Question 1 ? Business Theory & Practice 1) What are the latest concepts and trends in supply chain management and allocation of financial resource? 1.a) Which concepts are Fortune 500 manufacturing firms likely to be implementing and would they be the same choices made by a Fortune 500 e?retailer. Why would they be the same and why would they be different? 1.b) In what way does activity-based costing facilitate supply chain management, value chain optimization, the allocation of financial resources, and how would the executive team make a business case for the expenditure involved in using this method? 1.c) As an executive in a start?up software development firm, which of the latest concepts and trends would you focus on first and why would this be the same or different than the priority for an established Fortune 500 firm? Are these concepts and trends founded on any particular theories? Question 2 ? Research Theory & Practice 2) What are the research methods and designs that a researcher might use to conduct value added applied business research? 2.a) What research paradigms (Positivist, Post Positivist, Constructivist, and Interpretivist), and their associated view of reality form the foundation for the dominant research designs (fixed, flexible, mixed method), and in what way are they the same and in what way do they differ? 2.b) What are the core goals of each of the research designs (fixed, flexible, mixed method), and in what way are they the same and in what way do they differ? 2.c) In what business situations would each of the dominant research designs (fixed, flexible, mixed method) be the most appropriate for conducting value added applied research and what types of research questions would you pose? Why would the chosen type be the best choice for each situation and why would the others not be? Question 3 ? Business Strategy and Decision-Making Theory & Practice 3) What are the latest concepts and trends in business strategy development and execution, and what is Gods perspective on business, work, and profit? 3.a) What is a best practice top level process for developing and executing business strategy at the corporate and business unit level? In what way could executives effectively evaluate the results of the strategy and implement necessary corrective action? 3.b.) In what way do individual and group decision processes aid or hinder the successful development of business strategy? In what way can executives foster and harness the positive characteristics of individual and group decision making while mitigating the negative aspects? 3.c) What is Gods perspective on work and business and how can executives formulate and effective strategy and execute it with excellence based upon a Biblical worldview? In what ways are the latest concepts, trends and business strategies viewed according to a Christian worldview as related to a calling or vocation, and what is God’s perspective regarding a Christian engagement in business? Heading Structure of the Paper: Level 1 ? Question 1, Business Theory & Practice Level 2 ? Sub heading 1 Level 2 Sub heading 2 Etc. Level 2 ? Summary Level 1 Question 2, Research Theory & Practice Level 2 ? Sub heading 1 Level 2 Sub heading 2 Etc. Level 2 ? Summary Level 1 Question 3, Strategy and Decision Making Theory & Practice from a Biblical Worldview Level 2 ? Sub heading 1 Level 2 Sub heading 2 Etc. Level 2 ? Summary The paper will also include: APA Cover Page, Including Cognate APA Running Head Table of Contents to include Level 1 and Level 2 headings Appropriate page numbers for front matter and body (i, ii, etc. for front matter ? 1, 2, etc. for body) Reference List Specific requirements: This paper should be written in formal APA format. At least two levels of APA headings should be used throughout the paper. Direct Quotes should be used only if the authors original meaning will be lost by paraphrasing. A minimum of 10 scholarly sources should be used for each question. Do not use the same source more than a total of 4 times within the response to any question. A minimum of 10 pages will be provided in response to each question (not including tables and graphs). A maximum of 40 pages will be provided for the entire body of the paper. Secondary sources are not accepted as scholarly references. Use the APA guidelines for citations and references. General Writing guidelines: Use the main research question as your level one heading (i.e. Question 2 ? Research Theory & Practice). Develop a level two heading for each sub?question that makes it must be clear which sub? question you are responding to and include the number (i.e. Question 2.a. Research and Social Science Paradigms). You should select your level 2 headings to organize the story you would like to tell as you answer the question. In essence, a person reading your table of contents should have a pretty solid idea what is going to be covered. You should include level 3 headings where appropriate to break large sections of information into manageable elements. Headings from level 1 through level 3 should be included in the Table of Contents. Your writing should demonstrate mastery of the material. This will require you to write at the highest levels of Blooms Cognitive Taxonomy. Your paper should analyze information (take apart and examine), evaluate information (make a judgment), and synthesize information (put together elements to form new meanings. You should be sure to include multiple perspectives where the current thinking on a topic is in flux and be sure to support all of your factual assertions with citations.
