Small group Project Conflicts and Performance

Small group Project Conflicts and Performance Purpose: This goal of this assignment is to reflect on your group project experience, identify how you experienced the various small group concepts and theories during the group process, and evaluate your group’s performance.

Task: In this 6- to 7-page, double spaced paper that adheres to APA style, you will reflect on your group project experience, explain how you and your group members experienced the small group concepts and theories you learned this semester, and rate your group’s performance.

Small group Project Conflicts and Performance Assignment Writing Guidelines

Divide your paper into three parts: (1) describe your group project; (2) identify and explain the small group concepts and theories applied in your group; (3) evaluate your group performance. Here are some questions to guide your thinking. This is not an exhaustive list; rather, these are some prompts to get you started. Feel free to include information not identified below.
Who are the members of your group?
What did you experience when your group initially formed?
How did you make decisions related to your group project?
Was the work equitable across group members or did the majority of the work fall on a few group members?
What are the positive and negative aspects of how your group worked together?
What small group communication concepts and theories did you see present in your group?
How did you experience these concepts and theories?
Was it surprising to see these concepts and theories at work?
What is your relationship with your group members?
Do you think your group was successful in completing the group project?
What were your favorite and least favorite parts of working in a group?
What would you do differently if you were to do this project again?

Advocate Changing Course on a Specific Policy Issue

Advocate Changing Course on a Specific Policy Issue What is Policy Paper Purpose?
To convince a policy maker’s staff to advocate changing course on a specific policy issue.

Shape perceptions around issue
Bring the issue to policymakers’ attention
Frame the issue for them—their perception of the problem and the solutions
Provide text for their memos
Busy staffers prefer not to have to rework complex
writing
You want them to lift your words directly as much as possible
What is a Policy Paper?
For students who choose to write a policy paper, it is important to select an issue that meets the following criteria.
The issue addressed should be a legitimate contemporary policy issue within which the current policy is clearly discernible.
There should be clear alternatives to the current policy.
There must be sufficient data present to provide the target audience (i.e. the decision-maker) with information to make a decision on the policy proposal.
Clear and concise statements
No extra points for lengthy prose or sophisticated vocabulary
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF –begin paragraphs with conclusions) – This is the key difference between academic and policy writing.
Only essential information:
Don’t get bogged down in too many details
Distill to essential elements
Cover all the bases – Make it as thorough sounding as possible so legislators feel they don’t have to go to other sources.

Advocate Changing Course on a Specific Policy Issue and Recommendations

Give specific policy recommendations
Show how it will impact them
How will it impact their constituents?
How can you tie it to national security?
Don’t argue for an ideology
Argue for a specific course of action act-based argumentation
Don’t come across as an ideologue
Acknowledge potential downsides and ways to mitigate risks — Lends credibility to your research
Examples of Policy Issues
The following are some examples of general policy issues that can be explored in a policy paper. Students are in no way limited to or restricted by the following examples. You must do one of the following topics:
Health Care
International Competitiveness
Carbon Tax
Global Debt
These examples are offered simply to help students in thinking about ideas for their papers.
Two-Tier Fee System Health Care, Single Payment covering all health expenditures, User Fees, Alternative Payment/Compensation. Preventive Health Care, Two- Tier Insurance Coverage
Tax Reform – capping deductions, Limit the growth of government, Balance budget Amendment; Consumption based taxes replace income taxes
Capping of Equalization Payments. Exclusion of Natural Resources in the Formal, Average Standard of the Five Provinces Automatically Adjusted 3-5 years, Cap the growth of the of Equalization – link it to growth in RGDP, Introduce more regional development Incentives.
Institutionalize Financial Risks; Restrict Government Bailouts, Tighten Financial Regulations, Bank of International (BASEL III) Settlements recommendation, Government owned Banks -Interest free loans.
Implement more indirect taxes –Carbon taxes replace sector specific taxes, Greater use of market forces/instruments to reduce GHG.
What is Not a Policy Paper?
An historical analysis is never an appropriate topic for a policy paper. A policy paper must focus on a current policy issue.

