Author: chris

Choose one (1) of the problem scenarios as a topic choice for your paper (Note: Your professor must approve your topic choice before you begin work on the assignment.)

Scenario 1: You have worked at your company for eleven (11) years. You have returned to college to earn a Bachelor’s degree in order to increase your chances for a promotion. You are nearly finished with your degree, when a supervisor’s position in a competing company becomes available in another state. The start date is in two (2) weeks, during your final exam period for your courses. The position offers a $15,000 per year salary increase, a car allowance, and relocation expenses. Your former supervisor works for the company and is recommending you for the position based on your outstanding job performance; if you want the job, it’s yours. All of the other supervisors at this level in the company have Master’s degrees, so you know that you would be expected to earn your Bachelor’s degree and continue on to a Master’s degree. Your present company offers tuition reimbursement, but the new company does not.

Scenario 2: Your child comes home from school with an assignment sheet for a school project. He / she is very excited about the project and begins work immediately, doing research on the Internet and gathering materials. You read over the assignment sheet and notice that your child is not including all of the required items in the project, and you have some ideas for how to improve the quality of the presentation. You recently read an article in a parenting magazine about the importance of a child developing responsibility for his/ her own learning. You recall the many ways in which your parents took over your school projects. You, on the other hand, want to encourage your child’s confidence in his / her ability to complete a project independently. The next day, you are at the grocery store when you see a parent of a student in your child’s class. That parent has spent over $30 in supplies for the science project and is taking a day off of work to put the pieces of the project together.

Scenario 3: You have two jobs—one during the week from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, and one on Saturday from 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm. You are taking two classes—one that meets from 6:00 to 10:00 pm, and one class online. You have two kids—one who plays soccer, and one who is in band. You have two elderly parents who no longer drive. You have two siblings—one who lives two (2) miles away, and one who lives in another state. You have two (2) papers due in your classes the same week that one (1) of your children has a soccer tournament, and the other child has a band concert. You are coaching the soccer team, and you are in charge of fundraising for the band. You have a goal to complete your degree in two (2) years. Your doctor tells you that your blood pressure, your cholesterol, and your weight are too high and recommends several medications that cost you nearly $200 per month after your insurance co-pay.

Scenario 4: You are a sales representative for a company that encourages staff to log time in the field and away from the office. You are expected to begin and end your day at the office. You notice that each day when you arrive and return another co-worker is already there, and you wonder whether this person spends most of his / her time at the office. At your weekly sales meeting, you are informed of your co-workers’ outstanding sales performance. You suspect that this co-worker is spending more time flattering the boss instead of working leads in the field, and as a result is getting the best client referrals. Your own sales numbers have steadily decreased since this other sales representative was hired.

Scenario 5: Professor’s Choice – problem scenario presented by your professor.

Scenario 6: Student’s Choice – Problem scenario presented by you.

Review the six-step problem solving process outlined in the webtext, based on the article “The Problem Solving Process” located at http://www.gdrc.org/decision/problem-solve.html:

Step One: Define the problem
Step Two: Analyze the problem
Step Three: Generate options
Step Four: Evaluate options
Step Five: Make your decision
Step Six: Implement and reflect

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

1. Define the problem in the scenario that you have chosen.

2. Analyze the problem in the scenario.

3. Generate options for solving the problem in the scenario.

4. Evaluate the options for solving the problem.

5. Decide on the best option for solving the problem.

6. Explain how you will implement the decision made and reflect on whether this option was the most effective.

Using research, read about successful employee assistance programs (EAP) operated as employee benefits at companies. In a 3 page report, explain what they are, the kinds of help they offer and the typical costs; then give an example of an EAP program you think is successful.

This paper should be 3 pages of complete content (cover page and reference page are separate) and have in-text citations. The paper will be in APA style (both in formatting the paper and reference page). One scholarly article as a minimum should be included in the paper.

Assignment: Project Paper

The Project Paper focuses on a suggested topic related to art, architecture, history, music, or literature. The project will reflect your views and interpretation of the topic. This project is designed to help you stretch your mind and your abilities to be the creative, innovative, and critical thinker you already are!

Choose a topic. Read the topic carefully. Write a three to four (3-4) page paper (750-1,000 words) that responds to each of the items described in the topic.

