WMBA6990 2022 July Complete Course Latest (Full)

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 1 Discussion

The Big Picture

Taking into consideration what you have achieved in your academic and professional career thus far and what you plan to do in the future, what are your thoughts about “the big picture” of your life? This can include your own personal mission or purpose, the goals you have set for yourself, and so on. Perhaps you have certain goals or plans related to pursuing a particular career path, or perhaps there is a personal passion you want to pursue. In people’s personal lives, these big-picture goals may be related to career, relationships, health, financial stability, and so forth, and they may or may not be connected to a person’s sense of mission or purpose. In an organizational context, these “big picture” goals may also be financially focused, related to the sustainability of the organization, and connected to an organizational mission. In either context, long-term, strategic planning is key to ensuring that goals are met. And when driven by a mission or purpose, achievement of those goals can fulfill even greater outcomes than simply an individual person’s or business’s success. In this Discussion, you will consider your experiences with and knowledge of organizational culture and mission- or purpose-driven strategy to analyze the roles they play in an organization.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Draw upon the knowledge and skills you have developed throughout your program.

Consider your experiences with and knowledge of organizational culture.

Consider the idea of an organization being mission driven or purpose driven.

By Day 3

Post your analysis of the role of culture, mission, and purpose in an organization’s strategy, to include the following:

In your own words, briefly explain what strategy is and how it can help business leaders to focus on “the big picture.”

Based on your own experiences and knowledge of organizational culture, identify which aspects of culture within organizations are most critical to the development and execution of business strategy. Explain why.

Analyze whether it is beneficial for an organization to base its strategy on being mission driven or purpose driven. Explain why or why not. Are there any negatives or compromises that organizations might need to consider?

Refer to the Week 1 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

Important Note About Discussion Rubrics: In the peer-to-peer engagement section of the Discussion, the focus of your posts and responses should be to promote quality interaction with your colleagues and Instructor, to further the dialogue on the particular topic, to deepen your mutual understanding of concepts, and to draw out new ideas. Although you are encouraged to provide support for ideas you bring in from other sources, which is appropriate for discourse within a master’s-level classroom, emphasis is placed on the quality of the engagement as noted in the Discussion rubrics, with 40% of your score based on your level of engagement in the ongoing conversation with your colleagues.

By Day 5

Read some of your colleagues’ postings.

Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:

Offer an insight you gained from your colleague’s analysis of how strategy helps business leaders focus on “the big picture.”

Relate to something your colleague identified about which aspects of culture are most critical to the development and execution of business strategy.

Provide an additional perspective on your colleague’s analysis of whether it is beneficial for an organization to base its strategy on being mission driven or purpose driven.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 2 Discussion

The Social and Economic Impacts of Business

Organizations can directly and indirectly affect communities in both positive and negative ways. Their impacts can be simple, such as donating to a local school or sponsoring a neighborhood event, or they can be so profound that the organization shapes or reshapes the landscape of a community—or even the world—for generations. Perhaps an organization pollutes the local waterways or closes a factory that employed half the town, or an organization decides to build a theme park in an underdeveloped area that, in 50 years’ time, could become a top tourist destination. In this Discussion, you will explore the social and economic impact of an organization with which you are familiar or that you have researched.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Consider an organization with which you are familiar that had a social and economic impact on a community. The community can be one you are familiar with, or you can locate an example of another community through your research. Additionally, the organization’s impact on the community could have been positive or negative.

By Day 3

Post your analysis of the social and/or economic impacts of a business organization, to include the following:

Briefly describe the organization and the community in which it operates.

Analyze the organization’s social and economic impacts on the community (positive or negative). Provide specific examples to support your analysis.

Analyze how the benefits or consequences of this social and economic impact on the community shapes your perception and others’ perceptions of the organization.

Refer to the Week 2 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

Read some of your colleagues’ postings.

By Day 5

Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:

Ask a question about the social and economic impacts the organization has had on the community that your colleague described.

Offer a related example from your own post to your colleague’s analysis of their selected organization’s impact on its community.

