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Running head: [INSERT TITLE HERE]
[INSERT TITLE HERE]
Student Name
Allied American University
Author Note
This paper was prepared for [INSERT COURSE NAME], [INSERT COURSE
ASSIGNMENT] taught by [INSERT INSTRUCTOR’S NAME].
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There are two (2) parts to the assignment. In Part I, you will answer general questions in order to
help you focus on planning, strategic management, and decision-making. In Part II, you will
write a paper that is two pages in length. This will help you build effective decision-making
skills by thinking like an entrepreneur. This assignment is to be completed in a step-by-step
manner. You will be instructed on what to include in each part of your essay, beginning with the
introduction, then the body paragraphs, and, finally, the conclusion.
PART I: Short Response Questions
Directions: Please provide responses to the questions below. If necessary, please use examples
or information from the textbook; however, please be sure to not copy any information directly
from the text, the Module 2 Lecture Notes, or the Internet. Please use proper APA citations for
any resources that you use. For concise APA formatting guidelines, please visit the Academic
Resource Center (ARC). Your responses should be at least 100 words in length for each
question.
1.
Describe the behavioral nature of decision making. In your description, be certain to
provide some detail about political forces, risk propensity, ethics, and commitment.
Describe a time when you experienced or participated in behavioral decision making.
2.
Consider the list of business decisions listed below. Which decisions would be handled
most effectively by group or team decision-making? Which would be best suited for
individual decision-making? Explain your answers.
A decision about switching pencil suppliers
A decision about hiring a new CEO
A decision about firing an employee for stealing
A decision about calling 911 to report a fire in the warehouse
A decision about introducing a brand-new product
3.
Read the Building Effective Technical Skills Exercise on pages 114 and 115 of the
textbook. Use the Internet to research each of the six cities then answer the following
questions:
Choose your top two ranked cities and explain why they are your top choices.
Compare and rank each city in terms of the following:
o Stable and well-educated workforce
o Ample affordable housing
o Access to quality health care
o A good system of education
Select your final choice of the city in which to build your new plant.
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4.
When evaluating strategies, entrepreneurs have to consider the characteristics of the
industry in which they are going to conduct business. Assume that you are a business
owner seeking a location for a new factory. Your company makes products that are
relatively “clean”—that is, they do not pollute the environment, nor will they produce any
dangerous waste products—and most communities would welcome your plant. Answer the
following questions about your strategy:
Would you build a new plant or try to buy an existing building and refit it? Why?
Will you try to sell your product to a big company? Why or why not? Will you try to
market your product yourself? Why?
Do you need to be concerned with how your product gets to market? Did you
consider that when you chose your city?
What technologies exist that will help your small manufacturing plant function in a
mid-sized city?
How did your choice of cities give you some competitive advantages?
What financing will you need to consider as you move into this new community?
PART II: Essay
Directions: This assignment is designed to help you learn more about APA citations as well as
how to follow instructions for writing a short essay. Be sure to use the introductory paragraph
that is provided for you. Remember to insert a Reference section at the end of your paper. In
addition to the textbook, you will be citing some electronic sources in the Reference section,
including the YouTube video that you watched in the Lecture Notes. If you are unable to access
the video, you must find another resource on the Internet and use it for this paper. A suggested
website with go-getters, trend-setters, and global leaders is www.ted.com.
Please visit the Purdue OWL website (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10) to
learn more about how to cite electronic sources, including the video you watched in the Lecture
Notes (you will need to scroll to the bottom of the page to view the Video Podcast citation).
Preliminary Research: Read the case, “The Creative Imprint at Bigfoot,” on pages 121 through
123 in your textbook. Then answer questions 1 through 4 on page 150 in your textbook under
You Make the Call. You will use this material to help you with your paper. You do not need to
submit the answers to these questions. This is just to help you begin the paper below.
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You will incorporate the following sentences in the introductory paragraph of the paper, please
add your own words to describe the decision-making process that the assignment asks you to
consider:
Introduction: The purpose of this paper is to discuss how start-up small businesses can
maximize the use of resources and also reduce the risk of failure. According to Griffin (2014),
“A small-business owner who needs help in starting a new business can get it free through the
Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)” (p. 139). “…(F)our general factors contribute to
new business failure. One factor is managerial incompetence or inexperience” (p. 144).
“Second, neglect can also contribute to failure. Third, weak control systems can lead to serious
problems. Finally, insufficient capital can contribute to new business failure” (p. 144).
Body Paragraph #1 (approximately 4 to 6 sentences in length): Entrepreneurs and small
businesses play a variety of important roles in society. If these roles are so important, do you
think that the government should do more to encourage the development of small business?
Why or why not?
Body Paragraph #2 (approximately 4 to 6 sentences in length): Consider the four major
reasons why new businesses fail. What actions can entrepreneurs take to minimize or avoid each
cause of failure?
Conclusion (link your ideas back to the introductory paragraph): Briefly restate how you
believe start-up small businesses can maximize the use of resources and reduce the risk of
failure. An effective writing tool is to include a quotation from one of the videos.
