Answer

1. • Emergency Management Perspectives on Cyber Security  

     I agree with the arguments in the article Meta-leadership and national emergency preparedness strategies to build government connectivity written by Marcus, Dorn, and Henderson. The authors claim that homeland directed terrorism has shifted the direction of government action towards ensuring security within the country (Marcus et al., 2005). I agree with this stand because after the 9/11 attack, the enhancement of the intelligence system in the Department of Homeland security was the most visible progress.

     Marcus et al. (2005) reason that these terrorist attacks necessitated checking resources, expertise, and information, especially in the face of a novel security threat. As a recommendation, Marcus et al. (2005) suggest that adequate leadership is essential since it makes it possible to realize perceptive coordination and communication across security agencies. Despite this inclusivity, agencies are also expected to operate within their scope.  I agree with the article’s recommendations because from previous security threats, there is a need to prepare for emergency cases effectively, by adopting the meta-leadership framework.

     Marcus et al. (2005) reason that it is critical to shift from traditional silo thinking. The authors describe “meta-leadership” as an overarching leadership that actively entails the purpose and effort of various companies and organizational units. I agree with this claim because this strategy allows individuals to think and operate past their current scope of authority. Therefore, they can provide the necessary guidance, direction, and momentum beyond the organizational lines. Meta-leaders can imaginatively leverage different situations, according to the level of preparedness of the organization. 

     In conclusion, this document’s authors insist on the essence of preparedness and incorporating meta-leadership in an organization. The meta-leadership framework is useful in high-risk situations. The framework is also used by security agencies like emergency preparedness response and homeland security and the public and private sectors. It is also important to note that attaining national preparedness needs input from the government and the private and non-profit sectors. 

Answer

Assessing Risk and Reward

The Nissan Motor Company is one of the leading automobile makers in the world. The Japanese carmaker has primarily enjoyed a successful run, allowing it to enter various regional and international markets such as the United States. However, the changing business environment was not favorable to the company in 2019. Notably, the cooperation recorded losses amounting to 7.8%. The experience pushed the management into making tough decisions, requiring almost all of its North American workforce to go for unpaid leaves.

In late 2019, the company announced that the decline in sales necessitated a two-day unpaid leave for the North American workers. The stated days for the vacation were January 2 and 3^rd    (Chicago Tribune, 2019).  Notably, this move was a crucial decision for the company because of its conflicting impacts. Whereas on the positive side, it could help the firm minimize expenses, it threatened to affect the public perception of the company regarding employee welfare.

The rewards for the decision involved cutting expenses by not paying the workers on leave, which eventually would translate into reduced expenses. Another reward was that the decision could allow the company to optimize performance by evaluating employee performances then developing new milestones. However, on the low side, the company risked affecting its public image and brand name, especially in the North American market. As per Chakravorti (2010), the way an organization treats its employees influences the firm’s public perception. Thus, Nissan risked eliciting a negative public perception. With a distorted public image, the company could fail to revive its declining sales.

I would have advised the management of Nissan to utilize the Predictive Analytic perspective in determining the right decision to take. Ideally, the approach tries to predict what might happen in the future if particular decisions or actions are undertaken at the moment (Traymbak & Aggarwal, 2019). Looking at the situation at Nissan, the company needed to develop a goal such as increasing sales. After that, they would have made decisions aimed at realizing the set goal. In this regard, the predicted outcome could give the management an overview of whether more risks existed or significant rewards could be realized.

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