Provide an additional perspective on how the benefits or consequences of the social impact your colleague described could shape others’ perceptions of the organization by including how it would shape yours.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 3 Discussion

Organizational Purpose and Business Strategy

Why might an organization strive to have a purpose-driven mission? Some might argue that businesses handle this concept in a superficial manner, only stating their mission in order to fabricate a reputation and generate more sales. Others might point to a more altruistic purpose, feeling that life is about more than money and profits, that at the end of the day people want to make a difference in the world, and that these human tendencies of seeking the greater good can translate into business. Although it may not always be possible to know the true intentions of every organization, it is much easier to look toward their actions and make a judgment call on whether they are “living out” their mission. In this Discussion, you will find an organization that claims to have a strong purpose-driven mission and analyze how it puts words into action.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Consider an organization with which you are familiar or that you have located through research that has a strong, purpose-driven mission. Think about how the organization’s commitment to that purpose is reflected in its business practices. Also consider the possible strategy behind its actions (i.e., statement of its mission, practices that reflection that mission).

By Day 3

Post your analysis of how an organization’s purpose impacts its business strategy, to include the following:

Identify an organization that has a strong purpose-driven mission. Include a brief description of the organization and the purpose that drives its mission.

Provide specific details that demonstrate how the organization “lives out” its mission.

Interpret what the organization’s strategy might be, based on its business practices and the statement of its mission. The point of this is to use evidence to support your analysis.

Refer to the Week 3 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

Read some of your colleagues’ postings.

By Day 5

Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:

Ask a question about the organization your colleague identified as having a strong purpose-driven mission.

Relate one or more examples of how your selected organization “lives out” its mission to the examples your colleague provided.

Share an additional or alternate perspective on your colleague’s interpretation of their selected organization’s strategy.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 4 Discussion

Healthy Organizational Practices

When it comes to deciding whether to work for or interact with an organization, many individuals are influenced by the organization’s culture. For example, a company might pay well, operate in a competitive field, and offer great benefits, but a toxic culture might cause employees and managers to leave at higher rates than normal. On the other hand, an organization might handle extremely difficult or dangerous work but is comprised of employees who are loyal because they care for and appreciate the work culture. In this Discussion, you will explore examples of healthy and unhealthy cultures in organizations and consider the practices that contribute to the health of those organizations.

To prepare for this Discussion:

From personal experience or public reputation, consider examples of organizations with healthy or unhealthy corporate cultures. Identify examples of business practices that are reflective of organizational health (and those that are not). You may use examples from your own experience or examples you have located through your own search.

By Day 3

Post your synthesis of business practices reflective of organizational health, to include the following:

Identify at least one example of a healthy organizational culture and at least one example of an unhealthy organizational culture. For each example, briefly describe the organization, being sure to avoid using real names of either the company or any individuals in your description.

For the healthy culture you described, identify at least two specific practices that contribute to the overall health of the organization, including a rationale to support your assertion.

For the unhealthy culture you described, identify the specific practices that detract from the overall health of the organization, including a rationale to support your assertion.

For each unhealthy practice identified, propose how it could feasibly be refocused or changed to yield more positive outcomes for the organization’s overall health.

Refer to the Week 4 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

Read some of your colleagues’ postings.

By Day 5

Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:

Ask a question about the examples of healthy and unhealthy organizational cultures that your colleague described.

Ask a question about or share an insight you gained from the practices that either contributed to or detracted from the overall health of the organization your colleague described.

Provide an additional recommendation for how an unhealthy practice your colleague identified could be handled differently to yield more positive organizational health outcomes.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 5 Discussion

Overcoming Resistance to Change

Change can be difficult, even when it is inevitable. Therefore, change can often be met with resistance initially. Individuals resist change for many reasons, such as fearing the unknown, feeling overwhelmed, or believing a change will not last. However, once the resistance is overcome and a change grows into a habit or new baseline, most individuals will consider the effort worthwhile and may also do what they can to help others surpass the barriers they once faced. In this Discussion, you will consider a time when you resisted change and how you might use that experience to help a team overcome their resistance to changes.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Think about a time when you needed to make a change, whether personal or professional, but were resisting it and what helped you overcome that resistance.

Also consider the role of a leader within an organization in helping individuals and teams overcome resistance to change.

