No directly quoted material may be used in this project paper.

Group Project

Group Project: presented with a problem involving multiple agencies, each student assumes an agency role and a project role to identify a collaborative, optimal solution. Individually, each student will present an agency description, the agency’s perspective and role, and research the available resources. Students will then form groups, and each group will present a collaborative, optimal solution. In the last week of class, each group will present the consequences for not finding or not fully implementing the solution. Throughout this project each student is to assume the character (role play) of the leader of their assigned component agency when dealing with their counterparts from other agencies within their jurisdiction.

Phase 2 – Agency Perspective and Role The student will describe the perspective and role that institution-based corrections have in dealing with the Group Project problem as assigned buy the instructor.

• What are the traditional and practical approaches for the agency’s dealing with the problem?
• Why is/has there been a reluctance to change approaches/strategies?
• What motivations would be required to affect a different approach or strategy (other that direction from a higher jurisdictional authority)?

The student will submit a paper describing the perspective and role of the designated criminal justice component to include the considerations referenced above. 

Format Requirements

• Paper must be double spaced, 11 or 12 pt font and 1” margins all around.
• All APA 7th edition format requirements must be followed (cover page, in text citations, reference page). Refer to APA/UMGC – learning resources found in the content page of this course.
• You must have resources to support your thoughts/opinions/information.  These must be cited both in text as well as at the end of the document. Your paper should not contain direct quotes, sourced material must be paraphrased.

GROUP PROJECT – The Virtual Criminal Justice Alliance ….Background

For the past 11 months, the Virtual Police Department has applied a variety of investigative resources and strategies and is prepared to bring a number of criminal charges against the members of the Very Bad Bike Club. These started out as investigations of individual calls-for-service, complaints and criminal investigations. They merged into a collective effort as the pattern of activities and participants began to form. Based on the investigations, the department believes it has probable cause to arrest and charge nearly every one of the 63 VBBC members for conspiracy to manufacture illegal drugs, conspiracy to sell illegal drugs, and participation in a criminal enterprise. Additionally, numerous individual VBBC members can be charged with combinations of individual criminal violations, including possession of illegal drugs, illegal possession of firearms, robbery, attempted robbery, aggravated assault, and attempted murder. Despite the confidence the Chief of the VPD has in these cases, no information has been conveyed to the Office of the District Attorney nor has there been any involvement with the Grand Jury. As far as the Chief of the Police is concerned, this is the chance to destroy the VBBC once and for all.

The VBBC has plagued Virtual for over a decade. Efforts to stop criminal activity by members of the VBBC have been made almost exclusively by the police department, with little or no support from the rest of the Virtual criminal justice system. In the past most criminal charges brought to the Virtual prosecutor’s office by police detectives have resulted in outright dismissal for lack of probable cause or plea bargained agreements that reduce potential felony charges to misdemeanors with payable fines. There have been however, two prior instances of massive arrests of VBBC members. Approximately 7 years ago raids resulted in the confiscation of drugs and weapons and the ultimate conviction of 12 VBBC members. Six of these members are on parole and still reside in Virtual; two others are currently in the county detention center awaiting trial for new criminal charges and four others are confined to the State prison near Virtual.A similar sweep three years ago produced nearly identical results. These sweeps appear to have been ineffective. In short, the VBBC has a network of members in jail, in prison, on parole in the community and free on the street. The current police investigation has affirmed that all of these VBBC members are in near constant communications with each other.

Robert “Buddy” Pole is the “president” of the VBBC. While currently on parole for manufacturing methamphetamine, Buddy Pole continues to orchestrate the criminal enterprise that is VBBC. Provisions of his parole agreement that prohibit association with known criminals have gone unenforced. Robert Pole, Jr, (a.k.a. “Little Buddy” or “Bud Lite”) is currently in the Virtual Detention Center awaiting trial for carrying a concealed weapon. He seems to be in no hurry to make the affordable bail. Jail officials believe he is trying to organize a drug network within the jail. Two Detention Center correctional officers were recently disciplined for attempting to smuggle cell phones into the lock-up. It is believed they were destined for Little Buddy’s use. The youngest member of the Pole family is Patricia (a.k.a. “Tripper”). A chronic truant and trouble maker in school, Tripper was suspected of providing marijuana to her junior high school classmates and has continued the practice in high school. At age 19 and legally an adult, she is just about to complete her senior year of high school. Tripper’s collections of miscreant friends, most of whom are VBBC members or “wannabes”, congregate regularly around the Virtual Mall and commercial centers. Her boyfriend, John Henry Maxwell applied for a job as a Dunbar Security Force officer but was rejected because of his record.

