COMPANY REPORT:BASF Chemichals

Stockbrokers and investment banks employ large numbers of analysts whose job it is to evaluate companies performance and prospects. Their reports help these financial intermediaries and their investors to make decisions about whether to loan money to a company or to buy or sell its shares

A good analysts report will present a coherent and forcefully argued picture of the companys prospects. This involves, among other things, reviewing how it has been performing in the last few years, assessing the effectiveness of its organization and leadership, considering how the companys strategy positions it with respect to its competitors, and detecting changes in technology, markets and other factors that are likely to affect the company in the future.

A good analysts report should also be concise and clearly expressed because the people who will read it are very busy.

Unlike the usual analysts report, your report should be carefully documented. The sources for each paragraph in your report should be indicated.

This is to be an Evidence-Based Report of the Research on
"Does a strong sense of external community correlate with exceptional company performance?"

Directions are: The purpose of the assignment is to provide the opportunity to enhance skills as a reflective HROD professional by conducting a thorough literature review and critically reflecting on what is learned about a topic within HROD. Take an "evidence-based approach." Review the evidence and literature to identify and synthesize relevant information to formulate the best approach for that HROD area/practice. Determine according to the study and be able to evaluate what works and what does not according to research-based evidence and/or theory.


There are faxes for this order.

The questions below are based on the Harrison Case study. I can upload this information if its easier for you to view. I would need this single spaced as well.

QUESTION 1 ? Implications of Integrated Business Processes (LOCATED AT END OF CASE ANALYSIS)
Strategy Definition


Provides integrative and detailed description of an overall strategy tied to assumptions. Strategic direction is clearly and adequately defended. Case for the ability to finance the strategy has been made.
Operational Considerations
Convincingly links all relevant functional areas to strategy. Explains functions in detail to support a credible strategy.

QUESTION 3 ? Synthesizing/Analyzing Information
Probability of Success ?
Marketing
? Sales Forecast
? 4 Ps (Product, Price, Place, & Promotion)
? Integration with Other Functional Areas Functional plan contains logical and detailed elements that connect to other operational areas or strategies. High probability of success exists.
Probability of Success ?
Finance
? Ratios
? Implications
? Constraints & Options
? Effects on Other Areas Functional plan contains logical and detailed elements that connect to other operational areas or strategies. High probability of success exists.
Probability of Success ?
Logistics and Operations
? Supply Chain Changes
? Store Operating Changes
? Integration with Other Functional Areas Functional plan contains logical and detailed elements that connect to other operational areas or strategies. High probability of success exists.

QUESTION 4 ? Identifying Industry and Global Trends
Identifies Trends Identifies at least two industry trends and two global trends in sufficient detail. Trends are reasonable and clearly related to the company?s current situation.
Effect on Strategy Provides sound and well-reasoned arguments for specific effects of relevant trends on strategy. Does not overstate potential trend effects.

QUESTION 5 ? Leadership and Group Dynamics
Leadership Actions Identifies two or more appropriate leadership actions and provides convincing justification for why they will contribute to the success of operating and strategic initiatives. Actions are linked to specific leadership theories.
Awareness of Group Dynamics Identifies at least two challenges faced by the group and clearly describes techniques to overcome them in detail. Provides a reasonable and practical application of a variety of organization behavior theories.

Case Study guideline
You are the new president of Harrison Company, taking over in the late spring of the current year and tasked with improving the performance of the company. Several actions that should not be part of your strategy include: your resignation, the sale of the business, mergers/acquisitions, filing for bankruptcy, or any other action that would prevent you from running the company, as is, over the next five-year strategic planning period.


The Harrison Company Case
General Information

The Harrison Company, a public company headquartered in State College, PA is facing a time of crisis. (See Attachment 1 for financial statements.) The company is a mid-sized regional retailer. It has 80 stores in seven states, primarily in the Northeast. It also owns two equally-sized distribution centers, one in Pennsylvania and one in Massachusetts. All of its stores are in rural areas and generate exactly $600,000 per store in sales per year (to simplify the case). As shown in the attached financial statements, sales and profits have been dropping over the last three-year period. You have been brought in as president to move the company in a new and better direction. The previous president has just retired at age 70, is no longer on the board of directors, and has broken all contacts within the company.
Although your predecessor did not see the need to employ an explicit strategy for running the business, competition from retail chains, such as Wal-Mart and Dollar General, has become more intense. In the past, your company has been somewhat shielded from competition by its stores? rural locations. Now there is a Wal-Mart store within 10 miles, on average, of each of your stores. Your eight home office employees have not developed advanced business skills. For example, your marketing manager does not prepare either store or company-level sales forecasts.
As you look at the company situation, there does not appear to be an obvious choice between a low-cost strategy (such as that followed by Wal-Mart) and a differentiation strategy (such as that followed by Nordstrom). Next year?s plans, which you can alter, call for the purchase or construction of eight new stores, as well as the renovation of the Pennsylvania distribution center. Planned new store locations include three stores in West Virginia, two stores in Rhode Island, two in Vermont, and one in New York. The board wants to know if you agree with this specific action plan. There have been no store openings, closings, or changes to the distribution centers last year or this year.
There are several immediate concerns that face you upon taking over as president. One of your store managers, who has recently been fired, has gone to the press with accusations that your company has been buying very inexpensive clothing from a Honduran company whose employees face slave-like conditions. He claims that the main reason for his being fired was that he insisted on raising this issue with top management. There seems to be no documentation within the company related to this issue.
As with many of your competitors, you find that the company is actively discouraging the entry of unions into your company. Although this seems to be taking place primarily by store managers, it would seem reasonable that company headquarter personnel are directing this effort. This resistance, bordering on being illegal, seems to be driven by the company?s culture.
Harrison Company has traditionally supported a local charity near the company headquarters, which is the favorite charity of the previous president. Over the past several years, substantial contributions have been approximately $1,000,000 a year. The company has also supported a wide variety of other community endeavors in the general locale of some of the stores, such as sponsoring little league baseball teams. The total support for these other organizations has been roughly $25,000 per year in total. You wonder if these donations can be maintained, given the company?s current financial condition. If cutbacks are necessary, how much should they be and how should they be phased in?

Locations and Logistics
Locations and Logistics
When you examine the company?s store locations and distribution network, you find that that there are 16 stores in Massachusetts, 12 in Connecticut, 10 in Maine, 10 in Vermont, 10 in New York (four of those in Western New York), eight in Pennsylvania (six of those in Western Pennsylvania), four in New Hampshire, four in Rhode Island, three in West Virginia, two in western Maryland, and one in New Brunswick, Canada. (See Attachment 2 for a map of distribution centers and store locations.) All stores are the same size and carry the same merchandise. Your company owns all of its own trucks (nine) and makes all deliveries directly from the distribution centers to the stores. Distribution (including trucking) expenses have been steady at 8% of cost of goods sold, except for the last 10 months. During these months, distribution expenses have been approximately 9% of the cost of goods sold, due primarily to a spike in fuel costs.
Fifteen percent of the stores account for 20% of annual profits. The Pennsylvania distribution center serves the 10 stores in New York, the eight stores in Pennsylvania, the three in West Virginia and the two in western Maryland. Depending upon specific needs, the Pennsylvania distribution also serves the 10 stores in Vermont and/or seven stores in western Massachusetts. As can be seen from the map, both distribution centers serve some stores that are more than 250 miles away. A constraint of this case is that no drop-shipments directly to the stores are allowed.
Merchandise orders from the stores are received on a daily basis and trucks make deliveries to the stores once a week. This is done weekly in order to fill up each truck (partially-full trucks are discouraged). Because of different store merchandise needs, trucks are not permanently assigned to selected stores. Distribution centers receive merchandise from suppliers on one side of the center, place them in inventory, and ship from the other side of the center. Inventory is stored with the large size items closest to the bays for shipping to the stores. Shipments from individual suppliers are received once every two to four weeks. You accept no partial contract deliveries from suppliers. Emergency quick-delivery contracts are frequently made when multiple stores report stock-outs. No inter-store transfers are made. Forty percent of your suppliers are located in eastern Canada, 40% from developing countries, and the balance from the United States, east of the Mississippi River. You have approximately 500 suppliers.