For the topic you choose:

Support your ideas with specific, illustrative examples. If there are questions or points associated with your chosen topic, be sure to answer all of the listed questions and address all of the items in that topic. If your topic asks you to do several things related to the topic, be sure to do each of the things listed.
While some of the topics tend to lend themselves toward particular writing genres, you are not restricted to the specific format suggested for the individual topic. For example, you may do an “interview,” a “proposal,” a “letter,” a “short story,” a “blog,” an “essay,” an “article,” or any other written genre for almost any of the topics. The project is intended to be fun as well as informative, so feel free to be creative with the delivery of your information.
Use at least three (3) good quality academic sources, with one (1) source being the class text.

Note: Wikipedia and other similar Websites do not qualify as academic resources. You are highly encouraged to use the Resource Center tab at the top of your Blackboard page.

Topic of choice:

New Composition. Speech. Your uncle’s birthday is in two (2) months, and everyone knows that he loves almost all kinds of music. As a birthday gift for him, you want to have a special piece of music composed in his honor which will be played at a family birthday celebration. Write a speech that you will make to the composer’s agent. Include the following:

Narrow your choices down to three (3) composers you’ve studied in this course. Choose one (1) of the composers and explain why you want him to write the “birthday present” music.
Explain why the other two (2) composers were ultimately not selected.
Specifically identify the musical elements in the composer’s style that you would like to be included in the new music written for your uncle.
Describe what sort of emotion is generated by listening to the works of your selected composer; in other words, what do you want your uncle to “feel” as he hears the music, and why is this composer so perfect for this composition?

The Project Paper will be graded on:

The level to which the instructions were followed.
The extent to which all four (4) parts in the topic were addressed.
The adequacy of information, examples, and details which support the general claim or main idea.
The clarity and relevance of the explanations and descriptions.
Adherence to standard rules of grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
The inclusion of three (3) required references (two [2] additional sources besides your textbook) documented using APA style.

Choose two long-term care facilities—one from nursing facilities, assisted living, or subacute care and another from adult day care, home health care, or hospice care—on which you would want to base your research work. Research the South University Online Library and the Internet to read about your chosen long-term care facilities.

Assume you are responsible for the management and administration of the two facilities. You have to orient the newly appointed manager by providing an overview on managing long-term care. You also need to discuss the programs of the two facilities. From this perspective and based on your research about the facilities, prepare a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation of 10 slides including the following:

What are the various multidisciplinary departments (teams) included in your facilities?
Who comprise the target population being served by the various programs provided by your chosen facilities?
What are the major staffing and human resource issues faced by your chosen facilities?
What are the significant trends in long-term care likely to impact the operation of the various programs provided by your chosen facilities, and what is your plan of action to overcome them?
What are the various forms of cooperation and integration existing in your chosen facilities? Discuss the nature of management, financing, and quality issues related to integration and cooperation in the facilities?

Support your responses with examples.

Use the Notes section of the slides to provide additional information.

Cite any sources in APA format.

Assignment 2: Leader Profile

Many argue that the single largest variable in organizational success is leadership. Effective leadership can transform an organization and create a positive environment for all stakeholders. In this assignment, you will have the chance to evaluate a leader and identify what makes him/her effective.

Consider all the leaders who have affected your life in some way. Think of people with whom you work—community leaders, a family member, or anyone who has had a direct impact on you.

Choose one leader you consider to be effective. This can be a leader you are personally aware of, or someone you don’t know, but have observed to be an effective leader. Write a paper addressing the following:
Explain how this leader has influenced you and why you think he or she is effective.
Analyze what characteristics or qualities this person possesses that affected you most.
Rate this leader by using a leadership scorecard. This can be a developed scorecard, or one you develop yourself. If you use a developed scorecard, please be sure to cite the sources of the scorecard. Once you have identified your scorecard, rate your leader. You decide what scores to include (for example, scale of 1–5, 5 being the highest) but be sure to assess the leader holistically across the critical leadership competencies you feel are most important (for example, visioning, empowering, strategy development and communication).
Critique this individual’s skills against what you have learned about leadership so far in this course. Consider the following:
How well does he/she meet the practices covered in your required readings?
How well has he/she adapted to the challenges facing leaders today?
If you could recommend changes to his/her leadership approach, philosophy, and style, what would you suggest? Why?

