Author: chris

Assignment 1: Discussion – Tardy Employee

The purpose of this assignment is to create a better understanding of different cultural values and to use this awareness to develop competency in communicating in intercultural environments.

Imagine you are a supervisor in a manufacturing plant. You have an employee who consistently arrives 10 minutes after his or her shift has started. The employee’s shift starts at 8 a.m. and you have reminded the employee about this several times, but the employee continues to arrive late.

This consistent behavior of arriving to work late has started to affect the employee’s performance, as well as the morale of the other employees. You decide to talk with the employee.

• How will you handle this conflict, and what will you do or say?
• What specific persuasive methods will you use? Why?

Safety Assignment
You are to find an organization’s corporate safety policy….that is, one that is either signed by the President/CEO or is clearly representative of Senior Management’s position on safety within the organization. For purposes of this exercise you should de-identify the organization.

Place yourself in the role of an employee of this organization and;
1) Evaluate the Corporate Safety Policy; does it convey what you think it ought to? In other words, what are your perceptions of management, merely from this policy statement?
2) Tell me what it is that you do really like (if anything) about this policy statement.
3) Conversely, tell me what you do not like (if anything) about this policy statement.

From the safety policy that you identified as part of Assignment #1, you are to complete the following:

4. From the policy statements are explicit or implied commitments that the organization (IE the CEO or other Senior Executive) is making with respect to safety and health? You are to create a list of Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) for this policy.

5. For each of the KPI’s, be specific on the outcome of a successfully implemented and completed KPI

6. Describe how you would propose to measure each KPI…. remember what is measured gets done!

7. Lastly, describe how you would audit (gather evidence) the safety policy.

Using the South University Online Library or the Internet, research about physical effects that result because of aging. Based on your research and understanding, answer the following questions:

• Analyze, identify, and explain at least four different physical effects on the body that occur during the aging process.
• Analyze, identify, and explain the systems of the body that are affected by these changes.
• Provide at least three specific examples of how these physical conditions can affect daily living.
• Explain how a person’s day to day life could be affected by these changes. Explain the modifications that a person may need to make as a result of these changes.
• Describe the eights stages of Erikson’s model.
• Relate the physical impairments that occur on the body to Erik Erikson’s model of human development. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of Erik Erikson’s model. Compare Erik Erikson’s model with another model of aging

Use the same business problem/opportunity and research variable you wrote about in Week 3.

Remember: Do not actually collect any data; think hypothetically.

Write a 700- to 1,050-word summary in which you:

• Identify the types of descriptive statistics that might be best for summarizing the data, if you were to collect a sample.
• Apply the types of inferential statistics that might be best for analyzing the data, if you were to collect a sample.
• Analyze the role probability or trend analysis might play in helping address the business problem.
• Analyze the role that linear regression for trend analysis might play in helping address the business problem.
• Analyze the role that a time series might play in helping address the business problem.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines using the template at right.

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

Due Week 6 and worth 280 points

Please choose from one (1) of the scenarios below. Note: The scenario that you choose in this assignment will be the one (1) with which you continue for Assignment 2.

Scenario 1

You are a Human Resources Manager of an expanding technology company consisting of 170 employees that develops and distributes small electronic devices. Over the past two (2) years, a research group formed, designed, and built prototypes of small remote surveillance cameras used for security. Recently, your company won a contract to build and provide these remote surveillance cameras to various government agencies. The contract will begin with your company supplying these cameras to agencies within your home state. If all orders are fulfilled sufficiently, the contract will be expanded to supplying agencies outside of your home state.

For the immediate future, you will need to secure a larger facility and hire more staff to sustain the first part of the contract. This staff will consist of ten (10) Assembly Technicians, one (1) Certified Quality Control Engineer, one (1) Contract Administrator, and one (1) Office Support Paraprofessional. Meanwhile, there is a contract clause requiring that you provide a staffing plan in order to ensure future product deliveries and sustain the possible future growth.

Scenario 2

You are a former certified education administrator who departed your former position to become the owner of a small, in-home day care consisting of you and a part-time assistant where you care for children from age three (3) to age ten (10). Over the course of time, your demographic population has increased due to significant business growth that has resulted in many families relocating to your area. With more businesses projected to move to the area and the building of new housing developments, it is projected that this growth could be long term.