Marketing and Store Characteristics
Your marketing people have described their strategy as a push strategy with heavy advertising to create customer demand. Seventy-five percent of your sales occur during the summer vacation months (June through August) and the Christmas holiday season (late November and December). Advertising consists of 50% local television spots and 25% sponsorship of local events, such as concerts, which attract a significant number of tourists. The remaining 25% of marketing cost relates to discount coupons placed in motels, restaurants, and other locations such as nearby ski resorts. Due to deteriorating financial conditions, normal store maintenance has been significantly reduced. The company has recently developed an on-line store which accounts for 0.05% of sales.
Store designs are quaint and are modeled on a rural local corner store theme. Each store is 2,800 square feet in total area. The industry average is $400 sales/per square foot per year. Approximately 20% of each store?s total floor space is devoted to a back-room area for inventory storage and an employee break area. Harrison calculates its sales per square feet using front end space only (not the inventory area). Fifty percent of the merchandise could be categorized as a combination of country style and new age high-end products. Employees dress ?country-style? or ?hippie-style? to support this atmosphere. This half of the store?s merchandise includes such things as candles, paintings, incense, jewelry, music CDs, and country-style furniture (e.g., oak rocking chairs, bed headboards, and cabinets). Premium pricing for this merchandise is the norm. The other 50% of store merchandise consists of consumer non-durables (convenience items), targeted primarily to the local community. These items are moderately priced and include a wide range of items from soap to cookies to laundry detergent to clothes. These items must be sold at competitive prices. All products are marketed as high-quality items. Country/new age items are claimed to be produced by small ?home? or local producers despite the fact that they are produced in moderate volumes by small producers from a variety of places and shipped exclusively from the two distribution centers. Merchandise production identifiers, such as ?made in China? are covered over where possible. Most of the stores are located in the downtown area of the small rural towns.
Each store currently operates from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. Stores are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas day, and New Year?s Day.

Finance and Store Operations
Your finance people have provided you with only basic financial information as shown as Attachment 1. You are on a calendar year and the last year?s financial statements, the most recent, have been issued in April of this year. The financial needs to support your company?s current operations and the implementation of your new strategy must be assessed. Unfortunately your financial people do not have the skills to prepare these and other important analyses. For example, you would like to see an assessment of the profitability and efficiency of company operations. There will most likely be other financial information that you will need to effectively manage the company. Inventory turns might be just one of many pieces of useful information. There is much to do.
Currently the company is paying suppliers on more than a sixty-day average, despite the fact that suppliers have contracted for a thirty-day payment. Even on late payments your company is still taking supplier prompt payment discounts. Your suppliers have little control over this situation because they are relatively small compared with your company. In fact, the delay in payments has recently caused one very small supplier to go out of business. The company continues to put pricing pressure on suppliers. None of your long-term debt repayments were due in the last three years or are due within the next two years.
Attachment 1 shows a line item called ?Operating Expenses.? These are expenses related to operating the stores, such as payroll or electricity. The separate line item called ?General and Administrative? reflects similar expenses, but only for the company headquarters. Notice that this detail is available only for Harrison Company. Information for the largest competitor and the industry average capture this information only at a summary level called ?Operating, General, Selling, & Administration? (as shown in Attachment 1).
Store managers receive salaries of $35,000 including benefits. Your eight home office employees average $70,000 per year including benefits. Your salary is $150,000 per year including benefits. The previous president made $200,000. Annual salaries are for a base of 2,000 hours worked. The warehouses operate less than five days per week. Each store is staffed at 6,500 hours per year including store managers? base work-load. No overtime is paid to salaried employees. Part-time workers are heavily relied upon, most making the minimum wage.

Industry and General Conditions
The recession has significantly affected your industry in the last eight months. Some of the low-cost companies, such as Wal-Mart, have actually seen revenues increase an average of 7% per month over the prior year?s same monthly sales. Boutique and high-end stores have held steady. The industry as a whole (USA) is down 4% from the prior year?s comparable monthly sales. Consumers have become more price-sensitive, although some retailers have maintained customer loyalty.
You have received an industry and general economic forecast from a trusted consulting firm. The following information has been included in their report:

Consultant?s Report ? Current Industry Position
The industry is experiencing significant consolidation and many companies are facing financial pressures. This current trend may be particularly significant since consolidation began to increase before the recession. Normal consolidation results in highly leveraged positions, since debt is a major source of acquisitions. Consolidation has taken place as companies strive to achieve economies of scale and expand geographic coverage. Several of the larger companies are in the process of developing a global presence in their placement of stores. The large majority of companies in the industry rely on merchandise from developing countries, due to price benefits from low labor costs. The union movement in the USA is strengthening, but only slightly.

Consultant?s Forecast ? Three Year Projection
Diesel fuel costs will increase steadily to about $4.80 per gallon in three years, and then drop by about 10%. Heating and electrical costs will continue to rise steadily at about 15% per year. Inflation, which had been fairly insignificant for many years, will increase to about 9% within three years. Unemployment will peak at 11% in two years and decrease very slowly after that. Despite inflationary pressures, the Fed will maintain a relatively low Fed Fund Rate of 2-4% starting this year. This will be an attempt to support the economy and to help it to expand. This will also most likely affect exchange rates. The recession will continue to be more severe and the government more proactive in the United States than in other countries. Many economists are uncertain about inflation and unemployment relationships because of the massive amount of money that has been spent by the federal government on stimulus packages.

Your reaction to the report
As with most consultant reports, this report provides only a starting point for strategic development. You are struggling to determine what to believe and how it would affect not only operations, but more importantly the strategy that you are developing. One of your biggest challenges is to determine what aspects of the report to communicate and to whom. On the one hand, many people do not have the expertise to make much use of this information. Yet, withholding information may have a negative effect on morale.

Company Culture and Internal Considerations
During your interview with the seven member board of directors, you received the impression that there was still a great deal of loyalty to the previous president and his past decisions. The board appeared to be quite conservative. Three directors were focused only upon company performance. It is no coincidence that these three directors own 65% of the company stock. Although sales and profitability are often correlated, you had the impression from the board that profitability is a strong priority, both in the short and long run. Presently, the company has only one class of common stock (voting). Three of the other directors are CEOs from companies in other industries.
Having met with your home office personnel, both collectively and individually, you have become somewhat concerned. None of the team members demonstrate leadership ability. They seem to be ?yes? people. When asked direct questions about their areas of expertise, none are able to give a coherent or concise answer. They do not seem to have an understanding of either the big picture or specific details in their area. There is commonly a great deal of silence when you ask questions during meetings.
A different consulting company had been hired the previous year to assess the morale of people at the company headquarters. This consultant?s report had been based upon anonymous individual meetings and the results seem to have been quite direct and blunt. Conclusions included:
1) There was significant infighting between people.
2) There was no accountability for decisions and, in fact, actual clear decisions were rare.
3) There were many examples of passive-aggressive behavior.
4) Six of the eight people said that they would not recommend the company as a place to work.
5) Employees felt that the company was in financial difficulty and moving in the wrong direction. Most felt insecure about their jobs.
You have no information about the morale of the stores? workforce or store managers. You have decided that you must tour several stores in order to assess morale and see the overall conditions of the stores. Until you have time to do this, you must make assumptions about store morale.



