Day: April 26, 2018

Week 3 Other Preparation Watch the video titled “Six Strategies for Creating Competitive Advantage in Your Creative” (10 min 29 s). Video Source: WHC2012 (2012, January 22). Six Strategies for Creating Competitive Advantage in Your Creative… [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhBhjF7ocW0.

This video can be viewed from within your online course shell.

Watch Video Six Strategies for Creating Competitive Advantage in Your Creative Business Duration: (10:30) User: whc2012 – Added: 1/22/12

Week 3 e-Activity Watch the video titled “Fedex and UPS Documentary” (20 min 33 s). Be prepared to discuss. Video Source: BCCBusinessClips (2012, January 26). Fedex and UPS Documentary [Video file]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZu_gxi3sbs.

Week 3 Scenario https://blackboard.strayer.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/BUS/599/1142/Week3/Scenario/story.html

Week 3 Discussion

“FedEx and UPS Superior Responsiveness” Please respond to the following:

From the e-Activity, determine the functional level strategy of both UPS and FedEx. Next, compare and contrast each company’s quality practices and level of responsiveness to customers. Note: Be sure to relate the “Six Strategies for Creating Competitive Advantage” from the video into your response.

From the e-Activity, determine the innovation strategies of both UPS and FedEx, and analyze the manner in which each company’s focuses on achieving superiority in terms of responsiveness and efficiency. Provide at least three (3) examples from the video to support your response.

Assignment 1: Yahoo and Amazon: Building a Competitive Advantage Due in Week 3 and worth 300 points Review Case 21 “How Amazon.com became the leading online retailer by 2011”, and Case 23 “Is Yahoo!’s business model working in 2011?” located in the textbook to complete this assignment. Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you: Describe, in brief, the histories of both of Amazon.com and Yahoo.com, and determine the core business of each. Determine the key strategic differences that have impacted the relative success of both Amazon.com and Yahoo.com. Provide two (2) specific examples of such strategic differences to support the response. Compare and contrast the approach to strategic planning that each company has pursued in order to achieve a competitive advantage. Focus specifically on both intended and emergent strategies. Analyze the manner in which each company’s distinctive competencies help to shape the strategies that each company pursues. Provide a rationale to support the response. Recommend one (1) functional level strategy for each company which prescribes the essential ways in which each may achieve superior efficiency, quality, innovation, and customer responsiveness. Provide a rationale to support the response. Use at least three (3) quality references. 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. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Analyze the role of a company mission, vision, and objectives and the impact to business strategy. Describe strategic planning techniques used to formulate alternative strategies designed to achieve stated business goals. Analyze the external and internal environment for opportunities, threats, strengths, and weaknesses that impact the firm’s competitiveness. Use technology and information resources to research issues in strategic management. Write clearly and concisely about strategic management using proper writing mechanics.

The Impact of Workplace Bullying

Review the Wiedmer article regarding workplace bullying (found in the reading section). Develop a two- to three-page APA- formatted paper that responds to the following: •Provide a review of the article. Describe the impact of workplace bullying on both the victims and the organization. •Reflect on a time when you may have witnessed workplace bullying. Discuss at least two practices of workplace bullying addressed in the article that were applicable to your scenario. •Recommend at least two techniques from the article that management should implement to provide a positive impact on workplace bullying. Support your response with additional information from the textbook or additional research. Your paper must be two to three pages (not including title and reference pages) and must be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide. You must cite two scholarly sources in addition to the textbook.

