Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

Growth and the Need for Job Analysis

When large companies get larger, it sometimes raises unexpected issues. When that growth takes place by acquisition and merger, the consequences can be historic, or historically funny. Let’s say you work for Company X, a Fortune 500 company with sales of $450 million a year and 20,000 employees. In the space of less than a year, through a series of interesting events, your company acquires Company Y ($110 million in sales, 8,000 employees), Company Z ($150 million in sales, 4,000 employees) and Company B ($450 million in sales, 17,000 employees). So now you have a company with $1.16 billion in sales and 49,000 employees. It operates world-wide, in all kinds of product and service markets. All HR functions are run separately, but that is going to change. A new Corporate Vice President of Human Resources has been hired (formerly a consultant to Company B). He has convinced the Board of Directors that the Company should start to create standard corporate approaches to the various HR functions. Like most Boards, the Board here is concerned with spending money, so they decide to move the whole company to one salary structure. Currently, there are 17 distinct compensation systems among the four divisions, supported by what seems to be a million different job analysis programs. Think about how you are going to get that down to one job analysis process to set up one salary structure encompassing all 49,000 employees located everywhere from Miami to Timbuktu.

A pyramid with the following sections  from bottom to top - Enterprise Resource Planning, Operational Process and Procedures, Business Functions and Customer.

Most organizations need a professional HR department that seeks the best for both the employees and management. This is a particularly thorny issue for organizations -- in part, because most organizations follow a hierarchical structure. Acting as an "intermediary" requires that the HR department have the ability to act outside the scope of where it may fit in the hierarchy. Based on what we have covered so far in this course and information you have from experience and other coursework, I would like to explore this topic in more depth. What does an organization need to do to ensure an effective HR department? What can the HR department do to ensure its effectiveness? And what role do employees play in helping to achieve this goal? Be sure to support your responses with appropriate material from the text as well as outside readings and through web site research.

Please be sure to respond to the initial question in a way so as to assess and evaluate it, or relate to it, 

Dessler, G. (2013). Human Resource Management (10th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, United States of America: Pearson

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

Using the article Racial Equity in Parks and Recreation, as well as course
textbooks (Race, Riot, and Roller Coasters)  and concepts, design a five point plan (recommendations) for Parks and Recreation management to address patron equity and accessibility improvements for the department. Create a plan, timeline, measurables, and proposed result.

Must include an intro and conclusion as well. Use textbook terminology and at least two (2) citations per response, APA formatting, to support your ideas and concepts.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

Book Review - Managing the Millennials
The Book Review will be a maximum of four pages and a minimum of three and follow APA or MLA standards. The book review is on the Managing the Millennials, by C. Espinoza, M. Ukleja, and C. Rusch. The review should provide background on the author(s), the underlying thesis of the book, and a review of the key concepts presented in the writing and how the assigned reading is or is not supported by Organizational Theory reviewed in the course. 
The purpose of the review is to critically evaluate the text, not just inform the readers about it. Leave plenty of room for your evaluation by ensuring that your summary is brief. Determine what kind of balance to strike between your summary information and your evaluation. Consider the following: How will leadership be challenged if core competencies are considered problematic?  What is the challenge to motivation theory based on Millennials attributes and temperament?  Will the current structure of organizations remain viable or will change be needed?
In addition, you should evaluate the importance of the reading to your learning and personal development.
You need to be familiar with the book...

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

Who will benefit and who will be hurt, at least in the short run?1.The development of a cheap source of energy that was virtually unlimited, yet small enough to fit in a pocket
2.The development of a "transporter," similar to the one used on "Star Trek," that could ship both goods and people across the street or around the world cheaply and instantaneously
3.The development of special memory chips that could be implanted in the human brain, designed to impart specific skills and knowledge without the need to "learn" in the standard way
4.The development of an easily accessible information source, available virtually free simultaneously to anyone in the world, that allows both information dissemination and simultaneous communication with anyone who had the proper equipment (WAIT—that one is already taking shape on the Internet! How will it change our future?)

•Using no more than 200 words per question, complete the above questions

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

1.) Discussion Question:
Discussion Topic: Business Level Strategy 

        
Visit the websites of two luxury car makers:  •Lincoln at http://lincoln.com
•BMW at http://www.bmwusa.com

These two automotive giants compete in the same strategic group. Browse each website and search for each company's business-level strategy. 

How are the luxury car competitors’ strategies similar? In what manner are they different? Which company has the competitive advantage and why? 

I will send both student responses for you to rely to as well next wed/thursday as usual


2.)Main Assignment

Case Study Analysis PowerPoint (PPT) Presentation:
Please see the attached Powerpoint Template and assignment Rubric

Case Study Analysis PowerPoint (PPT) Presentation:


Prepare a case study analysis on Case 3: “The Apollo Group, Inc. [University of Phoenix]” found in the Cases section of your digital textbook.

Closely follow the PowerPoint Template by clicking on the hyperlink. Please utilize this template to help you complete this Assignment. 

Focus upon the idea of conducting a case study analysis with respect to The Apollo Group’s multi-business strategy using one of the three portfolio approaches to move the company competitively forward. Explain why a business might choose a low cost, differentiation, or speed-based strategy.

