BUSI 415 Week 7 Discussion Board Forum 4 Thread Example

Reviewed by Thomas Kerrigan, MBA, CPA · Liberty University · Updated

This BUSI 415 Week 7 sample thread answers the procurement forum by challenging the common belief that a fixed-price contract always protects the buyer. Economic research on procurement contracts shows that fixed prices give the seller strong incentives to control cost but make every change expensive to negotiate, so they suit simple, well-defined work, while cost-reimbursable contracts suit complex work likely to change. A second study, on matching contract type to the uncertainty of the product and the process, supports the same rule. Two composite purchases, an office furniture order and a new software interface, show where each contract fits. The command to use honest weights and measures supplies the Scripture. In Liberty University BUSI 415 the last forum thread is worth 50 points; it doubles as early thinking for the procurement plan that ends the course for BS in Business Administration students.

CourseBUSI 415 Advanced Project Management (BUSI415)
Module/Week7
AssignmentDiscussion Board Forum 4 Thread
Paper typeDiscussion thread
Lengthabout 362 words (thread and replies). Course guide: a thread of 300 to 500 words with at least 2 peer-reviewed articles and 1 biblical integration, in current APA format
FormatAPA 7 citations and reference list
Points50
SchoolLiberty University Online
ProgramBS in Business Administration
Where it sitsModule/Week 7 in Liberty's published BUSI 415 course guide; current sections can differ
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for BUSI 415 Week 7

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Discussion Board Forum 4 Thread: Project Procurement Management

BUSI 415 Advanced Project Management, Discussion Board Forum 4 Thread

Thread by [Student Name]

The forum prompt and the examples are composites; the handbook, the PMBOK Guide and the research cited are real, and the structure follows Liberty's public course guide for BUSI 415.

Why this part earns its pointsThe opening states a belief the thread will test, which gives classmates a clear claim to answer.
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Many buyers assume a fixed-price contract is always the safe choice, because the seller carries the risk of cost overruns. The Project Management Institute (2013) describes three families of contracts, fixed-price, cost-reimbursable and time and material, and I want to argue that the safest one depends on how well the buyer can define the work.

Why this part earns its pointsThe economics paper explains the trade-off; the second article turns it into a selection rule.
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Bajari and Tadelis (2001) modeled procurement contracts as a trade-off between incentives and the costs of change. A fixed price gives the seller strong reasons to control cost, since every dollar saved is kept. But when the design is incomplete and changes are likely, each change must be renegotiated, and those negotiations are costly and adversarial. Cost-plus contracts weaken cost incentives but make changes easy. Their model predicts that simple, well-specified projects should use fixed prices and complex ones cost-plus contracts. A fixed price on work the buyer cannot yet describe does not transfer risk; it postpones the argument about who pays.

Turner and Simister (2001) reached a similar rule from project management. They argued that the right contract depends on the uncertainty of the product and of the process for making it: when both are well understood, a fixed price works, and as uncertainty rises, forms of remeasurement or cost reimbursement that let buyer and seller share risk and cooperate become more appropriate.

Two purchases show the difference. A church ordering office furniture knows exactly what it wants, so a firm fixed price from competing vendors is ideal. The same church hiring a developer to connect its giving platform to its accounting system faces unknowns about both systems; a fixed price would carry a large premium or lead to disputes, while a time and material contract with a not-to-exceed cap and weekly reviews keeps both sides honest.

Leviticus commands Israel to use just scales and true measures, and Proverbs says the Lord detests rigged scales but delights in accurate weights (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Leviticus 19:35-36; Proverbs 11:1). In contracting, a false balance is a contract that looks fair while hiding risk in the fine print. Choosing a contract type that fits what both parties actually know is one way to keep the scales honest.

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References

Bajari, P., & Tadelis, S. (2001). Incentives versus transaction costs: A theory of procurement contracts. RAND Journal of Economics, 32(3), 387-407. https://doi.org/10.2307/2696361

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (5th ed.). Project Management Institute.

Turner, J. R., & Simister, S. J. (2001). Project contract management and a theory of organization. International Journal of Project Management, 19(8), 457-464. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-7863(01)00051-5

What the BUSI 415 Week 7 instructions ask

Week 7 assigns chapter 16 of the AMA handbook, on procurement, and a presentation, with the Forum 4 thread as the only graded item, worth 50 points. The requirements have not changed since Week 1: between 300 and 500 words drawing on the chapter, two refereed journal studies and a principle from the Bible, each source cited in APA. Because the procurement management plan for the instructor's scenario is due the following week, the thread is a good place to settle questions the plan must answer, especially which contract type suits each purchase and how sellers will be chosen. Two replies, each 250 to 350 words, close out the forums in Week 8 next to that final project.

How this BUSI 415 Week 7 example is built

Instead of defining every contract type, the sample takes on one belief and tests it. It sets out the PMBOK Guide's three families of contracts, then uses Bajari and Tadelis's model, which shows that fixed prices trade strong cost incentives for costly renegotiation when designs change, and Turner and Simister's argument that the right contract depends on how uncertain the product and the process are. Two short purchases make the rule concrete: furniture, which a fixed price suits, and a software interface, which it does not. The biblical integration ties honest weights and measures to writing contracts that do not hide risk in the fine print. The thread lands near 460 words.

BUSI 415 Week 7 grading rubric: where the points go

Forum 4 is assessed like the earlier forums: a 300- to 500-word post showing knowledge of the procurement chapter, supported by at least two journal studies and by Scripture used with substance, cited in APA. Instructors check that contract types are described correctly, including the difference between fixed-price, cost-reimbursable and time-and-material arrangements and the incentive variations within them. A thread that argues when each type fits, supported by research, is stronger than one that defines all of them. Because this is the last thread, connecting procurement to risk, discussed in Weeks 5 and 6, also shows course-wide understanding.

BUSI 415 Week 7 help: mistakes that cost points

Pick a claim about procurement you can defend, such as when a fixed price is a mistake, and state it in your opening. Look for research in economics as well as project management journals, since contract incentives are well studied in both. Explain each source's argument in plain words. Use two contrasting examples rather than one long case. Keep the biblical integration tied to how contracts are written or administered. Stay below 500 words. Then reuse the reasoning in the Week 8 procurement plan, where each purchase needs a contract type and a justification. Check the contract terms against the PMBOK Guide's own names before posting, since the replies will test your definitions.

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BUSI 415 Week 7 questions, answered

What is the BUSI 415 Forum 4 thread?

BUSI 415's final thread, 50 points in Week 7: a post of 300 to 500 words on buying goods and services for projects, built on two refereed studies and a principle from Scripture.

Where can I find a free BUSI 415 Week 7 sample paper?

This page carries a complete BUSI 415 Week 7 thread on when fixed-price and cost-reimbursable contracts fit, drawing on procurement contract research and the law of honest weights.

What are the main types of procurement contracts?

The PMBOK Guide groups them as fixed-price, cost-reimbursable and time and material, with variations such as firm fixed price, fixed price incentive fee, cost plus fixed fee and cost plus incentive fee.

When should a project use a cost-reimbursable contract?

When the work cannot be fully defined in advance and is likely to change, so a fixed price would either carry a large risk premium or lead to repeated, costly renegotiation.

What else is due in BUSI 415 Module/Week 7?

Only the Forum 4 thread is graded, after chapter 16 of the AMA handbook on procurement and one presentation; the final replies and procurement plan follow in Week 8.

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