Part 1 Discussion Each week, you will be asked to respond to the prompt or prompts in the discussion forum. Your initial post should be 75-150 words in length, and is due on Sunday. By Tuesday, you should respond to two additional posts from your peers.  The Newsroom In your discussion this week you have to write a short newscast. Select three (and only three) current news stories. Select the three stories that you think are the most important to our nation and society. Write an original headline for each story. Write no more than three sentences summarizing each story. Include the full html web address for each story. It is very important to only write on three stories and keep your summaries under three sentences as this simulates how challenging it is to explain very complicated new stories in very restricted time and keeping the attention of viewers. Your initial post will look something like this: Catchy Headline #1 Summary sentence 1. This is the second sentence. And finally a third sentence. Catchy Headline #2 Summary sentence 1. This is the second sentence. And finally a third sentence. Catchy Headline #3 Summary sentence 1. This is the second sentence. And finally a third sentence. For your follow up posts, question your peer’s newscasts. Why did they select the stories they did? Were there other current events that they seemed to miss? Was there any bias in how the stories were presented? Was there any bias in how those stories were summarized? Why did they include certain news stories? Why did they ignore others? You may also respond to your peer’s questions for a follow post. Part 2 500 words Interest Group Consultant Simulation In this activity you will be pretending to be a consultant for an interest group. You will be charged with helping that interest group better achieve its goals. Have fun and be creative in this activity! Your paper should be at least 500 words long. 1.First, select an interest group from the following list that you will be consulting for (*you may only complete this assignment on one the listed interest groups): a.Service Employees International Union b.National Association of Realtors c.US Chamber of Commerce d.National Rifle Association e.National Education Association f.American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees g.AARP h.National Association of Broadcasters 2.In the first sentence of your paper please state very clearly what interest group you have selected. 3.Next, describe in your own words, what your selected interest group mission is. Do not copy and paste or quote the organization’s mission in your paper. Use your own words. 4.Next, take that mission statement and rewrite it in a new short one sentence “elevator pitch” that you think would be more effective. Feel free to get creative. 5.Look up your selected interest groups website. What is the web address? What do you like about their website? What do you think could be improved about their website? 6.Look up your selected interest group on social media. What is good about their social media presence? What could be improved about their social media presence? 7.Look up your selected interest group on Open Secrets or the Federal Elections Commission website and discuss your findings. How much money does your interest group have? What is that money being spent on? In your opinion, are they using their money effectively? How could they spend their money to better accomplish their goals? 8.Come up with at least one completely original idea that could be used to improve your selected interest groups efforts. Describe this idea in detail. What specific goal would this idea seek to accomplish? What types of resources would this idea need? How would this idea improve the organization’s efforts to achieve its mission? 9.Finally, be sure to provide a reference list.

Research Paper Focus of the Research Paper Use at least one project you have been a team member of, or a project manager for, as an example to contextualize the research topics below: All of the following topics must be addressed in order for the paper to be complete: Define the importance of purchasing and supply management and how this relates to selecting a qualified supplier. Discuss how to select strategies for negotiating prices. Assemble the steps of the creation of a project supply, service, and material budget from detailed requirements. Illustrate the benefits and costs of outsourcing, and the growth pattern of outsourcing. Evaluation of the various organizations that are benchmarks in purchasing and supply management, and their best practices. Provide specific examples of companies who show market leadership in purchasing and supply management. This is an assignment with a length of eight to ten pages that should integrate the reading, multi-media and class discussions. It is mandatory to have research from the classroom text, as well as three sources from scholarly sources to support your views. Consider the validity of your resources carefully before using them in academic papers. It is recommended to use examples from your professional experience where possible, or build from your learning in the discussion boards.   Writing the Research PaperThe Final Paper: Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA Must include a title page with the following: a. Title of paper b. Student’s name c. Course name and number d. Instructor’s name e. Date submittedMust begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.Must use at least three scholarly sources, other than the textbook.Must document all sources in APA style. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style No plagiarism, use your own words