Day: March 5, 2018

 

Assignment #3

 

Project Parameters:
You have been selected as the consultant to develop a business plan for Durango Manufacturing Company, which is a start-up, medium-sized public manufacturing company. The CEO has a background in manufacturing and is well versed in supply chain management. However, the CEO has limited experience in financial management and creating value for the various stakeholder groups. Your business plan must include a five (5) year strategy to increase revenues by 10% and a recommendation for creating an organizational structure to comply with SOX mandates for strong corporate governance over the internal controls. Your business plan must also include prescriptions for creating an ethical environment. Your recommendation must be approved by the Board of Directors before the company can begin its operations.
Based on your knowledge of accounting and financial, prepare a ten to twelve (10-12) page report in which you:

1.       As the consultant, create an argument that you will present to the CEO that suggests accounting and financial management knowledge and skills will be essential to the company’s success and stability over the next five (5) years. Provide support for your argument.

2.       Suggest to the CEO how the company’s stakeholders (investors, lenders, and employees) will use financial statement information and ratio calculations to make key determinations related to the financial condition and operational efficiency of the company. Provide support for your rationale.

3.       Given the strategy to increase revenue during the five (5) year plan period, which will need to be achieved through expansion and capital expenditures, determine which capital budgeting ratio is appropriate for Durango to evaluate its proposals for capital expenditures, such as NPV, IRR, etc. Defend your position.

4.       In order for the company to improve its operational efficiency, recommend which production departments should use process, job order, and activity-based costing—all three (3) of which must be implemented within Durango. Defend your choice for each department.

5.       The CEO would like to consider outsourcing his manufacturing operations if labor can be supplied cheaper overseas than in the U.S. Create an argument either for or against outsourcing the manufacturing operation to a foreign country. Your argument should include key points that support your position. The key points should address economic and business management aspects related to outsourcing.

6.       Predict the economic and business environment over the next five (5) years, indicating at least two (2) ways it may impact Durango Manufacturing Company’s ability to achieve the desired 10% growth in revenue. Provide support for your prediction.

7.       Formulate a strategy to improve the opportunities for Durango to reach its revenue goals (i.e., increase revenue by 10% within five [5] years). 

8.       Assess the potential for fraud within Durango based on the lack of IT controls, and determine at least two (2) ways Durango will structure its internal IT controls to ensure that such controls are effective in detecting fraudulent transactions. 

9.       Use at least six (6) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

·         Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

·         Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length

 

ADDITIONAL INSTUCTIONS: 

Remember the goal is to maximize net earnings rather than revenues.

Most companies employ the IRR, NPV, ARR and some version of the payback methods to determine if a long

term project should be accepted or rejected.  What concerns should tax rates have?  If Durango

is considering capital projects in multiple tax jurisdictions, how would this influence the decision?

What if unforeseen problems or opportunities arise, what options may Durango have?  When should

they consider abandoning the project?  Under what conditions could Durango scale back the investment,

or to expand the project?

Regarding the question on outsourcing, what costs should be considered in this decision? i.e. total costs.

Should opportunity costs be even considered in this decision? What if Durango is operating at full

capacity, should this fact be a factor in this decision?  What if Durango is operating at less than full

capacity?

Question #2: for any ratio selected, how would a stakeholder analyze this ratio and or

other ratios to evaluate the financial condition of Durango?  I would not want to read any formulas

as part of this answer.  Should the stakeholders be wary of the results of ratio analysis?

Perhaps I have not read our text very carefully.  Would SOX and a Code of Ethics influence

the organizational structure of Durango?  Do not include any ratio formulas nor discuss any specific ratio in this answer.  Discuss how ratios might be used in the decision process by both direct stakeholders (investors, lenders and employees) and indirect stakeholder (suppliers).

Question #3:  Do not define the calculations of IRR and NPV.  Durango will only use two methods to

evaluate the acceptability or rejection of capital projects.  Some possible projects do not rely on

whether another project is accepted or rejected. These project decisions are considered independent

of one another.  Other capital projects are considered mutually exclusive.  This means that if one project

is accepted, another project being considered must be rejected.

Will the use of both the IRR and NPV methods lead to the same accept or reject decisions?

Question #8:  In addition, briefly discuss how Durango could create an organization structure

to increase oversight over internal controls by complying with SOX.

Remember, number each answer.  Do not write an essay.  The 12 page limit is probably not

sufficient.  I will accept a 14-15 page paper.  The initial requirements of a 10-12 page paper

are completely acceptable.  