Advocate Changing Course on a Specific Policy Issue and Research Paper

Comparative or case studies normally fit better as research papers than policy papers.
An analysis of how something works should be a research paper.
Format for the Policy Paper
The length of the policy paper should between 4 to 8 pages.
Margins should be set at one inch or one and a quarter inch.
The font size should be set at 11 or 12.
The paper should be single-spaced.
Pages may be printed either single or double sided.
Executive Summary
At the beginning of the paper in telegraphic style, explain who the target audience is (i.e., the decision-maker for your policy proposal) and the main points that the decision-maker should know. It may be best to write this section last because it will serve as a summary of the entire paper.
At a minimum, the summary should include the following:
A statement of current policy
Reasons for initiation changes
Policy options to be considered
Pros and cons of each option
Recommended course of action
Reasoning for selecting that course of action
Body of Paper
The main portion of the paper should be dedicated to establishing the background and discussing the reasoning behind your policy recommendation. Students should include all of the basics from the executive summary, but fully elaborate on each point that the paper is making. The following is an outline describing what the main body of the paper should include.
Overview / Background
What is the statement of purpose. Why is the decision-maker being asked to consider a policy change at this time?
Review the Current Policy – What are we currently doing, why are we doing it this way, what is the public’s perception of the policy? Assess how well it is or is not working.
Statement on the Necessity for Change – What circumstances (e.g., changes in government, leadership, stability, etc.) have changed that make a new approach advisable or necessary?
Discussion
Discuss the alternatives to the current policy option by enumerating and explaining each policy option in turn.
Pros and cons of each policy option should be discussed next. Identify the political, economic, and security implications for each option.
Each policy option should be compared and contrasted to the other options as well as to the current policy. This is the most important part of the paper.
Recommendation
Clearly identify which option will be recommended and which options will be discounted.
Clearly lay out the argument for why that option is better than each of the others.
Implementation
Write a detailed recommendation for specific steps on how and when to implement the recommended policy option.
Appendices
The following items should be included as appendices to a policy paper.
Annexes, if there are any.
Endnotes, if end notes are used rather than footnotes.
Tables, charts, etc. can also be placed within the body of the paper, if appropriate.
Paper proposal parts 1-3

Advocate Changing Course on a Specific Policy Issue Bibliography

Policy Paper Content and Analysis
Viable Alternatives
Policy papers must present several policy alternatives, and they must be serious alternatives. As a general rule, the number should be three. One serious alternative will often be to maintain the status quo.
Even if the status quo seems somewhat lacking (inadequate), students should take it seriously because in the real world it will often be the most likely outcome. The alternatives presented must not be strawmen that are so ridiculous they only serve to make the recommended policy look good.
Of course, it is fine to go deeper into the preferred alternative than into the other options, but the other options must be given a fair presentation and analysis.
Cost-benefit analysis
Policy papers should be based on clear cost-benefit analysis. This analysis may be either quantitative or qualitative. In either case, the student should be certain to think through all possible outcomes clearly and thoroughly.
The cost-benefit analysis should seriously consider the feasibility of implementation, not only in terms of economic or strategic implications, but also in terms of political feasibility. Moreover, the analysis of likely effects must not be completely one-sided.
There are always going to be some benefits and some costs to any policy proposal – there is no proposal so good that it does not have some costs associated with it.
Clear Criteria
Students should present clear criteria for evaluating the problem at hand and the policy alternatives to be considered. This will involve prioritizing among a variety of possible values.
Trade-offs are the heart of the policy process – if solutions were easy or obvious, the problem would not be around for the student to analyze. Determining clear criteria from the start will greatly aid the development of a cost-benefit analysis.
Clear predictions
What are the likely results of the various alternatives? Be specific and reasonably detailed. What level of certainty can one have about them? And what middle-run indicators would demonstrate success?
In summary: Structure of a Policy Paper
Executive Summary/Purpose Statement
Most Ministerial Staff and Senior Level government staff will only read this part
Body
Background
What is the current policy?
Why is it being conducted this way? ◦
Analysis
Why is the policy not working? Why is it necessary to find an alternative? ◦
Policy options
Discuss a few alternatives and their implications ◦
Recommendation
Provide your recommendation and how it can be implemented 
Conclusion
Summarize analysis and recommendation
Appendix
Relevant figures, maps, graphics

