Day: May 14, 2018

Suppose that, in an attempt to raise more revenue, Nobody State University increases its tuition. Will this necessarily result in more revenue? Under what conditions will revenue (a) rise, (b) fall, or (c) remain the same? Explain this process, focusing on the relationship between the increased revenue from students enrolling at NSU despite the higher tuition and the lost revenue from possible lower enrollment. If the true price elasticity were -1.2, what would you suggest the university do to expand revenue? If you were the president of NSU, how would you tackle this problem based on what you have learned in this course?

The Raise or Lower Tuition paper

Must be three to five double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must use at least two scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library in addition to the course text.
The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Assignment 2: Operations Decision

Due Week 6 and worth 300 points

Using the regression results and the other computations from Assignment 1, determine the market structure in which the low-calorie frozen, microwavable food company operates.

Use the Internet to research two (2) of the leading competitors in the low-calorie frozen, microwavable food industry, and take note of their pricing strategies, profitability, and their relationships within the industry (worldwide).

Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you:

Outline a plan that will assess the effectiveness of the market structure for the company’s operations. Note: In Assignment 1, the assumption was that the market structure [or selling environment] was perfectly competitive and that the equilibrium price was to be determined by setting QD equal to QS. You are now aware of recent changes in the selling environment that suggest an imperfectly competitive market where your firm now has substantial market power in setting its own “optimal” price.
Given that business operations have changed from the market structure specified in the original scenario in Assignment 1, determine two (2) likely factors that might have caused the change. Predict the primary manner in which this change would likely impact business operations in the new market environment.
Analyze the major short run and long cost functions for the low-calorie, frozen microwaveable food company given the cost functions below. Suggest substantive ways in which the low-calorie food company may use this information in order to make decisions in both the short-run and the long-run.
TC = 160,000,000 + 100Q + 0.0063212Q2

VC = 100Q + 0.0063212Q2

MC= 100 + 0.0126424Q

Determine the possible circumstances under which the company should discontinue operations. Suggest key actions that management should take in order to confront these circumstances. Provide a rationale for your response. (Hint: Your firm’s price must cover average variable costs in the short run and average total costs in the long run to continue operations.)
Suggest one (1) pricing policy that will enable your low-calorie, frozen microwavable food company to maximize profits. Provide a rationale for your suggestion.
(Hints:

In Assignment 1, you determined your firm’s market demand equation. Now you need to find the inverse demand equation. Having found that, find the Total Revenue function for your firm (TR is P x Q). From your firm’s Total Revenue function, then find your Marginal Revenue (MR) function.
Use the profit maximization rule MR = MC to determine your optimal price and optimal output level now that you have market power. Compare these values with the values you generated in Assignment 1. Determine whether your price higher is or lower.)
Outline a plan, based on the information provided in the scenario, which the company could use in order to evaluate its financial performance. Consider all the key drivers of performance, such as company profit or loss for both the short term and long term, and the fundamental manner in which each factor influences managerial decisions.
(Hints:

Calculate profit in the short run by using the price and output levels you generated in part 5. Optional: You may want to compare this to what profit would have been in Assignment 1 using the cost function provided here.
Calculate profit in the long run by using the output level you generated in part 5 and cost data in part 3 and assuming that the selling environment will likely be very competitive. Determine why this would be a valid assumption.)
Recommend two (2) actions that the company could take in order to improve its profitability and deliver more value to its stakeholders. Outline, in brief, a plan to implement your recommendations.
Use at least five (5) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia does not qualify as an academic resource.
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 short-run and long-run production and cost functions.
Apply macroeconomic concepts to changes in global and national economies and how they affect economic growth, inflation, interest rates, and wage rates.
Evaluate the profit-maximizing price and output level for given operating costs for monopolies and firms in competitive industries.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in managerial economics and globalization.
Write clearly and concisely about managerial economics and globalization using proper writing mechanics.

