two popular tools used for self-awareness in leadership that you will read about for this module:

Reynolds, M. (2011). Understanding emotional intelligence. [Books24x7 version]. Available in the Online Library.

Peterson, C. (2011). The five attributes of emotional intelligence. [Books24x7 version]. Available in the t Online Library.

The resources above will give you a good general overview of emotional intelligence and the VIA Inventory of Strengths. For more detail about the VIA Inventory of Strengths, read the following book chapter:

Book Jacket    Kaufman, C., Silberman, J., & Sharpley, D. (2012). Chapter 17: Coaching for strengths using VIA. In Passmore, J. (Ed.). Psychometrics in coaching: Using psychological and psychometric tools for development (2nd Edition). London, GBR: Kogan Page Ltd. Note: Search for this book under ADDITIONAL LIBRARY RESOURCES > Skillsoft Books (BusinessPro and ITPro).
Now read Chapters 1 and 3 from the following book for a more detailed overview of emotional intelligence:

Book Jacket    Sterrett, E. A. (2000). Manager’s Pocket Guide to Emotional Intelligence: From Management to Leadership. Amherst, MA, USA: HRD Press. [EBSCO eBook Collection]
In the optional reading list below, there are two additional book chapters on VIA and emotional intelligence, as well as a book about the Strengths Finder which is an alternative to the VIA.

Optional Reading
Cantore, S., & Passmore, J. (2012). Chapter 15: How can people understand and build on their strengths? Top Business Psychology Models: 50 Transforming Ideas for Leaders, Consultants, and Coaches. London: Kogan Page. [eBook Business Collection]

Rath, T. (2007). Strengths Finder 2.0. New York: Gallup Press. [eBook Business Collection]

Pick ONE Fortune 500 company (http://fortune.com/fortune500/) in the manufacturing, transportation or retail industries and conduct an organizational environment assessment. You should use respected sources like books, business periodicals/journals, busin

April 1, 2021 Leave a comment APA (edition "APA 6"), Business and Management

Pick ONE Fortune 500 company (http://fortune.com/fortune500/) in the manufacturing, transportation or retail industries and conduct an organizational environment assessment. You should use respected sources like books, business periodicals/journals, business databases or mainstream online business sites (i.e. CNN Money, Bloomberg, etc.). Only two (2) of your six (6) minimum references should come from internet websites.  This does not include online academic journals, online books and industry publications which are considered equivalent to physical books.
Discuss the characteristics of at least four (4) of the thirteen (13) components listed below.  Do so in paragraph form by looking at each selected component from an industry perspective and then explain how that component affects your chosen company specifically. Of the four (4) components you choose, at least one should come from the General Environment and at least one should come from the Task Environment.
    Components of the General/Macro Environment
    Economy Growing vs. shrinking economies – Predicting future economic activity
    Technological trends Inputs (Raw Materials, Information)
    Technology (Knowledge, Tools, Techniques)
    Output (Products, Service)
    Socio-cultural trends
    Demographic changes
    Changes in behavior, attitudes, and beliefs
    Political / Legal trends/Legislation
    Components of theTask/Competitive Environment
    Customers        
    Competitors/Rival Firms
    New Entrants        
    Suppliers            
    Substitutes and Complements    
Conclusion
In your conclusion explain at least two components in either of the general and/or task environment that are affecting your company the most and how the company is dealing with these environmental factors.
Potential sources
Feel free to visit the following resources to get reliable information on your company and the global environment: (University library, FSU databases (Proquest/EBSCO), Standard and Poors Industry Reports, Hoovers, Company websites, 10K, Mergent, Lexis Nexus, etc).
Plagiarism

Work will be checked for plagiarism and violators can expect disciplinary action to be taken.

Format
There should be a Cover Page followed by the body of the paper.  That paper should contain the following sections labeled in bold print.
Introduction
Name of the 1st Component to be Discussed
Name of the 2nd Component to be Discussed
Name of the 3rd Component to be Discussed
Name of the 4th Component to be Discussed
Conclusion
Bibliography

Death and Dying

April 1, 2021 Leave a comment Health Care and Life Sciences, Undergraduate

Directions
1) Select a scene in the play Wit. You can select any scene you would like.
2) Select one of the five theories:
1.    Piagets Cognitive Theory
2.    Maslows Theory of Hierarchy
3.    Operant Conditioning Theory
4.    Banduras Social Learning Theory
5.    Bronfenbrenner/Bioecological Theory
3) Create the assignment using this layout form.
    Identify the scene you have selected and offer a very brief summary of the scene.

    Identify the theory you have selected and offer a brief overview of the theory – explaining any key concepts you will use in the next section.
    Use the theory to explain the interaction in the scene you selected. (This is the section which requires you to apply what you have learned.)
4) Remember, you are writing for someone with no knowledge of the play or of the theory.

Any topic (writer’s choice)

April 1, 2021 Leave a comment Art, Undergraduate

Format: 1-2 pages, double-spaced.

Submission Method: Once you have written and revised your film review, save it as either .doc or .pdf, then submit.

Point Value: Up to 25 points. You will only be able to view your grade by returning to your submission. Canvas doesn’t handle extra credit well, so this assignment will appear has having 0 value in under Grades. Rest assured that I *will* apply any points earned to your final grade in my spreadsheet outside of Canvas.

Assignment:

This is an OPTIONAL writing assignment. If you choose to complete it, you can earn up to 25pts. Using the guidelines below (adapted from Garbis and Adams), write a review of any film that you did not watch for this class. The movie can be foreign, old, or new, a classic, or a B moviethe film choice is up to you. Be sure to revise for grammar, correctness, and overall presentation. I recommend reading reviews by Manohla Dargis and/or A.O. Scott (both write for the NY Times).

Film Review Guidelines

Paragraph 1:  Offer your overall impression of the film while mentioning the movie’s title, director, and key actors.
Paragraph 2:  Briefly summarize the plot of the film.
Paragraphs 3 & 4:  Assess the film’s success in achieving its goal. This is where you should incorporate technical qualities such as those we’ve learned this semester: narrative, mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, sound, and genre. There’s usually a stand-out technique or two that are integral to the delivery of the film’s themes/topics. Write about the use of techniques in that regard; do not “name drop” techniques for the purpose of showing me what you know. It’s more important that you integrate your knowledge into your review in a logical way. Read a few film reviews to see how the pros do it.
Paragraph 5: Ending paragraph–your last opportunity to guide the reader.  Offer a clincher that tells the reader to view the film or not. It is your job to make an assessment of the film when youre a critic embrace it!
Revise revise revise! Even though this is extra credit, you must turn in a polished piece of intelligent writing in order to earn full credit.

The above has been adapted from Guidelines by M. Garbis and C. Adams, Baltimore, 2001

Action Research and Organizational Development Videos

April 1, 2021 Leave a comment APA (edition "APA 6"), Business and Management

Discussion: Action Research and Organizational Development Videos

There are a huge number of individuals and firms who are out there selling their organizational development services. Take a look at videos and/or webpages of OD consultants and find a company or individual that really stands out in a good or bad way. Share the link to the video or webpage, and explain what made this particular consultant or consulting firm stand out to you. Also, discuss whether or not the material presented in the video or webpage seems to be consistent with what you read about in the background readings. For example, does this consultant seem to practice a form of action research or do they do something entirely different?

One consultant whose videos or webpage you may want to check out is Dr. Jeremy Lurey, as he is the author of one of your readings for this module and the CEO of Plus Delta Consulting. Take a look at one of his videos if you find one that looks interesting, and let your classmates know how the video is similar or different to his reading in the background materials.