Assignment

Purpose:

In the first four weeks of this class the students have examined the difference between leadership in the 20th and 21st century. They have examined the need for leaders to develop leadership styles and presence as a way to help build followers. Also examined was the need to build trust for relationship building in the organization. Globalization was the final discussion which starts the unique leadership challenges for the 21stcentury leader.

For this assignment, students will research several business leaders to discover their views on leadership skills needed for the 21st century. The purpose of this assignment is to have the student demonstrate their understanding of the challenges and skills needed for the 21st century leader.

Instructions:

Step 1: Review the assignment instructions carefully.

Step 2: In week three research the leaders you will discuss.

Step 3: Submit your choices for approval by the Professor in the discussion area - Week 2.

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

Step 5: Review the grading rubric for the assignment

Step 6: Follow this format:

• Title page with title, your name, the course, the instructor's name;
• Introduction paragraph (must induce a description of the leaders chosen);
• Body, in paragraph form using section headings for each part and paragraphs for each topic under the part;
• Summary paragraph.

Step 7: In writing a formal paper it should be done 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 8: 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 1 content.

Step 9: 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 10: Write down or highlight key facts from the interviews. Consider making an outline to capture key points in the paper.

Step 11: In completing the paper, research prominent business leaders and their views on the leadership skills needed for the 21st century.

Respond to the following items:

• Select at least one large corporation (fortune 500 company) leader, one medium sized (other public companies), and one small business (any company with one million dollar revenue) leader and compare and contrast their viewpoints.

• In separate paragraphs, describe each leaders view on 21stcentury leadership using primary source video or written interviews on their opinions of 21stcentury leadership (Refrain from providing a biography or a discussion of the businesses they lead).

• Evaluate the remarks of the leaders with respect to leadership styles, skills, and business landscape of the future.

• Compareeach leader's views and contrast them with the reading for weeks 1-4.

NOTE: In the case of personal interviews with business leaders, the questions must be cleared with the professor ahead of time and added to the paper as appendices.

Step 12: 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 13: Write a summary paragraph. A summary paragraph restates the main idea(s) of the paper. Make sure to leave a reader with a sense that the paper is complete. The summary paragraph is the last paragraph of a paper.

Step 14: Using the grading rubric as a comparison, read through the paper to ensure all required elements are presented.

For Step 11: The three company I have chosen is:

Large Scale Company:

Facebook

Employees: 12,691 Estimated Revenue (2014): 12.47 Billion

About the company:

As most of you probably know, Facebook was started by Mark Zuckerberg in February 2004 as a social networking site for his fellow Harvard students.

Reference:

Tart, N. (2015). 10 Billion Dollar Companies that Didn't Start with Business Plans. Retrieved March 24, 2016, from http://www.retireat21.com/entrepreneurship/billion-dollars-without-plans.

Medium Scale Company:

CustomInk, Tysons Corner, Va.

Employees: 650 Revenue: $113 million

About the company:

Free food is the culture at this online custom T-shirt designer, which provides two meals to the staff each week, in addition to snacks.

Reference:

Tkaczyk, C. (2013). 50 Best Small and Medium-Size Companies to Work For. Retrieved March 24, 2016, from http://fortune.com/2013/09/19/50-best-small-and-medium-size-companies-to-work-for/

Small Scale Company

AnswerLab, San Francisco, CA

Employees: 36 Revenue: $7.9 million

About the company:

Staff meetings at this web research firm begin with yoga or stretching and end with outdoor exercises; smaller meetings are walk-and-talks.
Reference:

Tkaczyk, C. (2013). 50 Best Small and Medium-Size Companies to Work For. Retrieved March 24, 2016, from http://fortune.com/2013/09/19/50-best-small-and-medium-size-companies-to-work-for/