Before submitting this last assignment, be certain that the SafeAssign percentage is less

that 20%.  Do not prepare a Business Plan, just answer the questions.

 

 

 

 

Unit V Case Study

Case studies are an important learning strategy in business classes as they provide an opportunity for you to critically analyze events that have taken place in real-life businesses. This develops your critical thinking and research skills as you research the competition and industry in which your business resides with an end goal of formulating a recommendation for the challenges faced by the company.

 

Select one of the three case studies listed below, which can be found in your textbook. Evaluate the case of your choice, and respond to each of the questions below using both theory and practical managerial thinking as well as supporting research.

 

Option 1: Proctor & Gamble (pp. 332–333)

1. Using segmentation strategies, what are the target market(s) for P&G? How does this relate to the company’s brand management strategies?

2. Who are the top three competitors of P&G, and what are their advantages/disadvantages with respect to their competitive product/service strategies?

3. P&G’s impressive portfolio includes some of the strongest brand names in the world. What are some of the challenges associated with being the market leader in so many different categories?

4. With social media becoming increasingly important and with fewer people watching traditional commercials on television, what does P&G need to do to maintain its strong brand images?

5. What risks will P&G face in the future?

 

Option 2: Caterpillar (pp. 394–395)

1. Using segmentation strategies, what are the target market(s) for Caterpillar? How does this relate to their brand management strategies?

2. Who are the top three competitors of Caterpillar, and what are their advantages/disadvantages with respect to their competitive product/service strategies?

3. What were some of the key steps that made Caterpillar the industry leader in earth-moving machinery? Explain how Caterpillar’s products differ from competitors.

4. Discuss Caterpillar’s future. What should it do next with its product line? Where is the future growth for this company?

 

Option 3: The Ritz-Carlton (pp. 424–425)

1. Using segmentation strategies, what are the target market(s) for The Ritz-Carlton? How does this relate to their brand management strategies?

2. Who are the top three competitors of The Ritz-Carlton, and what are their advantages/disadvantages with respect to their competitive product/service strategies.

3. How does The Ritz-Carlton match up to competing hotels? What are its key differences?

4. Discuss the importance of the “wow stories” in maintaining top quality customer service for a luxury hotel like The Ritz-Carlton.

 

In formatting your case analysis, do not use the question-and-answer format; instead, use an essay format with subheadings. Your APA-formatted case study should be a minimum of 500 words in length (not counting the title and reference pages). You are required to use a minimum of three peer-reviewed, academic sources that are no more than 5 years old (one may be your textbook). All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased material must have accompanying in-text citations.

 

 

Kids At Risk

What is meant by advocating for children at risk? Next, research organizations that advocate for street children. Identify issues that the organizations face in their advocacy efforts (focus on the organization and not the children). Name two current policies or practices that you think may be negatively affecting the lives of local street children.

Memory

Use Cognitive Psychology In and Out of the Laboratory Kathleen M Galotti Chapter 6-8 as a reference for this coursework. Treat each section A-D as if its a different assignment. Do not run it together. Each page needs to have its reference and screenshot included. 
B: Go to http://www.routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/9781848720923/chapter6.php – complete the “Levels of Processing 2” demo 
Follow the instructions for each “experiment” provide a screenshot of results 
Include results for the LEVELS OF PROCESSING demo, and consider/answer the following questions: 
is there a pattern in your results for these, and are they in line with the expectations as described by the demo? 
why do you think that pattern exists? 
were there any “confounding factors” that may have influenced your performance? were there distractions? What time of day did you complete the demo? 
Amnesia and other memory oddities are often a plot device in fiction (movies, TV, books). locate ONE of each (a fictional book, a television episode or entire series, and a film) in which amnesia or another memory disorder described in (Chapter 6 of Cognitive Psychology In and Out of the Laboratory Kathleen M Galotti) is either a central plot point OR otherwise important to the story or character(s). For each, summarize the plot, and based on what can be found as an online source critically evaluate how accurate the portrayal seems to be. Have THREE separate items one book, one TV episode, and one movie. FOR EXAMPLE, some fictional works in which I've seen portrayals of memory issues are…
Film: Logan (2017) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_(film) 
TV Series: "Human Nature" (10th Doctor Doctor Who episode) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Nature_(Doctor_Who) 
Book: The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bourne-identity-robert-ludlum/1103275408?ean=9780553593549 
C: Go to http://www.routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/9781848720923/chapter6.php – you will complete the “Eyewitness Testimony” and "Flashbulb Memory" demos 
Follow the instructions for each “experiment”, and after reading the explanation provided take a screenshot of your results and answer the following questions: 
is there a pattern in your results for these, and are they in line with the expectations as described by the demo? 
why do you think that pattern exists? Use information from the Chapter and the information that the demo provided to support your explanation. 
were there any “confounding factors” that may have influenced your performance? For example, were there distractions? What time of day did you complete the demo? 
there have been several recent news stories that hinge on the accurate (or not so accurate) memories of witnesses to events. Pick ONE, locate at least one news report on it from one of the major outlets (such as CNN.com, ABCnews.com, etc.), and then summarize the news story. In your news story include a LINK to the story online, and a specific description of how it links to the memory phenomena described in the textbook and/or the demos you completed. 
D: Go to 
http://www.routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/9781848720923/chapter6.php and complete the “Semantic Memory and Stored Knowledge” demonstration. 
Go to http://gocognitive.net/demo/memory-lists-roediger-mcdermott-1995 and complete the demo there. 
For each, screen-capture your results and include them 
Along with your results, consider/answer the following questions: 
Which theory/theories or concept/concepts are these demos most related to in Chapter 8? Be specific for each demonstration, and describe how it relates to the theory or concepts you’ve identified. There may be more than one possibility. 
is there a pattern in your results for these, and are they in line with the expectations as described by the demo? 
why do you think that pattern exists? Use information from the Chapter to support your explanation. 
were there any “confounding factors” that may have influenced your performance? For example, were there distractions? What time of day did you complete the demo? 
What are some real-life implications or applications of the effects demonstrated by these demos? Consider things that may have been discussed in previous discussions, or current events.

