this is a post to submit a new refined version of the assignment done by you, so just making this thread to make a payment for fixing the mistakes. thank you for your time.

I need step 5 completed for this Group Project. The table to fill out is linked under that step. If for some reason it is not working please let me know. It is important for you to read all the instructions before. I know it is a little weird to read so I will attach it labeled W4 Syllabus. I will also attach the grading rubric. You need to review this to make sure you don’t do anything correctly. The instructor is strict. For the table please only use the leadership competencies that are listed in the W3 Leadership Competencies file and the one that says example. You need to use ONLY the sources I provide which will also be attached. Do not forget to include the reference page as well. I need atleast 5 different sources to be on the reference page, but the more the better.

BMGT 365 – Team Deliverable #3 – Succession Planning for Biotech – Part Two

APA FORMAT

Purpose:
The purpose of this project is to gain an understanding of succession planning and what it means to plan for future leadership that is aligned with an organization’s core values and leadership competencies.

Skill Building:

You are also completing this project to help you develop the skills of research, critical thinking, teamwork, and writing a report intended for executive review. Writing is critical because in business it is important to convey information clearly and concisely and to develop a personal brand. Developing a personal brand is important because it is the ongoing process of establishing an image or impression in the minds of others especially those in positions above you. Having a strong personal brand can lead to opportunities that include promotions.

Skills: Writing, Critical Thinking, Developing a Personal Brand, Succession Planning, Writing a Succession Plan Report.

Outcomes Met With This Project:

• Use leadership theories, assessment tools, and an understanding of the role of ethics, values, and attitudes to evaluate and enhance personal leadership skills
• Assess the interactions between the external environment and the organization to foster responsible and effective leadership and organizational practices
• Collaborate in teams utilizing effective communication techniques
• Develop individual awareness, style, and communication skills that enhances leadership skills
• Integrate and apply analytical principles and skills to make strategic decisions

This project is the last of three group projects. Members of the team will collaborate acting as a self-managed team. As a self-managed team, members take a collective responsibility for ensuring the team operates effectively, sets team goals, manages time, makes decisions and solve problems, communicates frequently and clearly, and meets the deadline. You may have team members that are located all over the world. Working in a virtual environment should not stop the self-managed team from being successful in reaching the final goal. All work must appear in the Group area.

As a self-managed team, the following is the work for which team members are responsible:

• setting goals
• determining roles and responsibilities for each team member
• actively participating and communicating in the Group area of the classroom
• completing the agreed upon work prior to the deadline
• resolving problems and issues among the team members
• agreeing on a final product as a group (consensus decision making)
• submitting the final product into the Assignment Folder (all students will submit into the Assignment Folder)

All students on the team will receive the same grade unless a member fails to participate or does not carry his or her weight in completing the project. These students will receive a zero or a reduced grade depending on the level of participation and contribution to the team project.

Teams can consist of 2, 3 or 4 students but should not consists of more than four students. Team members are responsible for completing the project even if a team member does not fulfill his or her obligation of submitting the agreed upon work. The project cannot be completed individually and students cannot choose to create teams other than those created by the instructor. If a team member does not hear from any other member, it is important to reach out to the instructor.

If the project is submitted after the due date, the Late Assignment policy is applicable. No extensions beyond the due date is given to teams.

Background: Your Group has been assigned to be part of the Succession Plan Committee at Biotech. This Committee has been hard at work for months, planning the successor for Mr. Barney, and the rest of the executive team (largely positions occupied by the Barney family). They have assigned your group to complete the Succession Plan for five key leadership positions at Biotech. These positions will need to be filled over the next 12-24 months. There is not an immediate need for any of them currently, but vacancies will be imminent. The preference is to fill these internally, but Mr. Barney, the CEO, has stressed that if the right leader for a position does not exist already within Biotech, he would rather search for someone externally than to settle.

Your Group has already analyzed these five leadership positions and presented a report to Mr. Barney about them. Now it is time to identify any internal candidates that may be suitable for these positions.

The Committee has already interviewed five different individuals that have expressed an interest in furthering their careers at Biotech. All have leadership positions currently at different levels, and within different departments of Biotech. All have agreed to accept any leadership position assigned to them, and all are open to relocate.

Instructions:

Step 1: Course Material

For this project, you are required to use the case scenario facts and the course material. External sources are not permitted. You are not researching on the Internet or using resources from outside the course. You are expected to answer the requirements identified below showing the connection between the case scenario facts and the course material. Using course material goes beyond defining terms and are used to explain the ‘why and how’ of a situation. Avoid merely making statements but close the loop of the discussion by explaining how something happens or why something happens, which focuses on importance and impact. In closing the loop, you will demonstrate the ability to think clearly and rationally showing an understanding of the logical connections between the ideas presented in a case scenario, the course material and the question(s) being asked. Using one or two in-text citations from the course material throughout the entire paper will not earn many points on an assignment. The use of a variety of course material is expected consistently supporting what is presented. The support must be relevant and applicable to the topic being discussed. Points are not earned for mentioning a term or concept but by clearly and thoroughly explaining or discussing the question at hand.

Step 2: Review the Leadership Competencies Table

Review the Leadership Competencies Table completed in Week Two to accompany the Job Announcement (You may also wish to review any feedback received by your Instructor about your Table.).

Step 3: Review Upcoming Positions

Review the five different upcoming positions for which your group has been tasked at filling and the leadership competencies you identified for each (You may also wish to review any feedback received by your Instructor about these competencies).

Step 4: Read Profiles of Five Internal Candidates

Read the profiles of the five internal candidates that have put themselves forward for leadership positions.

Candidate 1 – Jackie Johnson – Current Position – Director of Purchasing

Jackie Johnson currently works as Director of Purchasing and obtained this job right out serving in the military. She is a graduate of UMUC’s business administration program. Johnson entered the interview room all smiles and with a firm handshake. The interviewer admitted to being impressed by the firm handshake and the constant eye contact throughout the interview. Johnson was very prepared to discuss her future with the company. She had completed extensive research on all four geographic divisions prior to the interview. Johnson had also spoken with current employees throughout Headquarters. Johnson indicated that, as Director of Purchasing, she had worked very hard to create a small business “subculture” within her department. She felt that her employees were empowered to make their own decisions, which freed her to think strategically about purchasing for Biotech. She admits that this “free-rein” approach to leadership has sometimes allowed her department to have missteps in distribution with divisions outside of North America. She has worked hard to overcome that image by altering her leadership style according to the situation or the employee she is dealing with.

Her approach to leading is to look for leadership opportunities and encourage employees to act upon them, if possible. Johnson believes she is positive about the future and while she admits to only having worked in the purchasing department, she feels that she can bring a big picture perspective to the company, having worked with both suppliers and customers in purchasing. When asked about her risk tolerance, she replied, “I believe that is demonstrated in the small-business, entrepreneurial subculture I created in purchasing. At the end of the day, I’m more risk tolerant than cautious.” Johnson said she sees herself as a transformational leader. She feels that good leadership is built on good relationships with followers. Relational theory seems to make the most sense to her for the 21st century because people make change work, and leading change is the future.

Candidate 2 – Henrietta Higgins – Current Position – Assistant Director of Purchasing

Henrietta currently works at Biotech Headquarters in the Purchasing Department. She is 28 years old with 3 years of college. Henrietta is a business administration major, and expects to graduate in about one year. She is friendly and has a quiet demeanor. She does not tolerate much nonsense from people, hates surprises, and wants people to be brief in talking with her.