The Harrison Company Case Questions and Tasks

Rubric Question #3 ? Synthesizing/Analyzing: None of your functional managers have adequate expertise and you must develop the analyses that you need to make both functional and strategic decisions. Provide a detailed analysis of the three functional areas listed below. Provide a brief conclusion for each. (Learning Goals #1 and #3)
a. Marketing: Prepare a five-year sales forecast for the company. List and explain/quantify each factor that went into your forecast (e.g., past three year company sales trends). Do not rely solely upon past sales trends. Make this a high level forecast and include broad items that would affect strategy. Show your calculations in a table and, if needed, explain your calculations so they are clear. Analyze your marketing efforts in terms of product, price, place, and promotion. Be specific for each of the four items and pay particular attention to the strategic implications of your pricing plan and product mix. What might be some of the financial, logistical, and strategic implications of your marketing plan?
b. Finance: Prepare financial analyses using data from the financial statements (Attachment 1). Use specific ratios or other measures to assess the financial strengths and weaknesses of your company using appropriate baseline comparisons. Provide this in table form. Provide the formula for each item used. Address any other issues in the case that might affect the current financial position. Be sure to address Liquidity, Safety (e. g., leverage), Profitability, and Efficiency ratios. What is your overall financial position and how should it be handled? If needed, what is an appropriate way to finance your strategy and what funding constraints might affect your strategy? Explain. Describe the specific financial linkages and effects on marketing, logistics, and strategic initiatives.
c. Logistics and Operations: Discuss supply chain issues and possible areas for improvement. Desired improvements should be stated specifically. The logistics areas should address all parts of the supply chain which may or may not be limited to the following six items:
i. Supplier transportation to Harrison?s distribution centers
ii. Storage (inventory) at the distribution centers
iii. Transportation from the distribution centers to the stores
iv. Storage (inventory) in the stores
v. Information needs, covering all the above items including merchandise purchasing and store re-ordering
Item iii is one of the most important, strategically. Given your strategy, you will increase the number of stores (expansion strategy), decrease them (retrenchment strategy), or keep them the same (holding strategy). Although you do not need to draw a map (see Attachment 2), you should identify the number of stores affected by location in a table. Changes in distribution centers, if any, should also be outlined in this table. You will address these issues further when you discuss your strategy (Rubric #1).
In terms of store operating expenses, there are several things to consider. Are the stores the right size? Constraints of the case are that you own all of your stores and you cannot lease (you may only purchase) new stores. You cannot relocate to a different store in the same town.
Prepare an additional operating analysis which outlines the planned employee load schedule for a store. Provide this in table form and clearly explain your calculations. For example, you might state that all Saturdays throughout the year should be staffed by two employees. Your analysis should reflect the number of hours available per store. How might sale forecasts be important for making these logistical and operating decisions? What might be some financial implications for the company?

Rubric Question # 4 ? Identifying industry and global trends: What specific industry and global trends might have the greatest potential to affect your company and its business strategy? What would be the specific effects or constraints on your strategy? What other industry and global trends are worth watching? Why? (Learning Goal #4) List the industry and global trends separately.

Rubric Question #5 ? Leadership and Group Dynamics:
a. What specific leadership actions and behaviors must you take to stabilize the company and allow you to achieve success for one of your specific key aspects of strategy (as described in your answer to Learning Goal 1 below)? How will you interact with and demonstrate leadership skills in dealing with the board of directors? Make sure to link your leadership actions directly to your strategic initiative. In answering this, you should address specific leadership theories. For example, what are the commonly identified types of power and which ones will you use as part of your leadership style?
b. You believe the consultant?s report about home office morale. Discuss how you would address infighting, unnecessary arguments, and the quiet resistance between home office personnel. Specifically identify the organizational behavioral aspects of this problem using existing theories. For example, list generally accepted concepts for dealing with conflict and identify which ones you will use. Another example is that if you suggest ?better communication? as a behavior to be developed, then be more specific. How, specifically, would you work to change individual and group behaviors? How long will it take to facilitate these changes in behavior? What will you do if the identified actions that you just described are resisted by one individual? (Learning Goal #5)

Rubric Question #1 ? Implications of Integrated Business Processes: Will you develop an offensive strategy or defensive strategy and why? What will be the specific key aspects of your strategy? Describe how each of the functional areas will be part of your strategic plan. How do these functional plans fit together and influence each other in support of your business strategy? What generic strategy (i.e., low cost or differentiation) will you adopt as the new head of Harrison Company? Explain. Provide an overview of the aspects of your business strategy that will support your generic strategy. Will your store decisions reflect a retrenchment strategy, a hold strategy, or an expansion strategy? How long and to what degree can your generic strategy be implemented over the future five-year period? Because this is an outline of your strategy, it should restate specific conclusions from your previous analysis. Do not downplay the importance of this section. (Learning Goal #1)
ATTACHMENT 1 ? HARRISON COMPANY CASE FINANCIAL
AND COMPETITOR/INDUSTRY INFORMATION


INCOME
STATEMENTS Harrison
Last Year Harrison
Percent of Sales Harrison
2 Years Ago Harrison
Percent of Sales Harrison
3 years
Ago Harrison
Percent of Sales Global Market Leader Global
Market
Leader Industry
Average
$Million $Million $Million $Million
Revenue 48.127 100.0% 48.992 100.0% 52.102 100.0% 348,650 100.0% $25.00
Cost of Goods Sold 38.453 79.9% 39.292 80.2% 41.786 80.2% 265,152 76.1% 80.0%
Gross Profit 9.674 20.1% 9.700 19.8% 10.316 19.8% 83,498 23.9% 20.0%
Operating Expense 7.893 16.4% 8.132 16.6% 7.659 14.7% xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx
General & Administrative 1.059 2.2% .686 1.4% .625 1.2% xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx
Marketing .193 0.4% .245 0.5% .313 0.6% xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx
Operating, Gen., Sell, & Admin. xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx 64,320 18.4% 15.0%
Interest Expense .385 0.8% .193 0.4% .312 0.6% 1,529 0.4% 1.6%
COGS and Total Expenses 47.983 99.7% 48.548
99.1% 50.695 97.3% 331,001 94.9% 96.6%
Net Income Before Taxes .144 0.3% .444 0.9% 1.407 2.7% 17,649 5.1% 3.4%
Taxes .048 0.1% .147 0.3% .469 0.9% 6,365 1.8% 0.9%
Net Income After Taxes .096 0.2% .297 0.6% .936 1.8% 11,284 3.3% 2.5%
BALANCE SHEETS $Million
% Total Assets $Million % Total Assets $Million % Total Assets $Million % Total Assets

Cash & Equivalents .288 1.0% .440 1.5% 2.421 7.9% 8,373 5.5% 1.7%
Receivables .548 1.9% .469 1.6% .429 1.4% 3,840 2.5% 2.2%
Inventory 7.694 26.7% 8.155 27.8% 8.582 28.0% 34,375 22.8% 24.6%
Total Current Assets 8.530 29.6% 9.064 30.9% 11.432 37.3% 46,588 30.8% 28.5%
Land, Stores, Equipment, Distribution Centers, & Trucks 20.289 70.4% 20.268 69.1% 19.216 62.7% 104,605 69.2% 71.5%

Total Assets 28.819 100.0% 29.332 100.0% 30.648 100.0% 151,193 100.0% $13.457


Accounts Payable 7.407 25.7% 6.921 23.6% 3.287 10.7% 28,371 18.8% 12.1%
Other Current Liabilities 5.043 17.5% 8.151 27.8% 6.554 21.4% 23,363 15.4% 10.1%
Total Current Liabilities 12.450 43.2% 15.072 51.4% 9.831 32.1% 51,734 34.2% 22.2%
Long Term Debt 4.813 16.7% 2.407 8.2% 3.900 12.7% 37,886 25.1% 39.3%
Stockholder's Equity 11.556 40.1% *11.853 40.4% 16.917 55.2% 61,573 40.7% 38.5%
Total Liabilities & Stockholder Equity 28.819 100.0% 29.332 100.0% 30.648 100.0% 151,193 100.0% $13.457

Year End
Stock Price $6.25 $10.00 $13.13
Dividends $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
*Equity withdrawal in ?2 years ago?

