Category: Business and Management

Assignment: Personal SWOT Analysis
As you become more clear about who you really are, you’ll be better able to decide what is best for youthe first time around.
    Oprah Winfrey, The Uncommon Wisdom of Oprah Winfrey: A Portrait in Her Own Words

As part of furthering your exploration to understand your why, you will analyze yourself at present using a SWOT analysis to guide your thinking. A SWOT analysis is a tool commonly used as part of the strategic planning process when starting a new business or project. Business owners carefully examine the strengths and weakness of their proposed venture and the opportunities and threats posed by the internal and external environments. In doing so, they can pinpoint those areas in which they may have a natural advantage and can identify current gaps between the skills and resources that they and their business currently possess.

In your case, completing a SWOT analysis exercise can help you focus on what you want to achieve, the areas in which you want to continue to grow, and the potential obstacles that you plan to overcome so that you can meet challenges with confidence and take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. This weeks Assignment is the first of several you will complete in this course that will help you leverage the resources you have at your disposal to create a roadmap for how you will achieve your goals.

To prepare for this Assignment, review the Learning Resources for the week, including the Introduction to the Doctoral Journey media, and consider the various aspects of your life, including your professional and personal commitments, your goals and reasons for pursuing your DBA degree, how you manage your time, how you handle stress and change, how prepared you feel to begin your doctoral journey, etc. Use the Personal SWOT Analysis Worksheet Template within the Learning Resources to complete this self-assessment. Consider using the tips mentioned in the Managing from the Inside Out video prior to the completion of your Self-Assessment paper.

By Day 7
Submit a 3- to 5-page Self-Assessment in which you do the following:

Explain why you are pursuing a doctoral degree. 
Briefly describe the results of your SWOT analysis.
Formulate three goals you plan to accomplish as a result of (or in conjunction with) completion of your DBA degree.
Compose at least three personal or professional strengths that will aid you in achieving your goals and at least three challenges that might prevent you from reaching your goals.
Assess how prepared you are to overcome these challenges, including any strategies you have developed or resources you may draw on to help you achieve your goals.
Conclude why earning your DBA degree can not only help you to achieve your goals but can create opportunities for you as a global change agent to devise solutions to complex business problems and to effect positive social change in the world and/or your community.
Note: Be sure to use the Self-Assessment Paper Template, found in this weeks Learning Resources, to complete this Assignment. Also, refer to the Week 1 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this rubric to assess your work.

Submission and Grading Information
To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

Please save your Assignment using the naming convention WK1Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension) as the name.
Click the Week 1 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
Click the Week 1 Assignment link. You will also be able to View Rubric for grading criteria from this area.
Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as WK1Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension) and click Open.
If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.

Discussion: Knowing Your Why
In order to move forward with any decision in life, it is important to know the reasons behind the decision so that you can plan for your future and keep your goals in sight. As you begin the DBA program, take some time this week to consider your why and think about the goals you want to achieve, both throughout your program and upon its completion. These goals and reasons for pursuing your doctoral degree can help you stay the course as you face challenges and opportunities in the coming months.

To prepare for this Discussion, review this weeks Learning Resources and consider your reasons for pursuing a doctoral degree and how your future plans might make a positive impact on your career, your family, and/or your community.

By Day 3
Post an analysis of your why to your colleagues. In your analysis, be sure to answer the following questions:

What is your why for pursuing a doctoral degree at Walden?
Which of the alumni videos resonated most with you and why?
How might your future plans make a positive impact on your career, your family, and/or your community?
Refer to the Week 1 Discussion Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this rubric to assess your work.

Read a selection of your colleagues posts.

By Day 5
Respond to at least two of your colleagues posts in one or more of the following ways:

Ask a probing question to further understand your colleagues why.
Compare and contrast your why to a colleagues why.
Discuss what you have learned from your colleagues post that could help you further grow and develop your purpose at Walden.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what insights you gained as a result of reading the comments your colleagues made.

watch video
https://www.waldenu.edu/followyourwhy/

Write a five- to seven-page comparative financial statement analysis of the three companies listed below, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. In this analysis, you will discuss the financial health of these companies with the ultimate goal of making a recommendation to other investors. Your paper should consist of the following sections: Company Overview, Comparison of Accounting Methods, Ratio Analysis, Final Recommendation, Conclusions. You will also submit an appendix as a separate document. Additional research may be necessary to provide company background information or to support your analysis and recommendations. Your paper needs to include a minimum of two scholarly, peer-reviewed, and/or credible resources in addition to the textbook as references.

Download Form 10-K for each company. I have attached all three Form 10-K’s for each company in the additional materials section.

