Category: Essays

Due Week 6 and worth 280 points

Imagine you are a service-disabled veteran and made your hobby of building model airplanes into a small business that produces very small remote control aircrafts capable of long sustained flights. You are ready to reply to a U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Schedules solicitation.

Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you:

Describe the electronic submission process and the security measures present in this approach. Analyze the advantages over classic paper solicitations.
Analyze whether or not your company has as much of a chance of having its bid accepted as a much larger corporation (e.g., Boeing) does. Support your analysis.
Speculate on how you would negotiate during the contract award process once your solicitation is accepted.
Determine the value of your most favored customer or class of customers to GSA. Analyze its impact on your small business.
Compare and contrast the advantages of being a small company over being a lager firm (e.g., Boeing) in terms of contract administration and management.
Assess the different marketing methods used to market to the federal government. Select three (3) most effective methods you would use to market your product or service to the U.S. government. Provide a rationale for your selection.
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:

Examine the Federal Supply Schedule program.
Assess the different marketing methods used to market to the federal government.
Compare the support programs available to small-business contractors.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in contract administration and management.
Write clearly and concisely about contract administration and management using proper writing mechanics.

Voice of the Customer

In the “Understanding the Voice of the Customer at LaRosa’s Pizzerias” case study found in your textbook, LaRosa’s Pizzerias implemented the Voice of the Customer process to its restaurants design to address customer needs and expectations and ultimately allowed the restaurant chain to gain significant market share.

Answer the following:

Develop a customer satisfaction survey of eight questions. The questions must be relevant to the case study that the project team would use to solicit appropriate responses on the restaurant design concept from current and potential customers both inside and outside the restaurant’s current market area. Explain your rationale for each question selected.

For each of these survey questions, identify a critical to quality (CTQ) performance characteristic for each of the survey questions and discuss why they are important to customer satisfaction.

Examine the customer profile (age, lifestyle, etc.) that the restaurant is targeting based on the customer requirements that LaRosa’s has identified and considered as the design concept the restaurant has adopted.

The Assignment:

Must be submitted in an MS Word document.

Must be 900 – 1,400 words (excluding title page and references page) in length, double-spaced and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Contextual (Level One) headings must be used to organize your paper and your thoughts. Must include a title page with the following:

Title of paper

Student’s name

Course name and number

Instructor’s name

Date submitted

Must include an introductory paragraph with a succinct thesis statement.

Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.

Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.

Must use at least two scholarly resources, including a minimum of one from the Ashford Online Library, in addition to the textbook

Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center

The New Beginning and Prototyping” Please respond to the following:

· Give your opinion on what Thomas L. Friedman is referring to with the words, “Now the real IT revolution is about to begin.” Discuss how the beginning, referred to by Friedman, is different from the last couple of decades.

· Evaluate prototyping as a technique for gathering quality business requirements. Determine the approach to prototyping that would be better suited for emerging technology projects. Determine if a combination of prototyping approaches would be more efficient. Explain your answer.

“Risk Management” Please respond to the following:

· Determine why project risk management is a key component to bringing a project to a successful conclusion. Include an example to support your answer.

· Reflecting upon your example, describe the relationship between project risk management and cost estimation.

Write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you:

(Note: Refer to Review Question 8 located at the end of Chapter 3 for criteria 1-3. Select two (2) editorials / essays / columns (by staff or freelance writers) on a current issue of public policy from two (2) different publications (large metropolitan or national newspaper such as Washington Post or the New York Times or national magazines such as Newsweek, Time, and The New Republic.)

Apply the procedures for argumentation analysis (located in Chapter 8) to display contending positions and underlying assumptions for the content of Review Question 8.
Rate the assumptions and plot them according to their plausibility and importance. (Refer to Figure 3.16, “Distribution of warrant by plausibility and importance.”)
Determine which arguments are the most plausible. Provide a rationale for your views.

(Note: Refer to Demonstration Exercise 1 located at the end of Chapter 3 for criteria 4-6. Examine Box 3.0 – Conducting a Stakeholder Analysis. Choose one of the following policy issues in the U.S. gun control, illegal drugs, medical insurance fraud, and environmental protection of waterways, job creation, affordable health care, or Medicare.)