You are required to perform an in-depth, longitudinal analysis of The Ford Motor Group and the industry in which it operates and submit one report.

-The report should be type written, double-spaced, using 12-point size font, and should not exceed 25 pages (excluding cover page, tables, figures, appendices, references, and endnotes).

-The report should contain the following sections:
(1) A cover page
(2) Table of contents;
(3) Executive Summary of project;
(4) Company Background/History;
(5) Analysis section (including Environmental/Industry analysis, Competitor analysis, Company SWOT analysis, and Tracking/Discussion of company performance over time; at least 5 years);
(6) Important issues and problems faced by the company and reasonable solutions to these issues/problems; (including social responsibility)
(8) List of references;
(9) Exhibits (Tables and charts).


ITEMS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS PART (SECTION 5):

The Industry Environment
-A brief history of the industry (development stages)
Global/local market position (e.g., size of major markets, products, customers and end users, pricing structure). This is an introduction to the industry.

The company's external environment
-Identify and profile the major strategic groups (You may use size, market share, and other critical and relevant variables to identify viable strategic groups in the industry).
-Key success factors (What does it take to succeed in this industry, or in each strategic group? What can a company do to gain a competitive advantage? What does it take just to survive in this industry?).
-Identify and compare key strategies pursued by major players in the industry. You are also expected to discuss which strategy seems to be most successful in the industry, and why.

The Macro Environment
-Special strategic issues facing the industry (such as changes in governmental policies,
changes in demographics, globalization, etc.).

Competitor analysis- What are other companies currently doing
Company SWOT analysis- This table should be included as well as a written explanation
Tracking/Discussion of company performance over time; at least 5 years- financial outlook- also in include stock analysis if applicable


Company Analysis (Section 6):

Key Strategic Issue
-From your industry analysis and your competitive advantage analysis of the firm, identify a single major strategic issue facing the company (the best issues are typically either major problems to be solved, or major opportunities to take advantage of).

Alternatives
-Develop, in detail, two or three viable strategic alternatives. In each alternative you should:
show how it addresses the key strategic issue.
show the ability of the company to successfully pursue each alternative (from competitive advantage analysis, and financial analysis).
discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative.

Make sure you completely discuss all of the above for the first alternative, and then do the same for the second alternative. Do not jump back and forth between discussing each alternative.

Recommended Course of Action
-Select one alternative and discuss why this alternative was chosen over the other.

Implementation
-Discuss how the recommended course of action can be implemented and how the
disadvantages and risks of the chosen alternative can be minimized or handled

Company's Social Responsibility
-Explain the company's current position on being ethical and moral.



There are faxes for this order.

Each member will do research and write a case study of the company which should include, but not limited to, the following:

1. COMPANY BACKGROUND
- history; milestones/critical events; size; markets; market share; locations, etc.
- detailed description of business, products and services.

2. VISION & MISSION ?V can be explicitly stated or implied.

3. GOALS-OBJECTIVES-STRATEGIES
?V goals and strategies can be implied but not objectives.

4. BUSINESS MODEL
?V how does the company operate and make money?

5. COMPANY PERFORMANCE
?V financial and strategic
?V Company performance ?V include pro forma statements for the last 3 years and financial ratio analyses for the current year

6. MANAGEMENT CHARACTERISTICS
- background, philosophy & qualifications of Top Management Team.
- corporate culture and values.
- organization structure (chart form)

7. SWOT & Analysis of Core Competencies, Capabilities, and Competitive Advantage

8. MAJOR ISSUES / PROBLEMS
- Major strategic issues facing company (most current ones)
- explain cause and impact


*** You should NOT include your own recommendations in the case study.***

***All the graphs and charts should be in the Appendix. Do NOT put them in the text.***

Marketing planning for UK domain?s pizza

*The company is (UK domain?s pizza)

1.0 Task one include 430 words
1.2 Domino?s pizza Pestle analysis 100 words
In economic issues mention GDP
1.3 Domino?s pizza major competitors and suppliers in the Uk markt: 180 words
Competitive factors such as:
1.3.1 Can rivals easily enter or leave market?
1.3.2 How much power do buyers and suppliers have?
1.3.3 Are substitutes available for company?s products?
1.3.4 How will company achieve competitive advantage?
1.3.5 How might new trends affect competitive balance?
1.3.6 Gather and analyse data about the following competitors:
(1) Pizza hut 20 words
(2) Papa jons 20 words
(3) Mac 20 words
(4) KFC 20 words
1.4 Customer behaviour towards the company and company performance: 150 words
Here is some elements to discuss
Market size
Market profitability
Market growth trends
Main products in the market
Consumer attitudes and buying behaviours
Major competitors and market shares
Distribution patterns
Marketing strategies used in the market
*Please notice that it is important to include some charts and figures on company performance, sales and profit .


2.1 Task Two: Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning
*Word count for this section should be 700
You should understand marketing segmentation theory really well as this will provide you with the knowledge of identifying the company?s current market segments in terms of the segment variables used. Then you will be required to identify 3 segments not currently targeted by the company and justify to the company your reasons for their selection. Finally, you are required to develop appropriate positioning strategies for your 3 chosen segments.
The 3 segments that have been chosen must fit with the company internal and external factors(such as financial resources and so on

Referencing is Harvard referencing style
References should be more than 10
Thank you ???.

Overall word count is 1130 words

In late 1966, Rollin King, a San Antonio entrepreneur who owned a small commuter air service, marched into Herb Kellehers law office with a plan to start a low-cost/low fare airline that would shuttle passengers between San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston. Over the years, King had heard many Texas businessmen complain about the length of time it took to drive between the three cities and the expense of flying the airlines currently serving these cities. His business concept for the airline was simple: attract passengers by flying convenient schedules, get passengers to their destination on time, make sure they have a good experience, and charge fares competitive with travel by automobile. Kelleher, skeptical that Kings business ideal was viable, dug into the possibilities during the next few weeks and concluded a new airline was feasible; he agreed to handle the necessary legal work and also to invest $10,000 of his own funds in the venture.
In 1967, Kelleher filed papers to incorporate the new airline and submitted an application to the Texas Aeronautics Commission for the new company to begin serving Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. But rival airlines in Texas pulled every string they could to block the new airline from commencing operations, precipitating a contentious four-year parade of legal and regulatory proceedings. Herb Kelleher led the fight on the companys behalf, eventually prevailing in June 1971 after winning two appeals to the Texas Supreme Court and a favorable ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. Kelleher recalled, The constant proceedings had gradually come to enrage me. There was no merit to our competitors legal assertions. They were simply trying to use their superior economic power to squeeze us dry so we would collapse before we ever got into business. I was bound and determined to show that Southwest Airlines was going to survive and was going into operations.
In January 1971, Lamar Muse was brought in as the CEO to get operations under way. Muse was an aggressive and self-confident airline veteran who knew the business well and who had the entrepreneurial skills to tackle the challenges of building the airline from scratch and then competing head-on with the major carriers. Through private investors and an initial public offering of stock in June 1971, Muse raised $7 million in new capital to purchase planes and equipment and provide cash for start-up. Boeing agreed to supply three new 737s from its inventory, discounting its price from $5 million to $4 million and financing 90 percent of the $12 million deal.
Because the airline industry was in the throes of a slump in the early 1970s, Muse was able to recruit a talented senior staff that included a number of veteran executives from other carriers. He particularly sought out people who were innovative, wouldnt shirk from doing things differently or unconventionally, and were motivated by the challenge of building an airline from scratch. Muse wanted his executive team to be willing to think like mavericks and not be lulled into instituting practices at Southwest that were largely imitative of those at other airlines. According to Rollin King, It was our one opportunity to do it rightWe all understood that this was our opportunity to decide how to do it our way. Our philosophy was, and still is, we do whatever we have to do to get the job done.

