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Paper Instructions:

it is a research study on what a leader demonstrates when considering the major leadership categories 1) personal attributes of leadership using the trait approach; 2) interpersonal leadership using team approach 3) contextual leadership using the situational approach, and 4) contemporary leadership using transformation approach. Please do not focus heavily on servant leadership within this paper. More details are included in the attached instructions

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Paper Instructions:

Perform an Internal Factor Evaluation on the subject mentioned above.  The critical thing to remember about this analysis is that you should develop a thorough understanding of the factors chosen.  Your analysis should include a chart with the notable exception that categories should be “Strengths” and “Weaknesses” instead of opportunities and threats. Weights and ratings are to be assigned in a similar fashion.

IMPORTANT: I have provided a pre-formatted MS-Word IFE Matrix template for you to use with this assignment. 

Written Assign #4 IFE Matrix Template.pdf (ATTACHED)

Save the file, add your Internal Factors and Numbers, and then only paste the table, not the entire document.

It is important to understand here that you are looking for those elements that truly separate the firm from its rivals… What does your firm do better than other firms in its industry? THESE are your firm’s strengths. For example, if you include “Advertising and promotion” as a marketing strength, your firm needs to be truly exceptional in this regard. Perhaps they have won awards, or are acknowledged by industry observers as being superior in this way.  That they simply happen to do advertising is not interesting as ALL firms likely do the same thing to some extent.  

Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE):

Complete the IFE Matrix, Please use attached pre-formatted IFE Template.

Choose 8-10 internal factors for analysis (or as many as you can discover).
At least 4 pages  (excluding the matrix chart).
APA formatted MS-Word doc/docx file only.
Use the 12-point Times New Roman Font.

*For each factor, write a paragraph or two as necessary discussing the nature of the factor, how it will impact the firm, and its importance to the future strategy of the firm (i.e., explain why you assigned the weight and rating score that you did).*


IMPORTANT: You should by now have a reasonable idea what the primary strengths and core competencies of your firm are. Weakness, however, can be a little more difficult to find. Aside from the more obvious research sites about which you are already familiar, a useful website for you to take a look at is: http://www.glassdoor.com  This is a website where employees discuss their job experience at their current or former employers… spilling both the good and bad.

Go to the site, sign up (it’s easy and non-invasive), and peruse the employee reviews.  If you find that common themes are discussed and presented by many reviewers, then you have a hit and should use that in your piece as cited evidence. If, however, only one or two employees mention an item, there is less likelihood that you have a usable factor.

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Paper Instructions:

Why do you think many women opt out from seeking higher levels of corporate leadership? Discuss why you think this either is or is not a trend that might hurt organizations over the next decade. 

Some facts about the "opt out revolution" -

A study by Deloitte and Touche, conducted two decades ago, found 70% of women who left their companies were still working full-time a year later, just for a different employer, and less than 10% had left the workforce to take care of their families1. When examining the total population of mothers who stay at home with their children, “opt-out moms”2 make up a very small fraction (4%) of the total number of stay-at-home moms. The majority of these women left reluctantly, finding they had been passed over for high-visibility assignments, offered dead-end positions, or given projects with less satisfying tasks. Most women (77%) still believe that the reason women are not advancing in their careers is because they chose family over work (Livingston, 2014).3 However, according to a recent Pew Research Center report, much of the recent growth in stay-at-home moms has been driven by those with less education.4

[1] Kanter, Rosabeth M., and Jane Roessner. "Deloitte & Touche (A): A Hole in the Pipeline." Harvard Business School Case 300-012, September 1999. (Revised May 2003.) - you can purchase this case through ESC library or from Harvard Business School Case Collection

2 “These so-called “opt-out moms” (roughly 10% of all highly educated mothers) make up just 1% of the nation’s 35 million mothers ages 18 to 69 who are living with their children younger than 18. For our purposes, “opt-out moms” are mothers who have at least a Master’s degree, an annual family income of $75,000 or more; a working husband; and who state that they are out of the workforce in order to care for their family.” See: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/05/07/opting-out-about-10-of-highly-educated-moms-are-staying-at-home/ (Links to an external site.)

3 Livingston, G. (2014). Opting out? About 10% of highly educated moms are staying at home

Pew Research Center, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/05/07/opting-out- (Links to an external site.)about-10-of-highly-educated-moms-are-staying-at-home/

4 http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/04/08/after-decades-of-decline-a-rise-in-stay-at-home-mothers/ (Links to an external site.)

