j.t wk 3 busn100

Part: 1

For this Discussion:

1. In your own words, what is employee empowerment?

2. Discuss the risks associated with employee empowerment.

3. Share an experience of empowerment, either as a recipient, a giver, or a desired scenario.

Peer Reply Guidance:

Reply to this prompt by mid-week and at least two (2) colleagues by week’s end. Please review the Discussion Rubric for Timeliness expectations; initial response due Wednesday, peer replies start on Thursday.

This discussion aligns with the following:

Rubrics

• BSB Discussion Board Rubric

reply to:

Oscar Rivera posted Feb 17, 2026 5:16 PM

For me, Employee Empowerment is giving the employee real-life authority and the ability to make decisions. It can be as simple as planning a group lunch or as important as shutting down roadways. When an employee is allowed to excel, it creates self-confidence. A confident employee will more than likely be someone whom you can count on to make a decision and stick to it.

The Risk that comes with employee empowerment can be both big and small. When proper training and instruction are provided, the risk of something really, really bad happening is very low. The opposite holds when no training or instructions are given. Sometimes, there may be employees who feel they no longer need to listen to the boss or supervisor because they have been given too much power. This can be destructive to a company.

An experience that I have with empowerment was when I shut down a major highway. I had recently gotten my Traffic Control Manager’s license and was sent out to do a job on the interstate toll plaza. They asked to see the traffic standards that we were going to be following, permits X, Y, and Z. We got the job done and got the green light from the state. It felt good knowing that my company trusted me enough to make decisions on who the team members were going to be, how and when the job was going to be done.

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Week 3 Discussion

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Joshua Chapin posted Feb 17, 2026 3:25 PM

Good afternoon, classmates and Professor,

Employee empowerment is when an organization gives employees real authority, autonomy, and resources to make decisions about how they do their work instead of relying on constant supervision or micromanagement. Empowerment means leaders trust their teams to solve problems, communicate ideas, and influence the decision-making process on how tasks are completed while simultaneously offering support and guidance. When done well, empowerment increases motivation and ownership of a given task, project, or process because employees can see how their decisions directly affect organizational results and outcomes.

There are risks involved when empowerment is not properly managed. If leaders give too much freedom without clear expectations, training, or lack of resources, employees may make inconsistent or ineffective decisions. Added responsibility can also be stressful for some people and lower their performance if they do not feel adequately prepared and ready. This is something I have witnessed throughout my Air Force career, especially when Airman are making the transition from the Airman to Non-Commissioned Officer tier. Empowerment without strong communication can lead to confusion about roles and authority, making it unclear who is responsible for certain tasks and outcomes. This is why it is important to balance autonomy with clear goals, regular feedback, and mentoring.

As a Non-Commissioned Officer, I consistently try to empower Airmen across all ranks by giving them ownership of daily tasks, programs, and processes. I assign responsibility for inspections, training events, or process improvements, then let them determine the best way to achieve the mission while I provide intent, resources, and limits. This approach helps build technical proficiency, confidence, and real-world decision-making skills, especially among younger Airmen and newly appointed NCOs. Over time, consistently trusting them with meaningful responsibilities has strengthened relationships, increased initiative, and created a work environment where they feel valued, trusted, and willing to take on more challenges.

-Josh

Part 2:

Instructions

Assignment Instruction: Portfolio Assignment: Visit the Course Tools / Portfolio tab of the classroom and view the following video about the use of Portfolio: .

The Entrepreneur’s Playbook [Managing the Business Lifecycle]

In this assignment, you will take on the role of a Founder/CEO of a new company. Your task is to create an 8-10 slide “Entrepreneur’s Playbook” (in PowerPoint with speaker notes) that navigates your company through the five stages of the business lifecycle.

The Goal: Instead of just defining the stages, you will be making key decisions for your company. For each stage, you will:

1. Identify the #1 challenge your company faces (on the slide).

2. Propose a key decision to solve it (in the speaker notes).

3. Justify that decision using one credible research source (in the speaker notes).

How to Start: Download the BUSN100 Entrepreneurs Playbook Template file attached to these instructions. All detailed, step-by-step instructions are provided directly in the speaker notes of the template. This file is your guide and your submission.

Choose a simple product or service. Here are some examples, get creative, it is your business:

A specialty food truck

A local dog-walking/pet-sitting service

A niche e-commerce store (e.g., selling custom-designed-t-shirts or niche subscription box)

A mobile app for college students (e.g., a textbook exchange app or study spot finder app)

Your business must be original for this assignment. All your decisions in the playbook must be specific to this company.

Format: A PowerPoint (PPT) file.

Content: A minimum of 8 content-rich slides (Title/Reference slides do not count toward this minimum).

Speaker Notes: This is critical. Your slides should be clear and concise. The detailed explanation, justification, and analysis must be written in the Speaker Notes section for each slide. (You may optionally record audio/video narration for your slides instead of writing speaker notes, but you must do one or the other.) Use Speaker Notes for explanations and details (How to create a and .

• Please support your presentation with three (3) credible references. Please note: Wikipedia and similar websites are not credible academic references. The best place to look is the Online Trefrey Library.

A Note on Application: You will be graded on your ability to apply the concepts, not just define them. A successful assignment will have clear, logical, and well-justified decisions that are directly tied to the unique company you created. Generic descriptions of the stages will not receive full credit.

• Using Portfolio, submit your PPT artifact to your Portfolio account.
• Additionally, be sure to upload this assignment to your Classroom Assignment as well.

Grading Rubric:

A rubric is provided for your convenience that details how this assignment will be graded. Please review it carefully prior to submitting your assignment. If the grading rubric does not auto-populate here, please see it by visiting the Assignment details under Course Tools.

Assignment Resources & Supports

• : You have free access as an APUS student. Sign in with your MyCampus Email credentials.
• : Watch this 3-minute video if you need guidance on submitting your Assignment

This Assignment aligns with the following:

• Course Objective: Lesson Objective: