For Prof. Goodman!

 

 

 

 

 

Global Economic Environment Course Assignments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello!  Here’s the Unit 1 Assignment 1 (Unit 1 Economic Problems) which is due by Sunday, 1/17/16 by 11:59am CT:

 

 

 

In your textbook, please answer the following problems and submit your assignment:

 

 

 

Chapter 1: Problem 5, a through d, on page 23.

 

 

 

Chapter 3: Problem 7, a through d, on page 74

 

 

 

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Class,

 

 

 

Hello!  Here’s the Unit 2 Assignment 1 (Unit 2 Economic Problems) which is due by Sunday, 1/24/16 by 11:59am CT:

 

 

 

In your textbook, please answer the following problems and submit your assignment:

 

 

 

Chapter 6, Problem 6 on p.151.

 

 

 

Chapter 7, Problem 6 on p.165.

 

 

 

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Class,

 

 

 

Hello!  Here’s the Unit 3 Assignment 1 (Unit 3 Economic Problems) which is due by Sunday, 1/31/16 by 11:59am CT:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In your textbook, please answer the following problems and submit your assignment:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 9, Problem 3 on p.219.

 

 

 

Chapter 10, Problem 4 on p.238.

 

 

 

Chapter 11, Problem 2 on pp.252-253.

 

 

 

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Class,

 

 

 

Hello!  Here’s the Unit 5 Assignment 1 (Unit 5 Economic Problems) which is due by Sunday, 2/14/16 by 11:59am CT:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In your textbook, please answer the following problems and submit your assignment:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 25, Problem 4 on pp.566-567.

 

 

 

Chapter 27, Problem 4 on p.612.

 

 

 

Chapter 29, Problem 8 on pp.657-658.

 

 

 

Chapter 30, Problem 3a on p.680.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEEK 1 – Reflection

 

Throughout the course, you have been building toward the achievement of the following competencies:

 

• Analyze contemporary leadership practices from the perspective of innovation in a global environment.

• Evaluate the leadership skills that drive innovation.

• Evaluate what leaders of innovation do to shape organizational culture.

• Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for members of the business professions.

 

For this discussion, reflect on the knowledge and skills you developed over the past six weeks. Address the following in your post:

 

• Select one competency that you feel is the most important to you. How has your ability to perform these skills and apply this knowledge evolved? What concepts, skills, or insights were most relevant to you?

• How have you grown in your academic and professional goals? Have you made progress on any items in the action plan you developed during first course?

 

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Leading Innovation

 

 

 

 

WEEK 2 – The Role of Leaders in Innovation (DUE SAT.@12am)

 

Assignment Overview

 

This course explores the role of leaders in creating organizations that innovate. This requires an understanding of the skills of the leader, as well as the global context of leadership. In this assignment, you will analyze leadership practices in innovative organizations and your own strengths and weaknesses as a leader.

 

Assignment Instructions

 

Review your completed Discovery and Delivery Skills self-assessment from pages 38–40 in The Innovator’s DNA. Use this assessment to generate insight regarding your own discovery and delivery skills. Specifically, summarize the results and reflect on how your own strengths equip you—and how your weaknesses hinder you—in supporting innovation in the global context.

 

For the paper, select and explain at least two leadership practices (see Leslie’s white paper) and how they support innovation in organizations. Explain the relevance of these practices to either one of the case studies for this course (Intuitive Surgical or Procter & Gamble), or to your own work context.

 

You will be evaluated on how well you communicate your insights and analysis. It is expected that you will communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for members of the business professions. To aid you in doing this, follow these guidelines:

 

• Carefully organize your paper so that a section is labeled with a heading and devoted to each of the following topics. Make sure that the reader can easily find:

 

• A section that explains how at least two leadership practices support innovation in organizations.

• A section that analyzes the role of discovery skills (see The Innovator’s DNA) for their support of innovation in organizations.

• A section that analyzes the role of delivery skills (see The Innovator’s DNA) for their support of innovation in organizations.

• A section that explores your own strengths and weaknesses in the discovery and delivery skills, and how they help or hinder your ability to support innovation in organizations. (Be sure you address both discovery and delivery skills).

