This document provides instructions for a case study analysis assignment in a business course. It outlines the key elements that should be included in the analysis: identifying the main issues in the case and relevant facts, discussing a tentative solution and how it would be implemented, and considering follow-up and contingency plans. The instructions emphasize applying concepts from the course to real business problems and citing sources to support the analysis. Students are told to write a minimum 4-page case analysis in APA format addressing the issues, facts, proposed solution, and follow-up plans for the case.

1. General Instructions for Case Studies
A case study is a short description of a real business situation.
Analyzing case studies gives you
the opportunity to apply those concepts to real business
problems. Cases are generally written
for several types of analysis. Usually, there is not a "right or
wrong" answer. Rather, cases
provide a vehicle for you to demonstrate your understanding
and ability to apply course
concepts. You must use appropriate sources (properly cited) to
support your position. Check your
analysis by assessing how well it demonstrates your subject
knowledge. If your answer relies on
your impressions of the topic prior to taking this course, it is
likely that the analysis is not your
best effort.
Simply answering the questions which are part of the case is not
enough; consider the questions
to be clues to the important concepts and facts. You are strongly
encouraged to use the following
outline so that your analysis is organized appropriately:
1. Identify both the key issues and the underlying issues. In
identifying the issues, you
should be able to connect them to the business principles which
apply to this situation.
2. Discuss the facts which affect these issues. The case may
have too much information. In
your discussion, you should filter the information and discuss

2. those facts which are
pertinent to the issues identified above.
3. Discuss your tentative solution to the problem and how you
would implement your
solution. What actions would you propose to correct the
situation, based on the
knowledge you have gained in this course? Be sure to support
your recommendation by
citing references in the text and in the supplementary readings.
You should also draw
on other references such as business periodicals and relevant
journals. Remember that
an ANALYSIS is more than simply a SUMMARY of the Case
Study.
4. Discuss follow-up and contingency plans. How will the
organization know that your
proposed solution is working? What should they do if it does
not work?
It may be helpful for you to "role-play" this assignment. Your
presentation should cover the
points listed above. By "role-playing" the situation, using the
questions at the end of the case as
hints, and by using this guide, you should be able to develop an
action-oriented analysis with a
recommended course of action.
Your analysis of each case study should be a minimum of 4
pages and written in APA format.
Evaluation Criteria:
• Have you identified the critical issues/problems in the case

3. and analyzed the key facts
related to the issues/problems?
• Have you discussed a tentative solution that addresses the
issues/problems and how you
would implement your solution?
• Is information from the textbook and other sources integrated
into your analysis
appropriately? For all sources, you must provide complete
citations.
• Is the paper professionally presented? Remember your
audience. It is important to
present your information as clearly and succinctly as possible.
(Do not sacrifice
thoroughness for mere brevity.)
• Please proofread carefully for grammar and spelling errors.
Modules/Module1/Mod1Case.htmlModule 1 - Case
Action Research and Organizational DevelopmentCase
Assignment
For this assignment, first carefully review the required
background materials. Make sure you are highly familiar with
the main steps involved in action research and organizational
development discussed in the readings. When you are finished
reviewing the background materials, take a close look at the
four scenarios below.

4. For each scenario below, think about the reasons why things
did not work out well for the company in question. More
specifically, think about which standard action research or
organizational development step was not taken.
Your task for this assignment is not to explain what steps the
organization should take—you would need to go into the
company and do some lengthy action research in order to do
this! Instead just review the standard action research and
organizational development steps covered in the background
materials and try to assess which key step was missing in the
scenarios below.
Then write a 4- to 5-page paper addressing the following for
each scenario:What action research or organizational step was
missing andWhy missing this step might have led to failure.
Make sure to discuss at least one of the required readings in
your discussion of each scenario, and to cite all three of the
required readings in your paper.Sales have gone down at the
XYZ Widget Corporation and nobody in the organization,
including the CEO, seems to know why. They decide to hire an
organizational development consultant to do some action
research. The consultant and the CEO spend a lot of time
discussing how to proceed. It is agreed that the consultant will
look at many different types of data, including sales data and
interviews with most employees. After interviewing a few
employees, the consultant decides that the problem faced by this
company is almost the same as one of his previous clients who
underpaid its sales staff. The consultant writes up a report
recommending a large pay increase for the sales staff, which is
immediately implemented. However, six months later sales are
still down.HN Motors is a large manufacturer of both cars and
motorcycles. Given the new demand for high mileage vehicles,
the company has decided to develop a car/motorcycle hybrid
that has three wheels and looks like a tiny race car. However,
neither the car department nor the motorcycle department wants
to take the lead and the project keeps getting stalled.