Medical Errors Research Proposal

Medical Errors Research Proposal Module 2: Develop a research question or hypothesis.

Module 3: Selecting relevant research literature.
Module 9: Develop a research survey questionnaire.
For this assignment, you will draft a research proposal for the topic you selected in Module 2.
Include the following elements in the order indicated:
Abstract
Background information:
What is already known about the topic, including a literature review with citations
The research goals and specific aims, including the research question or hypothesis
Methods – data collection and analysis methods
How the results will be disseminated
Timeline for the project
References
Your proposal should meet the following structural requirements: The proposal should be 6-8 pages in length, not including the cover sheet and reference page.
Formatted according to APA.
Provide support for your statements with in-text citations from a minimum of six scholarly articles. (Note: These could be the six sources identified in your Module 3 assignment.)

Musical Album and Poetry Analysis Essay

Musical Album and Poetry Analysis Essay Assignment: Your goal is to “pose an interpretive question about a group of poems by the same author or about a musical album and respond analytically showing your readers how the lyrics/poetry support your interpretation.”

You may use any single music album by one artist that features singing/rapping/lyrics or just a group of songs by the same musical artist. You cannot work with instrumental music. Whether you choose poetry or music lyrics, make sure the poems or lyrics all have something in common. You need to pick no fewer than 3 poems or songs and no more than 5 poems or songs to support your thesis. “In the introduction to your essay, pose an interesting, problematic, and significant question about the lyrics/poetry, one that can be answered several different ways according to the evidence in the text. Look for a question that might lead to differences in opinion among your classmates and that offers readers new insights into the lyrics/poetry.

Musical Album and Poetry Analysis Essay Assignment Description

Your task in this assignment is not to discover the right way to interpret the text, but to explain your way of reading some aspect of it.
Using a closed-form structure, present your thesis and your supporting arguments. Before you give your thesis, make clear just what question you are putting to the text and why. It is this question that engages your readers’ interest and makes them look forward to your analysis.” (In other words, no one should ask, “Who cares?” after reading your introductory paragraph). Then, in the body of your paper, explain your own responses to this question, contrasting your answer with other possible interpretations that (may) have been proposed by your classmates (or others) or that you yourself have considered. You need to provide the citation/integration of at least two secondary sources that provide an insight into your reading of the lyrics/poetry. Feel free to dispute “the alternative interpretations” if necessary, but “concentrate on showing your reader how you arrived at your interpretation and why you think that interpretation is valuable. Use details from the poetry/lyrics (and appropriate secondary sources) for support.”
Good literary questions call attention to problematic details of the text, stimulate conversation, and provoke readers to return to the text to reread and rethink. You know you have a good question if (others) disagree about the answer and (can) contribute their own views to the conversation.” Good questions can arise from your textbook as well as the general questions on text, author, culture, and reader.

Musical Album and Poetry Analysis Essay Evaluation Criteria

-Provision of a fairly original interpretive question about poetry/music lyrics with an analytical response to it showing readers where and how the text supports your interpretation through the use of both details from the lyrics/poetry and secondary sources.
-Consideration and integration in writing of the ideas of at least two outside/secondary sources (remember the poems/songs are PRIMARY sources)
-Few grammatical errors; adherence to MLA style.
–Participation in peer editing sessions; evidence shown by draft(s) and peer editing documentation.

