1.In the book What I Didnt Learn in Business School, a team of consultants is studying what HGS, a maker of chemicals for the oil & gas and packaging industries, should do with a new technology code-named Plastiwear. Based on what you have read so far, do you have an opinion about whether Plastiwear can bethe basis for a new core competence that will contribute substantially to sustained profitability at HGS? If you believe Plastiwear can be the basis for an important new core competence, tell what you think the consultants and HGS need to do to determine the business model that will deliver success with Plastiwear.  If you are not yet convinced, tell what the consultants and HGS need to do to determine what to do with this technology. 

2.Justin Campbell in the book What I Didnt Learn in Business School isa recent graduate of an MBA program. What do you think of his performance so far? Both Justin and his bosses believe he has made some mistakes. Do you think the way Justin has behaved is reasonable considering that he is new to the consulting business? What do you think he should work on from here? 

3.What are corecompetences of IKEA? Why do you believe those distinctive competences emerged and gave IKEA competitive advantage? Do you think other firms will be able to imitate these competences?  Do you think IKEA will be able to sustain its performance in the future?  What events might make IKEA lose its competitive advantage?  Should IKEA be doing anything to address competitive dangers it is likely to face in the future?

4.Analyze the furniture industry as an environment for profit seeking. (Consider both furniture manufacturers and furniture retailers.  You may wish to discuss the two separately, or to examine other segments of the industry separately.) Discuss where the industry is (or the separate segments are) in industry evolution and the threats to profitability that firms in the industry face.  Do you believe that any firm can remain highly profitable in the industry in the long run? Can you suggest a strategy that might allow a newcomer to become solidly profitable in either furniture manufacture or furniture retailing?  Can IKEA continue to be more profitable than other firms? 

5.Based on the facts in the text, our class discussion, and any other information you have, do you believe Tesla can gain and sustain a competitive advantage in the automobile (or electric automobile) industry?  In conducting your analysis, try to use a concept or concepts studied sinceour discussion of Tesla.

1) Cover page
2) Seven pages on the topic
3) Headings. Heading help, you organize your work. Example:
a) Introduction informs the reader what to expect in the paper.
b) history of the topic.
c) current research on the subject.
d) controversy of topic.
e) discussion section, which includes your opinion and how this paper has helped you.
4) Reference page with at least seven scholarly references. You may use the information found on
the internet; however, I will decide if the reference is a serious and notable work. It would be wise

Visit the New Balance website: www.newbalance.com (Links to an external site.) and review the companys information.

Answer the following questions in an essay format below.

From your assessment of New Balance, identify and describe in detail at least one of Porter’s generic competitive strategies New Balance has been using. From your evaluation, what are some of your recommendations for New Balance to be more competitive in a global market?
Assess New Balances opportunities and threats; provide a plan for implementing at least two opportunity strategies and addressing two current threats youve identified. Explain how those opportunities and threat strategies will positively affect New Balances business operations.

Is it possible to create an antidote to cannabis intoxication, in a similar manner to Narcan (naloxone) for heroin? Does a medication already exist? If so, why isn’t it used?

Hints: Consider how Narcan works (think pharmacology) and what characteristics would be needed for a similar drug targeting the endocannabinoid system.  Cite at least 2 references and limit your response to 750 words.

The video “What is History For?” argues that history matters because it provides solutions to the problems of the present. Recall the statement “Those who don’t know history won’t be able to improve the present.” Consider a recent event, either in your personal life or in the news. In a few sentences, describe a way that a past historical event could inform your understanding of the recent event. Briefly describe a strategy for how you could be conscious of presentism (the use of modern values to interpret past events) in the study of those past events.

Watch Dedi Meiris TedX talk on the endocannabinoid system, Behind the Smokescreen of Medical Cannabis. ( Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ioJbVyNg08.)

What is your overall impression of this talk? Discuss three things you learned from the talk that you did not know before. What questions do you have about the endocannabinoid system after watching this talk?

1. Based on your readings, describe what you consider to be the responsibility of top leadership in a large organization with respect to reaching a balance between profits and stakeholder concerns. Please support your position by giving some examples from the text or from other sources where CEOs did a good or poor job of finding this balance.

2. Terris discusses the history of business ethics in America since the late 1800s with respect to anti-competitive practices, seeking unfair advantage through immoral arrangements with suppliers and public officials, failing to adhere to laws and regulations, and lack of transparency. Discuss to what extent you believe things to be better or worse in the present day for businesses in general.

