CompetencyExamine the use of qualitative and quantitative studies for business research.ScenarioYou work in a senior manager role at a software development company. There has recently been a major restructure and you are required to take on the management of both the sales and customer support departments. The departments have never fallen under the same manager and have traditionally had a tense relationship. The tension comes from the tendency of the sales team not always being forthcoming about the limitations of the software product. The result is angry phone calls to customer support representatives. Additionally, the previous managers of the two departments had very different management styles and were often at odds with one another.The combination of the overall organizational restructure, the merging of departments that had a history of tension, and the change in managers seem to be affecting the morale and productivity of your newly acquired staff. This observation is supported by high turnover in both areas, tendencies to miss deadlines, a high rate of employees calling in sick, and no responses to important email and phone correspondence. As manager, you need to create a team that trusts you and works well together in order to be productive and meet your company’s sales goals while providing excellent customer support. In order to address what you believe to be a serious morale issue, you have decided to research the exact root of the problem in order that you come up with solutions to begin team-building exercises and ultimately increase productivityInstructionsYou have decided that the problem is serious enough that it should be brought to the attention of senior management in the form of a presentation. In your presentation you will begin by briefly describing the ways you believe low morale is affecting productivity. You will then describe the research methods you will use to determine the exact cause for low morale so that you can make appropriate actions in your area.Create a presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint or other presentation software of your choice (voice-over is not needed) that includes the following:Describe four ways that you see low morale affecting productivity in your area (1 – 2 slides)Explain the qualitative and/or quantitative research method(s) you would use to discover the exact cause of low morale and why you chose it. (2-3 slides) Quantitative methods – surveys, experiments, surveys, and case studiesQualitative methods – focus groups, interviews, observations, content analysisIdentify the target audience that will be included in your sample and why (2-3 slides)Define how large the sample will beDetermine whether all members of the team will be included in your research or only selected members.Determine the type of data you will be gathering and how it will allow you to interpret the exact cause(s) of low morale in your area. (2-3 slides)ResourcesFAQsPowerPoint FAQLibrary ResourcesBusiness Source CompleteBusiness via ProQuestAPA GuideGrading RubricFFCBA01234Did not SubmitNo PassCompetenceProficiencyMasteryNot SubmittedVisual element is unappealing and inappropriate for a Visual element is unappealing and inappropriate for a business topic and the Senior Management audience because design has been neglected or presentation is over designed.Visual element has some appealing elements but is either too plain or too cluttered in places. Overall, the presentation is appropriate for a business topic and the Senior Management audience, but visuals and/or delivery are not as professional as expected.Visual element are appealing for a business topic and the Senior Management audience.Visual element is appealing and appropriate for a business topic and the Senior Management audience.Not SubmittedDescribes one or two ways that low morale is affecting productivity, no examples are provided. Text on slides is too brief or wordy, and narration doesn’t match text on the screen; or presenter reads the slides.Describes one or two ways that low morale is affecting productivity, no examples are provided. Text on slides is too brief or wordy, and narration doesn’t match text on the screen.Thoroughly describes three ways that low morale is affecting productivity, using a specific example. Text on slides is presented succinctly, and narration matches text on the screen.Thoroughly describes four ways that low morale is affecting productivity, using specific examples. Text on slides is succinct, and narration matches text on the screen.Not SubmittedDefines but lacks an explanation of qualitative and/or quantitative methods appropriate for determining exact cause(s) of low morale. Reasons for methods chosen are not provided.A specific of each method is needed and terms such as surveys, case studies, focus groups, and interviews are not used or are used incorrectly.Explains qualitative and/or quantitative methods appropriate for determining exact cause(s) of low morale. Inadequate or irrelevant reasons for methods chosen are provided on the slides and in the narration.A specific of each method is provided but terms such as surveys, case studies, focus groups, and interviews are not used or are used incorrectly.Explains qualitative and/or quantitative methods appropriate for determining exact cause(s) of low