Cognitive Psychology Literature Review

Cognitive Psychology Literature Review It is a literature review, question is:
What is attention? Has psychology explained it?

Cognitive psychologists try to build up cognitive models of the information processing that goes on inside people’s minds, including perception, attention, language, memory, thinking, and consciousness. The emphasis of psychology shifted away from the study of conditioned behavior and psychoanalytical notions about the study of the mind, towards the understanding of human information processing, using strict and rigorous laboratory investigation. The cognitive approach began to revolutionize psychology in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, to become the dominant approach (i.e., perspective) in psychology by the late 1970s.

Patterns of Behaviors in Life Theory

Patterns of Behaviors in Life Theory Describe the people interviewed and/or the characters in the video. Then describe and apply a theory that explains their patterns/behaviors in life.

For example, how the lack of attachment has shaped their current behavior. Your paper should be double-spaced pages, have 1 inch margins, Times New Romans font, and 12-point font. Increasing evidence suggests that public health and health-promotion interventions that are based on social and behavioral science theories are more effective than those lacking a theoretical base. This article provides an overview of the state of the science of theory use for designing and conducting health-promotion interventions.

Argument Discussion about Tattoos in the workplace

Argument Discussion about Tattoos in the workplace *Remember to look at the Purdue Owl APA formatting guide on what information needs to be present on this particular page.

Section Two: The Abstract (150 – 250 Words)
The Abstract is essentially an overview of your entire essay and of the argument that you will be making within your essay.
Section Three: The Main Essay (1200 – 1700 Words)
I want to be clear that the following method for structuring your main essay portion is just one possible way that you can do this…
Introduction (200 Words): The goal here in this section is simply to introduce the overall topic itself that you will be discussing in this essay and then gradually more toward a specific thesis sentence at the end of the paragraph that indicates your argument that you will be making.

Argument Discussion about Tattoos in the workplace Introduction

You may be able use introductions that you have used in one of the other essays leading up to this one, though if you decide to do that I would recommend making revisions to it.
Topic Dialogue (400 – 600 Words): The goal here is simply to introduce the conversation that is being had about the topic that you have chosen, and that you have been listening to via research…
Remember that this topic has existed long before you decided to write about it, so here you simply want to introduce some of the different things that people are saying about this topic.
This is a great place to the information from the Source Integration Essay, and I highly recommend that you do that (although you will probably need to make some revisions to it).
This section is NOT where you will introduce many of your own thoughts (if any at all), but rather introduce the dialogue among your sources that will help you set the stage for your upcoming argument in the next section.
Be sure to quote and cite correctly.
Original Argument (600 – 900 Words): The goal here is to introduce your voice and your original argument to the discussion being had about the topic that you introduced in the last section.
Remember that your argument needs to be original: in other words, you are not just restating what everyone else is already saying about it.
Be specific and thorough here as you build your argument (if you are vague and under-developed in this section, you will struggle to reach the word count in this section).
Section Four: Works Cited (200 – 300 Words)
*Remember to look at the Purdue Owl APA formatting guide on what information needs to be present on this particular page. Don’t forget to organize alphabetically by author’s last name.

Research on Election Assignment

Research on Election Assignment Have a conversation with family/friends/coworkers about who they voted for, why, where did they learn about the candidate/positions/policies (i.e. source of information whether it’s traditional media, new media, friends, family trusted sources), etc….. and write a 4-5 page paper (12 pt NY Times font, double-spaced, normal margins, etc.) about that conversation.

Remember, no shenanigans with page length. Anything less than 3 full pages and I’m not even going to look at it.
Google it! Do some research on the elections and what the media is saying. This will help you spur conversation when the other person says they don’t know anything about it, give some specific details and ask them what they think.
When starting the conversation, start with, “my professor assigned this project to our class…” Even if your family/friends/coworkers etc. don’t know anything or don’t want to talk about it, usually they will be supportive enough to help you succeed and accomplish your assignment. People usually want to help. Especially family.
Ask 1) who did they vote for, 2) what did they know about the candidate that made them vote for them, 3) where do they get their info? (This last question you can pose to them as if you are asking them to help you find out more about the candidates, not challenging their knowledge.)
When writing your paper, reflect on the conversation in light of what you have learned about American’s political knowledge and media consumption. This is NOT an assignment designed to convince anybody of anything or start arguments. Avoid disagreements if at all possible.