1. The Retread Tire Company recaps tires. The fixed annual cost of the recapping operation is $55,000.The variable cost of recapping a tire is $8.The company charges $21 to recap a tire. a. For an annual volume of 10,000 tires, determine the total cost, total revenue, and profit. b. Determine the annual break-even volume for the Retread Tire Company operation. 2. Evergreen Fertilizer Company produces fertilizer. The company’s fixed monthly cost is $30,000, and its variable cost per pound of fertilizer is $0.16. Evergreen sells the fertilizer for $0.40 per pound. Determine the monthly break-even volume for the company. 3. If Evergreen Fertilizer Company in Problem 2 changes the price of its fertilizer from $0.40 per pound to $0.60 per pound, what effect will the change have on the break-even volume? 4. If Evergreen Fertilizer Company increases its advertising expenditures by $14,000 per year, what effect will the increase have on the break-even volume computed in Problem 2? 5. Annie McCoy, a student at Tech, plans to open a hot dog stand inside Tech’s football stadium during home games. There are seven home games scheduled for the upcoming season. She must pay the Tech athletic department a vendor’s fee of $2,500 for the season. Her stand and other equipment will cost her $3,100 for the season. She estimates that each hot dog she sells will cost her $0.35. She has talked to friends at other universities who sell hot dogs at games. Based on their information and the athletic department’s forecast that each game will sell out, she anticipates that she will sell approximately 2,000 hot dogs during each game. a. What price should she charge for a hot dog in order to break even? b. What factors might occur during the season that would alter the volume sold and thus the break-even price Annie might charge? 6. The College of Business at Kerouac University is planning to begin an online MBA program. The initial start-up cost for computing equipment, facilities, course development, and staff recruitment and development is $360,000.The college plans to charge tuition of $17,000 per student per year. However, the university administration will charge the college $12,000 per student for the first 100 students enrolled each year for administrative costs and its share of the tuition payments. a. How many students does the college need to enroll in the first year to break even? b. If the college can enroll 75 students the first year, how much profit will it make? c. The college believes it can increase tuition to $22,000, but doing so would reduce enrollment to MAT540 Homework Week 1 Page 2 of 3 35. Should the college consider doing this? Chapter 11 7. The following probabilities for grades in management science have been determined based on past records: Grade Probability A 0.15 B 0..25 C 0..38 D 0..12 F 0.10 1.00 The grades are assigned on a 4.0 scale, where an A is a 4.0, a B a 3.0, and so on. Determine the expected grade and variance for the course. 8. An investment firm is considering two alternative investments, A and B, under two possible future sets of economic conditions, good and poor. There is a .60 probability of good economic conditions occurring and a .40 probability of poor economic conditions occurring. The expected gains and losses under each economic type of conditions are shown in the following table: Economic Conditions Investment Good Poor A $350,000 -$350,000 B 120,000 70,000 Using the expected value of each investment alternative, determine which should be selected.

9. The weight of bags of fertilizer is normally distributed, with a mean of 50 pounds and a standard deviation of 7 pounds. What is the probability that a bag of fertilizer will weigh between 45 and 55 pounds? 10. The Polo Development Firm is building a shopping center. It has informed renters that their rental spaces will be ready for occupancy in 19 months. If the expected time until the shopping center is completed is estimated to be 16 months, with a standard deviation of 4 months, what is the probability that the renters will not be able to occupy in 19 months? 11. The manager of the local National Video Store sells videocassette recorders at discount prices. If the store does not have a video recorder in stock when a customer wants to buy one, it will lose the sale because the customer will purchase a recorder from one of the many local competitors. The problem is that the cost of renting warehouse space to keep enough recorders in inventory to meet all demand is excessively high. The manager has determined that if 90% of customer demand for MAT540 Homework Week 1 Page 3 of 3 recorders can be met, then the combined cost of lost sales and inventory will be minimized. The manager has estimated that monthly demand for recorders is normally distributed, with a mean of 180 recorders and a standard deviation of 60. Determine the number of recorders the manager should order each month to meet 90% of customer demand.

