Write an academic paper in which you describe a business situation, apply a critical thinking framework to the situation, and recommend evidence-based solutions to the situation. Explain how the concepts of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) could affect both the situation and the solution. Introduction This portfolio work project will give you practice with academic writing expectations, while still being work relevant. Many organizations have relationships with professional associations and contribute written articles regularly to newsletters and other publications. In addition, some organizations expect leaders to participate in conferences and seminars, where written work must be submitted using an academic style. While you are playing the role of a new leader in an organization, remember that you are also writing a paper that will be evaluated by an instructor. Thus, you want to make it easy for the instructor to clearly see that you have demonstrated the outcomes of the assessment. Do not make your instructor search for information; guide them to it. How? By double checking the scoring guide and ensuring that you have clearly demonstrated each of these competencies at what you believe is the Distinguished level. Read the following and think about how Panera used critical thinking and an understanding of VUCA to solve their mosh pit problem. Pay attention to Kallet’s critical thinking framework in particular. Jargon, J. (2017, June 2). How Panera solved its mosh pit problem. The Wall Street Journal. Kallet, M. (2014). Think smarter: Critical thinking to improve problem-solving and decision-making skills. Wiley & Sons. Then, find another company with a problem they need to fix. You may use nearly any company that you can conduct research on, but do NOT choose the following: United Airlines, Chipotle, Comcast. If you are unsure who to use, try searching “Companies with customer service problems” online and you will get a lot of ideas, though your problem does not have to be about customer service.
