Category: Essays

see info below Business Week 4 Assignment 2

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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:

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Determine the company’s resources, capabilities, and core competencies.
Analyze the company’s value chain to determine where they can create value using the resources, capabilities, and core competencies discussed above.
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

Diversity Assessment and Action Plan- 3-5 Page Paper

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In a 3 – 5 page double-spaced paper, assess your diversity consciousness and create an action plan to strengthen it. Although this is your personal assessment and action plan, connect your analysis to course concepts and assigned reading. The paper should include appropriate citations and a reference page as well as written in APA Format. Please look at the Rubric CAREFULLY. It is attached below.

Book To be Referenced- Bucher, R. D. (2014). Diversity consciousness: Opening our minds to people, cultures and opportunities (4 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN: 978-0321919069

In this analysis,

Describe your awareness and understanding of diversity comparing and contrasting your textbook’s definition with your own. What surprised you in the assigned readings and class discussions? What new insights have your gained?
Evaluate your diversity skills and how they facilitate enhance your success at school and work. Strengthening what diversity skills could enhance your effectiveness as a leader?
Identify personal and/or social barriers you face and discuss options to overcome them.
Based on this assessment, prepare an action plan to increase your diversity consciousness by identifying two clearly defined and specific actions you will take by the end of OLCU 425.

New due saturday by 6pm 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

ENG315

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In Assignments 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3, you will be building up a formal, researched justification report (one part at a time) that culminates in a recommendation to implement a particular product, service, or program in your place of employment. This recommended product, service, or program should resolve a problem that you identify in your workplace and should be directed to your employer (even if you do not actually plan to share it with your employer).

Use the basic outline below to draft Assignment 2. Organize your responses to each question under the following section headings:

Problem Statement (for Question 1)
Overview of Alternatives (for Question 2)
Criteria (for Question 3)
Methods (for Question 4)

Using the provided template, write Part 1 of a single-spaced report in which you:

Discuss in detail a problem at work, persuading and convincing the reader that it needs fixing.
Provide a detailed description of two (2) possible solutions (“alternatives”) that could be implemented to resolve the problem identified in Question 1.
List and detail five (5) criteria that you will use to measure the worth of each alternative in Question 2. Note: The alternative that satisfies the most criteria to the highest degree will be the one you recommend later to your employer (in Assignment 2.3). Criteria are standards that the audience values and are therefore used to measure the worth of each alternative (common examples include cost, desirability, durability, efficiency, time it will take to implement, and practicality).
Describe in detail how you will conduct the research needed to determine the best alternative to recommend to your employer. Note: This is a one to two (1-2) paragraph description of what research needs to be completed in order to evaluate the alternatives. This is not a detailed procedure for solving the problem.

Your assignment must:

Be typed, single 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, your 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

Read the article “The Real Value of Higher Education” by former UNC System President , Tom Ross, (handout) and compose a summary/ response essay that refers to, summarizes, analyzes, and responds to this article, which we have read and discussed. Also, consider the debates that are raging about changes to higher education in North Carolina. (For help with this, consult “How to Right Size a University System” on lavender paper.) Your essay must contain a minimum of 500 words, and it should be at least 2 pages in length.

You should both paraphrase (at least twice) and quote directly (at least twice) from Ross’ article, making sure to distinguish between the two. (See the samples below.) Please use correct MLA citations (author’s last name and pg. # only in parentheses). You may quote or paraphrase more frequently as you choose; however, make sure to achieve a balance by offering your personal observations. Remember to proofread your essay meticulously (at least once out loud) for clarity, grammar errors, vocabulary, and careless errors (typos), and make necessary corrections. When you turn in the final essay, it should include final essay, typed rough draft and/or handwritten rough draft of the summary, any pre-writing, this assignment sheet, and the copy of the articles (in this order). Please follow the directions below.

– Introduce the issue about the challenges facing students and higher education institutions in North Carolina. Think about what you have heard on the news, in your community, and in our class discussions. Consider your own experiences. See also the article “How to Right-Size a University System” for background information.

–Summarize the article. (in one or two paragraphs)

Summarize the article in one or two paragraphs. Make sure to include the most important points. You should paraphrase from the essay in order to complete your summary. Use signal phrases to refer to the author and include the title of the essay (enclosed in quotation marks) in the opening sentence.See the sample below.

Sample Summary Sentence – In an article from the News & Observer, “The Real Value of Higher Education” former UNC System President Tom Ross argues that higher education benefits students far more than simply preparing them for careers. He also explains the benefits that the University of North Carolina brings to our state (1-2).

