Assignment 1
DISCUSSION: BUSINESS INTEGRITY, GOD’SPERSPECTIVE, AND DECISION
MODELS ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Demonstrating integrity is just as important for a business as it is for an individual. Those
responsible for developing and executing strategy must have a solid understanding what
it is and why it is important to business success. God has provided countless examples
of integrity in His word and knowing how to apply those to business will help develop
business integrity. Over the past several weeks you have been evaluating and trying
several decision models, have you settled on one or a group of them?
For your main thread, perform the following:
Discuss the power of business integrity.
Discuss God’s perspective on business strategy.
Discuss your current decision model and how it has changed in the past several
weeks.
Develop an Annotated Bibliography for the references used in your discussion.
Support all of your factual assertions with citations.
Discussion Thread: Demonstrating integrity is just as important for a business as it is for
an individual. Those responsible for developing and executing strategy must have a solid
understanding what it is and why it is important to business success. God has provided
countless examples of integrity in His word and knowing how to apply those to business
will help develop business integrity. Over the past several weeks you have been
evaluating and trying several decision models, have you settled on one or a group of
them? Minimum of 600 words in the body Minimum of 2 sources from the literature in
addition to course texts Current APA format must be used. Use the following
outline:IntroductionThe Power of Business Integrity? What is it and why is it important in
no less than 200 wordsGod’s Perspective on Business Integrity (Keller) ? What is it and
why is it important in no less than 300 wordsDecision Models ? no less than 100
wordsMy Current Decision Models, what is it and whyHow they have changed,
whyConclusionSupport your factual assertions with citations. Include an Annotated
Bibliography, in current APA format, of the 2 additional Sources: Minimum of 250 words
in each annotation Summary of Key Points Evaluation of the Quality of the Publication
Evaluation of the Quality of the Author(s) Where this fits into the discussion.
Assignment 2.
Once a strategy has been developed, success depends on a solid process for effective
execution. It is important to take the power of strategy design and the power of focus into
consideration. Finally, good decision making relies on avoiding decision traps that can
take the company down the wrong path.
For your main thread, perform the following:
Discuss the process of effectively executing strategy.
Discuss the power of design vs the power of focus.
Discuss decision traps to avoid.
Develop an Annotated Bibliography for the references used in your discussion.
Support all of your factual assertions with citations.
Instruction:
Discussion Thread: Strategy Development, Strategy Decisions, and Decision Models.
Developing strategy begins with thinking strategically and knowing what the key
decisions are. The decision models that you employ will directly impact the quality of the
decisions you make so understanding them is critical. Minimum of 500 words in the body
Minimum of 2 sources from the literature in addition to course texts Current APA format
must be used. Use the following outline: Introduction Process: Business Strategy
Development – What is the process in no less than 200 words Strategic Thinking: Key
Decisions Necessary for making strategy choices – What are they and why are they
important in no less than 150 words Decision Model: What are my decision models and
how do they aid / hinder this process – What, how, and why in no less than 150 words
Conclusion Support your factual assertions with citations. Include an Annotated
Bibliography, in current APA format, of the 2 additional Sources: Minimum of 250 words
in each annotation Summary of Key Points Evaluation of the Quality of the Publication
Evaluation of the Quality of the Author(s) Where this fits into the discussion.
Assignment: 3
LITERATURE REVIEW ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS:
OUTLINE ASSIGNMENTOVERVIEW
A critical skill at the doctoral level is the ability to conduct scholarly research guid
ed by clearly
articulated research questions that address a specific issue or problem. For this lit
erature review, your research will be guided by the following three Research Questions:
1.How do individual and group decision processes aid or impede business decision
making?
2.What are the newest directions and developments in the process of strategy
development and execution?
3.How can my academic discipline (Doctoral Program Cognate), as a function within the
organization, impact the process of business strategy development and execution?
The first two questions are explored from a broad business perspective, while the
third question
gives you the opportunity to change your frame of reference to your specific cogn
ate in the Doctoral Program.
The purpose of this research project is for you to create a scholarly piece of doctoral level
research and writing which conforms to current APA format.