Using the above information as a reference; use the below questions as heading, write an 8 page paper (not including graphs, charts, figures, or tables); double spaced, Times New Roman font (size 12), one inch margins on all sides, APA format, on the analysis of : Southwest Airlines
NOTE: All references need to be according to APA format

1. Discuss the corporate culture at Southwest Airlines and how it leverages its culture to achieve a competitive advantage.

2. Evaluate the companys financial performance by calculating and interpreting the profitability ratios (operating profit margin, net profit margin, return on total assets, and return on stockholders equity).

3. Describe the characteristics of companys culture and how it affects company performance.

4. Given the strategic decisions in the case, recommend actions that Southwests management should take to sustain/strengthen the culture (or implement a change) based on the situation given.

5. Given the strategic decisions in the case, identify three leadership actions that the company would need to consider to implement the decisions. Explain why these are critical to implementing the strategic decision.

Topic

It is argued that `employee development is a necessary component of a company's efforts to improve quality, to meet the challenges of global competition and social change and to incorporate technological advances and changes in work design' (De Cieri and Kramar 2005, p. 418). However, traditionally, employment development tended to focus on management-level employees and workers in the lower rank were often neglected. It is believed that `with the greater use of work teams and increased involvement of employees in all aspects of business, development is becoming ever more important for all employees' (De Cieri and Kramar 2005, p. 418).

Question

Critically analyze the links between employee training and development and company performance as described in the text and Study Guide. How should an employer devise and implement a training and development strategy? Should there be one strategy for all workers? Or, is there a requirement for diverse strategies for different types of employees?

To respond to this topic successfully, you need to acknowledge that a training and development strategy cannot be devised and managed in isolation. Therefore, in deciding on a strategy (or strategies) you may need to note the characteristics of the organization, such as market position, size, age and demographic features of its internal and external workforce that could impact on your decision making. You may consider other issues if appropriate; if so, give your reasons for including them.

-----------------------------------------------

Essay Structure
Your essay should cover the following topics:

Major Issues Critically Analyze

Is there a link/connection between employee training & development and company performance?

- The textbook states that employee development is a necessary component of a companys efforts to improve:

? Quality (Product or Service)
? Meet global competition
? Meet social change
? Incorporate technical advances and changes in work design

- Traditionally Employment Development focused on management-level employee neglecting those on in lower levels.

- If the above is true, how would an employer design and implement an employee training and development strategy and program?

? One strategy for all workers?
? Or different strategies for different type of workers?
(Defend your opinion by references)

- In analyzing the above issues you should take into account that development a Training and Development Strategy should consider the characteristics of the company such as:

? Its market position
? Its size
? Its age
? Demographic of its workforce
? Nature of industry and competition
? Product
? Technology
? And any other factors you think are important to include. Give reason for including them.

Conduct an analysis of Case 23 Southwest Airlines (c-401) and prepare a (3-4 page report). Students will address the following:

Discuss the corporate culture at Southwest Airlines and how it leverages its culture to achieve a competitive advantage.
Evaluate the companys financial performance by calculating and interpreting the profitability ratios. (operating profit margin, net profit margin, return on total assets, return on stockholders equity)
Describe the characteristics of companys culture and how you think it affects company performance.
Given the strategic decisions in the case, recommend actions that management should take to sustain/strengthen the culture (or implement a change), based on the situation given.
Given the strategic decisions in the case, identify three leadership actions that the company would need to be consider to implement the decisions. Explain why these are critical to implementing the strategic decision.
The assignment will be graded using the following rubric:
Outcomes Assessed
Formulate, implement, and evaluate strategies for exerting the internal leadership needed to drive the implementation of strategic initiatives and improve operating excellence.
Grading Rubric for Assignment # 5 ??" Corporate Culture/Leadership Actions for Strategy Implementation
Criteria
0
Unacceptable
20
Developing
30
Competent
40
Exemplary
1. Discuss the corporate culture at Southwest Airline and how it supports the strategy.
Does not attempt assignment, nor discusses the corporate culture and its impact on strategy.
The corporate culture elements were discussed and the related impact on strategy, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified.
The corporate culture elements were discussed and the related impact on strategy, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed.
The corporate culture elements were discussed and the impact to strategy with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.
2. Evaluates the financial performance by calculating and interpreting financial ratios.
Does not attempt assignment, nor evaluates the financial performance and its impact on strategy.
The financial performance ratios were calculated and interpreted, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified.
The financial performance ratios were calculated and interpreted, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed.
The financial performance ratios were calculated and interpreted with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.
3. Describe the elements of a companys corporate culture and how it impacts performance.
No elements were discussed.
One element was discussed.
Two elements were discussed.
Three elements were discussed.
4. Recommend how Southwest Airline can sustain/strengthen its culture.
Does not attempt assignment, nor discusses culture improvements and its impact on strategy.
The corporate culture improvement discussed and the related impact on strategy, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified.
The corporate culture improvement elements were discussed and the related impact on strategy, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed.
The corporate culture improvement elements were discussed and the impact to strategy with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.
5. Identify 3 leadership actions to be taken to implement the strategic decisions at Southwest.
No actions were discussed.
One action was discussed.
Two actions were discussed.
Three actions were discussed.
6. Clarity
Did not complete the assignment or explanations are unclear and not organized.
(Major issues)
Explanations generally unclear and not well organized.
(Many issues)
Explanations generally clear and/or organized. (Minor issues)
Explanations very clear and well organized.
(Added helpful details.)
7. Writing ??" Grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation, APA usage.
Did not complete the assignment or 8 or more different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Major issues)
6 - 7 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Many issues)
4 - 5 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Minor issues)
0 - 3 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage.






There are faxes for this order.

