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Critical Thinking In Action

Please use the instructions below to complete order.

-Write a 2-4-page 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.

-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. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.

Then, find another company with a problem they need to fix: EQUIFAX

PROBLEM: Consumer credit reporting agency Equifax became the target of one of the largest data breaches of all time last year. Between mid-May and July 2017, criminal hackers infiltrated the companys servers and accessed personal data including drivers license numbers, Social Security numbers, and birthdays of more than 145 million Americans, potentially exposing them to the threat of identity theft.

Perhaps even more troubling than the security flaws exposed in the hack itself was the way the company handled it. Despite discovering the breach on July 29th, the company waited a month and a half to make a public announcement. The public was further outraged when the company forced consumers to agree not to join a class-action lawsuit in order to see if their information was hacked. Lawmakers have yet to take action to reduce the likelihood of such incidents from happening again.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/02/01/bad-reputation-americas-top-20-most-hated-companies/1058718001/

In an APA-formatted paper:

Cover page: please include cover page which is not included in the length of paper

1.) Summarize the problem you researched. Then, apply Kallet’s critical thinking framework to describe how the leadership of this company should think through the problem to create a solution. Finally, give at least one evidence-based solution through your research or that you read the company is going to or did employ. Next, describe what VUCA considerations the leadership must keep in mind as they implement this solution.

2) Work on being concise but thorough, keeping academically formatted paper to no more than four double-spaced pages.

3)Be sure your paper includes, and is organized, as follows:

  -Introduction: Write an introduction that tells the reader what to expect of this paper (1 paragraph). Include a brief mention that leaders at Panera Bread effectively used an understanding of critical thinking and VUCA to solve their mosh pit problem, and that this paper applies a similar framework to solving whatever problem in the organization you chose. Choose an organization with a problem you can research which is EQUIFAX

-Problem: Describe the problem that you will be solving for another company, describing the situation (13 paragraphs).

-Thinking Critically: Apply the framework for critical thinking as outlined by Michael Kallet in the Think Smarter e-book to the problem you identified to describe an evidence-based recommendation for this company to improve.  which you read about in your research (13 paragraphs).

-Applying VUCA: Explain how VUCA could affect both the situation and your recommendation, and any important considerations for management in implementing the recommended solution (12 paragraphs).

-Conclusion: Write a conclusion that wraps up and summarizes your document (1 paragraph).

-References: Include at least 5 APA-formatted citations in your paper, with 6 in-text citations. Please include a reference page which is not included in the length of the paper.
Required sources to cite include:

1.)Jargon, J. (2017, June 2). How Panera solved its mosh pit problem. The Wall Street Journal.

2.)Kallet, M. (2014). Think smarter: Critical thinking to improve problem-solving and decision-making skills. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.

3.)Bennett, N., & Lemoine, G. J. (2014). What VUCA really means for you. Harvard Business Review, 92(1/2), 27.

4.) and sources from Equifax regarding their problem

I took the liberty of attaching the Panera, VUCA, and Kallet sources. However, I was only able to attach the first 7 chapters of Kallet. The entire book is needed to assist with paper.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Thanks!

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