morale. Reasons for methods chosen are provided concisely on the slides and in the narration.A specific of each method is provided and terms such as surveys, case studies, focus groups, and interviews are used correctly.Explains qualitative and/or quantitative methods appropriate for determining exact cause(s) of low morale. Detailed and logical reasons for methods chosen are provided concisely on the slides and in more detail in the narration.Specifics of each are provided and terms such as surveys, case studies, focus groups, and interviews are used correctly.Not SubmittedTarget population is not clearly identified, and no specific details of appropriate sample population are providedTarget population is vaguely identified, and one to two general details of a sample population are provided though sample may or may not be appropriate for the situation. Includes one or two of the following: sample size and rationale for this size, inclusion of entire workplace team or reasons for exclusions.Target population is identified, and two details of appropriate sample population are provided including sample size and rationale for this size, inclusion of entire workplace team or reasons for exclusions.Target population is identified, and at least three details of appropriate sample population are provided including sample size and rationale for this size, inclusion of entire workplace team or reasons for exclusions.Not SubmittedNames one type of data to be gathered but method of interpreting the data is not stated. Does not provide an explanation of the connection between data and cause of low morale.Names one type of data to be gathered and method of interpreting the data. Presents an explanation of the connection between data, interpretation methods, and determining cause(s) of low morale.Explains at least two types of data to be gathered and method of interpreting the data. Presents an explanation of the connection between data, interpretation methods, and determining cause(s) of low morale.Thoroughly explains at least three types of data to be gathered and method of interpreting the data. Presents persuasive explanation of connection between data, interpretation methods, and determining cause(s) of low morale.

The objectives of this course were 1) to help you assess your existing leadership strengths and weaknesses, and 2) to help you develop a plan to address one or more leadership goal(s). The deliverable used to address these objectives is the Leadership Development Project. Below are the requirements for the LDP. The entire project should be no longer than 4 pages double spaced (including the goal setting chart). You do not need a title page.Your paper should contain the following sections:1. Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses:Self-Assessments - In this section you should discuss the results from all of the self assessments you took during the semester (e.g., LTQ). You do not have to mention the results of all of the assessments but you must mention a minimum of six and you should choose those that were most significant or relevant for you; either because you had an exceptionally high or low score, or because it fit with a theme supported by scores from your other assessments or interviews.Interviews - In addition to the self assessments you will need to interview two people you have worked with recently (e.g., coworkers, supervisors, former supervisors, etc.) The important thing is to choose people whose opinion you respect and who will give you HONEST feedback. You will ask them to provide you with what they perceive to be your three greatest leadership strengths and three greatest leadership weaknesses, and to provide you with rationale for their choices. Perhaps ask them to give you some examples of when these behaviors have been demonstrated. *DO NOT argue with them or defend yourself, and monitor yourself to make sure you are not angry or defensive. Only ask questions to help you clarify their perspective.Strengths/Weaknesses Conclusions - Once you have the interview data and the self assessments you should look for themes or trends. What do you appear to do well as a leader? What do you struggle with? This is the most important section of the LDP because you will choose one or two weaknesses from here to focus on for your "Goal Setting" portion of the project. This is an integrative paper, a summary of what you will take away from the class. Please do not simply list your self-assessment scores. *A short one or two sentences is NOT sufficient for this section.2. Goal Setting: What changes do you want to make? Based on the conclusions you were able to generate in the previous section regarding weaknesses, create at least one developmental goal for improving your leadership skills, and a plan for achieving that goal. Refer to the previous sections, and think about the things that you learned about yourself that you may have been surprised by or disappointed in. Your goals should be specific, measurable, challenging but attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound. You can use the attached sample as a guideline for creating your developmental plan.Often the difference between an A paper and a B/C paper is the ability to summarize rather than "list" the results, and the presence of MEASURABLE and TIME-BOUND goals.