Write a 1,000- to 1,200-word paper comparing the personality theories of Freud, Jung, Rogers, and Maslow. Outline how each theorist contributed to the study of personality. Identify the features of each theory that differentiate them from the other personality theories.

Assignment 2: SWOT Analysis and Strategic Scorecard

One of the most common business tools during organizational assessment is the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) model. Another is developing a balanced scorecard based on a prescribed or planned set of performance objectives that will be measured and evaluated regularly. In this assignment, you will learn about both and how to apply them in business.

Integrate the research and analysis from the previous three assignments and produce a SWOT analysis and a strategic scorecard for your business unit.

Part 1—SWOT Analysis (2 pages)
Your SWOT analysis should summarize the opportunities and threats from the external environmental scan with the strengths and weaknesses from your organizational assessment or internal environmental scan.

Your output should include a matrix depicting strengths or weaknesses on the horizontal axis and opportunities or threats on the vertical axis. This matrix will reveal a set of strategy forces that can be used to assess the current strategy and identify important potential changes to the strategic direction of the company.

In creating your SWOT analysis, look for natural pairings of internal and external factors that match internal resources and capabilities to the external environment. Internal strengths and external opportunities depicted in the upper left quadrant on your matrix might form complementary pairs that suggest necessary strategic focus for the business unit to pursue opportunities that fit its competitive strengths. Conversely, internal weaknesses and external threats shown in the lower right quadrant of the matrix may combine to illustrate the need for a defensive strategy to avoid becoming highly susceptible to competitive threats.

Your matrix should not simply be a collection of four lists compiled together in a matrix. Your analysis should combine factors and explain why specific strengths complement specific opportunities, and selected weaknesses are amplified by external threats. In addition to your matrix, provide a brief narrative that summarizes the main findings in your analysis and the implications for the current and projected strategy.

Part 2—Balanced Scorecard/KPIs (4 pages)
Use the balanced scorecard or another similar tool to recommend indicators and measurements that will tell you if the company is successful or unsuccessful in progressing toward your vision through execution of strategy.

A balanced scorecard presents organizational performance on four primary groups of measures:

1. Financial
2. Customer (external stakeholder)
3. Learning and Growth
4. Internal Process

You should develop a strategy scorecard that ties the performance of your business unit in these areas to its overall business strategy. The challenge you face is selecting 2–3 measures in each of the four areas that give a measurable and reliable indication of the business unit performance in the key activities that promote strategic fit, customer value, and sustained competitive advantage.

Write a 6-page report in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M6_A2.doc.

By Wednesday, February 13, 2013, deliver your assignment to the M6: Assignment 2 Dropbox.

Guided Response: Review several of your classmates’ posts and identify some key point(s) you agree with. Respond to at least two of your classmates and provide recommendations to extend their thinking. Challenge your classmates by asking a question that may cause them to reevaluate or rethink their understanding of child development, brain functions, and the process of learning.

Joshua Berndt

 For this week’s second and final discussion of the week, we are asked to discuss the process of working memory including the areas of the brain associated with short-term memory and encoding. Lastly we are to explain two techniques I can use in my professional practice that would help improve and strengthen short-term memory.

     Working memory represents a more complex system and involves our conscious active processing of incoming sensory information (Willis, J., & Mitchell, G. 2014).  When sensory input reaches the hippocampus, it is available for consolidation into short-term memory.  The hippocampus retains information for less than one minute; the encoding process constructs a short-term memory if related prior to memory (Willis, J., & Mitchell, G. (014).  
     Two techniques that I can use in my professional practice to help me improve my short-term memory is a game or training we call in the Army as “KIM” (keep in memory), and eating healthy.  The one I would like to talk about is KIM which is a game we play in the Army, the way it goes is there are specific items under a blanket covered up as Soldiers walk around, once the blanket is taken off the items, Soldiers try to keep as many of the items in their mind (short-term memory), this happens for about 30 seconds, once the time is up the Soldiers are than ran through some physical activities to try and get them away from what they just tried to memorize.  After about 20 minutes of physical activities the Soldiers are than asked to write don the items, and see how many they can remember.  This exercise keeps our mind right, and is used to learn for an example if we are on a mission and are under fire, we may still have to remember things we have seen that could lead to collecting intel.

Josh

Reference

Willis, J., & Mitchell, G. (2014). The neuroscience of learning: Principles and applications for educators. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.

            Paige Hobbs

Working memory is the part of short-term memory that is concerned with immediate conscious perceptual and linguistic processing.  In working memory its system is involved in several cognitive abilities such as reasoning, learning, and comprehension. (Braddeley,2003). There are four components to the Baddeley and Hitch model of working memory those include central executive, a phonological loop, a visuospatial sketchpad, and an episodic buffer.

The central executive is what directs our attention to incoming sensory input. The phonological loop allows us to use repetition to remember a variety of different things. The visuospatial sketchpad allows our brain to visualize and input information given and lastly the episodic buffer helps bind the information given and store it into long term memory. The three components phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad and episodic buffer work together fluidly meaning the ability to change and reason quickly. All four components must work together in order to create memory.

As an educator I would use dancing and music to strengthen short term memory. Working with children who have disabilities, task need to be enjoyable and fun. Dancing to music to learn their ABCs or singing a math song over and over to help them with multiplication would strengthen their short term memory and even help their long term memory.

References

Willis. J., & Mitchell, G. (2004). Neuroscience of Learning: Principles and Applications for Educators. Bridgepoint Education.

Select a country and go to the CIA’s World Factbook Website, and research its economic wealth or poverty. Note: Please review the other student’s responses so that you do not repeat another student’s selection of a country. Then, describe the economic wealth or poverty of that country. Discuss any sociological aspects that may be causing this wealth or poverty.