 

MAT540 Homework Week 2 Page 1 of 3 MAT540 Week 2 Homework Chapter 12 1. A local real estate investor in Orlando is considering three alternative investments: a motel, a restaurant, or a theater. Profits from the motel or restaurant will be affected by the availability of gasoline and the number of tourists; profits from the theater will be relatively stable under any conditions. The following payoff table shows the profit or loss that could result from each investment: Gasoline Availability Investment Shortage Stable Supply Surplus Motel $-8,000 $15,000 $20,000 Restaurant 2,000 8,000 6,000 Theater 6,000 6,000 5,000 Determine the best investment, using the following decision criteria. a. Maximax b. Maximin c. Minimax regret d. Hurwicz (α = 0.4) e. Equal likelihood 2. A concessions manager at the Tech versus A&M football game must decide whether to have the vendors sell sun visors or umbrellas. There is a 30% chance of rain, a 15% chance of overcast skies, and a 55% chance of sunshine, according to the weather forecast in College Junction, where the game is to be held. The manager estimates that the following profits will result from each decision, given each set of weather conditions: Weather Conditions Decision Rain Overcast Sunshine .30 .15 .55 Sun visors $-500 $-200 $1,500 Umbrellas 2,000 0 -900 a. Compute the expected value for each decision and select the best one. b. Develop the opportunity loss table and compute the expected opportunity loss for each decision. 3. Place-Plus, a real estate development firm, is considering several alternative development projects. These include building and leasing an office park, purchasing a parcel of land and building an office building to rent, buying and leasing a warehouse, building a strip mall, and building and selling MAT540 Homework Week 2 Page 2 of 3 condominiums. The financial success of these projects depends on interest rate movement in the next 5 years. The various development projects and their 5-year financial return (in $1,000,000s) given that interest rates will decline, remain stable, or increase, are shown in the following payoff table. Place-Plus real estate development firm has hired an economist to assign a probability to each direction interest rates may take over the next 5 years. The economist has determined that there is a .50 probability that interest rates will decline, a .40 probability that rates will remain stable, and a .10 probability that rates will increase. a. Using expected value, determine the best project. b. Determine the expected value of perfect information. Interest Rate Project Decline Stable Increase Office park $0.5 $1.7 $4.5 Office building 1.5 1.9 2.5 Warehouse 1.7 1.4 1.0 Mall 0.7 2.4 3.6 Condominiums 3.2 1.5 0.6 4. The director of career advising at Orange Community College wants to use decision analysis to provide information to help students decide which 2-year degree program they should pursue. The director has set up the following payoff table for six of the most popular and successful degree programs at OCC that shows the estimated 5-year gross income ($) from each degree for four future economic conditions: Degree Program Recession Average Good Robust Graphic design 145,000 175,000 220,000 260,000 Nursing 150,000 180,000 205,000 215,000 Real estate 115,000 165,000 220,000 320,000 Medical technology 130,000 180,000 210,000 280,000 Culinary technology 115,000 145,000 235,000 305,000 Computer information technology 125,000 150,000 190,000 250,000 Determine the best degree program in terms of projected income, using the following decision criteria: a. Maximax b. Maximin c. Equal likelihood MAT540 Homework Week 2 Page 3 of 3 d. Hurwicz (α = 0.50) 5. Construct a decision tree for the following decision situation and indicate the best decision. Fenton and Farrah Friendly, husband-and-wife car dealers, are soon going to open a new dealership. They have three offers: from a foreign compact car company, from a U.S. producer of full-sized cars, and from a truck company. The success of each type of dealership will depend on how much gasoline is going to be available during the next few years. The profit from each type of dealership, given the availability of gas, is shown in the following payoff table: Gasoline Availability Dealership Shortage Surplus .6 .4 Compact cars $ 300,000 $150,000 Full-sized cars -100,000 600,000 Trucks 120,000 170,000 Decision Tree

PROFESSIONAL PRESENCE & INFLUENCE

Competency 7001.1.1: Self-Awareness & Mindful Presence – The graduate utilizes personality tools to identify his/her own personality type and incorporate self-awareness practices to increase mindful presence into his/her own life, practice of health care, and interactions with patients and colleagues. Competency 7001.1.2: Leadership through Influence: Influencing the Transformation of Health Care – The graduate uses principles of self-knowledge, active listening, authentic leadership, and mentoring in transforming and creating a healing environment.