By Day 3

Post your explanation of how to overcome resistance to change at the individual and organizational level, to include the following:

Describe a time when you needed to make a change, whether personal or professional, but resisted it.

Analyze what was holding you back initially from making the necessary change and what helped you to overcome your resistance to the change.

Now put yourself in the position of a team leader within an organization. If you were called upon to lead change within your team and you encountered resistance, summarize how you might apply those lessons learned from your own life experience to help that team overcome their resistance to change.

Refer to the Week 5 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

Read some of your colleagues’ postings.

By Day 5

Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:

Ask a question about or relate your experience to the time your colleague needed to make a change but resisted it.

Offer an insight you gained from your colleague’s analysis of what held them back and what helped them overcome their resistance to change.

Provide your perspective on how receptive you might be to your colleague’s suggestion for helping a team overcome resistance to change. How do you think you would respond to their approach?

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 6 Discussion

Strategies That Solve Problems

Think of problems you have experienced in your professional career or personal life. Perhaps you have worked for an organization with an exceptionally high turnover rate or that had a difficult time acquiring new clients. Maybe you have had to contend with questions about where you wanted to live, such as whether you should rent or own, live downtown or on the outskirts, be close to or far away from family, or be located in this school district or the other one. Problems can range from simple to complex, and occasionally a strategy (or lack of strategy) is to blame. By changing the strategy, the odds of addressing a problem successfully can be increased. In this Discussion, you will explore a company that experienced a problem due to their strategy (or lack thereof) and provide a recommendation for addressing the problem using a strategic approach.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Using a reputable news source, research a company that is currently experiencing an external problem (e.g., shipping, delivery, support, process, finding customers). Consider ways in which the company’s strategy (or lack of strategy) contributed to the problem.

By Day 3

Post your summary of a strategy to address an organizational performance issue, to include the following:

Briefly describe the company you located and its external problem. Be sure to include a citation to reference your findings.

Propose a strategy you would recommend to the company so its leadership could address the external problem.

Refer to the Week 6 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

Read some of your colleagues’ postings.

By Day 5

Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:

Offer an insight you gained from the external problem of the company your colleague identified. Have you ever experienced a similar problem in the workplace?

Ask a question about or provide an additional perspective regarding the strategy your colleague would recommend to the company to address the external problem.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 7 Discussion

Strategy Validation Tools

Imagine a friend or family member had an idea for a business and asked you for guidance based on the knowledge and skills you acquired through your MBA program. Perhaps they simply wanted to take you to lunch one day to inquire about your thoughts, or they might have wanted you to participate in the business in either an employer-to-employee or a partnership relationship. In either scenario, how much more confidence would you have in their idea if they could easily answer questions about the industry, competition, target customers, and so on? If they did not know where to begin when answering these questions, you might point them toward the validation tools that are covered this week. It is probably safe to say that you would not be as willing to get involved. This week, you will consider a scenario from your experience and explore how validation tools could have played a role in that scenario.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Consider a scenario from your personal or professional experience in which the outcome of the scenario could have been vastly improved if strategic planning tools had been incorporated in some fashion.

Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider which of the validation tools (i.e., strategy map, PEST analysis, five forces analysis, key success factor analysis, stakeholder analysis) would be the best choice to implement in your scenario to achieve a better outcome.

By Day 3

Post a synthesis of the results of a validation tools analysis related to a personal or professional experience, to include the following:

Describe a scenario from your personal or professional experience that could have been improved using strategic planning.

Propose which validation tool would support the best results if it were applied to the scenario. Provide a rationale, including specific details.

Refer to the Week 7 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

Read some of your colleagues’ postings.

By Day 5

Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:

Ask a question about or relate your own experiences to the scenario your colleague described.

Offer an insight you gained from your colleague’s proposal of which validation tool would support the best results if applied to their scenario.

