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Perspective:

In this assessment, act as Joseph Dunn, the leader of Dunn’s Ski Emporium.  Dunn wants to purchase The Deli, so there is a lot of work to do before entering into the possible addition of a business that little is known about.  Write from a leader’s perspective.  So, you ask, “What it means to write from a leader’s perspective?”

Writing from the leader’s perspective means approach Dunn’s vision through a people centric viewpoint. Focus on how the two businesses will meet the vision through the decision making flow and grouping of people within the organizations.  How does a leader best use the people to meet the vision?  Even though it is tempting to write in the first person, a plan is written in the third person for which a story will unfold.  Dunn is essentially telling a story of how he is going to purchase the Deli and bring George and the business in as part of the Dunn Ski Emporium.  Dunn will need to figure out how he is going to combine these two businesses and use his leadership skills to do so.  Remember, write from the leader’s perspective but do not attempt to solve problems but create and develop an environment in which problems will be resolved by those who make the business run.

Dunn plans on designing an organizational structure that fulfills his vision, one that he believes George has for The Deli, and one that will fulfill its mission.  The organization must be open to change and possess a culture that empowers its employees to follow the vision created.  Like all good social architects, the building must start with a design that suites the purpose of the business and seeks to make it the best building for the job.  Students are expected to be creative but realistic in completing the assignment.  For example, feel free to assign names and roles to the people in the business.  In being creative, students may not change the facts in the plan.  Dunn will present his ideas to George Atkins once Dunn sits down with him to begin negotiations, so be sure that the final product is polished. Also to make sure questions can easily be addressed, write in the active voice and support the reasoning behind the ideas using the material from the course.  Dunn wants to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the leadership material, so a wide range of the readings will be used.

 

Instructions:

This assignment is the first of three assignments.  In completing this assignment,  analyze the case study scenario and apply the concepts learned in weeks 1-4 using the format described below.  In completing the assignment, students will answer the questions in narrative form and will follow the steps provided below:

Step 1:  Review “How to Analyze a Case Study” under Week 4 Content.

Step 2:  Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is double-spaced, 12-point font.  The final product will be between 3-5 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page.

Step 3:  Follow this format:

  • Title page with title, your name, the course, the instructor’s name;
  • Introduction paragraph
  • Body, in paragraph form using section headings
  • Summary paragraph

Step 4:  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 5:  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 6:  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 7:  Read critically and analyze the scenario provided under Week 4 Content. 

Step 8:  Jot down or highlight key facts from the scenario.  Consider making an outline to capture key points in the paper. 

Step 9:  In your paper, respond to the following elements of leadership and plan design:

  • Evaluate the business status, purpose and goals as well as its requirements to be successful in the new venture.  For example, what do the businesses do to make money? What is required in terms of the type of people who need to run the day-to-day operations? Discuss the critical elements that must be in place for Dunn to be successful in this new venture
  • Joseph Dunn as a social architect. Discuss the elements Dunn must evaluate to successfully accomplish the alignment of people and business.
  • Dunn selects and designs a business structure that will align people with business purpose, vision, and mission. Explain the reasons behind the choices made. Chart the structure and address the role of George Aitkin.
  • Dunn selects and designs a culture for the new venture. Discuss reasons for selection and how it can aligned with structure after applying the OCAI.
  • Joseph Dunn is change agent for the business environment.  What steps should Dunn take for short-term change?  For long-term change? How does the culture and structure provide for change?

 

Step 10:  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 11:  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 12:  Using the grading rubric as a comparison, read through the paper to ensure all required elements are presented.

Step 13: Proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical issues, and third person writing. 

 

Case study:

Joseph Dunn is the owner and general manager of Dunn’s Ski Emporium.  In business for twenty-five years, Dunn’s Ski Emporium is known for its state-of-the-art ski equipment and repairs offered under one roof. It offers moderate prices to skiers in the bustling town of Vail, Colorado.   Dunn’s Ski Emporium has a cozy ambiance, with a Western décor and a two-story fireplace with large windows that overlook the Rocky Mountains.  Catering to skiers, the sporting goods store helps many skiers with their broken or challenged ski equipment.  They specialize in hourly turn-around times on repairs and one day pick up adjustments on new equipment.  This fast service has set Dunn’s sporting goods store way above their competitors in the area for return business both from locals and visitors. Skiers can ski right to their door and leave from their back door to get back on the slopes. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and local.  Most of them work year round.  

Dunn has decided to expand his business.  For some time, Dunn noticed that the Deli next door picks up a lot of his business from the waiting repair customers and he has seen the Deli customers step in to purchase gloves, goggles, and other merchandise after eating at the deli.  The Deli would make an interesting addition to his future business plans.  The Deli, like Dunn’s Ski Emporium, has always done a brisk business especially in season.  Designed in a similar western motif, Dunn thought he would be able to expand easily to include the Deli into his Emporium.  The cross traffic might even increase business.  However, Dunn knows nothing about the Deli business. The deli’s owner, George Atkins, knows and loves his business a great deal.  

Dunn has known George for years and he is aware that George is thinking of retiring in the next few years.  If he buys the Deli now and can get George to stay on at the Deli, George could train and mentor a new managerial staff comprised of some of Dunn’s staff and return employees who work the seasonal rush. The trick to the merger’s success would be to get everyone on board including George.  Dunn wondered how he could ensure George’s best efforts to make the transition stable while Dunn’s Ski Emporium grows, and more specifically, Dunn is concerned that if George is no longer the owner of the Deli (because the Deli would now be a department within Dunn’s Ski Emporium), George will begin to resent Dunn and this might impair the merger of the two businesses into one.  The future is bright for both businesses and Dunn wants to keep it that way. 

 

Dunn has decided that his best-selling point to George is to design an organizational structure based on George’s vision and mission.  Dunn realizes that the design must reflect George’s relative importance within this acquisition and merger yet must empower the staff of both the new Deli Department and the current employees of Dunn’s Ski Emporium to grow the business.

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