Propagating National Security Interests

Purpose: The primary goal of this Assignment is to evaluate how communication of foreign policy interests can be influenced by different theoretical perspectives. Your task is to discuss and assess how effective are realist, liberal, and identity theoretical perspectives at communicating U.S. national interests.
Prepare: Read the Conclusion in the course text and the 2015 U.S. National Security Strategy (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
Reflect: Effective communication is essential in conducting productive foreign affairs. One of the most important forms of communication is letting other states know national security interests. States work diligently to ensure that other states are aware of their national security interests. Conflict can sometimes erupt when national security interests are not received, are misunderstood, or are poorly communicated. As we discussed in Week Two, history is filled with examples of when states have not received, have misunderstood, or have poorly communicated vital national security interests with catastrophic results. Embedded in the challenges of effective communication is the ability to comprehend the various international relations theoretical perspectives that imbue communications of security goals, objectives, and interests. Again, incomplete awareness and understanding of this form of global political communication can lead to catastrophic results.
Write: In your assignment, complete the following:
Describe one statement in the National Security Strategy (NSS) that is based on the realist perspective.
Describe one statement in the National Security Strategy (NSS) that is based on the liberal perspective.
Describe one statement in the National Security Strategy (NSS) that is based on the identity perspective.
Explain why each statement is an example of the specified theoretical perspective.
Assess which theoretical perspective is the most effective at communicating U.S. national security interests.
The Week Five Assignment:
Must be at least two pages (not including title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must use at least three appropriate sources:
These could include the article, the course text, and any of the required or recommended resources for this week.
You can also include additional resources found on the Ashford University Library website. The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types.
Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the In-Text Citation Guide (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
Must include an introductory paragraph with a succinct thesis statement.
Must include a conclusion that summarizes the main points and restates the thesis.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the APA References List (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Ten Principles of Economics and the Data of Macroeconomics Paper

Purpose of Assignment

The purpose of this is assignment is for students to review the basic principles of economics and the concepts of the circular flow model, showing the connectivity of society’s economic players and the flow of goods and money within an economy. Students will learn how society allocates its scarce resources and how economists are both scientists and policymakers. Students will define GDP and CPI and how they are calculated.

Assignment Steps

Resources: National Bureau of Economic Research and Principles of Macroeconomics

Scenario: Your organization’s CEO is concerned that members of the strategic planning committee are not familiar with current economic thought and principles. The CEO has assigned you the task of developing a report to introduce some of these thoughts and principles.

Develop a 900-word report to the members of the strategic planning committee explaining the following information:

How economists are both scientists and policymakers and what principles society uses to allocate its scarce resources.
Using the circular flow model, explain the flow of money and goods in an economy.
How the economy coordinates society’s independent economic actors.
A country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and how it is defined and calculated.
How the consumer price index (CPI) is constructed and why it is an imperfect measurement of the cost of living.
Format the assignment consistent with APA guidelines.

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper describing your own cultural heritage and traditions and exploring possible origins of your values, worldviews, and behaviors.

Address the following in your paper:

• Describe your family’s race and ethnicity, sex and gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, disability, age, religion and spirituality.
• Reflect and write on the messages you have received about people from culturally diverse backgrounds
• What are you most proud of about your cultural heritage and why?
• Compare and contrast your family values, worldviews, and practices with those of some of the families whose ethnicities differ from yours, and provide your reflection. You may use examples form the text for examples of ethnicities different from yours.
• How might media coverage affect the public’s perception of your culture? Does it encourage or discourage prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping?
• If you were a manager, what inclusion strategies from this week’s reading might you implement to moderate the media’s effect on your employees and to promote inclusion in the workplace?

Include at least two academic references in your research.

Format your paper according to appropriate course-level APA

Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:

1. Identify at least four (4) key points of a relevant economic article from either the Strayer Library or a newspaper. The article must deal with any course concepts covered in Weeks 1-8.
2. Apply one (1) of the following economic concepts (supply, demand, market structures, elasticity, costs of production, GDP, Unemployment, inflation, aggregate demand, and aggregate supply) to the key points that you highlighted in Question 1.
3. Explain how the concept that you identified in Question 2 could affect the U.S. economy.
4. In your concluding paragraph, state whether you agree or disagree with the economic article identified in Question 1. Provide a rationale for the response.
5. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment with one (1) being your article.

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.

