Category: Essays

Comprehensive Analysis of a Fortune 500 Company

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Assignment Overview

Type: Individual Project

Unit: Improving Decision Making

Due Date: Sun, 3/13/16

Grading Type: Numeric

Points Possible: 300

Points Earned:

Deliverable Length: 10-12 pages (body of paper, excluding title page, abstract, references and appendices, if any)

View objectives for this assignment set below:

Assignment Objectives

Summarize the role of decision making in business.

Describe common biases in decision making.

Explain the roles of emotion and fairness in decision making.

Interpret reflective and expedient decision making.

Apply the standard of APA style to all research and writing tasks.

Apply principles of quantitative and qualitative research to business cases.

Apply critical thinking skills to analyze business situations.

Describe the opportunities provided by technology for businesses.

Appropriately use effective communication techniques.

Recognize situations that present potential ethical issues, and develop solutions for those issues.

Assignment Description

Comprehensive Analysis of a Fortune 500 Company

For this Individual Project you will analyze publicly available information about a Fortune 500 Company and develop an assessment of the corporate strategy and its ability to increase competitive advantage.

This assignment requires you to obtain and analyze information at the company, industry and market levels using various databases and reports found in the AIU library, such as Hoovers and Dun & Bradstreet, in addition to at least eight (8) professional or academic peer –reviewed articles.

Your analysis should include an in-depth review of the Company’s most recent SEC Form-10k Annual Report and Form DEF-14A Proxy Statement. These SEC filings can be found at the SEC Edgar Database located at the URL http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html . Pay particular attention to the Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) sections of the SEC Form 10-K and the DEF-14A Proxy statement. Direct competitors are identified in the “Comparator Group” section of the DEF-14A Proxy Statement. ) These SEC filings also contain information relative to external and industry analysis that will be helpful in your assessment of the Company’s strategy and competitive position.

A thorough analysis requires evaluation of various external stakeholders:

Competitors Competitors
Industry
Vendors
Customers
Governmental entities
Communities

Internal stakeholders that should be considered in the analysis include:

Shareholders
Board of Directors
Management
Employees

A comprehensive SWOT analysis should be performed relative to the Company’s ability to improve its competitive advantage.

The comprehensive analysis should include both qualitative and quantitative elements, leveraging information available in SEC Filings, business databases, and peer-reviewed articles.

Your work should demonstrate your ability to:

Apply critical thinking skills to analyze business situations.
Apply principles of quantitative and qualitative research to business cases.
Describe the opportunities provided by technology for businesses.
Appropriately use effective communication techniques.
Apply the standard of APA style to all research and writing tasks.

You will prepare a report presenting the findings of your comprehensive analysis examining the Company’s corporate strategy and its ability to increase competitive advantage. The written report will have a body length of 10-12 pages excluding title, abstract, references and appendices. Quotation limits should be Not more than 10% of the body of the paper can be quotations, all of which must be properly attributed in APA format.

NOTE: Article collections (scholarly databases) may be accessed in the Library. Suggestions are:

ABI Inform Global
Academic Search Premier
Business Source Premier

Please submit your assignment.

Please add your file.

For assistance with your assignment, please use your text, Web resources, and all course materials.

Grading Criteria

Percentage

Deliverable requirements addressed; understanding of material and writer’s message and intent are clear

35%

Scholarly research which supports writer’s position properly acknowledged and cited direct quotations may not exceed 10% of the word count of the body of the assignment deliverable (excluded title page, abstract or table of contents if used, tables, exhibits, appendices, and reference page(s). Inclusion of plagiarized content will not be tolerated and may result in adverse academic consequences.

20%

Critical thinking: position is well justified; logical flow; examples

20%

Structure: includes introduction and conclusion; proper paragraph format and reads as a polished, academic paper or professional presentation, as appropriate for the required assignment deliverable

10%

Mechanical – no spelling, grammatical or punctuation errors

10%

APA – deliverable is cited properly

Part One: 500-600 words + charts

Use www.msn.com to find financial statements for any “for profit” company in the computer hardware industry.
enter the company symbol
go to menu on left side of screen
go to financial results
go to financial ratios
Complete a ratio analysis for that company’s last year’s financial data. At a minimum, list and discuss the company performance vs. its industry average for these 4 ratios:
Profit as percent of sales
Current ratio
Debt to equity ratio
ROE
Comment on
how these ratios depict the financial health of this company as compared to the industry average.
what the company might do to get better in each area.

