Assignment 1: Social Performance of Organizations
Due Week 4 and worth 290 points
According to the textbook, the current world economy is increasingly becoming integrated and interdependent; as a result, the relationship between business and society is becoming more complex. In this assignment, you will be researching a Fortune 500 company from an approved company list provided by your professor. Be sure to check the list before you begin.
Write a four to six (4–6) page paper in which you:
- Specify the nature, structure, and types of products or services of your company, and identify two (2) key factors in the organization’s external environment that can affect its success. Provide an explanation to support the rationale.
- Suggest five (5) ways in which the primary stakeholders can influence the organization’s financial performance. Provide support for the response.
- Specify one (1) controversial corporate social responsibility concern associated with your company.
- Submit a reference page with at least four (4) quality references that you have used for this paper. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
- This course requires the use of new Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different from other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.
- Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow SWS or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
- Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
- Analyze the relationship between business and society, and the ways in which they are part of an interactive system.
- Recommend ways stakeholders can influence the destiny of both business and society.
- Analyze the various primary and secondary stakeholder groups, their roles, and relationships.
- Compare and contrast the concepts of corporate social responsibility and citizenship.
- Analyze ways ethical challenges affect the multiple functions of the business.
- Use technology and information resources to research issues in business and society.
- Write clearly and concisely about business and society using proper writing mechanics.
Specific Library Resources to help you get started:
- Access the Strayer University Online Library here.
- Introductory Search – Use the home page’s search box to keyword search many, but not all, databases.
- Targeted Search – Scroll to the bottom of the page for an A to Z listing of all databases. Float over each link to see a description of the database and click to load that particular database’s custom search page. Custom search pages include both basic and advanced search options.
- These databases are only partially searchable through the general search bar. You will have to search for them individually to find resources for your paper.
- Nexis Uni – This contains legal information and would be useful to search for court cases in which your company has been involved.
- Video Explaining Nexis Uni
- Research Starters are like the academic version of Wikipedia. Search on a topic to get an overview with links to other information within that topic. It will help you get ideas for keywords for your own searches and what you need to know in order to successfully write your paper.
- Research Starters – Business
- Library Databases – Research Starters
- Don’t stress over writing papers! Watch this video on writing papers and essays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlgR1q3UQZE&t=9s. Topics include how to start your research, how to organize your research, how to draft your paper, and how to revise it.
Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic/organization of the paper, and language and writing skills.