 

• Graphs or diagrams may be included in appendices, if they are well-explained and applicable.

• Each section of the paper must be supported using the course readings, and additional scholarly resources or reputable industry publications may be used, if needed. One to three supporting resources are recommended.

 

Your assignment will be scored on the following objectives—see the scoring guide for details:

 

• Explain how established leadership practices support innovation in organizations.

• Analyze the role of discovery skills for their support of innovation in organizations.

• Analyze the role of delivery skills for their support of innovation in organizations.

• Assess strengths and weaknesses related to leadership skills and an individual’s ability to support innovation.

• Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for members of the business professions.

 

Submission Requirements

 

• Written communication: Writing should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.

• Paper length: 4–6 pages, excluding appendices, cover page, table of contents (if present), and References page.

• APA formatting: References and citations should follow APA (6th edition) style guidelines.

• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.

 

Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click on the linked resources for helpful writing information.

 

Note: Feedback from your instructors is an important method to understanding where you are excelling, what you need to improve, and to be aware of your progress on course competencies. This feedback goes beyond a score on your assignment. It includes comments about each of the grading criteria and general comments about the assignment. This written feedback will help you know how well you are demonstrating the competencies associated with each assignment. Therefore, it is important to know how to access all of this feedback.

 

 

Describing the DNA of Innovators 250 Words (DUE WED.@12am)

 

In the Hitt, Takacs-Haynes, and Serpa article you read in this unit, the authors made a compelling argument for what will be required of leaders in the future. The future competitive landscape for organizations requires new forms of strategic leadership. Nayar, CEO of HCL Technologies, described his own strategic leadership in preparing his company for the future.

 

For this discussion, discuss how the ideas from these authors are similar to and different from those in The Innovator’s DNA. Compare and contrast the concepts presented by The Innovator’s DNA, Nayar, and Hitt, et al. What insights can a leader of innovation glean from these resources or ideas as a whole? How can these be applied to an organization, or what effect might they have on an organization’s culture?

 

Response Guidelines

 

 

WEEK 3- Discovery and Delivery Skills in Innovation Leadership

 

As a follow-up to your Unit 2 assignment, explore the application of your own discovery and delivery skills. How do these skills contribute to innovation, and what can you do to further develop your skills? Focus your response on 3–5 skills, and provide examples or ideas for possible next-steps in your development.

 

Response Guidelines

 

Post a substantive reply to at least two other learners. As you review your colleagues’ posts, be sure to reconnect your thoughts to the discussion topic and assigned readings. Your replies should demonstrate clear links between the discussion topic, readings, and the content in the posts.

 

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The Role of Global Trends in Innovation

 

In your reading from the Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, and McNamara text for this unit, the authors explored the concept of global trends. You also saw Rosling’s vivid depiction of historical trends in the video 200 Years, 200 Countries, 4 Minutes.

 

For this discussion, explain why it is important for innovation leaders to understand global trends. What is the connection between global trends and the five discovery skills of disruptive innovators?

 

Response Guidelines

 

 

WEEK 4 – Analysis of Leaders in Innovation

 

Assignment Overview

 

Your readings have introduced you to Vineet Nayar, then-CEO of HCL Technologies. His approach to leading innovation transformed an at-risk IT services company into a global leader. By examining Nayar’s example and that of other leaders like him, we can learn more about the skills and behaviors of such leaders and how they prepare their organizations to be more innovative. It helps to have a model of assessment when studying these leaders. For this assignment, you will use the five discovery skills from your The Innovator’s DNA textbook.

 

Assignment Instructions

 

For this assignment, identify and analyze the global trends that influenced the need for Nayar to create a more innovative organization. Explain the relationship between the global trends and Nayar’s role as a leader of innovation.

 

Evaluate Nayar’s use of the five discovery skills as an innovation leader. Address all five discovery skills, assessing whether each has a role in this situation, as well as the level of Nayar’s effectiveness in using each skill.

 

Make recommendations for Nayar’s improvement on use of the discovery skills. Consider potential opportunities for Nayar to improve his skills or apply them differently.

