M2A1 Change Management Simulation: Power and Influence

In this single-player simulation, you will play one of two roles at a sunglass manufacturing firm and face the challenges associated with implementing an organization-wide environmental sustainability initiative. The initiative seeks to change raw material inputs in order to make the company’s products more “green,” and also to address environmental waste issues. The simulation includes up to four scenarios with different combinations of two important factors for creating change: the relative power of the change agent and the relative urgency associated with the change initiative. In each scenario, you will choose among different change levers in an attempt to persuade key members of the organization to adopt the change initiative. You will be assessed on your ability to achieve the greatest percentage of adopters within the company while simultaneously using the fewest resources.

You will analyze information on leadership and influence within the organization. Throughout the experience you will be assessing the impact of your decisions on the ability to influence key employees to work on the change initiative. Failure to accurately communicate and analyze information as a team has negative consequences on team performance.

The main goals of this activity include learning:

• how to build an effective strategy and influence key personnel into following your lead;
• how to develop flexibility and adaptation in management initiatives;
• how cognitive biases impair decision-making;
• how strategy can help one deal more effectively in situations where there is resistance to change and conflict in organizational members’ opposing interests;
• how different leadership approaches can be obstructed in situations with time and competitive pressures; and
• how leaders deal with the tradeoffs between short-term task orientations and longer-term effectiveness.

Future Considerations Pertaining to the Simulation Experience

You will be working on the simulation during Modules 2, 4, and 6. At the end of Module 8, you will submit your final simulation project. Take notes as you engage in the simulation and be sure to document your decision-making criteria and the impact of your decisions, and attend to the measurements of success. You will also need to consider how course materials impact your decisions. You should be blending together the conceptual components of the course to inform your decision making in the simulation.

There will be three parts to your simulation submission:

Part I: Setting the Strategy

In this section, you will discuss the strategy that you developed before executing your plans and steps. You should address the following:

• How and why did you choose the CEO or Product Innovation Role?
• What was your vision, mission, and core strategy for the Simulation?
• Provide a SWOT analysis of your expectations.

Part II: Executing your Strategy

In this section, you will discuss the decision-making strategy you used throughout the simulation. You will address the following:

• What occurrences and incidents impacted your decision?
• What adjustments did you have to make to your strategy?
• When did your strategy succeed and when did it fail?
• How did you adapt and what was the impact?
• What criteria did you use to make adjustments?

Part III: Analyzing Your Strategy

In this final section, you are to analyze what you have learned about strategy setting, change management, and their impact on success and failure. You will address the following:

• What have you learned about strategy, power, and leadership, and their impact on success?
• How does data impact decision making?
• How could you have improved your performance?
• What conclusions can you draw based upon this experience?

Your final paper submission should be 5 to 7 pages in length, not including the title and reference pages style, and double-spaced, in Times New Roman, 12-point font, with one inch margins. Include at least two resources, other than your course textbook, to support your findings.

Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided by your instructor.

Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to submit your work, click “Upload Submission.”  Enter the submission title and then click on “Select a file to upload.” Browse your computer, and select your file. Click “Open” and verify the correct file name has appeared next to Submission File. Click on “Continue.”  Confirm submission is correct and then click on “Accept Submission & Save.”

M1A1 Strategic Analysis: Choose an Organization

For your strategic analysis assignment, you should choose an organization that you are familiar with. You will develop a strategic analysis for this organization in order to determine whether or not adopting a new sustainability initiative is possible. The sustainable initiative you will be writing about is whether or not the organization should use recycled materials to build their products without re-dying or modifying the material in any way. Consider parent companies if the organization is a subsidiary, or stockholders if the organization is public.

Your proposal should include the following:

• The organization you chose and why you chose it.
• The organization’s history, the industry it is in, and its market position.
• The organization’s staff, relations, corporate culture, and mission.
• Your rationale for why the sustainable initiative makes sense to implement in the organization. This should be supported by evidence, and should address both management and all the stakeholders.

This assignment should be 3 to 4 pages in length, include evidence-based research, and be formatted following APA guidelines.

Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided by your instructor.

English 1100 – Learning Statement

This first assignment will get us to start thinking about what our expectations are for clear, effective communication by writing and revising a short learning statement.

