Resp. Corp Leadership Paper

OL 690 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview The final project for this course will be the creation of a consulting report. The assessment will be a solution-based approach that will apply the elements of the course to a case study. You will demonstrate levels of attentiveness and responsiveness that leaders of an organization should observe so as to enhance relationships between an organization and its community. You will be tasked with applying leadership processes and theories in the development of solutions to a case study. Additionally, this assessment will allow you to combine theory and practice and apply these concepts to a relevant contemporary situation.

Leaders rise above what is expected in order to be a model of excellence. A leader, therefore, is responsible to pursue excellence in both relationships and tasks. This also means that a leader will try to benefit both internal and external stakeholders. This is the essence of responsibility: to lead others with integrity, holding to an ethic that cares for people and the planet while maintaining profitability for the business. Your final task for this course will be to research and evaluate a company and identify issues related to the way the company operates. You will then recommend changes that need to occur in order for the company to demonstrate corporate responsibility in its relationships with internal and external stakeholders. You will incorporate content and feedback from Milestones One, Two, and Three, adding the Conclusion and Executive Summary sections in the final submission. The final submission should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final project. The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three, Five, and Seven. Your final project will be in the form of a consulting report including an executive summary that will be submitted in Module Nine. This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:

 Propose alternative solutions to establish a culture of corporate responsibility including people, planet, and profit

 Evaluate the levels of attentiveness and responsiveness that leaders of an organization should embody to enhance relationships between the organization and society

 Interpret the health of an organization through the lens of a triple bottom line of people, planet, and profits

 Devise a plan to strategically lead an organization to practice responsible corporate behavior for the purpose of developing optimal stakeholder relationships

 Evaluate the impact of corporate policies and practices on internal and external stakeholders for leading an organization to operate responsibly

Prompt An executive of a large company has asked that you to consult with them to create a consulting report to help the company receive input on how to become more responsible in three main areas of the company’s operations; people, planet, and profit. You will need to do the research, design the consulting report, and provide an executive summary. Before you begin, choose one of the following companies to research and write your consulting report on. All of these companies have done well in some areas, but have criticism in other areas of their operations:

 BP (formerly British Petroleum)

 Cook Inlet Region, Inc.

 Dow Chemical

 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

 Waste Management, Inc.

After researching a company, write a 15–20-page consulting report including an executive summary, which addresses the following:

I. Introduction: Summarize the history of this company through the lenses of people, planet, and profits. For example, what are some of the commendable accomplishments and some possible issues? Consider the short- and long-term impacts of the problems that have occurred due to a lack of responsible behavior.

II. Analysis of Issues

For this section of the assessment, you will provide your analysis of the company’s corporate responsibility including people, planet, and profit. A. Personnel (people):

1. Identify the major stakeholders that may have been adversely affected by the behaviors of the company through the lens of personnel relationships. Consider: What specifically has occurred to demonstrate corporate irresponsibility?

2. Analyze current practices in terms of personnel relations occurring in the selected company. How do they compare to current research on corporate responsibility in terms of personnel relations? Consider giving examples of exemplary practices in the industry or related industry to support your claims.

B. Environmental (planet): 1. Analyze the environmental impacts affected by the policies of the company. How has this company made a positive impact on the

environment? Consider giving examples of exemplary practices in the industry or related industry. 2. Based on your analysis of the company’s impact on the environment, conclude how this company has demonstrated corporate

irresponsibility. Consider justifying your response using supporting examples. 3. Predict the short- and long-term effects of the current environmental policies upon the major stakeholders. How can improvement in

this area benefit the stakeholders? Consider providing some examples of companies that have made an effort to benefit the stakeholders through a responsible environmental policy.

C. Sound Business Practices (profit):

1. Determine what stakeholders are affected when the company remains profitable. How is this balanced with responsible corporate behavior? Think about using anti-exemplar illustrations of other companies in which the pursuit of profit has overshadowed responsible corporate behavior to support your claims.

III. Recommendations For this section of the assessment, you will provide recommendations based on your analysis of the company’s corporate responsibility including people, planet, and profit.

