Objective Week two Journals

You will create profiles for the for-profit and not-for-profit companies that you have chosen to examine in this course.

This week, you will fill out the company profiles for both of the companies you chose to research. Follow the instructions and questions below for each company.

 Company Profile (Not-for-Profit)

 Write a paragraph here that describes the company. Identify the company’s:

 1.      Area of interest

2.      History

3.      Summary of activities

4.      Funding sources

5.      Mission statement

6.      Values statement

 Tip: Good sources of information to use are the company website and other credible non-profit web sites.

 1.      Location

a.       List the headquarters.

b.      List any major branch offices.

2.      Tax exempt status

a.       Is the company a 501c)(3)? If so, what date was it granted this status? If not, what is the name of the umbrella organization?

3.      Personnel

a.       How many employees does the company have?

 Then, examine and discuss the following:

1.      What obstacles does the company face in its sector, and does the company have any innovative approaches to overcoming those obstacles?

2.      Describe a time in which the company faced a major crisis that threatened its business. How did the company address and overcome this situation?

 Company Profile (For-Profit)

Profile of [Company Name] (Franz, 2005)

 Write a paragraph here that describes the company. Identify the company’s:

1.      Area of interest

2.      History

3.      Summary of activities

4.      Funding sources

5.      Mission statement

6.      Values statement

 Tip: Good sources of information to use are the company website and other credible non-profit web sites.

Include the company’s details:

1.      Location

a.       List the headquarters.

b.      List any major branch offices.

2.      Financial facts – Provide information regarding the following:

a.       The company’s most recent revenues.

b.      The company’s most recent profits.

c.       The company’s historical growth in relation to its revenue and profit.

d.      How the company compares to other companies in its sector.

3.      Personnel

a.       How many employees does the company have?

 Then, examine and discuss the following:

1.      Competitiveness. How does the company compare to its main competitors? Consider both domestic and local markets.

2.      What obstacles does the company face in its sector, and does the company have any innovative approaches to overcoming them?

3.      Leadership. Research and describe a time in which the company faced a major crisis that threatened its business. How did the company address and overcome this situation?

Week Three Journal

Objective

You will analyze yourself in relation to your ethical dispositions and beliefs. You will then explicate the three primary ethical concepts that you would try to instill in your own workforce were you to run a company or manage people.

Instructions

There are two parts to this assignment. First, you will analyze yourself in relation to a number of questions about your personal ethical beliefs, values, and goals. This portion of the journal will be completed by answering the questions under “Personal Profile” below. In the second portion of the assignment, you will also explain the three fundamental principles you would use to guide a company that you owned or began, and then you will explain why you find those principles the most important for running a company.

 Please answer all questions in detail. Because this journal is worth 5% of your final grade, there is a high expectation for your participation. Grades for the journals are based on content, critical engagement, quality of reflection, and detail. Please submit the completed journal via the Assignment Basket found in the Week Three Journal tab on the left navigation toolbar by Day 7.

 Personal Profile

Describe and conduct research on yourself (Sachteleben, n.d.). Reflect on the following questions and explain your answers to these attributes and questions in paragraph form.

      1.      Describe your personality (choose 3 power words)

2.      Explain your primary ethical perspectives.

a.       What are the ways that you try to live an ethically good life and why do you think that these ways are the best ways?

b.      Feel free to include ethical theory and analysis that you have learned about in your study of the text and articles.

3.      What are your primary values?

4.      What specific activities reflect your primary values? (e.g., “saving money to help the needy” or “protecting the environment”)

5.      What are your primary beliefs about life and the way that you interact in your place of business or work?

6.      What causes do you participate or hope to participate in?

7.      What are your pet peeves?

8.      What are your goals, dreams, or plans for the future both professionally as well as personally?

9.      Have you ever had any unusual experiences? (e.g., “Worked in the peace corps in the Sudan,” “Went to school in Germany,” “Survived a severe storm,” “Met a famous person,” “Home-schooled my kids.”)

10.  Do you belong to any groups or have any affiliations that help to orient your life?

Reflection Prompt for Personal Profile Activity

Once you have completed your personal analysis, please reflect on the following and provide your thoughts in paragraph form.

1. If you were running a business, what are the three ethical virtues or principles that you would use to create the optimally ethical environment for your company? 
2. Please explain why you chose each virtue or principle and how it would foster good business. Feel free to be creative here and to not abide by common standards of morality if you do not think that it is important to abide by certain standards in business. For example, you might claim that honesty is the best policy. However, someone might claim that it would actually be best to foster deception in order to maximize profits. Either way, explain why you chose the various principles.