For this initial assignment, you will only be developing the outline for your literature
review. Your outline will include a minimum of one level of indentation below each
Research Question with not less than two sub?headings. Only provide headings, do
not provide any narrative. Your headings must provide sufficient information that a
reader can understand what is included each section and subsection. In the final module
you will be submitting your completed literature review. Use the format below:
Introduction
1
Business Integrity
Student's Name
University
Course
Professor
Date
2
Business Integrity
The week's learning is about ethics, corporate social responsibility, environmental
sustainability, and strategy. The discussion aims to explore these areas by applying integrity. The
discussion will entail covering five parts: Power of business integrity, God's perspective on
business strategy, my current decision model and how it has changed in the past several weeks,
an Annotated Bibliography for the references used in the discussion, and a conclusion supporting
all the factual assertions with citations.
The Power of Business Integrity
Integrity refers to strong moral principles and the quality of being honest (Orlitzky and
Monga, 2017). It means acting with pure intentions in all scenarios, whether a person sees you or
not. It also means taking responsibility for one's mistakes and remaining accountable all through.
Gamble, Peteraf, and Thompson (2019) say that it is vital to ensure ethics in business and
demonstrate socially responsible behavior. Similarly, business ethics means applying moral
principles and standards in all activities. Further, corporate social responsibility demands
guaranteeing safe working conditions, preserving natural resources, and improving the lives of
the local communities.
Integrity is vital for a business for various reasons. One of the importance of integrity is
that it gives the business a strong reputation. Markedly, investors, suppliers, employees, and
other business partners will trust a company that acts with integrity. It also helps in customer
satisfaction as it also means a company is delivering quality to its customers by producing better
products and services. Integrity also promotes better company culture. According to Gamble,
Peteraf, and Thompson (2019), a company's culture is essential because it influences its
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traditions, work practice, and style of operating" (p. 217). If the manager or the business owner
acts in integrity, it spreads through the company. Employees will make better decisions with the
interests of the business and customers in mind. They will also be able to trust each other, thus
promoting teamwork and collaboration.
Practicing integrity in business promotes clearer focus (Orlitzky and Monga, 2017).
Having an unclear conscience in your business activities is a lot of work because it makes it
impossible to treat everyone equally. You are presenting a different face for different people and
keeping track of it. Having seamless integrity saves the energy of constantly trying to remain
consistent with the narratives that have been told to different people. Also, it helps one focus on
what is essential for the growth of the business.
God's Perspective on Business Integrity (Keller and Alsdorf)
Christians' life is meant to glorify God and reflect Jesus Christ in all their undertaking.
Keller and Alsdorf (2012) say that God has developed a strategic plan in a Christian's life in the
Biblical context. Thus, God has demonstrated integrity through his word and expects Christians
to do the same in business and other activities. Engelland (2017) says that the purpose of a
Christian-owned business or profession is bringing glory to God through its operations, products,
and services. When a Christian does not engage a Christian-centered view in business, integrity
is compromised, leading to self-interests, cheating, and putting profit motive in the forefront
before people (Gamble, Peteraf, and Thompson, 2019, pp. 184-185).
Integrity for a Christian-owned business also means being honest to a fault. One should
be transparent to the customers and employees without holding any information. That is
supported by Keller and Alsdorf (2012) by stating, "Together with the supremacy of love,
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Christian faith gives us another resource for ethical behavior – a specific basis for honoring
human rights" (p. 207). That means treating everyone equally regardless of the contribution they
make towards the business. People should also be treated with respect and kindness regardless of
race, age, or other cultural differences. That would reflect the love and respect that Christ has for
all humans.
Applying God's perspective in business is very important. According to Engelland
(2017), although people operate businesses to make money, a business operation should do more
than that for a Christian. It should entail adding value to life quality and enriching society. Lack
of that is what Keller and Alsdorf (2012) call work revealing our idols. That means business
activities that revere products and services or other things other than the word of God worship
the idol of work. Integrating God's perspective in business activities helps offer fair and
reasonable prices for goods and services, exceptional customer services, treating employees
fairly and paying them appropriately, and being honest and truthful when dealing with other
business people. God also has promises for those who act in integrity, "He is a shield to those
who walk with integrity" (Proverbs 2:7, NLT).