 

You will also be evaluated on how well you communicate your analysis and insights. It is expected that you will communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for members of the business professions. To aid you in doing this, follow these guidelines:

 

• Carefully organize your paper so that a section is labeled and devoted to each of the following topics. Make sure that the reader can easily find:

 

• A section that analyzes factors in the global environment that influenced Nayar’s need to create a more innovative organization.

• A section that assesses how the five discovery skills can be used to impact innovation in organization.

• A section that evaluates Nayar’s use of the discovery skills and includes recommendations for him to improve his use of the skills that encourage and support innovative organizations.

 

• Optionally, graphs or diagrams may be included in appendices, if they are well-explained and applicable.

 

• Each section of the paper must be supported using the course readings, and additional scholarly resources or reputable industry publications may be used, if needed. One to three supporting resources are recommended.

 

Your assignment will be scored on the following objectives—see the scoring guide for details:

 

• Analyze factors in the global environment that influence the need to create innovation within an organization.

• Assess the potential impact of the five discovery skills on an organization.

• Evaluate a leader’s use of discovery skills related to supporting innovation within an organization.

• Recommend leadership improvements and opportunities related to supporting innovation within an organization.

• Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for members of the business professions.

 

Submission Requirements

 

• Written communication: Writing should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.

• Paper length: 5–6 pages, excluding appendices, cover page, table of contents (if present), and References page.

• APA formatting: References and citations should follow APA (6th edition) style guidelines.

• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.

 

Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click on the linked resources for helpful writing information.

 

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Open Innovation and the Role of People

 

In this discussion, you will explore how leaders can be used to support open innovation. Your The Innovator’s DNA text uses Procter & Gamble as an example of an innovative organization in several discussions. You have also examined the Procter & Gamble case study from IBS Research Center.

 

• How can the DNA of innovation leaders be used to support open innovation at Procter & Gamble?

• Also discuss the role of people—pertaining to the DNA of disruptive organizations—in supporting open innovation at the company.

 

Response Guidelines

 

 

WEEK 5 – The DNA of Disruptive Leaders and Organizations

 

Intuitive Surgical, which Dyer, Gregersen, and Christensen (2011) recognize as a highly innovative company, finds itself in a difficult competitive situation. While it produces many of the best robotic surgical devices and controls much of the market, its patents will soon expire, and new competitors are challenging its leadership. How should leaders at Intuitive Surgical apply the five discovery skills of disruptive innovators and the DNA of disruptive organizations (people, processes, and philosophies) to retain their leadership and/or establish leadership in new market segments? While Intuitive Surgical has demonstrated a high innovation premium in the past, can it leverage the DNA of innovation leaders and organizations to remain competitive? For this discussion, select two of the five skills to address.

 

Response Guidelines

 

Post a substantive reply to at least two other learners. For this response, reply to posts that analyzed different skills from the ones you addressed. Your replies should demonstrate clear links between the discussion topic, readings, and the content in the posts.

 

Reference

 

Dyer, J., Gregersen, H., & Christensen, C. M. (2011). The innovator’s DNA: Mastering the five skills of disruptive innovators. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Publishing.

 

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Conducting an Initial Analysis

 

The final assignment asks you to conduct an analysis of either Procter & Gamble or Intuitive Surgical. After reviewing both cases and the expectations for the final assignment, make a preliminary determination as to which company you plan to use for your final project. You are not required to stay with this selection for the final assignment.

 

For this discussion, conduct an initial analysis of your chosen company by answering the following:

 

• What is your initial impression of which leadership practice or practices would be appropriate and why?

• How well does the company you have chosen exemplify application of the five discovery skills of innovation leaders?

• How well did the leaders guide the company toward the right people, processes, and philosophies; and which is most important in this situation?

 

Response Guidelines

 

 

WEEK 6 – Innovation Leadership Evaluation

 

Assignment Overview

 

In this course, you have explored three main concepts:

 

• How leadership practices support innovation in the global context.

• The behaviors of leaders that drive innovation and the creation of innovative organizations.

• What innovative leaders do to shape organizational culture and processes.

