Quenchbliss Case Study: Final Report
Scenario: Quenchbliss is a craft soda company headquartered in El Paso, Texas, with additional facilities in Juarez, Mexico. They have 80 full-time employees between the two branches. In 2023 they saw a massive increase in sales from $16 million to $20 million thanks to their expansion into Juarez. This has led them to further planning of opening facilities in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, particularly to hotels, bars, and restaurants in areas with the most tourism. In this Touchstone, you will synthesize what you have learned throughout the class by making recommendations to Quenchbliss executives on how to maintain organizational health at this time of rapid growth and change. In Unit 1 you developed a SWOT analysis to fully understand the position of Quenchbliss within their market and community. In Unit 2, you recommended an organizational structure and motivational strategies to facilitate change.
You will want to have both documents available to help inform your final recommendations.
For this Touchstone, we will make the following assumptions:
· Quenchbliss’s strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats (SWOT) identified in the Touchstone Task 1 have not changed and should inform your decisions.
· Quenchbliss is following the recommendations from Touchstone 2 to facilitate its expansion. Recall the timeline, organizational strategy, and resources dedicated to this growth.
· Quenchbliss’s employee turnover has improved due to the motivational strategies you recommended in Touchstone 2, but the organization is concerned that despite the motivational strategies you’ve proposed, the major change and expansion will still negatively impact motivation over the next year.
· Quenchbliss is also concerned about how these changes will affect the working units within their organization (see org chart below). They would like advice on how to help diverse cross-functional teams come together quickly and work effectively despite cultural differences.
· Finally, Quenchbliss knows that times of instability can lead to unhealthy organizational politics, power plays, and conflict. They would like to minimize these problems for their organization.
Assignment: You will write a 8-10 page (2000-2500 word) research paper for Quenchbliss, addressing the theories of organizational behavior and how they should be combined and utilized in a way that applies to Quenchbliss, given the recent changes and expansion occurring within the organization. Your research paper will include at least one concept, model or theory from each of the topic areas listed below. For each topic, review the tutorials and select a theory or model that seems most appropriate. In your Touchstone, summarize the theory or model and explain how Quenchbliss should apply it to their organization. The topics are:
· External Environment (Use the SWOT analysis you wrote in Touchstone Task 1 as a reference).
· Change Management (Use the recommendations from Touchtone 2 as a reference).
· Diversity and Cultural Differences
· Team Development
· Conflict, Power, and Organizational Politics
In order to foster learning and growth, all work you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any plagiarized or recycled work will result in a Plagiarism Detected alert. Review
Touchstones: Academic Integrity Guidelines
for more about plagiarism and the Plagiarism Detected alert. For guidance on the use of generative AI technology, review
Ethical Standards and Appropriate Use of AI
.
Step 1: Review tutorials on each of the topics you’ll be writing about
Some of the most helpful tutorials are listed below, but you should review all the course material and may use any tutorial to inform your decisions.
·
Internal and External Environments
·
Political Behavior in Organizations
Step 2: Draft the Research Paper
Prepare a research paper to present to leadership at Quenchbliss. The structure for the research paper will consist of five main topics. For each topic, you will identify a problem or opportunity at Quenchbliss either through the scenario or from your SWOT analysis. For each problem you will propose a solution based on the concepts learned in the tutorials.
For the benefit of Quenchbliss executives, summarize the framework, concept or theory from the tutorial (making sure to use in-text citations!), then synthesize and analysis this concept, and how it relates to Quenchbliss, and the change they have decided to undertake.
The topics and guiding questions for the research paper are below. Be sure to cover
all of these topics in your paper.
1. External Environment
· What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats the organization is facing? This should be consistent with the SWOT analysis you wrote for the Touchstone Task in Unit 1.
· What model may be applied to better understand these factors? Using the model you’ve chosen, describe how each aspect applies to Quenchbliss.
· How can Quenchbliss address the external opportunities and threats you’ve identified?
2. Change Management
· What change management model should Quenchbliss use as they enter the new markets? Why is this model the most effective?
· This should consistent with your recommendations (and org chart) in the Touchstone in Unit 2.
· List each step of the model, and address specific actions the organization should take at each step.
3. Diversity and Cultural differences
· What cultural differences should Quenchbliss consider when entering the overseas market?
· What specific differences such as minimum wage and vacation time should Quenchbliss consider when entering these two countries?
· What strategies might Quenchbliss use to help them ensure diversity throughout their organization?
4. Team Development
· Given the addition of new team members, how can the organization apply the team development model in order to move new staff and their teams into the “performing stage” more quickly?
· What actions should be taken at each stage of the team development process to ensure effective teamwork?
5. Conflict, Power, and Politics
· What strategies might be used to understand and manage conflict at Quenchbliss as it arises?
