Author: chris

Assignment 1: LASA 2: Examining Your Community’s Source of Energy

It is easy to criticize society for not using renewable resources, but in reality, how difficult would this transition be? What processes and procedures would be involved? How would such a transition be made?

The purpose of this assignment is for you to consider what type of energy your neighborhood is currently powered by and what it would really take to convert this source to a renewable one. How much would it take to switch your community to a renewable resource and what would this mean for the environment?

For the assignment, complete the following:

• Identify three primary types of energy that powers your home as well as all of the homes in your community. You may find this information on your community Web site or the Web sites of the local power companies. For example, your community may use electricity and solar panels.
• Explain how the sources of energy you identified impact the environment. Consider the following:
  • Does the use of these types of energy resource have a negative impact on the environment in your area?
  • Does your community have nuclear waste to dispose of?
  • Has your community always used these three power sources? If so, how do you feel this has impacted the environment over time?
  • How much of an impact have these sources of energy had on local air and water quality?
• Considering the current source(s) of power available, determine how much energy your house uses each month. You can find this information on your monthly energy bill.

  Calculate your annual usage for a year. Using this value, estimate the energy consumption for your community. The US Census Bureau is one resource you can use to estimate the number of households in your community.

  You can use the following formulae for this calculation:

  (monthly energy usage) × (12 months per year) = (household energy usage per year); (yearly energy estimate for your house) × (estimated number of houses in your community) = (estimated yearly energy use for your community)

  The following is an example of the above calculation:

  52.8 kilowatt hours (kwh) per month × 12 months = 633.6 kwh; 633.6 kwh × 200 houses in your community = 126,720 kwh

• Recommend a realistic, renewable resource to power your community, using your calculated power needs. Consider the following sources: hydropower, solar power, wind turbines, and geothermal energy.
  • Which source would be the best for your community?
  • Justify your choice based on the kind of resources that are available, how much power these alternative sources can produce, and your estimated energy demands for the community.
• Having recommended an alternative power source, conclude by addressing the following:
  • How realistic is this alternative power source for your community?
  • How will people in your community respond to energy conversion? Will they support it or be against it? Give reasons.
  • How expensive would it be to convert to the alternative power source you recommended? How would this new source impact the environment?
  • What organisms would benefit most from this conversion?

Complete both parts of this assignment and submit as a single document.

Part One Based upon recording balance of payment (BOP) transactions, determine whether or not the following is a debit, credit, or no entry to the U.S. Balance of Payment statement. Also determine what chart of account is affected (i.e., CA, KA, or OSB):

1. U.S. resident purchases Mercedes Benz C230,

2. U.S. resident purchases Chevelot Impala,

3. foreigner purchases GE dryer,

4. U.S. resident purchases UK stock, and

5. U.S. resident borrows funds from British broker to purchase stock.

Part Two  

Read the case study, pp. 759-762, “H&M: The Challenges of Global Expansion and the Move to Adopt International Financial Reporting Standards.” Answer questions 19-3 and 19-4 at the end of the case study and the questions listed below. Your response for all four questions should be at least three pages in length and follow APA style guidelines.

 What type of exposure could the CFO of H&M in the U.S. be subjected to since H&M is based in Sweden and the financial statements are prepared according to IFRS?

 Payments or liabilities may also be subjected to exposure. Explain the operational hedging strategies that may offset exposure.

19-3. If an investor wants to compare the financial results of the Gap, Index, and H&M. what difference does it make that their financial statements are prepared according to different GAAP? Would you expect there to be a big difference between U.S. GAAP as used by the GAP and IFRS as used by H&M and Inditex?

19-4. Waht are the major sources of influences o H&M’s accounting standards and practice?

THE CASE STUDY IS OUT OF THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS AND OPERATIONS (15TH ed). by daniels, radeabaugh, and sullivan.