See also the prompts below for help in developing your summary.
• What is this about? Write at least one well-developedparagraph.
• What is the problem or issue the author is addressing?
• Give only highlights. For the most part, details will come in the analysis section.
• What is your thesis in response to this argument?

–Analyze (This should be 1 or 2 paragraphs in length.)
• What is the author’s main argument?
• What is new about this argument?
• Analyze two (or more) of the opinions, facts, evidence, and examples that the author uses to make his points.
• Is the material convincing? Why or why not? Quote specific passages and interpret and evaluate them based on your understanding. (See the sample below.)
• Make sure to use signal phrases and correct MLA citations!
• Give a brief “flavor” of how the author makes his case.

Sample Quote – Ross warns that “America is losing her way with regard to higher education” (Ross 1).

(Always enclose quoted material in quotation marks).

–Respond (This will include your concluding comments.)

• Respond to the articles theme and arguments. Give your own opinions on the author’s ideas and your beliefs about these issues for our UNC schools, especially UNC Pembroke.
• Do you agree or disagree with the author?
• In your opinion, what is the most important point the author makes? Carefully explain why.
• If you choose, share personal observations from your own experiences with specific examples, which connect to the theme of this article.
• Compare and contrast your views with the author’s as appropriate.
• Recommend a particular solution or course of action that the UNC System should take.
• Also, describe some of the actions that our legislature could take to ensure the quality of higher education in NC and the wellbeing of students, faculty, and staff. What can students do to protect our university system?

• Make sure to include what actions should be taken to ensure the quality of education for all students on NC public college campuses (based on evidence from the articles and your own observation and experiences).

A note on evidence….

**What is “Evidence?”

The standards of evidence differ by academic discipline and you need to familiarize yourself with how scholars in your field define it. Consider the following:

• Scholars tend to be distrustful of arguments whose “proof” lies entirely in words. Language that is merely forceful or clever is seldom enough to carry a debate. Academics seldom accept anything that might fall into a “because I said so” category.

• Among the most obvious forms of evidence are measurable data, examples, and documents. A “you-could-look-it-up” standard is a high one. So too is any argument whose proofs can be tested independently or whose experiments can be verified or replicated.

Overview

When defining an era such as the 1960s, a lot of images come to mind: the march on Washington, psychedelic music, peace signs, the antiwar movement, the assassinations of prominent political leaders, and so on. In this Assignment, you will explain which of the events, people, and symbols best define the 1960s.

Assignment

It is the year 2325. You are a prominent archaeologist who has just been summoned to a dig site because your colleagues have made a unique discovery: a time capsule from the 1960s that was buried long ago. Very carefully, you and your colleagues unearth and open this time capsule. Inside the time capsule you find five items that define the era of the 1960s.

For this Assignment write a brief paper that covers the following:

Describe each of the five items you have found.
Explain why each of these is especially important in defining the era of the 1960s.
Based upon these items you have found, conclude your paper with a solid paragraph that explains one major lesson that you have learned from the 1960s.

Hint: The objects you find in your time capsule do not necessarily have to be material items, but can also be events, trends, fads, etc. For example, your time capsule may contain assassinations, the Vietnam War, or the women’s movement. Also, feel free to be creative with the types of items that you find. For example, perhaps you have found a letter written by an antiwar protester to the government, or a song by famous 1960s musician, or perhaps a piece of artwork by a famous 1960s visual artist.

The total length of your paper should be 6 pages formatted in APA style. The first page is a title page. Page 6 is a reference page and ages 2 through 5 are text. You should have a total of four references, at least one of which should be outside of the course materials. Please use only academic resources. Also, remember to use Times New Roman 12-point font, set margins to one inch, and double space your paper.

Turnitin Analysis

A special feature is available to help you with reviewing your Unit 9 Final Project for plagiarism. When you submit your Assignment to the Unit 9 Dropbox, your Assignment will automatically be analyzed by the plagiarism detection tool, Turnitin. Soon after you submit your Assignment, you will be able to view the Turnitin Originality Report. Originality Reports provide a summary of matching or highly similar text found in a submitted paper. When an Originality Report is available for viewing, an icon will appear in the report column of the Assignment inbox. Originality Reports are only available in the inbox. For this reason, you will need to download the report prior to the grading of the Unit 9 Final Project. To do this, click on the print icon at the bottom of the Originality Report. This will prepare a readable, PDF version of the Originality Report that you can save to your computer.

American Constitution

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Following the Revolutionary War and separation from England, the need for a new government was clear. A group of men, who became known as the “nation’s founders” or Founding Fathers, developed a new government based on principles and beliefs they knew through their experiences, readings, and study. The Founding Fathers had a great deal in common with each other, including property interests, education, and extensive political experience. These common experiences and birthrights created a strong consensus about what should be incorporated into the government that would replace England’s.