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Paper Instructions:

When reading a scholarly work, you want to approach it as an analyst, actively peeling it apart instead of working your way page by page.  The main things that you need to cover are: topic, structure of the book, author's thesis, evidence used, and significance in the field.  These items should be able to be covered in a 4-5 page dissection.  Much of this information can be gleaned by looking at the table of content, paying careful attention to the introduction and conclusion, and reading reviews of the book.  Before making your way through the body chapters, the meat of the book, you should read the introduction and conclusion and think about the topic, structure etc. You will need to read the main chapters to get a sense of the evidence used and the success of the author's argument but can search for these things more effectively when you already have a sense of the author's goals.  The dissection should follow this structure:1.  List book as a citation. Indicate the topic and structure of the book (what the sections cover--not each chapter) and the author's thesis or argument (which will be in the introduction).  Here you should note if the author has any exceptional bias (e.g. worked for the Ford Foundation before writing a book on its history).  2.  Summarize each section in terms of the evidence the author uses to support his/her thesis.  You should have one paragraph per section.  Often the author will have additional arguments that are not the thesis but interesting to you--include those here. You should also note if the author is relying upon original research or synthesizing other research.  3.  Analyze the thesis.  Does the author do a good job supporting the thesis with evidence?  Are there points that you disagree with?  4.  Evaluate the importance of the work in the field.  What is new about this work?  How does it change our perspective on philanthropy, civil society or the nonprofit sector?  Here you can compare to the other readings you have and may need to rely upon book reviews to help understand the importance of a work within a field.  Over time, you will pick up trends and be able to judge significance on the basis of your own knowledge of the field.

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Paper Instructions:

Guidelines
For the business writing you will assume the role of a Director of a business or facility and write a memorandum to your head administrator describing “events” or recommending changes that you feel need to be implemented at the facility to improve operations, efficiencies, outcomes, morale, etc. This writing should be based on experiences in your work environment and should involve MATERIAL issues. An event memorandum should incorporate the following concepts: (i) a description of the event, (ii) effects of events, and (iii) changes required by the event. A policy change memorandum should incorporate the following concepts: (i) a description of the policy change, (ii) how the change will be implemented, and (iii) hurdles that may need to be overcome. The memorandum must be typed with 1” margins, single spacing, a 12 point Times Roman font (including the header portion of the memorandum) and between 1 ½ and 2 pages in length.


Exhibit A in the syllabus contains the format for the memorandum. You must use this format and may NOT use a different format, such as a Memo format with a 25 point Memorandum Heading. Papers not utilizing this format will be returned and could result in course failure.






Below is Exhibit A.


M E M O R A N D U M 


TO:  February 2020 Class 
FROM:  Ms. Jane Smith  
DATE:  February 10, 2020 
RE:  Format for Business Memorandum 


This Exhibit A demonstrates the format that must be used for the business memorandum. Please follow the font and margin guidelines, especially the font guideline for the title memorandum as set forth above. Use of any other format will result in the paper being returned. Good luck with the project!

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Paper Instructions:

Choose 3–5 brands/hashtags/keywords/app names that are productivity APP. Analyze the chosen social tags using Talkwalker’s Free Social Search and retrieve the social media metrics from the platform. Prepare notes on the following questions: 

What data is collected and used in the analysis?
What is the key information you get from the analysis?
What insights into the market do you gain from the metrics?
How do you plan to position your innovative app taking into consideration the derived insights?
How useful the data is to understand the current market?

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Paper Instructions:

GM and the UAW: A One-Sided Negotiation?

From 1947 through 1977, General Motors (GM) dominated the automobile industry capturing an average of 45 percent of the auto market. Of the “Big three “automakers (GM, Ford and Chrysler) GM ranked first in sales in every year during this time frame and ranked first in profits for 16 of the 20 years. Needless to say GM sat comfortably atop the automobile industry.

Now decades later GM’s share of the automobile market is down to 25.4% its lowest level since it competed with Henry Ford’s Model T. Rumors of bankruptcy abound. In March of 2005 GM lowered its earnings forecast which sent its stock price to its worst one-day fall since October 19 1987 when the stock market crashed. Following this GM announced that it had lost a staggering 1 billion dollars during its first quarter alone. Finally adding insult to injury GM disclosed that its sales were plummeting and for this its stock earned Standard and Poor’s grade of junk-bond status. What once was the world’s largest and most profitable auto manufacturer is now puttering along in the slow lane.

