Overview
Company leaders need to keep a watchful eye on the economy and how micro- and macro-environments affect their business. Successful leaders are always a step ahead. They stay there by leading with data-driven decisions that allow their companies to anticipate and respond to challenges. In this module, you’ve learned how information is key in making decisions and solving problems; however, research and analytical skills are also needed to extract value from data. Information-gathering should align with research objectives. Qualitative and quantitative data alongside relevant and credible primary and secondary sources are fundamental ingredients for informing good judgement.
Prompt
In a report by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. economy contracted at an annual rate of 4.8% in the first quarter of this year. For this blog post, you will take on the role of an HR manager at an air transportation supply company. The company is currently struggling with a significant loss of revenue and considering operational costs. You have been asked to analyze employee performance over the last year and make sense of the data.
Using a summary (provided below) of the company’s employee salaries, bonuses, and performance data, address the following rubric criteria in your blog post:
- Interpretation: Discuss your interpretation of the data.
- What questions emerge from your analysis of the data?
- What story can they tell about the company’s employees?
- Analysis: Explain how the provided data helps you understand your employees and how the company is using its financial resources. Identify potential gaps or issues in the data.
- What is the quantitative and qualitative data telling you? Are there any underlying issues or perspectives?
- What is the data not telling you?
- What additional primary and secondary sources would help the company make a decision?
- Conclusion and related outcomes: Describe how you have used data to determine a strategy. Use evidence to support your explanations.
- What would your strategy be if you were asked to recommend a 10% reduction in the budget?
- How would you synthesize and defend your decision process?
These resources will assist you as you complete your blog post.
- Air Transportation Supplier HR Performance Data. This summary table of your company’s HR performance data will inform your work on this blog post.
- How to Write a Blog Post for Beginners. This article is an introduction to writing blog posts.
- Twelve Easy Ways to Improve Your Blog: This article examines important elements in developing your own blog.
- How to Drastically Improve Your WordPress Blog’s Comments: This article examines how to better engage and manage your online community.
- Blogging Best Practices: This bulleted list gives you a quick summary of the best practices top bloggers use.
Guidelines for Submission
Complete your blog post in WordPress and submit a link to your blog via the appropriate discussion topic. If you have not yet created your blog, the document Getting Started with Blogging provides concise instructions. Your blog should be written in a professional voice and should be appropriately formatted for a blog. Any sources cited should use APA formatting. Blog entries must be between 400 and 800 words in length.
Module Two Blog Rubric
| Criteria | Exemplary (100%) | Proficient (85%) | Needs Improvement (55%) | Not Evident (0%) | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interpretation | Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Discusses interpretation of the data; describes questions that emerge from data analysis; explains what data tells about the company’s employees | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include interpretation of the data, description of questions that emerge from data analysis, or what data tells about the company’s employees | Does not attempt criterion | 25 |
| Analysis | Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Explains how the data provided helps understand employees and how the company is using its financial resources; identifies potential gaps or issues in the data | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include more details about how the data provided helps understand employees and how the company is using its financial resources | Does not attempt criterion | 25 |
| Conclusion and Related Outcomes | Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Describes how data can be used to determine a strategy | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include more details about how data can be used to determine a strategy | Does not attempt criterion | 30 |
| Articulation of Response | Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner | Clearly conveys meaning with correct grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, demonstrating an understanding of audience and purpose | Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, negatively impacting readability | Submission has critical errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, preventing understanding of ideas | 10 |
| Citations and Attributions | Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with few or no minor errors | Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with consistent minor errors | Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with major errors | Does not use citations for ideas requiring attribution | 10 |
| Total: | 100% |