For this assignment, you need to reflect on the value of writing well. In this reflection, you can also address the reasons why you are taking this class. This “learning statement” can take any form you would like, but it should offer a logical and cohesive picture of your expectations/goals/etc. for this class.

Here are some ideas to get you going (you do not need to address any/all of these if you do not want to):

• Why is strong writing important today? What purpose does it serve in the modern world, and why might the ability to write well be a particularly advantageous skill to have?
• Discuss your previous writing experiences. What are your strengths? What do you need to work on?
• What is the mark of good writing? Do you emulate this strategy in your own writing? Why, or why not?
• Discuss the specific skills you hope to gain. Why do you hope to gain these?
• What role has writing played in your life and what role will it play during your time in university or afterwards? How do you perceive the role of writing in your discipline?
• What are your expectations for this class? What are your expectations of yourself? How will you ensure you meet your expectations? Be specific: what strategies will you use to ensure you reach your goals for this class?

Remove yourself from the role of employee and think of yourself as an outside consultant. Questions you should ask when preparing your change (but are not limited to the following:

1. How will you sell this change to management/ employees?
2. How will my change affect management/ employees?
3. What is the likelihood that management/ those affected will approve the change?
4. What is in it for management/ employees?
5. Will the change create more or less work for management/ employees?
6. What will be the overall benefits for management/ employees to accept this proposal?
7. Can I prove that this proposal for change affects management/ supervision of my organization/ department?
8. What is the impact on human resources in the organization? Will there need to be an increase (or decrease) in staff? Will there be any training needs as a result of the change?

Pre-laboratory Question

1. Why would these techniques not be appropriate for most animal populations, for example a population of elephants?

2. What sampling techniques would be best to determine the size of a population of dandelions in a field?

3. List three situations or types of organisms for which a transect would be appropriate.

4. Give an example of a situation where Transects would not be ideal.

5. List three situations or types of organisms for which quadrats would be an appropriate sampling technique.

6. Give an example of a situation where quadrats would not be ideal.

Discussion Questions

1. Why do researchers not count every organism of their target population?

2. Explain why random sampling is important in doing population studies.

3. Are there ever times when random sampling is inappropriate?

IP

Key Assignment

Note: The Key Assignment encompasses components from Week 4 and Week 5.

Scenario

Bob and Barbara Parker are in their 30s and have been married for 7 years. They have 2 children. They own 2 cars and a home valued at $500,000. Bob owns 50% of a garage door installation company valued at $2,000,000. The business provides the Parkers with a gross annual income of $150,000 per year. The Parkers have $300,000 in their retirement account and $100,000 in their personal checking account. Bob’s partner, Rick Wilson, owns the other 50% of the business. Bob has a $250,000 term life insurance policy but no other insurance coverage.

Part 1 (Week 4)

• What should the Parkers consider when deciding what insurance coverage they need?
• Do they have sufficient insurance coverage? If not, what type of insurance coverage do you recommend for them?
• How can they keep their insurance costs down?

Part 2 (Week 4)

Complete a chart with recommended coverage and amounts of coverage.

Part 3 (Week 5)

• Discuss taxation of life insurance proceeds and disability insurance payments.
• Assume that Bob’s 50% partner in the business is his old college friend Rick Wilson.
• Rick’s wife, Delores, has no interest in running the business. Do the Parkers need a buy-sell agreement? Describe the types of buy-sell agreements.

Please make a script interview session to answer all the question as a headteacher, expert teacher , new teacher and pilot interview.

Appendix A: Interview Schedule

Please feel free to respond in the manner you wish- audio, video, email or responding directly in this document are all fine.

1. Please indicate that you have reviewed the terms of participation, and that you voluntarily agree to participate in this study, by signing the attached consent form.
2. What is your role and position in relation to including technology in the preschool classroom? (Administrator, educator, parent, etc.).

Technology awareness and capacity

1. Do you use a smartphone?
2. How often do you have access to the Internet?

At least once a month

At least once a week

At least once a day

I always have access to the internet

3. Do you feel comfortable with the idea of technology?
4. Do you participate in social media online such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or other platforms?
5. Do you feel comfortable and competent to help a school-age child with mathematics and sciences?