Apply the procedures for stakeholder analysis presented in Box 3.0 “Conducting a Stakeholder Analysis” to generate a list of at least five to ten (5-10) stakeholders who affect or are affected by problems in the issue area chosen for analysis. (Note: Refer to page 111 of the textbook for a step-by-step process on stakeholder analysis.)
After creating a cumulative frequency distribution from the list, discuss new ideas generated by each stakeholder. (Note: The ideas may be objectives, alternatives, outcomes causes, etc.; ideas should not be duplicates.)
Write an analysis of the results of the frequency distribution that answers the following questions: (a) Does the line graph flatten out? (b) If so, after how many stakeholders? (c) What conclusions can be drawn about the policy problems in the issue area? (Note: Compare your work with Case Study 3.1 at the end of the chapter.)
Include at least two (2) peer-reviewed references (no more than five [5] years old) from material outside the textbook to support your views. Note: Appropriate peer-reviewed references include scholarly articles and governmental Websites. Do not use open source Websites such as Wikipedia, Sparknotes.com, Ask.com, and similar Websites are not acceptable resources

Appendix 4A provides a detailed discussion of cost concepts in transportation, including accounting, economic and social costs. Review these costs, and in a three- to four-page paper in APA format, be sure to address the following:

Discuss how accounting, economic, and social costs can be used in transportation to mitigate risks associated with these costs.

Analyze how the company’s focus can impact these costs and impact risks.

Provide at least one recommendation for each cost area that could mitigate the risks of those costs.

Your paper must be three to four pages in length (not including the title and reference pages) and must be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide. You must cite at least three scholarly sources in addition to the textbook.

Eth 501 Module 2 discussion/ Need help to answer

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Jim Smith has worked for the ABC Insurance Company for the past twenty-three years. Jim graduated with a top-notch accounting degree and he also has his MBA. Bar none, Jim is considered by everyone in his organization to be a brilliant accountant. At issue is that Jim’s brilliance may be coupled with just a little too much “creativity” when one considers his approach to maximizing the company’s profits.

At the end of every quarter, Jim calls up the supervisors of each of ABC’s insurance branches, and asks them to estimate their outstanding insurance claims. These insurance claims represent money that the company very likely owes its customers – i.e., claims are estimates of money owed at the end of the quarter to ABC’s customers who are likely to file a claim in the near future, but who have not yet done so (the total money owed – but still outstanding – is referred to as a “claims lag”, since there is a lag from the date on which an insurable event has occurred to that point in time at which ABC has become aware that a customer has filed a valid claim).

For instance, based on historical experience, at the end of each quarter, Division 1 of ABC Company estimates that 20% of all claims for that quarter are still outstanding (i.e., an insurable event has occurred, but has not yet been reported to Division 1). This is the number (20%) reported to Jim. Being the “brilliant” accountant that he is, and in light of his sheer eagerness to maximize profits for the quarter (and because his quarterly bonus is based on each quarter’s profits!), Jim reduces the outstanding claims reported by all of ABC’s insurance divisions by 10%. In doing so, Jim has effectively reduced the company’s quarterly claims expenses by this same 10% — and voila! — Jim has also managed a creative increase in his own quarterly bonus.

As you might guess, Jim sees nothing wrong in further reducing the divisions’ company claims estimates, reasoning: “Look…they’re all a bunch of estimates anyhow!” Jim further opines: “Besides, I have a duty to this company and to its stockholders – and that is to maximize profits!”

Consider this situation from a virtue ethics perspective. What virtues are at stake?

Human Resources

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Case Study 2: National Collegiate Athletic Association Ethics and Compliance Program

Due Week 6 and worth 200 points

Read “Case Study 6: National Collegiate Athletic Association Ethics and Compliance Program,” located on page 444 of the textbook.

