last project for this class

Business Unit 8
Discussion question
1. Throughout this course, Chantell Cooley, Dayna Fuller, and a few guests shared insights from their experiences within the podcasts. Please identify and share at least one concept or idea that you learned from listening to these discussions and explain how you can apply it to your future career.

Unit VIII Final Project
Final Reflection Throughout this course, you built a project in which you outlined a plan for your current organization or one you researched. For your final submission, you will reflect upon what you learned and how you can apply this in your future career. Your reflection must be a minimum of two pages in length and address the following points: What role do you believe a leader plays during an organizational change? What skills and knowledge do you have that can help you lead others through change? What are ways you can motivate employees through an organizational change? How would the culture of the organization play a role in your decision? If you have experience with organizational change, please share it as part of your reflection. If you do not have experience with change, explain what you think you would do if given the opportunity. Outside research is not a requirement for this assignment. However, if outside sources are used, be sure to cite and reference them according to APA standards.
HUM Unit 8
Unit VIII Discussion Board Question
What is your own definition of critical thinking? How, in your daily life will you practice critical thinking? How has this course changed your thinking processes?
Unit 8 Assessment
1. Helen Brooks Testimony:
I am the downstairs neighbor of the defendant, Thomas Randall, and have lived in the building for twenty years. These college kids tend to be noisy and keep late hours, especially the boys. I really don’t see how they’re able to learn anything at the college. Wild parties every weekend and sometimes even during the week. This party on Halloween was one of the wildest. Music loud enough to make your head burst; kids jumping around—I guess they call it dancing—so that the ceiling was shaking. Finally, at midnight I went up to ask them to please keep it down—after all, it was Thursday night and some of us have to work. What a scene! A young woman was leaving just as I arrived. I later found out she was Kelly Greene, the woman who ran over those two college students. Mr. Randall had his arm around her and was saying goodbye. The way she was acting—giggling, stumbling around—it was obvious she was drunk. She was an accident waiting to happen, and it did!
A: Gathering and Weighing the Evidence: Explain what may have shaped Helen Brooks’ perceptual lens, and what effect this may have on her credibility?
Your response should be at least 75 words in length.
2. Defense lawyers and prosecutors cross-examine the witnesses in order to help determine the credibility of the witnesses and the accuracy of their testimony.
B. Asking Important Questions: Imagine that you are the prosecutor. Ask Tom Randall one question and explain why your question is important.
Your response should be at least 75 words in length.
3. one of the important goals of critical thinking is developing beliefs about the world that are well-founded. Often this process involves analyzing and synthesizing a variety of accounts in an effort to determine “what really happened.” Analyze and synthesize the testimony presented by the witnesses as you answer the question below.
C. Constructing Knowledge: Do you believe that Mr. Randall was aware that Ms. Greene was intoxicated when she left his party? Do you believe he knew—or should have known—she would be driving home? Explain the reasons for your conclusion.
Your response should be at least 75 words in length.
4. Dr. Richard Cutler (defense witness):
I am a psychologist in private practice, and I am also employed by the university to be available for students who need professional assistance. The misuse of alcohol is a problem of all youth in our society, not just college students. For example, a recent study by the surgeon general’s office shows that one in three teenagers consumes alcohol every week. This is an abuse that leads to traffic deaths, academic difficulties, and acts of violence. Another study based on a large, nationally representative sample indicates that although college students are more likely to use alcohol, they tend to drink less quantity per drinking day than non-students of the same age. In other words, college students are more social drinkers than problem drinkers. Another sample of undergraduate students found that college drinking is not as widespread as many people think. The clear conclusion is that while drinking certainly takes place on college campuses, it is no greater a problem than in the population at large. What causes the misuse of alcohol? Well, certainly the influence of friends, whether in college or out, plays a role. But it is not the only factor. To begin with, there is evidence that family history is related to alcohol abuse. For example, one survey of college students found greater problem drinking among students whose parent or grandparent had been diagnosed (or treated) for alcoholism. Another study found that college students who come from families with high degrees of conflict display a greater potential for alcoholism. Another important factor in the misuse of alcohol by young people is advertising. A recent article entitled “It isn’t Miller time yet, and this Bud’s not for you” underscores the influence advertisers exert on the behavior of our youth. By portraying beer drinkers as healthy, fun-loving, attractive young people, they create role models that many youths imitate. In the same way that cigarette advertisers used to encourage smoking among our youth—without regard to the health hazards—so alcohol advertisers try to sell as much booze as they can to whomever will buy it—no matter what the consequences. A final factor in the abuse of alcohol is the people themselves. Although young people are subject to a huge number of influences, in the final analysis, they are free to choose what they want to do. They don’t have to drink, no matter what the social pressures. In fact, many students resist these pressures and choose not to drink. And if they do drink, they don’t have to get behind the wheel of a car.
