Business Strategy

Currently, the modern business environment is more competitive than ever, and this is because numerous business outfits have emerged to compete for roughly the same market. Therefore, successful companies are those that devise means which give them a competitive edge over their rivals. One such measure entails the adoption of a practical business strategy. The term business strategy is a workable plan that a business entity uses to compete favorably with other organizations, improve financial performance, achieve organizational goals, and attract new customers. An effective strategy is one that plots a clear guideline on actions that people are encouraged (not) to take for the betterment of the company, thus ensuring that no vital aspect of the business is left to chance.

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In this digital era, innovations like the internet have driven companies towards globalization, raising the stakes, and making it imperative for companies to adopt effective strategies. Regarding the analysis of business organizations’ strategies, few are as insightful as Team Wikispeed’s case. This paper proceeds on the thesis that Team Wikispeed’s case is a testament to the fact that companies must incorporate novel ideas into their operations if they are to succeed in the business scene.

Embracing Agile

In the quest to assess Wikispeed’s strategy and performance, it is vital to create the proper context in which this discourse shall occur. No article gives more insight into the intricacies of crafting effective business strategies and embracing creativity than Embracing Agile. In this piece, the authors highlight the revolutionary impact of innovation and place a particular focus on the information technology sector to derive lessons that any business entity can adopt (Rigby et al., 2016). They note that innovative Agile methods have radically altered the IT landscape for the last thirty years in software development, quality improvement, and market speed, as well as enhancing the IT teams’ drive and productivity. Rigby et al. (2016) conceptualize Agile’s methodologies as welcome reprieves from the conventional command-and-control model of management. The approach embodies a whole set of new values and practices that yield immense benefits to people working in the organization. According to the authors, Agile’s proposal has gained widespread acceptance in other business spheres owing to its universally applicable principles.

The authors pinpoint innovation as the fundamental aspect of Agile’s approach (Rigby et al., 2016). According to the authors, this creative approach works for most companies because the business environment is more dynamic than ever, necessitating the formulation of plans to enable business entities to keep up with the rapidly changing market conditions. The biggest challenge, however, is that most executives purport to implement the novel strategy, yet they are reluctant to let go of outdated methods. For instance, many CEOs launch too many programs and set strict deadlines for employees, yet the company would fare much better if only a few projects were prioritized. They also tend to overturn the decisions that teams make by intervening midway and re-introducing concepts that had been ruled out.

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As a remedy to the challenges that entities face in implementing the Agile approach, the authors make six recommendations (Rigby et al., 2016). First, leaders must familiarize themselves with the new method if they are to provide effective leadership. The second facet entails appreciating situations where the strategy would work, and those where attempts at implementing it will constitute wasted effort. The third recommendation is that entities should resist the urge to change everything at once and instead introduce new methodologies progressively. The fourth step for success in a dynamic business environment is to allow for flexibility so that proficient teams can customize processes. At the fifth stage, entities should implement innovative strategies like agile in high-ranking functions within the company in situations where the mundane routine aspects of company operations are static, leading to corporate realignments in their organizations. The last step entails removing all the possible hurdles to the implementation of novel and creative interventions. The researchers discovered that bureaucracy is the main frustrating factor for creativity because innovations are subjected to long approval sequences. To remedy this shortcoming, Rigby et al. (2016) recommend inquisitorial leadership where executives ask questions on the viability of innovations rather than clamping down on innovative ideas using the conventional command-and-control model.

The Wikispeed Approach and its Difference from Traditional Product Development Processes

The case study on Team Wikispeed provides a radically unique perspective on product development approaches (Kupp et al., 2013). Team Wikispeed embraced the Agile model, and from the details provided by its founder Joe Justice, the development process that the team uses is markedly different from conventional practice. Where others use the standard Waterfall model, Wikispeed uses Scrum, which embodies agile principles. In Agile methodologies, the development process allows for iteration, which is the repetition of sequences until one achieves the desired outcome. On the other hand, the Waterfall sequence entails the input of immense efforts and resources into a predetermined path from the beginning and pursuing that plan until it is complete.

Another difference that exists between these two processes pits flexibility against rigidity (Kupp et al., 2013). The agile approach is akin to an inquisitorial process where the parties try different things until the product’s specifications are deemed appropriate. The advantage of this approach is that it allows for alteration of the design in case the product’s requirements, in this case, a car, change. In the Waterfall model, however, the specifications are fixed, and the product design finalized even before the process takes off. As such, there is no space for making changes when circumstances change midway through the process. The inadaptability of the Waterfall method makes production a costly affair, especially where sales dwindle, customer preferences change, or the industry makes discoveries that render previous designs and materials obsolete.

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The line of production’s organization is another distinguishing factor between Team Wikispeed’s production process and other conventional approaches (Kupp et al., 2013). Wikispeed embraces a collaborative structure under Scrum to ensure that responsibility is distributed evenly across the team. The organization around production takes a tri-faceted approach with the product owner, team members, and the scrum master bearing different roles. On the contrary, conventional productions take a command-and-control model where team members are accountable to the manager.

Elements of the Wikispeed Approach Applicable to Traditional manufacturing Firms

A critical factor in the successful implementation of Agile is knowing where it can work and the aspects that can or cannot work in a given scenario (Kupp et al., 2013). Traditional manufacturing firms do not have the opportunity to try out novel ideas like iteration because their fields are not dynamic. However, there are vital lessons that they can borrow from Wikispeed’s approach. A significant transgression that multinationals have been guilty of in reverse engineering is planning on market segments using existing products (Winter & Govindarajan, 2015). Such a strategy manifests in removing existing features and leaving a lower quality product to serve less affluent markets. The main lesson from Team Wikispeed’s case study is the necessity of shifting accountability of the business from the manager to the customer (Kupp et al., 2013). Managers tend to be out of touch with the market, and while they may provide strategic leadership, the basis of manufacturing should satisfy the consumer’s needs.

Another positive practice embraced by Wikispeed is the distribution of responsibility across the entire team and allowing teams that have attained expertise in their fields to improvise where necessary to create practical solutions (Kupp et al., 2013). Traditional manufacturers should remove rigidity where strict adherence to specific processes have no functional impact on products and embrace new ideas.  In trying to come up with new products, executives should conceptualize the problem objectively without having an immediate solution (Winter & Govindarajan, 2015). Taking such an approach will remove the inconveniences caused by managers exercising their executive authority to interfere with the teams.

In conclusion, business strategy is a necessary facet of organizational operation as it determines its success or failure. Team Wikispeed’s approach demonstrates the importance of having a flexible and customer-centered plan. Even where the entities involved are traditional manufacturing companies, there are a few lessons that can be borrowed from Agile to improve efficiency.

References

Kupp, M., Dahlander, L., & Morrow, E. (2013, November 8). Team Wikispeed: Developing Hardware the Software Way. HBR Store. https://store.hbr.org/product/team-wikispeed-developing-hardware-the-software-way/ES1391

Rigby, D. K., Sutherland, J., & Takeuchi, H. (2016, May 1). Embracing Agile. Harvard Business Review, May 2016. https://hbr.org/2016/05/embracing-agile

Winter, A., & Govindarajan, V. (2015, July 1). Engineering Reverse Innovations. Harvard Business Review, July–August 2015. https://hbr.org/2015/07/engineering-reverse-innovations

Cancer Awareness

According to the American Cancer Society (2018), cancer is a significant health issue that has a high mortality rate such that per 6 reported cases of death, there is one death case of cancer. Risk factors like tobacco use, excess body weight, immune conditions, and inherited genetic mutations may promote the growth of cancerous cells. However, early detection through screening tests like mammography can help in reducing cancer-causing infections. Ethnic minorities, however, fail to have adequate cancer awareness due to emotional barriers like worry and mistrust with health practitioners (Knight, 2012). Inadequate cancer awareness is, therefore, an issue of great concern and this needs drastic attention since the cases of cancers are higher mostly among the ethnic minorities.

Background Information

Statistics show that there is low attendance of screening of cancers like cervical and breast cancer among women between 24 and 65 years in minority groups (Knight, 2012). Such women are unmarried; they have low educational qualifications and low socioeconomic status. Among the perceived barriers to screening such as worry, a dislike of going for the tests, inconvenient appointments; the lack of knowledge concerning the importance of screening is a significant problem. This is quite unfortunate considering that there are health organizations and advocates of health whose role is ensuring that they provide educational campaigns about health issues like cancer. Another challenge is that of language barriers which affect the level of understanding among these groups such as the Somali women, Asians, and Black Africans. Still, apart from the women, ethnic minority men also lack awareness about the importance of screening. For instance, Knight (2012) holds that incidences of prostate cancer in men are quite common, and these incidences are three times higher among African men as well as African-Caribbean men. Hence, when compared to White men, there is a severe lack of awareness about tests like prostate-specific antigen (PSA) among the men in minority communities.

