Client Brief Assignment Refer to Grade Book for % of Final Grade and Due Date The Assignment This is an individual assignment. Read the article. The link to the article is posted at the bottom of this page. You are to put yourself in the role of a management consultant who has been engaged by the client (Target) to assist them in overcoming a problem or issue. Your client is requesting a Post Mortem and Learnings from this serious setback. Based on the article each student is to identify: · Primary issue in the situation · 2 secondary issues In addition, you will detail ………….1) What caused the issues? 2) Who are the principals involved? 3) How could they have achieved success instead of disaster? Each student will then prepare a Client Brief. You are to design a form/questionnaire that you would like the client to complete before you undertake their project. The purpose of the Brief is to help you prepare for the project and document what you need to know before you start your work. The Brief helps organize their needs and required deliverables. You will need to do some secondary research regarding Client Briefs to prepare your document. You can investigate ‘Best Practices’ in this area. Individual marks for this Assignment and the Prior Knowledge Quiz will assist in the Group Formation for the Client Project. Here is the link to the article: http://www.canadianbusiness.com/the-last-days-of-target-canada/ Conflict Interview Please make up the interview. The purpose of this assignment is for you to explore the complex nature of conflict in the workplace, with its source in interpersonal, small group or organizational factors. It is worth 20% of your total grade. Your grade will be based on 1) the depth of your analysis of the interview, 2) application of course material and 3) the overall effort on the assignment. Also refer to the evaluation rubric for papers for writing expectations. This assignment has two parts; a summary of the interview (or transcript) and your responses to the discussion questions. Your interview summary can be your hand written notes with what you feel are the important points highlighted or a typed summary of the important points. The discussion questions are for you to complete based on your interview and are included on the next page. Read them through before your interview so you have them in mind as you ask your questions. Please submit a hard copy of both a summary of your interview and the discussion questions in class (refer to Moodle for the due date). Conduct an interview with someone you know and feel comfortable having an honest (and confidential) discussion. It is better to have this interview with someone in a full time career rather than a part time job. Use (or adapt) the questions provided. No names or characteristics that could identify this person should be used. Encourage the person you interview to be as specific and honest as possible in their answer. If you are ab ...

1. Client Brief Assignment
Refer to Grade Book for % of Final Grade and Due Date
The Assignment
This is an individual assignment. Read the article. The link to
the article is posted at the bottom of this page. You are to put
yourself in the role of a management consultant who has been
engaged by the client (Target) to assist them in overcoming a
problem or issue. Your client is requesting a Post Mortem and
Learnings from this serious setback. Based on the article each
student is to identify:
· Primary issue in the situation
· 2 secondary issues
In addition, you will detail ………….1) What caused the issues?
2) Who are the principals involved?
3) How could they have achieved success instead of disaster?
Each student will then prepare a Client Brief. You are to design
a form/questionnaire that you would like the client to complete
before you undertake their project. The purpose of the Brief is
to help you prepare for the project and document what you need
to know before you start your work. The Brief helps organize
their needs and required deliverables. You will need to do some
secondary research regarding Client Briefs to prepare your
document. You can investigate ‘Best Practices’ in this area.
Individual marks for this Assignment and the Prior Knowledge
Quiz will assist in the Group Formation for the Client Project.
Here is the link to the article:
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/the-last-days-of-target-
canada/
Conflict Interview
Please make up the interview.