Provide an alternate suggestion, along with a rationale, of how another validation tool could be applied effectively to your colleague’s scenario.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 8 Discussion

Business Skills for Good: Being an Effective Change Agent

Throughout this MBA program, you have been provided with multiple opportunities to consider the role of positive social change in business and beyond. How do you view yourself as an agent of positive social change? What do you feel are your most important takeaways from completing the coursework and discussing these topics with your colleagues? In this Discussion, you will discuss the Business Skill for Good of being an effective change agent and how you can apply the knowledge and skills you gained from this program to become or continue being an effective change agent.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Review the following video:

Walden University, LLC. (2021). Being an effective change agent [Video]. Walden University Blackboard. https://class.waldenu.edu

Reflect upon your journey throughout your MBA program and how your viewpoints, skills, and knowledge have changed since you began your coursework.

Consider your perspective on what it means to be an effective agent for positive social change.

By Day 3

Post a synthesis of the skills and knowledge you developed throughout this MBA program that will enable you to be a more effective agent for positive social change, to include the following:

Identify at least three important concepts you have learned or critical skills you have developed throughout this program, and explain how this knowledge and/or these skills will benefit you in the future.

Explain how you will apply the knowledge and skills you have gained in this program, coupled with your experience and your personal interests and passions, to be a more effective change agent.

Refer to the Week 8 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

Read some of your colleagues’ postings.

By Day 5

Respond to two or more of your colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:

Offer an insight you gained from the concepts your colleague learned and/or critical skills they developed throughout the program, including whether their insights could also benefit you in the future.

Provide additional suggestions for ways in which your colleague can apply their knowledge, skills, experiences, and personal interests and passions to become a more effective change agent.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 1 Assignment  

Section 1: The Organizational Profile—Part 1

Capstone Assignment Overview: Strategy Playbook for Exceptional Results

In this Capstone experience, you will develop a strategy playbook for a selected organization. You may be familiar with the concept of a playbook as it relates to a sports team, but what might that mean for a business? The Strategy Playbook for Exceptional Results is a roadmap, of sorts, that can help an organization achieve excellence, respond to challenges, and attain short-term and long-term goals. The organization you choose for this exercise could be an organization for which you have worked (or hope to work in the future) and for which there is adequate information available to complete all necessary sections of the playbook. For the Module 1 Assignments, you will begin work on the Strategy Playbook for Exceptional Results that you will build during the 8 weeks of this course. In this playbook, you will draw upon the knowledge and skills you have gained throughout your MBA program to provide your selected company’s leadership with an analysis of the organization, as well as your recommendations for changes the company could make over the coming years to improve its organizational performance. The final compilation of your Strategy Playbook for Exceptional Results will be tangible evidence that you can put your MBA education to use, and it will provide you with a template for how you can help any organization achieve exceptional results.

Important Note: This playbook could be a helpful tool for any organization that is experiencing a problem, either internal or external. Please note that your selected organization may not be currently experiencing any known issues; however, you could bring to the table certain common issues. For example, your organization could be experiencing a decline in sales and losing its once abundant target market, or, internally, the organization could be experiencing a high turnover in the operations department, and the recent climate survey showed a decline in morale throughout the organization. These examples are not all-inclusive to an organization, but they may be present in some form. For the purposes of this exercise, you are at liberty to use your creativity to craft an issue the organization is facing. Be sure to consider the different functional areas, or business units, within the organization to ensure that you are doing a thorough analysis.

With those thoughts in mind, your task for the final playbook is to use the knowledge and skills you have developed throughout this program to perform an analysis of the organization (Section 1), assess its readiness for change and improvement (Section 2), and then develop strategic recommendations for how the organization can overcome its challenges and achieve greater organizational performance (Section 3).

Section 1: The Organizational Profile—Part 1

For the Assignments in this module, you will play the role of a consultant who has been brought in by the CEO of your selected organization to lead a tiger team. A tiger team is an efficient, highly motivated, and diverse team created to solve or troubleshoot specific major issues facing your organization. The Assignment will be a building block for the playbook that you will develop as you work through the rest of this course. Your final, synthesized Strategy Playbook for Exceptional Results is due at the end of Week 8, and it represents what can be thought of as a form of “due diligence analysis,” where you are stepping into the role of a consultant to a senior leadership team and are preparing a forward-looking, crisp, and impactful evaluation of where you think the company ought to be going over the next 5 years or so—and how it might get there.

