Category: Essays

Emerging New Technologies Leads to Cyber Crime

Review the video case study “Geek Squad: A New Business for a New Environment” on pp. 88-89 in your textbook. Keep this case study in mind as you complete this assignment.

Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper using your company or one with which you are familiar (if you prefer, your facilitator can assign one to you). Answer the following questions for your chosen organization.

In your opinion, what are the specific key environmental forces that created an opportunity for your company?
Have there been changes in the purchasing patterns of your organization’s target market in recent years?
Conduct an environmental scan for your chosen company to identify key trends. For each of the five environmental forces (social, economic, technological, competitive, and regulatory), identify trends likely to influence your company’s marketing efforts and product offering in the future.
What differentiation strategy should your company undertake to encourage their target market to choose them over other competitors?
In your analysis, what lessons might you learn from the Geek Squad case study?
What recommendations can you offer up to Geek Squad

Write a 700- to 1,050-word essay (not counting title or reference page material) about the topic you have been working with over the last several weeks.

• Incorporate at least two research (University of Phoenix library) sources.

Use the APA Sample Paper Template to help format your final paper in APA format. You will combine your body paragraphs, introduction, conclusion, and references into the provided template.

The final essay must contain the following:

• APA title page
• An introductory paragraph
• Three to four main body paragraphs that include topic sentences and transitional sentences
• A conclusion paragraph
• At least one direct quote of fewer than 30 words
• At least one paraphrased source
• In text citations
• APA reference page at the end of the paper including at least two sources
• Paper must be written in third person academic voice

Final Assessment Case Study

Worth 20 points and 20% of course grade.

Objective of this assignment:

This activity serves as a final assessment for the course. It provides you the opportunity to demonstrate how well you have achieved the learning outcomes of the course. You are to provide your knowledge of the strategic and administrative function of Human Resources by thinking about the situation of Southwest Airlines recent merger and their expansion.

Deliverable:

Read and reflect on the case study below and prepare a response paper of not less than five pages (excluding title and reference pages) with appropriate in text citations. Demonstrate your research and analytical skills in developing your comprehensive paper by using the organizations website and outside articles written about the organization to supplement the information provided in the case study. However, the case study is unique in that it is focused on the HR ramifications and most of the outside reports you will locate articulate the business side of the merger or expansion possibilities. Tailor your paper to the HR ramifications of the merger and expansion.

Keep in mind that the purpose of this final assessment is for you to demonstrate your knowledge of the strategic and administrative function of Human Resources. While the business side of the situation is the foundation, it is the command of the needed tasks and role for the Human Resource function that you are to focus most of your attention.

Key Components

The key components of the paper are as follows:

1. Title page

2. Introduction in which you restate the issue(s) and state the purpose of the paper

3. SWOT analysis from the HR perspective

4. Recommendations to address the issues. Scholarly research is expected to support the recommendations.

Examples of issues that may want to be elaborated upon may be possible redundant positions, maintaining the culture of both organizations (or not), combining compensation and benefits plans and union involvement (just to name some).

5. There are many tasks for recruiting and hiring for the expansion (in various global locations). Think about and list what those tasks are.

6. Provide the metrics for evaluating the outcomes of the expansion of the organization (again, from an HR perspective).

7. Synthesize and summarize your thoughts about the merger and expansion (from an HR perspective), including recommendations for aligning the HR function of the two organizations and addressing any of the S.W.O.T. assessment HR related elements as appropriate.

6. Reference page containing at least five scholarly references cited in the paper and presented in APA guideline format

Situation:

Southwest Airlines is a major airline in the United States with limited flights outside the country. The organization has a strong culture which is described in the following excerpt from Gary Kelly, CEO Southwest Airlines found on the Southwest Airlines Website.Living the Southwest Way

Living the Southwest Way

(Gary Kelly states that)…..I ask three things of the 46,000 Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways Employees every day: Work hard, have fun, and treat everyone with respect. We call this Living the Southwest Way, and it comprises three characteristics that we look for in job candidates and require of our Employees: a Warrior Spirit, a Servant’s Heart, and a Fun-LUVing Attitude. While it may sound simple (and it is), the impact can be profound. Our Culture has long been admired and has earned Southwest much recognition, including a yearly spot on Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” list (we ranked seventh this year) and the distinction of being named one of the Best Places to Work in Glassdoor.com’s 2013 Employees’ Choice Awards. Our Culture is not a program or a campaign; it is the sum of the personalities and behaviors of our People who Live the Southwest Way every day.

(The following is fiction but is the situation to consider for this assignment). Due to the recent acquisition of AirTran Airways and with the possibility of acquiring other airlines that will expand the organization to other countries, Southwest Airlines will add thousands of employees quickly from any number of existing airlines in a variety of global locations.