When asked what she likes about her current position, she replied that she likes the feeling of a small-business that her boss has created within the purchasing department. She appreciates that it makes her feel in control in such an environment. She likes the idea of the collaborative environment of Biotech and responded well to the idea that her opinions and suggestions were always welcome. However, she expressed some concern that the youthful employees of IT, and some other departments, had plenty of opinions but not a lot of discipline in their work ethic. She has found that structure, procedures and rules have worked better than asking for input. When asked how her staff perceived her, she laughed and said they called her a “Type A.”. The interviewer noted that during this statement, it was only one of two times during the interview that she held his gaze for any length of time. When asked what characteristics she thought a leader needed to possess to succeed in the 21st century she replied, “…objective, practical, controlled and fair.” Higgins said her leadership style was transactional but the interview was not sure if it was not more authoritarian.

When asked what leadership theory she thought was most likely to work in the 21st century her reply was “Great Man, because it emphasizes the characteristics of a person like honesty and trust.” Higgins’s knowledge of the business was sound but when asked if anyone could be a leader she said no. It was up to the position that a person holds. Higgins did understand that sustainability was very important to the business. She said she had some ideas on how to make the process aspects of Biotech better and more efficient while saving cost. She also thought that being eco-friendly was important but realized that was the other meaning of the word sustainability in business.

Candidate 3 – Mohammad Darvish – Current position – Marketing Manager, Homeopathic Division (Corporate Headquarters)

Darvish currently manages the sales of the Homeopathic Division. He enjoys working with a customer until they are satisfied and regrets having to short change the time he spends with customers today. He also feels that the company culture has become more rigid over the past few years. When asked to elaborate he responded, “Folks are scared of making mistakes. If there has been anything I’ve been seeking to change in the homeopathic division, it’s that it’s okay to make mistakes, as long as we learn from them.” When asked what characteristics he thought a leader needed to succeed in the 21st century, he replied, “…flexible, risk tolerant, insightful and honest.”

He liked the collaborative culture of Biotech and showed signs of having done his homework on the other divisions, particularly Asia. Biotech, he said, would do well if the company made sure that this division continued it existing culture because it encouraged creativity.

When asked how he created followers among his employees, Darvish replied that he liked to use incentive motivational techniques and would sometimes empower workers if they demonstrated the ability to take risks. Darvish said he was sometimes a laisse-faire leader because it encouraged freedom of thinking. He said he would solve problems largely through “good teaming and collaboration”. His said his favorite leadership theory was contingency theory because it allowed him to approach things by the situation. He liked to agree with people and saw himself as being flexible. When asked how he dealt with change, he replied, “In this business, if you’re not changing, you’re dying.”

Candidate 4 – Marg Simpson – Current position – Sales Director, Chicago Office

Marg Simpson is 36 years old. She is a single mother of two. She was a nurse for 8 years before coming to work at Biotech in the marketing area of the sales division in Chicago. She has been working for the company for four years. Her immediate manager reported that Marg is highly motivated and competent at her job. Her manager said that Marg’s biggest asset is that she “looked at challenges as opportunities and often found creative solutions to problems that others had not considered.”

Simpson’s nursing years were spent at the University of Chicago in Orlando Park. Surrounded by a large Muslim community the hospital gave classes in Arabic and Simpson found it very useful in her work to attend Arabic classes. She learned not only how to carry on a conversation with non-English speaking patients but the names of many drugs and over-the-counter treatments. Simpson enjoyed her time in Orlando Park and found the culture of the families very compatible with her own ideas of family.

When asked if she was risk tolerant or risk averse, she answered: “I occasionally reward risk taking in the work environment. I do not think poorly planned risk is wise, but sometimes you have to take a chance in sales. It is not for the faint-hearted. But at the end of the day, I’d describe myself more risk averse than tolerant.”

Having read about the opportunity through the Biotech’s HR division website, Simpson was excited about the possibility of moving her career forward. When asked if she were to relocate to other regions, such as the Middle East, if it would present problems for her, she only said. “Initially, but if I plan things out well, surround myself with good people and learn about my clients I am sure I could overcome the cultural drawbacks to being a woman.”

While she describes herself as being very familiar with Muslim cultures, Simpson freely admits that she knows little about Europe or South America. She has read some information and thinks she could learn another language if she is given help and the time needed to learn.

Simpson has many innovative ideas about increasing sales. Simpson’s evaluations are superior and she works well with her team. Her colleagues suggest that she is flexible and a people-first person. Her eye contact is good and she comes off as being very authentic. She describes her leadership style as “a blend of situational and transformational” and describes herself as a relational leader. The interviewer noted that at times she seemed to be more future oriented in her comments and may need to worry more about the here and now when getting things done.

Candidate 5 – Rafael Mendez – Current Position – Director of Sales, New Mexico

Mendez currently is Director of the New Mexico sales division at Biotech. He was Biotech’s top salesman before taking over the Director position. Mendez is 32 years old. A recent divorce from his wife has made him eager to make a change in his career. Mendez’s wife was Brazilian. Mendez is fluent in Portuguese. When asked if he was open to moving outside of the United States, Mendez replied that he was “open to adventure.” He had not traveled excessively but had gone to Brazil regularly with his wife when they were together. He was familiar with the problems of a developing country.

Mendez enjoys working with customers and spends a lot of time with them making sure they are satisfied. Darvish enjoys Biotech’s collaborative culture. He feels that one of the secrets to his own sales success is the ability to coordinate with other departments within Biotech, including purchasing, IT, R&D, and HR. As part of his 360-degree performance appraisal, his team gave him glowing reviews. He got equally high ratings from the more senior (Baby Boomer) salespeople on his team as the younger (millennial) salespeople.

When asked what characteristics he thought a leader needed to succeed in the 21st century, he replied, “…you need to be a good listener, first and foremost.” He felt a good leader should change rapidly in a crisis and should be direct and assertive when dealing with people. When asked about the idea of competitive edge he said “A leader has to worry about making money every day. It is important to have immediate results for all to see especially in sales. Even customers prefer to deal with successful sales people than those that plod along.”

Mendez believes he could do well in another country if the company ensured he received language and cultural training. He knew that understanding how people thought about business and their products was important but more likely the sale would be clinched if he knew what was and wasn’t good in the country in which he was selling. He stated, “Knowing your clients is everything in sales, so I suspect it is a very important part of leadership at Biotech as well.” When asked how he created followers among his employees, Mendez replied that he liked to have rules but room for deviation, and likes to provide flexibility in the job while staying results-driven. Mendez said he was a situational leader because it encouraged freedom, and allowed him to use different leadership styles with a diverse group of employees.

Step 5: Succession Planning Table – Part Two

Complete the Succession Planning Table – Part Two to help guide your decision making.

Step 6: Succession Planning Report – Part Two

Complete the Succession Planning Report – Part Two. This is the report that will be reviewed by President and CEO, Maximillian Barney.

Your Group’s Succession Planning Report Part Two will be addressed to Mr. Maximillian Barney, the CEO and President of Biotech. The report should address all of the following elements, with each section supported by course materials.