You have decided that this is a good opportunity to expand your day care business as you have received many inquiries for childcare. In order to comply with your home state regulations, you will require a larger facility and will need to hire additional staff in order to sustain the larger demand for day care. This staff will consist of five (5) Certified Day Care Professionals, one (1) Registered Nurse Professional, five (5) After-School Assistants and one (1) Office Support Paraprofessional. You have secured approval for a bank loan and qualify for future loans for future expansion if your current endeavor is successful. Meanwhile, the state in which you operate has requested that you provide a staffing plan before it will issue licensure for your expanded capacity.

Note: You may create and / or make all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of these assignments.

Select one (1) of the scenarios and write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Identify two (2) types of staffing models that could apply to your chosen scenario and determine which model would be best suited for efficiency, productivity, and possible future growth. Examine the significant effect of each identified staffing model on processes that may be occurring within the organization (e.g., outsourcing, contingent workers, consulting firms, etc.).
2. Predict the major potential legal issues that you may encounter when establishing equal employment opportunities and diversity within the workplace while still aiming to acquire employees with the needed certifications and credentials. Next, explain the method of achieving transparency within your staffing model. Justify your response.
3. Specify three (3) tasks that you need to perform to identify, analyze, and develop job requirements and task statements that you will include in formalized job descriptions. Next, predict the frequency with which you would need to review and adjust these job descriptions as your company progresses. Provide a rationale for your response.
4. Describe three (3) methods to deal with high employee turnover and the availability of employees with required knowledge, skills, or abilities. Next, describe the primary manner in which the described succession-planning methods would be beneficial to your company. Justify your response.
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:

• Explain the role of staffing to support an organization’s strategy and improve productivity.
• Develop a model for staffing an organization that supports the firm’s Human Resources Management strategy and sustains productive operations.
• Summarize the key legal compliance issues associated with staffing organizations.
• Explain the planning considerations for staffing organizations, the use of job analysis, and the components of a staffing plan.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in staffing organizations.
• Write clearly and concisely about staffing organizations using proper writing mechanics.

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

Assignment 2: External and Internal Environments 

Due Week 4 and worth 350 points

Choose an industry you have not yet written about in this course, and one publicly traded corporation within that industry. Research the company on its own Website, the public filings on the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml), in the University’s online databases, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help address some of these questions.

Write an eight to ten (8-10) page paper in which you:

1. Choose the two (2) segments of the general environment that would rank highest in their influence on the corporation you chose. Assess how these segments affect the corporation you chose and the industry in which it operates.
2. Considering the five (5) forces of competition, choose the two (2) that you estimate are the most significant for the corporation you chose. Evaluate how well the company has addressed these two (2) forces in the recent past.
3. With the same two (2) forces in mind, predict what the company might do to improve its ability to address these forces in the near future.
4. Assess the external threats affecting this corporation and the opportunities available to the corporation. Give your opinions on how the corporation should deal with the most serious threat and the greatest opportunity. Justify your answer.
5. Give your opinion on the corporation’s greatest strengths and most significant weaknesses.  Choose the strategy or tactic the corporation should select to take maximum advantage of its strengths, and the strategy or tactic the corporation should select to fix its most significant weakness. Justify your choices.
6. Determine the company’s resources, capabilities, and core competencies.
7. Analyze the company’s value chain to determine where they can create value using the resources, capabilities, and core competencies discussed above.
8. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic 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; 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 page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Identify how the six segments of the general environment affect an industry and its firms.
• Identify the five forces of competition.
• Analyze the external environment for opportunities and threats that impact the firm.
• Analyze the internal environment of a company for strengths and weaknesses that impact the firm’s competitiveness.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in business administration.
• Write clearly and concisely about business administration using proper writing mechanics.

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

ANALYSIS AND APPLICATION PAPER INSTRUCTIONS

To successfully complete this assignment, you will:
• Analyze 3 scenarios (based on actual events) and identify developmental characteristics of a child aged 2–6 that are evident in the behavior of the children described.
• Apply knowledge from the field of developmental psychology to provide a basis for the legal system’s determination that children should not be held responsible for crimes committed.
• Present this information in a professional manner, implementing current APA guidelines for style and formatting.