Introduction

Managers of healthcare organizations have a lot to learn from the management practices and breakthrough ideas from other industries. Your Final Project Report should identify three “big ideas” that represent great opportunities to improve the performance of healthcare organizations.

Your Final Project should define the management practice or breakthrough idea, discuss the expected impact on improved patient outcomes, higher levels of customer satisfaction, lower costs, etc., and identify the critical success factors associated with implementing these programs in a health services organization. You should identify which of these management practices or breakthrough ideas has, in your judgment, the greatest, second greatest, and third greatest potential benefit for healthcare organizations. Clearly explain the rationale for your rankings.

You are free to consider any management practices or breakthrough ideas so long as they originated outside the healthcare industry. Some examples you might consider include:

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Time-based Strategic Management
• Total Quality Management (TQM)
• Business Process Reengineering (BPR)
• Core Competency-Based Strategic Management
• Service Level Agreements
• Virtual Teaming
• Just in Time Manufacturing Systems
• Team-based Organizations and Performance Management Systems
• Competency-based Human Resource Systems
• Outsourcing
• The Internet

Deliverable

Your final report should not be fewer than eight pages in length or more than twelve pages. In terms of organization, your final report should contain the following sections:

Executive Summary

For each management practice or breakthrough idea:

• Definition and Discussion of the Management Practice or Breakthrough Idea
• Expected Benefits for a Healthcare Services Organization
• Implementation Challenges and Critical Success Factors.

Jennifer turned in her status report for the newly approved mailing activities. She feels that her pieces are on track with nothing for you to worry about. She reports the following information for the critical path tasks:

You review her status report and determine that Jennifer does not have a solid grasp of her status. Ben was unable to provide you with anything more than, “Things are moving along just fine.”

• Using earned value measurements along with the other information and metrics available, determine the true status of Jennifer’s portion of the project.
• Prepare an updated status report (1 page) for Jennifer and share the measurements and your rationale in your determination of the status for the project.
• Create a 2-3 slide presentation explaining the benefits of using EVM.
• Be sure to document some instructions (1-page document) for Jennifer and Ben for determining the project status for their next project update to you.
• Also, provide materials that would be used to train Jennifer and Ben on the benefits and application of earned value.
• The materials should include some guidelines for Jennifer and Ben to help them create and then interpret the metrics

Chapter Review and Activities Learning Objectives: Check Your Progress

 

Objective 1: Identify the four aspects of being sensitive to audience needs when writing business messages.

 

First, the “you” attitude refers to speaking and writing in terms of your audience’s wishes, interests, hopes, and preferences rather than your own. Writing with this attitude is essential to effective communication because it shows your audience that you have their needs in mind, not just your own. Second, good etiquette not only indicates respect for your audience but also helps foster a more successful environment for communication by minimizing negative emotional reaction. Third, sensitive communicators understand the difference between delivering negative news and being negative. Without hiding the negative news, they look for ways to emphasize positive aspects. Fourth, being sensitive includes taking care to avoid biased language that unfairly and even unethically categorizes or stigmatizes people in ways related to gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, or other personal characteristics.

 

Objective 2: Explain how establishing your credibility and projecting your company’s image are vital aspects of building strong relationships with your audience.

 

Successful communication relies on a positive relationship between sender and receiver. The way audiences respond to your messages depends heavily on your credibility, which is a measure of your believability based on how reliable you are and how much trust you evoke in others. When you have established credibility with an audience, communication becomes much easier because you no longer have to spend time and energy convincing people that you are a trustworthy source of information and ideas. Project your company’s desired image when communicating with external audiences. You represent your company and therefore play a vital role in helping the company build and maintain positive relationships with all stakeholders.

 

Objective 3: Explain how to achieve a tone that is conversational but businesslike, explain the value of using plain language, and define active and passive voice.

 

To achieve a tone that is conversational but still businesslike, avoid obsolete and pompous language, avoid preaching and bragging, be careful with intimacy (sharing personal details or adopting an overly casual tone), and be careful with humor. Plain language is a way of presenting information in a simple, unadorned style so that your audience can easily grasp your meaning. By writing and speaking in plain terms, you demonstrate the “you” attitude and show respect for your audience. In the active voice, the subject performs the action and the object receives the action. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. The passive voice combines the helping verb to be with a form of the verb that is usually in the past tense.

