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Week 1 – Discussion: Databases and Security

Be sure to review the Discussion Guidelines [content page] prior to participating in the discussions. You'll  want to review the provided rubric for each discussion prior to posting as well. If you need assistance working in the discussions, review this 2-minute video on How to Engage in the Discussions . 

Discussion Prompt:

Discuss the role of confidentiality, integrity, and availability in the context of database security. Address the following in your post: 

• How can confidentiality be maintained, and what controls, like encryption or access restrictions, are effective?
• How does proper database design support data integrity and prevent unauthorized modifications?
• What techniques ensure data availability and reduce the risk of downtime?

This Discussion aligns with the following:

• Course Objective 1 [content page]
  • Lesson Objective 1.1 & 1.6 [content page]

Rubrics 

To Prepare

• Review the Learning Resources associated with the topics: AI, Machine Learning, Genomics, Precision Health, and Robotics.
• Consider the role of these technologies in your healthcare organization or nursing practice.
• Analyze the differences of these technologies as they may impact healthcare delivery and nursing practice.
• Reflect on the potential use of each of these topics and your personal experiences with their implementation into practice.

By Day 3 of Week 7

Post a response to your blog for the following:  

• Choose one of the five topics: AI, Machine Learning, Genomics, Precision Health, or Robotics, how has this technology been applied in your practice or in the lives of your patients
• How do you think this innovation will impact the future of your practice?

First read the “Forecasting Interpretation Project Instructions” file here: Forecasting Analysis Project Instructions.docx Download Forecasting Analysis Project Instructions.docx 

Study the case here: Case Study for Individual Project.docx Download Case Study for Individual Project.docxand

accompanying historical datafile here: Student File No. 2.xlsx Download Student File No. 2.xlsx.

 Follow the instructions in the to analyze the case. 

·        This project refers to staffing needs for the first 24 months of operating the call center.

·        Part 1 questions refer to hiring using monthly data based on the first 24 months of operating the call center. You will need to run two different forecasting models using the Hillier templates.

·        Part 2 offers a recommendation to management based on the analysis you conducted.

For Part 1, you will need the exponential smoothing template and the linear regression template found here:

o   Hiller Excel Templates

Here is a video tutorial on running the Exponential Smoothing template

individual Forecasting Analysis Instructions

Instructions

This is an individual assignment and therefore must be completed by the individual student without outside assistance. In order to complete the assignment, first read the write-up for the

“Know Knead” case study. Then, answer the questions listed below for each part of the case.

1.     Part 1 questions refer to hiring using monthly data based on the first 24 months of operating the call center.

“Know Knead Student File No. 2.xlsx”

Part 2 offers a recommendation to management based on the analysis you conducted.

Conduct necessary calculations and visualizations to answer the questions.

For full credit you must submit

1. Excel spreadsheet model(s) with calculations/formulas (not harded-coded numbers)

2. Properly formatted Business Report which includes your answers to the assignment

questions.

·       Include a cover page, and all citations and headers should be in APA format.

·       Reports and models should be uploaded in the Canvas Dropbox before the posted deadline.

This is the 2nd of two forecasting projects. Make sure to use Student File 2 which has monthly data.

Grading

A total of 10 points is possible for this assignment. This includes the point values which are assigned to each question (point values are noted next to each question below). Your report should follow the prescribed assignment format, the proper writing style, and APA format.

Part 1 (10 points):

In answering the Part 1 questions, you should download and refer to Student Data File No. 2 which contains the historical data that you will need to answer the questions.

Question 1a (3 points):

Prepare a forecast of call volume for July 2025 by applying Exponential Smoothing to the prior 24 months of data. Use the appropriate Excel template from the Hillier text to prepare your forecast. Either assume that initial call volume is 26,644 and/or justify using a different initial value.

Choose at least two different alpha values for your model. Model do these choices change your forecasts?

Show your forecast below and attach the completed Excel template.

You must show your formulas within your spreadsheet (not hard-coded numbers).