Scenario One:
One day at school in a small town in Michigan, two children had a disagreement on the playground. This was not an unusual occurrence as anyone who has spent time with six-year olds can attest. However, the next day a terrible tragedy resulted. While the teacher led the class through the hall to the computer lab, one of the children pulled a loaded pistol from his backpack, pointed it at his classmate shouting, “I don’t like you,” and then shot her. She died soon after at the hospital.

Scenario Two:
Six-year-old Michael and Bill* lived in the hills of Kentucky. One day, Michael found some scrap metal that he hoped to sell for a few cents. When Bill (who was older) slapped Michael and took the metal for himself, Michael ran home, took his father’s shotgun down from the wall, then went outside and shot his playmate dead. *Not their real names.

Scenario Three:
In a hot, overcrowded apartment in Kansas City, a sixteen-year old girl fell asleep while baby-sitting several young children. She did not awaken when an 18-month old boy in her charge began to cry. When a six-year old girl grew tired of listening to him, she took the younger child to the bathtub, and held him under water until he died.

Each of these stories represents a tragic and senseless loss of life. While an adult in any of these circumstances would certainly have been charged with first-degree murder, none of the children described were punished because standards within our legal system indicate that young children cannot be held responsible for crimes such as these.

For this assignment, imagine that you are a developmental psychologist asked to defend this policy. Your arguments must describe developmental characteristics found in children at this age. You will apply concepts and theories used in developmental psychology to explain why our legal system is justified in ruling that young children are not responsible for criminal actions. Use only information provided in this document and in our textbook. Do not make assumptions about home life, parenting, environment, etc.

Content Requirements:
Your paper must include 3 main sections (in addition to your introduction and conclusion):
• First, describe a biological argument for this policy. What physical or biological characteristics do we find in a child under six years of age that would excuse them from responsibility for their actions? (Focus on development within the brain, not myelination or motor skills).
• Second, describe a cognitive argument for this policy. What is it about the way a child processes information during this stage of life that would lead us to believe that they are not capable of understanding the consequences of their actions (focus on the work of Piaget).
• Third, provide an argument for this policy based on the child’s emotional and/or social development. What characteristics do we find in a child of this age in terms of emotional and moral development?
• In your conclusion identify which of the 3 factors provides the most compelling argument for this legal standard.

Research and Formatting Requirements:
• Proper APA formatting is required for this assignment. Current APA resources have been made available for you and can be found in the Addition Information folder.
• Using only your textbook as a resource, include concepts to support your arguments. Identify any information used with in-text citations.
• Your paper must include 750–1,000 words.
• You are a professional in training. Remember to check spelling, punctuation, and grammar before submitting your paper. Click here for tips on writing at the college level.

DO NOT include the following in your paper:
• Legal definitions of criminal intent or culpability.
• Environmental factors related to parenting, neglect, socio-economic status, or role-models.
• Spiritual interventions that might have prevented these tragedies.

A Word about Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is serious academic offense with serious consequences. Listed below are some common errors that could lead to problems with plagiarism:
1. Copying words or phrases and using them in your paper without identifying the source. Note that if you choose to include copied words or phrases, points will be deducted as direct quotes are not allowed in this paper. However, if you choose to include copied text (a direct quote) you must include these 3 things: 1) quotation marks, 2) in-text citation, and 3) a corresponding reference.
2. Improper paraphrasing. Sometimes, students mistakenly believe that by copying text and then substituting words or changing the order of words is the proper way to paraphrase. This is not correct. To paraphrase, you must rewrite the text entirely in your own words.
3. “Recycling” a paper. Obviously, you are not allowed to use another person’s paper to write your own. Even if you use it as a guide but modify the text, it is still cheating. In addition, you may not re-submit work which retains essential elements of an assignment used for another course. Your work must be 100% original in this term.
For more information or to review the Online Honor Code, click here.

Refer to the grading rubric provided for this assignment. Submit your assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 3.

 For this assignment, you will complete an academic literature review of current operations management strategies with an emphasis on best practices for incorporating new and established technologies into business operations.