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Introduction:

For this assessment, you will navigate areas of focus that include professional presence, mindfulness practice, and healing environments. These areas of focus will help you to create a professional presence plan that has both personal and professional application. You will be analyzing your inner world (thoughts, beliefs, and values) and your outer world (activities, relationships, and experiences). Each section of this assessment will gauge how you use and interact with those two worlds. To aid you in understanding your inner and outer worlds, you will take the Keirsey Temperament Sorter-II, an online personality test. With the test’s results, you will better understand your strengths and weaknesses and how you can be an effective individual and leader. Authentic leadership requires as much care and understanding for yourself as for those you will serve and lead. Your professional presence plan will integrate your insights, goals, and beliefs into a coherent whole.

Requirements:

Note: Your submission may take the form of an essay, multimedia presentation, etc. Be sure to cover each prompt in sufficient detail and support no matter what form you use.

A. Professional Presence

1. Discuss the differences between two models of health and healing (e.g., physical body, body-mind, body-mind-spirit/bio-psycho-social,) as they relate to what it means to be human.

2. Analyze differences between one of the models discussed in part A1 and your professional presence (i.e., current beliefs, attitudes, and actions regarding health and healing).

3. Discuss how your professional presence (mindful or distracted) influences your nursing practice.

B. Personality Preferences

1. Submit your results from the Keirsey Temperament personality test.

Note: You should only submit the Temperament Mini Report provided by Keirsey.com. You can submit a screen shot or copy and paste the results into a document for submission.

2. Analyze your test results, including areas that may or may not align with how you view yourself.

a. Evaluate how the preferences identified by the test align with your relationships, favorite activities, and career choices.

b. Discuss two potential challenges or barriers (e.g., barriers in communication, decision-making) that could be minimized by your enhanced self-awareness when working with opposite personality types.

C. Mindfulness Practice

1. Develop a mindfulness practice plan consistent with your interests, goals, and beliefs by doing the following:

a. Create two specific goals for each of the four Aspects of your whole person (physical, vital/rhythmic, mental/emotional, and biographical/spiritual body) to maintain balance.

b. Discuss how you will achieve each of the goals created in part C1a, including how you will adjust to the changing of your whole person.

D. Healing Environments

1. Analyze two optimal healing environments in healthcare to identify the common elements of internal, interpersonal, behavioral, and external environments.

2. Discuss how you intend to apply self-awareness and insights gained from part D1 to promote professional presence in your current healthcare setting.

E. When you use sources, include all in-text citations and references in APA format.

Note: For definitions of terms commonly used in the rubric, see the Rubric Terms web link included in the Evaluation Procedures section.

Note: When using sources to support ideas and elements in a performance assessment, the submission MUST include APA formatted in-text citations with a corresponding reference list for any direct quotes or paraphrasing. It is not necessary to list sources that were consulted if they have not been quoted or paraphrased in the text of the performance assessment.

Note: No more than a combined total of 30% of a submission can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from outside sources, even if cited correctly. For tips on using APA style, please refer to the APA Handout web link included in the APA Guidelines section.

research different points of view about STUDENT DEBT respond to the five questions below. Each of your responses should be approximately two paragraphs in length. This assignment will be graded using the Week 1 Assignment Rubric available in Doc Sharing.

1. What is your possible topic? Brainstorm five questions about it. In this section pick a topic from the above list and then brainstorm five questions you have about it. If you feel disconnected from the topics on the list, choose one of your own, but make sure it is not an “overused topic,” such as abortion, gun control, capital punishment or legalization of marijuana. That is unless you have personal experience with the topic and can offer a unique perspective. Also, beware of current issues that might not be well-researched yet; you may not find enough sources at this time. Your purpose for brainstorming five questions is to narrow the topic to a manageable scope. Who knows, one of the questions may eventually become your research question, the question that directs your entire paper. Need help getting started? See the list of questions below that are related to the following topics: perils of social networking, concussion and athletes, and grade inflation. (The examples below do not include five questions; but yours should.)

