Reflective Writing: Texas Legislative Branch, Redistricting, Campaigns and Elections under Federalism

Requirements and Completion Instructions

When completing your essay, you must provide in-text citations for any work that is directly quoted or paraphrased.  However, you do not need to put the direct citation next to each piece of information that you include in your chart. A bibliographic citations on your bibliography will suffice. When writing your essay, respond to the prompt thoroughly, and completely.

Your response should be your own thoughts and analysis. Citations may be formatted in  MLA as long as they are consistent throughout. Research and resources should be incorporated with scholarly application. I.e. used as examples or evidence to support your analysis. Make sure to use complete sentences, and proper grammar. Your response to the prompt should focus on analyzing the information you gather and use to complete the constitutional chart through application. Incorporate the information you gathered by using it to provide examples and support for your response to the prompt.

Your analysis and essay must be at least 2 pages, in length. This does not include the bibliography. The bibliography should be incorporated, on a separate page.

My expectations of a complete assignment are that information is organized clearly and in detail with specific examples.  Quality is preferred to quantity.

Prompt:

Copy and paste the link below, to access and stream the movie The Big Buy: How Tom Delay Stole Congress, free online. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6rzv (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Choose from one of the prompts below, to respond to

1. Thinking about federalism and the how power is distributed between multiple levels of government, including the federal and state level, identify current federal and Texas laws that regulate elections, such as those that provide for determining electoral processes, eligibility to participate in an election, selection methods, winning requirements, candidate qualifications, determining when and where election is held. Discuss inconsistencies and provide some possible examples to explain the potential effects these could have on electoral outcomes, of who is deemed winner, and ultimately achieving democratic representation of the appropriate people (constituents) who will be electorally linked and impacted by the winner of a political office.
2. In your own opinion, is re-redistricting, before the decennial census, a crime, based on statutory and constitutional law? Or, given the nature and number of state level elections, across a wide geography made up of an extremely demographically heterogeneous population, make it democratically necessary that re-mapping between census’s be a reserved power of the states, in order to maximize representative democracy. How could the remapping of Texas be applied to example and explain the state’s Don’t Mess With Texas, age old attitude, and individualistic political culture.
3. How could you defend an argument that re-redistricting was not illegal, and how could you defend the argument that re-redistricting violated the Voting Rights Act. Despite, the Texas remapping controversy, should the federal judicial system be involved, in what Justice Felix Frankfurter called the “political thicket” of partisan redistricting?  Especially, since the power to redistrict is a power reserved to for the state, and its people. If political gerrymandering is a problem, should its resolve be left to the voters, state by state, and jurisdiction by jurisdiction, or to the federal government (i.e. oversight, regulation, intervention, law…what do you think).

 his assignment will be submitted to Turnitin®.

Instructions

Course Objectives:

• CO1 Define the legal environment that is applicable to the business world.
• CO2 Review basic business law concepts
• CO3 Describe the litigation system in the United States CO4 Apply legal concepts to business to business scenarios
• CO5 Analyze the differences between major forms of intellectual property protection, and current ethical issues that arise under intellectual property law
• CO6 Identify antitrust issues in business decisions
• CO7 Analyze what a contract is, how a contract is formed, the types of law that govern contracts, the elements of common-law contract formation, and defenses to contracts
• CO8 Identify various forms of business structure
• CO9 Evaluate employment laws affecting business
• CO10 Define ethical environment that is applicable to the business world.
• CO11 Identify means to avoid alter ego liability
• CO12 Evaluate how the Sarbanes Oxley Act applies to business.

PREPARE A PPT PRESENTATION:

Reflecting on the concepts in the course, select and research one (1) of the company situations listed below and prepare a PowerPoint presentation of the legal and ethical issues surrounding it. At least one source citation for each company is provided to get you started and you may use this citation as one of your required sources. It is expected you will use the course Lessons and required readings plus your own independent research of credible sources in support of this presentation. At least two sources should be peer-reviewed articles or scholarly texts from the library.

Your presentation should include the following, organized in professionally designed slides with accompanying Speaker’s Notes or Audio and/or video narrative. Further instructions for the PPT are also below:

CONTENT FOR YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

1. Introduce the company (e.g. name, type of business, its corporate structure);

2. Define and explain the core ethical dilemma confronting the company, with pertinent facts;  this includes why it is an ethical issue; clearly define the dilemma and what area of law is involved (e.g. contract, torts, etc.);  be clear as to the company’s situation and its ethical choices – the action the company chose to do and at least one other, different, choice;

3. Identify, define and explain an ethical framework that supports, or is illustrated in, the choice/action the company made.

4. Identify, define and explain another ethical framework that the company leadership could have utilized in this situation and explain how utilization of this alternate ethical framework would have led to a different result in deciding the ethical dilemma. Explain specifically how the company effectively could have employed this framework.