In completing this assignment, you will choose at least seven peer-reviewed articles from the Argosy University online library resources (beyond the required readings). You will review, analyze, and synthesize the selected materials. Later, you will use this information in RA 2 to develop a case study that details a business process reengineering (BPR) strategy for integrating IT with the goal of improving selected operational aspects of the business.

The purpose of this literature review is for you to practice the following:

• Critically review the articles and understand how the concepts are related
• Synthesize the various concepts and results of the review
• Write a collective analysis of the articles

Download and review the following resources you will need to complete the literature review:

• Suggestions for Writing Effective and Organized Papers: Use this guide for help with structuring the content of your paper in a cohesive manner.
• APA Quick Reference Sheet: Refer to this resource for help with APA style regarding in-text citations, reference entries, and paper formatting.
• Review of the Literature: Apply the concepts in this document when writing your review of the literature.

Complete the following:

• Select at least seven peer-reviewed articles from the Argosy University online library resources (beyond the required readings) with an emphasis on the best practices for incorporating new and established technologies into business operations using BPR.
• Then, write a literature review that includes the following:
  • Provide an introduction of the context of the articles. Describe the operations management strategies.
  • Identify key themes that emerge from the selected articles.
  • Analyze the patterns of similarities and differences in how each author has presented each theme.
  • Evaluate the implications of operations management strategies on the successful management and leadership of an enterprise.

Note: A literature review is not simply a summary of the articles, but is a synthesis of the many ideas and concepts presented in the various articles.

Please complete the following two applied problems. Show all your calculations and explain your results.

Problem 1:

A generous university benefactor has agreed to donate a large amount of money for student scholarships. The money can be provided in one lump sum of $12 million in Year 0 (the current year), or in parts, in which $7 million can be provided at the end of Year 1, and another $7 million can be provided at the end of Year 2.

Describe your answer for each item below in complete sentences, whenever it is necessary. Show all of your calculations and processes for the following points:

Assuming the opportunity interest rate is 8%, what is the present value of the second alternative mentioned above? Which of the two alternatives should be chosen and why?

How would your decision change if the opportunity interest rate is 12%?

Provide a description of a scenario where this kind of decision between two types of payment streams applies in the “real-world” business setting.

Problem 2:

The San Diego LLC is considering a three-year project, Project A, involving an initial investment of $80 million and the following cash inflows and probabilities:

Describe your answer for each question in complete sentences, whenever it is necessary. Show all of your calculations and processes for the following points:

Describe and calculate Project A’s expected net present value (ENPV) and standard deviation (SD), assuming the discount rate (or risk-free interest rate) to be 8%.

What is the decision rule in terms of ENPV?

What will be San Diego LLC’s decision regarding this project?

Describe your answer.

The company is also considering another three-year project, Project B, which has an ENPV of $32 million and standard deviation of $10.5 million. Project A and B are mutually exclusive.

Which of the two projects would you prefer if you do not consider the risk factor? Explain.

Describe the coefficient of variation (CV) and the standard deviation (SD) in connection with risk attitudes and decision making. If you now also consider your risk-aversion attitude, as the CEO of the San Diego LLC will you make a different decision between Project A and Project B?

Why or why not?

Guidance: (A) Recall that there are a few steps here: ENPV is the product of: the potential payment for each cash flow, the potential for that payment (probability) and the discount rate. Then you can add the discounted probable cash-flows together and use the “NPV” function in MS-Excel to find the NPV, to which you can then subtract the initial investment in order to obtain a comparable value to “project B”. Next, use the Standard Deviation function, available in MS-Excel formulas (STDEV) to find the standard deviation. Finally, look to the text to find out how to evaluate this information and make an investment decision. (B) Use your answers obtained in part “a” to evaluate “Project A” against “Project B”.  (C) Review Risk profiles for investors: risk averse = reject investment projects that are fair games or worse require a risk premium risk premium increases with risk; risk neutral = evaluate investment projects  based only on expected returns (ignore risk) and risk lover = prefer higher risk (similar to requiring a negative risk premium) most individuals are risk averse.

Required Text

Douglas, E. (2012). Managerial Economics (1st ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.