2

Question 1b (3 points):

Apply Linear Regression to predict call volume from monthly cases using the appropriate Excel template.

Use 95,050 as your July 2025 monthly cases input or a simple time-series method to project July 2025.

Show your forecast below and attach the completed Excel template. Show your formulas (not hard-coded numbers).

Question 1c (1 point):

Calculate the Mean absolute deviation value of the Exponential Smoothing model (Question 3a) and the Average Absolute Estimation Error of the Linear Regression model

(Question 3b). Explain the difference

between these two values. Why does one method out-perform the other?

Question 1d (1 point):

What is your best forecast for July 2025? Show your forecast value. Explain how you came up with this forecast. Justify the Methods used in this analysis. Consider your answers to Questions 1a, 1b and 1c and all the factors that have been described above. You may present an additional model if you feel it could beat the models you have already run.

Question 2 (2 points)

 

 

 

 

Provide your recommendations to Corey on how to modify forecasting processes and improve its accuracy.

 

 

Appendix

Business Report Format

Executive Summary

Problem statement

Methods

Describe your dataset

Describe and justify analytical methods

Results (or Analysis)

Results with interpretation

Descriptive statistics (how big is your dataset?)

Inferential statistics and tests

Recommendation

Appendices (if necessary)

Example in Getting Started>Grading Policy

 For full credit you must submit:

a) Business memo to report and discuss your findings on this case and answer the case questions. 
b) Your spreadsheet models coded with the appropriate formulas (not hard coded values).

Follow APA 6 style to prepare the report and include the NSU Cover Sheet.
Here is the Individual Project Grading Rubric.docx Download Individual Project Grading Rubric.docx. 

 

Week a Assignmont – Job Analysis and Job Description
Write a 4-6 page paper in which you compfete the foliowing:
1. Develop a company overview that summarizes the company's vision, mission, and organizational strategy.
2. Describe a minimum of three qualifications for the position, including required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Include specific academic and technical skills and any required professional affiliations, licenses, or previous experience.
3. Describe at least three ways the duties and responsibilities associated with this role reflect the organization's vision, mission, and strategic goals.
4. Explain the purpose the job or position serves within the company.
5. Explain how you determined the duties and qualifications for the job.
6. Identify which employment laws you considered when creating the job description.
7. Use at least three sources to support your writing. You may include your textbook as a source.
Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate. Cite each source within your
assignment at least once. For help with research, writing, and citation, access the library.
(https://library.strayer.edu/home.or review library_guides (https://library.strayer.edu/index)..
This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The library is your home for SWS
assistance, including citations and formatting. Please refer to the Library site
(https://library.strayer.edu/sws).for all support. Check with your professor for any additional
instructions.
The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:
• Determine the elements of an effective job description.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Connections
SHRM-CP Alignment: Areas of HR Expertise: Organization/Workforce Management.
KSAs: In this week's assignment, you will practice, in various degrees, the following
Knowledge/Concepts, Skills, and Abilities:
• Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Culture.
• Relationship Building.
• Operating in a Culturally Diverse Workplace.
• Managing HR Initiatives.
View Rubric

Overview
In this assignment, you will use your business acumen and HRM slalle to create a detailed job strategies, and legal responsibilities. description that will fulfill the requirements of the position while aligning with organizational goals,
You will use this company and position again in the Week 6 assignment, and you may choose to use i
in other assignments. Use your Course Guide to review the assignments to guide your choices.
Preparation
Select a company or organization that you currently work for, a company or organization where you previously worked, or a company or organization you aspire to work for in the future. As needed, research the company or organization's mission statement, culture, hirine practices and other
relevant information.
Resources
• The HRM500 Library Guide (https:/library,strayer.edu/hrm500) may help you complete your assignment.
Scenario
The management at your organization has approved funding for a new full-time position. This position is eligible for full benefits. As an HR professional, you have been tasked with creating a detailed job description for this new position. You can use your current job, a former job, or a
position you would like to move into.
Based on what you know and have learned about job analysis, employment laws, and safe worki
environments, you will create a job description for this new position and discuss your choices,
following the instructions below.

