| Course | DDBA 8151 Organizational Leadership |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 2 |
| Paper type | Records review |
| Length | About 760 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for DDBA 8151 Week 2
What the Paper Trail Shows Before Anyone Is Interviewed: A Records Review of Credit Exceptions, Delegated Authority and an Audit Letter at a Building Supply Company Whose Yard Managers Were Said to Have Stopped Acting Like Owners
Student Name
Walden University
DDBA 8151: Organizational Leadership
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
What the Paper Trail Shows Before Anyone Is Interviewed: A Records Review of Credit Exceptions, Delegated Authority and an Audit Letter at a Building Supply Company Whose Yard Managers Were Said to Have Stopped Acting Like Owners
Purpose
Management's framing of the problem at our company is that yard managers have stopped taking ownership of decisions. Before interviewing anyone, I read the company's own records bearing on that claim. This review reports what each record shows, with dates and gaps, and marks which findings support the framing and which point somewhere else. Prior (2003) cautions that organizational documents are produced for purposes of their own and should be read as evidence of how the organization works, not as neutral facts; each record below is read with its purpose in mind.
The Sources
Table 1
Records Reviewed
| Record | Produced by | Period | Completeness | What it can show | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit exception log | Regional credit office | Jan 2024 to Sep 2026 | Complete for forwarded requests; yard-approved exceptions recorded only from Jan 2025 | Who approved each exception and how long it took | |
| Delegated authority matrix | Finance department | Issued March 2023 | One version; not reissued since | Each role's approval limits | |
| Restructuring announcement | Chief executive | March 2025 | Complete | What changed in reporting lines | |
| External audit management letter | Outside auditors | Fiscal 2024, received February 2025 | Complete | Findings shared with management | |
| Regional meeting minutes | Regional directors | 2025 to 2026 | Partial; four of seven meetings | What was discussed and with whom | |
| Exit interview summaries | Human resources | 2025 to 2026 | 9 of 14 departures | Stated reasons for leaving | |
Records obtained through the vice president of operations, who sponsors this project.
What Each Record Shows
The credit exception log is the most direct evidence. In 2025, before April, yard managers approved about 80 percent of credit-limit exceptions themselves, sending the rest to the region. From April 2025 onward, that share fell to about 25 percent and has stayed there. Decisions that once came back the same day now take a median of four business days. The change is sharp and dated, not gradual.
The delegated authority matrix, issued in March 2023, gives yard managers authority to approve contractor credit exceptions up to $25,000. The restructuring announcement of March 2025 created a regional credit office and stated that "credit policy will be coordinated regionally," but did not say whether yard managers' approval limits had changed. The matrix was never reissued. A manager reading both documents could reasonably conclude either that the old limit still applies or that credit decisions now belong to the region.
The audit management letter for fiscal 2024 noted that one yard's write-offs of contractor bad debts had reached $212,000 and recommended tighter oversight of credit exceptions. The minutes of the April 2025 regional meeting record that the finding was presented with the yard named, and that the regional director asked that yard's manager to "walk the group through what happened." The sharp fall in yard-level approvals began that month.
The exit interview summaries cover nine of fourteen departures. Two outside sales representatives cited difficulty serving contractor accounts; none mentioned yard managers' attitudes.
Findings Against the Framing
Two findings fit the presented framing: yard managers are, in fact, sending more decisions up, and they are doing so consistently. Three findings point elsewhere. The change is confined to credit exceptions; inventory and staffing approvals in the same log show no shift. It began in a specific month, April 2025, which coincides with two events, the restructuring and the public discussion of one manager's audit finding. And the authority matrix leaves managers' current limits genuinely unclear. A general loss of ownership would be expected to show across decision types and to develop gradually. What the records show is narrower and dated.
Gaps
Yard-approved exceptions were not logged before January 2025, so the 80 percent figure rests on three months. Three meeting minutes are missing. The exit summaries omit five departures. And records cannot show what managers believed; interviews must test that. Miles et al. (2014) recommend recording where evidence is thin as carefully as where it is strong, since thin evidence is where later conclusions are most at risk.
What the Interviews Need to Answer
The records leave three questions: what yard managers understand their current credit authority to be, what they took from the April 2025 meeting, and whether regional staff see the change the same way. Yin (2018) treats documents as one source among several that must corroborate each other in case research, which is why the next step is to hear from the people the records describe.
References
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Prior, L. (2003). Using documents in social research. SAGE Publications.
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
DDBA 8151 Week 2 instructions, in plain terms
Week 2 asks you to review the internal records bearing on the problem you described in Week 1. List each record type in a table with who produces it, the period it covers, how complete it is and what it can show. Then report what each record shows, with dates and figures, reading each in light of the purpose it was created for. Mark explicitly which findings support the way management framed the problem and which point somewhere else. Record the gaps: missing periods, partial sets, things records cannot show. Close by listing the questions the records leave open for interviews. Do not interview anyone yet. Cite sources on using documents as evidence. Four to five pages with a source table is a typical length.
Inside the DDBA 8151 Week 2 example
The sample opens by stating its question and citing Prior on reading documents for their purpose. A six-row source table follows. The findings section starts with the exception log's dated drop and the rise in median decision time from same day to four business days. The authority matrix and restructuring memo are read together, showing that a manager could reasonably conclude either that the old limit stands or that credit now belongs to the region. The audit letter and April minutes show one yard's write-offs presented by name at the meeting where the shift began. A section sets two supporting findings against three that point elsewhere. Gaps follow, with Miles and colleagues on recording thin evidence, and three questions for interviews close the review, with Yin on corroboration.
Reading the DDBA 8151 Week 2 rubric
Credit goes first to the source table, which shows the reviewer knows what each record can and cannot show. Findings earn marks when they are dated and quantified, since a dated change is what lets later weeks test causes. The most important analytic step is sorting findings into those that support management's framing and those that point elsewhere; instructors look for honesty on both sides. Reading documents in light of their purpose shows sophistication, as when an unreissued matrix and a vague memo together create ambiguity. Gaps should be specific, with periods and counts. Ending with questions the records cannot answer shows the review is part of an inquiry, not a conclusion. Restraint about causes is still expected.
DDBA 8151 Week 2 help: mistakes that cost marks
Students often summarize what each document says without asking what it shows about the problem. For each record, write one sentence on why it exists and who uses it, then look for dates and numbers that bear on your problem. Put two records side by side when they might conflict, such as a policy and a later memo. Mark each finding plainly as supporting or not supporting the framing. List what is missing as carefully as what is there. If you cannot get access to a record, say so and note what it would have shown. Hold off on explanations. A tutor can help you build the source table and sort findings for your organization.
Get a DDBA 8151 Week 2 example written to your instructions
Share the Week 2 prompt and rubric plus a list of the record types your organization keeps, and the records review returns in 24 to 48 hours, first one free. No actual document needs to leave your workplace: the sample works from record types and the patterns you describe, and each figure stands in until you substitute your own.
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DDBA 8151 Week 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DDBA 8151 Week 2 sample paper?
The Week 2 records review, source table and findings included, is printed in full below and free to read.
Which records does the DDBA 8151 Week 2 review examine?
A credit exception log, a delegated authority matrix, a restructuring memo, an audit letter, regional meeting minutes and exit interview summaries.
What dated change do the records show?
Yard-level approval of credit exceptions fell from about 80 percent to about 25 percent in April 2025 and stayed there.
Which findings point away from management's framing?
The change is limited to credit decisions, began in one month and follows a period when written authority became unclear.
What gaps does the review record?
Yard approvals logged only from January 2025, three missing meeting minutes and exit summaries for only nine of fourteen departures.