Leadership Contingency Theory of Leadership

Week Five: Leadership
DQ 1: Post your response to the following: Consider the different types of communication described on p. 194 of the text. What types of communication would be most effective in persuading groups in an organization, including trainers, employees, programmers, and managers? Why?
Review your classmates’ responses. Do you agree or disagree with their selections? If you disagree, let them know why. If you agree, provide an additional example of why their selections would work.
DQ 2:Post your response to the following: Review the political tactics used by organizations described on pp. 196-197 of the text. Have you experienced any of these tactics in your workplace or have you heard anyone describe a situation in their workplace in which they experienced a political tactic? Describe the situation and the political tactic.
Respond to a classmate who has described a different political tactic than the one you chose. Describe how the outcome of the situation would have been different if a different political tactic had been applied.
CheckPoint: Contingency Theory of Leadership:
Use figures 6.3 & 6.4 on pp. 182-183 as a guide to complete Appendix D, basing your answers on a real or hypothetical work environment.
· Describe the components of the contingency theory of leadership as it applies to the work environment you selected. Conclude with your recommendation for the best leadership approach.
· Post Appendix D as an attachment.

Week Six: Organizational Behavior and Culture
CheckPoint: Motivation and Teams Case Study:
Read the two case studies on pp. 233-236 of the text.
· Answer the following in a 200- to 300-word response:
o What motivation theories can be found in each case study?
o Describe the theories found in each case study and cite specific examples.
o What was each business owner’s approach to creating high-performing teams within their company?
Assignment: Job Fair Brochure:
Continue to explore the hypothetical company you created in Week Four. You have set up a booth at the local job fair to generate interest in your new company and search for prospective employees.
· Create a one-page brochure describing your company’s structure, business model, and culture.
· Write a 500- to 750-word paper in APA format describing the structure, business model, and culture you selected. Provide justification for why you selected each element and explain how your choice will impact your business.
· Post your brochure and paper as an attachment.

Week Seven: Human Resource Management
DQ 1: Post your response to the following: There are many ways that a company can motivate its employees. Consider the different types of pay and benefits described on pp. 420-423 of the text. What type of incentive do you think is most effective for creating a motivating work environment? Why?
DQ 2: Post your response to the following: Imagine that you work in the human resources (HR) department of a medium-sized company. Your manager has asked you to brainstorm ways to improve one of the five areas of human resource management in your company. Assuming that all five areas are currently functioning at an equal level, what type of improvement would you implement in your assigned area? What impact do you think the improvement will have on your business?
· Respond to your classmates by considering the implications of their suggested HR improvement. Do you have any recommendations that would expand on their ideas? Are there any negative implications to their suggested HR improvement?
CheckPoint: The Impact of HRM:
Respond to the following scenario: Your manager has asked you to draft a proposal for improving the management of human resources in your company. Describe the best ideas for improvement presented in the brainstorm session from Discussion Question 2. Select the best ideas from at least two of the different areas discussed. What are the different ways that changes to these areas would impact a business? Explain your answer in a 200-300 word response.

Week Eight: Technology, Goods, and Services
CheckPoint 1: IT Applications Presentation:
Create a 5- to 7-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation to teach your fellow students about the following IT applications:
o Transaction processing systems
o Knowledge management systems
o Expert system and artificial intelligence
o Enterprise resource planning systems
o E-commerce systems
· Include detailed speaker notes and examples.
· Post your presentation as an attachment.
CheckPoint 2: Hardware/Software Components:
Complete the table in Appendix E by describing the uses of following hardware and software components:
o Legacy systems
o Mainframe computers
o Microprocessors
o PCs
o Network computers
o World Wide Web and the Internet
o Wired and wireless broadband technology
o PC software
o Networking software
o Computer security software
Assignment: Developing Good Business Sense:
Read the Developing Good Business Sense activity on p. 394 of the text.
· Answer questions 1-4 from the activity in a 700- to 1,050-word paper in APA format.
· Post your paper as a Microsoft® Word attachment.

Week Nine: The Big Picture
Capstone Discussion Question: Post your response to the following: What career paths are of interest to you? How has the information presented in this course influenced your thoughts about your personal career path? What insights or reactions do you have concerning what you now know about the field of business?
Final Project: Business Portfolio Presentation:
Review the CheckPoints and assignments you completed throughout the course.
· Create a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation of information about the fictional company you created in Week Four. You can use text, charts, tables, and visuals to detail the different areas of business found within your company. Include information on the following topics:
o Business organization
o Potential legal or ethical issues
o Business culture
o Types of motivation
o Human resource management
o Technology
o Operations and materials management
· Include detailed speaker notes, a title slide, and an APA reference slide.
· Post your final presentation as a Microsoft® PowerPoint® attachment.