 

The final assignment for this course challenges you to integrate these concepts while focusing on a particular organization. You will integrate what you have learned from the course studies, discussions, and previous assignments to demonstrate your mastery of the course competencies.

 

Effective leaders of innovation must consider three levels of thinking and action by:

 

• Considering the global context in which their organization competes.

• Strategizing their personal actions for innovation.

• Shaping their organization’s culture and processes to enable innovation.

 

All of the leaders and organizations that we have explored in this class have strengths and weaknesses in each of these levels. Your final assignment is an opportunity to explore and analyze all three levels regarding the organization you have chosen (either Procter & Gamble or Intuitive Surgical).

 

Assignment Instructions

 

For this assignment, you will write a 5–6 page paper with a focus on either the Procter & Gamble or Intuitive Surgical case studies. Choose one case, and focus your efforts on that organization. Both Procter & Gamble and Intuitive Surgical are also profiled in various discussions throughout The Innovator’s DNA. You must integrate that information, as well as any other research regarding innovation in these organizations, into your work too.

 

You will be evaluated on how well you communicate your insights and analysis. It is expected that you will communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for members of the business professions. To aid you in doing this, follow these guidelines:

 

• Carefully organize your paper so that a balanced amount of text covers each item below, and label each section with a heading so that it is clear which of the following topics the section covers. You want your reader to be able to easily find:

 

• A section that analyzes which leadership practices would encourage innovation, considering the global context of the organization in your chosen case. Explain why you chose these practices and how they will help the leaders in their responsibilities as leaders of innovation.

• A section that evaluates how the chosen case exemplifies—or does not exemplify—the five discovery skills of innovation leaders.

• A section that analyzes the actions the leaders of the organization in your chosen case took to shape culture and processes to be more innovative.

 

• Present an argument for which one of the three organizational DNA factors is most important for this organization’s future success.

• Graphs or diagrams may be included in appendices, if they are well-explained and applicable.

• Each section of the paper must be supported using the course readings, and additional scholarly resources or reputable industry publications may be used, if needed. One to three supporting resources are recommended.

 

Your assignment will be scored on the following objectives—see the scoring guide for details:

 

• Analyze leadership practices that encourage innovation in the organization’s global context.

• Evaluate the application of the five discovery skills of innovation leaders.

• Analyze the effect of leadership on an organization’s culture and processes.

• Argue which organizational factor is most important for an organization’s future success.

• Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for members of the business professions.

 

Submission Requirements

 

• Written communication: Writing should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.

• Paper length: 5–6 pages, excluding appendices, cover page, table of contents (if present), and References page.

• APA formatting: References and citations should follow APA (6th edition) style guidelines.

• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.

 

Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click on the linked resources for helpful writing information.

 

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Becoming a Leader of Innovation

 

Review your post from the first discussion in Unit 1, and evaluate your initial understanding of innovation compared with what you know today. For this discussion, describe how your knowledge of innovation has changed. Also explain how your perception of your own role in leading innovation has changed. Going forward, what one thing will you do differently to be a leader of innovation?

 

Response Guidelines

 

Post a substantive reply to at least two other learners. As you review your colleagues’ posts, be sure to reconnect your thoughts to the discussion topic and assigned readings. Your replies should demonstrate clear links between the discussion topic, readings, and the content in the posts.

 

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Reflection

 

Throughout the course, you have been building toward the achievement of the following competencies:

 

• Analyze contemporary leadership practices from the perspective of innovation in a global environment.

• Evaluate the leadership skills that drive innovation.

• Evaluate what leaders of innovation do to shape organizational culture.

• Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for members of the business professions.

 

For this discussion, reflect on the knowledge and skills you developed over the past six weeks. Address the following in your post:

 

• Select one competency that you feel is the most important to you. How has your ability to perform these skills and apply this knowledge evolved? What concepts, skills, or insights were most relevant to you?

• How have you grown in your academic and professional goals? Have you made progress on any items in the action plan you developed during first course?

 

Response Guidelines

 

When responding to at least two other learners, provide encouraging feedback about how they have grown over the past six weeks. If applicable, provide recommendations for how they may continue to develop their skills and knowledge, or suggest additional strategies for leveraging the knowledge gained in the course.