Research Paper and Presentation

BUS 691: CAPSTONE SEMINAR

TOPICS FOR RESEARCH PAPER

Conflict Resolution in the Face of Adversity

The coronavirus and economic crises have created an urgent, unprecedented opportunity for CEOs to apply their leadership skills. Companies have faced extraordinary operational and financial challenges, and with every industry and business tested in unique ways, we’ve seen corporate leaders take distinct courses of action to address the needs of their stakeholders – particularly their workers, customers, and local communities – throughout the crisis.

Each of these organizations listed below have at one time encountered a crisis, and more recently, the complications caused by Covid-19. For example, in addition to Covid-19, General Motors (GM) recently announced that they were closing several planets. GM’s difficulty raises some important questions: How did the company’s leadership handle these events? What impact did these events have on the company’s public relations, and finances? Did GM effectively anticipate and respond to the challenges it faced? And, what prevented the company from achieving better outcome?

You must select a company from one of the Listed below for your research paper:

Walmart Brett Ubaldi

Nestle Sandy Browning

Coca Cola Besiana Stefa

Boeing Anthony Della Badia

American Airlines Christopher Sandoval

GAP Zulma Griffin

Nissan Cristian Perez

Uber Malak Izzat

Google Nancy Lopez

Equifax Dan Kaplum

Starbuck’s John Kornobis

Amazon Denise Rodriguez

Facebook

Sony

Students are assigned companies by Professor Salva. The purpose of this project is to explore why events unfolded as they did and the significance of these happenings not simply to recount what took place.

Your research paper must include the following:

Mission of the company

Financial Analysis of the crisis

(Examine the financial before and after the crisis or crises)

Leadership Analysis either the CEO or President

“Great Leaders are lauded for their success. But, paradoxically, what makes good leaders great are the trials and tribulations of failure. Very often, the lessons learned from confronting fear and uncertainly, and from experiencing frustration, transform good leaders into great ones” and troubled corporations into improved enterprises.

What was the CEO’s leadership style based on leadership theories ?

Was the leadership style a detriment or advantage to the corporation’s challenges? Why?

Covid-19:

How did leadership fail to act effectively? Analyze and explain the most tragic shortcomings.

Did the Covid -19 response accentuate a *pattern* of failure, that is, does leadership have a generally poor track record when dealing with a crisis? Analyze and explain.

How is leadership redirecting their organizations strategic plans? Analyze and explain.

How was the reduction of workforce handled? Analyze and explain.

Your research paper will address some of the essential topics below as they relate to your company’s challenges:

Your paper will address and analyze the relevant items below:

Communicating. The first rule of crisis management is to communicate. Did it take too long to address the challenges? Were employees and public made aware of what the company was doing to deal with the challenges Analyze and explain.

Taking responsibility. Did someone involved in crisis management empathize or publicly apologize for the event(s) that transpired? This is different from accepting blame. Did the corporation communicate what it was doing to remedy the situation? How? Was it successful?

Centralizing information. Were appropriate levels of management updated with information? Were decisions based on transparency? Explain how?

Establishing a crisis team. How were decisions made? Was a crisis team established? What (if any) role did the Shareholders, Directors, or employees play? Analyze and explain.

Using research to determine responses. Was Polling, market research or focus groups used to provide any essential insight into the magnitude of the challenges and public attitudes about the issue(s)? Analyze and explain

Leveraging Social Media or website – Was social media used to provide quick up-to-the-minute information and get the company’s message out? Was it successful?

What was the public relations impact on the company? How damaged was the organization’s reputation? Analyze and explain.

Did the challenges impact the organization financially? Analyze and explain.

Did the challenges impact the CEO’s financially? How?

Did corporate politics undermine strong decision making? Analyze and explain

What positive policies or innovations resulted from the crisis? Analyze and explain

Social Responsibility:

Define any ethical considerations associated with the related challenges.

Code of conduct: Was the company’s values, integrity and responsibility questioned? How?

Did any of the corporation’s decisions result in litigation? Was there a Court ruling? Did any corporate decisions result in lawsuits that subjected any corporate officers or directors to heavy monetary damage? Analyze and explain.

Were any new governmental Laws or Regulations authorized as a result of the court ruling? Analyze and explain.

Assignments:

 For the research paper:

Write an analytical paper that examines, and interprets issues associated with your company's crisis or crises. An analytical research paper means you will need to present some type of argument, or claim, about what you are analyzing.  You need to include scholarly literature, theories, models and case studies that assist you in your analysis.

Develop an analytical thesis statement (your assertion, argument, or claim). Include the components mentioned below: 

10 pages, [excluding references], double space, font 12.

A minimum of ten (10) citations must be used in the research paper. The ten citations must include scholarly literature, theories, models and case studies that assist you in your analysis. In addition, one book on Leadership must be cited that supports your assertions, arguments, or claims used in the paper. This paper must be written in accordance to MLA standards. Points will be deducted for improper formatting and incorrect citations.

For the presentation: 

Students will also produce a single PowerPoint slide for your presentation. Each student will give a presentation on your topic. You will summarize and analyze the organization’s crisis in a formal presentation on the date due (10 minutes).