Bill of Rights and Two Important Amendments

Bill of Rights and Two Important Amendments Write about what two amendments are most important in your opinion.

Remember how delighted you were when you got your own bicycle? You could ride it all over the neighborhood much more quickly than you could walk. However, you needed to remember the safety rules. That way you didn’t have an accident and hurt pedestrians or yourself. What might have happened if nobody bothered to tell you the rules? What if everyone took those rules so much for granted that no one even wrote them down? How could you watch out for pedestrians’ rights if you weren’t sure what those rights were?

Strategic analysis of Fortis INC Case

Strategic analysis of Fortis INC Case Case: Fortis Inc. and the $11.8 Billion ITC Decision
You are a consultant to Fortis’s leadership team. Please advise what they should do.

Specifically, please identify the most important strategic issue/decision facing the organization, develop and assess your alternatives, make a recommendation, and develop an action plan for the leadership team.

Strategic analysis of Fortis INC Case Assignment Writing Guideline

Main body: 1500 words (including executive summary but excluding cover page and any appendix or exhibit). Be clear and concise. The appendix (i.e., your six most important insights from your Diamond-E assessment of the organization’s current strategy). Each point should be less than 60 words; otherwise, a penalty of 3 marks will be exercised. Typed and double-spaced using a 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins for all sides1/2Report template for strategic analysis
Your report is to address a practical question and should add value to practicing managers. Theories (e.g., concepts and frameworks) are powerful tools that can assist your analysis, but they are also just tools. Your applications of various theories to the case provide a very useful basis for your report, but they should not be the report itself. Thus, the focus of your report should not be about theories you have learned from the textbook, but about what issues you address, what your recommendations are, and how you plan to implement your recommendations.
Practicing managers care about the quality of your recommendations and the supporting analyses, not about what theories you have used. Included below is a report template for your reference.

Strategic analysis of Fortis INC Case and the Executive Summary

0. Executive summary-Briefly summarize the key issue/decision point facing the organization and with brief justification.-Optional section. You could briefly note the alternatives you have considered, but you don’t have to.-State your recommendation and with brief justification.-Briefly summarize your implementation plan (not required for the mid-term project).
1. Key issue/decision point-Explain what the most important strategic issue facing the organization is (and the corresponding decision point). -You could also note other salient strategic and operational issues in this section (which are to be dealt with in the implementation plan), but should make it clear what is the most important strategic issue you will focus on in your report.
2.Alternative assessment-Preferably, each alternative should be meaningfully labeled.-Briefly describe each alternative and follow with the pros/cons.-Though not always necessary, it is preferable to include a synthesized assessment of each alternative after the pros/cons. 3.Recommendation-Clearly state what alternative(s) you recommend and briefly recap your rationale. Should you recommend multiple alternatives, be clear about the relationships between them (e.g., prioritization). 4. Implementation plan-Clearly state your recommended actions in different periods. In essence, your change agenda should be based on the cons of the recommended alternative(s), and you should prioritize the recommended actions along two dimensions – importance and timing.
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5. Appendix: Your six most important insights from your Diamond-E analysis of the organization’s current strategy (each point should be less than 60 words)-In a real-world consulting report, you usually would not need such an appendix. However, it is required for the project in this course because a Diamond-E analysis of the current strategy should be the basis of your strategic analysis and it is very important that you know how to apply the Diamond-E framework to your analysis of an actual organization. -In this appendix, please simply write down your six most important insights from your Diamond-E analysis of the organization’s current strategy, especially those that are useful to support the arguments in your report.