In the Assignments for this module, you will complete Section 1 of your playbook in which you will analyze your selected organization’s culture, social and economic climate, and overall purpose. This week, you will begin to compile Section 1 of your playbook. Be sure to address the requirements for Part 1, and include specific examples (where appropriate) and relevant citations from the Learning Resources or from others throughout the program, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate academic sources to support your work.

To prepare for this Assignment:

Once you have selected your organization, proceed to the Class Café and respond to the thread labeled “Playbook Organization Selection.” Include in your post the name of your selected organization as well as the homepage of the organization’s website (if applicable). Please Note: Be sure to select an organization other than Walmart, Amazon, or Apple.

Download the WMBA 6990 Assignment Template to complete Section 1—Part 1 of your strategy playbook. Note: Be sure to keep a copy of your completed Assignment this week and in every week of this course as you will be adding to the same file for every playbook Assignment for this course.

By Day 7

Submit your approximately 2-page analysis of the organizational culture, to include the following:

Part 1: Analyzing the Organizational Culture

Classify the current organizational culture of your selected organization, including how ethics, values, diversity, and social responsibility play a role in the culture. Provide two or more examples to support your response.

Examine the benefits of organizational culture to your company’s position in the market.

Analyze how conditioning and culture could challenge your organization’s strategy.

Refer to the Week 1 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 2 Assignment  

Section 1: The Organizational Profile—Part 2

For this week’s Assignment, you will continue to play the role of a consultant who has been brought in by the CEO of your selected organization to lead a tiger team.

This week, you will continue to compile Section 1 of your playbook. Be sure to address the requirements for Part 2, and include specific examples (where appropriate) and relevant citations from the Learning Resources or from others throughout the program, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate academic sources to support your work.

To prepare for this Assignment:

Return to your WMBA 6990 Assignment Template to complete Section 1—Part 2 of your strategy playbook.

By Day 7

Submit your 3- to 4-page analysis of the social economic climate, to include the following:

Part 2: Analyzing the Social and Economic Climate

Identify the external social and economic impacts of the organization.

Examine how the social environment can influence the organization’s business strategy. Be specific, including what factors are most conducive to influencing.

To support your assertions, research and locate at least two organizational examples of business practices that have shown success factors. For each example, do the following:

Briefly describe each organization (including what type of company it is, what sector/industry it is in, etc.).

Provide at least one specific example of how each organization employs (or employed) these factors in its business practices.

Refer to the Week 2 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 3 Assignment  

Section 1: The Organizational Profile—Part 3

For this week’s Assignment, you will continue to play the role of a consultant who has been brought in by the CEO of your selected organization to lead a tiger team.

This week, you will complete Section 1 of your playbook. Be sure to address the requirements for Part 3, and include specific examples (where appropriate) and relevant citations from the Learning Resources or from others throughout the program, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate academic sources to support your work.

To prepare for this Assignment:

Return to your WMBA 6990 Assignment Template to complete Section 1—Part 3 of your strategy playbook.

By Day 7

Submit your 3- to 4-page analysis of the purpose of the organization, to include the following:

Part 3: Analyzing the Purpose of the Organization

Analyze how organizational purpose can empower a business strategy.

Explain what a purpose-driven organization is and identify how it can lead to a competitive business strategy.

Select one of the organization examples that you identified in Part 2 and analyze how the organization’s structure impacts its strategic business practices.

Specifically, in what ways does/did the organizational structure enable the organization to take advantage of strategic opportunities, have an impact, and/or achieve or maintain a competitive advantage?

Refer to the Week 3 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

MBA Success Planner IconThis module’s three-part Assignment (submitted in Weeks 1, 2, and 3) has been identified as one that could be added to your MBA Portfolio to demonstrate to current or prospective employers the skills and knowledge you have attained in your MBA program. Once you have completed this multi-part Assignment and incorporated any feedback from your Instructor, you may choose to upload the final artifact to your MBA Portfolio. For more information about creating your MBA Portfolio, please refer to the Career Services section of your MBA Success Planner.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 4 Assignment  

Section 2: Organizational Readiness for Change—Part 1 and Part 2A

For this module’s Assignments, you will continue in the role of a consultant who has been hired by the CEO of your selected company to lead a tiger team tasked with addressing issues the organization is facing. You will build on the work you completed in Module 1 and will resume developing your Strategy Playbook for Exceptional Results.