Decision Model
Various decision models are introduced in the book "The Decision Book. 50 Models for
Strategic Thinking" by Krogerus and Tschäppeler (2018). The decision model under review in
this paper is the team decision model employed to supervise and analyze teams. Essentially, the
model is crucial in judging a group by defining skills and expertise needed in executing a project.
Before taking this course, I had no idea that I could use the decision models in making strategic
decisions. Notably, the breaking down of the decision models into four quadrants by Krogerus
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and Tschäppeler (2018) was very helpful as two quadrants focused on the internal person while
the other two focused on the external person.
Conclusion
The discussion for the week is about ethics, corporate social responsibility,
environmental sustainability, and strategy. It started by explaining the power of integrity in
business. Essentially, integrity is having strong moral principles and the quality of being honest
(Orlitzky and Monga, 2017). One of its importance is that it gives the business a strong
reputation. Investors, suppliers, employees, and other business partners will trust a business that
acts with integrity. In the second section, God's perspective of business integrity has been
discussed. Keller and Alsdorf (2012) say that God has developed a strategic plan in a Christian's
life in the Biblical context. Thus, God has demonstrated integrity through his word and expects
Christians to do the same in business and other activities. Lastly, the decision model by Krogerus
and Tschäppeler (2018) has also been discussed. Notably, my proffered decision model is the
team decision model for supervising and analyzing teams.
Annotated Bibliography
Engelland, B. (2017). Force for Good: The Catholic Guide to Business Integrity. Sophia Institute
Press.
The book "Force for Good: The Catholic Guide to Business Integrity" is a book that is
meant to show how a person should incorporate integrity into their business. The book teaches
the responsibility a business owner has to the customers, employees, and society in general and
why one should fulfill those responsibilities. The book posits that the principal concern of a
business is not profit. It also portrays how natural law applies in business, three elements of
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integrity in business, things one should consider when making ethical decisions, and virtues in
running a business.
Being a non-profit making organization, Sophia Institute Press is the publisher and
distributor of a variety of Catholic classics and new texts in the Catholic tradition. In its thirty
years of publishing, Sophia Institute has published over 300 titles and distributed more than three
million books worldwide (Sophia Institute Press, 2021). They are associated with prolific
Catholic Intellectual authors such as St.Theresa of Lisieux, St.Thomas Aquinas, Dietrich von
Hildebrand, and others. They publish articles and books meant to nourish the souls and nurture
the spiritual, cultural, and moral life of people while spreading the Gospel of Christ through
authentic teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
The author, Dr. Engelland Brian, is an Associate Dean for Academics and Ordinary
Professor for marketing at the Busch School of Business. His academic area is marketing with
expertise in business ethics, marketing strategy, new product development, market research, and
entrepreneurship. The author focuses on bringing out the thoughts of marketing executives when
planning and making business decisions. That would naturally relate to personal ethics, virtues,
and religiosity of marketing decisions. He is the author of six books and more than seventy
refereed publications. His book "Force for Good: The Catholic Guide to Business Integrity" is
relevant in this discussion. England gives an outline of how people can infuse integrity in each
part of their business operations. The book shows how using ethical business practices enhances
relationships with customers and employees, thus improving the business's success.
Orlitzky, M., & Monga, M. (2017). The multiple facets of integrity in business and management.
In Integrity In Business and Management (pp. 1-10). Routledge.
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The book sets out the conceptualization of integrity in various ways in the management
and business ethics literature. The book is a model of managerial integrity. It interconnects
integrity with leadership, history, philosophy, organizational effectiveness, and decision-making
for managers. The book links integrity in business and management to modern and ancient
thoughts and explains the trends in contemporary society that have shaped people's opinions
about integrity. One unique concept discussed in the book is how to differentiate moral and
personal integrity.
