BMGT 110
Assignment #2: (Week 7)
Purpose:
Throughout the course, you have learned a wide array of
business concepts and theories. This assignment is designed to have you
demonstrate knowledge of the material learned in the course applying concepts
and theories to a case scenario.
Outcomes Met With This Assignment:
After completing this course, you should be able to:
• identify
the critical business functions and how they interact in order to position the
organization to be effective in the current business environment
• explain
the importance of the integration of individuals and systems to organizational
effectiveness
• describe
the ethical and social responsibilities that confront a business
Assignment Instructions:
This assignment is the second of two assignments. In this
paper, you will analyze and discuss small business growth in terms of growth
strategy, financing assistance, organizational structure and staffing needs,
customers and promotion, and ethics and social responsibility. You will apply
business and management concepts learned throughout the course to the case
scenario provided.
NOTE: All submitted work is to be your original work and
only yours. You may not use any work from another student, the Internet or an
online clearinghouse. You are expected to understand the Academic Dishonesty
and Plagiarism Policy, and know that it is your responsibility to learn about
instructor and general academic expectations with regard to proper citation of
sources as specified in the APA Publication Manual, 6th Ed. (Students are held
accountable for in-text citations and an associated reference list only).
Step 1: Preparation for Writing the Assignment
Before you begin writing the paper, you will read the
following requirements that will help you meet the writing and APA
requirements. Not reading this information will lead to a lower grade;
• Review
“How to Analyze a Case Study” under Week 7 Content. You are expected to use the
facts from the case scenario focusing on using this information to determine
opportunities and solve problems.
• Read the
grading rubric for the assignment. Use the grading rubric while writing the
paper to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible
grade.
• In
writing this assignment, you will read and following these tasks:
• Third
person writing is required. Third person means that there are no words such as
“I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or
your” (second person writing). If uncertain how to write in the third person,
view this link: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person.
• Contractions
are not used in business writing, so you are expected NOT to use contractions
in writing this assignment.
• You are
expected to paraphrase and NOT use direct quotes. You are expected to
paraphrase, which can be learned by reviewing this link:
https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html.
• You are
responsible for APA only for in-text citations and a reference list.
• You are
expected to use the facts from the case scenario paired with the weekly courses
readings to develop the analysis and support the reasoning. No more than two
(2) external resources can be used in completing the assignment. The
expectation is that you provide a robust use of the course readings. No other
books besides the course eBook can be used. When using a source document, the
expectation is that the information is cited and
referenced with page or paragraph numbers. Note that a
reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text
citation and vice versa.
•
Step 2: How to Set Up the Paper
Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is
double-spaced, 12-point font. The final product will be between 7-8 pages in
length excluding the title page and reference page. You may not exceed eight
(8) pages so it is important to write clearly and concisely.
Follow this format. Consider making an outline to ensure the
correct headings are in place and to keep you organize the paper.
• Title
page with the title, your name, course number and name; date, and the
instructor’s name;
• Introduction
(no abstract)
• Body, in
paragraph form. Use the following section headings:
• Growth
Strategy (one paragraph only)
• Financing
Assistance
• Organizational
Structure and Staffing Needs
• Customers
and Promotion
• Ethical
Issues and Social Responsibility
• Summary
paragraph (does not have a heading)
Step 3: Read the Case Scenario provided under Week 7 Content
Step 4: Write the Introduction
Create the introductory paragraph. The introductory
paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper and tells a reader the main
points covered in the paper. To help you know how to write an introduction,
view this website to learn how to write an introductory paragraph:
http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html
Step 5: Growth Strategy
Otto has to have a plan to grow his business. Read the
course readings on Entrepreneurship as well as other chapters in the eBook.
Then:
• In one or
two paragraphs, discuss what tool Otto should use to organize and prioritize
his business growth strategy.
Step 6: Financing Assistance
Otto has to ensure he has the resources to handle the
expected growth. For Otto to have the resources needed to manage the expected
growth, he must have financing in place.
• Discuss
the types of financing assistance available to Otto.
• Select
the best financing option for Otto’s business and explain why the financing
assistance was selected.
• Explain
why the other options would not fit Otto’s situation.
Step 7: Staffing Needs/Organizational Structure
Otto knows that the expansion will require changes to
staffing. Think about what the expanded business needs in terms of human
capital and how the business can best be organized so that every employee has a
job that fits within the organizational structure.
• How might
the staffing needs change?
• Discuss
how Otto can best organize, orient, and train his restaurant staff.
• What is
the best organizational structure that would work best for Otto’s expanded
business? [e.g., vertical hierarchy, functional, teams, flat (horizontal), or
matrix].
Step 8: Customers/Promoting the Business
Otto has limited funds. Two of his main concerns are: what to
do to promote the business to current customers and how to promote the business
to new customers. Use the course readings to:
• Explain
how Otto can approach his current customers about the change?
• What kind
of promotion should Otto consider to attract new customers to the new location?
Step 9: Ethics and Social Responsibility
With having only a few employees, Otto has never thought
much about how he can ensure the business is ran
ethically. At the same time, Otto has not put much thought
into being socially responsible although he believes strongly in supporting the
community and does so by purchasing products locally.
• What can
Otto do to ensure the business is ran ethically?
• What can
Otto do to demonstrate that he is socially responsible? (Consider customers,
employees, the current and new communities, and other stakeholders.)
Step 10: Write the summary paragraph
Write the summary paragraph. A summary paragraph restates the
main topics of the paper. Make sure to leave a reader with a sense that the
paper is complete. The summary paragraph is the last paragraph of a paper and
does not need a heading.
Step 11: Review the Paper
Read the paper to ensure all required elements are present.
Use the grading rubric to ensure that you gain the most points possible for
this assignment.
Proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical issues, and
third person writing.
• Read the
paper aloud as a first measure;
• Use the
spell and grammar check in Word as a second measure;
• Have
someone who has excellent English skills to proof the paper;
• Consider
submitting the paper to the Effective Writing Center (EWC). The EWC will
provide 4-6 areas that may need improvement.
Step 12: Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder.