Examples: • Perils of social networking: How does social networking affect our social lives and our outlook on the world? Does it make us more socially isolated? What dangers are involved in meeting people online? Should my children be on social network sites, and at what age might it be okay for children to be on social networking sites? • Concussions and Athletes: How do head injuries affect athletes over the long term, especially when repeated head injuries? What are the medical data and statistics? My kid plays football; what are the statistics on injuries to teenagers, and thus, should my child play football? • Grade Inflation: How should the world of higher education my world—copes with problems of grade inflation? Should students complain about grade inflation knowing that it might affect the rigor of the course?

[Click here: Type your response] 2. How is the topic important to you and how does it affect you? What do you personally hope to gain or accomplish by writing about this topic? In this section, describe your topic and how it first affected you. Explain why it is important to you. Reflect on how or why your background, motivations, needs, or interests sparked you to choose this topic. The best topics are those that are important to and involve you.

[Click here: Type your response]

3. Research your topic and provide a brief summary of the current points of view about the topic. Share at least two different/opposing positions on the topic. While this section asks for summaries of two others’ positions, write each summary in your own words. Each should be a paragraph in length. To conduct research on your topic, find at least two credible sources that offer opposing perspectives and summarize those points of view in a paragraph. Additionally, although we will be learning more about APA documentation style next week, use Citation Machine, the DeVry APA Handbook, APA tutorials in the syllabus, and/or Chapter 26 in your textbook to provide full APA references for both sources. (Note: The “click here” for your references is formatted as hanging indent.)

[Click here: Type your two paragraph response]

[Click here: Type your references]

4. Describe whom you might choose as your audience. Who are your readers, and what are their needs, motivations, and influences? In what ways will you need to structure your writing to appeal to them? Think about who will need/want to read your paper. What do you need to consider about those readers? Will they be open-minded or antagonistic? Are you outside your group of readers, which means that you need to choose a formal voice and use “they,” or are you part of your group of readers, which means that you can use a more conversational voice and use “we”? Analyze the groups and individuals who are reading and writing on your chosen topic. Work to define who they are and how their backgrounds will dictate your writing approach.

[Click here: Type your response]

5. What specific issue will you write about within the larger topic, and what unique angle will you provide? In this section, decide upon and explain which “side” of the argument you are on and what your thesis statement will be. To do that, you should attempt to come up with a question about the topic that you will answer in your paper. Your answer becomes your working thesis statement. For example, you might write the following: “With the growing instances of road rage across the nation, it might be argued that drivers who do not abide by the rules of the road are the cause of road rage (e.g., not using a turn signal when changing lanes; travelling slowly in the left lane when others are trying to pass; not turning into the same lane when turning a corner). If drivers who do not follow the laws are the problem, then shouldn’t states require extensive driver’s education of all new drivers?” Note that this question can be answered either yes or no. Additionally, the question asks, “Should….” Your question should begin with “should,” “must,” or “do we need to” because your thesis will be a persuasive, “should,” “need to,” or “must” statement.

Locate and review an article related to topics covered in this unit (e.g., ergonomics, health and temperature extremes, personal protective equipment and/or clothing, etc.). The article you select must be at least two pages long and no more than five years old. Write a summary of the article. Include the purpose for the article, how research was conducted (if any), the results, and other pertinent information. How does the article relate to what you are learning in this course? Discuss the meaning or implications of the article’s contents, as well as any flaws you find in the article. What could have made the article better? Was any information left out? How could the author expand on the results? Does the article’s information relate to your professional or personal life? How? Your review must be at least two pages long, not counting cover page and reference page. Use proper APA formatting for all sources The article you select must be at least two pages long and no more than five years old. Write a summary of the article. Include the purpose for the article, how research was conducted (if any), the results, and other pertinent information. How does the article relate to what you are learning in this course? Discuss the meaning or implications of the article’s contents, as well as any flaws you find in the article. What could have made the article better? Was any information left out? How could the author expand on the results? Does the article’s information relate to your professional or personal life? How? Your review must be at least two pages long, not counting cover page and reference page. Use proper APA formatting for all sources