Part Two: 500-600 words + charts

Given the metrics your accountant told you are evaluated in nonprofits, you asked her to educate you on how to assess the health of a nonprofit. You asked her the following:

Find and review the financial statements of any nonprofit symphony
In a report of 500–600 words, comment specifically on the following:
What is the major source of the change in net assets that occurred in 2007 from the change that occurred in 2008? In your opinion, is this trend likely to continue? Why/why not?
If we assume that program expenses of the symphony should generally vary with ticket revenues, do they vary between 2007 and 2008? What could your answer indicate may be happening?
Is investment income a significant part of total sources of revenue in 2007 or 2008? Does this indicate a major concern about the reduction in the fair market value of investments between 2007 and 2009?
Based on your analysis above and any other analyses, comment on the future economic viability of this organization

Assignment 1: Describing and Applying Victimization Theory

Due Week 4 and worth 150 points

Use the Internet and your textbook to research the criminological and victimization theories presented in the group lists below. Select two (2) criminological theories (Group 1), two (2) theories of victimization (Group 2), and fill in the chart below using the following instructions. You will be graded on four (4) theories in total (not including the pre-filled example):

Group 1 – Select two (2) of the following: Bio-social Theory; Psychological Theory; Social Structure Theory; Social Process Theory; Social Conflict Theory; Labeling Theory; or Developmental Theory.

Group 2 – Select two (2) of the following: Deviant Place Theory; Routine Activity Theory; Deviant Lifestyle Theory; or Victim Precipitation Theory.

Summarize the theory of victimization, describing its meaning and core concepts as it relates to the nature of crime.
Identify subcategories of the theory and describe each.
Apply the theory to one (1) real life example or scenario. Briefly explain why the theory applies to the example you identified.
Use at least three (3) quality academic resources as references, such as journal articles, newspapers, magazines, and publications from law enforcement associations. Note: Wikipedia, blogs and similar websites do not quality as quality academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Use the chart template located here.
Be typed using Time New Roman font (size 12).
Include a reference page. References in APA 6th Edition formatting should be written in Times New Roman 12 point, in alphabetical order, double-spaced, subsequent lines indented, title / journals italicized appropriately, etc.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Summarize and describe various theories of victimization as they relate to the nature of crime in democratic societies.
Apply the core concepts understood in the theories of victimization to real life criminal cases and scenarios.
Use technology and information resources to research victimization theories and criminal cases.
Write clearly and concisely about criminal justice using proper writing mechanics and APA style conventions.

Hardware and Software Infrastructure

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Title: Quiz Hardware and Software Infrastructure

Paper type Other (Not listed)

Deadline 24th Jan 2016 @ 04:00: hrs …

Paper formatAPA

Course levelUndergraduate

Subject AreaIT Management

# pages2 ( or 550 words Minimum)

SpacingDouble Spacing

# sources6

Paper Details

Quiz 1

This is an individual assignment. You must work alone to complete this quiz. It is important that you complete all readings and videos prior to attempting the quiz. The completed quiz must be submitted in appropriate assignment folder by the due date and time. Please see the Syllabus > Course Schedule. This quiz is valued at 5 points (5% of course grade).

1.What are binary numbers and why are these number important to computer systems?

2.Convert 11011010 to Base 10. You must show your work to receive credit.

3.Convert 348 to Base 2. You must show your work to receive credit.

4.Convert 1,284 to Base 2. You must show your work to receive credit.

5.Convert 11111111 to Base 10. You must show your work to receive credit.

6.What is 216 in Base 10?

7.Add 1110 and 11111. You must show your work to receive credit.

8.Add 111110 and 10110. You must show your work to receive credit.

9.Perform the following binary subtraction. You must show your work to receive credit.

11111

– 1001

10.Perform the following binary subtraction. You must show your work to receive credit.

11001

– 111

11.List and describe the three most common alphanumeric codes.

12.Use Table 2.7 in your e-text and provide the equivalent ASCII code for the phrase IFSM-310

13.What are the challenges facing organizations that wish to move to a Cloud platform? What are the risks and benefits?.

14.List and describe at least three different simple data types.

15.For a given computer instruction, what are the factors that determine how binary digits are interpreted?

16.What is the importance of hexadecimal numbering representation?

17.How bits are grouped together to represent each of the following:

a.Bit

b.Byte

c.Halfword

d.Word

e.Doubleword

18.What are the three simple functions computer hardware can perform?

19.What is complementing and why is it important?

20.How many bytes are in a kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte, and petabyte

For this homework assignment, you will need to review the provisions of the California Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, found at Corporations Code §§ 17701.01-17713.06, to help answer the following questions. The statutes are available using the website link on the Course Resource section at the top of the page. Answer each of the following questions based on the materials in Chapter 38 (except where the California statutes provide a different result). Answer the questions in your own words – do not merely copy the statutes.

