| Course | BUS 400 Driving Business Opportunities |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 8 |
| Paper type | undergraduate reflective discussion post on leading change in a family business |
| Length | About 350 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | BS Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUS 400 Module 8
Module Eight Discussion
The Kitchen Table and the Boardroom
When my sister and I brought three ideas to the family table last fall, I was sure the herb room was right and frustrated that our parents did not simply agree. Looking back, the project taught me four things about leading change, and most of them came from things that did not go as I expected.
First, a good idea is not a decision. Our parents did not doubt the idea; they doubted that we knew enough to risk $420,000. The pilot, which cost $60,000, turned chefs' interest into actual reorders and measured costs, and that evidence did what my arguments could not.
Second, approval is not support. Our parents agreed after the pilot, but our head grower, who has worked here nineteen years, saw the project as a judgment on her lettuce. It was only after she was asked to lead the hiring of the herb grower and supervise the room that she became its strongest advocate. Kotter (2012) describes building a coalition of respected people as an early step in change; I learned it late.
Third, family roles and business roles need to be separated. At first I argued for the project at dinner, as a son, and my father responded as a father. Chrisman et al. (2005) note that family firms pursue goals beyond profit, such as control and family harmony, which shape how decisions are made. We started holding a monthly family board meeting with an agenda and minutes, and decisions improved immediately. Gersick et al. (1997) describe how family businesses move through stages as a second generation takes on ownership and management, and our board meeting felt like the start of that transition.
Fourth, the decision gates I resisted turned out to help. I saw them as a sign my parents did not trust the plan. In practice, knowing they could stop the spending at six or twelve months made them willing to start.
For classmates: which moment in your own project taught you the most about leading change, and would the lesson hold in an organization very different from yours?
References
Chrisman, J. J., Chua, J. H., & Sharma, P. (2005). Trends and directions in the development of a strategic management theory of the family firm. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 29(5), 555-575. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2005.00098.x
Gersick, K. E., Davis, J. A., Hampton, M. M., & Lansberg, I. (1997). Generation to generation: Life cycles of the family business. Harvard Business School Press.
Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Harvard Business Review Press.
What the BUS 400 Module 8 instructions ask for
To close BUS 400, students look back on how they found and pursued an opportunity and what they would change next time. A strong post goes beyond summarizing the course by describing particular moments, including mistakes, and explaining what they taught about leading change. Research on organizations, entrepreneurship or, in a family business, family firms gives the reflection depth. The post should end with lessons that could apply to the next opportunity. Replies can share a similar lesson or test whether a classmate's lesson would hold in a different organization. Some prompts ask specifically what you would do differently, which is worth answering directly.
How this BUS 400 Module 8 discussion example is built
The post describes four lessons from the greenhouse project. The best idea at the family meeting was not enough to fund; a cheap pilot made the decision possible. The parents agreed quickly, but the head grower did not, and the project only worked after she was given a lead role. Family roles had to be separated from business roles, since the son was arguing as a son with his parents rather than as a manager with a board. And the decision gates, which at first felt like doubt, made the parents willing to approve the investment. It draws on research on family firms' distinctive goals and on the stages of family businesses, and asks classmates what their projects taught them.
Where the BUS 400 Module 8 rubric puts the points
Scoring for this reflection usually considers specific and honest reflection, connection to course concepts and research, insight into leading change, transferable lessons and engagement. Strong posts describe moments, including what went wrong, explain what was learned and connect it to research. Posts that summarize the course or list skills learned without examples earn less. A reply that offers a parallel experience, or carries the lesson into another setting, tends to score best. Instructors notice when a reflection admits a mistake plainly and shows what changed because of it. Brief, accurate use of research to explain a moment counts for more than a long quotation. Posts that end with a lesson someone else could use tend to be rated higher.
BUS 400 Module 8 help: the mistakes that cost points
Reflections are strongest when they are specific about moments that did not go as planned. Describe what happened, what you understood afterward and what you would do next time. Use research to explain why the moment unfolded as it did, not just to decorate the post. If your example involves a family business, consider how family relationships shaped decisions. End with a lesson that could apply to a different organization. Choose two to four moments rather than retelling the whole project. If family or friendship shaped a decision, say how, since that is part of leading change in small firms. Keep the research light and precise.
Get BUS 400 Module 8 written to your instructions
Pass along the BUS 400 Module 8 prompt. We reflect on particular turning points in leading an opportunity, tie them to research and close by inviting classmates' own stories. About two days; a first post is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
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BUS 400 Module 8 questions, answered
Where can I find a free BUS 400 Module 8 Discussion sample?
This page includes the full BUS 400 Module 8 reflection on leading change in a family greenhouse business.
How are family businesses different when pursuing growth?
Family owners often weigh goals such as control, legacy and family harmony alongside profit, which can slow decisions but also support long-term investment.
Why separate family roles from business roles?
So that decisions are made on business merits in business settings, reducing conflict that arises when family relationships and management authority mix.
What did the pilot add to the decision?
Evidence: it turned stated interest into actual reorders and measured costs, which made a large investment easier to approve.
What lessons from one opportunity apply to the next?
Test cheaply before committing, involve the people the change affects, set decision points in advance and measure what matters most to the outcome.