Module 3 Discussion 

Compare the ranking of U.S. GDP (purchasing power parity) to that of other countries by visiting the CIA’s World Factbook.

After reading the article  U.S.A comes up a bit short in global Better Life Index and comparing the relative ranking of U.S. GDP to other countries, what is the link between wealth and well-being? Do governments have a responsibility to address well-being?

Module 4 Discussion 

After researching the latest consumer confidence estimates, in addition to the latest unemployment and inflation estimates, do you estimate good or bad times ahead for the U.S. economy in the next five to ten years?  You are being asked to consider economic growth (ie the growth of real GDP).  Please be specific in your analysis as to what aspects you believe most contribute to your positive or negative outlook.

The latest consumer confidence estimates can be found at https://www.conference-board.org/data/consumerconfidence.cfm and the latest unemployment and inflation data can be found at www.bls.gov under Latest Numbers.

Optional activity:  Play the Federal Reserve’s economic forecasting game! You can enter specific forecasts on various economic variables and compete nationwide at https://research.stlouisfed.org/useraccount/fredcast/

Module 5 Discussion 

After watching the video Generational Theft regarding our nation’s debt situation and the impact of entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, consider our Saint Leo core values of responsible stewardship and community and answer the following questions:

1.    What responsibility do we have as a society to help the elderly and disabled? 

2.    What potential changes could the federal government enact to help the viability of both programs?

Resources:

• Baltzan, P., and Phillips, A. (2015). Business Driven Information Systems (5th ed).
• Week 1 through 5 articles and videos
• Week 1 through 5 individual homework assignments
• It is recommended students search the Internet for an Information Technology (IT) Strategy Plan template. This template is to be used only as a guide to help you with identify the content you need to include. Your paper must be submitted in APA.

Scenario: You are an entrepreneur in the process of researching a business development idea. You have come to the stage in your research of creating a high-level Information Technology (IT) strategy for your new enterprise. This plan is a high-level strategic planning document that will inform more detailed operational plans for the individual components. Considerin the business intelligence plan how the enterprise will use information technology, selected data, and data analytics to develop competitive intelligence, identify market trends and opportunities, and measure enterprise performance.

Synthesize the individual assignment deliverables from Weeks 1 through 5 and create a broad high-level Information Technology (IT) Strategy plan for your chosen business organization in a minimum of 3,150 words which includes the following:

• An executive summary that includes your chosen enterprise, industry sector, product, intended market with an overview of the business focus, corporate culture, ethical framework, and discussion of how the IT value chain will support enterprise innovation and competitive advantage
• A technology governance plan for managing the selection, acquisition, management, use, and security of business information systems
• A systems acquisition plan that includes steps to initiate, analyze, design, acquire, implement, and maintain business information systems
• An outline in the data collection plan of the data requirements, data collection, and management process
• An information systems risk management plan that includes the process of identifying, analyzing, and mitigating information systems risk, including a brief summary of the disaster recovery and business resumption planning process

Cite a minimum of 8 references. At least 3 of these need to be peer-reviewed references from the University of Phoenix Library. 

Format consistent with APA guidelines.

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

Paper 1: The Thesis/Introduction/Outline

Overview

During Week 2, you will begin reading about the literary genre of the short story and ways to discuss the short story that you chose in Week 1. You will start Paper 1 by focusing on the thesis, introduction, and outline of the paper.

• Outline for Paper 1
•  
• Week 2 Discussion 1 

In this discussion, you will be bringing together all the information you read about in this week's reading sections.

In this discussion post a working thesis statement, outline, and if you're ready for it, an introductory paragraph for the Paper 1 assignment.

This is where you will use the Short Story you chose in Week 1, Section 4. Choose Your Short Story.  

You will receive feedback on what you submit and be evaluated on your thesis statement and outline by your instructor. Remember: this paper is not due until the end of Week 4. You will have time to revise and work on your thesis so that it will be polished by the time you submit it as part of the final paper. You will be expected to use the feedback you receive here and throughout the upcoming weeks in your continuing development and revision of the paper.

Week 2, Discussion 2. Reflection: Your Short Story and Writing Process

Previous  Next 

In this discussion, post your thoughts on the short story you chose for your paper.

Address any areas of the story and/or the theme. Here you can begin a conversation about your story–and engage in conversations about other students' choices.

You can also reflect on your writing process so far. For example, is anything changing about the way you write?

Part 1 (Discussion Forum): Due 16 Jan  Please note that this forum has several parts, so read these instructions carefully.  In this forum, post your thesis statement (a complete sentence) and a brief outline for the critical evaluation essay. For your critical evaluation essay, you will probably want to evaluate the same essay that you chose and discussed in last week’s Forum. In fact, The Week 2 Forum was designed to allow you to get a head start on your critical evaluation essay by first analyzing your chosen essay within Forum 2, before developing it further here, in Forum 3.  Then, discuss how you plan to show how your chosen author uses ethos, pathos, logos, etc.  Choose one original example of this support,  and explain how it was effective in the essay's argument. Cite this example correctly using MLA style documentation.  Finally, consider the following. During this section of the course you evaluated an essay. How can this sort of critical evaluation of another author’s work be used in future courses at APUS?  

Part 2 (Essay): Due 19 Jan 2017  

Instructions: Your first essay – the critical evaluation essay – is due at the end of week three. In this essay, you will be critically evaluating a classic argument. Do not submit the rough forum draft to me as the final draft–because you will need to revise it heavily based on peer feedback first.  Choose one argument from the historic American or global works listed in the “Supplemental Readings” section of the course lessons. Decide whether this argument is successful or not. If you decide this essay is successful, discuss why. You may use the structure of the argument, the tone, and the various types of support (ethos, pathos, and logos) as proof of the argument’s success. Make sure that your thesis has an introduction that contains a hook and a thesis, body paragraphs that discuss one proof at a time (one paragraph per example), and a conclusion. If you decide that the essay is not successful, then discuss the fallacies that the argument makes. You are still required to have a strong introduction (hook and thesis), body paragraphs that discuss one fallacy at a time, and a conclusion. You may also discuss how the essay is successful with reservations. In this case, point to both the support and the fallacies you have found in the work.  This paper should be at least 700 words, but no more than 850. The paper should be formatted correctly MLA style and written in third person (do not use the words I, me, us, we, or you).  The essay should also contain citations and a works cited list based on your selected essay in the assigned readings.  Formulate the structured response from your own close reading of the text. Do not use outside sources (open Web) without explicit permission from the instructor.

 Share one of the oral stories that has been passed down in your own  family and elaborate on how the story has changed or remained consistent  throughout the years. Develop your story in a 1 page Word document.  Note: if your family does not have an oral story, then elaborate on an  anecdote or funny/interesting situation that may have occurred in the  past (and that is still spoken about today). 

Format and the Professional World"

1. There are several different formats (emails, letters, reports, slides, and more) we will study this quarter. How important is the format in connecting with an audience? Defend your answer with relevant support.
2. Consider a time when the way a message was delivered to you made a difference. What were your expectations about the message and how were they influenced or changed by the manner the information was delivered?

For this assignment you will be applying Hofstede’s cultural  dimensions to organizational behavior in the United States and a country  of your choosing (to select a country, see http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

1. Synthesize what you learned from Hofstede’s website about both the U.S. and the country you selected.
2. What cultural practices intrigued you? Why these?
3. Analyze the cultural dimensions identified by Hofstede in the  country you selected. What dimensions in this country do you believe the  US can learn from?  Provide a rational for your choice.
4. Justify 5 recommendations you have for training expatriates from the US to work in this country.
5. Defend 5 recommendations you have for training repatriates upon return to the US from this country.

Your paper should be a maximum of 3 pages long, with a title page and a maximum of 5 references in APA style.

Based on your experience taking our course, fill out the “My Ashford University Course Playbook” handout. 

•Fill out the section of the document entitled “ENG121: English Composition 1.” 

•Each portion of the table should be 100 to 200 words in length.