A. People: Recommend how this company could improve on its relationships with stakeholders, such as employees or customers. How would following these recommendations help the company better achieve its mission? Consider discussing the need for diversity in the makeup of the company’s employees and leadership.

B. Planet: Recommend ways this company could improve in terms of its environmental policies. How would the policies affect key stakeholders in the community? Consider providing the company’s present location and exploring the impact of a positive environmental policy on that location.

C. Profit: Point out some adjustments that the company might make to remain or become profitable. What is the benefit of profitability to the key stakeholders? Consider giving examples of how other companies have been profitable while operating responsibly.

IV. Implementation

For this section of the assessment, you will provide deeper insight on how the company could implement your recommendations and promote a culture of responsible corporate behavior.

A. People: Illustrate specific steps needed to be taken by the company to implement your recommendations to improve relationships with stakeholders. What are the possible sacrifices that might need to be made? Think about how implementing these steps could help change the culture of the company.

B. Planet: Illustrate immediate steps needed to be taken by the company to implement your recommendations on how to improve in terms of its environmental policies. Consider justifying your response by including how implementing these steps can help change the culture of the company.

C. Profit: Illustrate specific steps necessary for the company to remain profitable. How would taking these steps promote a culture of responsible corporate behavior? Consider the cost of the implementation of the changes versus the overall benefit of the changes.

V. Opportunities

A. Predict ways in which relationships with community stakeholders would improve as a result of the new policies. Think about the positive impact these new policies might have on oppressed members of the community.

B. Evaluate what ways these policies might help the industry as a whole. How would implementing these policies allow the company to be an industry leader? Consider explaining why becoming an industry leader is important.

C. Describe the general outlook for the company’s profitability while still following the recommendations that you are making. How are these recommendations good for business in the short term and the long term? Consider giving examples of possible opportunities for business growth as a result of these policies.

VI. Conclusion For this section of the assessment, you will present a summary of the findings and recommendations explored on the report.

A. Summarize how the company can expand the number of its commendable accomplishments and how these changes in corporate policy improve on these accomplishments. Think about the connections to key stakeholders and its profitability.

B. Summarize how the recommended changes relate to the company’s mission. Consider including the long-term impact of this company’s policies on the key stakeholders and how this affects the profitability of the company in a positive manner.

VII. Executive Summary

For this section of the assessment, you will summarize your consulting report in short form. Even though this is the last section of your assessment, executive summaries are actually placed at the beginning of consulting reports, before the introduction.

A. Summarize your key findings and recommendations on the following:

 Analysis

 Recommendations

 Implementation

 Opportunities

 Benefits to the company

Milestones Milestone One: Draft of Introduction and Outline of Analysis of Issues In Module Three, you will submit a draft of the Introduction (Section I) and an outline of the Analysis of Issues (Section II). The introduction should be 3–4 paragraphs in length and should include the purpose and scope of your chosen company, including an overview of your company. The outline should be 1–2 pages in length and can contain bullet points, listed information, or short phrases that indicate areas you will expand upon in the Milestone Two submission. This submission is graded with the Milestone One Rubric. Milestone Two: Draft of Analysis of Issues and Outline of Recommendations and Implementation In Module Five, you will submit a draft of the Analysis of Issues (Section II) and an outline of the Recommendations (Section III) and Implementation (Section IV). The analysis of issues should be 8–10 pages in length and should provide your analysis of the company’s corporate responsibility including people, planet, and profit. The outline should be 1–2 pages in length and can contain bullet points, listed information, or short phrases that indicate areas you will expand upon in the Milestone Three submission. This submission is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric. Milestone Three: Draft of Recommendations and Implementation and Outline of Opportunities In Module Seven, you will submit a draft of the Recommendations (Section III) and Implementation (Section IV) and an outline of the Opportunities (Section V). The recommendations and implementation should be 5–7 pages in length and should provide recommendations based on your analysis of the company’s corporate responsibility and deeper insight on how the company could implement your recommendations. The outline should be 1–2 pages in length and can contain bullet points, listed information, or short phrases that indicate areas you will expand upon in the final submission. This submission is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.