So who or what is responsible for GM’s decline? Though there are numerous factors that are hurting the company one major factor has been the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and its long relationship with GM over the years.

The relationship first took shape during the Depression when demand for cars overall fell sharply and almost half of all autoworkers lost their jobs as a result. Those autoworkers that did keep their jobs received greatly reduced pay because the major auto companies could barely afford to stay in business. However GM through the leadership of Alfred Sloan remained competitive and profitable. But working conditions paled in comparison to today’s standards. It was not typical for companies including GM to provide benefits such as health insurance and pension plans were unheard of.

All of this began to change for GM in 1936 when two major players in the UAW Walter and Victor Reuther staged a sit-down strike at one of GM’s primary plants Fisher Body Plant No. 1 in GM’s hometown of Flint Michigan. Though the governor at the time Frank Murphy instructed over 4000 guardsmen to maintain peace at the strike he did not give them the authority to evict the strikers forcing Sloan to negotiate with the UAW (though Sloan later stated that “we would not negotiate with the union while its agents forcibly held possession of our properties. . .we finally felt obliged to do so”). As a result of the strike GM formally recognized the UAW as a legal organization in 1937. Shortly after in 1941 Ford formally recognized the UAW giving the union even greater power.

What followed was a relationship that endured over the years giving the UAW and its members some of the best benefits in the country. Indeed the UAW was a powerful negotiator. Victor Reuther believing strongly that all workers should have health insurance tried first to bargain with the federal government. After several failed attempts he turned to Sloan at GM. Although Sloan initially viewed Reuther’s request for health insurance and pension plans as “extravagant beyond reason” one of Reuther’s proposals eventually persuaded him. Previously GM and the UAW engaged in contract renegotiations each year which made it difficult for GM's managers and workers to plan ahead because they were unsure what the costs would be for the following year. Reuther capitalizing on this problem offered to agree to longer contracts. As Sloan later stated “Longer intervals gave the corporation more assurance that it could meet its long-range production schedules.” What was the catch to the UAW’s concession? In return for longer contracts the UAW insisted that each and every contract be better for the UAW than the one before it. Sloan agreed to the terms of the negotiation setting the stage for health insurance pension plans and other employee benefits.

During the economic boom following WWII demand soared leaving the auto industry rich with profit. As Reuther stated to the auto industry during these times “It’s a growing market – we have nothing to fight over.” So at first contract negotiations went smoothly and costs of employee benefits stayed at a minimum. But little by little the UAW negotiated better benefits for its members. In 1943 GM allowed workers to purchase health insurance however GM did not incur any of the cost because workers put their money into a pool. Five years later the union successfully negotiated two powerful benefits. The first “an escalator clause” stipulated that GM give raises based on the cost of living. The second the “Improvement factor” rewarded workers for increasing efficiency. As a plant increased in efficiency and lowered costs as a result workers at the plant received raises. Then in 1950 GM agreed to pay 50 percent of all its workers health care premiums including worker’s families and it also agreed to develop and pay for a pension plan. Three years later GM extended these benefits to its retired workers.

Business was still booming in 1959 when the UAW persuaded GM to guarantee worker’s wages – even for those workers the company had laid off. Thus workers could be assured that they would receive no less than what GM had promised to pay them even during economic hardship. The UAW continued to push GM to further sweeten its benefits – per their original deal -- and in 1961 GM agreed to pay 100 percent of all health care premiums again for workers and their families. Three years later GM extended this benefit to its retirees.

GM’s market share around that time peaked at 50.7 percent but in 1966 the same year that Alfred Sloan died. A little known company called Datsun exported a car to the United States marking the entry of the Japanese automakers in the US market. During this time Japan’s influence was minimal and GM continued to agree to increase benefits to its workers. In 1970 for instance the UAW persuaded GM to provide full retirement benefits after 30 years of service. In addition GM agreed to extend health insurance benefits to cover mental and prenatal and postnatal conditions. As UAW negotiator Douglas Fraser recalls “We had a lot of arguments over mental health. I don’t believe we had any arguments over full premiums."