· How might power struggles and organizational politics impact the organization as they make such a large change?
· What mitigation techniques can be used to mitigate negative uses of power and politics?
Making reasonable assumptions to describe Quenchbliss’ potential challenges is acceptable and necessary. For example, you can assume factors like employment are the same for Quenchbliss as they are for El Paso, or that their product cost is similar to competitors.
You must cite 8-10 sources. At least five of these will be the Sophia tutorials which describe the theories and models of organizational behavior you apply to the case study. The rest (three or more) will be resources that inform your SWOT analysis, such as anticipated market growth for the craft soda industry, labor statistics in El Paso and the other locations, etc. While these do not have to be academic journals, you should use reliable sources of information such as reputable business publications. The paper should be in APA format with a title page; proper headings, margins and spacing; and in-text citations and references. Resources and examples are listed under Additional Resources.
Step 3: Check Your Work
Refer to the checklist below throughout the process. Only submit your Touchstone once it meets the expectations for the assignment as described in the assignment and rubric, and meets APA guidelines. The Additional Resources below include links to resources that can help with APA formatting, citations, and references.
Step 4: Submit Your Touchstone
Once you have verified that the paper meets these guidelines, you can submit as a single file in .doc or .docx format.
· The paper must be 8-10 pages, 2000-2500 words when using APA formatting conventions.
· The paper should be in APA format with a title page; proper headings, font size, margins and spacing; and in-text citations and references. Resources and examples are listed under Additional Resources.
· All content must be original, created for this assignment, and appropriate for an academic audience. Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited, including the use of AI-generated content.
· Submission must include your name, the date, and the title of your paper.
· Include all of the assignment components in a single .doc or .docx file.
The following resources may be helpful to you as you work on your Touchstone Task 1 assignment.
·
Purdue Online Writing Lab’s APA Formatting and Style Guide. This site includes a comprehensive overview of APA style, as well as individual pages with guidelines for specific citation types.
·
Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style. This page on the official APA website addresses common questions related to APA formatting. The “References,” “Punctuation,” and “Grammar and Writing Style” sections will be the most useful to your work in this course.
· APA Style: Quick Answers—References. This page on the official APA Style website provides numerous examples of reference list formatting for various source types.
·
Appropriate Level of Citation. This page offers guidance on how to effectively avoid over- or under-citation.
|
|
Advanced (100%) |
Proficient (85%) |
Acceptable (75%) |
Needs Improvement (50%) |
Non-Performance (0%) |
|
The External Environment Make informed and appropriate recommendations on external environments. (15%) |
The paper provides a clear and complete analysis of the external environment that is appropriate for Quenchbliss and consistent with the concepts and terms in the tutorials; there are clear and appropriate recommendations. |
The paper provides a clear analysis of the external environment that is mostly appropriate to Quenchbliss and mostly consistent with the concepts and terms in the tutorials. There may be minor inconsistencies, or the recommendations may be unclear. |
The paper provides an adequate analysis of the external environment that is sometimes appropriate to Quenchbliss and consistent with the concepts and terms in the tutorials but there are several inconsistencies and/or no recommendations. |
The paper provides an inadequate analysis of the external environment that is either inconsistent with the tutorials or little use of the concepts and terms in the course. There is little or no connection of the concepts to Quenchbliss and/or no recommendations. |
So little work is evident in the section, no credit can be given. |
|
Change Management Make informed and appropriate recommendations change management. (15%) |
The paper provides a clear description of changes at Quenchbliss that is consistent with the company’s profile and with the concepts and terms in the tutorials; there are clear and appropriate recommendations. |
The paper provides a description of changes at Quenchbliss that is generally consistent with the company’s profile and with the concepts and terms in the tutorials. There may be minor inconsistencies, or the recommendations may be unclear. |
The paper provides an adequate description of changes at Quenchbliss that are somewhat consistent with the company’s profile and with concepts and terms in the tutorials. There may be several inconsistencies and/or no recommendations. . |
The paper provides an inadequate description of changes at Quenchbliss that make little use of the concepts and terms in the course. There is little or no connection of the concepts to Quenchbliss and/or no recommendations. |
So little work is evident in the section, no credit can be given. |
|
Diversity and Cultural Difference Make informed and appropriate recommendations in diversity and cultural differences. (15%) |
The paper demonstrates a thorough understanding of organizational diversity and how it pertains to Quenchbliss as an international company. The recommendations are feasible for Quenchbliss and consistent with the tutorials. |
The paper demonstrates an understanding of organizational diversity and how it pertains to Quenchbliss as an international company. The recommendations may be inconsistent with the tutorials or raise questions about feasibility for Quenchbliss. |
The paper demonstrates an understanding of organizational diversity but makes limited connections to Quenchbliss as an international company. The recommendations may be inconsistent with the tutorials or inconsistent with the company’s profile. |
