Assignments

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The assignments in this course are openly licensed, and are available as-is, or can be modified to suit your students’ needs. Answer keys are available to faculty who adopt Waymaker, OHM, or Candela courses with paid support from Lumen Learning. This approach helps us protect the academic integrity of these materials by ensuring they are shared only with authorized and institution-affiliated faculty and staff.

If you import this course into your learning management system (Blackboard, Canvas, etc.), the assignments will automatically be loaded into the assignment tool.

Salty Pawz Assignments and Discussions

Half of the written assignments and discussions (32 in total) are based on a case study, whose focus is a fictional dog-treats business called “Salty Pawz.” Many of these assignments take the form of asking students to give Wanda, the company’s inexperienced owner, advice about how she can run her business more effectively. Lighthearted in tone, the Salty Pawz case study and associated assignments create a common framework for applying knowledge and skills developed through the course, encouraging students to demonstrate mastery of the content through real-world tasks and work products.

Alternate Assignments and Discussions

The other half of the written assignments and discussions (32 in total) use a variety of approaches, depending on the subject and learning outcome being assessed; many ask students to go beyond course content to form connections between research topics and what they’ve learned in class.

Using Assignments

We recommend assigning one discussion OR one assignment per chapter, rather than all of them. Some instructors prefer to stick with the Salty Pawz theme throughout the course; others like to use some of the alternates along the way. You can view any assignments or discussions below or throughout the course.

 

Assignments and Discussions with Module Alignment
Module Alignment Salty Pawz Assignments Salty Pawz Discussions Alternate Assignments Alternate Discussions
Module 1: Role of Business Assignment: What Does a Business Look Like? Discussion: The Stakeholders of Salty Pawz Assignment: What Is Killing Our Business? Discussion: External Factors = Internal Pressure
Module 2: Economic Environment Assignment: Supply and Demand for Salty Pawz Discussion: Supply and Demand at Salty Pawz Assignment: Price Inelasticity of Demand Discussion: Supply and Demand in Your Life
Module 3: Global Environment Assignment: Taking Salty Pawz to the Global Market Discussion: Sending Salty Pawz Global Assignment: We Do It Better Here Discussion: Made in America
Module 4: Financial Markets and System Assignment: Show Wanda the Money Discussion: Why Wanda Cares About the Federal Reserve—or Does She? Assignment: The Most Powerful Person in the World Discussion: Do You Have Change for a $20?
Module 5: Legal Environment Assignment: Your Dog Treats Made Fluffy Sick! Discussion: They Don’t Sue Dog-Treat Companies, Do They? Assignment: Who Is Suing Whom? Discussion: The Product-Liability Debate
Module 6: Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Assignment: What They Don’t Know Won’t Hurt Me Discussion: It’s Not Stealing if You Pay For It, Is It? Assignment: Corporate Social Responsibility Discussion: Are They Simply Guidelines?
Module 7: Business Ownership Assignment: Wanda’s Business-Ownership Options Discussion: Business Structure Does Matter Assignment: Franchising—an Alternative to Start-up Discussion: Entrepreneurs and Business Ownership
Module 8: Entrepreneurship Assignment: Dear Wanda’s Mom Discussion: Wanda’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Assignment: Today’s Hottest Entrepreneurs Discussion: Am I an Entrepreneur?
Module 9: Management Assignment: One Owner, Many Hats Discussion: How Does Wanda Manage? Assignment: Are Leaders Born or Made? Discussion: How Great Leaders Inspire Action
Module 10: Motivating Employees Assignment: Motivating with Dog Treats? Discussion: Why Isn’t Jamie More Motivated? Assignment: What’s Empowerment Got to Do with It? Discussion: Motivate Me!
Module 11: Teamwork and Communication Assignment: Teamwork at Salty Pawz Discussion: What You Heard Was Not What I Meant Assignment: Multicultural Virtual Work Teams Discussion: The Ultimate Cost of Poor Communication
Module 12: Managing Processes Assignment: From Kitchen Baker to Operations Manager Discussion: More Than Just Baking Treats Assignment: The Malcolm Baldridge Award Discussion: How Things Are Made
Module 13: Marketing Function Assignment: Customers and Marketing at Salty Pawz Discussion: Customer Value Perception Assignment: Hit Your Target Discussion: Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Module 14: Marketing Mix Assignment: The Four Ps of Gourmet Dog Treats Discussion: The Four Ps of the Competition Assignment: I Can See the Four Ps of Marketing Discussion: Marketing Mix
Module 15: Human Resource Management Assignment: Wanda’s Hiring Approach, or How to Be Sued in One Easy Lesson Discussion: People Won’t Work for Dog Treats! Assignment: Career Choices Discussion: Are Interviews a Waste of Time?
Module 16: Accounting and Finance Assignment: Bison Bites Are Biting into Wanda’s Break-Even Point Discussion: Cooking More Than Dog Treats Assignment: Claire’s Cuttery Discussion: CPAs and Financial Crisis
Module 17: Using Technology to Manage Business Information Assignment: Policy at Salty Pawz Discussion: Wanda on the Web
Open Pedagogy Assignments and Alignment
Assignment Module
Functional Areas of Business Module 1: Role of Business
Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Module 6: Business Ethics and Corporate Responsibility
Formal and Informal Communication Module 11:  Teamwork and Communication
The Marketing Mix Module 13: Marketing Function

Rubrics for Written Assignments and Discussion Posts

For faculty using the assignments or discussions included here, there are also sample rubrics to assist you in grading. Instructors may download and modify these guidelines or use their own.

Grading Rubric for Discussion Posts

Written Assignment Rubric

Guidelines for Written Assignments

For faculty using the assignments included here, there is also a set of guidelines regarding length, formatting, and other mechanical submission requirements. Instructors may download and modify these guidelines or use their own.