1. Explain the differences between a manager-managed LLC and a member-managed LLC as provided in the default provisions in California with respect to (a) the right to manage the ordinary business of the LLC, and (b) the authority of the members and managers to bind the LLC as an agent. [See Corporations Code §§ 17703.01; 17704.07]

2. Compare the fiduciary duties of the members of an LLC to the LLC and other members when the LLC is member-managed to the fiduciary duties of the managers and members of an LLC to the LLC and other members in a manager-managed LLC. [See § 17704.09]

Each answer will be graded based upon the degree to which you completely and accurately answer the question, identifying the correct facts and applicable rules of law, and using your own words and using proper sentence structure, grammar, and spelling. Answers that merely copy text or statutes will be given no points. Question 1 has 10 possible points and question 2 has possible 5 points, for a total of 15 possible points

Today, more than any other time in history, there is growing support to move away from nonrenewable resources towards developing renewable resources to meet current and future energy needs. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources that continue to negatively impact the environment. It is important to learn how these resources are formed since this process of formation is at the very heart of why fossil fuels are considered to be nonrenewable.

Using the readings for this module, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, research the nonrenewable resource assigned to you:

Coal
Natural gas
Petroleum (oil)

Note: You are assigned a resource based on the first initial of your last name. Last names beginning with A–J research coal, names beginning with K–R research natural gas, and names beginning S–Z research oil.

Respond to the following:

Describe how this nonrenewable resource was initially formed.
Briefly explain where the major reserves of this nonrenewable resource are located and how it is extracted.
Examine the environmental impact caused by the extraction process.
Explain how this nonrenewable resource is used to produce energy, and identify the pollution problems that are caused from this energy source.

Support your statements with appropriate examples and scholarly references.

Write your initial response in approximately 350–400 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

By Saturday, January 23, 2016, post your response to the appropriate Discussion Area. Through Wednesday, January 27, 2016, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses. Address the following:

Given the environmental issue or issues the use of this particular resource causes, why do think society relies so heavily on it?
What kind of a role do you think governmental politics plays in current energy demands?
If in fact society were to change to an environmentally friendly fuel source, what do you think would be the political or economic ramifications?

Write a five to seven (5-7) page paper in which you:

Analyze the relationship between risk and rate of return, and suggest how you would formulate a portfolio that will minimize risk and maximize rate of return.
Formulate an argument for investment diversification in an investor portfolio.
Address how stocks, bonds, real estate, metals, and global funds may be used in a diversified portfolio. Provide evidence in support of your argument.
Evaluate the concept of the efficient frontier and how you will use it to determine an asset portfolio for a specified investor.
Consider the economic outlook for the next year in order to recommend the ideal portfolio to maximize the rate of return for the short term and long term. Explain the key differences between the short and long term.
Use four (4) external resources to support your work. Note: Wikipedia and other 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:

Evaluate portfolio performance and develop recommendations to improve a firm’s investment performance.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in corporate investment analysis.
Write clearly and concisely about corporate investment analysis using proper writing mechanics.

New due MONDAY by 2pm pst. 500 words minimum

Resource: Financial Statements for AT&T

Review the assigned company’s financial statements from the past three years.

Calculate the financial ratios for the assigned company’s financial statements, and then interpret those results against company historical data as well as industry benchmarks:

Compare the financial ratios with each of the preceding three (3) years (e.g. 2014 with 2013; 2013 with 2012; and 2012 with 2011).
Compare the calculated financial ratios against the industry benchmarks for the industry of your assigned company.

Write a 500 to 750 word summary of your analysis

Social Studies –

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eekly tasks or assignments (Individual or Group Projects) will be due by Monday and late submissions will be assigned a late penalty in accordance with the late penalty policy found in the syllabus. NOTE: All submission posting times are based on midnight Central Time.

The media does have a very significant role in how U.S. citizens are exposed to political actors, policies, and processes that comprise American government.

Assignment Guidelines

Select 2 particular media forum types from the following list:
Newspapers
Radio
Television
Internet

Address the following in 400–600 words:

Provide 2-3 specific examples of information on government corruption that you have received from your chosen media types.
Discuss the nature of the alleged corruption
Where it took place
The level of government involved – local, state or federal
What the person or persons were alleged to have done
How the alleged corruption was discovered and/or reported
Whether the matter has resulted in any action taken against the person or persons.

Use a minimum of 2 references (your media forums) to reinforce your thoughts. Be sure to include in-text citations and a reference list using APA style.

Discuss the recent trends in bank performance measures.

2. What financial innovations are best explained as attempts to avoid regulations?