Final Submission: Consulting Report In Module Nine, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric (below).

Deliverables

Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading

One Draft of Introduction and Outline of Analysis of Issues

Three Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric

Two Draft of Analysis of Issues and Outline of Recommendations and Implementation

Five Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric

Three Draft of Recommendations and Implementation and Outline of Opportunities

Seven Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric

Final Submission: Consulting Report Nine Graded separately; Final Project Rubric (below)

Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your final project must be (15–20) pages in length (plus a cover page and references) and must be written in APA format. Use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Include at least five references cited in APA format. Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For more information, review these instructions.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Introduction

Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes the long- and short-term impacts of the problems due to a lack of responsible behavior

Summarizes the history of this company through the lenses of people, planet, and profits

Summarizes the history of this company through the lenses of people, planet, and profits but details are inaccurate or cursory

Does not summarize the history of this company through the lenses of people, planet, and profits

5.1

Analysis of Issues: Personnel: Major

Stakeholders

Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes examples of the company’s behavior demonstrating corporate irresponsibility

Identifies the major stakeholders that may have been adversely affected by the behaviors of the company through the lens of personnel relationships

Identifies the major stakeholders that may have been adversely affected by the behaviors of the company through the lens of personnel relationships but details are inaccurate or cursory

Does not identify the major stakeholders that may have been adversely affected by the behaviors of the company through the lens of personnel relationships

5.1

Analysis of Issues: Personnel: Personnel

Relations

Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes examples of exemplary practices in the industry or related industry

Analyzes current practices in terms of personnel relations occurring in the selected company in comparison to current research on corporate responsibility

Analyzes current practices in terms of personnel relations occurring in the selected company but details either lack connection to current research on corporate responsibility or are cursory

Does not analyze current practices in terms of personnel relations occurring in the selected company in comparison to current research on corporate responsibility

5.1

Analysis of Issues: Environmental: Positive Impact

Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes examples of exemplary practices in the industry or related industry

Analyzes the environmental impacts affected by the policies of the company

Analyzes the environmental impacts affected by the policies of the company but details are inaccurate or cursory

Does not analyze the environmental impacts affected by the policies of the company

5.1

Analysis of Issues: Environmental:

Corporate Irresponsibility

Meets “Proficient” criteria and justifies claims using supporting examples

Concludes how this company has demonstrated corporate irresponsibility

Concludes how this company has demonstrated corporate irresponsibility but details are either inaccurate or cursory

Does not conclude how this company has demonstrated corporate irresponsibility

5.1

Analysis of Issues: Environmental: Short- and Long-Term Effects

Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes examples of companies that have made an effort to benefit stakeholders through a responsible environmental policy

Predicts the short- and long-term effects of the current environmental policies upon the major stakeholders

Predicts the short- and long-term effects of the current environmental policies upon the major stakeholders but details are irrelevant or cursory

Does not predict the short- and long-term effects of the current environmental policies upon the major stakeholders

5.1

Analysis of Issues: Sound Business

Practices: Profitable

Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes anti-exemplar companies in which the pursuit of profit has overshadowed responsible corporate behavior to support claims

Determines what stakeholders are affected when the company remains profitable

Determines what stakeholders are affected when the company remains profitable but details are inaccurate or cursory

Does not determine what stakeholders are affected when the company remains profitable

5.1

Recommendations: People: Relationships

Meets “Proficient” criteria and details include the need for diversity in the makeup of the company’s employees and leadership

Recommends how this company could improve on its relationships with stakeholders, such as employees or customers

Recommends how this company could improve on its relationships with stakeholders, such as employees or customers, but details are irrelevant or cursory

Does not recommend how this company could improve on its relationships with stakeholders, such as employees or customers

5.1

Recommendations: Planet: Environmental

Policies

Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes the company’s present location and explores the impact of a positive environmental policy on that location

Recommends ways this company could improve in terms of its environmental policies, based on how the policies affect key stakeholders in the community

Recommends ways this company could improve in terms of its environmental policies, but details either do not include how the policies affect stakeholders or are cursory

Does not recommend ways this company could improve in terms of its environmental policies