Conduct an analysis of Case 23 Southwest Airlines prepare a (3-4 page report). Students will address the following:
Discuss the corporate culture at Southwest Airlines and how it leverages its culture to achieve a competitive advantage.
Evaluate the companys financial performance by calculating and interpreting the profitability ratios. (operating profit margin, net profit margin, return on total assets, return on stockholders equity)
Describe the characteristics of companys culture and how you think it affects company performance.
Given the strategic decisions in the case, recommend actions that management should take to sustain/strengthen the culture (or implement a change), based on the situation given.
Given the strategic decisions in the case, identify three leadership actions that the company would need to be consider to implement the decisions. Explain why these are critical to implementing the strategic decision.
The assignment will be graded using the following rubric:
Outcomes Assessed
Formulate, implement, and evaluate strategies for exerting the internal leadership needed to drive the implementation of strategic initiatives and improve operating excellence.
Grading Rubric for Assignment # 5 ??" Corporate Culture/Leadership Actions for Strategy Implementation
Criteria
0
Unacceptable
20
Developing
30
Competent
40
Exemplary
1. Discuss the corporate culture at Southwest Airline and how it supports the strategy.
Does not attempt assignment, nor discusses the corporate culture and its impact on strategy.
The corporate culture elements were discussed and the related impact on strategy, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified.
The corporate culture elements were discussed and the related impact on strategy, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed.
The corporate culture elements were discussed and the impact to strategy with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.
2. Evaluates the financial performance by calculating and interpreting financial ratios.
Does not attempt assignment, nor evaluates the financial performance and its impact on strategy.
The financial performance ratios were calculated and interpreted, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified.
The financial performance ratios were calculated and interpreted, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed.
The financial performance ratios were calculated and interpreted with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.
3. Describe the elements of a companys corporate culture and how it impacts performance.
No elements were discussed.
One element was discussed.
Two elements were discussed.
Three elements were discussed.
4. Recommend how Southwest Airline can sustain/strengthen its culture.
Does not attempt assignment, nor discusses culture improvements and its impact on strategy.
The corporate culture improvement discussed and the related impact on strategy, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified.
The corporate culture improvement elements were discussed and the related impact on strategy, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed.
The corporate culture improvement elements were discussed and the impact to strategy with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.
5. Identify 3 leadership actions to be taken to implement the strategic decisions at Southwest.
No actions were discussed.
One action was discussed.
Two actions were discussed.
Three actions were discussed.
6. Clarity
Did not complete the assignment or explanations are unclear and not organized.
(Major issues)
Explanations generally unclear and not well organized.
(Many issues)
Explanations generally clear and/or organized. (Minor issues)
Explanations very clear and well organized.
(Added helpful details.)
7. Writing ??" Grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation, APA usage.
Did not complete the assignment or 8 or more different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Major issues)
6 - 7 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Many issues)
4 - 5 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Minor issues)
0 - 3 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage.






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subject: financial statements and systems

The assignment is to be completed in the form of a essay (maximum 2300 words

1. Critically analyse, with the help of detailed examples, the distinctive features of financial statements, accounting standards and reporting requirements of the following organisation types:

a) Sole traders (self-employed)

b) Limited Companies

c) Not-for-Profit Organisations

Highlight the main differences between the ways in which each organisation type reports its financial performance during and at the end of each financial year. Incorporate real business examples wherever possible. (30% - guideline 700 words)

2. Select one of the following Public companies Listed on the London Stock Exchange:

Electrocomponents plc

Greggs plc

Ted Baker plc

Sainsbury plc

Youngs Brewery plc

a) Carry out a financial analysis of your chosen company performance over the past three years. Illustrate your answer with example calculations of financial and non-financial ratios. Please attach a spreadsheet of your calculations as an Appendix. (60% - guideline 1300 words)

b) What are the limitations of interpreting year end accounts and why must you be cautious when drawing conclusions (10% - guideline 300 words)

In Module 2, you will continue with the scenario and simulation you began in the Module 1 SLP.

SCENARIO CONTINUATION

SLP2 ? It's New Year's Day 2016. You just had a great New Year's Eve celebration. You have finished analyzing the performance of Clipboard Tablet Co. in a great report that you turned in a few days early to Sally Smothers. Now you are ready to charge ahead into the future.

As you turn on the TV you notice something strange. The TV commentator is saying something about New Year's Day 2012. You look around and everything looks different. Yes, it's true; it's New Year's Day 2012. Time has rewound?you're in a time warp, like the guy in the movie Groundhog Day.

You realize that you get to make the decisions for Clipboard Tablet Co. starting in 2012. Perhaps you can do better than Joe Schmoe.

At the beginning of each year (2012?2015), you will determine your pricing, your R&D allocations, and whether or not to discontinue any products. You make your decisions and time advances to the end of that year, and you look at the results to see what happened. You keep track of your decisions and make notes about your reasoning and analysis of the data, keeping the data for later analysis.

You run the Marketing of Clipboard Tablet Co. through the end of 2015. It is now December 31, 2015, New Year's Eve. What is your total score? Did you do better than Joe Schmoe?

You decide to organize your notes about your decisions, your analysis, and your reasoning into a report, which you think will help you move ahead into 2016.

Session Long Project

Run the Clipboard Tablet Co. simulation with your strategy, making decisions year by year for prices and R&D allocations. Write a 4- to 6-page paper, not including cover and reference page, in which you:

Write a report that shows your decisions and the results. Discuss why you did better or worse than Joe Schmoe.

KEYS TO THE ASSIGNMENT

The key aspects of this assignment that should be covered and taken into account in preparing your paper include:
?As you run the simulation, keep track of your decisions and the results?both financial and marketing. Copy and paste the results into Excel or into a Word document. You can also record the information that you get from the Advisor who discusses the market and compares Clipboard Tablet Co. products to the competition. Make note of the Final Total Score.
?You should include your Final Total Score, some tables, and/or graphs showing some of the results. Be sure to explain the differences clearly, using good logic.
?Remember that the key here is analysis.
?Time Line Summary:

SLP1
?2015: Hired on December 15.
?Turned in first report to Sally a few days early on December 30.
?Celebrated on December 31.

SLP2
?Time Warp begins: January 1, 2016 warps into January 1, 2012.
?You realize you have to make decisions for 2012 ? 2015.
?January 2, 2012 - input decisions for 2012.
?January 2, 2013 - input decisions for 2013.
?January 2, 2014 - input decisions for 2014.
?January 2, 2015 - input decisions for 2015.
?December 31, 2015 ? You have gone through all four years, and you write your report to summarize how you did. You are hoping that you will wake up tomorrow and it will be 2016.

SLP Assignment Expectations

Your paper will be evaluated on the following seven points:
?Breadth - Is the full breadth of the subject, that is, the Keys to the Assignment, addressed?
?Depth - Does the paper address the topic in sufficient depth and include the background reading and other background resources as references?
?Critical thinking - Is the subject thought about critically, that is, accurately, logically, relevantly, and precisely
?Clarity - Is the writing clear and are the concepts articulated properly? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding to the questions or are points conveyed through excessive use of quotations?
?Organization - Is the paper well written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work? Are headings included in all papers longer than two pages?
?Referencing (citations and references) - Does the paper include citations and quotation marks where appropriate? Are the references from the background reading and assignment present and properly cited? Are all the references listed in the bibliography present and referred to via citation?
?Application - Are the concepts of the module appropriately applied to the subject?

Executive Summary
Mr. Schmoe's performance over the past four years has been quite poor. Essentially, Mr. Schmoe made no changes to the strategy, and while that worked initially, the company's performance has deteriorated, and is at present in a bad state, where our best products are entering decline and we have no new products in the pipeline, as we still have older models on the market that are making no money. This report will go over each year to investigate the company's performance under the Schmoe regime.

Overview of Key Concepts
The first key concept that should drive decision-making is cost-volume-profit analysis. Each product we make has a fixed cost, and therefore it needs to sell a certain volume in order to be profitable. This will help us to make decisions with respect to what products to keep in the lineup, and when to drop them. Another key concept is the product life cycle. All products begin with an introductory period, before moving through growth, maturity and decline. Growth and maturity are the most profitable. When the product matures, sales volumes decrease as the newer technologies are winning most of the sales, and because the older products have a large installed base already ? there are fewer opportunities for new customers.