Routledge is a reputable publisher in humanities, Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM), and Social Sciences. Every year, thousands of books, journals, and online
sources are published by Routledge in tandem with CRC Press to serve scholars and all
professional communities worldwide. From 1836 when it was founded, it has featured such
scholars as Einstein, McLuhan, Russell, Popper, Jung, Wittgenstein, and Bohm. They offer peer-
reviewed research and partner with other credible academic bodies to publish their book series
and journals.
The two authors are profound researchers in business ethics. Marc Orlitzky has a Ph.D.
in Business Administration from the University of Lowa. He is a full professor and chair of
management at the University of South Australia Business School. His professional expertise in
business ethics, entrepreneurship, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Strategic Management.
His influential studies have been published in premier publications for management and have
received numerous awards. Manjit Monga is a lecture at the University Of South Australia
Business School. Her research is in business ethics and Human resource management. Having
been in private sector business, she brings practical experience to academia. The two authors'
study "The multiple facets of integrity in business and management" can be applied in this
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discussion on the power of business integrity as it discusses moral integrity, personal integrity,
and organizational leadership in detail.
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References
Engelland, B. (2017). Force for good: The Catholic Guide to Business Integrity. Sophia Institute
Press
Gamble, J. E., Peteraf, M. A., & Thompson, Jr., A. A. (2019). Essentials of Strategic
Management: The Quest for Competitive Advantage (6th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-
Hill Education
Keller, T., & Alsdorf, K. L. (2012). Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's
Work. New York: Penguin Books.
Krogerus, M., & Tschappeler, R. (2017). The Decision Book. 50 Models for Strategic Thinking.
New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Orlitzky, M., & Monga, M. (2017). The Multiple Facets of Integrity in Business And
Management. In Integrity in Business and Management (Pp. 1-10). Routledge
Sophia Institute Press. (2021). The Mission of Sophia Institute. | Sophia Institute Press.
https://www.sophiainstitute.com/information/history-and-mission
1
Business Strategic Development and Execution
Student's Name
University
Course
Professor
Date
2
Business Strategy Development and Execution
Essentially, this assignment is a discussion on why organizations require effective
strategic execution. It examines the importance of strategy execution in forming a competitive
advantage for a business. Therefore, the procedure of developing, implementing, and sustaining
strategic direction in an organization shall be debated. Moreover, the paper shall also discuss
business strategy development, the critical decisions required in business strategy development,
and my decision model. It will utilize peer-reviewed sources and also the course's texts.
The Process of Business Strategy Development
Every business has its goals, and the process of achieving those goals is called strategic
business development. Strategic business development aligns the company's development
processes and procedures with the business's strategic objectives (Srivastava, 2017). The role of
strategic business development is acquiring the ideal clients for the goods and services that one is
offering. Such type of strategy is essential in innovation and giving a company a clear path
needed for the success of an organization (Gamble, Peteraf, and Thompson, 2019). It involves
deciding on the targets that one's needs to pursue and the strategies that one will employ. With a
good strategy, the growth and stability of a company are guaranteed.
The process also entails keeping the long-term goals in mind. A company should have an
actual plan to utilize human and capital assets maximally to accomplish the long-term objectives.
Some commonly used business development strategies include referrals, networking,
sponsorships, advertising, outbound emails and telephone, content marketing, thought leadership,
and combined strategies (Moktadir, Kumar, Ali, SPaul, Sultana & Rezaei, 2020). Managers must
utilize the employees in business strategy development. "Proficient strategy execution depends
3
heavily on competent personnel, better-than-adequate competitive capabilities, and an effective
internal organization" (Gamble, Peteraf, and Thompson, 2019). Once they know what motivates
the employees, it will be easy to influence them to achieve the strategy.