Required Assignment 2—Manufacturing Budget Analysis

Tom Emory and Jim Morris strolled back to their plant from the administrative offices of Ferguson & Son Manufacturing Company. Tom is manager of the machine shop in the company’s factory; Jim is manager of the equipment maintenance department. The men had just attended the monthly performance evaluation meeting for plant department heads. These meetings had been held on the third Tuesday of each month since Robert Ferguson, Jr., the president’s son, had become plant manager a year earlier. As they were walking, Tom Emory spoke: “Boy, I hate those meetings! I never know whether my department’s accounting reports will show good or bad performance. I’m beginning to expect the worst. If the accountants say I saved the company a dollar, I’m called ‘Sir,’ but if I spend even a little too much—boy, do I get in trouble. I don’t know if I can hold on until I retire.” Tom had just been given the worst evaluation he had ever received in his long career with Ferguson & Son. He was the most respected of the experienced machinists in the company. He had been with the company for many years and was promoted to supervisor of the machine shop when the company expanded and moved to its present location. The president (Robert Ferguson, Sr.) had often stated that the company’s success was due to the high-quality work of machinists like Tom. As supervisor, Tom stressed the importance of craftsmanship and told his workers that he wanted no sloppy work coming from his department. When Robert Ferguson, Jr., became the plant manager, he directed that monthly performance comparisons be made between actual and budgeted costs for each department. The departmental budgets were intended to encourage the supervisors to reduce inefficiencies and to seek cost reduction opportunities. The company controller was instructed to have his staff “tighten” the budget slightly whenever a department attained its budget in a given month; this was done to reinforce the plant manager’s desire to reduce costs. The young plant manager often stressed the importance of continued progress toward attaining the budget; he also made it known that he kept a file of these performance reports for future reference when he succeeded his father. Tom Emory’s conversation with Jim Morris continued as follows: Emory: I really don’t understand. We’ve worked so hard to meet the budget, and the minute we do so they tighten it on us. We can’t work any faster and still maintain quality. I think my men are ready to quit trying. Besides, those reports don’t tell the whole story. We always seem to be interrupting the big jobs for all those small rush orders. All that setup and machine adjustment time is killing us. And quite frankly, Jim, you were no help. When our hydraulic press broke down last month, your people were nowhere to be found. We had to take it apart ourselves and got stuck with all that idle time. Morris: I’m sorry about that, Tom, but you know my department has had trouble making budget, too. We were running well behind at the time of that problem, and if we had spent a day on that old machine, we would never have made it up. Instead, we made the scheduled inspections of the forklift trucks because we knew we could do those in less than the budgeted time. Emory: Well, Jim, at least you have some options. I’m locked into what the scheduling department assigns to me and you know they’re being harassed by sales for those special orders. Incidentally, why didn’t your report show all the supplies you guys wasted last month when you were working in Bill’s department? Morris: We’re not out of the woods on that deal yet. We charged the maximum we could to other work and haven’t even reported some of it yet. Emory: Well, I’m glad you have a way of getting out of the pressure. The accountants seem to know everything that’s happening in my department, sometimes even before I do. I thought all that budget and accounting stuff was supposed to help, but it just gets me into trouble. It’s all a big pain. I’m trying to put out quality work; they’re trying to save pennies.

Review the case. Respond to the following:

• Identify the problems that appear to exist in Ferguson & Son Manufacturing Company’s budgetary control system and explain how the problems are likely to reduce the effectiveness of the system. (approximately 1 page)
• Explain how Ferguson & Son Manufacturing Company’s budgetary control system could be revised to improve its effectiveness. (approximately 1–2 pages)
• Explain how the use of an activity-based costing system could change the results of the budget, if utilized. (approximately 1 page)
• As stated in the case, many employees have “quit trying” and have altered behavior on the job. Provide specific ways for how you would use a budget to change employee behavior and align goals in the organization. Explain how goal alignment can improve profitability and overall return to the shareholders of the company. (approximately 1 page)
• Synthesize data to explain the concept of ROI and describe how the use of an activity-based costing system can improve the company’s ROI and the potential impact on free cash flow. (approximately 1 page)

Write a 5–6-page report in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M5_A2.doc.