Introduction:

A description of your group’s succession planning process (from both last week and this week)

Recommendations:

For each of the five positions identify:

• The internal candidate recommended for each position, and why (supported by course materials).
• A brief discussion about any candidate not chosen for a leadership position at this time, with justification for this decision supported by course materials.
• If any of the positions cannot be filled by the current candidate pool, describe why an external search is recommended.
• If any of the positions cannot be filled by the current candidate pool, briefly describe the qualities that you feel the Biotech recruiting team should look for in the external candidate for this position.

Summary:

Describe briefly to Mr. Barney why your group’s recommendations are important for Biotech’s future.

Reference Page: (in APA format)

Step 7: Submit the completed Report in the Assignment Folder.

Submit the Succession Planning Report Part Two into your Group’s Assignment Area and in Turnitin. One submission should be made per group.

Other Required Elements:

• Read the grading rubric for the project. Use the grading rubric while completing the project to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible grade.

• Third person writing is required. Third person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing). If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third- person.

• Contractions are not used in business reports, so do not use them.

• Paraphrase and do not use direct quotation marks. This means you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source document, but put a passage from a source document into your own words and attribute the passage to the source document, using in-text citations in APA format.

• Direct quotes are NOT allowed if they are quotation from course materials. This means you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source document, but put a passage from a source document into your own words and attribute the passage to the source document, using in-text citations in APA format. Changing words from a passage does not exclude the passage from having quotation marks. If more than four consecutive words are used from source documents, this material will not be included in the grade and could lead to allegations of academic dishonesty.

• In-text citations should be included in ALL SECTIONS of the report, and should demonstrate application of the course material. Note that a reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa. Provide the page or paragraph number for ideas that are reference in all in-text citations.

• You may only use the course material from the classroom. You may not use books or any resource from the Internet.

Self-Plagiarism: Self-plagiarism is the act of reusing significant, identical or nearly identical portions of one’s own work. You cannot re-use any portion of a paper or other graded work that was submitted to another class even if you are retaking this course. You also will not reuse any portion of previously submitted work in this class. A zero will be assigned to the assignment if self-plagiarized. Faculty do not have the discretion to accept self-plagiarized work.BMGT 365 – Team Deliverable #3 – Succession Planning for Biotech – Part Two

NOTE: All submitted work is to be your team’s original work. You may not use any work from another student, the Internet or an online clearinghouse. You are expected to understand the Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy, and know that it is your responsibility to learn about instructor and general academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources as specified in the APA Publication Manual, 6th Ed. (Students are held accountable for in-text citations and an associated reference list only).

Team Deliverable #3 is due Sunday, September 15, at 11:59 p.m. eastern time of week 4 unless otherwise changed by the instructor.

Purpose:

The purpose of this project is to gain an understanding of succession planning and what it means to plan for future leadership that is aligned with an organization’s core values and leadership competencies.

Skill Building:

You are also completing this project to help you develop the skills of research, critical thinking, teamwork, and writing a report intended for executive review. Writing is critical because in business it is important to convey information clearly and concisely and to develop a personal brand. Developing a personal brand is important because it is the ongoing process of establishing an image or impression in the minds of others especially those in positions above you. Having a strong personal brand can lead to opportunities that include promotions.

Skills: Writing, Critical Thinking, Developing a Personal Brand, Succession Planning, Writing a Succession Plan Report.

Outcomes Met With This Project:

• Use leadership theories, assessment tools, and an understanding of the role of ethics, values, and attitudes to evaluate and enhance personal leadership skills
• Assess the interactions between the external environment and the organization to foster responsible and effective leadership and organizational practices
• Collaborate in teams utilizing effective communication techniques
• Develop individual awareness, style, and communication skills that enhances leadership skills
• Integrate and apply analytical principles and skills to make strategic decisions

This project is the last of three group projects. Members of the team will collaborate acting as a self-managed team. As a self-managed team, members take a collective responsibility for ensuring the team operates effectively, sets team goals, manages time, makes decisions and solve problems, communicates frequently and clearly, and meets the deadline. You may have team members that are located all over the world. Working in a virtual environment should not stop the self-managed team from being successful in reaching the final goal. All work must appear in the Group area.

As a self-managed team, the following is the work for which team members are responsible:

• setting goals
• determining roles and responsibilities for each team member
• actively participating and communicating in the Group area of the classroom
• completing the agreed upon work prior to the deadline
• resolving problems and issues among the team members
• agreeing on a final product as a group (consensus decision making)
• submitting the final product into the Assignment Folder (all students will submit into the Assignment Folder)

All students on the team will receive the same grade unless a member fails to participate or does not carry his or her weight in completing the project. These students will receive a zero or a reduced grade depending on the level of participation and contribution to the team project.

Teams can consist of 2, 3 or 4 students but should not consists of more than four students. Team members are responsible for completing the project even if a team member does not fulfill his or her obligation of submitting the agreed upon work. The project cannot be completed individually and students cannot choose to create teams other than those created by the instructor. If a team member does not hear from any other member, it is important to reach out to the instructor.

If the project is submitted after the due date, the Late Assignment policy is applicable. No extensions beyond the due date is given to teams.

Background: Your Group has been assigned to be part of the Succession Plan Committee at Biotech. This Committee has been hard at work for months, planning the successor for Mr. Barney, and the rest of the executive team (largely positions occupied by the Barney family). They have assigned your group to complete the Succession Plan for five key leadership positions at Biotech. These positions will need to be filled over the next 12-24 months. There is not an immediate need for any of them currently, but vacancies will be imminent. The preference is to fill these internally, but Mr. Barney, the CEO, has stressed that if the right leader for a position does not exist already within Biotech, he would rather search for someone externally than to settle.

Your Group has already analyzed these five leadership positions and presented a report to Mr. Barney about them. Now it is time to identify any internal candidates that may be suitable for these positions.

The Committee has already interviewed five different individuals that have expressed an interest in furthering their careers at Biotech. All have leadership positions currently at different levels, and within different departments of Biotech. All have agreed to accept any leadership position assigned to them, and all are open to relocate.

Instructions:

Step 1: Course Material

For this project, you are required to use the case scenario facts and the course material. External sources are not permitted. You are not researching on the Internet or using resources from outside the course. You are expected to answer the requirements identified below showing the connection between the case scenario facts and the course material. Using course material goes beyond defining terms and are used to explain the ‘why and how’ of a situation. Avoid merely making statements but close the loop of the discussion by explaining how something happens or why something happens, which focuses on importance and impact. In closing the loop, you will demonstrate the ability to think clearly and rationally showing an understanding of the logical connections between the ideas presented in a case scenario, the course material and the question(s) being asked. Using one or two in-text citations from the course material throughout the entire paper will not earn many points on an assignment. The use of a variety of course material is expected consistently supporting what is presented. The support must be relevant and applicable to the topic being discussed. Points are not earned for mentioning a term or concept but by clearly and thoroughly explaining or discussing the question at hand.

Step 2: Review the Leadership Competencies Table

Review the Leadership Competencies Table completed in Week Two to accompany the Job Announcement (You may also wish to review any feedback received by your Instructor about your Table.).

Step 3: Review Upcoming Positions

Review the five different upcoming positions for which your group has been tasked at filling and the leadership competencies you identified for each (You may also wish to review any feedback received by your Instructor about these competencies).

Step 4: Read Profiles of Five Internal Candidates

Read the profiles of the five internal candidates that have put themselves forward for leadership positions.

