Students had to respond to the following questions:

Effective groups create shared assumptions and expectations about behaviors. Submit a thread containing a brief description of yourself and your own expectations regarding the following prompts:

1. Describe Yourself: In a brief paragraph or two, describe your past experience working in groups (at Liberty or elsewhere). What is your personality type? What are your annoyances? How do you react under stress? How would your boss at work describe you?
2. Communication Expectations: Though it is required that group members communicate substantively and weekly, what are your expectations about acceptable response times? How many times per week should each team member check the Group Discussion Board? What role will conference calls or online chats have in moving the group forward? For what issues will you use the Group Discussion Board, online chats, etc.?
3. Behavioral Expectations: What specific behaviors will lead to successful completion of the project? What behaviors threaten the project’s completion? How do you want others to describe the quality and quantity of your effort? Describe your conflict resolution style.
4. Flexibility Expectations: What circumstances are present in your life that might require a request for flexibility? What, precisely, does flexibility mean to you? (Does it mean “understanding” and “patience?” Does it mean “someone help?” Does it mean “do not hold the operating rules of the group against me if I am having a hard time?”) Lastly, if someone encounters a problem (sickness, travel, etc.), when and how should he or she communicate this to the group?
5. Performance Expectations: At what level should individual work be presented to the group? Should all work submitted to the group reflect MBA-level writing, or is “draft mode” acceptable? What final grade do you desire on the group project, and what, specifically, are you willing to do to achieve it? How do you want to be known for the quality of your work?
6. Expectations about Timelines: What does it mean to be timely? For some, being “on time” is late, while others believe that being “on time” is actually early. Is being “on time” early or late? (Keep in mind that being on time means different things to different people.)
7. Final Submission: What are the expectations for the final submission of the group project? Do you want it to be submitted earlier than the deadline time, so that you have a final chance to “approve” the submission? If so, what time do you want that final submission to be? Do you want to have it required that each student submits an “I approve” reply to the official submission? Some students want to review everything one last time, prior to the official submission. Other students assume that all of the changes have been made, and do not have the desire to review everything again prior to the final submission. How do you specifically want the final submission to be approached? Conflict Resolution: How will group disagreements be resolved? Will the majority of votes “count” in the result of a disagreement? How any potential conflicts will be resolved needs to be discussed immediately. This eliminates potential confusion and/or frustration later on.

Two Students Papers Are As Follows:

Student #1

Most people who know me, including my boss, say that I am blunt, direct, and honest; I agree. I have high expectations of myself and of others and my experiences in groups reflect these traits. Typically, I complete my group assignments early and I put forth my best effort. I do not have time for drama and I do not have time for laziness. In teams under stress, I typically take charge and move into problem solving mode. I work hard to get the work done and over.

Communication in geographically-separated groups is critical because it is the only way to build trust.  Jarvenpaa and Leidner (1998) point to a number of studies and analyses that discuss how geographically-separated groups must build trust through honest and forthright communications and through team members’ dependability.  They point out that trust in these groups is easily eroded and, once dissolved, rarely restored.  In my experience, groups that communicated ineffectively, but were successful, achieved their goals on the backs of one or two people in the group who did all the work. The trust was broken because people became undependable, in both their communications and in their work performance.  I believe that group members should be checking the group discussion board four times per week with responses occurring on an as-needed basis. I prefer that most, if not all, communication occur through the discussion board vice online chats and conference calls.

The successful group project depends on several things. First, the group needs to communicate what is each member’s assignment. Second, each member needs to complete their assignments. Questions and issues should motivate members to reach out and allow his or her teammates to assist. Third, group members need to be open to constructive criticism and to provide criticism with empathy. I prefer responses to my work be respectful and honest.  I resolve conflict by being up-front and empathetic, while focusing on the results.

I do not foresee any issues with my ability to participate fully in the group. Occasionally, my job in the military and the challenges of being a single parent of three kids may require that I work late at night. If we have a group activity planned and I am not there, I ask that my group proceed with the work and allow me to catch up as soon as I can.  I hope that as a group we can understand the difficulties we all face as adult learners with jobs and families.  I hope that personal issues that could impact a member’s ability to contribute to the team are communicated as early as possible, and I hope that a good faith effort is always made to accomplish assigned work.

I prefer that drafts presented to the group are second drafts that are grammatically correct, free of spelling errors, and contain complete APA style citations and references.  Team members, who are whizzes at APA style or have a knack with grammar, hopefully will step forward and assist those who struggle in those areas.  I strive for “A” work.

As often as possible, I submit my work early.  I would like my group work submitted early, too, but I understand that’s not always possible.  My expectation is that work will be submitted no later than the due date.

For group assignments, I would like to review each submission before final posting.  I believe it would be wise for the final draft of each group submission to be completed 24-36 hours before the due date/time.

I prefer that group disagreements be handled by a simple majority vote.  Each side presents their arguments and the group then votes.

