· Assignment List · Week 7 - Philosophical Essay Week 7 - Philosophical Essay DUE: Mar 22, 2020 11:55 PM Grade Details Grade N/A Gradebook Comments None Assignment Details Open Date Feb 3, 2020 12:05 AM Graded? Yes Points Possible 100.0 Resubmissions Allowed? No Attachments checked for originality? Yes Top of Form Assignment Instructions Objective: Students will write a Philosophical Essay for week 7 based on the course concepts. Course Objectives: 2, 3, & 4 Task:  This 4 - 5 full page (not to exceed 6 pages) Philosophical Essay you will be writing due Week 7 is designed to be a thoughtful, reflective work. The 4 - 5 full pages does not include a cover page or a works cited page. It will be your premier writing assignment focused on the integration and assessment relating to the course concepts. Your paper should be written based on the outline you submitted during week 4 combined with your additional thoughts and instructor feedback.  You will use at least three scholarly/reliable resources with matching in-text citations and a Works Cited page.  All essays are double spaced, 12 New Times Roman font, paper title, along with all paragraphs indented five spaces.   Details: You will pick one of the following topics only to do your paper on: · According to Socrates, must one heed popular opinion about moral matters?  Does Socrates accept the fairness of the laws under which he was tried and convicted?  Would Socrates have been wrong to escape? · Consider the following philosophical puzzle: “If a tree falls in the forest and there's no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?” (1) How is this philosophical puzzle an epistemological problem? And (2) how would John Locke answer it? · Evaluate the movie, The Matrix, in terms of the philosophical issues raised with (1) skepticism and (2) the mind-body problem. Explain how the movie raises questions similar to those found in Plato’s and Descartes’ philosophy. Do not give a plot summary of the movie – focus on the philosophical issues raised in the movie as they relate to Plato and Descartes. · Socrates asks Euthyphro, “Are morally good acts willed by God because they are morally good, or are they morally good because they are willed by God?” (1) How does this question relate to the Divine Command Theory of morality? (2) What are the philosophical implications associated with each option here? · Explain (1) the process by which Descartes uses skepticism to refute skepticism, and (2) what first principle does this lead him to? (3) Explain why this project was important for Descartes to accomplish.     Your paper will be written at a college level with an introduction, body paragraphs, a conclusion, along with in-text citations/Works Cited page in MLA formatting.  Students will follow MLA format as the sole citation and formatting style used in written assignments submitted as part of coursework to the Humanities Department.  Remember - any resource that is listed on the Works Cited page must .

1. · Assignment List
· Week 7 - Philosophical Essay
Week 7 - Philosophical Essay
DUE: Mar 22, 2020 11:55 PM
Grade Details
Grade
N/A
Gradebook Comments
None
Assignment Details
Open Date
Feb 3, 2020 12:05 AM
Graded?
Yes
Points Possible
100.0
Resubmissions Allowed?
No
Attachments checked for originality?
Yes
Top of Form
Assignment Instructions
Objective: Students will write a Philosophical Essay for week 7
based on the course concepts.
Course Objectives: 2, 3, & 4
Task:
This 4 - 5 full page (not to exceed 6 pages) Philosophical Essay
you will be writing due Week 7 is designed to be a thoughtful,
reflective work. The 4 - 5 full pages does not include a cover
page or a works cited page. It will be your premier writing
assignment focused on the integration and assessment relating
to the course concepts. Your paper should be written based on

2. the outline you submitted during week 4 combined with your
additional thoughts and instructor feedback. You will use at
least three scholarly/reliable resources with matching in-text
citations and a Works Cited page. All essays are double spaced,
12 New Times Roman font, paper title, along with all
paragraphs indented five spaces.
Details:
You will pick one of the following topics only to do your paper
on:
· According to Socrates, must one heed popular opinion about
moral matters? Does Socrates accept the fairness of the laws
under which he was tried and convicted? Would Socrates have
been wrong to escape?
· Consider the following philosophical puzzle: “If a tree falls in
the forest and there's no one around to hear it, does it make a
sound?” (1) How is this philosophical puzzle an epistemological
problem? And (2) how would John Locke answer it?
· Evaluate the movie, The Matrix, in terms of the philosophical
issues raised with (1) skepticism and (2) the mind-body
problem. Explain how the movie raises questions similar to
those found in Plato’s and Descartes’ philosophy. Do not give a
plot summary of the movie – focus on the philosophical issues
raised in the movie as they relate to Plato and Descartes.
· Socrates asks Euthyphro, “Are morally good acts willed by
God because they are morally good, or are they morally good
because they are willed by God?” (1) How does this question
relate to the Divine Command Theory of morality? (2) What are
the philosophical implications associated with each option here?
· Explain (1) the process by which Descartes uses skepticism to
refute skepticism, and (2) what first principle does this lead him
to? (3) Explain why this project was important for Descartes to
accomplish.
Your paper will be written at a college level with an