Dell

1) Ratio analysis: You want to examine the financial ratios for Dell Incorporated. the ticker symbol for the company (DELL). Now find financial ratios for Dell and the industry and sector averages for each ratio. a. What do TTM and MRQ mean? b. How do Dell’s recent profitability ratios compare to their values over the past five years? To the industry averages? To the sector averages? Which is the better comparison group for Dell: the industry or sector averages? Why? c. In what areas does Dell seem to outperform its competitors based on the financial ratios? Where does Dell seem to lag behind its competitors? d. Dell’s inventory turnover ratio is much larger than that for all comparison groups. Why do you think this is?

2) Locate the most recent annual financial statements for DuPont at www.dupont.com under the “Investors” link. Locate the annual report. Using the growth in sales for the most recent year as the projected sales growth for next year, construct a pro forma income statement and balance sheet. Based on these projections, what are the external funds needed?

3) Using the attached PDF, calculate the ratios listed in the industry table for East Coast Yachts. Compare the performance of East Coast yachts to the industry as per the instructions in question 2.

Qualitative Methods Assignment

In 3-4 pages, show how your chosen author uses methods by breaking down the following aspects of social research (questions next to letters are suggestions geared to the different readings, while you must address the questions next to the main headings in bold):
Research Subjects, Sites & Data Collection: What are the sources/objects the author uses in their analysis and, if available, how did the author select those sources? Some questions to help you fill out the details include: 
Are the subjects (individuals) of a specific race, class, gender, sexuality, age, or ability? Do they exhibit particular backgrounds (education, social capital, familial capital) or resources?
What place do these subjects occupy in society (where are they and what status or institutional affiliations do they have?).
Theory/History: Does the author link the objects of analysis (e.g. films for Sara Ahmed) to any theoretical or historical discussions? If so, what concepts/theories or history do they draw from to aid in their analysis. Develop the relevant terms and give some detail. (Note: This section is more relevant to Ahmed than the other texts). 
Analysis: How does the author establish connections between different subjects, objects of analysis (e.g. films), and/or institutions? 
How are these relationships shaped and by what forces? That is, for example, how does the media affect the police and vice versa in Stuart Hall? Or, how does media draw from ideas about the nation (e.g. Canada) to make claims on immigrant groups, and how are immigrant groups and their expectations shaped by these media discourses? 
Findings/Conclusions: What conclusions does the author come up with? That is, what is the significance or impact of their study? Do their conclusions follow from the evidence they have given? How does the chosen method provide us with unique or valid knowledge?

"The Meal: Fast Food" 

Choice 8: Write a brief summary of chapter seven, "The Meal: Fast Food" (109-). What does Pollan find out in his investigation and participation in the fast food meal?

Discuss the use of gender inequality as a theme in “Trifles” (attached). How important is this theme in the play? How is it presented? In what way does it shape the characters, and/or advance the plot?