5. HN Motors decides to hire a consultant to mediate the
differences between the car and motorcycle departments. During
interviews with both departments, the consultant finds that the
car department doesn’t want to work on the hybrid vehicle
because of safety concerns.
The consultant recommends that they “split the difference”
between the two departments and that a cross-functional team
be created with an equal number of employees from both
departments working on the project.
HN Motors' management likes this recommendation and pay the
consultant, but say that they can take it from here and don’t
need the consultant’s services anymore. A few months later the
project is still stalled and they don’t know why. They call up
the consultant to try to get him to come back, but by now he is
busy working with other clients.Dr. Joseph Hotshot is a leading
management consultant who charges huge fees for his Extra
Special Action Research System®. His patented system involves
conducting a survey, using a standard set of questions, of every
employee of any company that hires him. Then he conducts a
special seminar to motivate the employees, modifying his
motivational speeches for each client slightly based on the
answers to the survey.
One day the CEO of Ace Carpet Cleaning runs across Dr.
Hotshot’s website and sees that he has a special 50% discount
on his consulting services this month. Not wanting to miss out
on this bargain, the CEO decides to hire him. All of the
employees become very motivated by Dr. Hotshot’s speech and
work very hard for a few weeks. But after a few months nothing
has really changed and the CEO starts to wonder if the large
consulting fee was worth it even with the 50% discount.The
Kooltrendy Internet software company has recently purchased
Hardwrk, a competing Internet software company. Kooltrendy

6. wants the merger to go through as smoothly as possible with
minimal conflicts between employees of the two companies, so
they have hired an organizational development consultant to
look at ways to help ease this transition for all employees.
Kooltrendy interviews several consultants, but settles on one
consultant who has a lot of experience with these types of
mergers. The consultant conducts extensive one-on-one
interviews with employees as well as a large-scale survey that
assesses employee values and attitudes. After carefully
reviewing the survey and interview data, the consultant
concludes that Kooltrendy has a very fun and laid-back
corporate culture, whereas Hardwrk has a more competitive and
serious corporate culture.
Satisfied that it knows how to fix the problem, Kooltrendy
immediately decides to implement “Fun Fridays” for Hardwrk
employees that involve water gun fights, costume contests, or
other activities every Friday in order to bring Hardwrk’s culture
more in line with the laid-back culture of Kooltrendy. However,
they are puzzled to see that every Friday more and more
Hardwrk employees quit and they are unsure why the “Fun
Friday” solution did not work.Assignment ExpectationsAnswer
the assignment questions directly.Stay focused on the precise
assignment questions; don’t go off on tangents or devote a lot of
space to summarizing general background materials.Make sure
to use reliable and credible sources as your references. Articles
published in established newspapers or business
journals/magazines are preferred. If you use articles from the
Internet, make sure they are from credible sources.Reference
your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text
citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality
Academic Paper, including pages 13 and 14 on in-text citations.
Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found
under My Resources in the TLC portal.Privacy Policy | Contact

7. Global Business Environment
#1 Theocratic and Secular Totalitarianism (3-4 pages APA),
Due Date 1/14/2017
#2 Annotated Bibliography (2 pages APA), Due Date 1/14/2017
#3 The Free-Trade Area of the Americas, Due Date: 1/22/2017
#4 Management in Brazil (2-3 pages APA), Due Date:
1/22/2017
#5 The Gold Standard (3-4 pages APA), Due Date: 1/29/2017
#6 Dynamics of the Global Economy (2-3 pages APA), Due
Date: 2/5/2017
#7 Final Research Paper Draft Submission, Due Date: 2/5/2017
#8 Final Research Paper: Global Business (15 pages minimum),
Due Date: 2/19/2017
Case Study:
#1 Theocratic and Secular Totalitarianism (3-4 pages APA),
Due Date 1/14/2017
A case study is a short description of a real business situation.
Analyzing case studies gives you the opportunity to apply those
concepts to real business problems. Cases are generally written
for several types of analysis. Usually, there is no “right or
wrong" answer. Rather, case studies provide a vehicle for you to
demonstrate your understanding and ability to apply course
concepts. You must use appropriate sources (properly cited) to
support your position. Check your analysis by assessing how
well it demonstrates your management knowledge. If your
answer relies on your impressions of management prior to
taking this course, it is likely that the analysis is not your best
effort.
Write a paper where you are able to compare and contrast
Theocratic and Secular Totalitarianism. Include the differences
as well as similarities of these types of Totalitarianism, along
with what it is like to do business in Totalitarian countries.
Write the case analysis in 3–4 pages in a Word document.
Follow the APA style for writing, editing, and citation of
sources.
Final research Paper