From GM’s standpoint the concessions it made over the years may be relatively minor when considered in isolation but their cumulative impact is now taking its toll. As the company has lost market share to increased competition from both domestic and foreign producers particularly Japanese producers more and more workers have retired leaving GM with huge expenses. GM anticipates health care costs to top $5.6 million in 2005 alone and it is estimated that GM’s long term health liabilities are $77 billion. To fund its pension plans GM has long term liabilities of $89 billion -- a tremendous amount when one considers that GM’s revenues in 2004 were $193 billion.

And costs continue to soar as baby boomers retire in droves leaving younger workers to support retirees and causing large discrepancies in the number of current and retired workers. GM now employees 150,000 people yet it funds health care for 1.1. million people. And because of the ever-increasing benefits packages that the UAW negotiated with GM over the years, GM’s health care plan is far better than what the average US company provides. While average US citizens pay 32 percent of their medical costs GM workers and members of the UAW pay only 7 percent. In fact GM now spends more than double on health care than what it spends on steel to produce its automobiles. As one former GM investor quipped, “When you invest in GM, you are non-investing in a car company. You are investing in a money-management firm and an HMO.”

All of these rising costs have caused GM considerable financial problems. Although some analysts suggest that GM should streamline operations, Thomas Kowaleski, a spokesman for GM, said, “We cannot be profitable at 20 percent market share because legacy costs won’t go away.” Even closing a plant is no longer under GM’s discretion – the UAW must approve it. To make matters worse, even if GM halts production at a given plant, it still has to pay its workers 95 percent of their regular wages, even though GM’s wages are 60 percent more than the industry average.

All in all, GM may have negotiated itself into a stranglehold with the UAW. But there are two sides to consider. On the one hand, offering great employee benefits is a goal that all organizations should have, as workers should receive the best treatment possible and companies want to attract the best workers possible. On the other hand, if the UAW continues to press GM for improvements, and GM concedes, the company may no longer exist to provide these benefits.

Respond to the following three questions in detail:

How would you characterize the type of conflict that exists between GM and the UAW using the various conflict handling interventions discussed in the course?
What type of power does the UAW hold over GM? How has this power influenced its ability to negotiate with GM?
Although benefits such a “guaranteed wage” likely are appealing to workers, how might such benefits affect employee motivation? How might they affect job satisfaction and organizatinal commitment? Could this be a case where management engages in the “folly of rewarding A while hoping for B?”
Source: Based on R. Lowenstein, “What went wrong wrong at GM,” Smart Money, July 2005, 78-82.

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Paper Instructions:

For this assignment, you will plan out the operations, technology, management, and organization for your non-alcoholic beverage (NAB) company which specializes in producing and selling Bubble Tea. 

Write an 8-page paper in which you provide the following information below:

---Operations Plan (1–2 pages)--- 

1. Create an operations plan for your NAB company. In this plan include details on the key aspects of operations such as the type of facilities used to produce your beverages, the production process, equipment and labor force. 

2. Consider whether you will rent or buy your facilities. Research the equipment you will need (vats, refrigerators, burners, ovens, bottling equipment, and so on), whether you will rent or buy, how you will maintain and clean the equipment, and so forth. Consider your distribution method. How will you stay abreast of new developments in your industry? What new products do you have in development now, in addition to your flagship product?

3. Describe your research and development activities and explain how they will contribute to the company.


----Technology Plan (1–2 pages)----

4.. Create a technology plan for your company.  Consider the type of technology your company will use to conduct the following activities: managing personnel; taking, fulfilling, and tracking orders; managing inventory; communicating with customers and providing customer service; and producing your beverage


---Management and Organization (1–2 pages)---

5. Create a management plan for your NAB company. List the key members of your management team, the responsibilities they’ll have in your company and the compensation they’ll receive. Give details on their work background and experience. 

6. Outline your company’s management hierarchy with a simple flow chart.


---Create an ethics and social responsibility plan (1-2 pages)---

7. Describe the ways in which your company is committed to being a good corporate citizen. Consider the following areas:
o    Creating jobs
o    Following the laws of every jurisdiction in which your company operates
o    Fair and honest treatment of employees
o    Non-discrimination of employees and increasing diversity of your work force

8. Discuss how your company’s activities will affect the environment and identify the steps you will take to mitigate any negative impacts. Consider such issues as your choice of packaging, disposal of bottles/packages by consumers, and your use of resources, such as water in areas where water may be scarce. 

