Jason Justice

For Creative Problem Solving, I chose the application of Ethics and Management principles to be showcased on the E-Portfolio. The artifact is an assignment that was created close to the end of the semester, in April of 2024. It was created for Introduction to Business and the course itself was an online one. The course lasted 16 weeks and involved a series of assignments meant to test and expand our skills in the fundamentals of business management.

 

The assignment was an end-of-semester assignment that was designed to test our knowledge. In this assignment, we had to analyze and address two situations related to a small business being opened in a town and a multinational corporation offshoring its jobs to the UAE. In that assignment, I solved issues that would inevitably be raised in the wake of a new business opening in a small town and the impact on the UAE’s economy the multinational corporation would have. The assignment was intended to be completed over time, but I was able to finish it in a day due to the ample time I had, albeit it took 6-7 hours to do. Throughout the assignment, I had to do some research to peruse laws across the developing world regarding companies. I then used those research results to compile detailed solutions based on the needs of the parties. In the case of the small business, I recommended that the business owner, Emily, build a storefront that will allow customers to notice her business and pour finances there. I also recommended that she utilize SEOs (Search Engine Optimization) and for her to also sew any garments she makes. This was so she could attract customers based on originality.

 

In the second part of the assignment, I had to solve the problem of a corporation moving their business overseas and to a country where they would be safe to operate. I pointed them towards the UAE due to their business laws that allowed for the safe operation of the business without heavy regulation, but without any anarchist elements. During my crafting of the solution, I had to make some assumptions such as the belief that the locals would not resent what they could perceive to be a hostile takeover of their land by the corporation. A strength it has is that the assignment has elements of problem solving and allows for a variety of solutions to be proposed, which is why I chose the assignment to be the poster for this portfolio. A weakness it has, however, is that it does not hold many analytical properties that is typical of a problem solving assignment in math or science. In addition, the solutions I proposed are clear-cut and contain many assumptions, which are great for hypothetical, by-the-book situations, but it is well known that reality involves much complexity, and any solution that is proposed will have to be able to adapt to any changes and satisfy all parties involved. Finally, the solution I proposed assumes that the status quo will hold up for an indefinite period of time.

 

The two goals I set for this assignment were to find assignments that provided the best example of creative problem assignment and I also wanted the core skill to be put into action. I believe the first goal was met due to the labelling of problems and solutions I proposed. The second goal was also met by the assignment submission. I hoped that by completing the assignment, I would demonstrate my competence in the core skill, which would help with my hiring prospects and subsequent contributions to society.

 

What I’ve learned from the program outcome is that creative problem solving is a vital skill needed for many fields of work, whether it be construction, social work, or even something simple as a garbage collector. The learning is significant as I feel that I have been able to give more input in certain predicaments and address them accordingly.