As a reminder, you should use the same organization you selected in Week 1 and continue developing your narrative based on the problem or issue you identified for the organization. At this stage, you have already analyzed the culture, social and economic climate, and purpose of the organization. Now you will use some of that information, along with the knowledge you have developed throughout this program, to evaluate the current state of the organization. Specifically, your task for this module’s Assignments is to evaluate the health of your selected organization, its needs and opportunities for change, and its readiness for change. As in Module 1 and for the purposes of this exercise, you are at liberty to use your creativity to fill in gaps in the details about the organization. Be sure to consider the different functional areas, or business units, within the organization to ensure you are conducting a thorough assessment.

This week, you will begin to compile Section 2 of your playbook. Be sure to address the requirements for Parts 1 and 2A, and include specific examples (where appropriate) and relevant citations from the Learning Resources or from others throughout the program, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate academic sources to support your work.

To prepare for this Assignment:

Return to your WMBA 6990 Assignment Template to complete Section 2—Part 1 and Part 2A of your strategy playbook.

By Day 7

Submit your 2- to 3-page evaluation of the organization’s health and the need and opportunity for change for the organization, to include the following:

Part 1: Evaluating the Health of the Organization

Based on your analysis in Section 1 of the playbook (in which you classified the current organizational culture of your selected organization), assess the health of that organization’s culture. As part of your assessment, describe the influence of the culture on morale (both positive and negative).

Then, evaluate the overall health of your selected organization. In your evaluation, be sure to do the following:

Explain what a healthy organization is.

Include at least two examples of organizational health demonstrated by the organization.

Include any areas in which the organization is demonstrating a lack of health.

Part 2A: Evaluating the Need and Opportunity for Change

Describe the characteristics of a successful business. To further support your assertions, research and locate an organization that has achieved success. Identify at least two examples of business practices the organization employs that have helped it achieve success.

Based on the characteristics of a successful business that you have identified, analyze the ways in which your selected organization is currently successful. Provide two or more specific examples to support your response.

Refer to the Week 4 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 5 Assignment  

Section 2: Organizational Readiness for Change—Part 2B and Part 3

For this week’s Assignment, you will continue in the role of a consultant who has been hired by the CEO of your selected company to lead a tiger team tasked with addressing issues the organization is facing. You will build on the work you completed in Module 1 and will resume developing your Strategy Playbook for Exceptional Results.

This week, you will continue to compile Section 2 of your playbook. Be sure to address the requirements for Part 2B and Part 3, and include specific examples (where appropriate) and relevant citations from the Learning Resources or from others throughout the program, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate academic sources to support your work.

To prepare for this Assignment:

Return to your WMBA 6990 Assignment Template to complete Section 2—Part 2B and Part 3 of your strategy playbook.

By Day 7

Submit your continued evaluation of the need and opportunity for change for the organization, as well as your evaluation of its organizational readiness, to include the following in approximately 2 pages:

 

Part 2B: Evaluating the Need and Opportunity for Change

Conduct a SWOT analysis of your selected organization and provide the findings. Synthesize the opportunities for future success; be specific.

Summarize the purpose of change for a business and how a business can overcome its resistance to change.

Part 3: Evaluating Organizational Readiness

Analyze how organizational readiness supports the success of a strategy.

Evaluate the change readiness of the business. Include specific examples to justify your evaluation.

Explain how change management can be an effective tool for development and execution of a business strategy.

Refer to the Week 5 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 6 Assignment  

Section 3: The Organizational Strategy—Part 1

For the Assignments in this module, you will continue in the role of a consultant who has been hired by the CEO of your selected company to lead a tiger team tasked with addressing issues the organization is facing.

You will continue to use the same organization you selected in Week 1. You have already analyzed the culture, social and economic climate, and purpose of the organization and evaluated the organization’s health and readiness and opportunities for change. In this final section, you will combine all your previous work and develop a strategy for the organization to address the issue(s) you have identified and help improve its performance over the next 3–5 years. As in the previous weeks and for the purposes of this exercise, you are at liberty to use your creativity to fill in gaps in the details about the organization. Be sure to consider the different functional areas, or business units, within the organization to ensure thorough strategy development, validation, and implementation.