By Wednesday, September 30, 2015, deliver your assignment to the M5: Assignment 2 Dropbox.

As a business professional, assume you have been invited as a guest speaker for the next managerial meeting for your organization. Senior leadership has expressed concerns about corporate social responsibility and how this may influence appropriate business practices.

After reading and viewing this week’s required resources, select three external resources of your choice (not Wikipedia). Then, develop a PowerPoint presentation for senior leadership that addresses the following:

• Describe the difference between corporate philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability.
• Summarize the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Is it a fad, or is it here to stay? List at least three arguments for CSR and three arguments against CSR.
• Elaborate on Drucker’s view of social responsibility as presented in the Cohen article. Should government be involved in taking care of social issues? Why or why not?
• Provide examples of two corporations or companies that are making a positive social impact. Identify the corporation or business, the product(s) or service(s), the recipients, and the benefits.
• Explain the concept of greenwashing. List at least one business or organization that has been involved in greenwashing.

Length:  10 slides, not including the title slide and the references slide.

Listed below are some tips for your slide presentation.

1. Begin your presentation with a title slide that includes your name.

2. Use plenty of white space on the slides.
3. Provide a few appropriate graphics to break up the text.
4. Use six bullets per slide or less.
5. Use Times New Roman, 28 or 32-point font.
6. Use the speaker’s notes area to include the information you want to share with your audience. The speaker’s notes must be coordinated with the information on the slides. Be sure to provide citations for your sources. Speaker’s Notes Length: 150-200 words for each slide
7. Be creative. You can add audio to the presentation if you choose to do so; however, it is not required.
8. Include references on your final slide(s).

Your presentation should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect professional business writing and current APA standards.

Attachments are must reads for reference.

Please follow all requirements exatly as described!!

Prepare a 1,150- to 1,400-word paper in which you explore how human behavior can negatively and positively affect the environment. As a part of your paper be sure to address the following:

• Explain how environmental cues shape behavior and provide at least one example.
• Evaluate how behavior can be modified to support sustainability and how this can limit a negative impact on the environment.
• Describe how social norms influence behavior and beliefs about the environment.
• Identify at least two possible solutions that could successfully change behavior and habits in order to lessen negative environmental impact.

Include three references from peer-reviewed sources.

please see the attched file(CASE study and the previous completed assignment – just as reference (not done in professional way)

ANSWERS OR DESCRIPTION MUST BE IN DETAIL NOT JUST 5-6 LINES

•Read the paper by Stone and colleagues (1994), paying particular attention to the use of hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance to motivate people to practice safe sex (Will include as attachment)

•Think of the hypocrisy paradigm, pay particular attention to how you would define and explain it, and consider ways that dissonance in hypocrisy differs from dissonance in an induced compliance paradigm.

•Think about how researchers test the effect of hypocrisy on behavior and how it can be measured.

•Consider the limitations in the Stone, et al., study and think about how you might avoid them.

•Then think about designing an induction of hypocrisy that would motivate people to use sunscreen.

The assignment (2–3 pages): Not including title or reference page- APA Standards

•Briefly define and explain the hypocrisy paradigm. How does the dissonance in hypocrisy differ from the dissonance in the induced compliance paradigm? Why do the researchers predict that hypocrisy motivates people to change their behavior rather than their attitudes?

•Explain how the researchers tested the effect of hypocrisy on behavior change in this study. Specifically, describe who the subjects were, what they did in each condition of the study, and how behavior change was measured. Summarize the results of the study.

•Assess and explain the problems you see with the study and the conclusions drawn by the researchers. Describe two limitations to the study and explain how they impact the results.