The Coca-Cola Company: Form 10-K.  (Links to an external site.)Financial statements and notes start on page 60.
Accounts receivable, page 66
Inventories, page 66
Depreciation, page 66
Goodwill, page 66

Dr. Pepper Annual Report (Links to an external site.). Financial statements and notes start on page 53.
Click on Download Annual Report
Open with Adobe
Accounts receivable, page 59
Inventories, page 70
Depreciation, page 60
Goodwill, page 61

PepsiCo Annual Report (Links to an external site.). Financial statements and notes start on page 79.
Accounts receivable, page 87, Note 2
Inventories, page 124, Note 13
Depreciation, page 96, Note 4
Goodwill, page 96, Note 4
Here is a breakdown of the sections within the body of the assignment (Use paragraph headings to indicate each section):

Company Overview
Provide a brief overview of the three companies (at least two pages). What industry is it in? What are its main products or services? Who are its competitors? Where is the company located?

Ratio Analysis

Calculate the current ratio, quick ratio, gross profit percentage, inventory turnover, accounts receivable turnover and asset turnover ratios for all three companies for the current year.

Note: Cash includes cash and cash equivalents and short term investments.
Explain how the ratio is calculated and discuss and interpret the ratios that you calculated.

Discuss potential liquidity issues based on your calculations of the current and quick ratios.

Are there any factors that could be erroneously influencing the results of the ratios?

Discuss the liquidity issues of the three companies.

Comparison of Accounting Methods

In your paper, ascertain from the notes of the financial statements the following:

Explain the difference between the allowance method and the direct write off method for accounts receivable. Document the method used for each of the three companies.
Explain the difference between the straight line, double declining balance and the unit-of-production depreciation methods. Document the method used for each of the three companies.
Explain the difference between LIFO and FIFO and document the method used for each of the three companies.
Explain the different categories of intangible assets and document the method used for each of the three companies.

Recommendation
Based on your analysis, would you recommend an individual invest in these companies? What strengths do you see? What risks do you see? It is perfectly acceptable to state that you would recommend avoiding this company, as long as you provide support for your position.

Conclusions

Include an appendix in a separate document. The appendix must include screenshots of the financial statements and information obtained for the receivables, intangible assets, depreciation, and inventory. You can get help with creating an appendix in APA format by using the Ashford Writing Centers guide, Tables, Images, & Appendices (Links to an external site.).

The Financial Statement Analysis Final Paper

Must be five to seven double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Centers APA Style (Links to an external site.)

Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Students name
Course name and number
Instructors name
Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).

Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.

Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.

For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.

Must use at least two scholarly/peer-reviewed and/or credible resources in addition to the course text.

The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (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 any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Centers Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.)
Must include a separate reference page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.

Companies today are seeking ways to retain employees and make sure their employees are happy and satisfied with the company. A prime example is Google, who builds massive fun houses for their employees to work at while providing every amenity they could possibly need. Do you believe that the money spent on building such amenities is money well spent, or should companies look for simpler ways to satisfy employs like building positive relationships between management and employee?

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Pick a particular industry (e.g., finance, auto, energy, retail, healthcare, education, hospitality, sport, charity, media, construction) and select a key organization in that industry.

Consider the opportunities and challenges of digital technology for this company in relation to TWO of the following areas of its activities – its relationships with customers; its operational efficiency; its workforce; its business model.

In this assignment, you will prepare a two to three (2 to 3) page report that addresses the requirements specified in the case for Parts 1 and 2. Include your calculations as part of your analysis and fully explain the results. Also, include a minimum of two (2) current references to scholarly and/or authoritative sources.

Your report must address all of the following:

Address the overall understanding of the retail and wholesale industries and identified areas that impact financial reporting.
Analyze Cloud 9s financial position and its business risks. Include ratios supporting the business analysis.
Identify areas requiring special emphasis during the audit and potential problem areas.
Address materiality in your response.
Use at least two (2) current, quality academic or authoritative sources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as quality scholarly and/or authoritative sources. Use the Strayer University Library to conduct your research.

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 SWS format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the assignment title, the students name, the professors name, the course title, and the date. The cover and reference pages are not included in the required page assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:

Analyze a companys financial position and business risks relative to an audit.

Your response should be a minimum of two (2) double-spaced pages; refer to the Length and Formatting instructions for additional details.

1.    What determines a households consumption possibilities?    25 Points
2.    How would you answer someone who says that marginal utility theory is useless because utility cannot be observed?    25 Points
3.    What is consumer surplus? How is consumer surplus calculated?    25 Points
4.    What is a firm and what is the fundamental economic problem that all firms face?    25 Points