Using the assigned readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet including general organizational sources like the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, or Harvard Business Review, build a leadership profile of the leader you selected. Include information from personal experiences as well as general postings on the selected leader from Internet sources such as blogs. Be sure to include 2–3 additional resources not already included in the required readings in support of your leadership profile.

Write a 3–5-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M2_A2.doc.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) asserts that downloading copyrighted music on the Internet without paying for it is stealing, but lots of people are doing it. Is this ethical? Why or why not? If this is not ethical, why are so many people doing it?

In your opinion, what is the most important social issue raised by the pervasiveness of IT? Why? How can society best deal with this issue?

Your response should be at least 75 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations.

Health care costs in the United States continue to increase. Despite the high cost of care for health care in the United States, quality indicators and outcomes lag behind other countries when compared to certain dimensions of performance.

For this assignment, analyze and discuss the relationship between quality and cost in health care in the United States, and research and identify how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) attempts to reduce costs and improve quality. Based on your research of the PPACA, provide an argument for whether the PPACA has been a success in reducing costs and improving quality.

Note: Use APA style to cite at least 5 scholarly sources from the last 5 years.

Deliverable Length: 5-6 written pages, excluding cover page, abstract page, and reference page

Assignment Objectives

Distinguish the effects of economic and non-economic gains on provision of quality healthcare

Apply standards, laws, regulations and accreditation criteria to clinical quality improvement and outcomes

Digital Transmission. Please respond to the following:

Compare and contrast the data communication technologies of guided media and unguided media. This should include transmission media, data link control protocols, and multiplexing.
Compare digital transmission to analog transmission to determine the advantages of digital transmission. Provide at least one example to support your response.

1. Discuss the following question. Write about 250 words.

Attempting to address environmental concerns across national lines is extremely difficult. Why? Can you think of historical examples of success and failure that suggest models of action for the future?

2. Make a comment to the following respond. Write about 3-4 sentences.

I really think it is hard to think about the environment internationally since the world (as a whole) is not driven by the economy nature, but the economy of money. This concept bring in a self (human) interest approach that historically has been a detriment to the Earth (as we have read about in this course). One such recent (1944) event became a catalyst for selfishness. In Bretton Woods, NH (an area I frequently hike in) World leaders gathered to ensure the economy of the world would be safe for trade and avoid a recurrence of the Great Depression (Steinberg, 272). U.S. Secretary of Treasury Henry Morgenthau believed world peace and economic harmony rest on robbing the Earth of its resources to ensure “material progress on an earth infinitely blessed with natural riches” (Steinberg, 272). The leaders who met in NH have funded dams, massive road systems, and more at the expense of the environment in pursuit of world security; however pollution became a big factor. Like a festering wound upon the Earth, pollution oozed its toxins from the cuts upon the land, spreading to all life as the wound opens further, and further.

In Africa, as part of an “English-inspired” move towards conservation of wildlife and game animals, parks and reserves were created; these places proved most successful in protecting nature in Africa, more so than policy itself (Nash, 355).

All in all, the world needs to come together in a way the stimulates natures economy and see that connection in our own; and not just in terms of natural resources to be used up, but as a sustainable balance of give and take. Ultimately, we will have to continue to protect certain areas of land so that nature is preserved worldwide, as to maintain ecological integrity on some portion of the landscape.

As a side note: I enjoyed this class very much. The readings were very interesting, especially when they referenced areas I live in (MA) or often travel to (NH). I knew there was a lot of history in my area but really didn’t realize that amount of environmental history it experienced. But I guess that just proves the point of this course, human history is environmental history, because our footprint is left everywhere we tread. I only hope others see that humanity is indefinitely intertwined with the earth for better, or worse, so it is our job to work with it instead of against it.

Digital Transmission. Please respond to the following:

Compare and contrast the data communication technologies of guided media and unguided media. This should include transmission media, data link control protocols, and multiplexing.
Compare digital transmission to analog transmission to determine the advantages of digital transmission. Provide at least one example to support your response.