In order to rid the city of Virtual of this criminal gang, Virtual Police Department Chief Clayton Moore called upon his criminal justice partners:

• The head of the Virtual Police Department VBBC task force, Captain Jay Silverheels
• The chief criminal prosecutor from the Office of the District Attorney, Raymond Burr
• The Security Chief of the state correctional facility, Major Allen Irongates
• The District Supervisor for the state department of parole, Martha Street
• The Operations Director of the Virtual Security Force, James Dunbar

The Virtual Security Force, a private security company hired by the Virtual Commercial Merchants Association to provide security personnel, equipment, etc. to supplement the resources of the Virtual Police Department in designated business and commercial areas of the city. VSF personnel hold special police commissions, have arrest authority on the property of their clients and may or may not be armed depending on their assignment and qualifications.

At their initial meeting Chief Moore made it clear to these partners that they had a single goal, to end the reign of terror emanating from the VBBC and victimizing Virtual’s citizens. Clearly if there was any hope of success, each criminal justice partner has to do their part for the collective good of all. The Chief’s remarks were met with wholesale agreement. It was decided the Virtual Criminal Justice Alliance would attack the VBBC on two levels (1) the pursuit of the current police investigations and prosecutions, and (2) a strategic plan to work collaboratively to reduce crime in Virtual. When the initial meeting adjourned Chief Moore had designated Captain Siverheels as his delegate. He was not sure, however, that every agency representative in the room felt his level of commitment or truly understood the consequences of failure. He was also curious as to what resources each “partner” was willing to bring to this operation and what would be held back.

Major Irongate has her own issues with VBBC. Their presence in the state prison has settled down what had previously been a powder keg of gang-related unrest. VBBC has become the dominate force in the prison. John “Jacky” Pole has been able to get the warring national/international gang members in the prison to suspend their violence and focus on drug-related profits.With tensions simmering just below the surface, Irongate knows the self-serving truce may be short lived. Major Irongate was also asked to represent the Virtual Detention Center. This facility holds arrestees awaiting a bail hearing, denied bail prior to trial or in transitional housing from the state prison to attend court. The jail also holds offenders serving short sentences for convictions on misdemeanor charges. Nearly all of the prison’s inmate population came through the Detention Center and may return there to be available for court appearances. Major Irongate is convinced that these “traveling” inmates are being used as “mules” for drugs and contraband cell phones.

Of the persons assembled by Chief Moore, only Dunbar represents a commercial, profit-driven agency. Simply put, these profits are the difference between the costs for the security provided and the fees Dunbar charges. Dunbar is eager to demonstrate a successful partnership with VPD and the Virtual Commercial Merchants’ Association as a stepping stone to contracts with larger jurisdictions. In any case, Dunbar’s primary motivation is to make money.

Raymond Burr would applaud Chief Moore’s plan if he could, but as a pragmatist he feels that this is a waste of time. He understands, if no one else at the table does, that plea bargaining is to only way the criminal justice system can do business. He has also warned the chief before that his detectives need additional training on establishing probable cause, proper interrogation procedures, appropriate charging, etc. If the VPD could get its act together he would love to prosecute a good solid case against the VBBC, but prosecuting a “looser” case will not solve the problem or help his own political ambitions.

In the transformational leadership model, we learn how important it is for a leader to articulate his or her vision to others. One way of doing that is through personal stories. The stories should involve lessons you have learned about YOURSELF, about other people, about leadership, or about life in general. Some questions to prompt reflection and recognition:

· What people have had a significant impact on your life and why?

· What hardships have you faced and overcome?

· What are the greatest blessings in your life?

· What do you really, really believe?

· What ideas make your heart skip a beat?

· What do you know about life now that you wish you had known in high school?

· What is the one best piece of advice you could give to a person?

· What life lesson would you like to pass on to your children some day?

· If you only had one year left to live, how would you spend it?

Think beyond clichés (e.g., Love makes the world go round) to insights that are unique to you. How might others benefit from hearing your stories? How do the stories point to your vision as a leader? 

