Author: chris

ssays should be 4 to 6 pages in length, should use direct quotations from the text to prove a thesis, and outside research is strongly encourage. All quotations and citations should use either MLA or APA format.

First Paper (Due 10/27/15)  Choose one topic from the following:

1. Imbedded within Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” is her critique of the role and place of women in Western cultures. What does Gilman see as the plight of women in her own society? What is the cost to women of being consigned to that plight?

2. “The Cask of Amontillado” uses a first-person narrator (a narrator that is a character in the story), and, sometimes, first-person narrators can be untrustworthy.

• How trustworthy or untrustworthy do you consider the narrator?
• Are there any ways that the narrator might be manipulating the truth?
• How would you describe the narrator’s thoughts toward himself and his actions?

3. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” after learning of the supposed death of her husband, Mrs. Mallard closes the door to her room so that her sister Josephine cannot get in, yet she leaves the window open. Why does Chopin make a point of telling the reader this? How might this relate to the idea of being “free” and to the implicit idea that she is somehow imprisoned? Do other words in the story relate to this idea?

Assignment 2: Discussion

During the first year or two of its existence, what reasons are there for a small-town nursing home to engage in any sort of strategic planning? This is a time when the venture’s resources are stretched to the limit and all its attention is focused on reaching bed capacity with admitting new residents. Are there any disadvantages for the organization if it fails to think about long-term strategy? Explain why.

By Saturday, November 7, 2015,

Audio- Narrative:Visit any of the following story-telling program websites. Select an episode by theme or air date and listen to the entire program. Most episodes contain three stories and an episode lasts about an hour. Write a summary and reaction of the entire episode, taking care to identify the storyteller as well as key plot points.

The Moth radio hour

Snap Judgment

This American Life

The General Formula for a successful reading response is this: Summary + Analysis+ Student Response. The Summary portion should give a synopsis: identify the author, the title of the work you are addressing, a thesis and the relationship, or relationships to any themes and note what they are and which points in the essay lead you to your decision. Specifically, give examples from the text, both paraphrased and as a direct quotation. Always cite source. Next, Analyze the text by contextualizing, deconstructing- what is the purpose of this writing, what messages exist within it and what effects does it have on its field or audience? After you have critically responded, add your personal response as a reader.  The Response portion can be an extension of the argument, agreement or challenge to the argument, opinion using real life examples or prior knowledge.

 You should be able to analyze the readings, pinpoint the relevant factors and share your thoughts in just a few paragraphs (a few by definition, means more than two), but be thorough. Be mindful while you are reading and the connection(s) will become evident as you go along. This text block totals 507 words, including title and this sentence. An appropriate length is between 600-1,000 words: about a page and a half to two pages, single space. If there is less, you may have not given enough thought to analysis or synthesis.

Reading Responses are to be titled Reading Response #___ (fill in the appropriate number). Center this heading.  They are to be typed in 12pt font, single space, using a reasonable font.

Second paper 

Choose any poem we have not talked about in class and is not part of the syllabus. Write an analysis of the poem which discusses relevant aspects of the poem, which may include rhyming scheme, word choice, meter, imagery, metaphors, etc.

Your thesis statement should focus on the theme (meaning) of the poem, and how the poet uses literary terms in order to imply or emphasize the meaning.

Outside research on the poet and/or poem is strongly encouraged; MLA or APA format should be used to cite any sources. Please also provide a copy of the poem you write about.

You may write about relevant aspects of the poet’s life in the paper ONLY if these aspect are significant to the understanding of the poem. (In other words, do not provide biographical information about the poet unless it directly relates to the poem itself).

The number of pages required to complete this essay will largely depend on which poem you choose. It is suggested you choose a poem which is ripe with material to analyze.

1a. Identify the small business you would like to study. (A childcare center if possible) Your small business concept will form the basis for the Strategic Business Plan, Course Final Project, Week 8.  1b. Prepare a brief summary of your small business’ competitive strengths.

2. Create three goals and objectives for the following small company:

Assignment : Employment-At-Will Doctrine

In preparation for this assignment, use the Internet to research your state’s employment-at-will policy.

Imagine you are a recently-hired Chief Operating Officer (COO) in a midsize company preparing for an Initial Public Offering (IPO). You quickly discover multiple personnel problems that require your immediate attention.

• John posted a rant on his Facebook page in which he criticized the company’s most important customer.

• Ellen started a blog to protest the CEO’s bonus, noting that no one below director has gotten a raise in two (2) years and portraying her bosses as “know-nothings” and “out-of-touch”

• Bill has been using his company-issued BlackBerry to run his own business on the side.

• After being disciplined for criticizing a customer in an email (sent from his personal email account on a company computer), Joe threatens to sue the company for invasion of privacy.