Assignment objective: Students will create a writing exercise involving the creation of a dialogue and an analysis of key components of arguments.

Length: Your submission should be at least two (2) pages in length, not including the title page and references (if used).

References: APA Style will not be required for this assignment, and no outside resources are required.

Details: Using the Unit III Assignment Template, write a dialogue (short conversation) between two people. Keys to address:

• Make sure that each person provides the other with an argument.
• Each argument must have a conclusion and at least two premises.
• Since it is a conversation, each person should also state some extraneous material.
• After you are done writing the dialogue, fill out each part of the dialogue elements.

Your final product will need a conclusion and at least two premises, two assumptions, and two pieces of extraneous material for each speaker.

View the Unit III Sample Assignment for an example of how your completed assignment should look. Your completed assignment should be at least two pages in length.

Submission: Save the submission as a Word document and upload the document to Blackboard.

Grading: The assignment will be reviewed in alignment to the grading rubric criteria which is focused on the creation of the dialogue, an application of the concepts of conclusions, premises, assumptions, and extraneous material, and a clarity of writing style. The assignment is worth 20% of your course grade.

Locate a cross-cultural research article in psychology  Make sure your selected research article has cultural and systemic variables that have deficiencies. You should also verify research participants, research procedures, and intervention processes.  You may find it useful to use the following tips when searching for a research article:

• Use AND to combine keywords and phrases when searching the electronic databases for journal articles. To get the best results, use the word OR inside parentheses.
• For some topics, subject searching works better than keyword searching, which is usually the default. Find out if the database you are using has a "subject search" option. For example, in Academic OneFile, look for the Subject Guide Search, instead of using the large search box. This may bring up fewer results, but you will be searching with more precision.
• Use the results of a keyword search to discover subject headings (descriptors) used in the database. Usually, they will appear at the bottom of the article or somewhere in the citation. For example, by doing a keyword search for "girls and prostitution", you will discover that Academic OneFile uses subject terms such as "Cultural Diversity" and "Cross-Cultural Psychology."

Write a 175- to 350-word explanation of why you selected the article. Include the following:

• The proper APA citation for your chosen article: Be sure to include all required retrieval information (author(s), date of publication, title, journal name, etc.) and a link to the article.
• Why did you select this article?
• What culture or cultures were discussed in the article?
• What is being studied in the article?
• What is or will be the effect of the article on cultural awareness and diversity
• Do not use AI

Research and select an article in the CSU Online Library that focuses on managing conflict in an organization through communication.

Identify the article’s premise, significant points in support of the premise, and the significance of those points to the course and/or the field.

Present an insightful and thorough analysis of the article with strong arguments and evidence. Your interpretation will need to be both reasonable and compelling. You will need to apply course concepts in your analysis.

As you write the review, be certain to analyze the type of conflict discussed in the article. Use the classifications discussed in the Unit III Lesson (Rahim’s functional outcomes and Rahim’s dysfunctional outcomes) in your analysis.

Identify communication techniques to manage functional conflict or, alternately, communication techniques to resolve dysfunctional conflict.

In addition to the article reviewed, you will need to reference at least one peer-reviewed source.

APA Style should be used for formatting, references, and citations. Use paragraph format (introduction/body/conclusion).

The article review should be at least two pages in length, not counting the title and reference pages.

Content, organization, and grammar/mechanics will be evaluated.

Part 1: Company identification

For this assignment, you will start by selecting a company you are familiar with to serve as a hypothetical manager. This can be a company you work for currently, one you wish to work for in the future, or one that is well-known. Then, explain why you selected the company and a brief description of that company. Include what you see as the short and long-term goals and what your role would be.

Part 2: Leadership Strategies

Continuing with the organization you selected above, describe the following:

1. How would you describe your leadership style and how your style will help you communicate?
2. What is the importance of teams and how working together is beneficial?
3. How will you use planning and organizing in your position?
4. How will you use these strategies during times of change?
5. What tools you will use, and how they will help you meet your goals?

