This document contains assignments and discussion prompts for a course on global economic environments. It outlines assignments due for different course units, which involve answering textbook problems. It also provides discussion prompts on topics like the skills needed for innovation leadership, analyzing case studies of innovative companies, and conducting an initial analysis of Procter & Gamble or Intuitive Surgical for a final course assignment.

1. For Prof. Goodman!
Global Economic Environment Course
Assignments
Hello!
Here’s the Unit 1 Assignment 1 (Unit 1 Economic Problems)
which is due by Sunday, 1/17/16 by 11:59am CT:
In your textbook, please answer the following problems and
submit your assignment:
Chapter 1: Problem 5, a through d, on page 23.
Chapter 3: Problem 7, a through d, on page 74

2. ---------------------------------------------------------
Class,
Hello! Here’s the Unit 2 Assignment 1 (Unit 2 Economic
Problems) which is due by Sunday, 1/24/16 by 11:59am CT:
In your textbook, please answer the following problems and
submit your assignment:
Chapter 6, Problem 6 on p.151.
Chapter 7, Problem 6 on p.165.
---------------------------------------------------
Class,
Hello! Here’s the Unit 3 Assignment 1 (Unit 3 Economic
Problems) which is due by Sunday, 1/31/16 by 11:59am CT:

3. In your textbook, please answer the following problems and
submit your assignment:
Chapter 9, Problem 3 on p.219.
Chapter 10, Problem 4 on p.238.
Chapter 11, Problem 2 on pp.252-253.
---------------------------------------------------
Class,

4. Hello! Here’s the Unit 5 Assignment 1 (Unit 5 Economic
Problems) which is due by Sunday, 2/14/16 by 11:59am CT:
In your textbook, please answer the following problems and
submit your assignment:
Chapter 25, Problem 4 on pp.566-567.
Chapter 27, Problem 4 on p.612.
Chapter 29, Problem 8 on pp.657-658.
Chapter 30, Problem 3a on p.680.

5. WEEK 1 - Reflection
Throughout the course, you have been building toward the
achievement of the following competencies:
Analyze contemporary leadership practices from the perspective
of innovation in a global environment.
Evaluate the leadership skills that drive innovation.
Evaluate what leaders of innovation do to shape organizational
culture.
Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent
with expectations for members of the business professions.
For this discussion, reflect on the knowledge and skills you
developed over the past six weeks. Address the following in
your post:
Select one competency that you feel is the most important to
you. How has your ability to perform these skills and apply this
knowledge evolved? What concepts, skills, or insights were
most relevant to you?
How have you grown in your academic and professional goals?
Have you made progress on any items in the action plan you
developed during first course?
---------------------
Leading Innovation
The white paper by Leslie, which you read earlier in this unit,
presented a comprehensive study of 10 leadership skills and
practices that will be needed to effectively lead organizations
into and in the future. Based on what you know so far about the
DNA of disruptive innovators, explain which of these leadership

6. skills provides the best support for leading innovation and
creating innovative organizations. What are the specific
attributes of the leadership approaches that support innovation?
WEEK 2 - The Role of Leaders in Innovation (DUE
[email protected]
)
Assignment Overview
This course explores the role of leaders in creating
organizations that innovate. This requires an understanding of
the skills of the leader, as well as the global context of
leadership. In this assignment, you will analyze leadership
practices in innovative organizations and your own strengths
and weaknesses as a leader.
Assignment Instructions
Review your completed Discovery and Delivery Skills self-
assessment from pages 38–40 in
The Innovator's DNA
. Use this assessment to generate insight regarding your own
discovery and delivery skills. Specifically, summarize the
results and reflect on how your own strengths equip you—and
how your weaknesses hinder you—in supporting innovation in
the global context.
For the paper, select and explain at least two leadership
practices (see Leslie's white paper) and how they support
innovation in organizations. Explain the relevance of these
practices to either one of the case studies for this course
(Intuitive Surgical or Procter & Gamble), or to your own work
context.

7. You will be evaluated on how well you communicate your
insights and analysis. It is expected that you will communicate
in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations
for members of the business professions. To aid you in doing
this, follow these guidelines:
Carefully organize your paper so that a section is labeled with a
heading and devoted to each of the following topics. Make sure
that the reader can easily find:
A section that explains how at least two leadership practices
support innovation in organizations.
A section that analyzes the role of discovery skills (see
The Innovator's DNA
) for their support of innovation in organizations.
A section that analyzes the role of delivery skills (see
The Innovator's DNA
) for their support of innovation in organizations.
A section that explores your own strengths and weaknesses in
the discovery and delivery skills, and how they help or hinder
your ability to support innovation in organizations. (Be sure you
address both discovery and delivery skills).
Graphs or diagrams may be included in appendices, if they are
well-explained and applicable.
Each section of the paper must be supported using the course
readings, and additional scholarly resources or reputable
industry publications may be used, if needed. One to three
supporting resources are recommended.
Your assignment will be scored on the following objectives—
see the scoring guide for details:
Explain how established leadership practices support innovation
in organizations.