• One of the department supervisors requests your approval to fire his secretary for insubordination. Since the secretary has always received glowing reviews, you call her into your office and determine that she has refused to prepare false expense reports for her boss.

• Anna’s boss refused to sign her leave request for jury duty and now wants to fire her for being absent without permission.

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

• Summarize the employment-at-will doctrine discussed in the text and then evaluate three (3) of the six (6) scenarios described by determining:

  • Whether you can legally fire the employee; include an assessment of any pertinent exceptions to the employment-at-will doctrine.

  • The primary action(s) that you should take to limit liability and impact on operations; specify the ethical theory that best supports your decision.

• Examine your state’s policy on employment-at-will. Analyze at least one (1) real-world example of an employee or employer utilizing your state’s employment-at-will doctrine in the last five (5) years. Include a summary of the main issue and the outcome in the identified real-world example.

• Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia is not an acceptable reference and proprietary Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format.

• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

  The grading rubric for this assignment will be shared separate

Instructors, training on how to grade is within the Instructor Center.

Assignment 3: Using Leadership to Improve Ethical Performance

Due Week 9 and worth points 300

At this point, you should have identified the leader you would like to interview. You should also have already contacted him / her and have scheduled an interview time / date. If not, do it as soon as possible. The intention of this assignment is to describe leadership skills, ethics, and communication which impact motivation and improve ethical performance.

Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:

1. Create five to seven (5-7) questions to ask your chosen leader to determine his / her views of motivation, ethical leadership and performance. Then, conduct the interview based on your selected questions.

HINT: The following are some examples of questions. Feel free to select them from here. However, we urge you to revise your Assignment 2 for some ideas of what you would like to know from an experienced leader.

1. 1. How would you define leadership?
   2. As a leader, what do you do when people on your team aren’t pulling their weight?
   3. What is one of the greatest leadership challenges you have ever faced? What did you do? What was the result?
   4. How would you describe your communication style?
   5. Describe a situation in which effective interpersonal communication skills contributed to your success.
   6. Describe your personal actions by which you convey to your staff that ethics/ethical behavior is a high priority with you and that you also expect it to be a high priority with your staff.
   7. Related to the previous question, describe how your personal actions (demonstrating ethics is a priority) have impacted your staff and/or colleagues.
   8. Describe a situation where you recognized a need to communicate clear expectations for ethical practice. How did you recognize that expectations had to be clarified? What did you do or say to clarify the expectations?

2. Analyze the leadership, motivation, and ethical values of the leader interviewed and assess its impact in the ethical performance of the organization.

HINT: You should summarize the answers that you gathered in your interview. Thereafter, you should compare and contrast his / her point of view about leadership with your own perception of it.

3. Use at least two (2) quality academic resources you have located using the Strayer Library resources / data bases in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia does not qualify as an academic resource, and neither do web-based blogs.
4. Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
   1. Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
   2. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
   3. Include a reference page. Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Explain the variety of motivational theories and job design considerations.
• Explain the variety of leadership theories and roles.
• Evaluate ways organizational culture can be managed and promote ethics in an organization.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in leadership and organizational behavior.
• Write clearly and concisely about leadership and organizational behavior using proper writing mechanics

Assignment 1: Discussion—Nonrenewable Resources

Today, more than any other time in history, there is growing support to move away from nonrenewable resources towards developing renewable resources to meet current and future energy needs. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources that continue to negatively impact the environment. It is important to learn how these resources are formed since this process of formation is at the very heart of why fossil fuels are considered to be nonrenewable.

Using the readings for this module, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, research the nonrenewable resource assigned to you:

• Coal
• Natural gas
• Petroleum (oil)

Note: You are assigned a resource based on the first initial of your last name. Last names beginning with A–J research coal, names beginning with K–R research natural gas, and names beginning S–Z research oil.

Respond to the following:

• Describe how this nonrenewable resource was initially formed.
• Briefly explain where the major reserves of this nonrenewable resource are located and how it is extracted.
• Examine the environmental impact caused by the extraction process.
• Explain how this nonrenewable resource is used to produce energy, and identify the pollution problems that are caused from this energy source.

Support your statements with appropriate examples and scholarly references.

Write your initial response in approximately 350–400 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

By Saturday, November 7, 2015, post your response to the appropriate Discussion Area. Through Wednesday, November 11, 2015, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses. Address the following:

• Given the environmental issue or issues the use of this particular resource causes, why do think society relies so heavily on it?
• What kind of a role do you think governmental politics plays in current energy demands?
• If in fact society were to change to an environmentally friendly fuel source, what do you think would be the political or economic ramifications?