5. Recommend: Lessons learned. What lessons can business management leaders learn from this case study for management of business operations? Recommend and explain at least one business practice. In determining and designing your recommendation consider the concepts in areas of law we have studied this term, e.g. contracts, tort liability, corporate structure and policy, corporate social responsibility, Sarbanes-Oxley, employment laws, litigation, etc. A good business practice recommendation can relate to any one or combination of these elements of the legal business environment. The company you have studied for this Assignment engaged in practices on an ethical basis that ultimately touched or affected all aspects of its management. Your recommendation should be a take-away pertinent for any business to apply in practice.  It is not sufficient to just say something like “do it differently,” or “be ethical.”

In addition to the above, study the Rubric for this Assignment and the Instructions for PPT.

COMPANIES – SELECT ONE (1) OF THESE COMPANIES/SITUATIONS FOR YOUR ESSAY

• Ford Motor Company – Pinto car defect – Beginning informational source:
  • The Pinto memo: “It’s cheaper to let them burn!” (2008, October 17). The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved from http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/autos/2008/oct/17/pinto-memo-its-cheaper-let-them-burn/
  • Case study: Ford’s Pinto: Collective welfare versus rights and freedom. (2014, January 22). ethicsworkshop. YouTube. [Video File].

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PPT:

• Title slide followed by agenda slide that outlines the presentation.
• Ends with References slide, listing seven (7)-plus credible sources from Lessons, Course Readings, and  your own research in Library, in APA 7th formatted citations. (Note, you may need more than 1 slide for all fully cited references.)
• In addition to the above 3 types of slides, minimum ten (10) content slides.
• Slides should be presented with professional background, appropriate graphics, and content points (not paragraphs to be read like a “paper”);
• Content points should be included on slides, not just “titles.” 
• Speaker’s notes are required for narrative accompanying beneath all slides except title slide and references slides. In the alternative audio narration or a video can accompany the slide presenting the narration portion of the presentation.
• Proofread the presentation to correct errors. Avoid plagiarism! Quotes and figures require citation.
• See Grading Rubric.

Submit this essay as a Microsoft PPT document attachment no later than 11:59 pm ET Sunday of week seven.  

 

A 65 yo woman was diagnosed 5 years ago with osteoarthritis in her knees following an xray that had been done after she had fallen on a hiking trip. Before the trip, she had walked regularly, played tennis, and gone backpacking with her family. Following the injury, she had limited physical activity in order to avoid pain and in the belief that rest would protect her knees from further damage. Over the past several years, she noticed increased knee stiffness in the morning and after prolonged periods of sitting. Pain has increased from mild discomfort after strenuous activity to moderate to severe pain with stair climbing, squatting, and arising from a chair.  

Her laboratory data:
Height  5’3” 
Weight  170 pounds
Resting HR 80 bpm                                       
Resting Blood Pressure  160/90
BMI  30.2 kg/m2
VO2max:24.3 ml/kg/min   

Decreased range of motion with knee flexion, hip extension, ankle dorsiflexion.
Decreased strength with knee flexion and extension, hip abduction, and ankle dorsiflexion.

About Your Assignment

Instructions:
Answer the following questions on the case study above. Submit your answers in this assignment portal.
1. What types of pain management tools would you suggest for her?  (.75 pts)

2. Based on the information she gave and her laboratory data, what are the primary exercise program goals for this woman? Explain (1 pt)

3. Cardio: What mode and why? (1 pt)

4. Resistance training: What to focus on, what type, and why? (.5 pt)

5. Flexibility: How will this help? (.5 pts)

 

Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Change initiatives, by their very nature, generate some form of conflict. Some conflicts may be a natural expression of resistance to new circumstances that take people out of their comfort zone. Other conflicts arise when employees feel alienated, threatened, or unsupported in what they are being asked to do. In some situations, the conflict may become so serious that it poses a larger threat, as stakeholders compete for positions or even plot to sabotage the entire change initiative.

• What can HR leaders do to identify and address potential conflicts before they occur?
• How can HR leaders support and encourage employees to push forward with change, even if it may lead to a loss or change of their own jobs?
• In merger situations, what can be done to minimize tensions between old competitors, and get people aligned with the new vision and mission?

Post your initial response by Wednesday, midnight of your time zone, and reply to at least 2 of your classmates’ initial posts by Sunday, midnight of your time zone.​

1st response

 