Reference:

Jarvenpaa, S.L., & Leidner, D.L. (1998). Communication and trust in global virtual teams. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 3(4).  Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1083-6101.1998.tb00080.x/full

Student # Two
My name is H, and I am a laboratory director of a small research team. Operating in group settings is something that I am accustomed to. However, this will be my first time collaborating on a group project at Liberty University. In my work experience, when carrying out team operations, I have learned that it is often best to clearly clarify team expectations right away, as people may have different perceptions about working together.  Over the years, working with different people has taught me many things. Primarily, what I have learned is to be considerate of other perceptions, to embrace them, and learn from different perspectives. I look forward to learning from different points of views, and collaborating with my team members.

My personality type, is easy going, it takes quite a bit to annoy me. I operate well under pressure, and enjoy being in the company of others that operate in the same manner. Non team players can become challenging, as I consider myself to me a big advocate for organizations, and groups working as teams. My associates and department head would describe me as a big team player.

The most advantageous way to work well in this class for me would be to communicate effectively, and establish clear expectations. My expectations would be, especially in the beginning, that the communication will be frequent, as we get acclimated to our teams. Response times should be as prompt as possible, within twenty four to forty eight hours.  Keeping in mind everyone’s schedules, discussion boards should minimally be checked once a week, by team members. Two times a week for me would be good practice.

I have mentioned in an email to Group 2, that I am open to all forms of communication, whether conference calls, online chats, Groupme, whatever is efficient.  As an adult learner, I welcome using our communication avenues not only for class work but also for personal support. As a busy mom, going back to school at my age has been a welcomed but one of the most challenging things I have done in a long time.

My expectations about behaviors are those that mirror the standards of Liberty University. I am confident that our group will live up to those standards. Behaviors that will lead to successful completion of the project would be to clearly understand assignments. Making sure we work together, and rigorously apply the course content. I hope to establish a good topic, set up a good action plan, clarify and establishing roles of team members and ultimately meet the expectations that the team has put forth. As this is my first group class setting, I think it would be advantageous to work to the strengths of each team member. If someone has knowledge about certain topics, we should utilize the strengths of all our members appropriately. Not having a common goal, or following though with action plans, to me would jeopardize the project completion. I am hopeful that the quality and quantity of my effort and everyone’s will be based and measured on contribution.  One can only evaluate the effort that is put forth. In regards to conflict resolutions, I am upfront, but constructive.

The online atmosphere creates challenges, and flexibility is something that without question should be considered. Flexibility to me means to be open to communication, as people cannot always foresee all future circumstances, such as sickness, and sometimes travel etcetera. From our introductions alone, I can tell that everyone operates in different industries, shifts, sometime different time zones. As mentioned before, effective communication is the key to making flexibility work. To me this means being clear and upfront. I don’t see any circumstances right now that I would need flexibility on, other than patience with me for sometimes asking several questions if I need additional clarity. I am hopeful to have the same likeminded people in our group.

The performance expectation that I would personally like to strive for is to operate utilizing the best standards. Everyone has different backgrounds and areas of concentrations. For me personally I would like to stay in MBA style writing. This would be more advantageous for me to keep in this mindset. I am aiming for an A+ in this class; most importantly I really want to get acclimated to marketing. This is something that I would like to apply more of in my current position. I am willing to devote the time to getting that grade. I hope that we communicate well and establish a clear understanding each other’s goals , as well as to formulate similar expectations of what we need to achieve as a group. I would like to be known for delivery quality work.

For me timely means exactly that, not late. If something can be handed in early that is good. However, I would not want to sacrifice quality if something is rushed. This does not mean to wait until the last minute for submissions. We should always keep in mind that people work on different schedules and plan accordingly to make sure deadlines are met.

For the final submission of the project I hope to see everyone’s work represented. I hope to formulate something we can all be proud and confident to submit. That may require constructive criticism along the way. This is understandable. If it means then end product will be better for it. Since it affects everyone’s grades, I feel that all group members should have an approval vote before things are submitted. I would not mind getting the work finished early, if it is quality work and still allows time for everyone’s approval.

Hopefully there are not too many conflicts. That sometimes means that people are not, or were not on the same page to begin with. Hopefully good planning will alleviate disagreements. If such an occurrence should happen, conflict resolutions should be that the majority rules. I am confident we will start to coordinate some great ideas by the end of this week. I am excited to work with you all, and am looking forward to a great semester.