Strategic Thinking
Strategic thinking is thinking intentionally and rationally and analyzing the critical
factors influencing a business's long-term success. It involves deliberately and carefully
anticipating the threats that the company is supposed to guard itself against and the available
opportunities for it to pursue (Dionisio, 2017). The thinking accounts for the market forces,
available resources, and all the available economic realities. It requires research, innovation,
problem-solving skill, analytical thinking, decisiveness, and leadership skills. Strategic thinking
is essential as it leads to an organization setting clear goals and new ideas required to survive a
business in a changing environment. Dixit, Singh, and Dhir (2021) say that businesses are
becoming increasingly competitive with new trends emerging every day. Thus, strategic thinking
helps in taking advantage of emerging trends to avoid lagging. Through strategic thinking, a
business owner becomes more skilled in anticipating and capitalizing on opportunities in the
market. Businesses examine the strategic initiatives to ensure that execution is being
implemented and to review and sustain the efforts.
Decision Model
Numerous decision models are introduced in the book "The Decision Book. 50 Models
for Strategic Thinking" by Krogerus and Tschäppeler (2018). This essay concentrate on the
following decision models: the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) box and the Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. These two are preferred because an
4
action or a problem that is being analyzed be categorized and organized efficiently. Therefore,
this provides a way to focus the efforts in problem-solving and also showing the prospective
opportunities. Importantly, these models are essential in strategic thinking as they show how
problems can be solved through proper utilization. Dixit et al. (2021) assert that corporate
culture, creativity, and knowledge management, which help establish a competitive edge, are all
developed through strategic thinking. They also argue that studies indicate that there is a
significant correlation between competitive advantage and strategic thinking. According to
Dionisio (2017), strategic business development involves deliberately and carefully anticipating
the threats that the business is supposed to guard itself against and the opportunities that are
available for it to pursue. Thus, the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT)
analysis is beneficial in such anticipations.
Conclusion
This assignment is a discussion on why organizations require effective strategic
execution. The paper has discussed business strategy development, the critical decisions needed
in making strategic decisions, and my preferred decision model. Strategic business development
aligns the company's development processes and procedures with the business's strategic goals
(Srivastava, 2017). It involves deciding on the targets that one is needed to pursue and the
strategies that one will employ. According to Dionisio (2017), strategic thinking is an intentional
and rationally thinking process that focuses on analyzing factors influencing a business's long-
term success. Strategic thinking helps in taking advantage of emerging trends to avoid lagging.
Notably, my preferred decision models are the Boston Consulting Group box (BCG) and the
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. SWOT analysis helps to
5
anticipate the threats that the business is supposed to guard itself against and the opportunities
that are available for it to pursue
Annotated Bibliography
Dionisio, M. A. (2017). Strategic thinking: The Role in Successful Management. Journal of
Management Research, 9(4), 44-57.
The article "Strategic Thinking: The Role in Successful Management" by Dionisio, M. A.
(2017) attempts to differentiate between strategic thinking and strategic planning. The author
asserts that the two have not been clearly defined both in practice and literature; thus, there is a
need to conduct a study about them. They are sometimes used interchangeably or sometimes
with strategic management. Additionally, the article also discusses the role of the two terms in
relation to the decision-making process in an organization. In the end, the paper explores
sustainability as a challenge to the strategic process.
The article under review is published in the "Journal of Management Research (JMR)."
JMR is an online scholarly journal that is peer-reviewed and published bi-annually by
Macrothink Institute. JMR is influential in scholarly work as it publishes research in almost all
the business fields, including Finance, Marketing, Management, Human Resources,
Organizational Development, and Corporation administration. Further, JMR aims to provide an
intellectual platform for management researchers, academia, and management students by
enabling them to publish their original work.
Marcelo Amaral Dionisio is currently a Ph.D. student at Coppead/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. He has an MBA from Institut Superieur de Gestion, Paris, France. Marcelo has twenty-
five years of experience in multinational companies such as Japan Tobacco and P&G. He has
6
also been an entrepreneur in the import and retail trade and a business consultant for
international companies seeking to venture into business in Brazil. Marcelo is, therefore, a
practical source of experience in academia. His article "Strategic Thinking: The Role in
Successful Management" fits in this discussion because it discusses the importance of strategic
thinking in the efficient management of firms.
