Assignment 2:  Loads of Fun

Purpose:

Leaders have a need to develop as individuals in order to be successful relationship builders. The material in these weeks focus on the ways a leader may enhance his or her personality, emotional intelligence, and relationship building skills to engage and motivate employees.

In this assessment, students will read the case study provided. The goal of this assignment is for the students to write a paper which designs a personal leadership plan for Taira Brandt who is about to take over the family business. The plan should address how Taira can facilitate her role as daughter, leader, and change agent to make a successful transition from the boss's daughter to CEO. In essence how will Taira best use her individual skills to transition to her new role as CEO?

Outcomes Met:

• use leadership theories, assessment tools, and an understanding of the role of ethics, values, and attitudes to evaluate and enhance personal leadership skills
• develop and implement methods for establishing a constructive organizational structure and culture that fosters positive employee and employer relationships

• evaluate the culture and policies of an organization to recommend and implement improvements that support its vision, success, and sustainability
• assess the interactions between the external environment and the organization to foster responsible and effective leadership and organizational practices

Instructions:

Step 1:  Review "How to Analyze a Case Study" under Week 4 Content. Will send it to your email.

Step 2:  Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is single-spaced, double-spaced between paragraphs, 12-point font.  The final product will be between 4-5 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page.

Step 3:  Review the assignment grading rubric.

Step 4:  Follow this format:

• Title page with title, your name, the course, the instructor's name;
• Introduction paragraph in which purpose of the plan is explained.
• Body Paragraphs:
• Evaluate Taira's current role in the business;
• Discussion Taira's  plans for business future;
• What individual Leadership skills does Taira need to accomplish business goals?
• Identify leadership relationship building challenges that are facing Taira;
• Assess the environment for change in her plan.
• Summary paragraph

Step 5:  In writing a case study, the writing is in the third person.  What this means is that there are no words such as "I, me, my, we, or us" (first person writing), nor is there use of "you or your" (second person writing).  If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link:  http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person

Step 6:  In writing this assignment, students are asked to support the reasoning using in-text citations and a reference list.  A reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa.  View the sample APA paper under Week 4 content

Step 7:  In writing this assignment, students are expected to paraphrase and not use direct quotes.  Learn to paraphrase by reviewing this link:  https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html

Step 8:  Read critically and analyze the scenario provided under Week 6 Content. 

Step 9:  Jot down or highlight key facts from the scenario.  Consider making an outline to capture key points in the paper. 

Step 10:  In your paper, respond to the following elements of leadership and plan design:

• Evaluate Taira's current role in the business and how that affects her leadership potential
• Describe specifically Taira's business plans now and in the future (e.g. vision and mission, green plans etc.);
• Leader as individual- assessments; style, and ways that Taira can best establish her personal self with the employees;
• Identify the relationship building challenges facing Taira including current management staff and father and ways she can build the relationships to meet her goals;
• Assess the environment for change and how Taira will implement the ideas she has to build her future at the business.

Step 11:  Create the introductory paragraph.  The introductory paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper but is typically written after writing the body of the paper (Questions students responded to above).  View this website to learn how to write an introductory paragraph:  http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html

Step 12:  Write a summary paragraph.  A summary paragraph restates the main idea(s) of the essay.  Make sure to leave a reader with a sense that the essay is complete.  The summary paragraph is the last paragraph of a paper.

Step 13:  Using the grading rubric as a comparison, read through the paper to ensure all required elements are presented.

Step 14: Proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical issues, and third person writing. 

• Use the spell and grammar check in Word as a first measure;

• Have someone who has excellent English skills to proof the paper;