“There’s also the language of personal responsibility, which suggests really that there’s no institutional and structural responsibility

Please include at least 4 sociological concepts in your discussion.
You must also cite/draw from the uploaded interview from John Powell. 

Powell says, “There’s also the language of personal responsibility, which suggests really that there’s no institutional and structural responsibility. There’s no collective responsibility. If you’re not doing well, it’s not because of anything that we in society have done. It’s not because of our history, our legacy of Jim Crow, segregation, exploitation and subordination; it’s all personal. So it all gets translated into, “We’re not responsible.”

What does he mean by this? (especially “structural responsibility”)
What role does race play in structural inequality today?

1. Topic: Reservoir Compartmentalization Assessment by Using Geochemical analysis
2. Define the background to the problem you are tackling; preferably state a question or hypothesis of some sort.
o Problem: Reservoir compartmentalization: refers to the presence of fluid flow barriers between two fluid sampling points.
o Significant variation of fluid type in the field: the oils in the field are mainly waxy black oils ranging between 20 and 31°API gravity. 
o Question or hypothesis: Example:
 How to detect reservoir compartmentalization using geochemical analysis?
 Why is there a significant variation of fluid types in different compartments?
 Are the oils in the same continuous reservoir or do they belong to separate reservoir compartments?
 How do the findings from the Jawdah field reservoir compartmentalization assessment impact reservoir exploration globally?
3. Explain the relevance and importance of what you intend to do; explain why anyone should actually care about the work you are planning to do. Justify the work you are planning to do. Do not simply assume that the reader considers your work to be important; persuade them that it is important.
o Example: As the production of oil becomes more expensive, the importance of developing advanced techniques to minimize uncertainties during extraction of hydrocarbon is vital. Analysing the faults and fluid behaviour within a single reservoir is also essential during appraisal and production phases, as faults can have a significant impact in developing a field, whereby the fluid quality play a key role in the production rate. However, faults can cause reservoir compartmentalization in a field, which be challenging to detect with limited data and analysis. The oil industry around the globe are currently investigating best approaches in predicting and identifying the implication of reservoir compartmentalization on fluid flow all over the field lifetime.

4. Define what you actually intend to do (give the work-plan) to solve the problem.
o The materials used in this research include 24 oil samples of around 10 ml from the Gharif and Al Khlata formations in the Jawdah field.
o 3 geochemical analysis will be used to interpret the 24 oil samples
 SARA analysis :(saturates, aromatics, resins, asphaltenes)
 Reservoir oil fingerprinting (ROF): is a combination of analytical and interpretive techniques that utilizes the "fingerprint" of oils to determine whether they are part of the same reservoir compartment.
 Biomarker analysis
o Two software’s will be utilized to interpret the generated data from the given 3 techniques.
 Xcalibur software
 Petrel software

5. Explain the type of results that you will produce.
o Whole-oil Gas chromatographic 
o Whole oil bulk composition
o Oil Chemical composition
o Whole Oil Carbon Isotope Analysis 
o Concertation of saturates, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes and plots illustrating ( saturated hydrocarbons vs aromatic hydrocarbons)
o Biodegradation rate
6. Explain how you will interpret the results.
o By integrating the newly generated data in order to understand and validate reservoir compartmentalization in Jawdah field using the following outcomes:
 Gas chromatography measurements on whole oils will be utilized for quantifying major saturated and aromatic compounds.
 Oil type (origin of the oil)
 Charge history
 Source-oil correlation
 Hydrocarbon thermal maturity
 Biodegradation
o Principle component analysis (PCA) will be used to screen peak height ratios, for the use in the oil correlations and to identify groups of similar oils.
o Comparing the data with 4 PVT reports from 4 wells across the Jawdah field.
7. Explain what training will be required.
o Example: Reservoir compartmentalization is consequently a key ambiguity that must be precisely measured throughout the assessment of oil reservoirs in the mandate to circumvent unanticipated compartmentalization at the fluid production stage. The training is mandatory for the capability to rationalize, visualize and describe the variety of fluid composition across the field willingness to advance the understanding of reservoir compartmentalization. Hence, training for analyzing data from biomarkers and oil fingerprinting is needed to provide an additional positive outlook of reservoir connectivity.

8. Explain the science impact of your planned work.
o Example: The outcomes of this research will assist in determining and understating the cause of variation of oil quality within the reservoir. The investigation work demonstrated that organic geochemistry will be a beneficial and valuable in detecting reservoir compartmentalization in the Jawdah field. It is expected to be an efficient method in enhancing oilfield production and to be used as an analogue for predicting reservoir compartmentalization in a single field.