Write a four to six (4-6) page paper in which you:

Determine the fundamental ways in which the NCAA’s ethics program failed to prevent the scandals at Penn State, Ohio State, and the University of Arkansas. Support your response with one (1) example from each of these schools’ scandals.
Examine the principal ways in which the leadership of the NCAA contributed to the ethical violations of Penn State, Ohio State, and the University of Arkansas. Support your response with one (1) example from each of these schools’ scandals.
Predict the key differences in the scenarios that occurred at Penn State, Ohio State, and the University of Arkansas if an effective ethics program was in place. Provide a rationale for your response.
Postulate on two (2) actions that the NCAA leadership should take in order to regain the trust and confidence of students and stakeholders.
Recommend two (2) measures that the HR departments of colleges and universities should take to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. Provide a rationale for your response.
Use at least three (3) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other similar Websites do not qualify 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; 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:

Describe the business ethics issues and definitions, theories, and frameworks important to organizational ethical decision making and the role of a human resource professional.
Determine the role of stakeholder interests, the interrelationship of ethics and social responsibility, and the role of corporate governance in ethics.
Analyze scenarios to determine the ethical character of decisions made and the related impact on the organization.
Write clearly and concisely about issues in ethics and advocacy for HR professionals using correct grammar and mechanics.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in business ethics and advocacy for HR professionals.

Using your current work organization (or an organization of interest) and a second organization in the same industry as the subject matter, research the elements of business, compare and contrast the two selected organizations, and prepare an APA formatted paper that:

• Analyze the basic legal, social, and economic environment in which the organizations operate
• Analyzes the managerial, operational, and financial issues impacting the organizations including:
  • Company Culture and Performance
  • Promotion Policies
  • Strategic Decisions Making
  • Decision-Making Style
  • Management Style
  • Leadership Style
  • Communication Style
  • Use of SWOT Tool
  • Operations Strategy Framework
• Assesses how the overall management teams perform in terms of the four functions of management.
• Identifies and explains the strong points of the managers.
• Identifies and explains areas in which improvements are needed.

Be sure to use a minimum of  5 external sources to support your analysis.

Submitting your assignment in APA format means, at a minimum, you will need the following:

• Title page: Remember the running head and title in all capital letters.
• Abstract: This is a summary of your paper, not an introduction. Begin writing in third-person voice.
• Body: The body of your paper begins on the page following the title page and abstract page, and it must be double-spaced between paragraphs. The typeface should be 12-pt. Times Roman or 12-pt. Courier in regular black type. Do not use color, bold type, or italics except as required for APA level headings and references. The deliverable length of the body of your paper for this assignment is 3–4 pages. In-text academic citations to support your decisions and analysis are required. A variety of academic sources is encouraged.
• Reference page: References that align with your in-text academic sources are listed on the final page of your paper. The references must be in APA format using appropriate spacing, hang indention, italics, and upper- and lower-case usage as appropriate for the type of resource used. Remember, the reference page is not a bibliography, but it is a further listing of the abbreviated in-text citations used in the paper. Every referenced item must have a corresponding in-text citation

You have just been promoted from front-line supervisor to be one of the firm’s senior managers. During your business education, you learned that the primary role of a manager is to make good decisions. As a supervisor, you had frequently been making routine decisions, but you realize that decision making for the overall company can and will have far greater impact on the company and its employees.

Your boss, the chief executive officer (CEO), realizes that you do not have much practice in this higher level, decision-making process and has asked you to write a memo describing your understanding of how to make important decisions.

Your memo should address the following questions:

Describe at least 3 criteria that would determine whether the manager is making good decisions. What should be done to better assure that you are making a good decision?
In the realm of decision making, what are assumptions? Rather than use a dictionary definition, cite several specific assumptions that would go with any real-life decision you have made or have seen made at a company at which you have worked.
Given the importance of proper assumptions, your boss asked you to assess the accuracy of certain business assumptions and what could you do to test or confirm the credibility of them. The following were major assumptions for each firm:
An automobile manufacturer’s assumption that the demand for SUVs would continue because gas prices would continue to rise
An airline’s assumption that there was a need for an airline that provided no added amenities

Analyze the stages and impact of malpractice in health care (provide examples of malpractice cases and their impact on health care).