Faced with the tasks of maintaining the values of the organization, consider and propose steps the Human Resources team will need to take to achieve a successful merger of the two companies and to expand to additional global locations.

PLEASE NOTE: Much has been written about Southwest Airlines, its culture and the recent merger. While that information may be used as reference material, the situation you have been asked to use for your application of your knowledge about HR is unique. Do not merely cut and paste from what you find in the documents you locate.

Write a 700- to 1,050-word essay (not counting title or reference page material) about the topic you have been working with over the last several weeks.

• Incorporate at least two research (University of Phoenix library) sources.

Use the APA Sample Paper Template to help format your final paper in APA format. You will combine your body paragraphs, introduction, conclusion, and references into the provided template.

The final essay must contain the following:

• APA title page
• An introductory paragraph
• Three to four main body paragraphs that include topic sentences and transitional sentences
• A conclusion paragraph
• At least one direct quote of fewer than 30 words
• At least one paraphrased source
• In text citations
• APA reference page at the end of the paper including at least two sources
• Paper must be written in third person academic voice

Final Assessment Case Study

Worth 20 points and 20% of course grade.

Objective of this assignment:

This activity serves as a final assessment for the course. It provides you the opportunity to demonstrate how well you have achieved the learning outcomes of the course. You are to provide your knowledge of the strategic and administrative function of Human Resources by thinking about the situation of Southwest Airlines recent merger and their expansion.

Deliverable:

Read and reflect on the case study below and prepare a response paper of not less than five pages (excluding title and reference pages) with appropriate in text citations. Demonstrate your research and analytical skills in developing your comprehensive paper by using the organizations website and outside articles written about the organization to supplement the information provided in the case study. However, the case study is unique in that it is focused on the HR ramifications and most of the outside reports you will locate articulate the business side of the merger or expansion possibilities. Tailor your paper to the HR ramifications of the merger and expansion.

Keep in mind that the purpose of this final assessment is for you to demonstrate your knowledge of the strategic and administrative function of Human Resources. While the business side of the situation is the foundation, it is the command of the needed tasks and role for the Human Resource function that you are to focus most of your attention.

Key Components

The key components of the paper are as follows:

1.  Title page

2.  Introduction in which you restate the issue(s) and state the purpose of the paper

3.  SWOT analysis from the HR perspective

4.  Recommendations to address the issues. Scholarly research is expected to support the recommendations.

Examples of issues that may want to be elaborated upon may be possible redundant positions, maintaining the culture of both organizations (or not), combining compensation and benefits plans and union involvement (just to name some).

5. There are many tasks for recruiting and hiring for the expansion (in various global locations). Think about and list what those tasks are.

6. Provide the metrics for evaluating the outcomes of the expansion of the organization (again, from an HR perspective).

7.  Synthesize and summarize your thoughts about the merger and expansion (from an HR perspective), including recommendations for aligning the HR function of the two organizations and addressing any of the S.W.O.T. assessment HR related elements as appropriate.

6.  Reference page containing at least five scholarly references cited in the paper and presented in APA guideline format

Situation:

Southwest Airlines is a major airline in the United States with limited flights outside the country. The organization has a strong culture which is described in the following excerpt from Gary Kelly, CEO Southwest Airlines found on the Southwest Airlines Website.Living the Southwest Way

Living the Southwest Way

(Gary Kelly states that)…..I ask three things of the 46,000 Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways Employees every day: Work hard, have fun, and treat everyone with respect. We call this Living the Southwest Way, and it comprises three characteristics that we look for in job candidates and require of our Employees: a Warrior Spirit, a Servant’s Heart, and a Fun-LUVing Attitude. While it may sound simple (and it is), the impact can be profound. Our Culture has long been admired and has earned Southwest much recognition, including a yearly spot on Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” list (we ranked seventh this year) and the distinction of being named one of the Best Places to Work in Glassdoor.com’s 2013 Employees’ Choice Awards. Our Culture is not a program or a campaign; it is the sum of the personalities and behaviors of our People who Live the Southwest Way every day.

(The following is fiction but is the situation to consider for this assignment). Due to the recent acquisition of AirTran Airways and with the possibility of acquiring other airlines that will expand the organization to other countries, Southwest Airlines will add thousands of employees quickly from any number of existing airlines in a variety of global locations.

Faced with the tasks of maintaining the values of the organization, consider and propose steps the Human Resources team will need to take to achieve a successful merger of the two companies and to expand to additional global locations.

PLEASE NOTE: Much has been written about Southwest Airlines, its culture and the recent merger. While that information may be used as reference material, the situation you have been asked to use for your application of your knowledge about HR is unique. Do not merely cut and paste from what you find in the documents you locate

Identify a health care organization for which a significant amount of information is available, in books, journals, reports, or on the Internet. Conduct an audit of the organization’s strategic assets based on the information you are able to gather from various sources. The audit you conduct will not be as thorough and detailed of an audit as the organization itself might conduct as you will not have access to the same inside information as internal auditors. Do your best to gather and report the following information.