Unit 3 – Individual Project 

  Unit:  Use Common Statistical Tests to Draw Conclusions From Data 

 Deliverable Length:  2 pages 

Assignment Objectives

Explain the applications and limitations of statistical hypothesis testing as applied to business situations. 

Based upon the input from Units 1 and 2, you have just received your next assignment that will contribute to your next decision. For the outdoor sporting goods client, based upon your prior decision on whether or not to expand to the next market or retain your current position, justify your decision further utilizing the chi-square distribution tool. One key criterion point: You do not have adequate data to formulate a full chi-square for the outdoor sporting goods client. However, you have sufficient data to initiate this process. You are charged to demonstrate the initial steps of a nonparametric test that are qualitative. Utilizing the null and alternative hypotheses, further present your justifications for your selection and what it means beyond the mere formulas. What is this going to tell the Board of Directors and contribute to the decision-making process?

The following information may be helpful in understanding chi-square and hypothesis testing:

Please review this helpful video. The presenter uses flipping a coin and rolling a die. These are examples and analogies used in the CTU resources.

The following are assumptions that might make the assignment more helpful and make the responses more uniform:

• Continue to utilize the Big D scenario. Work under the assumption that the sample is based upon 2 different proposed product lines.
• Additionally, work under the assumption that the same demographics are utilized for each product.

Reference

Bozeman Science. (2011, November 13). Chi-squared test [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXPBoFDqNVk

https://class.ctuonline.edu/_layouts/MUSEViewer/MUSE.aspx?mid=20402227

Critical Thinking 

Collaborative Technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT) (105 points)

Conduct research and write a paper on either mobile technologies or  the Internet of Things (IoT). In your paper, address the following:

• Briefly define the technology (collaborative technologies or IoT technologies).
• How and why are organizations applying this technology? Identify and describe one real-world example.
• What are the benefits of the technology to organizations? For example, does the technology reduce costs?
• How does the technology benefit the organization’s internal and external users?
• What are some challenges or potential problems of the technology to the organization?
• In your opinion, do the benefits outweigh these concerns? Explain.

Your well-written report should be 4-5 pages in length, not  including the cover and reference pages. Use APA style academic writing 

Required

• Chapter 4: Networks, Collaborative Technology, and the Internet of Things in Information Technology for Management: On-Demand Strategies for Performance, Growth, and Sustainability
• Monteiro, E., & Parmiggiani, E. (2019). Synthetic Knowing: The Politics of the Internet of Things. MIS Quarterly, 43(1), 167–184. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2019/13799
• Schahram Dustdar, Surya Nepal, & James Joshi. (2019). Introduction to the Special Section on Advances in Internet-based Collaborative Technologies. ACM Transactions on Internet Technology (TOIT) – Special Section on Advances in Internet-Based Collaborative Technologies, 19(3), 1–4.https://doi.org/10.1145/3361071
• Oueis, J., Conan, V., Lavaux, D., Rivano, H., Stanica, R., & Valois, F. (2019). Core network function placement in self-deployable mobile networks. Computer Communications, 133, 12–23.

Instructions

Once a firm has completed the strategy formation process, it moves into the implementation stage. Often, this entails a series of competitive actions in order to establish, maintain, and increase market position.  Factors that affect a firm’s decision to initiate competitive actions include first-mover motivation, organizational size, and product quality.  Conversely, firms may wish to initiate a competitive response based on their competitors’ actions. These actions can be either strategic or tactical, and are often based on the size, stability, and financial position of competitors. 

In a paper of no fewer than 1000 words, you must complete two tasks:

1. Explain the concept of competitive action, and provide details about each of the factors that would affect the likelihood of a firm initiating a competitive action. 
2. Explain the process of initiating a competitive response. Differentiate between strategic and tactical responses, and explain what factors lead to a firm launching a competitive response.

Note: Outside research is required for this assignment. You must include no fewer than 5 outside sources (not including the textbook). These sources should be scholarly; appropriate sources include academic and industry trade journals. As graduate students, please refrain from using non-authoritative source such as internet blogs, websites without author names/credentials, etc.   Be sure to properly cite all of your sources in order to avoid plagiarism.  All submissions will be checked via Turn-It-In similarity detection software!  Use APA style, as this is the preferred style for the Business field.