2011
In 2011, the company had two products, the X5 and the X6. At 15% saturation, the X5 was entering the growth stage, while the X6 was in the introductory stage. Both products were already profitable, and the company had two emerging hits on its hands. The clear strategy here was to continue pumping money into both marketing and R&D, because there was high potential sales for both of these products. Schmoe's strategy was to do just this.

2012
In this year, we introduced the X7. This product was in the introductory stage and lost money. With the two other products in the growth stage, however, the company performance well overall, with a significant increase in profitability. Both the X5 and X6 were highly profitable. The X5 reached 27% saturation and the X6 reached 16%, indicating that both were now in the growth stage of the product life cycle. It was at this point that Schmoe made his first real error. He minimized the role of the X7, on the basis of it losing money, but the reality is that losing money was expected. The X7 was our product with the greatest potential. While each of the X5 and X6 had a total expected market of 6 million units, the X7 has a total expected market of 17.5 million units, which means that it had the greatest profit potential overall, and therefore should have been where more resources were deployed, yet it only received an even third of the R&D allocation.

2013
In this year, the company nearly doubled its profits. The X5 and X6 both increased their sales and dramatically increased their profits. As a result, the company enjoyed tremendous success. The problem in strategy at this point was the lack of attention paid to the X7. By this point, the X5 had achieved 48% saturation, meaning it was in the maturity phase. The X6, at 34% saturation, still had some growth. But combined, they accounted for around 8 million remaining customers. The X7 lost money in the year and struggled to get out of the introductory phase, achieving only 3% market saturation. The fact that this product, which still had 17.3 million potential remaining customers, was stalled at 3% saturation and still losing money, should have been Schmoe's primary concern, but his strategy does not reflect that. He was living for the moment with the two growth products, and not thinking enough about the future, which the numbers indicate was with the X7.

2014
The company's performance flatlined in this year. While the X7 was marginally profitable, the X5 was clearly in the maturity stage, with diminishing sales and profits. The X6 was finishing its growth phase, barely increasing profits from the year before. The net result was that the total profit barely increased for the company, and most of that increase as on the basis of the x7 not losing money anymore, rather than any growing strength in the X5 and X6. By this point the X5 was at 75% saturation and headed for decline, and the same can be said for the X6 (63%). The X7 was at 4% saturation, and was clearly going to be the engine of growth for the company going forward. However, this was its third year on the market, and it was still in the introductory phase of the product life cycle and for a profit driver, had no momentum.

2015
This year saw the inevitable declines in the X5 and X6. The X7 still only reached 5% saturation, but now has four years on the market. The company's profit declined significantly as a result. Schmoe had ridden two hot products to profits and growth, but by the end of 2015 the X5 is going to have to be discontinued, the X6 has about one year left, and the X7 is going nowhere, despite being on the market for four years. We lost money over the four years with the X7. Schmoe may have felt his profits meant he was going a good job, but it is clear that he grossly mishandled the X7, and we could have done much better. Alarmingly, we are now in a very bad position and may well lose money next year.

Conclusions
It is evident that Joe Schmoe had poor understanding of the product life cycle concept, and of CVP. The former led him to make poor decisions with respect to R&D, to the point where he was plowing money into R&D in 2014/2015 into two products with only one or two years of life left in them, while the X7 was failing to gain traction in the market. This basically put the company in the position of leaving nearly 17 million unit sales on the table with the X7, something we never could afford to do. Furthermore, Schmoe's lack of understanding of pricing has created issues as well. First, his pricing is part of why the X7 never went anywhere. Second, his pricing left us in the position of having to discontinue the X5 now, with nearly 400,000 customers still out there. We wanted to saturate to 100%, not to 94%, in order to maximize profits on the X5. With some more careful analysis, and smarter decision making based on the principles of CVP and product life cycle, we can do much better than Joe Schmoe did. If only we had a time machine and could go back and do it all over again?

Summary Table of Results


2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
X5 units
968979
1647592
2145622
1853177
963776
X6 units
562961
1288999
2134931
2364061
1118142
X7 units
0
165586
237202
338448
479827
X5 profit
43991228
139504962
206738942
167258894
47189707
X6 profit
37579840
154134825
285254260
320769459
127652006
X7 profit
0
-23065952
-13397740
270435
19356593
Total Profit
81571068
270573835
478595462
488298788
194198306

Section 1)Company overview/key strategic issues.
Company name/industry in which they operate. statement and discussion of the case and major issues - what is the problem at play here? Company's history - inception and key milestones. Mission statement. Recent company performance - 3 positives/3 negatives.
Section 2) In depth analysis/review of the data presented in the case. competitive analysis, major competitors in the industry, MUST COMPLETE A SWOT (strengths,weaknesses,opportunities,threats)ASSESSMENT! socio-economic trends of importance, financial health of company, management philosophies/styles?
Section 3) Analysis of key strategic issues - create 2-4 alternatives the company should consider to fix a problem or to take advantage of a potential opportunity.
Section 4) Recommendation - based off of the analysis of key strategic issues and the alternatives the company should consider, state recommendation. List positives and negatives of recommendation, suggest implementation of recommendation timeline.
Section 5) Post audit analysis plan - specific actions that will be taken in order to measure actual performance against targets established in recommendation section, identify exit strategy if post audit does not measure up to recommendation. PAPER MUST HAVE 2 TABLES/CHARTS
PAPER MUST HAVE 5 SOURCES - One will be from textbook,4 others needed.
Textbook: Strategic Management:Formulation,Implementation, and Control - 9th ed., Pierce,J.A. & Robinson,R.B., McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New York, 2005.
I will be faxing necessary pages.
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I need a 8-10 page case analysis paper on Nike Inc 2011 10K report. It Must include :
1. Analyze all the financial statements and company performances through the use of financial ratios (last two years) using year end numbers, trend analysis (vertical and horizontal comparisons, common sized statement). (See excel attachment) This part of the write should convey your knowledge of financial ratios and their meaning.
2. Analyze Nike's revenues by business sector.
3. What were the major drivers for change in Gross Margin and Net Income?
4. Consider the financial policies and goals of the company and their alignment with corporate strategy. (pg 23 of 2011 10K)
5. Assess the business strategy of the company. Is the growth pattern realistic and appropriate? What are the funds requirement that come out of any plans?
6. Is there an impact on product strategy that grows out of the financial strategy of the company?
7. Examine the table of bonds in the 10-k report?
8. Is this Nike as a company a worthwhile investment and why do you feel that way? Utilize information related to the financial health of Nike, the investor expectations, along with the recent product related information that may relate to the financial well being of the company( be sure to cite references)

Read the Urban Outfitters Continuing Case Financing a business. You are to write a 3-4 page report that answers the following questions:

1. Explain what Benjamin Franklin means by necessity never made a good bargain. Explain why is this true?

2. Explain how cash in the bank improves company performance.

3. Give three examples of companies that became too involved in risky finance. Explain why what they did was risky.

4. After reading this case, would you be more or less inclined to use debt to expand your business? Give three reasons for your answer.

5. Using three online sources, update the data of the case.
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Financial Analysis Report Format (FAR)
This is the outline for the Case Study on Nike Inc. - expand where necessary to include topics and data displays unique to the company and industry.

Cover Page

Abstract

Table of Contents

Company & Industry Description
a. Identification of the publicly traded company
(1) Who, what, when, where, how, & why.
b. Products, Market, Industry
(1) Current trends and issues

Analysis Findings
a. Present in condensed form, relevant facts and figures based on a 5 year history. Compare your company's standings to the industry's standings. (Footwear industry)
1. Figures from financial statements, earning reports, prospectus, etc.
2. Cash Flow Display (from the annual reports)
3. Ratio Trend Analysis Display (numbers)
4. Common Sized Balance Sheet and Income Statement Displays
5. Objective comments on facts and figures.


