Category: Business Finance – Management

  

Purpose of Assignment 

The case study focuses on break-even, margin of safety, and incremental analysis and allows students to experience working through a business scenario to apply these tools in managerial decision making.  Students are required to make decisions and provide solutions based on their evaluation of financial data. 

Assignment Steps 

Resources:  Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), U.S. Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC) 

Tutorial help on Excel and Word functions can be found on the Microsoft Office website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products.

Scenario: Shelley Jones has just been elected as president of the Circular Club of Auburn, Kansas, and she has been asked to suggest a new fundraising activity for the club. After a considerable amount of research, Shelley proposed the Circular Club sponsor a professional rodeo. In her presentation to the club, Shelley recommends the fundraiser become an annual activity with the following goals:

• Continue to grow each year
• Give back to the community
• Provide the club a presence in the community 

Shelley’s goal in the first year is to have an activity that would become an “annual community event” and would break even the first year and raise $5,000 the following year. In addition, based on the experience of other communities, Shelley believed a rodeo could grow in popularity so the club would eventually earn an average of $20,000 annually.

A rodeo committee was formed. Shelley contacted the world’s oldest and largest rodeo-sanctioning agency to apply to sponsor a professional rodeo. The sanctioning agency requires a rodeo to consist of the following five events: Bareback Riding, Bronco Riding, Steer Wrestling, Bull Riding, and Calf Roping, Team Roping and Women’s Barrels. Prize money in the amount of $3,000 would be paid to winners in each of the seven events. Members of the rodeo committee contracted with RJ Cattle Company, a livestock contractor on the rodeo circuit, to provide bucking stock, fencing, and chutes. Realizing costs associated with the rodeo were tremendous and ticket sales would probably not be sufficient to cover the costs, the rodeo committee sent letters to local businesses soliciting contributions in exchange for various sponsorships. Exhibiting Sponsorships are $1,000 to exhibit products or services, while Major Sponsorships are $600, and Chute Sponsorships are $500 to have the name of the sponsor’s business on one of the six bucking chutes. For a contribution of $100, individual sponsors will be included in a Friends of Rodeo list found in the rodeo programs. 

A local youth group will be contacted to provide concessions to the public and divide the profits with the Circular Club. The Auburn Circular Club Pro Rodeo Roundup will be held on June 1, 2, and 3. The cost of an adult ticket is set at $8 in advance or $10 at the gate; the cost of a ticket for a child 12 or younger is set at $6 in advance or $8 at the gate. Tickets are not date-specific. Rather, one ticket will admit an individual to one performance of his or her choice– Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. The rodeo committee is able to secure a location through the county supervisors’ board at a nominal cost to the Circular Club. The arrangement allows for the use of the county fair grounds and arena for a one-week period. Several months prior to the rodeo, members of the rodeo committee were notified the bleachers at the arena would hold 2,500 patrons. On Saturday night, paid attendance was 1,663, but all seats were filled due to poor gate controls.  Attendance was 898 Friday and 769 on Sunday. 

The following revenue and expense figures relate to the first year of the rodeo. 

Receipts

Contributions from sponsors      $22,000

Receipts from ticket sales         $28,971

Share of concession profits         $1,513

Sale of programs                           $600

Total receipts                            $53,084

Expenses

Livestock contractor                  $26,000

Prize money                              $21,000

Contestant hospitality                  $3,341*

Sponsor signs for arena               $1,900

Insurance                                    $1,800

Ticket printing                              $1,050

Sanctioning fees                             $925

Entertainment                                 $859

Judging fees                                   $750

Port-a-potties                                  $716

Rent                                               $600

Hay for horses                                 $538

Programs                                         $500

Western hats to first 500 children       $450

Hotel rooms for stock contractor        $325

Utilities                                            $300

Sand for arena                                  $251

Miscellaneous fixed costs                  $105

Total expenses                                            $61,410

Net loss                                                      $ (8,326) 

*The club contracted with a local caterer to provide a tent and food for the contestants. The cost of the food was contingent on the number of contestants each evening. Information concerning the number of contestants and the costs incurred are as follows: 

Contestants Total Cost

Friday                                  68                            $998

Saturday                              96                          $1,243

Sunday                                83                          $1,100

$3,341 

On Wednesday after the rodeo, members of the rodeo committee met to discuss and critique the rodeo. Jonathan Edmunds, CPA and President of the Circular Club, commented that the club did not lose money. Rather, Jonathan said, “The club made an investment in the rodeo.”  The rodeo committee has requested an analysis of the rodeos performance and evaluation of the CPA’s review.

