Reference no: EM132213614

Doctoral Comprehensive Exam

Please provide a title page at the beginning utilizing the following format:

Ross College of Business

Please submit written responses to the questions found below. You should plan for about five pages per question, although that is only a guideline and not a strict requirement.

Consider a maximum page length of seven to eight pages per question, again as a guideline. You will add complete citation pages at the end of the total written response.

Students may not use prior work verbatim for more than 10% of any single question, even if proper self-citation is used. Violating this will be deemed as unacceptable for grading purposes. This work is to be substantially new research and writing, not recycling of prior work.

Please utilize the following guidelines: Times New Roman Font, 12-point, double-spaced, 1-inch margins with appropriate citations. Be certain to respond to each question including all sub-parts.

1. General Management Major Question:

There has been a significant increase in recent years in health care mergers and acquisitions creating many large health care systems.

Question:

Is the increase in the number of mergers and acquisitions good or bad in terms of cost, quality, and access for the U.S. health care delivery system? Please explain.

2. Management course-specific question:

Keegan has been contracted by the human resource manager at U.S. Consulting, Inc to present a culture audit to report to the board. After the report to the board, he will present the results at the annual Town Hall meeting to all associates as well.

Based on Keegan's interviews, survey results, and observations he determines U.S. Consulting, Inc has some significant culture issues that need to be addressed, including a culture of disparity of pay and sexual harassment. At the board meeting Keegan presents the results of the culture audit. The audit included a comprehensive report on the areas the company scored well and areas that were a serious concern. The CEO is not pleased with the results.

In fact, he asks Keegan to withhold any of the seriously low scoring items in his Town Hall report to all associates. Keegan is concerned about this request. He is not comfortable reporting anything less than full disclosure. He is worried his credibility and the report may be discredited by not making a full disclosure of the entire report results.

Additionally, Keegan made a personal connection to many of the associates he interviewed and feels a responsibility to present an unbiased report at the Town Hall meeting. On the other hand, if he does what the CEO wants by modifying his report to include only the positive results, the HR manager has hinted there is a good chance he would be awarded an annual contract that he desperately needs to pay off his student loans.

Question:

a) What ethical dilemmas must Keegan address? Based on ethical leadership theory define the ethical dilemmas.

b) Based on a centrality of ethical leadership why would the CEO's request be a concern to Keegan?

c) What would you advise Keegan to do concerning the CEO's request? Why?

d) What could have Keegan done to prevent this from happening? What ethical concerns should an external change agent consider before accepting a job in an organization?

3. Research-core course specific question: (from GRAD 800)

Explain the purpose of the Review of Literature as an integral part of the Dissertation. Include in your response such topics as the various organizational approaches of the Literature Review, variable identification, and how the Literature Review provides an explanation and rationale for your Dissertation Research Questions.

4. Dissertation-research-topic-area specific question:

Organizational culture has been shown to be pervasive and influencing every aspect of a company's operations and functions. Edgar Schein, Chris Argyris and James Heskett each affirm the pivotal role organizational learning performs in the formation and functioning of either an effective or non-effective organizational culture that can determine performance outcomes.

Question:

In your scholarly response explain the pivotal function shared organization learning performs in the development and effectiveness of cultural values, beliefs and ultimately underlying and shared assumptions by all members within an organization. Justify your work by linking your research and writing to the seminal and current scholarly authors in the field of discipline.