Imagine that you are an analyst who has been asked to produce a report on Apple’s financial performance, including its ability to attain its objectives, over the last five (5) years. You are to report your findings to your boss. You should assume that your boss has no prior knowledge of Apple’s specific strategy. Your task is to shed light on the company’s results, thoroughly explaining any deviations from projections. This means that it is not sufficient to describe the ratios you have calculated. Rather, you are to provide an overall analysis with an assessment of whether these financial ratios and analyses are supportive of Apple’s strategy or whether Apple may be required to modify its strategy because of any financial constraints indicated. A major part of this report involves projections or forecasting. Part A Access Apple’s balance sheets and income statements for the last 5 years from the Apple web site (http://investor.apple.com/financials.cfm). From those statements, calculate the financial ratios for Apple for each of the past 5 years, as noted below. 1. Liquidity Ratio: For each of the indicated five (5) years, you need address only the Current Ratio. 2. Profitability Ratio: For each of the five (5) indicated years, you need address only the Return on Investment. 3. Activity Ratio: For each of the five (5) indicated years, you need address only the Asset Turnover. 4. Leverage Ratio: For each of the five (5) indicated years, you need only address the Debt to Asset Ratio. 5. Other Ratios: For each of the five (5) indicated years, you need only the Dividend Yield on Common Stock.

Present your findings in a table, titling each row with one of the five ratios, as follows: 1) Liquidity Ratios, 2) Profitability Ratios, 3) Activity Ratios, 4) Leverage Ratios, and 5) Other Ratios. Your table should have six columns, each labeled for one year, plus a column for the mean value for the entire period.

Part B Next, review Apple’s stated strategy for each of these years and analyze each Apple ratio from one year to the next during this time period. Be sure to explain what the ratio indicates in general, as well as with respect to the specific period. Discuss whether the ratios support Apple’s strategies or if changes are indicated. Identify any trends that you detect from one year to the next. As an example, let us state, hypothetically, that Apple’s Current Ratio has been declining over several periods. You will want to assess its implications for Apple’s stated strategy. (40 points) (A 3-page response is required.)

Final Paper

The purpose of the Final Paper is for you to culminate the learning achieved in the course by demonstrating your knowledge of organizational management by synthesizing the information from class into work and life experience.

Focus of the Final Paper

Think of an organization you have worked for or one with which you are very familiar. Diagnose the need for change and present a plan to transform the organization, utilizing Kotter’s 8-Step Approach. Include the following sections headings and additional sections as needed: 1.Introduction 2.Company Overview 3.Diagnosis 4.Kotter’s 8-Step Approach 5.Conclusion

The Final Paper for the course must be submitted to the instructor by 11:59 p.m. of the time zone in which you reside on the last day of the class.

Writing the Final Paper The Final Paper: 1.Must be eight- to- ten double-spaced pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide. 2.Must include a title page that includes: a.Title of paper b.Student’s name c.Course name and number d.Instructor’s name e.Date submitted

3.Must include an introductory paragraph with a succinct thesis statement. 4.Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought. 5.Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a conclusion paragraph. 6.Must use at least five scholarly sources. 7.Must use APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide to document all sources. 8.Must include, on the final page, a Reference Page that is completed according to APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Assignment Submission

Select a company with which you are familiar, preferably one where you have been employed, and consider a process within that company that could be improved. This could be a business process, a manufacturing process, or a service process that you have observed or been involved with. One option would be to further develop your answer to the Process Improvement discussion question from Week 1. Using library research, prepare a recommended process improvement proposal that incorporates tools and methods learned in this course. Some examples of tools and methods that could be implemented include, but are not limited to, JIT, objective and/or subjective forecasting methods, ABC classification, or project management tools. Your paper should include: A brief description of the company and how the selected process fits into the overall framework of the company. A step by step description of the process. This can follow a similar format to the IBM Credit process description in Section 1.5 of the textbook, though yours may be longer or more detailed depending on the process selected. An analysis of the current process, identifying inefficiencies. A detailed plan for reengineering the process to be more efficient, using appropriate tools and methods learned throughout the course, including a specific description of how the tools and methods will be applied. An identification of possible roadblocks in implementing the process changes. Expected benefits of the improved process. 8 double spaced pages.