8. #2 Annotated Bibliography (2 pages APA), Due Date 1/14/2017
#7 Final Research Paper Draft Submission, Due Date: 2/5/2017
#8 Final Research Paper: Global Business (15 pages minimum),
Due Date: 2/19/2017
In this course, you will prepare and submit a research paper on
a topic of your choice and approved by your instructor. This
project is an opportunity for you to personalize the concepts
you are learning in this course. The topics must be in the field
of global business or some application (e.g., an application of
course concepts to your work situation; a research paper, using
a survey or questionnaire to investigate a concept of interest
and value; a detailed review of the literature about a concept
from the course). You may consider other options; however, be
sure to discuss your ideas with your instructor.
In this module, you will produce an introductory paragraph with
your thesis statement and an annotated bibliography for the
Final Research Paper.
Thesis Statement: Generating a thesis statement is perhaps the
most important part of the research paper process. It is essential
for you to create a strong, defendable thesis statement upon
which you will base further research. Include your thesis
statement within an introductory paragraph.
Annotated Bibliography: The purpose of the annotated
bibliography is to assist you in developing research analysis
skills including critical thinking, writing, and literature research
skills. The annotated bibliography should include the following
information for each source:
· Name of the article, including the complete bibliographic
citation, using APA format.
· Summary/abstract of the article – annotation (sometimes it is
helpful to ask yourself the following questions in synthesizing
the information):
· Who? (author)
· What was done? (e.g., an experimental study investigating the
interaction of short term memory and attention)
· How? (was it done)

9. · What were the findings? (identify the major ones)
· Contributions? (New findings, applications, etc.)
Review the complete instructions for the Final Research Paper
in Module 8 of the course. To conduct accurate research for the
annotated bibliography, consider the following:
· Research in peer-reviewed journals or other journals that are
considered to have reliable information. Do not use sources
from the secular press (e.g., Time, Newsweek, or Wikipedia).
· Identify at least five academic sources, at least three that can
be found in the Excelsior Online Library. If you do find
something on the World Wide Web, it must be authored and be
a reliable source.
The paper must be 2 pages in length and formatted according to
APA style. You must use at least five scholarly resources (at
least three of which can be found in the Excelsior Online
Library) other than the textbook to support your claims and sub
claims. Cite your resources in text and on the reference page.
FINAL Paper Guidelines:
Follow the format below for your term project report:
• Title: The title is a concise statement of the subject of the
paper.
• Abstract: The abstract is an "executive overview" of your
paper. It should be a 50–100-word summary that would be
appropriate to give your instructor so that he or she would know
the essence of your project without reading the paper in its
entirety.
• Table of Contents: In this section, list each section of your
paper, with the page number. The list should include the
following:
· Tables and Figures if you included more than two;
Appendices, if included; Bibliography or reference section
listing sources used.
· Introduction: In this section, state the purpose of the paper in
succinct, declarative sentences. Convince your reader that the
study will have a practical value and meaning for you, and the
study will be based upon the concepts studied in the course.

10. · Background and Significance: This section provides further
justification of the need for your study. If your project
examines a topic drawn from your work, include a description
of your work environment, your position in the organization and
how your position fits into the organization, both vertically and
horizontally.
· Explain the applicable concepts from the course. If your
project is focused on a particular organization, explain how
these concepts apply to that organization. What is the
organization doing well? Would it benefit by adopting some of
the concepts you have been studying?
· Discussion, Implications and Recommendations: In this
section, provide a thorough discussion of your findings and the
implications of your study. Be sure to include only the pertinent
implications. Also present your recommended action plan. This
plan will vary based on the type of project you selected. For
example, it may be a personal action plan for you to follow in
your present position or a future position, where you would be
able you to put the plan into action. If your project is a
literature review, then your recommendations may be focused
on what issues need further research. Be sure that the
recommendations are realistic in terms of the appropriate
concepts and, if applicable, the organization you have studied.
· References: You cannot use your texts as your primary source
of information. You must draw on other sources such as
websites, business journals, information from an organization,
and interviews with individuals. Be sure that you support the
information presented with appropriate references. It is
important to cite all references and quotes correctly. All
sources, including web sites must be referenced in the
Bibliography or References list. Follow the APA style.
· Appendices: Include a separate sheet and title for each
appendix.
More Key Points:
Keep in mind that all accepted rules of English composition
apply. Papers must be typed or word-processed, be double