Open-ended Questions

6. Is there anything that you would like to add regarding your own experience of using technology?
7. Do you have any comments that you would like to make regarding the incorporation of technology in the preschool classroom?
8. Do you have an opinion on how technology is being incorporated into Education in Malaysia generally?
9. Do you have any comments regarding the differences in how parents, educators and administrators view technology in the classroom
10. What was your experience of sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics when you went to school? How do you think things have changed today? Is there a need to support a higher level of learning in this area?
11. Do you feel that supporting sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics in education in Malaysia will help to support economic growth in the future?
12. How do you feel about the inclusion of technology in the classroom in Malaysia? What are some approaches that you have used, if any?
13. What is the current status of including technology in the preschool classrooms that you teach/lead/have a child attending?
14. What do you feel could be done differently to include technology in preschool education?
15. Do you feel there is a tension between technology and physical activity in education?
16. What are your concerns about including technology in the preschool classroom?

Internet Exercise #1

Medicare, Medicaid and Medigap

You must use the outline below. Your assignment will be returned for you to resubmit if you forget to follow the outline. The point value of each section is listed in the parentheses.

1. Describe Medicare. To be eligible, one needs to meet certain criteria. What are the criteria for eligibility? A minimum of 100 words. (12)

2. Describe Medicaid. To be eligible, one needs to meet certain criteria. What are the criteria for eligibility? A minimum of 100 words. (12)

3. Describe Medigap. To be eligible, one needs to meet certain criteria. What are the criteria for eligibility? A minimum of 100 words. (12)

4. Summarize the differences in the coverage for Parts A, B, C and D. A minimum of 100 words for each of the four parts.

Part A: Coverage (100 words) (12)

Part B: Coverage (100 words) (12)

Part C: Coverage (100 words) (12)

Part D: Coverage (100 words) (12)

5. Relate a story about someone you know who is a receiving either Medicare or Medicaid.

What is the monthly cost? (1)

What are the advantages? A minimum of 80 words. (3)

Are there any disadvantages? A minimum of 80 words (3)

6. Describe Hospice and explain how it works as part of the Medicare program. A minimum of 100 words. (5)

7. What are the criteria for eligibility? List all. (2)

8. How long does the benefit period extend? (2)

Body Perception in Men

Although it is commonly associated with women, men can have problems with poor body perception as well. That is, many aspects of society influence the way men think about their bodies, including how muscular they should be, what type of haircut to have, how tall they should be, and many others. In particular, the media is a source of constant reinforcement of these ideas, in that advertisements, TV shows, movies, etc. generally use a specific type of male. Moreover, in some of these types of media, those men that do not fit the ideal body type are degrogated or shown in a poor light. This puts a lot of pressure on men to fit this ideal body image, and forces those that can not meet these expectation to experience many adverse effects. Therefore, what follows below is a look at the role the media plays in men’s body perception, the type of effects in can have, some proposed solutions to these problems, and a discussion of areas for further research.

The Media and Body Perception

From an early age, young boys are shown images of what society has determined to be the ideal form for men. That is, the men in movies, on TV, in magazine ads, etc. are generally tall, muscular, have strong jaws, high cheekbones, etc. Moreover, these men are shown being successful, attracting women, or dominating other men. For example, the lead role in most popular movies is a good looking male that fits these qualities, and by the end of the movie he is usually the victor. Even in cartoons, this is true, and, in fact often much more exaggerated. Also, other men that do not fit this ideal body type are generally portrayed as the losers.

Therefore, young boys learn that this is the way they are supposed to look. They grow having this idea reinforced, encouraging them to change to more closely resemble what they saw in the media. Furthermore, women and young girls are exposed to the same media, thus affecting how they see men as well. That is, because of the media, women expect men to look a certain way, thus compounding the issue. Overall, the media has a very powerful effect over how men and the rest of society sees them.

Furthermore, the academic literature on this subject is fairly strong. Many studies have demonstrated that certain types of ads influence men’s perception of themselves. For example, one study conducted by Leit, Gray, and Pope split the male participants into two groups, showing advertisements with muscular men to one group and neutral ads to the other. Afterwards, all participants took a body image test, and, as expected, those that had been shown the ads with muscular men expressed a greater dissatisfaction with their own bodies (Leit, Gray, & Pope, 2002). Moreover, a more general review of the literature found fifteen studies that showed similar results (Blond, 2008).