Srivastava, A. K. (2017). Alignment: The Foundation of Effective Strategy
execution. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-11-2015-0172
The article "Alignment: The Foundation of Effective Strategy Execution" by Amit
Srivastava is an article that gives a comprehensive understanding of the importance of strategy
execution in business. It explains the implications of lack of execution frameworks and comes up
with a model the author calls alignment to demonstrate the interconnectedness between the
alignment factors. It also proposes managerial action that can be used in converting strategic
goals into execution performance. The study's framework alignment is tested to be used in
effective strategy execution in organizations.
The article is published under the International Journal of Productivity and Performance
Management published by Emerald publishing. They are one of the leading digital publishers
globally, producing research that helps make a difference in various academic fields. They
partner with numerous business schools and universities to help share knowledge with scholarly
works that can help bring a positive change in the business world. They acknowledge the limited
citations available and therefore aim at bringing the necessary change.
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The author Amit Kumar Srivastava is a Ph.D. holder and currently teaches at T.A Pai
Management institute In Finance and Strategy areas. Srivastava teaches strategic management
and strategy simulation (CAPSTONE), offering fundamental insights on innovation management
and strategic technology. His research interests are strategy execution, alliance governance, the
knowledge process in new ventures, and the globalization of emerging markets. His article
"Alignment: The Foundation of Effective Strategy Execution" is essential in this discussion as it
explains the importance of structure-strategy linkage in strategy execution in managerial actions.
It also shows the importance of hierarchical relationships in various alignments.
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References
Dionisio, M. A. (2017). Strategic Thinking: The Role in Successful Management. Journal of
Management Research, 9(4), 44-57.
Dixit, S., Singh, S., Dhir, S., & Dhir, S. (2021). Antecedents of Strategic Thinking and Its Impact
on Competitive Advantage. Journal of Indian Business Research.
Gamble, J. E., Peteraf, M. A., & Thompson, Jr., A. A. (2019). Essentials of Strategic
Management: The Quest for Competitive Advantage (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-
Hill Education
Krogerus, M., & Tschappeler, R. (2017). The Decision Book. 50 Models for Strategic Thinking.
New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Moktadir, M. A., Kumar, A., Ali, S. M., Paul, S. K., Sultana, R., & Rezaei, J. (2020). Critical
Success Factors for a Circular Economy: Implications For Business Strategy and the
Environment. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(8), 3611-3635.
Srivastava, A. K. (2017). Alignment: The Foundation of Effective Strategy
Execution. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-11-2015-0172
Assignment 3
OUTLINE
Introduction
Implications of Individual and Group Decision-making in Business
i. Uncertainty in Strategic Decision-making
ii. Group Decision-making in Business
iii. Individual Decision-making in Business
Recent Developments in Strategy Development and Execution
i. Strategic Management
ii. Strategy Development Process and Execution
iii. Emerging Trends in Strategy Development and Execution
Impact of Cognate Studies in Business Strategy Development and Execution
i. Competitive Advantage
ii. Dynamic Capabilities
iii. Corporate Governance
iv. Sustainable Strategies
v. Strategic Decision-making
vi. Corporate Entrepreneurship
Conclusion
References
1
OUTLINE
Title: Business Integrity
Thesis: The discussion covers five parts: Power of Business Integrity, God's Perspective on
Business Strategy, my current Decision Model and how it has changed in the past several weeks,
an Annotated Bibliography for the references used in the discussion, and a Conclusion
supporting all the factual assertions with citations.
I.Introduction
II.Body Paragraph 1
a) The Power of Business Integrity
III.Body Paragraph 2
a) God's perspective on business strategy
IV.Body Paragraph 3
a) Decision Model
V.Conclusion
VI.Annotated Bibliography
VII.References
OUTLINE
Title: Business Strategy Development and Execution
Thesis: The paper will discuss business strategy development, the critical decisions
required in business strategy development, and my decision model.
I. Introduction
II. Body Paragraph 1
a) The Process of Business Strategy Development
III. Body Paragraph 2
b) Strategic Thinking
IV. Body Paragraph 3
a) Decision Model
V. Conclusion
VI. Annotated Bibliography
VII. References
