Skill(s) Being Assessed: Problem Solving

What to submit/deliverables: A recommendation letter and its explanation based on analysis of relevant sources.

We find solutions in our daily lives based on the facts around us. For example, you may suggest that your child wear a jacket if the weather report seems chilly. Perhaps you provide some professional guidance to a colleague struggling with a decision at work. For both your personal and professional lives, understanding how and why you come to these recommendations is an important part of problem solving accurately.

This assignment builds on your first assignment (the timeline) by asking you to consider and create recommendations based on your understanding of the facts and then to explain your thought process and reasoning behind them.

Engage your problem solving skill by evaluating sources and recommending possible disciplinary actions for the employees involved in the workplace incident.

What you need to complete this assignment:

Scenario: The general manager has asked for a recommendation on what should happen following the loss prevention issue identified in the Week 3 Assignment. Your recommendation will join the recommendations from the inventory manager and the loss prevention manager to help determine punishment (if any) for the employees involved.

As Viewpoint director, your role is to be an advocate for all employees. Your primary responsibility is to relate employee concerns to leadership and provide guidance on situations involving employee discipline.

Steps to complete: In Week 5, complete the following in Chapter 5 of your webtext. You will then download the completed assignment from the Webtext and submit the following in Blackboard:

STEP 1: Review the timeline you created in the Week 3 Assignment (and the feedback you received from your instructor) to reacquaint yourself with the currently known facts of the incident.

STEP 2: Examine the additional sources provided (Pages 5.7–5.9 of the Webtext) and determine how you will use them to formulate a recommendation.

You will need to analyze the benefits and drawbacks of the recommendations from the inventory manager and the loss prevention manager and determine how you will use them in your own recommendation.

STEP 3: You should find one or more additional sources to help support your recommendation. These resources should contain information that the provided sources do not include. Additional support and guidance is provided on Page 5.10 of the Webtext. For example, you could use a resource that addresses how other companies have dealt with similar situations, an article that addresses a certain aspect of your recommendation, or a relevant professional experience that helps inform your conclusions.

STEP 4: Write a recommendation based on your sources. Your message should provide your recommended outcome (or outcomes) and an explanation for how you arrived at your conclusions. A template is provided on Page 5.11 in the Webtext.

Refer to the length and formatting of the inventory and loss prevention managers' letters to guide your work. The example letters are of varying quality, so take that into consideration when reviewing the format and content. Make sure your writing is professional and includes appropriate language, organization, and grammar.

STEP 5: Format your work according to the Strayer Writing Standards [PDF]. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.

STEP 6: Download your completed assignment from Chapter 5 of the Webtext.

STEP 7: Submit your assignment in Blackboard.