The paper fails to demonstrate an understanding of organizational diversity and does not make any recommendations appropriate to Quenchbliss as an international company. |
So little work is evident in the section, no credit can be given. |
|
Team Development Make informed and appropriate recommendations on the team development process. (15%) |
The paper shows an understanding of team development consistent with the tutorials. Recommendations are appropriate for Quenchbliss and fully answer the two concerns of the company: rapid growth and motivation |
The paper shows an understanding of team development that is mostly consistent with the tutorials. Recommendations are appropriate for Quenchbliss but may not fully answer both the concerns of the company, rapid growth, and motivation. |
The paper shows an understanding of team development but makes limited use of terms and concepts from the tutorials. Recommendations are generalized and not clearly connected to the two concerns of the company, rapid growth and motivation. |
The paper shows a limited understanding of team development and incorporates few or none of the concepts from the tutorials. The recommendations are either missing or not connected to the concerns of the company. . |
So little work is evident in the section, no credit can be given. |
|
Conflict, Power, and Politics Make informed and appropriate recommendations on potential conflict or unhealthy political behaviors that might arise in the organization. (15%) |
The paper provides a realistic and insightful assessment of the potential conflicts or unhealthy political behaviors that might arise at Quenchbliss and a time of instability. The recommendations are feasible for Quenchbliss and consistent with the tutorials. |
The paper provides a realistic assessment of the potential conflicts or unhealthy political behaviors that might arise at Quenchbliss and a time of instability. The recommendations may be inconsistent with the tutorials or raise questions about feasibility for Quenchbliss. |
The paper provides an adequate assessment of the potential conflicts or unhealthy political behaviors that might arise at an organization. Recommendations may be unclear or unfocused on Quenchbliss as an organization at a time of instability. |
The paper provides an inadequate assessment of the potential conflicts or unhealthy political behaviors that might arise at an organization. There may be no recommendations, or the recommendations are limited and generalized without reference to Quenchbliss. . |
So little work is evident in the section, no credit can be given. |
|
Report Structure Introduction provides an overview of the report. The sections are connected by transitional language and synthesis of concepts. Conclusion provides a summary of the recommendations. (10%) |
Introduction provides an overview of the paper’s major sections. The sections are connected by transitional language and synthesis of concepts. The conclusion summarizes the recommendations in a clear and succinct way. |
The introduction provides an overview but may not include all major sections in the right order. Sections are usually connected with transitional language and synthesis of concepts. The conclusion provides a summary of the recommendations but may not include all the recommendations. |
The introduction provides an overview but does not outline the major sections in the right order. Sections are not connected with transitional language or synthesis of concepts and recommendations. The conclusion provides a summary but does not list the recommendations. |
Either the introduction or conclusion is missing, overly brief, or so off-topic that it does not serve its purpose. The other may provide an adequate or limited overview of the paper. Sections are not connected, and recommendations may have contradictions. |
So little work is evident in introducing, connecting, and summarizing ideas, no credit can be given. |
|
Research and References Use and appropriately cite sources to support an informative report. (5%) |
Cites 8-10 appropriate references following APA conventions. |
Cites 6-7 appropriate references following APA conventions. |
Cites 4-5 appropriate references following APA conventions. |
Cites only 1-3 appropriate references, and paper does not follow APA conventions consistently for each reference. |
No references are cited. |
|
Proper Formatting Follows APA convention for document formatting, citations, and references. (5%) |
Follows APA conventions including in-text citations, a reference page, and APA formatted title page, headings, and other APA conventions. . |
Follows APA conventions including in-text citations, a reference page, and APA formatted title page, headings, and other APA conventions, but may have up to 3 mistakes on APA conventions. |
Follows APA conventions including in-text citations, a reference page, and APA formatted title page, headings, and other APA conventions, but may have up to 5 mistakes on APA conventions. |
Does not follow APA conventions consistently including in-text citations, a reference page, and APA formatted title page, headings, and other APA conventions. There are several mistakes on APA conventions. |
Sources are not in APA formatting, or the paper does not seem to follow APA conventions. |
|
Conventions Minimize errors in standard English grammar, punctuation, and spelling. (5%) |
Includes virtually no minor errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Report is at least 8 full pages (not including title and reference pages). |
Includes fewer than 5 minor errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Report is at least 6 full pages (not including title and reference pages). |
Includes 5 minor errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Report is at least 5 full pages (not including title and reference pages). |
Includes 5 minor errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Report is at least 4 full pages (not including title and reference pages). |
Includes consistent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and usage. Report is under 4 full pages (not including title and reference pages) |