3. introduction, body paragraphs, a conclusion, along with in-text
citations/Works Cited page in MLA formatting. Students will
follow MLA format as the sole citation and formatting style
used in written assignments submitted as part of coursework to
the Humanities Department. Remember - any resource that is
listed on the Works Cited page must have an in-text citation in
the paper to match or this is considered plagiarism.
Resources:
· APUS Philosophy Program Guide
· How to Write a Thesis Statement
· Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting - The Basics
· MLA Formatting and Style Guide
· MLA Overview and Workshop
· Purdue OWL MLA Sample Paper
· APUS Library
Supporting Materials
· Week 7 Philosophical Essay iRubric.pdf (73 KB)
Bottom of Form
Scoring Rubric
CAT paper
Note: Be sure to review the checklist in the CAT Guideline
prior to submitting your paper (see page 28).
Points
Section
Comments
Score
10

4. Step 1. Background: What is the context of the question? Why
is it important? Who are the stakeholders?
10
Step 2. Formulating the CAT question: What does the CAT
answer? What are the PICOC elements?
10
Step 3. Defining inclusion criteria: Which studies will be
included or excluded? How were these decisions made?
10
Step 4. Search strategy: How should the studies be sought?
Where did you look and what time period? Did you document
the search?
10
Step 5. Study selection: How did you select the studies? What
process was followed?
10
Step 6. Data extraction: What information should be extracted?
Did you provide a descriptive summary table?
10
Step 7. Critical appraisal: How should the quality of the studies
be judged? Did you discuss methodological appropriateness?
Effect sizes?

5. 10
Step 8. Results: What were common definitions of concepts?
How are variables linked causally? What are the main research
findings?
10
Step 9. Conclusion What is your evidence-based
conclusion/answer to your CAT topic?
10
Step 10. Limitations What is known and not known on your
topic? What are the limitations of the research data?
10
Step 11. Implications and recommendations. Is the evidence
supportive? Any benefits or harms? What factors impede or
facilitate the effects?
10
Overall Quality (clarity, coverage, format, grammar, etc.)
120
Total Points =
XXXXXXXX
April 19, 2018

6. Step 1: Background
As a marketing consultant, I sell various services to companies
across industries. Often times,
the toughest sell is the “brand strategy” which from my position
is crucial for any organization.
Many clients view brand strategy as the “fluffy” stuff that
doesn’t move the needle in a
measurable way. I’d like to know how brand strategy affects
company performance.
Step 2: CAT Question
What is known in the scientific literature about how brand
strategy affects company
performance? Do companies with brand strategies perform
better?
Step 3: Criteria
Inclusion criteria
1. Date: published in the period 1985 to 2018 for meta-analyses
and the period 2000 to
2018 for primary studies
2. Language: articles in English
3. Type of studies: quantitative, empirical studies
4. Study design: meta-analyses or controlled studies
5. Measurement: a.) studies in which organizational
performance was measured or b.)
studies in which the effect of moderators and/or mediators on
the outcome of goal
setting was measured.

7. 6. Outcome: organizational performance
7. Context: studies related to brand strategy
Exclusion criteria
1. Studies examining other factors affecting organizational
performance
Step 4: Search Strategy
The following databases were used to identify studies:
ABI/INFORM and PyschINFO. The
following generic search filters were applied to all databases
during the search:
1. Scholarly journals, peer-reviewed
2. Published in the period 1985 to 2018 for meta-analyses and
the period 2000 to 2018 for
primary studies
3. Articles in English
A search was conducted using the combinations of different
search terms, such as ‘brand
strategy’, ‘branding’, ‘organizational performance’, ‘corporate
performance’.
1
erichdierdorff
Sticky Note
Supplemental questions would be helpful as well. For example:
Are brand strategies related to increased customer awareness?
Are brand strategies related to increased sales?
Are brand strategies related to increased market share?