8. Analyze the role of discovery skills for their support of
innovation in organizations.
Analyze the role of delivery skills for their support of
innovation in organizations.
Assess strengths and weaknesses related to leadership skills and
an individual's ability to support innovation.
Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent
with expectations for members of the business professions.
Submission Requirements
Written communication:
Writing should be free of errors that detract from the overall
message.
Paper length:
4–6 pages, excluding appendices, cover page, table of contents
(if present), and References page.
APA formatting:
References and citations should follow APA (6th edition) style
guidelines.
Font and font size:
Times New Roman, 12-point.
Note
: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to
provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click on the
linked resources for helpful writing information.
Note
: Feedback from your instructors is an important method to
understanding where you are excelling, what you need to
improve, and to be aware of your progress on course
competencies. This feedback goes beyond a score on your
assignment. It includes comments about each of the grading
criteria and general comments about the assignment. This
written feedback will help you know how well you are

9. demonstrating the competencies associated with each
assignment. Therefore, it is important to know how to access all
of this feedback.
The brief slide presentation, Accessing Qualitative Feedback,
linked in the Resources, will take just a couple of minutes to
view. It will walk you through, click-by-click, what you will do
to see your instructor's feedback for each assignment. Viewing
this presentation will ensure that you are seeing
all
feedback that your instructors provide.
Describing the DNA of Innovators 250 Words (DUE
[email protected]
)
In the Hitt, Takacs-Haynes, and Serpa article you read in this
unit, the authors made a compelling argument for what will be
required of leaders in the future. The future competitive
landscape for organizations requires new forms of strategic
leadership. Nayar, CEO of HCL Technologies, described his
own strategic leadership in preparing his company for the
future.
For this discussion, discuss how the ideas from these authors
are similar to and different from those in
The Innovator's DNA
. Compare and contrast the concepts presented by
The Innovator's DNA
, Nayar, and Hitt, et al. What insights can a leader of innovation
glean from these resources or ideas as a whole? How can these
be applied to an organization, or what effect might they have on
an organization's culture?
Response Guidelines

10. Post a substantive reply to at least two other learners. Be sure to
reconnect your thoughts to the discussion topic and readings.
Your replies should demonstrate clear links between the
discussion topic, readings, and the content in the posts.
WEEK 3-
Discovery and Delivery Skills in Innovation Leadership
As a follow-up to your Unit 2 assignment, explore the
application of your own discovery and delivery skills. How do
these skills contribute to innovation, and what can you do to
further develop your skills? Focus your response on 3–5 skills,
and provide examples or ideas for possible next-steps in your
development.
Response Guidelines
Post a substantive reply to at least two other learners. As you
review your colleagues' posts, be sure to reconnect your
thoughts to the discussion topic and assigned readings. Your
replies should demonstrate clear links between the discussion
topic, readings, and the content in the posts.
-----------------------------------
The Role of Global Trends in Innovation
In your reading from the Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, and McNamara
text for this unit, the authors explored the concept of global
trends. You also saw Rosling's vivid depiction of historical
trends in the video
200 Years, 200 Countries, 4 Minutes
.
For this discussion, explain why it is important for innovation
leaders to understand global trends. What is the connection

11. between global trends and the five discovery skills of disruptive
innovators?
Response Guidelines
Post a substantive reply to at least two other learners. As you
review your colleagues' posts, be sure to reconnect your
thoughts to the discussion topic and assigned readings. Your
replies should demonstrate clear links between the discussion
topic, readings, and the content in the posts.
WEEK 4 - Analysis of Leaders in Innovation
Assignment Overview
Your readings have introduced you to Vineet Nayar, then-CEO
of HCL Technologies. His approach to leading innovation
transformed an at-risk IT services company into a global leader.
By examining Nayar's example and that of other leaders like
him, we can learn more about the skills and behaviors of such
leaders and how they prepare their organizations to be more
innovative. It helps to have a model of assessment when
studying these leaders. For this assignment, you will use the
five discovery skills from your
The Innovator's DNA
textbook.
Assignment Instructions
For this assignment, identify and analyze the global trends that
influenced the need for Nayar to create a more innovative
organization. Explain the relationship between the global trends
and Nayar's role as a leader of innovation.
Evaluate Nayar's use of the five discovery skills as an
innovation leader. Address all five discovery skills, assessing

