Assignment 2
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 (The assignment submitted to the Assignment
Folder will be considered a student’s final product and therefore ready for
grading by the instructor. It is
incumbent upon the student to verify the assignment is the correct
submission. No exceptions will be
considered by the instructor).