8. What brand strategies results in increase market share, sales,
etc.?
ABI/Inform, PsychINFO, Google Scholar
Peer reviewed, scholarly journals, April 2018
Search terms ABI PSY
S1: ti(“brand strategy”) OR ab(“brand strategy”) 207 77
S2: ti(“organization performance”) OR ab(“organization
performance”)
151 130
S3: ti(“branding”) OR ab(“branding”) 3292 110
S4: ti(“corporate performance”) OR ab(“corporate
performance”) 151 1224
S5: S1 OR S2 OR S3 OR S4 4187 1470
Step 5: Study Selection
The titles and abstracts of 57 studies identified were screened
for their relevance to this CAT. In
case of doubt, the study was included. This yielded 4 controlled
studies and one meta-analyses.
Step 6: Data Extraction
Author & year Sector/
Population
Design
+

9. sample
size
Main findings Effect
size
Limitations Level
Morgan & Rego
(2009)
Fortune
500
companies
N = 72 This study examined scope, position, competition and
other brand strategy factors to analyze the relationship
between strategy characteristics and the firm’s
performance. The brand strategy characteristics account
for significant variance in the firm’s marketing and financial
performance. t
Med Limited to large,
publicly traded
companies
A
Anees-ur-Rehm
an, Wong,
Sultan &
Merrilees (2018)
Small &
Medium
sized

10. enterprises
N = 250 This study found that branding has a positive impact on
brand credibility, and brand credibility has a positive
impact on financial performance, highlighting the
importance of both brand performance components for
financial performance.
Med Limited to small
& medium sized
companies, B2B
A
Leonidoua,
Katsikeasb &
Samieec,*(2002)
Large
enterprise
companies
N = 32 This is a meta-analysis examined the studies on the
marketing strategy – performance relationship.This
revealed that many marketing strategy variables
demonstrate positive effects on overall performance, the
relationship is not always significant and of the
performance measures examined in various studies,
stronger effects are in relation to proportion of sales.
Small As with
meta-analyses
there is always a
risk of
unintentionally
excluding

11. pertinent
studies.
AA
2
Tolba & Hassan
(2009)
Automotive
companies
N =
5598
Attitudinal loyalty and satisfaction were found the
strongest predictors of brand preference and intention to
purchase. At the aggregate brand level, correlation
analyses supported the hypothesis that customer-based
brand equity constructs are correlated with brand market
performance.
Medium Limited to the
automotive
industry
A
Chauduri &
Holbrook (2001)
Fortune
500

12. companies
N = 146 The results indicate that when the product- and
brand-level variables are controlled for, brand trust
and brand affect combine to determine purchase
loyalty and attitudinal loyalty. Purchase loyalty, in
turn, leads to greater market share, and attitudinal
loyalty leads to a higher relative price for the brand.
Medium The authors
note that
additional
antecedents
should be
explored.
A
Step 7: Critical Appraisal
The overall quality of the studies included was high. The meta-
analysis was rated as a AA and
the remaining were randomized and/or non-randomized control
studies and were therefore
qualified as level A.
Step 8: Results
Definition of X
A brand strategy is defined as the detailed long term plan that
will support the brand. This plan
should include target market, understanding of their preferences
and expectations from the
brand. A brand is defined as a name, term, design, symbol, or a
combination of them, intended
to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers

13. and to differentiate them from
competitors (Morgan & Rego 2009).
Causal Mechanism
As Morgan & Rego (2009) outline, the presumed causal
mechanism behind brand strategy
works as follows:
● A brand helps differentiates a product or company from its
competitors
● Differentiation leads to interest by consumers
● Interest potentially leads to brand loyalty and trust
● Brand loyalty and trust increase overall performance of that
product or company
Main Findings
Overall, brand strategy has a moderate positive effect on
performance.
A plan dedicated to advancing and supporting a brand helps to
increase interest and
differentiation and thereby sales of a product or service. But
there are other factors at play such
as the quality of the product or service, customer’s needs,
supply and demand to name a few.
3
Step 9: Conclusion
Scientific research supports my assumption that having a
thoughtful brand strategy will increase
performance of a company, given the moderate positive effects
observed. Although the effects

14. are mostly small to medium, the pattern is that there is indeed a
positive effect.
Step 10: Limitations
Concessions were made in relation to the breadth and depth of
the search process. As a
consequence some relevant studies may have been missed. Also,
this CAT did not conduct a
comprehensive review of the tests, scales and instruments used.
Given these limitations, care
must be taken not to present the findings in this CAT as
completely conclusive.
Step 11: Implications and Recommendations
A brand strategy is a viable way to help boost the performance
of an organization. This focus
and attention on cultivating and supporting the brand has been
shown to positively impact sales
and thereby performance. Putting together a brand strategy can
be costly and time-consuming
so care should be given when deciding to put forth this effort.
But if the right product or service
is in place, a brand strategy has been shown to be an effective
method for going to market.
4