5.1

Recommendations: Profit: Adjustments

Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes examples of how other companies have been profitable while operating responsibly

Points out some adjustments that the company might make to remain or become profitable

Points out some adjustments that the company might make to remain or become profitable, but details are irrelevant or cursory

Does not point out some adjustments that the company might make to remain or become profitable

5.1

Implementation: People: Relationships

Meets “Proficient” criteria and details include how implementing the steps can help change the culture of the company

Illustrates specific steps needed to be taken by the company to implement recommendations to improve relationships with stakeholders

Illustrates specific steps needed to be taken by the company to implement recommendations to improve relationships with stakeholders, but details are irrelevant or cursory

Does not illustrate specific steps needed to be taken by the company to implement recommendations to improve relationships with stakeholders

5.1

Implementation: Planet: Environmental

Policies

Meets “Proficient” criteria and justifies by including how implementing these steps can help change the culture of the company

Illustrates immediate steps needed to be taken by the company to implement recommendations on how to improve in terms of its environmental policies

Illustrates immediate steps needed to be taken by the company to implement recommendations on how to improve in terms of its environmental policies, but details are irrelevant or cursory

Does not illustrate immediate steps needed to be taken by the company to implement recommendations on how to improve in terms of its environmental policies

5.1

Implementation: Profit: Remain Profitable

Meets “Proficient” criteria and details include weighing the cost of the implementation of changes vs. the overall benefit of the changes

Illustrates specific steps necessary for the company to remain profitable, including how taking these steps would promote a culture of responsible corporate behavior

Illustrates specific steps necessary for the company to remain profitable, but does not include how taking these steps would promote a culture of responsible behavior, or details are irrelevant or cursory

Does not illustrate specific steps necessary for the company to remain profitable

5.1

Opportunities: Community

Stakeholders:

Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes the positive impact these new policies may have on oppressed members of the community

Predicts ways in which relationships with community stakeholders would improve as a result of the new policies

Predict ways in which relationships with community stakeholders would improve as a result of the new policies, but details are inaccurate or cursory

Does not predict ways in which relationships with community stakeholders would improve as a result of the new policies

5.1

Opportunities: Industry

Meets “Proficient” criteria and explains why becoming an industry leader is important

Evaluates what ways these policies might help the industry as a whole

Evaluates what ways these policies might help the industry as a whole, but details are inaccurate or cursory

Does not evaluate what ways these policies might help the industry as a whole

5.1

Opportunities: Company’s Profitability

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides examples of possible opportunities for business growth as a result of these policies

Describes the general outlook for the company’s profitability while still following the recommendations

Describes the general outlook for the company’s profitability while still following the recommendations, but details are inaccurate or cursory

Does not describe the general outlook for the company’s profitability while still following the recommendations

5.1

Conclusion: Accomplishments

Meets “Proficient” criteria and details include the company’s connections to key stakeholders and its profitability

Summarizes how the company can expand the number of its commendable accomplishments and how these changes in corporate policy improve on these accomplishments

Summarizes how the company can expand the number of its commendable accomplishments and how these changes in corporate policy improve on these accomplishments, but details are irrelevant or cursory

Does not summarize how the company can expand the number of its commendable accomplishments and how these changes in corporate policy improve on these accomplishments

5.1

Conclusion: Mission

Meets “Proficient” criteria and details include the long-term impact of the company’s policies on stakeholders and the positive impact on profitability

Summarizes how the recommended changes relate to the company’s mission

Summarizes how the recommended changes relate to the company’s mission, but details are cursory

Does not summarize how the recommended changes relate to the company’s mission

5.1

Executive Summary: Findings and

Recommendations

Meets “Proficient” criteria and details show keen insight on the aspects of corporate responsibility: people, planet, and profit

Summarizes key findings and recommendations on the analysis, recommendations, implementations, opportunities, and benefits to the company

Summarizes key findings and recommendations on the analysis, recommendations, implementations, opportunities, and benefits to the company, but details are irrelevant or cursory

Does not summarize key findings and recommendations on the analysis, recommendations, implementations, opportunities, and benefits to the company

5.1

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

3.1

Total 100%