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Some religious and cultural myths in these communities also prevent the populations from acquiring relevant information about cancer since it is believed that the disease is a death sentence. Initiatives like The National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI) in the United Kingdom reveal that the negative attitudes among the ethnic minority populations also influence poor knowledge about the disease. Hence, due to the negative beliefs; this prevents the people from attending forums and health services where they can learn more about cancer. It is quite unfortunate that based on these presented real-life issues; there are high death rates and shortest survival among the African Americans in most of the cancers. Another group is the Hispanics which is also at a high risk of developing cancer connected with infections that affect the liver, stomach and uterine cervix. On another note, the lack of awareness on issues like health insurance tends to create a financial burden to those affected thus creating a low chance of survival. Still, factors like poverty in these communities due to unemployment prevent the populations from attaining an education that can aid in increasing their awareness about maintaining healthy lifestyles (Knight, 2012). Therefore, with such factors, it can be quite challenging to convince some of these groups about lifestyle changes that can help in preventing cancer. For instance, the Latinos believe that weightiness is a highly preferable aspect in their culture yet this contributes to obesity which is a risk factor for cancer. Altogether, based on the underlying issues, it is evident that several factors make the ethnic minority groups lack adequate knowledge about cancer prevention. Unfortunately, this prevents them from taking the right measures like going for screening or getting immediate treatment.

The Proposed Solution to The Addressed Problem

Increasing cancer awareness should be a priority among the ethnic minority groups since this can reduce the mortality rate and increase cancer survivors. Low cancer awareness on factors like the knowledge and beliefs on cancer symptoms, the risk factors, screening strategies, effective treatment approaches increase delays of a cancer diagnosis. Therefore, having public campaigns on cancer awareness would be an effective solution to the presented problem. Based on a study conducted by Austoker et al., (2009) the campaigns have been linked with improving cancer awareness and encouraging these communities to go for early screening. On this note, further effectiveness of the awareness drives could be achieved by having language interpreters who understand the dialect and cultural beliefs of people from these communities. Still, the initiatives should have tailored printed information that meets the unique needs of the different ethnic minority groups since general information could have less impact. In the same study, Austoker et al. hold that tailored information promotes active engagement on cancer awareness by 11% when compared with general information at 4% or not information at all. In this case, such tailored information helps in modifying the people’s attitudes by motivating them to pay attention and seek help after the forum. Still, the programs would encourage the minorities the essence of maintaining a healthy weight, having regular exercises, and also enhance their knowledge about other risk factors of cancer.

Further, computer-interactive programs or e-health interventions would also aid in increasing cancer awareness in these populations. Technology has provided significant channels for interacting with people from all walks of life. Therefore, with the use of smartphones and other technology-related devices, this would provide adequate information and screening programs for targeted populations. For instance, specific drives have been developed to raise screening awareness on colorectal cancer where health care providers integrate e-health strategies for enhanced collaboration between them and the individuals. According to Slev et al., (2016), these screening programs have also been implemented for breast cancer where the internet-based initiatives have encouraged healthcare participation. This has been successful since the programs have electronic symptom reporting mechanisms and consultation support. Still, with this intervention, it would promote the sharing of screening information through publicly accessible websites sponsored by significant organizations. Such organizations include but not limited to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Cancer Institute (NCI) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It is also important to note that the e-health intervention for increasing cancer awareness is highly recommendable considering that some of the minorities have mistrust issues with health professionals. Hence, with the e-health support, it does not require individuals to have face-to-face contact thus encouraging minorities like the Somali women to gain confidence when airing their issues with health providers in the virtual networks. Slev et al., (2016) holds that the e-health strategy for creating awareness has positive effects.  It acts as a complement for traditional professional support, and it also reduces some healthcare costs like the consultation charges.

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It also solves the issue of inconvenient appointments which saves on time this being a practical barrier that prevents men from going for screening. Hence, initiatives that support these groups have a high chance of increasing cancer awareness and even promote the enactment of policies for minorities that cannot afford screening and cancer treatment. Generally, what the ethnic minorities need is social support since these are groups that are looked down upon by the majority in society. With the two proposed solutions, follow up plans using reminders in emails or text would motivate individuals to take action by going for appropriate screening. Hence, this would require a proper registration process of individuals attending the initiatives to gather their contact information to enhance communication and follow up.