Hello Professor Bodam and Classmates,

• Experienced HR leaders who have been working to build a culture of truth, trust, and honest dialogue are able to surface an issue and face it head on (Welch, 2005). HR professionals must be particularly active and sensitive in anticipating where conflicts are mostly to occur in order to minimize it (Kotter, 2012).
• HR faces many challenges during times of acquisition and mergers. HR leaders must identify and communicate the reasons for the M&A to employees, form a M&A team and choose a M&A leader. The team will assess the corporate cultures of the two companies and begin to make decisions of who stays and who goes. Although it’s never an easy tasks most successful mergers are the ones where the leadership of both companies have been involved in upfront planning that focuses on the requirements for success, defining the team needed to achieve them and how they would intersect. Transparency about the new vision and consistent communication with employees should be a major part of the planning. When employees see that HR is upfront about the process, they may feel more inclined to be on board with the changes that are about to occur. Once the organizational design and structure are defined it should be clear to HR leaders who fits into the new vision and who does not. When I worked for the utility company there was one HR manager who made the decision to take the early retirement package offered and I believe that helped her to be encouraging to others when it came time to make their decisions on how to move forward. The company worked the change initiative in stages leaving employees enough time to apply for new positions which was highly recommended, or to decide on taking the severance package and leave the company.
• The key to minimizing tensions between old companies is for executives to demonstrate commitment to the vision. Employees must be able to witness positive behaviors by key executives. In other words, there must be no inconsistencies between what is said and what is done. If key executives lose the trust of employees on either side, there will be a problem. In summary there must be upfront planning with leaders from both sides. A well- planned integration with cohesive culture as the focus; constant communication and commitment to the transition of both words and actions, and organizational structure defined by what is best for the customer will go a long way toward positioning the new organization for success (Fondrevay, 2018).

Paula

Resources:

JWI556-Leading Change by Putting People First-Week-9-Lecture-notes

Jennifer J. Fondrevay, (May 21, 2018). Change Management: After a Merger, Don’t Let “Us Vs. Them” Thinking Ruin the Company. Harvard Business Review

2nd response

 

Hello Dr. Bodam and class,

What can HR leaders do to identify and address potential conflicts before they occur?

There are several steps HR leaders can take in these situations. Two from this week’s lecture notes that I find to be very effective are as follows (1):

· Being aware of the most common types of conflicts that surface during change initiatives will help keep you from being blindsided.

· Taking preemptive actions based on early warning signals makes it a lot easier to manage a potential conflict rather than fix a problem that has escalated into an all-out battle.

By taking these steps you are not only identifying potential conflicts, but actively taking steps to get ahead of the curve before they happen. Ultimately, there are always going to be mishaps and conflicts in business, but the true mark of an HR professional is how they prepare and react when the rubber needs to hit the road.

How can HR leaders support and encourage employees to push forward with change, even if it may lead to a loss or change of their own jobs?

There are a lot of things that you can do, including calling out the potential of others, making failure a learning process, focusing on effort not just skills, and actively working against complacency (2). The contingency of losing your job or having it changed always exist in business. One of the most important aspects of HR is being able to drive change while simultaneously having employees overcome those fears. In companies where that fear is prevalent and dominating there is ultimately going to be a stall in the efficiency, productivity, and growth of the company. This down to the road ultimately leads to failure.

In merger situations, what can be done to minimize tensions between old competitors, and get people aligned with the new vision and mission?

One of the most effective ways to minimize tensions between old competitors is to reinforce the idea of “our company” versus “their company”. The “us” versus “them” mentality can make an integration extremely difficult to navigate and pull off effectively if not resolved (3). Executives are responsible for crafting that vision and laying the groundwork for pulling everyone together as one team, but I feel like the real work here is done by the mid-level management. The mid-level management are going to be the ones with the boots on the ground and are going to have the best opportunity to minimize the tensions and foster a culture of togetherness.

Thank you,

Blake Bryant

References:

1. Week 9 Lecture Notes.

2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2015/02/19/four-ways-to-challenge-employees-to-reach-their-potential/?sh=11c692b92889

3. https://services.hbsp.harvard.edu/lti/links/content-launch

 

This assignment provides an opportunity to apply psychological theory in the exploration of a book or film. Choose a film or book of special interest. The book or film should have content that can be meaningfully explored through application of psychological theory and research. You may want to look at some of the later sections in the course that deal with emotion, motivation, personality, the development of the individual over the life span, health and stress, and psychological disorders and treatment, so that you have a more complete idea of different concepts that might apply.

This paragraph provides you with some example topics and guidelines to help you consider how to approach this task. First, you could pick a movie or book in which the main character suffers from a psychological disorder or is merely trying to cope with the everyday stress of life. In doing so, you could discuss defense mechanisms or refer to developmental stages in the person’s life that might have been important, or consider the effects of abuse, alcoholism and addiction, etc. Or you could approach the subject matter from different perspectives—psychoanalytical, biological, behavioral, cognitive, and/or sociocultural. Additionally, you could discuss the role emotion, memory, or motivation plays in the character’s development, or the importance of the environment, and influences such as racism and sexism. A sample paper is provided as well to guide you in formatting, organizing, and writing your paper.

This is a research-based paper, and the film or book provides only the backdrop for research on a psychological topic. You should use at least two psychological, peer-reviewed references (textbook can be used but does not count towards the peer-reviewed references required). The paper should be 1,200 to 1,500 words, about 5 double-spaced pages. The final paper portion of the assignment is worth 65 points and will be graded according to the attached rubric. This assignment will be reviewed by Turnitin and generate a similarity report upon submission to LEO. A new similarity report will be generated every time you upload the assignment until the due date. Please use this similarity report to improve your paper as plagiarism will NOT be tolerated. Please see my instructions on using Turnitin for additional information.