Candidate 1 – Jackie Johnson – Current Position – Director of Purchasing

Jackie Johnson currently works as Director of Purchasing and obtained this job right out serving in the military. She is a graduate of UMUC’s business administration program. Johnson entered the interview room all smiles and with a firm handshake. The interviewer admitted to

Reply to all parts with 150 words a piece

Part 1

The fundamental assets of a national scientific research laboratory align with one of four major areas. Professional staff, or the people component, includes the knowledge workers that hold the domain expertise and technical skills to perform a specific function or branch of research. The facilities, or space component, comprises the physical laboratory capable of hosting specific research studies. The scientific equipment includes specialized technology, tools, and devices not readily available elsewhere. Lastly, projects comprise scientific research, studies, and deliverables that demonstrate current usage, need, and success in utilizing the other three assets.

While this domain might appear trivial, measuring and understanding the assets in determining a laboratory’s integrated capability to perform scientific research becomes difficult, especially in near real-time. Like any commodity, the fundamental assets of a laboratory regularly change and measuring accurate availability at present as well as into the future is an analytical challenge.

National research laboratories exist to address emerging challenges in science at both the national and global level. As these needs constantly shift and increase in complexity, the specific capabilities of the laboratories must also conform accordingly. In order to align a laboratory’s capabilities to emerging challenges requires understanding precisely what assets are available and how they can be integrated to address current and future needs.

A study designed to evaluate and predict the likelihood that a laboratory has the necessary assets to address a specific research problem is a first step in determining the feasibility of essential integrated capability management. Upon success, the next incremental step would include developing a consistent model for evaluation across other domains and emerging scientific challenges. The intended outcome not only maximizes usage of laboratory assets but also analyzes disparate datasets to uncover capabilities that are not obvious or trivial. The goal of developing a formal Integrated Capability Management (ICM) model provides decision-makers with a data-driven approach to aligning capabilities with emerging challenges and identifying which asset sets would gain the most through further investments.

The purpose of this practical research effort is to gain a better understanding of current capabilities and predict how well these capabilities align with emerging challenges across scientific domains. The nature of the research process is focused on known variables, guidelines, and is not bound to any specific context. The underlying datasets are numerical with significant volume aligning nicely towards the advantages of machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms. Data-driven insights are communicated through visualization tools enabling ad-hoc aggregation and online analytical processing. This traits of the research align with the characteristics of a quantitative research approach (Leedy & Ormrod, 2016) .

References

Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2016). Practical Research: Planning and Design. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Part 2

When conducting research in the field of cybersecurity, it is important to focus on a specific topic and determine a plan on how the research will be conducted. Leedy and Ormrod (2016) demonstrate how to determine the best practical application for the research being conducted. Both qualitative or quantitative research methods could be used when conducting research within the cybersecurity field; however, the best approach for my research will be to use a quantitative study in order to gather technical data related to non-medical implantable technology and how they interact with the human body. Gathering the required data can be achieved by performing action-based research (Leedy & Ormrod, 2016).

A quantitative study would be best for non-medical implantable research given that the different aspects of implantable technology can be measured. As an example, the different types of measurements collected in this research would be the various depths under the skin the implants can be placed and what orientation the implant is placed in relative to the surface of the skin. I will be looking at how the two items of location and orientation can be used to affect the security aspects of an implanted device. Using an action-based research approach will allow me to examine how different types of wireless signals travel through the human body and how different implant locations might influence the various signals. The study could be carried out using an analog human substitute made from medical grade gel, which simulates human tissue.

Through the work I have already done on my conceptual framework has shown that there is room for both quantitative and qualitative, I believe it is best to focus my research on the quantitative side. I also base the decision for using a quantitative study on feedback received that our research topic should be narrow in focus. For the sake of my dissertation, I will be only focusing on measurements I could reliably retrieve from a quantitative study.

References

Leedy P. & Ormrod J. (2016). Ch 1 The Nature and Tools of Research, Ch 4 Planning Your Research Project. Practical Research: Planning and Design, 11e (1-115).

Part 3

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) collection of national laboratories consists of seventeen independent research facilities, all with a common objective to advance security and prosperity at both the national and global levels. Through extensive research and technology advancement, problems across sectors such as energy, environmental management, molecular science, and national security address the core of the DOE mission. The mission areas consist of seventeen core capabilities, which uniquely identify sectors for research, discovery, and innovation. A laboratory must include the appropriate professional staff, equipment, laboratory space, and experience in addressing core capabilities.

The national laboratory system today cannot rapidly determine if the availability of resources and depth of experience and knowledge contained within a laboratory is enough to address a core capability. Decisions towards accepting a challenging problem rely on tribal knowledge of leadership, rather than data-driven insights based on previous efforts. The lack of data-driven insights leads to an inefficient alignment with specific projects, delays based on lack of professional staff, equipment, or lab space, and setbacks due to lack of experience in the given domain. Without fact-based awareness, identification of gaps in the workforce, prioritized investments in equipment and laboratory space, and failure to apply expertise are all factors contributing to opportunity loss.

The purpose of researching capability management at national laboratories is to determine if a data-driven integrated capability model is capable of drastically improving the impact and notable outcomes of work performed within the laboratories. While significant literature exists towards capability management across various corporate domains, the problem within the national laboratory system is unique, given the multidisciplinary research areas and subsequent needs. Combining different capabilities based on an advanced model utilizing real-time data is a Big Data Analytics challenge, which invites review of existing literature in capability management, knowledge management, a quantitative research method, concluding with a tested model with the ability to scale.

An essential key takeaway from this assignment is the need to establish subproblems from the original problem scope (Leedy & Ormrod, 2016) . Each subproblem requires the ability for research to occur independently, where solutions aggregate to the problem objective (Leedy & Ormrod, 2016) . While autonomously researchable, a subproblem must contribute to the entirety of the main problem and not extend beyond that (Leedy & Ormrod, 2016) . Lastly, subproblems must be a small finite set, usually two to six, where a more substantial domain forces re-evaluation of the original problem size (Leedy & Ormrod, 2016) .

References

Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2016). Practical Research: Planning and Design. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Part 4

With the escalation of cyber incidents and threats, the deficiencies in the available number and adequately trained cybersecurity professionals prove challenging for organizations to defend and mitigate cyber-attacks (Chadha, 2018) . A 2017 study conducted by the Center for Cyber Safety and Education estimated over 300,000 currently unfilled cybersecurity positions in the United States alone and a projected deficiency of 1.8 million cybersecurity workers world-wide by 2022 (Chadha, 2018).

At the onset of my doctoral journey, the identified problem in my proposed study centered on the cause of the emerging gap in cybersecurity and determine the required skillsets of current and prospective cyber professionals to reduce the workforce shortage. In refining the problem, and in accordance with Feldman’s (2004) approach to research, the scope of my initial problem proved too broad in nature; therefore, the method focused on a more refined contextual environment. The identified problem evolved into a proposed study on the strategies academic institutions and industries need to employ to improve the skills of current and prospective cybersecurity professionals in the Colorado Springs federal sector.

The purpose of the study is to explore in a qualitative manner the prospective strategies academic institutions and federal organizations need to collaboratively improve the current skills and reduce the emerging gap of cybersecurity professionals in the Colorado Springs federal labor market. The heart of the identified problem must be decomposed into sub-problems that contribute to the nature of the overall problem (Leedy & Ormrod, 2016).