Assignment 3: Thinking Strategically

Health care professionals need to answer at least three essential questions when thinking strategically about their organization’s present circumstances and future prospects:

• Where is the organization now? This question focuses on the current business of the organization, the patient segments that the organization caters to, and the current strategy of the organization.
• Where does the organization want to go? This question focuses on the organization’s vision and aspirations.
• How will the organization get there? This question focuses on the strategic moves required to fulfill the mission, vision, and values of the organization and its broad set of strategic goals.

You are the office manager of a 12-person medical office. Write an e-mail message to the owners of the clinic on how the organization could answer these three questions. Specifically, your e-mail should include the following:

• How should the organization determine its state of affairs?
• How should the organization establish its goals?
• Who should participate in the strategic planning process and why?
• What possible strategies can the organization adopt to achieve the established goals?

Your e-mail message should be no more than two pages long in a Microsoft Word document and in current APA edition format

COMPARISON AND/OR CONTRAST ESSAY ASSIGNMENT

• Your essay must include an introduction with a thesis,  body paragraphs with topic sentences, and a  conclusion
• Essays must demonstrate coherence through the use of transitions and proper organization.
• Your paper must be formatted in correct MLA style.
• The paper must be three full pages (about 900 words).
• You must cite a source from Galileo.
• Organize this essay using the block method or the point-by-point method.
• The paper must be formatted in correct MLA style.
• The final essay must incluse a works cited entry of the researched source you used in your essay.
• Please upload a copy of your final essay to Turn-It-In on ANGEL; failure to do so will result in a 0 for your final paper.

TOPIC

Option 1: Compare and/or contrast two different views of a current social controversy: for example, the two perspectives of racial tensions in a community, such as Ferguson or Baltimore.

Option 2: Compare and/or contract two different viewpoints of a current political issue: for example, Religious Freedom Act.

Option 3: Compare and/or contrast two different views of a current health issue: for example, GMO foods vs. Non GMO foods

Generic drugs vs. Non-Generic, E-Cigarettes vs. Regular cigarettes

GUIDELINES

Please read Chapter 9 in Nexus to help you understand how to write the comparison and contrast essay. All college essays are formatted in MLA style (headers, page numbers, etc.). Read the MLA chapter of your grammar book pp. 700-713. Read pages 664-716 for the works cited page, and pages 78-80 and 589-590 for the annotated bibliography.

Introduction (at least 5-7 sentences)

Your introduction must have a thesis.

Body Paragraphs (at least 5-7 sentences)

Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that supports the thesis statement.

Transitional expressions are used effectively throughout the essay for flow, coherence, and cohesiveness (meanwhile, furthermore, therefore, finally, first, second, in conclusion, etc.)

All body paragraphs should have well-developed examples to prove your topic sentence and supports your thesis.

Use the block method or the point-by-point method to organize your paragraphs.

You must quote from your source at least once in your essay using correct in text citation format. You may use direct quotes, but be sure to integrate the quote seamlessly through the use of signal phrases and quotation marks.  If paraphrasing, please note that parenthetical citations are required.

Be sure to include a works cited page of the source used in the essay.

Conclusion (at least 5-7 sentences)

Your conclusion should restate the main idea of your essay in a creative manner.

Provide closure to the essay.

Grammar and Mechanics

No glaring grammar mistakes (fragments, agreement issues, verb tense shifts, run-ons, comma splices, wordiness, awkward sentence structures, no comma errors or punctuation errors, misspelled, no grammar and mechanics related errors)

Mature vocabulary, diction, and syntax are evident.

Sentence structure shows control and some variety

Audience and Tone

Academic papers require the use of formal language.

Avoid slang, informal/inappropriate usages, and biases.

Use the third person point of view (he, she, one, a person, etc.), not the first person point of view (I), or the second person point of view (you).

Grade Distribution and Submission Requirements

The Comparison and/or Contrast essay is 20% of your overall grade. 

Brainstorming(5pts), Outline, with Thesis(15pts) Total (20pts.)

• Generation of ideas in brainstorming

• The outline shows a thesis, topic sentences, and specific details.

Annotated Bibliography  (10pts.)

• Annotated bibliography is in proper MLA format.

Rough Draft (20pts.)

• Revised introduction and thesis

• Revised paragraphs begin with topic sentences that relates to the thesis.

• Revised topic sentences supported with specific details.

• There is use of transitions.

• Revised conclusion summarizes the main points of the essay in a creative manner.

• Works cited page

Peer/Self  Review (10 pts.)

• All questions need to be answered in a complete and thorough manner to receive credit.

Final Essay with Works Cited Page (100pts.)

• A thorough document that reflects all the requirements above and has been revised and edited.

• The works cited page is numbered and in proper MLA format.