SOLVING A BUSINESS PROBLEM
Evaluate and recommend a solution to a business problem of your choosing. This requires you to define the problem, explain why it is important to the organization, propose and evaluate possible solutions to the problem, and support your recommendation with evidence and sound reasoning. If you began the assignment last week, this week you will finalize the work you have already done and add a section explaining how your recommended solution would increase corporate sustainability.
Benefits and Processes of Sustainability
Duclos, T. G. (2013). Defining corporate sustainability. Machine Design, 85(14), 44.
This one-page article provide a cogent definition of sustainability.
Knieriem, A., Silverman, C., Eichen, S., & Moriarty, K. (2014). Focus on corporate sustainability. The Corporate Governance Advisor, 22(2), 30–34.
This article explores how corporate sustainability efforts can lead to incentives for company leaders.
Lloret, A. (2016). Modeling corporate sustainability strategy. Journal of Business Research, 69(2), 418–425.
This article gets to the heart of how a company can sustain itself for the long term, looking into three different companies and their sustainability initiatives.
Overview
Prepare for this assignment by selecting a business-related topic. This can be a business topic you would like to research to gain new insight that will be helpful to you in your current work environment, or it might simply be a business topic you are interested in. Some examples of business topics include:
Workplace diversity.
Management techniques.
Globalization.
Marketing trends.
Change management.
As you choose your topic, think about how knowing more about that topic will improve your career or advance your organization’s mission. Selecting an appropriate topic will enable you to develop a sound argument that is supported by expert knowledge.
Once you have your topic, identify a problem or challenge associated with that topic. For example, if your topic is workplace diversity, the associated problem might be the challenge faced by organizations in creating a productive, healthy, and supportive work environment.
Next, research your topic and problem. Locate 3–7 reputable resources on the topic. The resources you choose will help you to define the focus of your research and writing. For example, if your topic is workplace diversity and your problem is how organizations can create a productive and supportive work environment, your research may lead you to focus on how company policies can influence the work environment. Your research should also help you develop possible solutions to the problem.
Now, suppose the topic and problem you have selected are also primary concerns for your organization’s leadership. You have been asked to research the topic and problem and prepare a written recommendation for the executive board that includes your evaluation of the problem.
Instructions
Prepare a 3–5 page recommendation for the executive board using the following outline.
Title page.
Introduction: Problem Statement.
Define the business problem.
Importance of Problem.
Explain how the business problem affects the organization and the consequences of not solving the problem.
Possible Solutions.
Describe possible solutions to the business problem, and explain how each is relevant to the organization.
Advantages and Limitations of Possible Solutions for the Problem.
Explain the advantages and limitations of possible solutions to the business problem, including aspects of costs, efficiencies, and effectiveness.
Recommended Solution.
Recommend a solution to the business problem, and explain how the solution is right for an organization in terms of cost, needs, organizational culture, and effectiveness.
Organizational Sustainability.
Explain how your recommended solution to the business problem will result in increased sustainability with regard to profit and/or customer and employee satisfaction.
Conclusion.
As a summary, justify and support your recommended solution to the business problem with relevant evidence and sound reasoning.
References page.
Your recommendation should be 3–5 pages of content, well organized, and written in clear, succinct language. Follow APA rules for attributing sources that support your analysis and conclusions.
Academic Integrity and APA Formatting
As a reminder related to using APA rules to ensure academic honesty:
When using a direct quote (using exact or nearly exact wording), you must enclose the quoted wording in quotation marks, immediately followed by an in-text citation. The source must then be listed on your references page.
When paraphrasing (using your own words to describe a non-original idea), the paraphrased idea must be immediately followed by an in-text citation, and the source must be listed on your references page.
Refer to the scoring guide to ensure that your work meets the grading criteria for this assignment.