In the development of the conceptual framework, an investigation of current cybersecurity training programs needs to be conducted to assess the alignment with current industry workforce needs. Additionally, industry needs to collaborate with academic institutions to socialize the growing and evolving knowledge, skills, and abilities of current and future cyber workforce demands. While immediate impacts on cybersecurity workforce shortages reside with post-secondary institutions, an introduction of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs at the elementary level may have profound impact on the long-term future of cyber professionals.

References

Chadha, J. (2018). Three Ideas for Solving the Cybersecurity Skills Gap; One possibility: Create a Cybersecurity Peace Corps. Wall Street Journal (Online). Retrieved from https://proxy.cecybrary.com/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2108677666?accountid=144789

Feldman, D. C. (2004). What are we talking about when we talk about theory? Journal of Management, 30 (5), 565–567. Doctoral Library-SAGE.

Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2016). Practical Research: Planning and Design . Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Part 5

Theory in research plays an important role to help make sure that the outcome is linked to the fundamental research area (Feldman, 2004) . Using theory is a way to guide the research and to help answer a generalized statement that links two or more facts (Sunday, 2015) . It is important to confuse a hypothesis, which is used to predict how two or more items could interact, with a theory which is a broader thought (Sunday, 2015) . When writing a research paper, it is important to fully understand what has already been researched in your area and how your research will work to answer or solve a theory (Feldman, 2004) . Feldman (2004) states that theory can be preserved differently by different scholars, and therefore any research should be written clearly to show mastery of the field being researched.

The research topic of non-medical implantable technology has not been explored in depth. Therefore, I will be trying to answer the question can an implantable chip be used to replace a card-based technology, such as a credit card or drivers license. Since this field has not been explored, my research will be based on the adoption of the different types of wearable technology we have already adopted in our daily lives (Liberati, 2018) . Combined with research around medical implants and how the wireless transmissions interact with the human body (Moradi, Sydänheimo, Bova, & Ukkonen, 2017) .

The fundamental areas have already been researched; however, I am unable to find someone looking to see if an implantable chip could safely and securely replace our existing card-based systems. Even within this narrow focus, there are still multiple different areas that could be explored. I will be focusing my research on the security aspect related to the data that would be stored on the chip and how it could be used or compromised.

References

Feldman, D. C. (2004). What are we talking about when we talk about theory? Journal of Management, 30(5), 565-567. doi:10.1016/j.jm.2004.05.001

Liberati, N. (2018). The Borg–eye and the We–I. The production of a collective living body through wearable computers. AI & Society, 1-11. doi:10.1007/s00146-018-0840-x

Moradi, E., Sydänheimo, L., Bova, G. S., & Ukkonen, L. (2017). Measurement of wireless power transfer to deep-tissue ID-based implants using wireless repeater node. IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, 16, 2171-2174. doi:10.1109/LAWP.2017.2702757

Sunday, C. E. (2015). The role of theory in research. 1-21. Retrieved from https://www.uwc.ac.za/Students/Postgraduate/Docume… role of theory in research.pdf

Part 6

Research projects can take on theoretical approach and enhance the academic conceptualization on a topic, while applied research provides immediate impact and relevancy to current practices and procedures (Leedy & Ormrod, 2015). Theory in the research process seeks to outline a specific variable’s influence in a defined contextual environment (Feldman, 2004). Feldman (2004) identified the daunting task of clearly and accurately defined hypotheses through mastery of previous research as contributing factors for developing theory in research. Ultimately, the acceptance of an established theory in research may differ from one researcher to another (Feldman, 2004).

As stated by Feldman(2004), the lack of previous research does not warrant or justify embarking upon the research in question. From the perspective of the perceived shortage in current cybersecurity professionals and an emerging gap in the skillsets of today’s cyber workforce, theoretical consideration regarding specific factors impacting a small subset of the cyber workforce may prove beneficial to the overall problem. As a cyber professional in the federal Colorado Springs labor market, a study of regional and environmental constraints impacting the local area may provide a theoretical contribution to the research. As with many government positions, the availability of a “cleared” workforce coupled with the required skillsets for cyber-related professions may be a limiting factor for entry into the cyber workforce while others who have the requisite skills but do not have the eligibility to obtain a government clearance could impact the employment of a readily available workforce.

From the perspective of the required skills, the efficacy of available training programs and academic resources may prove a contributing factor to the regional deficiency in a readily available cyber workforce. As an instructor in the educational sector, the importance of a relevant and exhaustive program designed to train and prepare the next generation of cyber professionals requires significant consideration in the alignment with the professional needs of the federal Colorado Springs cyber workforce.

Lastly, another potential theoretical research area for consideration centers on an introduction and socialization of career opportunities in cyber. While the prospects of a cybersecurity and information technology career often do not become present until the high school or collegiate level, the introduction and use of information technology have been found at the elementary school levels. An introduction of the foundational cybersecurity skills at the elementary level through exposure to science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) programs may increase interest in STEM-related careers, to include, but not limited to, cybersecurity.

Feldman, D. C. (2004). What are we talking about when we talk about theory? Journal of Management, 30(5), 565–567. Doctoral Library-SAGE. Retrieved from http://jom.sagepub.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/content/30/5/565.full.pdf+html

Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2015). Practical research planning and design (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Part 7

In the past, researchers have tried to build a connection between communities that exist online and those that exist in the real world, making the assumption that the online community is based on physical location similarly to a real-world community (Seungahn, 2010) . Seungahn (2010) discusses the idea of a theoretical framework that is designed to help better understand how virtual and real communities are connected. This theoretical framework explores the idea of virtual commons, which can be thought of as something the entire community utilizes that has a level of value (Seungahn, 2010) . The commons are also owned equally by each member of the virtual community, similarly to a common area in an apartment or condominium complex.

To help make sure the virtual commons would function the same as a physical public area, the Internet would need to be independent and free from the influence of marketing. The Internet should also allow people to engage in discussions with members of the government and encourage conversations in order to help foster change and collaborative actions. Unfortunately, the Internet is far from perfect in offering virtual commons that can be used in the same way as physical commons. The Internet does offer different types of technology that can be used for communication such as bulletin boards, online chatrooms, and newsgroups which help foster communication between members of the virtual community (Seungahn, 2010) .

A similar approach in developing a theoretical framework on how end users have accepted medical implantable and wearable devices could be used to show how, in the near future, they may begin to accept non-medical implantable technology. Using such a framework could aid in reducing the scope of my research to only address specific security concerns. My research could focus on the security concerns that cause users to be apprehensive about non-medical technology, such as data protection and privacy.

References

Seungahn, N. A. H. (2010). A theoretical and analytical framework toward networked communities. Teoretski in analitični okvir razvoja omrežnih skupnosti primer informacijskega zbora elektronskih skupnosti, 17(1), 23-36. doi:10.1080/13183222.2010.1100902

Part 8

The article, “Diffusion of Innovations and the Theory of Planned Behavior in Information Systems Research: A Metaanalysis” by Weigel, Hazen, Cegielski, and Hall is the subject of this post. The theoretical topic of the article resides on the hypothesis that the field of information systems has matured beyond the findings of Tomatzky and Klein’s 1982 meta-analysis of innovation characteristics. The authors combine two historically disparate models, Diffusion of Innovations and Theory of Planned Behavior to create a new blended model, innovation adoption-behavior (IAB). The author’s approach includes a meta-analytic examination of literature, using Tomatzky and Klein’s outcomes as a starting point, description of the quantitative method, results analysis and findings, and next steps towards further research (Weigel, Hazen, Cegielski, & Hall, 2014) .