Start with a general description of the service that the healthcare organization provides. Include the mission statement for the organization. If there is not one, create one you believe would best describe the mission of the organization.

The first part of your audit should address the organization’s historical financial performance and its current financial condition, as described in your textbook. A lot of the necessary data can be found in the organization’s annual report and its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and state-level government regulatory agencies. Research sources such as business journals, magazines, and other media that report on these types of organizations.

The second part of the audit should describe in as much detail as possible what you consider to be the major resources and competencies of the organization. Use a SWOT chart to categorize the most relevant points (these may be more narrative than quantitatively analytical). Try to identify assets that appear to be unique to the organization and that give it some competitive advantage over its rivals. Also make a note of areas in which the organization is weak, which might be the target of strategic attacks by those rivals.

Now consider the activities that are described in the value chain for this organization. Which do you believe cost the most to perform? What factors do you base your opinion on? What do you believe can be done to reduce the costs, thereby giving this organization a competitive edge?

Finally, consider that this organization would like to set up a satellite office in a nearby city. In this satellite office they will make changes to their processes to address their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Develop a mission statement for this satellite office. Create four strategic goals for this office, one for each SWOT category.

Assume that you work for a large multinational telecommunications corporation in the U.S. that is considering establishing operations in another country. Select one country as the basis for exploring the possibility of starting a joint venture in that country. You are assigned by your supervisor to conduct a full country risk analysis for this country and the telecommunications industry in that country. You are to present your findings to the Board of Directors in the form of a risk analysis report.

Your supervisor has asked for you to divide your report into the following areas for analysis:

• Economic Risk
• Political Risk
• Business Environment Risk
• Currency Risk
• Recommendations for proceeding and suggestion of two additional financial analysis methods which could be used to further support the decision.

You are to conduct a country/industry risk report, identifying as many factors as possible in the categories listed above for the analysis.  Present your findings in a report of 10-12 pages.

In your report, you will make a recommendation to your supervisor as to whether or not the company should proceed with this venture.  Suggest two additional financial analysis methods which should be explored further in analyzing the feasibility of starting the global joint venture.  Explain your recommendations

With an initial loan commitment of $1,225,000 and using the initial terms outlined in the case, what is ARP’s expected return if the property is held for six years? Eleven years? Assume that ARP and its investors are in the 31% marginal tax bracket at the federal level and the 6% bracket at the state level. Assume a 28% capital gains tax rate and standard depreciation schedules. Similar projects in the Atlanta market have sold at cap rates of between 8.5% and 11%.

(2) What are the pros and cons of the transaction excluding the new cost uncertainty?

(3) Does the enhanced design required by The Organized Home add value to the real estate? Does it add value to the company’s brand? If The Organized Home moved out of the building, would the design increase/decrease leasing opportunities?

(4) Do you think the development process, primarily the building design process, is different for major national retailers such as Walgreen’s, CVS, or Revco?

(5) Review TOH’s financial statements. What is the company’s financial condition? What will be the financial impact of the company’s growth plans?

(6) What is your impression of the value placed upon limited out-parcel availability at North Point Mall? Is the location really as good as Adams thinks?

(7) Has Adams missed any options during his thought process?

(8) Assess the risks of each of the options defined by Adams as well as any options you believe to be superior.

(9) Assess the probability of the options defined by Adams as well as any new options. Which outcome do you believe is most likely. Which mitigates the greatest amount of risk?

(10) With the new debt and equity structures that might result from the potential options, quantify ARP’s return using a discounted cash-flow model similar to that required in Question 1. Use the same basic cap rate and tax assumptions. List and defend any additional assumptions.

 

(11) Develop and summarize an action plan for Adams. What should he do and what should his negotiating strategy be? This should be in the form of an executive summary

Explain how patents work. Which legal tests must be satisfied in most countries in order to meet patient requirements?

QUESTION 5

Explain the importance of brainstorming. What are the three most important approaches to brainstorming? Explain a situation in which brainstorming could achieve innovative results

QUESTION 6

Give an example of a consumer market survey in which the company was able to obtain information to successfully launch a new product. Is there a best way to identify niches? Explain.

QUESTION 7

Explain what it means to be a venture champion? What are some of the factors that influence the decision to establish a new venture? What do we know about the background of individuals who have a propensity to develop new ventures?

QUESTION 9

What are the four arguments for pushing for greater levels of networking in innovation? Which one do you find most persuasive and why?

QUESTION 10

What are the different challenges to expect in the set-up operating, and sustaining (or closure) stage in managing innovation networks? Give an example of a product or program and the challenges it faced in one of these three areas