D: Evaluating Expert Testimony: Is the information provided by Dr. Cutler relevant to the guilt or innocence of Tom Randall? Why, or why not?
Your response should be at least 75 words in length.
5. Reaching a Verdict:
Reaching a verdict in a situation like this involves complex processes of reasoning and decision making. In your discussion with the other jurors, you must decide if the evidence indicates, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant should have anticipated the destructive consequences of his behavior. In other words, did the defendant, Thomas Randall, knowingly encourage an underage woman, Kelly Greene, to drink excessively? When she left the party, should he have recognized her inebriated condition and made sure that she was not intending to drive home? Should he have been able to anticipate that terrible consequences might result if she tried to drive in her inebriated state? The principle of beyond a reasonable doubt is difficult to define in specific terms, but in general the principle means that it would not make good sense for thoughtful men and women to conclude otherwise.
F: Deliberating the Issues: Based on your analysis of the evidence and arguments presented in this case, write your verdict and explain in detail your reasons for reaching this conclusion.
Your response should be at least 75 words in length.
6. Defense Summation:
The death of Melissa Anderson is, of course, a tragedy. It was the direct result of Kelly Greene’s error in judgment; and although she certainly didn’t intend for anything like this to occur, she must be judged for her responsibility. However, it makes no sense to rectify this tragedy by ruining Thomas Randall’s life. He is in no way responsible for the death of Melissa Anderson. All he did was host a party for his friends, the kind of party that takes place all the time on virtually every college campus. He is a victim of an unreasonable law that you must be twenty-one years of age to drink alcohol. I’ll bet every person in this courtroom had at least one drink of alcohol before they were twenty-one years old. If people are mature enough to vote, drive cards, hold jobs, pay taxes, and be drafted, then they are mature enough to drink alcohol. And it’s unreasonable to expect a party host to run around playing policeman, telling guests who can drink and who can’t. As one college president noted: “It’s awfully hard to control a mixed-age group where some can drink and some can’t, but all are students. Since the consumption of alcohol is not in general an illegal activity—unlike marijuana or crack—you have this bizarre situation where at the mystic age of twenty-one, suddenly people can drink legally when they couldn’t the day before”.
In addition, we have heard experts describe how there are many factors that contribute to alcohol abuse—besides the influence of other people. The power of advertisers, family history, and the personal choices by individuals all play a role in whether someone is going to drink excessively. It is unfair to single out one person, like Tom Randall, and blame him for Ms. Greene’s behavior. Her decision to drink that night was the result of a variety of factors, most of which we will never fully understand. However, in the final analysis, Ms. Greene must be held responsible for her own free choices. When Kelly Greene attended Tom Randall’s party, nobody forced her to drink—there were plenty of non-alcoholic beverages available. And after she chose to drink, nobody forced her to attempt to drive her car home—she had other alternatives. Ultimately, there was only one person responsible for the tragic events of that evening, and that person is Kelly Greene.
We live in a society in which people are constantly trying to blame everyone but themselves for their mistakes or misfortunes. This is not a healthy or productive approach. If this society is going to foster the development of independent, mature citizens, then people must be willing to accept responsibility for their own freely made choices and not look for scapegoats like Mr. Randall to blame for their failings.
E: Evaluating Summation Accounts: Outline ONE key argument used in the defense’s summation. What was the conclusion? Based on what reasons or premises?
Your response should be at least 75 words in length.