11. spaced, and have standard margins (one inch on each side). The
length of the paper is not the primary measure of the quality of
the paper. A paper of 40–50 pages is probably too long for the
purposes of this course.
On the other hand, the purpose of this assignment cannot be
properly satisfied in a paper of only five pages! As a guideline,
you will probably need about 15 pages to present your research
adequately.
Be sure that you cite all references and quotes correctly; all
sources used must be referenced in the Bibliography or
References section. If you have questions about the format or
content of references, discuss it with your instructor.
Research Project
#3 The Free-Trade Area of the Americas, Due Date: 1/22/2017
The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) has a major
objective to create the largest free trade area on Earth ranging
from the northern tip of Alaska to the southern tip of Tierra del
Fuego, in South America. The FTAA would consist of 34
nations and 830 million consumers, with the possibility that
Cuba would eventually enter into the association.
In 1994, the first meeting of the Summit of the Americas took
place and formed the basis of the agreement. All the
participating nations reaffirmed their commitment to the FTAA
at the Second Summit of the Americas four years later. The
Third Summit of the Americas in 2001 was confronted by strong
protests. The plan of the FTAA will take many years before
such an agreement would be realized.
This is a written assignment in essay form. Please follow the
APA guidelines and include references that are cited in APA
format. Visit the official website of the FTAA (www.alca-
ftaa.org) and answer the following questions:
What are the stated reasons why governments across the
Americas are pushing for the free trade area?
• Why do some groups protest implementation of the FTAA?
• Do you think the FTAA would help living standards in small
countries (such as Ecuador and Nicaragua) or be a boon only for

12. the largest nations such as Canada and the United States?
• Small companies typically have difficulty competing against
large multinationals when their governments take part in
regional trading blocs. What could governments do to help their
small companies compete in such blocs?
• Do you think sub-regional trading blocs can help small nations
strengthen their negotiating positions against large nations?
• Do you think that very small nations should even participate
in regional trade agreements with very large nations? Why or
why not?
• Do you think sub-regional or regional trade agreements cause
instability on a sub-regional, regional, or global scale, or do
you believe they foster cooperation?
• After all you’ve read in this chapter about regional trade
agreements, what is your assessment of their value? Should
their progress continue or be rolled back?
Short Paper
#4 Management in Brazil (2-3 pages APA), Due Date:
1/22/2017
Please accomplish scholarly research on Business Cultural,
Business/Management Development and/or Specific
Management Styles in Brazil. Submit a 2-3 page analysis on
your research.
Case Study
#5 The Gold Standard (3-4 pages APA), Due Date: 1/29/2017
Address the following in your case study:
• Analyze and discuss the Bretton Woods Agreement and state
what the agreement was for and why it was created. Include any
difficulties they faced in getting the society to agree with their
proposal.
• Briefly describe the gold standard evolution and collapse.
Short Paper
#6 Dynamics of the Global Economy (2-3 pages APA), Due
Date: 2/5/2017
For many global companies, China represents a highly attractive
market in terms of size and growth rate. Yet China ranks lower

13. in terms of economic freedom and higher in political risk than
some other countries. Despite these risks, hundreds of
companies have established manufacturing operations in China.
This is because the Chinese government makes selling in China
contingent on a company’s willingness to locate production
there. The government wants Chinese companies to learn
modern management skills from non-Chinese companies and to
acquire technology. Some believe that Western companies are
bargaining away important industry knowhow in exchange for
sales today by agreeing to such conditions.
Address the following in your short paper:
· Should companies go along with China’s terms, or should they
risk losing sales by refusing to transfer technology?
· What do you think might be the long-term results of either
solution?
· Include references and follow APA guidelines while citing
sources.