2. The purpose of this assignment is for you to explore the
complex nature of conflict in the workplace, with its source in
interpersonal, small group or organizational factors. It is worth
20% of your total grade. Your grade will be based on 1) the
depth of your analysis of the interview, 2) application of course
material and 3) the overall effort on the assignment. Also refer
to the evaluation rubric for papers for writing expectations.
This assignment has two parts; a summary of the interview (or
transcript) and your responses to the discussion questions.
Your interview summary can be your hand written notes with
what you feel are the important points highlighted or a typed
summary of the important points. The discussion questions are
for you to complete based on your interview and are included on
the next page. Read them through before your interview so you
have them in mind as you ask your questions. Please submit a
hard copy of both a summary of your interview and the
discussion questions in class (refer to Moodle for the due date).
Conduct an interview with someone you know and feel
comfortable having an honest (and confidential) discussion. It is
better to have this interview with someone in a full time career
rather than a part time job.
Use (or adapt) the questions provided. No names or
characteristics that could identify this person should be used.
Encourage the person you interview to be as specific and honest
as possible in their answer.
If you are able to record the interview on your phone, I
encourage you to do so. If not, set a slower pace for your
questions so you are able to write down as many details as
possible. Review your notes or recording as soon after the
interview takes place to capture any small details or nuances
that will allow you to understand the conflict as much as you
can.

3. Remember that talking about conflict for many people can be
threatening, as we often see conflict as a destructive thing – a
failure rather than a constructive way to come up with new ways
of approaching problems. Use or adapt the introduction to the
interview provided to help the person you interview understand
its purpose.
Questions for you to complete after your interview:
1. Consider the characteristics of conflict that make it complex.
Identify which of the following may have played a role in the
conflicts that were discussed in your interview and explain the
role you believed they played:
· Interests – goals of individuals or organizations that
correspond with perceived benefits (power, money, recognition)
· Needs – essential or deeply held requirements for survival
· Identity – sense of self coming from ethnicity, nationality,
personality, group affiliation
· Desires – nonessential things people want
· Values – beliefs one believes should be upheld in society for
happier, more meaningful lives (ideological, religious, artistic)
· Rights – Expressions of justice associated with decision
making (laws, liberty, protection from harm)

4. 2. Consider the multilayers structure of conflict. Outward
expressions of a conflict do not always correspond to the basic
objects of contention among the parties involved. From a
conflict discussed in your interview identify aspects of the
conflict that fit in the following categories:
· Positional aspects – the stated or obvious position taken in
opposition to the other; the demand, accusation, or resolution
being sought
· Underlying aspect – the hidden or not full expressed positions
(either as part of strategy or not fully recognized by those
involved)
· Intractable aspects – truly difficult aspects of conflict;
nonnegotiable aspects (identity, memory, trauma, sense of
injustice)
3. What characteristic of the conflict and its resolution made it
constructive and destructive. You may have to go beyond what
is identified in the interview to identify longer possible term
outcomes of the conflict.
4. What were the emotional characteristics of this conflict?
What factors might have been at play in determining the
outcome and what was ultimately taken away from the
experience.
5. If you were in the position of giving advice (which you
aren’t) what advise might you offer?
6. What did you learn about conflict from this interview? What
was new or surprising about the nature of conflict in this
interview?
Interview Questions
Introduction:

5. Thank you for helping me out with this assignment. The
purpose of this interview is to help me understand the complex
nature of conflict in the workplace.
In CMNS 333 we understand conflict as a situation where two
or more parties face differences that can’t be easily resolved.
We also see conflict as constructive and destructive. Many
times conflict is necessary to discover a better way of doing
things and build stronger relationships.
This interview is confidential, and while I will be required to
hand in a summary of our conversation, I will not include any
details that will identify you or your specific place of work.
Questions:
1. What types of conflict do you personally experience in your
workplace?
2. What is the biggest source of conflict you personally face in
your job?
3. Do you or your organization have a particular approach to
this type of conflict?
4. Do you find that you or people in your workplace react to
conflict situations like this in a particular way?
5. Can you tell me about a conflict you were involved in at
work that was particularly difficult or impossible to resolve?
6. What made it so difficult?
7. What as the impact of this conflict on you personally? How
did it make you feel?
8. Do you have a particular way of dealing with the negative

6. feelings associated with conflict?
9. Can you tell me about a conflict you were involved in at
work that was difficult, but successfully resolved?
10. What made the resolution of this conflict possible?
11. What were the destructive and constructive outcomes of
either of these conflicts?
Many thanks for your time in answering these questions.