Adverse Effects of Poor Body Image

Because the ideal body type portrayed in the media is difficult or impossible for many men to achieve, it can result in several negative effects. First of all, it can lead to depression, as men might feel that they are not as good as other men that achieve or get close to achieving the perfect body. That is, if men associate being successful or attractive with how they look, as they have seen in the media, then not being attractive might make them feel more negative about themselves. Over a long enough period of time, this might lead to clinical depression. Furthermore, poor body image might lead to an eating disorder. This might happen if men try to lose weight to meet the ideal body type in an unhealthy manner, such as anorexia or bulimia, which affects over 3 million men (MirrorMirror, 2018). In other words, men might take drastic measures to change their weight that might cause long term health problems. Lastly, men might spend an inordinate amount of money on health supplements, gym memberships, medical procedures, etc. in an attempt to look the way the media has convinced them they need to. That is, men might become obsessed with changing themselves and might engage in self destructive behavior to meet their goals.

Solutions to Body Image Issues

While there is no one size fits all solution to this problem, there are a number of measures that can be taken to help mitigate the negative effects and to change men’s minds about the ideal body type. The first solution is to educate men, especially young boys, about diversity of body types. That is, teachers, parents, counselors need to teach men that they come in a variety of shapes and sizes and that only a small percentage of men fall into the type seen in the media. Second, men need to also be educated in general health. This would show them how to maintain a healthy weight, diet, etc., so that they will not do something drastic, such starving themselves, medical procedures, or over exercising.

Furthermore, government regulation and social pressure could be effective at changing the media to include more diverse body types. This has worked to some degree with women, as lingerie ads now feature women with many different body types. Likewise, men can push for something similar. If it worked, then different types of male bodies would be seen and men would feel better about their bodies.

Further Research

            The idea of body image perception does not go that far back, making the academic literature on the subject fairly shallow and not as well developed as other areas. In recent years, the amount has increased significantly, but many holes exist and much more research needs to be done. For example, there is not much on the subject of how successful certain types of interventions are. That is, the above solutions have not been tried extensively, and, therefore, have not been properly analyzed. Furthermore, more research needs to be conducted on the types of men that are more prone to be negatively affected by this issue. That is, it is not known if certain demographics are more susceptible than others. Knowing this would make it easier to create a more effective solution, as it can be tailored to the specific needs of a specific population.

Conclusion

            Society generally forces men to be tough and not to complain, especially about mental health issues. However, it would surprise most to learn that men suffer from depression as much as women do, and, in fact, rates of bulimia and anorexia are climbing. The National Institute of Mental Health claims that “Some men may turn to drugs or alcohol to try to cope with their emotional symptoms. Also, while women with depression are more likely to attempt suicide, men are more likely to die by suicide because they tend to use more lethal methods” (Men and Depression, 2018). Therefore, despite what society thinks about them, men need help from those around them, trained professionals, and society in general. One of the greatest threats to male mental soundness is attacks on their body image, specifically from the media. As shown above, this needs to change, yet the problem is getting worse. Therefore, it is up to everyone to help and to change society for the better.

References

Blond, A. (2008). Impacts of exposure to images of ideal bodies on male body dissatisfaction: a review. Pub Med, 5(3), 244-50.

Leit, R. A., Gray, J., & Pope, H. G. (2002). The media’s representation of the ideal male body: a cause for muscle dysmorphia? Pub Med, 31(3), 334-338.

Men and Depression. (2018).

Discussion 1

What is the “CSI Effect”?  Explain what this phrase means and how it has impacted law enforcement.

Discussion 2

1. Explain what happened in Ferguson.  Did law enforcement change as a result?
2. What do you think law enforcement agencies and officers can do to help re-establish trust from the community?

Discussion 3

What are some of the issues in arresting individuals with mental illness?  What should law enforcement’s responsibility be and how do you suggest that we better and fairly serve arrestees with mental health issues?

Discussion 4

Research and explain the “Castle Doctrine”.  Then answer these questions:

1. Do you think this is an important concept?  Why or Why not?
2. What are some of the problems with this doctrine?  Can it be exploited inappropriately?  What would be consequences if it were abolished?

Discussion 5

Cybercrime and Terrorism

What is cybercrime?

How might it be related to terrorism?  What kinds of things might a terrorist do using cybercrime of the internet to wreck havoc?

Why is it so difficult for law enforcement to apprehend cybercriminals?

What suggestions can you think of to help curb cybercrime and terrorism?  Give examples.