 

Objective 4: Describe how to select words that are not only correct but also effective.

 

Selecting the correct and most effective words involves balancing abstract and concrete words, choosing powerful and familiar words, avoiding clichés, using buzzwords carefully, and using jargon carefully.

 

Objective 5: Define the four types of sentences, and explain how sentence style affects emphasis within a message.

 

The four types of sentences are simple (one main clause), compound (two main clauses that express independent but related ideas of equal importance), complex (one main clause and one subordinate clause of lesser importance), and compound-complex (two main clauses, at least one of which contains a subordinate clause). Sentence style affects emphasis by playing up or playing down specific parts of a sentence. To emphasize a certain point, you can place it at the end of the sentence or make it the subject of the sentence. To deemphasize a point, put it in the middle of the sentence.

 

Objective 6: Define the three key elements of a paragraph, and list five ways to develop coherent paragraphs.

 

The three key elements of a paragraph are a topic sentence that identifies the subject of the paragraph, support sentences that develop the topic and provide examples and evidence, and transitional words and phrases that help readers connect one thought to the next. Five ways to develop coherent paragraphs are illustration, comparison or contrast, cause and effect, classification, and problem and solution.

 

Objective 7: List five techniques for writing effective messages for mobile readers.

 

Five techniques for writing effective messages for mobile readers are using a linear organization so readers don’t have to jump around the screen to find important message elements; prioritizing information and deliver the most important information first; writing short, focused messages; using short subject lines and headings; and using short paragraphs.

Scenario: In Week 3, you selected a product or service that you believe your organization should invest capital resources to develop the product or service for sale. To speed up the new product investment, you decide to write a memo proposing and advocating for the launch of a new product or service to the company president. 

 

Create a memo proposal using the AIDA model in a Microsoft^® Word in a minimum of 1,400 words.  You will add an introduction and conclusion, and your paper will include the following components: INTRO & CONCLUSION REQUIRED NO PLAGIARISM! A minimum of 2 sources included!

 

·         Convince your audience to invest capital resources to develop the product or service you intend to sell and explain your rationale.  See Figure 9.5 – Persuasive Message Using AIDA model.

 

·         Gain credibility (for yourself and your request) and (2) to make your readers believe that helping your product/service will indeed benefit the company. Close with a request for some specific action, and make that course of action as easy to follow as possible to maximize the chances of a positive response.

 

·         Include secondary research to support your argument, related to your product and/or service.

 

o    Explain what you will do in case the selected product or service does not initially sell as much as expected.

 

o    Indicate potential digital channels for marketing your product or service.

 

o    Consider cross-cultural and multinational implications.

 

Note: Main points from this memo will be included in the Week 5 Persuasive Presentation. 

 

The following guidelines will help you effectively format specific memo elements, Business Communication Essentials, 7/e (Pg. 410):

 

·         Addressees. When sending a memo to a long list of people, include the notation See distribution list or See below in the position at the top; then list the names at the end of the memo. Arrange this list alphabetically, except when high-ranking officials deserve more prominent placement. You can also address memos to groups of people–All Sales Representatives, Production Group, New Product Team.

 

·         Courtesy titles. You need not use courtesy titles anywhere in a memo; first initials and last names, first names, or even initials alone are often sufficient. However, use a courtesy title if you would use one in a face-to-face encounter with the person.

 

·         Subject line. The subject line of a memo helps busy colleagues quickly find out what your memo is about, so take care to make it concise and compelling.

 

·         Body. Start the body of the memo on the second or third line below the heading. Like the body of a letter, it’s usually single-spaced with blank lines between paragraphs. Indenting paragraphs is optional. Handle lists, important passages, and subheadings as you do in letters.

 

·         Writer’s initials. Unlike a letter, a memo doesn’t require a complimentary close or a signature, because your name is already prominent at the top. However, you may initial the memo–either beside the name appearing at the top of the memo or at the bottom of the memo.

 

Format consistent with APA guidelines.