•Design an induction of hypocrisy to motivate people to use sunscreen more often when they spend time in the sun. Describe who the target individuals would be and then explain how you would get them to make a public commitment to the use of sunscreen and how you would make them mindful of past failures to use sunscreen. Finally, explain how you would measure their motivation to reduce dissonance by changing their behavior.

Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation and cite appropriately.

Assignment 2: LASA 2—Conflict Management Report

The workplace can be an especially stressful environment. Personal conflicts between coworkers, fear of layoffs, and heavy workloads can be causes of negative stress. This stress can be carried to our homes and after-work activities, impacting personal health. Allowing these stressors to build and intensify will only further impair the work environment. For this assignment, you are required to review a scenario regarding a woman (Kate) who has experienced negative stress stemming from her work environment. Then, you will compare your own conflict management skills and experiences against Kate’s experiences. Follow the directions below to write an 8–10-page report on conflict management.

Review the following scenario:

Kate has been employed by a well-known manufacturing company for 12 years. She is the only female on her line and the fastest worker. She has been promoted several times through mergers and acquisitions, but has always been looked over for a senior management position. Kate believes she is qualified for advancement but thinks her manager has a problem with her personally. To top it off, Kate did not receive a semiannual or annual review, which would have resulted in a raise. Her coworkers (all males) have urged her to go to management and report what she believes to be discriminatory behavior from her immediate manager.

Now, complete the following tasks:

1. 1. Discuss a situation you have been in where you felt you were passed over for a promotion, made to feel indifferent, or were discriminated against. Compare and contrast your story with Kate’s.
   2. Compare the possible ethical breaches of Kate’s manager against your own manager’s behavior. Utilize scholarly research on leadership theory as justification.
   3. Compare the possible legal breaches of Kate’s manager against your own manager’s behavior. Utilize scholarly research on leadership theory as justification.
   4. Recommend an approach Kate could have used to manage the negative risk both personally and professionally.
   5. Evaluate the advice Kate received from her coworkers.
   6. Referring to the conflict resolution strategies taught in this course, determine which one is best suited to resolve Kate’s conflict. Justify your position.
   7. In the chart below, evaluate your conflict resolution skills from the past five years. Rate yourself on a scale from 1–5, where 1 represents low performing and 5 represents high performing.

1. Select one conflict resolution approach in which you ranked the lowest and develop an individual improvement plan for that approach.
2. Explain how the mediation process could strengthen your conflict resolution and management skills.
3. Discuss how the arbitration process could strengthen your conflict resolution and management skills.
4. Implement some portion of your plan. Provide a detailed summary of the changes that occurred in your development as it relates to your ability to handle conflict.

Write an 8–10-page report in Word format. Utilize at least four scholarly sources (in addition to your textbook) to complete your research, referencing them within the text and at the end in a reference list. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M5_A2.doc.

Make sure you write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship through accurate representation and attribution of sources; and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

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LASA 2 Grading Criteria

that are no more than five years old.

An Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is a very important policy within organizations to define acceptable employee behavior when accessing company resources. Additionally, there are also legal implications within AUPs. Use an existing AUP that you are familiar with, such as from a current or previous workplace, or search on the Internet for an example AUP to complete this case study.

Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:

1. Describe the purpose of an Acceptable Use Policy you have selected and explain how the AUP helps provide confidentiality, integrity, and availability within the organization.
2. Critique the AUP you selected and provide recommendations for improving the AUP.
3. Explain methods that organizations can implement to help ensure compliance with the AUP, mitigate their risk exposure, and minimize liability. Describe how your selected AUP accomplishes these goals.
4. Describe methods for increasing the awareness of the AUP, and other policies, within the organization.
5. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality 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 how security policies help mitigate risks and support business processes in various domains in the information technology (IT) infrastructure.
• Describe the different ISS policies associated with the user domain.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in security strategy and policy formation.

• Describe different issues related to implementing and enforcing ISS policies.

• Write clearly and concisely about Information Systems Security Policy topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.