9. Determine any health issues/claims related to the product you are making, whether negative or positive. Suggest the strategy your company will use to mitigate any negative issues and to ensure any positive claims are true.

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Paper Instructions:

Kelly and Karla were roommates at Lynn University and graduated last May. While on a post-graduation celebration trip to Costa Rica, the two women began exploring the idea of opening a restaurant on South Beach in Miami, Florida. Neither has any previous experience in starting or operating a restaurant, but both have extensive connections in the Miami-Dade area because of the many friends they made while attending Lynn. They intend to attract health-minded, college-age students to their new restaurant, The SoBe Health Hut. Kelly and Karla agree that each will invest equally in terms of time and money. However, in addition to these equal contributions, another $100,000 is essential for the restaurant to succeed.

Explain the key elements of – and the differences between -- a sole proprietorship, a general partnership, a limited liability partnership, and a corporation. (65%)
What type of the above four business entities is best suited for The SoBe Health Hut and why? In your answer, explain who will manage the store and what personal liabilities will Kelly and Karla face and why? (35%)
You shall be graded on your complete and proper explanations, research and language usage, all as noted below. The report must be no more than 1,000 words and is to be submitted in typed, double-spaced form. A report that does not follow this form will be deducted per the grading rubric.

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Paper Instructions:

In an essay format, answer the following question with supporting resources:

What is the Accountable Care Act requirement for business insurance coverage for employees?  

Given the requirements of self-insured health insurance plans, under what conditions would you expect a small employer to become self-insured? 

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Paper Instructions:

Text book "Comparative International Management Second Edition" 
Read the "country-of-origin effect on MNCs" in your textbook on page 357-359.
Read the entire chapter 12, except for the case on China Southern Airlines. 
Explain in detail the country-of-origin effect on each airline (except for China Southern). Specifically, show which actions, behavior, or policies of each airlines (i.e., KLM, Southwest Airlines, and Lufthansa) clearly reflect influences of their home countries (i.e. where the airlines "grew up"). 
Please write a few sentences or a paragraph explaining each country-of-origin effect stated in a case. In other words, avoid fine details and excessively long explanations, but at the same time, do not just provide a list or a table.  
Please make sure you identify every country-of-origin effect on all the three airlines. Note that you do not need to look into the other airlines mentioned in the cases, such as Aeroflot, Alitalia, Air France, British Airways, etc. Only focus on KLM, Southwest, and Lufthansa.

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Paper Instructions:

For Assignment 2, you will compare accounting principles for private and public companies. As you may have discovered as you’ve reviewed the materials for this course, most of what is learned in accounting courses focuses on public companies, not private ones. GAAP, as you have also learned from your studies, may be followed by private companies, but it is only required to be used by publicly traded companies. FASB, of course, is designated by the SEC to establish and improve GAAP, so their focus is primarily on publicly traded companies. 

FASB has also recognized the importance and potential impact of private company financial statements. According to Forbes, out of the 5.7 million firms with employees in the United States, less than 1 percent have shares listed on a U.S. exchange. Although we tend to think of private companies as small companies, the reality is quite the opposite, with private firms accounting for 86.4 percent of U.S. firms with 500 or more employees. 

In recognition of the growing importance and impact of private companies, FASB has come up with a useful publication – Private Company Decision-Making Framework, A Guide for Evaluating Financial Accounting and Reporting for Private Companies. You can access this document by clicking here. 

In this guide, FASB identifies the following five Significant Differential Factors:

    Number of primary users and their access to management
    Investment strategies of primary users
    Ownership and capital structure
    Accounting resources
    Learning about new financial reporting guidance 

For Assignment 2, write a 2-to-4 page paper in which you: 

    Select two of the Differential Factors that interest you, and briefly explain why.
    In your own words, explain the Factor and why it is different from a publicly traded company.
    Identify the accounting risks associated with each of your chosen Factors. What would you recommend to minimize those risks?
    Based on what you have learned this quarter, what components of the Balance Sheet have the most potential to be impacted by the Differential Factors you have chosen? Identify both positive and negative potential impacts.
    This course requires use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

    Evaluate the liabilities portion of a balance sheet, including current liabilities, contingencies, and long-term liabilities.
    Assess GAAP, IFRS, and how to research utilizing the FASB Accounting Standards Codification

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