The Diffusion of Innovations Theory investigates the rate in which new ideas in technology propagate through a social system and at what point the innovation reaches self-sustainment. The key elements included in diffusion research include innovation, adopters, communication channels, time, and a social system (Rogers, 1983) . The Theory of Planned Behavior is a psychological concept referring to the relationship between an individual’s opinions and behavior. The theory aims to improve the ability to predict based on the theory of reasoned action by leveraging the perception of behavioral control (Ajzen, 1991) .

The authors performed a meta-analysis on a domain of fifty-eight carefully selected articles, utilizing proven methods designed for such research. The categories were weighted based on the past methods and qualitatively executed in producing outcomes classified in parallel to Tomatzky and Klein’s method (Weigel et al., 2014) . Tomatzky and Klien defined three research needs the authors directly responded to; more and better research, inclusion of additional independent variables, and reduction of innovation attributes to only a critical few. The authors satisfied the first need directly and met the requirements of the second and third by applying the IAB (Weigel et al., 2014) .

The key learning from this activity is the method in which the authors leveraged two well-substantiated theories into a new innovative model to extend the work of Tomatzky and Klien. This approach is intriguing and has the potential to apply to the doctoral research problem area. Doctoral candidates can practice combining previous proven theoretical work into a new solution or model that exercises it through quantitative or qualitative research methods. The integration of proven theoretical models contributes significantly to the production of cumulative knowledge (Weigel et al., 2014) .

References

Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior”. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. doi:10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

Rogers, E. (1983). Diffusion of Innovations (3rd ed.). New York: Free Press of Glencoe.

Weigel, F. K., Hazen, B. T., Cegielski, C. G., & Hall, D. J. (2014). Diffusion of Innovations and the Theory of Planned Behavior in Information Systems Research: A Metaanalysis. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 34(31). doi:10.17705/1CAIS.03431

Part 9

Richard Bellman, the pioneer of dynamic programming, developed the curse of dimensionality theory while working in the context of data optimization (Bellman, 1957; Lee & Yoon, 2017). This theory applies to settings with high dimensional datasets where the amount of column attributes disproportionally outnumber the amount of observed rows (Lee & Yoon, 2017; Mirza et al., 2019). A dataset that contains DNA, RNA, and other gene expression measurements for a small sample of cancer patients is one example (Mirza et al., 2019). The potential issues with this type of dataset structure, as the curse of dimensionality posits, is that the amount of statistical challenges exponentially (not linearly) increase as a function of the total number of variables considered in the analysis (Rosenstrom et al., 2018). This often affects the integrity of the applied statistical technique and also has serious analytical consequences such as model complexity and overfitting, multicollinearity, and data sparsity (Lee & Yoon, 2017; Mirza et al., 2019). Acknowledging the curse of dimensionality, researchers in the high dimensional dataset community try to overcome the challenges associated with this phenomenon through proposed solutions such as data reduction, data projection, or modifications to traditional statistical methods (Lee & Yoon, 2017; Mirza et al., 2019).

The relationship between certain personality disorders and the onset and/or recurrence of Alcohol Use Disorder was investigated via a prospective observational Norwegian twin study that ranged from 1999-2011 (Rosenstrom et al., 2018). Because of the high number of collected behavioral traits, the data analysis was noted to suffer from complexities inherent to the curse of dimensionality (Rosenstrom et al., 2018). In this specific study, this theory drove the choice of analysis technique (Rosenstrom et al., 2018). Instead of selecting the more traditional stepwise-regression model, the Elastic Net (EN) method was used (Rosenstrom et al., 2018). The EN method, developed to enhance classical regression techniques for high dimensional datasets, works by automatically dropping unnecessary predictor variables from the model (Rosenstrom et al., 2018). The robustness of the EN-based results was tested against another type of variable-selection strategy (Rosenstrom et al., 2018). The similarity of the conclusions provided empirical support of the EN method as an option for handling high dimensional challenges (Rosenstrom et al., 2018).

Because medical data often suffers from issues associated with the curse of dimensionality, my dissertation research involving clinical trial data will need to address this complexity (Mirza et al., 2019). The multiple comparison aspect of adaptive designs is in itself a problem of high dimensions, as every hypothesis adds a new dimension to the probability space. The computational demands needed to process these multiple comparisons are high and, as the theory explains, exponentially challenging to manage. Like the Rosenstrom et al. (2018) study, my own choice of analytic method will be influenced by the concepts behind this theory.

References

Bellman, R. (1957). Dynamic Programming. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Lee, C. H., & Yoon, H.-J. (2017). Medical big data: Promise and challenges. Kidney Research and Clinical Practice, 36(1), 3-11. doi: 10.23876/j.krcp.2017.36.1.3.

Mirza, B., Wang, W., Wang, J., Choi, H., Chung, N. C., & Ping, P. (2019). Machine learning and integrative analysis of biomedical big data. Genes, 10(2), 87. doi: 10.3390/genes10020087.

Rosenstrom, T., Torvik, F. A., Ystrom, E., Czajkowski, N. O., Gillespie, N. A., Aggen, S. H., … Reichborn-Kjennerud, T. (2018). Prediction of alcohol use disorder using personality disorder traits: A twin study. Addiction, 113(1), 15-24. doi: 10.1111/add.13951.

Part 10

Ikujiro Nonaka developed the theory of knowledge transformation and flow while working on the idea of organizational knowledge as a strategic business asset and competitive advantage (Kermally, 2005; Moroz & Szkutnik, 2016; Nonaka & Toyama, 2005). The knowledge flow theory emphasizes the importance of capturing and using what the people in an organization know by applying four modes of organizational knowledge conversion: Socialization, Externalization, Combination, and Internalization, or SECI (Kermally, 2005; Nonaka & Toyama, 2005). Applying each knowledge conversion mode to individual knowledge within an organization makes the knowledge more explicit and easier to share and leverage across an organization.

Nonaka’s theory applies to projects and project management activities within an organization. Project management research relies heavily upon theories from other related disciplines such as operations management, strategic management, and organizational leadership. Project knowledge management assimilates knowledge management principles into project management processes and knowledge areas across the project lifecycle (PMI, 2017). Continued project management theory application and development is an important component and contributor to the project management knowledge domain (Johnson, Creasy & Yang Fan, 2015; PMI, 2017).

Creating and applying project knowledge management principles in an organization requires process, technology and organizational support. Abd (2017) uses five theoretical lenses to evaluate the Project Management Institute’s practical project management methodology and framework, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, or PMBOK Guide(PMI, 2017). The missing link between the practical contents of the PMBOK Guideand knowledge flow theory is examined in detail (Abd, 2017). The study is based on a qualitative, case-study approach to assess and understand the identified gap between project management knowledge flow practice and knowledge flow theory from the perspective of the working project or program manager. PMI needs to add a new project management knowledge area to their standard for project knowledge management to address the deficiencies between practice and theory in this area (Abd, 2017; Gasik, 2011; Oun, 2016; PMI, 2017)

The problem to be addressed in my study is that new and emerging technologies are not being leveraged by organizations to manage project knowledge (Pridy, 2016). The study will explore new and emerging technologies that project managers can and do apply to effectively manage project knowledge within a project and across all projects in the organization. One key takeaway from learning about Nonaka’s theory for knowledge flow and the resulting SECI model is the need for a specific knowledge flow model to be selected and applied as part of my study. Numerous knowledge flow models exist and they do not all go about defining the process of knowledge management from start to finish in the same way. A second key takeaway is recognizing the effectiveness of qualitative research methods based upon rich data collected from real-world projects and based upon what project managers have experienced when practicing the discipline. Since so much of project management began on the practitioner side of the equation, it makes sense that the new knowledge and theories will build on that practical experience to enrich the knowledge area.