3. On page 41, Terris discusses the ideas of Howard Bowen regarding the evolution of social responsibility of businesses. To what extent do you think his predictions held true since 1953?

Please the following information for a company that we are trying to value (ERIC) and two matching companies:

Ratio    ERIC            MATCH1                      MATCH2
P/E            10                        20                                  15
a.  Based on this information, is ERIC undervalued or overvalued? Justify your answers.

b.  If ERIC has EPS of $2.0, what would an appropriate target price be for ERIC using relative valuation?

Topic
Topic  Family Issues in the Community

You will select a family issue that is of interest to you (e.g., premarital counseling, mental health services, parenting programs, fertility treatment, teenage pregnancy, care for the elderly) and then research how the topic is being addressed in our community.  In order to do this, you will need to contact community agencies, local government officials, university programs, and seek information via the Internet to investigate how the community is offering information and/or services to the public regarding the family issue.  You MUST research at least TWO separate local community sources, in YOUR community, that address your chosen family issue.  Your final paper will include the following:

20 pts. = Introductory information. This information should include a description of the family issue and that sites information presented in your textbook (10 pts.), why the issue is of interest to you (5 pts.), and a detailed description of how you gathered the information that is discussed in the paper (5 pts.).
30 pts. = Describe and explain how the family issue is currently being addressed within your community based on your research.
20 pts. = Evaluate the communitys current efforts. (i.e., what is your opinion of the strengths and weaknesses of the existing community resources that you have researched and presented in your paper?).
20 pts. = Specifically, outline future policy initiatives and community-based efforts that you believe could improve the current state of affairs. I want your own thoughtful ideas here, folks!
5 pts. = Overall grammar, punctuation and paper organization.
5 pts. = Also include any printed materials describing the agency and/or the services offered by the agency to the community (e.g., pamphlets, newsletters, handouts obtained from the agencies).
Note:  Be sure to include some form of materials to document your research efforts!!  Examples of documented sources might include attached pamphlets, materials and/or direct website links to the two agencies.

General Organization & Style (20 points):
    Follow APA style in use of headings, sub-headings, citations, and references.
    Include a title page and abstract, per APA style.
    Use in-text citations as necessary to support content. All should be contained in full reference list at end.

The required length is 5 total pages (including references). The goal is to completely respond to all criteria in each section; see separate Evaluation for specific grading criteria.  Sample research proposals will be posted on Canvas to provide a general idea of formatting/style. 

Part 1:  Introduction, Problem, & Purpose (15 points)
    Introduction (at least one paragraph)
    Select a focus/problem that enables you to directly impact your students, co-workers, or campus.  Write a problem statement that clearly states the problem.
    State your rationale selecting this problem and conducing this study.  Why is this important to you?  What is the big idea?
    Identify the purpose of this study.

Part 2:  Literature Review (20 points)
Conduct a literature review to summarize previous research findings.  What does the literature say about the problem?  What themes, relationships, gaps, and/or contradictions exist in regard to investigating this problem?  Include at least five unique citations from peer-reviewed journals.

Part 3:  Proposed Solution/Intervention (10 points)
    Determine a potential solution strategy to implement in order to address your problem, supported by research citations.  How will this solution impact one or more of your problem(s)? 
    State the goals of this intervention, as related to your stated purpose.

Part 4:  Research Methodology (20 points)
    Construct a research design (Action research often follows a quasi-experimental design, but remember that your questions determine the type of design you should select).
    State research questions.  Provide an operational definition for variables, as needed.
    Sketch (in general) how the study would be conducted. Be sure to include the following:
o    Research design and specific research questions
o    Participants (sample) and sampling procedures (how will they be selected)
o    Data collection methods (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods) and instruments (surveys, tests, interviews, observations, etc.) that will be used to measure the impact of the proposed solution/intervention.
    Data analysis methods that will be used to analyze the data collected (i.e., quantitative test(s), qualitative coding procedures, etc.).
    Draft a proposed timeline for implementation (weekly/monthly activity overview can be bulleted list).

Part 5:  Discussion and Conclusion (15 points)
    Discuss the expected outcomes.  Since you are not actually implementing this study, what do you expect would happen if you did?  What are the short- and long-term implications for students, you, parents, other teachers, the school, etc.
    Conclusion
References
Create a reference list to display each in-text reference cited, as well as all instruments used.
Appendices
The appendix/appendices goes after the References.  Forms, questionnaires, assessment instruments, and similar original documents should be appended to the report rather than included as part of the text.  Every appendix must be referred to in the body of the report.  Title each appendix, assign it a letter, and continue sequential pagination, per APA style.