Performance Project Capstone Course Description This course synthesizes and articulates comprehensive problem-solving abilities as

performance improvement experts. Students customize a project, execute it, and write the

results in a final project.

Course Objectives  Evaluate the organization’s motivation, innovation strategy and people strategy.

 Explain the role of ethics and corporate social responsibility in strategic planning.

 Compare different types and levels of strategies and how they need to be suited to culture of

an organization.

 Analyze an organization’s remote environment, industry environment, and internal

environment.

 Evaluate the organization’s competitive position and possibilities, potential generic

strategies for an organization, potential value disciplines for an organization, and potential

grand strategies for an organization.

 Develop organizational change management strategies.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisites: Completion of degree requirements

Testing This is a proctored course. Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) requires

validation “that the student who takes an assessment is the same person who enrolled in the

program and that the examination results will reflect the student’s own knowledge and

competence in accordance with stated learning outcomes.” (Retrieved February 23, 2021 from

The DEAC Accreditation Handbook, page 92). Grantham University utilizes the services of

ProctorU to meet this requirement.

Proctored Exam Information: This course includes a proctored exam. You must register to take your exam using this link.

You may register for and schedule your exam at any time after the course start date. To take

the proctored exam you must:

 Have a webcam

 Provide valid picture ID to the proctor before the exam starts

 Use a computer that will allow a live proctor from ProctorU (a third party) to temporarily

take control of your computer

 Test must be scheduled at least 72 hours prior to the time you plan on completing the

exam or there will be a $5 fee paid directly to ProctorU (credit card or debit card only)

 Take the exam in a room with no other people, distractions, or interferences

 Review these three links: ProctorU – Getting Started, ProctorU – How it Works, Exam

Rules

*If you do not attempt the Proctored Exam, you will be unable to access assignments and

exams for all weeks following the Proctored Exam, essentially resulting in a failing grade

for the course. In order to unlock assignments and exams in future weeks, schedule and

complete your Proctored Exam in a timely manner.*

Tentative Course Schedule Course Week Weekly Content

Week 1: Strategizing for Organizational Success

 Read articles – “3 Digital Strategies for Companies That Have Fallen Behind”; “Formulate a Winning Business Strategy, Business Model, Strategic Framework”; “Does Your Organization Need A Chief Purpose Officer?”; “4 Ways to Transform Your People Strategy for Industry 4.0”

 Watch videos – “Why the secret to success is setting the right goals”; “Your strategy needs a strategy”

 Discussion 1 “Introduction”

 Discussion 2 “Rural start-up”

 Assignment “Rural Start-up”

Week 2: Motivation and Innovation

 Read articles – “Benefits of social innovation strategies in frontier markets”; “Research Explores How ‘Fresh Starts’ Affect Our Motivation At Work”; “Litigation Is Not A Substitute For Innovation”; “Corporate America’s New Flexible Dress Code Is Indicative Of A Trend Toward Employee Empowerment”; “Let’s Talk: Staff Motivation”

 Watch videos – “What is the meaning of work?”; “What are you willing to give up to change the way we work?”

 Discussion 1 “Motivation Grant”

 Discussion 2 “Innovation Consultation”

 Assignment “Innovation Consultation”

Week 3: Ethics in the Workplace

 Read articles – “Loyalty Isn’t A Virtue, It’s the Enemy of Workplace Ethics”; “Federal judiciary leaders approve new roles to protect court employees from workplace harassment”; “Mnuchin’s Hollywood Ties Raise Ethical Questions in China Talks”; “Creating an Ethical Workplace May Not Be Easy, But Is It Critical? Yes, It Is”; “Famed Investor Named in Elite College Scandal, Raising Critical Ethics Questions for All”

 Watch videos – “In praise of conflict”; “What really motivates people to be honest in business?”