Opposing Views Concerning the Suggested Solutions

Although raising cancer awareness through campaigns is a significant approach, critics have conflicting opinions on such initiatives. According to Christiano and Neimand (2017), there are many awareness campaigns not only about cancer but also other health issues. They further argue that the activists of these campaigns fail to act in ensuring that after raising the awareness, the targeted populations go for the right screenings that are relevant according to their age or gender. Therefore, Christiano and Neimand believe that awareness campaigns are likely to fail if the advocates of health lack to incorporate appropriately crafted messages that call for action and behavioral change. Further, due to the rise of security threats on the internet, an issue of concern in the opposing view is related to the e-health intervention for raising awareness by encouraging cancer screening. Critics argue that the security of the information transmitted through the networks could be at risk of ending up in the wrong hands of hackers. Generally, it is believed that systems lacking security measures that prevent data theft could jeopardize e-health intervention.

Conclusion

In conclusion, regardless of the raised opposing views, the public campaigns that target minorities incorporated with tailored information, as well as e-health interventions, would be useful in raising cancer awareness. Sensitizing the essence of encrypting the conversations in the networks would prevent data threat. Data security is an essential component that has to be enhanced without question between patients and healthcare professionals. Generally, the initiatives would motivate change and the perceptions of the ethnic minorities concerning the essence of cancer screening and prevention measures.

Reference

American Cancer Society, (2018). Global Cancer Facts and Figures 4th Edition

Austoker, J., Bankhead, C., Forbes, L. J., Atkins, L., Martin, F., Robb, K., … & Ramirez, A. J. (2009). Interventions to promote cancer awareness and early presentation: systematic review. British journal of cancer, 101(S2), S31.

Christiano, A., & Neimand, A. (2017). Stop raising awareness already. Stanf Soc Innov Rev. Spring, 2017.

Knight, P. L. (2012). Raising cancer awareness in minority ethnic groups. Nursing times, 108(38), 17-19.

Slev, V. N., Mistiaen, P., Pasman, H. R. W., Verdonck-de Leeuw, I. M., van Uden-Kraan, C. F., & Francke, A. L. (2016). Effects of eHealth for patients and informal caregivers       confronted with cancer: a meta-review. International journal of medical informatics, 87, 54-67.

Biography of an Influential Person

The purpose of this Final Project Assignment is for you to recognize human development and outcomes (e.g., developmental constructs, processes, milestones, and stages) through the lifespan of an influential person. You will describe this person’s development through cognitive, physical, and social-emotional processes at various key periods, and how his or her development is influenced by nature (genetics), nurture (environment), or both.

For this Final Project Assignment, you will read a biography about an individual of your choosing. Think about leaders, artists, composers, researchers, professors, and otherwise influential people, etc. The person you choose should be someone who has had an impact (positive or negative) on others and/or on society.

This Final Project Assignment is a 2.5- to 4-page paper composed of three parts. These parts include: the Summary during Week 2, Part 1 during Week 7, and the Final Project submission during Week 10. Note: It is recommended that you begin reviewing the biography you chose starting at Week 2 and plan your time accordingly.

For this week, you will review the Final Project Assignment Overview document and consider an influential person you would like to learn more about.

To prepare for this Final Project Assignment:

• Review the Final Project Assignment Overview document found in this week’s Learning Resources.
• Select a biography, not an autobiography, of an influential person. Your selection must be one person and not a group of individuals.
• The biography should be written for adults and not children and cover the entire life of the individual.
• You must use an actual hardcover/paperback book or ebook (Note: Using biography.com or other websites as primary sources of information is not acceptable).
• You must include at least two theories from this course in your Final Project Assignment and discuss at least two of the three developmental processes (cognitive, physical, and social-emotional).

No Assignment submission due this week.

Submit your Final Project Assignment in Week 10.

Sample Answer

Introduction

During human development, several milestones occur from childhood to adulthood. The milestones are marked by the cognitive, physical, and social, emotional growth processes, which are essential stages in an individual’s life. Various theorists such as Piaget and Erik Erickson came up with theories to describe the human developmental processes. By focusing on the biography of Barack Obama, understanding his social, emotional, and cognitive growth; this will offer an insight concerning the factors that contributed to him being influential.

A Summary of Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama’s date of birth was 4^th August 1961. He was born of Barack Obama Senior and Ann Dunham who were from a mixed heritage. Obama’s popularity increased when he started contesting for the United States presidential seat, and he ended up being the first black president to rule the country. According to Maraniss (2012), Obama became the forty-fourth American president and his highly influential leadership skills enabled him to serve the nation for two terms, which was between the years 2009 to 2012. However, Obama’s political journey began in 1996 when he contested for the Illinois State Senate seat as a Democrat. He was the Senator for Illinois for three terms. During his administration, Obama influenced significant policies such as Obama Care. He also called for equal rights for women and the LGTB community in America, considering that these are two groups that have faced discriminatory challenges in society.