12. whether each has a role in this situation, as well as the level of
Nayar's effectiveness in using each skill.
Make recommendations for Nayar's improvement on use of the
discovery skills. Consider potential opportunities for Nayar to
improve his skills or apply them differently.
You will also be evaluated on how well you communicate your
analysis and insights. It is expected that you will communicate
in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations
for members of the business professions. To aid you in doing
this, follow these guidelines:
Carefully organize your paper so that a section is labeled and
devoted to each of the following topics. Make sure that the
reader can easily find:
A section that analyzes factors in the global environment that
influenced Nayar's need to create a more innovative
organization.
A section that assesses how the five discovery skills can be used
to impact innovation in organization.
A section that evaluates Nayar's use of the discovery skills and
includes recommendations for him to improve his use of the
skills that encourage and support innovative organizations.
Optionally, graphs or diagrams may be included in appendices,
if they are well-explained and applicable.
Each section of the paper must be supported using the course
readings, and additional scholarly resources or reputable
industry publications may be used, if needed. One to three
supporting resources are recommended.
Your assignment will be scored on the following objectives—
see the scoring guide for details:

13. Analyze factors in the global environment that influence the
need to create innovation within an organization.
Assess the potential impact of the five discovery skills on an
organization.
Evaluate a leader's use of discovery skills related to supporting
innovation within an organization.
Recommend leadership improvements and opportunities related
to supporting innovation within an organization.
Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent
with expectations for members of the business professions.
Submission Requirements
Written communication:
Writing should be free of errors that detract from the overall
message.
Paper length:
5–6 pages, excluding appendices, cover page, table of contents
(if present), and References page.
APA formatting:
References and citations should follow APA (6th edition) style
guidelines.
Font and font size:
Times New Roman, 12-point.
Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool
to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click on the
linked resources for helpful writing information.
------
Open Innovation and the Role of People
In this discussion, you will explore how leaders can be used to
support open innovation. Your

14. The Innovator's DNA
text uses Procter & Gamble as an example of an innovative
organization in several discussions. You have also examined the
Procter & Gamble case study from IBS Research Center.
How can the DNA of innovation leaders be used to support open
innovation at Procter & Gamble?
Also discuss the role of people—pertaining to the DNA of
disruptive organizations—in supporting open innovation at the
company.
Response Guidelines
Post a substantive reply to at least two other learners. As you
review your colleagues' posts, be sure to reconnect your
thoughts to the discussion topic and assigned readings. Your
replies should demonstrate clear links between the discussion
topic, readings, and the content in the posts.
WEEK 5 - The DNA of Disruptive Leaders and Organizations
Intuitive Surgical, which Dyer, Gregersen, and Christensen
(2011) recognize as a highly innovative company, finds itself in
a difficult competitive situation. While it produces many of the
best robotic surgical devices and controls much of the market,
its patents will soon expire, and new competitors are
challenging its leadership. How should leaders at Intuitive
Surgical apply the five discovery skills of disruptive innovators
and the DNA of disruptive organizations (people, processes, and
philosophies) to retain their leadership and/or establish
leadership in new market segments? While Intuitive Surgical
has demonstrated a high innovation premium in the past, can it
leverage the DNA of innovation leaders and organizations to
remain competitive? For this discussion, select two of the five
skills to address.

15. Response Guidelines
Post a substantive reply to at least two other learners. For this
response, reply to posts that analyzed different skills from the
ones you addressed. Your replies should demonstrate clear links
between the discussion topic, readings, and the content in the
posts.
Reference
Dyer, J., Gregersen, H., & Christensen, C. M. (2011).
The innovator's DNA: Mastering the five skills of disruptive
innovators
. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Publishing.
----------------------
Conducting an Initial Analysis
The final assignment asks you to conduct an analysis of either
Procter & Gamble or Intuitive Surgical. After reviewing both
cases and the expectations for the final assignment, make a
preliminary determination as to which company you plan to use
for your final project. You are not required to stay with this
selection for the final assignment.
For this discussion, conduct an initial analysis of your chosen
company by answering the following:
What is your initial impression of which leadership practice or
practices would be appropriate and why?
How well does the company you have chosen exemplify
application of the five discovery skills of innovation leaders?
How well did the leaders guide the company toward the right
people, processes, and philosophies; and which is most
important in this situation?