 Discussion "Ethics Summary”

 Assignment "Most Valuable Provisions"

Course Week Weekly Content

Week 4: Corporate Social Responsibility

 Read articles – “Corporate Social Responsibility, Purpose Brands, and Gen Z”; “Corporate Social Responsibility Is Turning Green, And That’s A Good Thing”; “Why Your Company Should Be More Socially Responsible”; “How to Make Your Corporate Social Responsibility Come from Within”

 Watch videos – “The way we think about charity is dead wrong”; “The business benefits of doing good”

 Discussion "Image and Social Responsibility”

 Assignment "Social Responsibility”

Week 5: Corporate Environments

 Read articles – “The 15 best companies for work-life balance in 2019”; “’Fear doesn’t belong in the corporate environment’: SAP’s Jennifer Morgan, named one of the most powerful women in business”; “Workplace programs promoting good health on the rise: study”; “How workplace design drives productivity from employees of all ages”; “How can I get my company to let me work from home? Ask HR”; “16 mind-blowing job perks that real companies offer”; “Meet the Female Titans of Wall Street: Helen Kane, founder and CEO of Hedge Trackers”

 Watch videos – “This what makes employees happy at work”; “8 lessons on building a company people enjoy working for”

 Discussion "Remote Work”

 Looking Ahead to Week 8 final project

 W5 Proctored Exam

Week 6: Competition and Strategy

 Read articles – “Seven Strategies to Get Your Business Noticed in a Saturated Market”; “The Best IT Strategy Is Business Strategy”; “The strategy behind McDonald’s latest breakfast creation”; “MBA students face off in challenge to create the next best impact investing idea”; “Three-In-A-Box People Strategies That Win”; “New Mavenlink Study Finds Business, Competition, and Customer Expectations Rising Significantly for Services Firms”; “Different Types of Business Strategies”

 Watch videos – “How one team turned a spring project into a marathon success”; “How to get empowered, not overpowered by AI”

 Assignment “Healthy Competition”

Week 7: Strategic Planning for Future Success

 Read articles – “Five Basic Strategies to Manage Business Growth”; “Why the US Needs a Strategy for AI”; “Amazon says it will avoid a housing crunch with HQ2 by planning better than it did in Seattle”; “Rethinking Your Business Strategy: When and Why”; “Why CEOs Must Own Corporate Brand Values”; “Beyond the Concept: The Proven Ways to ‘Fail Fast’ For Business Success”

 Watch videos – “How machine learning can teach us to build more effective teams”; “Your strategy needs a strategy”

 Discussion “Visual Board Advertisement”

Course Week Weekly Content

 Assignment “Hindsight”

Week 8: Organizational Change

 Read articles – “Merging: How Traffic Mirrors Organizational Change”; “When Introducing Organizational Change, Tell Stories From, Not About, The Future”; “How to Orchestrate Change from the Bottom”; “Digital Transformation Is Not About Technology”; “Why We Need to Rethink Organizational Change Management”; “Five Ways to Engage Mid-Level Managers in Organizational Change”

 Watch videos – “5 ways to lead in a constant era of change”; “Why we ignore obvious problems – and how we act on them”

 Discussion "Final Project Feedback”

 Course Survey

 Assignment “Business Strategy Plan”

Grading Policy Grading Category Grade Weight

Discussions 27%

Assignments 30%

Proctored Exam 3%

Final Project 40%

Estimated Student Workload The following table outlines the academic effort required by students to become successful in

this course. While the times in the table are hourly approximations, it is presented to help

students with their time management. Please note, depending on the student’s background

knowledge and experience of the course subject, and an individual student’s academic

capabilities, these times will vary.

Course Week Activity and Time Required

Week 1  Reading/Watching” 2.1

 Discussion: 3.0

 Homework: 3.0

 Total Time Estimated: 8.1

Week 2  Reading/Watching: 2.1

 Discussion: 3.0

 Homework: 12.2

 Total Time Estimated: 17.2

Week 3  Reading/Watching: 2.1

 Discussion: 3.0

 Homework: 3.0

 Total Time Estimated: 17.1

Week 4  Reading/Watching: 2.2

 Discussion: 3.0

 Homework: 3.0

Course Week Activity and Time Required

 Total Time Estimated: 8.2

Week 5  Reading/Watching: 2.7

 Discussion: 3.0

 Homework: 0.0

 Total Time Estimated: 8.2

Week 6  Reading/Watching: 2.8

 Discussion: 3.0

 Homework: 12.0

 Total Time Estimated: 17.8

Week 7  Reading/Watching: 2.7

 Discussion: 3.0

 Homework: 12.0

 Total Time Estimated: 17.7

Week 8  Reading/Watching: 2.8

 Discussion: 3.0

 Homework: 36.0

 Total Time Estimated: 41.8