References

Abd, E. H. (2017). Analyzing the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK) through theoretical lenses: A study to enhance the PMBOK through the project management theories. Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1922647192).

Part 11

A purpose statement communicates the intent of the research study to the reader or reviewer, including why the study is being done in the first place and what the researchers hopes to accomplish with their completed work (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). The study objective or objectives must be clearly stated, just as a project manager must clearly state the objectives of their project and what capabilities will be realized with the outcome of that project. A purpose statement or set of statements also aligns with the research methods that are selected: qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods (Creswell & Creswell, 2018).

The draft purpose statement for my research uses the template and examples provided by Creswell and Creswell (2018) as a framework: The purpose of this proposed qualitative study is to explore new and emerging technologies that project managers can apply to effectively manage project knowledge. At this stage in the research, project knowledge management is generally defined as the process and technologies required to generate, use and distribute project knowledge between individuals at all organizational levels to increase project team capabilities, improve project execu

Case Study 1: Should a Computer Grade Your Essays?

Would you like your college essays graded by a computer? Well, you just might find that happening in your next course. In April 2013, EdX, a Harvard/MIT joint venture to develop massively open online courses (MOOCs), launched an essay-scoring program. Using artificial intelligence technology, essays and short answers are immediately scored and feedback tendered, allowing students to revise, resubmit, and improve their grade as many times as necessary. The non-profit organization is offering the software free to any institution that wants to use it. From a pedagogical standpoint—if the guidance is sound—immediate feedback and the ability to directly act on it is an optimal learning environment. But while proponents trumpet automated essay grading’s superiority to students waiting days or weeks for returned papers— which they may or may not have the opportunity to revise—as well as the time-saving benefit for instructors, critics doubt that humans can be replaced.

In 2012, Les Perelman, the former director of writing at MIT, countered a paper touting the proficiency of automated essay scoring (AES) software. University of Akron College of Education dean, Mark Shermis, and co-author, data scientist Ben Hamner used AES programs from nine companies, including Pearson and McGraw-Hill, to rescore over 16,000 middle and high school essays from six different state standardized tests. Their Hewlett Foundation sponsored study found that machine scoring closely tracked human grading, and in some cases, produced a more accurate grade. Perelman, however, found that no direct statistical comparison between the human graders and the programs was performed. While Shermis concedes that regression analysis was not performed—because the software companies imposed this condition in order to allow him and Hamner to test their products—he unsurprisingly accuses Perelman of evaluating their work without performing research of his own.

Perelman has in fact conducted studies on the Electronic Essay Rater (e-rater) developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS)—the only organization that would allow him access. The e-rater uses syntactic variety, discourse structure (like PEG) and content analysis (like IEA) and is based on natural language processing technology. It applies statistical analysis to linguistic features like argument formation and syntactic variety to determine scores, but also gives weight to vocabulary and topical content. In the month granted him, Perelman analyzed the algorithms and toyed with the e-Rater, confirming his prior critiques. The major problem with AES programs (so far) is that they cannot distinguish fact from fiction. For example, in response to an essay prompt about the causes for the steep rise in the cost of higher education, Perelman wrote that the main driver was greedy teaching assistants whose salaries were six times that of college presidents with exorbitant benefits packages including South Seas vacations, private jets, and movie contracts. He supplemented the argument with a line from Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl,” and received the top score of 6. The metrics that merited this score included overall length, paragraph length, number of words per sentence, word length, and the use of conjunctive adverbs such as “however” and “moreover.” Since computer programs cannot divine meaning, essay length is a proxy for writing fluency, conjunctive adverb use for complex thinking, and big words for vocabulary aptitude.

Program vendors such as Pearson and Vantage Learning defend these parameters, asserting that they are highly correlated. Good writers have acquired skills that enable them to write more under time constraints; they use more complex vocabulary, and they understand how to introduce, interrupt, connect, and conclude complex ideas—the jobs of conjunctive adverbs. AES programs also recognize sentence fragments and dock students for sentences that begin with “and” or “or.” However, professional writers know how to employ both to great effect. Perelman and a newly formed group of educators, Professionals Against Machine Scoring of Student Essays in High-Stakes Assessment, warn that writing instruction will be dumbed down to meet the limited and rigid metrics machines are capable of measuring.

The productivity gains from using automated essay-grading software will undoubtedly take away some of the jobs of the graders hired by the standardized test companies. Pearson, for example, ostensibly pays its graders between $40 and $60 per hour. In that hour, a grader expected to score between 20 and 30 essays—that is two to three minutes (and dollars) per essay. Clearly graders must use some type of shorthand metrics in order to score this quickly, but at least they can recognize as false the statement that on July 4, 2013, the United States observed its 2,013th birthday, even if it is contained in a well-constructed sentence. While the e-Rater can score 16,000 essays in 20 seconds, it cannot make this distinction. In addition, presumably, a 716-word essay containing multiple nonsense sentences will not receive a 6 from a human grader while a 150-word shorter, factual, well-reasoned essay scores a 5, as Perelman was able to demonstrate.

ETS, developer of the SAT, GRE, Praxis, and K-12 standardized tests for multiple states, counters that the e-Rater is not replacing human graders in high stakes tests; it is supplementing them. Essays are scored by both human and machine and when the scores do not match, a second human breaks the impasse. Furthermore, they posit that the test prep course Perelman developed to teach students how to beat AES software requires higher-order thinking skills—precisely those the tests seek to measure. Thus, if students can master Perelman’s techniques, they have likely earned their 6. Pearson adds that its Intelligent Essay Assessor is primarily a classroom tool, allowing students to revise their essays multiple times before turning them in to a teacher to be graded. However, for many states looking to introduce writing sections to their battery of K-12 standardized tests, and for those that abandoned the effort due to the cost, eliminating graders altogether will make them affordable. In addition, the stakes are not insubstantial for failure to achieve passing grades on state standardized tests, ranging from retesting, to remedial programs, to summer school, to non-promotion.

ETS, developer of the SAT, GRE, Praxis, and K-12 standardized tests for multiple states, counters that the e-Rater is not replacing human graders in high stakes tests; it is supplementing them. Essays are scored by both human and machine and when the scores do not match, a second human breaks the impasse. Furthermore, they posit that the test prep course Perelman developed to teach students how to beat AES software requires higher-order thinking skills—precisely those the tests seek to measure. Thus, if students can master Perelman’s techniques, they have likely earned their 6. Pearson adds that its Intelligent Essay Assessor is primarily a classroom tool, allowing students to revise their essays multiple times before turning them in to a teacher to be graded. However, for many states looking to introduce writing sections to their battery of K-12 standardized tests, and for those that abandoned the effort due to the cost, eliminating graders altogether will make them affordable. In addition, the stakes are not insubstantial for failure to achieve passing grades on state standardized tests, ranging from retesting, to remedial programs, to summer school, to non-promotion. In addition, that provides immediate guidance, is a welcome addition to the instructional toolbox. However, as demands on instructor’s time decrease, will university administrators push staff cutbacks to meet budgetary constraints? Will fewer and fewer instructors be teaching more and more students?

