Goal:You will be preparing a series of strategic communications and an outline for delivering them regarding a significant change in the annual retreat.Background:Financial Service Now (FSN), is a faith-based financial consulting organization that was started in 1998 by Susan Demarco as a local financial consulting practice and has since grown to over 60 locations throughout the Midwest.  The company now employs 175 consultants across the United States who operate from virtual offices, meeting with clients in person but with leadership and co-workers primarily by videoconference.  The company’s business leadership team includes: President, Susan Demarco, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, and Senior VP of Human Resources who are all based out of a headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. The leadership team also includes the Senior VP and Chief Operations Officer, VP of Innovation, and VP of Human Resources, as well as 18 State Regional Directors, all of whom are networked virtually.  All totaled, the organization has 525 employees.  Each regional center meets weekly for accountability and updates, and the Regional Directors meet with their teams every other week.Situation:One of the company’s most popular events is the well-publicized annual meeting which is typically held at a nice destination hotel/resort with great amenities, strategically planned so that participants can golf or participate in fun outings in the morning, have a social afternoon with dinner provided, and the meeting the next day which features great speakers and food.  It is always a rallying time when the company’s leadership celebrates its accomplishments, recognizes its outstanding employees, and announces new initiatives.  However, the rising costs of hotels, transportation, and fuel, coupled with new regulatory challenges for corporate accountability and sustainability, as well as having a mostly virtual workforce, have forced the company’s leadership to question whether this remains a sustainable option. While employees enjoy and value this event, in the past year costs have risen 15-20%, costing the company upwards of $100,000 for the one event, and leadership is not sure that the benefit is worth the cost. They're also concerned about the continuing pattern of increase and the impact on the company's bottom lineRole:You have been appointed as the Coordinator of Communication for Financial Service Now (FSN), a faith-based financial consulting firm, and you have been tasked with introducing a new initiative.  Although the new initiative makes sound financial sense to the company’s leaders and helps improve the company’s overall sustainability, it involves a substantive change in the company’s methods that will likely meet with divergent reactions.The Plan:Leadership has identified two options to deal with this issue. One is to identify what would need to be removed from the company's employee support in order to fund the gathering. Lucky for you, this has landed in the finance area for analysis. The other option is to try a virtual meeting this next go around. You have been charged with creating a plan to communicate this to individuals in the organization, and leadership has cautioned you that it needs to be presented as a positive and valuable option. The company has decided to offer a virtual annual meeting this year rather than a destination event, meaning that although they’ll still have the same caliber of the speaker and general focus of the gathering, it will be from participants’ virtual offices rather than a mostly-paid-for destination retreat. As the Coordinator for Communications, you now have the challenge of conveying these new initiatives and their rationale to your consultants.  You know these changes will garner a wide variety of reactions, as well as generate rumors, questions, and uncertainty about the company’s future and the viability of virtual meetings.  Plus, it’s a lot to take in all at once.  Yet, you’ve seen the bottom-line numbers and you know what budget and economic realities your leadership team is facing, so you know to help the company succeed through these challenges you will need to make an effective case for this change through a series of well-planned business communications over the next four months to prepare your consultants for the upcoming changes.You have been asked to create an Infographic with a visual message with the following elements:Meeting outline (Agenda) which will be shared with all invited attendees at the Virtual Annual Meeting.Dates and time of the Virtual Annual Meeting.Graphics, including the Company Logo.Benefits of the Virtual Annual Meeting.Through your Infographic, you need to demonstrate clear, insightful critical thinking in your use of the readability style and design principles to create a visual message.Book:https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/business-communication-for-successReference: https://venngage.com/blog/how-to-make-an-infographic-in-5-steps/

Answer both the questions.1. Former governor and conspiracy theorist Jesse Ventura believes that the U.S. government has substantial knowledge of alien presence here on Earth, but chooses to keep this knowledge from the public.Find and review (in two paragraphs) a video or Youtube showing another conspiracy theorist who claims to have proof of government suppression of public awareness regarding alien presence on earth.In your review, respond to the following questions: How compelling is the “evidence” presented in the video? Why do you find it compelling or non-compelling? Be sure to reference the link, the title, the name of the featured conspiracy theorist, and the date of publication. 2. Briefly summarize, why we distrust secret societies. Use a psychology or sociology reference to support your assertions.Think of a time when someone you know felt excluded from membership in a club, society or clique-- when they felt they should rightfully have been included. Share this experience with us, using at least two of the psychological terms used in the module; add references.Find one piece of reputable documentation(i.e. not found on any CT website but rather in a well-respected magazine, newpaper, journal article or book.), that confirms the fact that the Bohemian club and its membership have a profound influence on North American policy. There are many, by the way! Avoid Alex Jones and similarly insubstantial sources, however, compromising photos with brief descriptions are also acceptable.

Go to YouTube and watch a videoclip of jazz musician Gerald Wilson. You can view the video embedded below, but are encouraged to view a few others available online.FranklyJazzTV. (Apr 5, 2009). Gerald Wilson 'Milestones' on Frankly Jazz. Youtube.Then read the interview with this prolific musical artist below and answer the questions.WBGO 88.3FM. (May 17, 2004). Gerald Wilson. AllAboutJazz.com. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.In what ways is Wilson a leader? Which of the four components of Northouse’s definition of leadership apply to Wilson?How was he shaped by his times?What career experiences contributed to his growth as an artist?In what ways is he an innovator?What unique skills does he have?How does he inspire others?What influence does musical leadership have on our society as a whole?Can you think of any other influential musicians?