Create a minimum 10-slide presentation, including detailed speaker notes, as the committee’s consultation team and respond to the following:

• What did Jonathan Edmunds mean when he said the club      had made an investment in the rodeo? Is his comment consistent with      Shelley’s idea that the club should have a fundraiser that would:
  • Continue to get better each year.
  • Give back to the community.
  • Provide the club a presence in the community? Why or       why not?
• Shelley, Jonathan, and Adrian Stein, the Fundraising      Chairperson, are beginning to make plans for next year’s rodeo. Shelley      believes by negotiating with local feed stores, inn- keepers, and other      business owners, costs can be cut dramatically. Jonathan agrees. After      carefully analyzing costs, Jonathan has estimated the fixed expenses can      be pared to approximately $51,000. In addition, Jonathan estimates variable      costs are 4% of total gross receipts. After talking with business owners      who attended the rodeo, Adrian is confident the funds solicited from      sponsors will increase. Adrian is comfortable in budgeting revenue from      sponsors at $25,600. The local youth group is unwilling to provide      concessions to the audience unless they receive all of the profits. Not      having the personnel to staff the concession booth, members of the      Circular Club reluctantly agree to let the youth group have 100% of the      profits from the concessions. In addition, members of the rodeo committee,      recognizing the net income from programs was only $100, decide not to sell      rodeo programs next year.
  • Compute the break-even point in dollars of ticket       sales assuming Adrian and Jonathan are correct in their assumptions.
• Shelley has just learned you are calculating the      break-even point in dollars of ticket sales. She is still convinced the      Club can make a profit using the assumptions above (second bullet point      above).
  • Calculate the dollars of ticket sales needed to earn a       target profit of $6,000.
  • Calculate the dollars of ticket sales needed to earn a       target profit of $12,000.
• Are the facilities at the fairgrounds adequate to      handle crowds needed to generate ticket revenues calculated above (third bullet      point above) to earn a $6,000 profit? Show calculations to support your      answers.
• A few members in the Circular Club do not want to      continue with the annual rodeo. However, Shelley is insistent the Club      must continue to conduct the rodeo as an annual fundraiser. Shelley argues      she has spent hundreds of dollars on western boots, hats, and other items      of clothing to wear to the rodeo. Are the expenses related to Shelley’s      purchases of rodeo clothing relevant costs? Why or why not?
• Rather than hire the local catering company to cater      the Contestant Hospitality Tent, members of the Circular Club are      considering asking Shady’s Bar-B-Q to cater the event in exchange for a      $600 Major Sponsor spot. In addition, The Fun Shop, a local party supply      business, will be asked to donate a tent to use for the event. The Fun      Shop will also be given a $600 Major Sponsor spot. Several members of the      Club are opposed to this consideration, arguing that the two Major Sponsor      spots will take away from the money to be earned through other sponsors.      Adrian Stein has explained to the members the Major Sponsor signs for the      arena cost only $48 each. In addition, there is more than enough room to      display two additional sponsor signs. What would you encourage the Club to      do concerning the Contestant Hospitality Tent? Would your answer be      different if the arena were limited in the number of additional signs that      could be displayed? What kind of cost would you consider in this situation      that would not be found on a financial statement?
• Assume you are elected chair of the rodeo committee for      next year. What steps would you suggest the committee take to make the      rodeo profitable?

Show your work in Microsoft Word or Excel. 

Complete calculations/computations using Microsoft Word or Excel. 

Format the assignment consistent with APA guidelines.

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment. 

Read four (4) academically reviewed articles on Net Neutrality and complete the following activities:

(Wikipedia articles will not be accepted. Professor may check originality of all posts. Avoid copy-and-paste.

1.     Summarize all four (4) articles in 300 words or more. Please use your own words. No copy-and-paste

2.     Base on your article review and the assigned reading, discuss how net neutrality will affect data networks and the availability of information to businesses. Do you believe net neutrality will lead to IT efficiency? Why or why not? 