Use titles and subtitles per slide for each guidelines element. Please include the SWOT analysis with the four quadrants on the SWOT diagram slide. You can find the Case Study SWOT analysis template in Doc Sharing for reference.

Assignment Checklist:

•Describe and illustrate one of the three portfolio approaches. 
•Explain why a business would choose a low cost, differentiation, or speed-based strategy. 
•Conduct a strategic analysis and choice for a multi-business company. 

The PowerPoint template for this Assignment can also be found in Doc Sharing. For extra help on using this template, watch the Assignment video by clicking on the Presentation icon.

For general PowerPoint tutorials, click on the Tutorial icon.

In this Assignment that focuses upon the idea of conducting a case study analysis with respect to multi-business strategy using one of the three portfolio approaches to move the company competitively forward , you will engage in developing the following professional competency: 

•Leadership with respect to knowing how to use software for job to support business analysis and operations

For additional Assignment details see Rubric below.

You will need to refer to the Case Study:

Prepare a case study analysis on Case 3: “The Apollo Group, Inc. [University of Phoenix]” found in the Cases section of your digital textbook.

Title: Strategic Management: Planning for Domestic & Global Competition (13th ed.) 

Author(s): John A. Pearce, II, Villanova University and Richard B. Robinson, Jr., University of South Carolina 

Physical Text ISBN: 0078029295

Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Digital Book or Physical Text: Digital Book

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

Communication is a key factor in a global environment.
Identify a current communication issue in your area of study. Suggest and evaluate the most effective solutions to address this issue.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

Respond to the following with a minimum of 400 words not including references. 

Perform an Internet search to find the results of at least one economic impact study conducted for a sport event,  facility, team, or city. Please read all current initial postings before creating your initial post to ensure you are selecting a study which has not been posted about yet. Please do your best to avoid duplicate postings by selecting a study for an event, team, facility, or city which has not been conducted yet. Then answer the following questions.

Who conducted the study?

How was the study conducted?

What were the key findings and conclusions of the study?

What alternative conclusions exist?

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

1. What is the primary reason Professional Sports Partners won the NCAA’s business, and what is one of the key ways the NCAA judges the success of an event in a city?

FINANCE
2. What are some of the reasons the Golden State Warriors’ value increased nearly fourfold in just over six years?

IN-DEPTH
3. What are the areas of separation we see in the early virtual reality market, and why is the virtual reality space not considered to be competitive yet?

4. According to a panel of virtual reality executives, what are some of the main challenges facing virtual reality? 

LEAGUES AND GOVERNING BODIES
5. How many of the WNBA’s original teams still remain? What were some of the league’s original sponsors?

6. According to sports lawyer Ian Smith, what are the four most serious corruption problems in e-sports, and who has signed on to join his new e-sports industry association?

7. What is the Play Ball initiative, and how will Little League leverage Major League Baseball’s activities for Play Ball Weekend?

8. How many WNBA balls did Spalding sell around the league’s first season, and what was the original WNBA logo?

MARKETING AND SPONSORSHIPS 
9. What type of investment has Axalta seen from NASCAR and what type of opportunity do they see in their recent Daytona deal?

OLYMPICS
10. What will be some of the job responsibilities for Sarah Wilhelmi in her new role at Team USA, and why was it so critical this job be created now?

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

Think of yourself as a marketer who is responsible for developing a marketing campaign for your company.  You are considering using dangerous sports such as extreme fighting or mixed martial arts in this campaign.  Your manager is concerned that using dangerous sports may alienate some customers.  Explain the pros and cons of using dangerous sports in the marketing campaign.  State whether or not you will use dangerous sports in the campaign and defend your answer.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

Legal Risk Incorporating the issues of discipline, separation and conflict

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

Your job as a Learning Team is to choose a company you are familiar with or a company where a team member currently works, and develop a new IT-related project which is based on implementing a new customer database.  
Select your company and project, selecting an idea to which:
You can apply a business process management methodology.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:

CAREER CONNECTION: Social Media and Your Personal Brand

Imagine you are looking for a position in your future career. You know it is important to have your personal brand on social media.  Career Services discusses the use of social media sites such as LinkedIn™ to create your personal brand and market your skills and education. 
You analyze the use of social media sites like LinkedIn™ to create your personal brand.
Create a 12- to 16-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® including detailed speaker notes in which you translate the critical details of your future story into a Personal Brand Plan that you will present to a future employer. First define who you are, what you do, and what your strengths are. Are you the first person people turn to when they need a deadline met? Can you fix a line of software code in your sleep? Are you trustworthy and discreet? Are you cool under pressure? It's more than just making a laundry list; you brand yourself when you livethose values. If you're the best computer programmer, admin assistant, or marketing guru in your network and everyone knows it, employers will start flocking to you instead of the other way around. Include the following in your presentation: 
Note: Be prepare to present your PowerPoint in class (In-class presentation worths 5 points).
Your name, email address, and a picture
Your education (remember this is AFTER graduation)
Software skills
Who you serve
What you do
What your strengths are