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Obama’s Cognitive Development

In human development, the cognitive stage describes the mental processes which are learning, thinking, problem-solving, and remembering. With that in mind, Obama cognitive development can be illustrated through his education journey. On this note, Obama began his early school education in 1966, where he attended the Noelani Elementary School. For his high school diploma, Obama joined the Punahou School in Hawaii and then transferred to Occidental College in Columbia. The education he received from these institutions enhanced his intellectual abilities such that in 1981, he made the very first public speech. The learning process in Obama’s development portrayed a high level of intelligence. Based on Piaget’s cognitive theory of development; the building blocks of intelligence or schema are influenced by aspects like assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration (Brown, & Desforges, 2013). From Obama’s academic journey, he enhanced his self-efficacy by putting into practice what he learned. He did not let issues like his cultural background to define him, considering that he was from a mixed-race of an American White mother and an African father.

Obama’s Social-Emotional Development

In this stage, social-emotional development demonstrates how humans develop skills that help them interact with people from diverse backgrounds and how they express and take charge of their emotions. During Obama’s development, he encountered several challenges, mostly during his teenage years. This was a period that he needed social and emotional support from his father. However, Obama’s father was not always present. Thomas (2008) holds that his father returned to Kenya in the year 1964, when Obama was three years old. He only returned to visit his son when he was ten years old. He later died after being involved in a car accident. The lack of a father-son relationship created a void that made Obama struggle with exploring how to be a man. Despite this challenge, during his young adulthood, Obama’s social-political involvement enhanced his socio-emotional development. During his enrollment at the Columbia University in New York, Obama began to research his African roots when he started writing a personal memoir after his father’s death, which occurred in 1982. He even traveled to Kenya to meet his relatives, and during his short stay; he learned a lot about his origin. Still, in his college life, Obama participated in several clubs such as the International Students Association. These clubs made him feel loved and appreciated since people around him encouraged him to talk about Kenya and Africa at large. Further, after completing his education at the Columbia University in New York, Obama moved to Chicago, where he enrolled for a job as a community organizer.

Analyzing How Nurture Influenced Obama’s Development

Generally, it is justified saying that nurture or the community environment influenced Obama’s cognitive and social-emotional development. In this case, his surroundings helped him understand the needs of Roseland the Altgeld Gardens communities. Through social interactions, he unveiled aspects that needed change, and this influenced to work on community development programs. He also used his intellectual abilities to develop job training programs and an organization for tenants’ rights because he understood what people wanted. Further, in his quest for knowledge, Obama joined the Harvard Law School, and it is here that he got to meet Michelle, who he married in the year 1992. This is a crucial stage in human development since according to Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, social and emotional development occurs in different phases (Huitt, 2008). Obama finding the love of his life falls under the sixth stage of intimacy and isolation. Successful young adults who engage in romantic relationships, according to Erickson’s theory, they manage to establish strong relationships with people around them.

 Conclusion

In conclusion, Barack Obama went against all the odds in society to rise to the scales by becoming the first African American to rule America. Through his cognitive and social-emotional development, this enabled him to promote change by eliminating issues like racial profiling and inequality among minority groups. Overall, Obama will continue to be an influential leader globally due to his admirable confidence, eloquence in speech and leadership. 

Reference

Brown, G., & Desforges, C. (2013). Piaget’s theory. Routledge.

Huitt, W. (2008). Socioemotional development. Educational psychology interactive.

Maraniss, D. (2012). Barack Obama: The Story. Simon and Schuster.

Thomas, G. (2008). Yes, we can: A biography of President Barack Obama. Feiwel & Friends.

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A challenge many teachers face is identifying effective ways to engage students in meaningful dialogue that advances thinking and elicits critical, higher-order responses based on current learning needs. Exploring appropriate questioning techniques, for various grade and ability levels, helps teachers to design questions that encourage critical and higher-order thinking and guide students in their learning.

Using one of the lessons you developed in this course, create both content and critical thinking questions you could ask during the implementation of the lesson. The questions should be based on the standards and objectives within the lesson you selected.

In 500-750 words, explain the following:

• The lesson title, standards, and objectives on which the questions focus.
• At least three content- or skill-based questions that are appropriate for students’ grade and ability levels for each objective, and examples of answers the question is designed to elicit.
• At least three questions for each objective that would encourage critical thinking and higher-order thinking, and examples of answers the question is designed to elicit.

In addition, write 150-250 words examining how questioning strategies facilitate students’ comprehension and critical thinking related to literary and informational texts.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric.

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