Troubles developed immediately upon establishment of the United States of America with the 1781 Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. Economic difficulties and means of dividing power between leaders and competing interests caused conflict. The conflicts had to be resolved, and some of the Founding Fathers and others, who would come to be known as the Framers went to Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, it became apparent immediately that the Articles could not be revised, and therefore, they were abandoned, and the Framers set about to create a new form of government. Though the effort was eventually successful and resulted in the Constitution, there was a great deal of conflict during its development in the summer of 1787. The form of government established incorporated the ideas of diverse groups, as well as the Framers’ recognition of the need for compromise.

Research the history of the American Constitution using the Argosy University online library resources. Respond to one question from each of the question sets A and B.

A. Creating the Constitution

Consider the three constitutional proposals: the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, and the Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise. If you were a delegate and without the experience of the past 200 years, which constitutional proposal would you have supported? Why?
Why do you think the framers were silent on the issue of slavery in the wording of the Constitution? What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
What were the issues in the Constitutional Convention? Who were the Federalists and Anti-Federalists?

B. Living with the Constitution

What are the formal and informal methods of constitutional change?
How do checks and balances work in the lawmaking process today? Which current and important events do you think are examples of the success of checks and balances?
Do you think the Constitution is a relevant political document for the twenty-first century? What new amendments might be appropriate today?

Write your response to each in 150–200 words.

Qualitative/Quantitave Research

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Evaluate the top five challenges of conducting quantitative and qualitative research and stipulate to strategies to overcome those challenges from the literature on research design theory and practice.

Five Page Minimum With At Least 5 References.

Must Be Authentic Work, Never Utilized Before, Not Stored In Any Online Databases…

Must Be Completed By 1/25/16 5 P.M. Pacific Standard Time…

No Exceptions…

Business management homework help

original insturction for this assignment

A star schema is a type of data warehouse design that optimizes multidimensional query performance (Poolet, 2007).

Your reading gives a case example and a high-level overview of modeling an information system. The first step in designing an information system is to construct a data model. The data model you use is a star schema.

A large online company’s marketing department needs information to examine sales, predict future directions, and determine how and what to advertise. Design a star schema to organize the sales information to meet the marketing department needs. Identify the dimensions first, and then identify the attributes of those dimensions

The BakFirn Corporation, a publicly traded firm, has contracted with YOUCPA, your public accounting firm, for an audit. The BakFirn Corporation manufactures specialty construction tools. The tools are used in the unique construction of homes, warehouses, and multiunit dwellings. The prices range from $1,000 to $5,000 per unit.

During the audit, the audit team has determined the risk assessment of the client. Consequently, the audit has to respond to the assessed risks of material misstatement at the financial statement and assertion levels. The YOUCPA audit team has asked you, the auditor, to prepare a list of actions that you will take to assess the audit risk.

The following information is available in the year just finished:

· The BakFirn Corporation end-of-year is 12/31/20XX.

· Sales for the previous year were $10,000,000. Sales this year are coming in at $9,500,000.

· The firm is in the construction machine industry, making specialty tools.

· Account receivable days sales outstanding (DSO) has been averaging 90–120 days. The year before, it was 80–90 days.

· Inventory turns have decreased from 3 to 2 per year.

· Account receivable and inventory make up 80% of total assets.

· Internal auditing has been reduced by one person to reduce costs.

· An initial test of controls in cash receipt indicated a lack of following procedures.

· The construction industry is in the third year of a downturn. It is forecasted to last two more years.

· The audit team has defined materiality to be focused on account receivable and inventory with $3,000 being the initial threshold. Net income for last year was $1,000,000.

· Inventory at the end of the year was $2,500,000.

· Account receivable at the end of the year was $2,740,000, or 100 DSO.

· The previous auditors did not disclose any fraud or any management issues at the meeting with BakFirn and YOUCPA. The reason for the auditor change was explained as a costs reduction program.

Assignment Guidelines:

A. Audit Assessment Steps:

a. What is the initial audit risk? High, medium or low?

b. What factors made you decide on this level?

B. Audit Plan Assertions

a. What would you include in the audit plan, and why?

b. Would you plan a test of controls or substantive tests? Why or why not?

c. Would these tests make a difference in the nature, timing, and extent of audit procedures? If so, how?

C. Audit Plan Evidence

a. Would you plan to put reliance on prior-year evidence? Why, or why not?

b. Would your evidence come from observation, analytical procedures, or other means? Explain your reasoning.

c. Would the evidence prove or disprove an assertion on the reliance of a specific balance sheet account or financial statement account? Explain your reasoning