Q1)  Students are to observe two or more adults unknown to the observer. The student must not be able to hear the subjects being observed and those being observed must not be wearing a uniform of any kind as this would provide information about their occupation to the observer. Students must describe the environment and the people being observed, i.e., age, gender, dress, etc. Discuss nonverbal communication, i.e. eye contact, body position, and any other nonverbal behavior. Provide your interpretation of the relationship between those being observed. Be very discrete and do not have a conversation with those being observed. 

2)   Discusses four types of perceptual distortions: stereotyping, halo effects, selective perception, and projection. Define each of these and provide an example. 

  you are required to write an initial post (300 words) for each question. The discussion forums will be worth 40 points apiece25 points for the initial post and 15 points for the secondary post.  For your post, you must have two academic peer-reviewed articles for references for each question.  You must get them from the library.  There are directions at the top of our Moodle page showing how to utilize the library. 

This assignment consists of two sections: a marketing plan (Word document) and Marketing Budget (Excel document)  Note: You must submit both sections as separate files for the completion of this assignment.For the first 6 months your company is in businessto give you time to perfect your product and to learn from actual customersyou will start marketing and selling in your own community, a radius of 25 miles from where you live.For most non-alcoholic beverages, marketing (as opposed to the actual product itself) is key to success. Cola drinks, for example, are fairly undifferentiated, as are many energy drinks, juices, bottled water, and the like. Companies producing these types of beverages differentiate themselves and attract market share through marketing and brand awarenessboth of which are critical to success. 

Section 1: Marketing Plan and Sales Strategy (MS Word or equivalent)Write the 35-page marketing plan and sales strategy section of your business plan in which you do the following:

1. Define your companys target market.

a.)   Analyze the types of consumers who will be drinking your beverage in demographic terms (i.e., age, education level, income, gender, ethnic group, etc.). Outline the demographic information for your company specified on the worksheet in the course text (p. 107 | Demographic Description). 

b.)   Support your analysis with actual data on the size of the demographic groups in your local community (nearby zip codes). 

 Hints: At American FactFinder (), you will find demographic information on potential consumers in your area. If you are selling through other businesses (such as grocery stores), indicate the number of those businesses in your local area. You will find information about such businesses in your local area at County Business Patterns (). Check Chapter 2 of Successful Business Plan for more research sources. 

2. Assess your companys market competition.

   a.) Use the factors listed in the course text graphic (p. 123 | Assess the Competition) to assess your companys market competition.

   b.) Defend your plan to differentiate yourself from the competition using the information detailed on the worksheet in the text (p. 131 | Market Share Distribution).

       Hints: Every business faces competition, and the non-alcoholic beverage market is an especially crowded market. 

      Hints: For example, in the soft drink market, it is intimidating to try to compete against Coke and Pepsi. Newcomers in mature markets typically must pursue niche markets or even create new market categories, as Red Bull did with energy drinks. 

3)  Clarify your companys message using the information provided on the worksheet in the text (p. 160 | The Five Fs). Create a marketing slogan/tagline for your product. 

          Hints: Before you choose your marketing vehicles, you must determine the message you want to convey through those vehicles.

4)  Identify the marketing vehicles you plan to use to build your companys brand. Justify the key reasons why they will be effective.

         Hints: If you plan to use online marketing tactics, refer to the worksheet in the text (p. 171 | Online Marketing Tactics) to aid your response. Remember that even if youre selling through grocery stores, you need to build your brand and social media is a major part of that in regard to beverages. Some of the marketing tactics that beverage companies use include sampling in grocery stores, building a following on social media, sponsoring events, and exhibiting at trade shows attended by retailers. You will use a combination of these tactics. For example, if you decide to give out samples in grocery stores, promote your sampling on your social media networks and those of the grocery store.

         Hints: If you are planning to distribute through resellers, describe how you plan to reach them, for example, through industry trade shows or by establishing your own sales force. For information on trade shows, visit the Trade Show News Network (). You can exhibit or network at these shows. 

5)  Format your assignment according to these formatting requirements.

        Cite the resources you have used to complete the exercise. Note: There is no minimum requirement for the number of resources used in the exercise.

       The paper must be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with 1-inch margins on all sides; references must follow APA format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

     Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the students name, the professors name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required page length. 

Section 2: Marketing Budget (MS Excel worksheets template)

Section 2 uses the Business Plan Financials MS Excel template (see: Required Course Files in Week 1). Use the Business Plan Financials Guide (see: Required Course Files in Week 1) to support your development of the marketing budget.