As MOOC and AES proliferate, the answer is: most likely. EdX is quickly becoming controversial in academic circles. Presently, its course offerings are free and students earn a certificate of completion, but not course credit. To become self-sustaining, however, the non-profit plans to offer its MOOC platform as a “self-service” system, which faculty members can use to develop courses specifically branded for their universities. EdX will then receive the first $50,000 in revenue generated from the course or $10,000 for a recurring course. Thereafter, revenue will be split 50-50 between the university and EdX. A second revenue-generating model offers universities “production help” with course development, charging them $250,000 for a new course and $50,000 each term the course is offered again. If a course is successful, the university receives 70% of the revenue, as long as EdX has been fully compensated for any self-service courses. However, in order to generate enough revenue to share with its 12 university partners, which now include University of California, Berkeley, Wellesley, Georgetown, and the University of Texas, a licensing model is likely. Tested at no charge at San Jose State University in 2012, an EdX MOOC served as the basis for a blended online engineering course. The enriched curriculum resulted in an increased passing rate from 60% to 91 %. If course licensing becomes the key revenue stream, Anant Agarwal, the electrical engineer president of EdX, foresees this happening in closed classrooms with limited enrollment.

But some members of the San Jose State faculty are nonetheless alarmed. When a second EdX MOOC, JusticeX, was considered, the Philosophy department sent a sharply-worded letter addressed to Harvard course developer, Michael Sandel, but actually leveled at university administrators. Asserting that the department did not have an academic problem in need of remediation and was not lacking faculty to teach its equivalent course, it did not shy from attacking the economic motives behind public universities’ embrace of MOOCs. The authors further asserted that MOOCs represented a decline in educational quality and noted the irony involved when a social justice course was the vehicle for perpetrating a social injustice—a long-term effort to “dismantle departments and replace professors.” Sandel’s conciliatory response expressed his desire to share free educational resources, his aversion to undercutting colleagues, and a call for a serious debate at both EdX and in the higher education community.

Other universities are similarly pushing back, against both EdX and other new MOOC ventures such as Coursera and Udacity, founded by Stanford faculty members. MOOCs and AES are inextricably linked. Massive online courses require automated assessment systems. In addition, both Coursera and Udacity have expressed their commitment to using them due to the value of immediate feedback. Amherst College faculty voted against joining the EdX consortium. Duke University faculty members thwarted administration attempts to join nine other universities and educational technology company 2U in a venture to develop a collection of for-credit undergraduate courses.

However, EdX was founded by two of the most prominent universities in the United States, has gathered prestigious partners, and is already shaping educational standards. Stanford, for one, has decided to get on board; it adopted the OpenEdX open-source platform and began offering a summer reading program for freshman and two public courses in the summer of 2013. Stanford will collaborate with EdX on the future development of OpenEdX and will offer both public and university classes on it.

Therefore, while Professor Perelman jokes that his former computer science major students could develop an Android app capable of spitting out formulaic essays that would get a 6 from e-Rater, cutting humans completely out of the equation, he knows that serious issues are in play. What educational outcomes will result from diminishing human interaction and input? Will AI develop to the point that truth, accuracy, effective organization, persuasiveness, argumentation and supporting evidence can be evaluated? And how many more jobs in education will disappear as a result?

Case Study 1: Should a Computer Grade Your Essays?

1) Identify the kinds of systems described in this case. (1 Mark)

2) What are the benefits of automated essay grading? What are the drawbacks? (1 Mark)

3) What management, organization, and technology factor should be considered when deciding whether to use AES? (1 Mark)

Case Study 2: American Water Keeps Data Flowing

American Water, founded in 1886, is the largest public water utility in the United States. Headquartered in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 16 million people in 35 states, as well as Ontario and Manitoba, Canada. Most of American Water’s services support locally managed utility subsidiaries that are regulated by the U.S. state in which each operates as well as the federal government. American Water also owns subsidiaries that manage municipal drinking water and wastewater systems under contract and others that supply businesses and residential communities with water management products and services.

Until recently, American water’s systems and business, processes were much localized, and many of these processes were manual. Over time, this information environment became increasingly difficult to manage. Many systems were not integrated, so that running any type of report that had to provide information about more than one region was a heavily manual process. Data had to be extracted from the systems supporting each region and then combined manually to create the desired output. When the company was preparing to hold an initial public offering of its stock in 2006, its software systems could not handle the required regulatory controls, so roughly 80 percent of this work had to be performed manually. It was close to a nightmare.

Management wanted to change the company from a decentralized group of independent regional businesses into a more centralized organization with standard company-wide business processes and enterprise-wide reporting. The first step toward achieving this goal was to implement an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system designed to replace disparate systems with a single integrated software platform. The company selected SAP as its ERP system vendor.

An important step of this project was to migrate the data from American Water’s old systems to the new platform. The company’s data resided in many different systems in various formats. Each regional business maintained some of its own data in its own systems, and a portion of these data was redundant and inconsistent. For example, there were duplicate pieces of materials master data because a material might be called one thing in the company’s Missouri operation and another in its New Jersey business. These names had to be standardized so that every business unit used the same name for a piece of data. American Water’s business users had to buy into this new company-wide view of data.

Data migration entails much more than just transferring data between old and new systems. Business users need to know that data are not just a responsibility of the information systems department: the business “owns” the data. Business needs determine the rules and standards for managing the data. Therefore, it is up to business users to inventory and review all the pieces of data in their systems to determine precisely which pieces of data from the old system will be used in the new system and which data do not need to be brought over. The data also need to be reviewed to make sure they are accurate and consistent and that redundant data are eliminated.

Most likely some type of data cleansing will be required. For example, American Water had data on more than 70,000 vendors in its vendor master data file. Andrew Clarkson, American Water’s Business Intelligence Lead, asked business users to define an active vendor and to use that definition to identify which data to migrate. He also worked with various functional groups to standardize how to present address data.

One of the objectives of American Water’s data management work was to support an enterprise wide business intelligence program based on a single view of the business. An analytical system and data warehouse would be able to combine data from the SAP ERP System with data from other sources, including new customer information and enterprise asset management systems. That meant that American Water’s business users had to do a lot of thinking about the kinds of reports they wanted. The company had originally planned to have the system provide 200 reports, but later reduced that number by half. Business users were trained to generate these reports and customize them. Most financial users initially tried to create their reports using Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software. Over time, however, they learned to do the same thing using SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence tools that came with the system. SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence is a set of tools that enables business users to view, sort, and analyze business intelligence data. It includes tools for generating queries, reports and interactive dashboards.

At present, American Water is focusing on promoting the idea that data must be “clean” to be effective and has poured an incredible amount of effort into its data cleansing work—identifying incomplete, incorrect, inaccurate, and irrelevant pieces of data and then replacing, modifying, or deleting the “dirty” data. According to Clarkson, just as water treatment plants have measurements and meters to check water quality as its being treated, data management needs to ensure the quality of data at every step to make sure the final product will be genuinely useful for the company.

Case Study 2: American Water Keeps Data Flowing

1)How did implementing a data warehouse help American Water move toward a more centralized organization?(1 Mark)

2)Give some examples of problems that would have occurred at American Water if its data were not “clean”? (1 Mark)

3)How did American Water’s data warehouse improve operations and management decision making?(1 Mark)