Your assignment should include three elements:

• Response: Be specific in your response, aligning the function to the value of the tool and the argument should be persuasive.
• Outside Resource: Provide at least one source from an academic article, library search, press, or news. The source should be something that supports your argument and cite your source(s) in APA Style.
• Story: Provide a story (example) that illustrates and supports your points.

Your Unit III Assignment should be at least three pages in length. You are required to use at least one outside source, including one source from the CSU Online Library. Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment

DISCUSSION

As a doctoral candidate preparing your mini-research proposal, imagine you must now present the essence of your proposed study to a key stakeholder, such as a C-suite executive, investor, board member, policymaker, or department head who may be interested in supporting, funding, or approving your research.

Write a professional executive memo (500–600 words) addressed to this stakeholder. The memo should concisely summarize the problem, research purpose, proposed methodology, and the potential impact of your findings, but in a way that is persuasive, accessible, and decision-oriented (non-academic tone).

Your goal is to communicate why this research matters, how it will solve a real-world problem, and why the stakeholders should care.

To earn full credit, you must post at least 500-600 words and cite two outside scholarly resources and your textbook (at least three sources) 

ASSIGNMENT

Title: Bridging Theory and Practice: Designing a Research Proposal to Solve a Contemporary Business Challenge.

Now that you have explored various aspects of research planning and development in Weeks 1–5, this week you will integrate your knowledge into a cohesive mini research proposal. You are expected to apply theoretical knowledge to a real-world business challenge by formulating a research proposal that could feasibly be conducted in a business setting of your interest (e.g., a company, industry, or organization you are familiar with or aspire to work with).

This task is both summative and integrative: it consolidates your submissions and reflections so far, refines your research problem, and positions your academic work within a practical context. This assignment should reflect advanced scholarly writing, applied problem-solving, and critical thinking appropriate to the level of a doctoral business researcher.

Develop a Mini Research Proposal (2,000–3,000 words) titled:

“Solving a Real-World Business Problem Through Applied Research: A Mini Proposal”

Instructions:

You must select a real-world business problem that is:

·       Relevant to your professional or industry background.

·       Timely and complex enough to warrant research-based investigation.

·       Suitable for a qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods approach.

Then, write a mini research proposal that includes the following structured components:

Proposal Structure (with guiding prompts):

1.     Title Page

o   Include a working title that clearly reflects the research focus.

2.     Introduction (approx. 150–200 words)

o   Present the background of the business issue.

o   Explain why it is relevant and worthy of study.

o   State the purpose of the proposed research.

3.     Problem Statement (approx. 150–200 words)

o   Clearly define the specific business problem.

o   Ground your problem in existing literature and/or real-world business outcomes.

o   Justify the need for scholarly investigation.

4.     Research Questions and Objectives (approx. 100–150 words)

o   List 1–2 primary research questions.

o   Include 2–3 specific research objectives aligned with the questions.

5.     Brief Literature Foundation (approx. 200–250 words)

o   Summarize key academic theories or frameworks related to your topic.

o   Highlight previous research findings that support or contrast with your proposed study.

o   Reference at least 3–5 peer-reviewed sources.

6.     Proposed Methodology (approx. 200–250 words)

o   Indicate the research approach (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods).

o   Describe the intended data collection method(s) (e.g., interviews, surveys, secondary data).

o   Identify the target population/sample and potential data analysis techniques.

7.     Implications for Practice (approx. 100–150 words)

o   Explain how your proposed research could benefit business practitioners, leaders, or policymakers.

o   Mention any potential limitations or ethical considerations.

8.     Conclusion (approx. 50–100 words)

o   Reiterate the importance of your proposed study.

o   Briefly summarize what the research intends to achieve.

Evaluation Criteria:

·       Clarity and coherence of writing (professional academic tone).

·       Application of business theory and concepts to a practical problem.

·       Logical flow and structured proposal elements.

·       Evidence of critical thinking and scholarly engagement with the topic.

·       Appropriate citation and formatting (APA 7th edition preferred).