This week, you will begin to compile Section 3 of your playbook. Be sure to address the requirements for Part 1, and include specific examples (where appropriate) and relevant citations from the Learning Resources, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate academic sources to support your work.

To prepare for this Assignment:

Return to your WMBA 6990 Assignment Template to complete Section 3—Part 1 of your strategy playbook.

By Day 7

Submit your 2- to 3-page strategy development for the selected organization, to include the following:

Part 1: Developing the Strategy

Based on the organizational issue previously identified (and in light of the organization’s mission, culture, and practices), propose the strategy you will develop for the organization related to improved organizational performance.

Examine how the diverse perspectives of the organization’s internal and external customers/stakeholders (i.e., customers, employees, and the community) influence the development and execution of this business strategy.

Identify anticipated risks associated with your proposed business strategy.

Refer to the Week 6 Assignment 1 Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 7 Assignment  

Section 3: The Organizational Strategy—Part 2

For this week’s Assignment, you will continue in the role of a consultant who has been hired by the CEO of your selected company to lead a tiger team tasked with addressing issues the organization is facing.

This week, you will continue to compile Section 3 of your playbook. Be sure to address the requirements for Part 2, and include specific examples (where appropriate) and relevant citations from the Learning Resources, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate academic sources to support your work.

To prepare for this Assignment:

Return to your WMBA 6990 Assignment Template to complete Section 3—Part 2 of your strategy playbook.

By Day 7

Submit your approximately 2-page (plus Appendix) strategy validation for the organization, to include the following:

Part 2: Validating the Strategy

Explain how strategic planning can provide a sense of direction and help in the development of measurable goals.

Analyze your strategy using the following validation tools. (Provide the notes for each analysis in the Appendix of your document.)

Strategy map for your selected organization

PEST analysis

Five forces analysis

Key success factor analysis

Stakeholder analysis

Synthesize the results of the analyses you performed using the validation tools in the narrative section of your playbook.

Refer to the Week 7 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

 

WMBA-6990B-4/WMBA-6990-4/MGMT-6990

WMBA6990 Sustainable Business Practices and Strategies

Week 8 Assignment  

Section 3: The Organizational Strategy—Part 3

For this week’s Assignment, you will continue in the role of a consultant who has been hired by the CEO of your selected company to lead a tiger team tasked with addressing issues the organization is facing. You will build on the work you completed in the previous weeks and will finalize development of your Strategy Playbook for Exceptional Results in order to present it to the CEO.

This week, you will continue to compile Section 3 of your playbook. Be sure to address the requirements for Part 3, and include specific examples (where appropriate) and relevant citations from the Learning Resources, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate academic sources to support your work. In addition, as you compile your final, polished document (to include Sections 1–3), incorporate any feedback from your previous work and craft an executive summary that will serve as page 1 of your playbook. Instructions for the executive summary follow Section 3.

To prepare for this Assignment:

Return to your WMBA 6990 Assignment Template to complete Section 3—Part 3 of your strategy playbook.

By Day 7

Submit your 4- to 5-page strategy implementation for the organization and 1-page executive summary, to include the following:

Part 3: Implementing the Strategy

Explain how a strategy framework can provide the foundation for your overall business strategy.

Explain the purpose of strategy reporting and how it can lead to a competitive business strategy.

Analyze the effects of the organization’s mission/vision and its practices related to diversity and corporate social responsibility/positive social change on implementation of your proposed strategy.

Using all the information gathered from your work thus far, explain how you would implement your proposed strategy.

As part of the implementation, propose a recommended approach to effective change management leadership that would promote the success of strategy implementation.

Recommend strategies for mitigating any anticipated risks identified in Part 1.

Executive Summary

Provide a 1-page executive summary for your entire strategy playbook as follows:

Clearly identify the purpose of the playbook for the organization (from Section 1).

Summarize the results of your evaluation (from Section 2).

Concisely synthesize your recommendations.Refer to the Week 8 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.