6) Complete the Marketing Budget worksheet for your company. 

Note: Complete the Setup tab first based on the instructions located in the Business Plan Financials Guide (document you also downloaded from PlanningShop). Only the setup tab and marketing tab should be completed for this assignment. 

    Hints: The goal of the marketing budget is to help you determine how much it will cost you to reach your market and achieve your sales goals. 

    Hints: When filling out the Marketing Budget worksheet in the Excel spreadsheet, do the following: 

    Begin in the current year and complete a marketing budget for the first year of your business. The information you enter in the marketing budget spreadsheet will flow through to your Income Statement in the Business Plan Financials.

     Leave the number at zero (0) for any marketing vehicles you do not intend to use. 

      Remember that all marketing activities involve costs. If social media represents a significant portion of your marketing, assume you will incur costs of advertising and these should be reflected on your budget. Even if a social media site charges nothing to use it, you will need to use company resources to manage the site, pay someone to execute your social media marketing campaigns, and most likely pay for ads on that site.

    Do not leave the Marketing Budget blank assuming you will not have any marketing costs. 

     Do not complete all the rows; only fill in the costs for the marketing vehicles you will actually use. These must match the content you describe in Question 4 Word portion of this assignment. 

 If you were asked by your employer to develop a new Information Security Policy, where would you turn to find resources to build this policy? List the two most important items you would include in this new policy and explain why you felt these were most important. The response should be around 400 words and follow APA format.

 

1) Team Case Study Paper on KFC

This is a team assignment and students are expected to work together and synthesize their individual parts to produce one (1) paper.  Only one (1) student on each team needs to submit the paper for grading.  Each team member will receive the team’s grade. 

Refer to the file on “Conducting a Case Study” and the Case Study Rubric.  It is imperative to follow the criteria listed in the Case Study Rubric, “Conducting a Case Study” Guidelines, and the 6th edition of the APA Manual.  This assignment should be 15-20 pages excluding the title and reference pages.  The paper should contain at least one graph, figure, chart, or table.

Be sure to follow the Case Study Rubric and follow APA guidelines.

2)  Team PowerPoint Presentation

The team is to prepare and submit a PowerPoint presentation of the Greenhill College Case Study.  The presentation should contain a minimum of 10 slides.  Each student on the team will receive a team grade.

In a brief introductory paragraph, provide some additional basic information about the company, such as its supply chain, global reach, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility initiatives. 3. In the body of the paper, answer the following questions based on the Dieselgate case study: 

Whose responsibility it is to uphold corporate standards? Whose responsibility is it to investigate when these standards have been broken (especially if there is a third party involved)? 

How does/did your company show corporate social responsibility? If it does/did not, why not? How does this company compare to Volkswagon? 

Is/was corporate social responsibility represented in the companys code of conduct? What does/did it say? Is/was this part of the code of conduct upheld? Why or why not? 

Is it possible to create a business and/or supply chain in which social and environmental metrics are considered alongside financial metrics? What might this look like? How might the company need to be restructured for corporate social responsibility to be seen just as important as financials to the employees? 

How does/did environmental stewardship play a role in your organization? How does environmental stewardship fit into the corporate structure?

  How does training affect an organization? What type of training does/did your organization provide? In what ways what it beneficial to you personally and to the company as a whole? 4. 

The paper should be a maximum of 3 pages, 12 point font, double spaced. Use APA intext citations and reference list. I have attached the first Demonstration of Mastery I wrote, so you can pick up from there.

• 250 words 
• Please identify a corporation that takes seriously its environmental responsibility.  In what ways does the selected corporation work to improve the environment?
• How could other corporations emulate this positive action?

Question

What criteria do you recommend to determine the credibility of a source of information?

Instructions

Develop a list of no less than 10 elements you would use to determine the credibility of facts, articles, websites, news, etc.  

Thoroughly explain your reason for each element and why it is important

Your response can take the form of a table in Word or MS Excel.

Include at least 3 credible references to support your recommendations

Distinguish between transactional and transformational leadership. Be sure to give specific examples of each style.

Which one do you feel is more effective and why? 

The attached discussion board post is a sample from another course. Please use it as a guide for in-text citations and completing the reference section. Also, I have attached the “verb key phrases.” If these words are used, you may want to reference that particular sentence.