References

Hackman, J. (2004, June) What makes a great Team? American Psychological Association

Retrieved from http:// http://www.apa.org

Your Job:

For this assignment, reply to two students’ papers in U.S. English. Their papers are above. Each reply to each student must be at least 250 words and perfectly exceed the following: Major points are supported by the following: • Reading & Study materials; • Pertinent, conceptual, or personal examples; • Thoughtful analysis (considering assumptions, analyzing implications, and comparing/contrasting concepts); • Citations in current APA format 6th edition; • Meaningful contribution is made to the discussion/paper. • Each reply to student 1 and student 2 paper expounds on the students’ papers. In addition, all replies must clearly link to the original author’s paper, contribute new information, and be supported by the scholarly resources. The replies must advance the conversation further by providing new ideas and insights, asking probing questions that get to the heart of critical issues, and share from one’s personal and professional experience. For the purposes of citations, each reply to each student’s paper must include: o At least 4 peer-reviewed sources (the text and the Bible do not count); o A relevant business article (any article from a reputable business source—website, magazine, book, etc.—that discusses a relevant business/ethical; and o Information from chapters 1, 2, and 3 of the textbook – uploaded. The replies must be in current APA format (6th edition) and must include a reference page under each student paper. The replies must be written in U.S. English. In addition, the paper must meet the following standards: • The content of the paper is well developed and fully addresses all aspects of the assignment. • The paper is written well and is fluid, well organized, and engaging. • The sources are adequate and substantial for the paper and include the required amount for each reply. • For each reply, provide integration of a biblical concept that supports your response. Biblical integration is more than just quoting a verse. Be sure to explain the biblical principle seen in the verse and how that principle may be applied to the issue at hand. • The clarity and mechanics contribute to discussion with clear, concise comments formatted in an easy to read style that is free of mechanical errors such as grammar and/or spelling. Current APA format 6th edition is applied correctly. Important requirement: the paper that you upload paper must contain a statement that it meets or exceed all standards as provided in the aforementioned instructions. Scholarly Journals – What are they? Scholarly journals (also called “professional” or “peer reviewed” journals) are a type of periodical. Other types of periodicals are magazines and newspapers. Most online databases contain a limiter you can select so results only show certain types of journals. For best results, select “Journal Article” in the “Document Type” limiter (if it is available), as well as the “Peer Reviewed”* limiter. *Items such as “letters to the editor,” book reviews, etc., are not peer reviewed, although they are found in peer reviewed journals. Characteristics of Scholarly Journals • Articles report on original research or experiments (as opposed to news or opinion pieces). • Articles written by a scholar/author who has done research in a particular field or discipline. • Language is technical and specialized. • Sources cited in the form of footnotes or bibliographies. • Often published by universities or professional societies. Ensure that the paper has a great thesis statement: • tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. • is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. • directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel. • makes a claim that others might dispute. • is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation. • A thesis statement is a short (just 1 or 2 sentences) clear summary of an argument. When writing a paper to convince others of something, a thesis statement should go at the end of the 1st paragraph. 1. References A minimum of 8 recent scholarly articles (not textbooks, Wikipedia, or other popular reading magazines), in current APA format, must be included and must contain persistent links so others may have instant access. 1. Please review the APA Manual 6th Edition for proper listing of references. Page 198-203 Please check to make sure each citation is appropriately listed in the references Make sure you check each and every references for the following: Spacing errors 2. Punctuation 3. Capitalization in title 4. Missing italics for volume number 5. Missing italics in title 6. Incorrect use of italics 7. Capitalization errors 8. Incorrect URL or doi 9. Incorrect journal name 10. Missing volume number 11. Missing issue number 12. Missing page numbers Example: Author date Article title Landsbury, J. (2007). Community efforts proven to increase empathy for the homeless. Journal Name volume(issue), pages digital object identifier Community Network Journal, 13(3), 1-10. doi:10.198/0005-9852.45.3.447 Journal Article without a DOI Number (include the home page of the journal, NOT the database name) Hall, K., & Miller, D. (2009). Citation software: Use with caution. Journal of Technology and Research, 17(3), 344-756. Retrieved from https://www.jtr.org Follow APA section 7.01, p. 198 and use a doi number or journal home page URL if a doi is not available. Note that most journals have doi numbers. Use crossref.org to find the doi or run a Google search with the article name to find doi numbers and then verify that the doi when entered into Google takes you to the correct article. Check all your articles. If you found the article in a library database (ProQuest, EBSCO host), you will need to use Google to find the journal’s Website and provide its URL. https://libguides.radford.edu/content.php?pid=219451&sid=1822715 Current APA format 6th edition is required Additional Information: The students were asked to follow the instructions below and their papers (that I uploaded) should be based upon these instructions: Read chapters 11 and 12 of the textbook: Textbook: Cooper & Schindler, Business Research Methods (2014) https://www.amazon.com/Business-Research-Methods-Donald-Cooper-ebook/dp/B00DC863CG Answer the question from the textbook Additional Information The paper must fully meet the following: • The prompt must fully addressed/answered in the thread. • The thread is 500–750 words • Each thread and reply references at least four peer-reviewed sources and one biblical integration • Provide integration of a biblical concept that supports the paper. Biblical integration is more than just quoting a verse. Be sure to explain the biblical principle seen in the verse and how that principle may be applied to the issue at hand