16. Response Guidelines
Post a substantive reply to at least two other learners. As you
review your colleagues' posts, focus on others who chose the
same company you chose. Examine points of agreement and
differences in your analyses, but pay particular attention to the
differences. In your reply posts, explore what you learned from
these different perspectives and how they enhanced your
understanding of the situation. If you disagree with another
learner, engage in respectful and professional dialogue.
WEEK 6 - Innovation Leadership Evaluation
Assignment Overview
In this course, you have explored three main concepts:
How leadership practices support innovation in the global
context.
The behaviors of leaders that drive innovation and the creation
of innovative organizations.
What innovative leaders do to shape organizational culture and
processes.
The final assignment for this course challenges you to integrate
these concepts while focusing on a particular organization. You
will integrate what you have learned from the course studies,
discussions, and previous assignments to demonstrate your
mastery of the course competencies.
Effective leaders of innovation must consider three levels of
thinking and action by:
Considering the global context in which their organization
competes.

17. Strategizing their personal actions for innovation.
Shaping their organization's culture and processes to enable
innovation.
All of the leaders and organizations that we have explored in
this class have strengths and weaknesses in each of these levels.
Your final assignment is an opportunity to explore and analyze
all three levels regarding the organization you have chosen
(either Procter & Gamble or Intuitive Surgical).
Assignment Instructions
For this assignment, you will write a 5–6 page paper with a
focus on either the Procter & Gamble or Intuitive Surgical case
studies. Choose one case, and focus your efforts on that
organization. Both Procter & Gamble and Intuitive Surgical are
also profiled in various discussions throughout
The Innovator's DNA
. You must integrate that information, as well as any other
research regarding innovation in these organizations, into your
work too.
You will be evaluated on how well you communicate your
insights and analysis. It is expected that you will communicate
in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations
for members of the business professions. To aid you in doing
this, follow these guidelines:
Carefully organize your paper so that a balanced amount of text
covers each item below, and label each section with a heading
so that it is clear which of the following topics the section
covers. You want your reader to be able to easily find:
A section that analyzes which leadership practices would
encourage innovation, considering the global context of the
organization in your chosen case. Explain why you chose these

18. practices and how they will help the leaders in their
responsibilities as leaders of innovation.
A section that evaluates how the chosen case exemplifies—or
does not exemplify—the five discovery skills of innovation
leaders.
A section that analyzes the actions the leaders of the
organization in your chosen case took to shape culture and
processes to be more innovative.
Present an argument for which one of the three organizational
DNA factors is most important for this organization's future
success.
Graphs or diagrams may be included in appendices, if they are
well-explained and applicable.
Each section of the paper must be supported using the course
readings, and additional scholarly resources or reputable
industry publications may be used, if needed. One to three
supporting resources are recommended.
Your assignment will be scored on the following objectives—
see the scoring guide for details:
Analyze leadership practices that encourage innovation in the
organization's global context.
Evaluate the application of the five discovery skills of
innovation leaders.
Analyze the effect of leadership on an organization's culture and
processes.
Argue which organizational factor is most important for an
organization's future success.
Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent
with expectations for members of the business professions.
Submission Requirements
Written communication:

19. Writing should be free of errors that detract from the overall
message.
Paper length:
5–6 pages, excluding appendices, cover page, table of contents
(if present), and References page.
APA formatting:
References and citations should follow APA (6th edition) style
guidelines.
Font and font size:
Times New Roman, 12-point.
Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool
to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click on the
linked resources for helpful writing information.
-------------------
Becoming a Leader of Innovation
Review your post from the first discussion in Unit 1, and
evaluate your initial understanding of innovation compared with
what you know today. For this discussion, describe how your
knowledge of innovation has changed. Also explain how your
perception of your own role in leading innovation has changed.
Going forward, what one thing will you do differently to be a
leader of innovation?
Response Guidelines
Post a substantive reply to at least two other learners. As you
review your colleagues' posts, be sure to reconnect your
thoughts to the discussion topic and assigned readings. Your
replies should demonstrate clear links between the discussion
topic, readings, and the content in the posts.
--------------------------

20. Reflection
Throughout the course, you have been building toward the
achievement of the following competencies:
Analyze contemporary leadership practices from the perspective
of innovation in a global environment.
Evaluate the leadership skills that drive innovation.
Evaluate what leaders of innovation do to shape organizational
culture.
Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent
with expectations for members of the business professions.
For this discussion, reflect on the knowledge and skills you
developed over the past six weeks. Address the following in
your post:
Select one competency that you feel is the most important to
you. How has your ability to perform these skills and apply this
knowledge evolved? What concepts, skills, or insights were
most relevant to you?
How have you grown in your academic and professional goals?
Have you made progress on any items in the action plan you
developed during first course?
Response Guidelines
When responding to at least two other learners, provide
encouraging feedback about how they have grown over the past
six weeks. If applicable, provide recommendations for how they
may continue to develop their skills and knowledge, or suggest
additional strategies for leveraging the knowledge gained in the
course.