Evaluation
a. Description of pertinent facts considered in the analysis and the relative importance attached to each. (Include an evaluation of the character and ability of management based on published information.)
b. Identify and evaluate the economic, social, legal, patent, operational, managerial, and other driving issues that affect the future of this company.
c. Compare and contrast aspects of company performance that are favorable and unfavorable.

Conclusions/Recommendations
a. Recap the logic that you used to arrive at your conclusions.
b. Describe your strategic recommendations concerning the market,operations and financing of the company.

References
a. Minimum of 5, not including the textbook or the company Annual Report.
b. Make liberal use of the University of Redlands? on-line databases. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?cfc=1


c. Reputable magazines are acceptable; Forbes, BusinessWeek, etc.
d. The Redlands campus library carries the ValueLine publication. If your company is publicly traded it should have a company profile and an industry profile that would be helpful for you.
e. For Annual Ratio Reports and Industry Ratio Reports see: http://emi.compustat.com/cgi-irwinus-auth/
mihome.cgi?app=irwinus
Site ID: ad194a33


Class Presentation
1. Prepare the abstract of the FAR as a handout for the presentation.
2. You are required to have a Power Point presentation
3. Presentations will be limited to 20 minutes.
4. Presentational skills will be graded

Hi, I need to answer the following 2 question in one page.

1) How effective do you think stock options and bonuses tied to company performance are in motivating executives to work for the good of the company/owners? Do they motivate other employees? Do you think they were major factors in many of the recent corporate accounting and related scandals?


2) Most employees receive both a salary and benefits. By allowing employees some leeway in choosing the distribution of salary and benefits, firms can increase the wellbeing of employees without increasing labor costs. When employees are able to trade off between benefits and cash compensation, they can select combinations that maximize their utility. This rationale is the basis of many flexible benefit plans, such as cafeteria plans. Does your firm or some other firm use flexible benefits? Does this system help control payroll costs while providing better benefits for employees? Why or why not?

After reading chapters 9 and 12, answer those questions. Use two answers on each page. Thank you.

1) Drawing upon your own experience with a business or other organization, explain the concept of organizational culture and outline what must be done to sustain an effective

culture. When new leadership comes in and takes over the helm of an organization, does it [i.e., he or she] have an obligation to sustain its culture, or to re-shape it, or . . .? Explain.

2) What is a top management team [TMT] and how do such teams affect company performance and the ability to innovate and make effective strategic decisions? Also, describe an example of a TMT thats doing either exceedingly well or, exceedingly poorly drawing upon your current business reading or a firm youre familiar with.

3) Firms who work together to achieve a shared objective are using a cooperative strategy [of one sort or another]. Discuss the key reasons that some firms choose to use a cooperative strategy. Are these reasons of equal validity or legitimacy? And, given that not all cooperative endeavors achieve success, what are a few of the reasons why this might be so?

4) Choose a firm which you are familiar with from the local business community. Is the firm successful in the following one (or more) generic strategies? Why or why not? What do you believe are some of the challenges the firm faces in implementing these strategies in an effective manner?


Note:
To access e-book, follow these directions:

1) Go to www.coursesmart.com
2) Click on "Sign In" on top of the page and log in.
E-mail: [email protected]

3) Then, pick a book from the list (Strategic Management, 8th Edition)
4) Click on "Read Online Version" button (green).
5) For easy navigation around chapters, click on "Detailed Table of Contents" (on the left column).

Financial Analysis of two companies (DETAILED)


Suntrust Banks Inc. (STI) vs US Bancorp. (USB)

Begin with the Balance Sheet: (check each correspondent company's website for last 3 years of data)

1. Start with the Capital Accounts. How do they differ? How are they the same? Are they realistically presented? What are the Book Values, and what are the presente Ratios of the stock Prices to Book Value.

2. Now look at the Fixed Assets (the Property Account). When you read Chapter Five of the little Graham book you will realize that assets are always what they appear to be. Do either of your companies show as Assets items that need explanation? What are they? How are they explained? You might have to go into the footnotes to the Financial Statement to find the answers.

3. Are the Non Current Assets material and how are they explained? Are there material Intangible Assets? (Chapter 8 in Graham) What would be material for companies as large as the ones you are working with?

4. Do your companies have Deferred Tax Accounts? How are they treating taxes?

5. Now let?s look at the Current Assets. Are the companies maintaining adequate liquidity? Mr. Moovon is going to want to see the relevant ratios, so you had better calculate them and have them ready. (You will find most of them in Chapter 3 of the text.)

6. Liabilities. As Mr. Moovon always says, ?You can?t be sure about the Assets but the Liabilities are always real.? Does either company have too much debt? If so, CB&M (POTENTAIL BUYER) won?t touch them. Can either company carry significantly more debt? How much more? CB&M always loads the companies it acquires with as much debt as they can carry. That?s how they finance the deal.

7. Are there any hidden assets?

Now move on to the Income Statement:

1. Are the companies as profitable as they should be? What ratios would tell us that? OK! Now calculate them. Let?s see those Efficiency Ratios.
2. Now that you have calculated the ratios, what can CB&M do to make them more profitable? What do you suggest?
3. As a double check provide a DuPont Analysis on both companies

Not all of the ratios will apply to every company. For instance, Sales per Square Foot is important in Retailing but meaningless for a Manufacturer or an online Search Engine.
Place all ratios and the three years of financial data in a Table for easy comparison.


You should list the ?Industry Averages? of your particular business sector to serve as a benchmark for your companies? performance.

Make sure you calculate all of the appropriate ratios called for in the Project and be sure to provide at least three years of ratios. Use the research tools previously listed and your own initiative in this research effort.

Tell me what each ratio indicates regarding the company - not a definition of the ratio.

You need to examine in detail and contrast the financial information. It is best to take at least 10 ratios or more and compare the two firms as well as compare the two firms to the industry averages.

Unit Title: Business Data Analysis

This assignment is an individual piece of work and NO collusion, help or copying from another person or source is allowed. This should be your own individual work only.

Assignment Title: Fortune names RIM fastest growing company... in the world



Learning outcomes:
4 Critically appraise the techniques employed/models formulated. Discuss the appropriateness/shortcomings of the solutions presented.
5 Propose/analyse policy alternatives based on the analysis of the data/models. Provide an analysis of alternative policies and recommend appropriate solutions

Assessment Criteria: Learning Outcomes with the corresponding Assessment Criteria
Grading/
Criteria A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- E
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4
LO4:
Critically appraise the techniques employed/models formulated. Questions: 5 and 6 have been accurately calculated and comprehensively discussed. Questions: 5 and 6 have been accurately calculated and discussed. Questions: 5 and 6 have been calculated and discussed. Questions: 5 and 6 have been calculated. Questions: 5 and 6 have been attempted.

Grading/
Criteria A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- E
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4
LO5:
Propose/analyse policy alternatives based on the analysis of the data/models. Questions: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 have been accurately calculated and comprehensively discussed. Questions: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 have been accurately calculated and discussed. Questions: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 have been calculated and discussed. Questions: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 have been calculated. Questions: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 have been attempted.
?
Fortune names RIM fastest growing company... in the world
by Donald Melanson posted Aug 18th 2009 at 12:22PM


It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that RIM is doing pretty well even in the face of an economic downturn, but it looks like it's been doing really well -- at least according to Fortune, which has just named the Canadian company the fastest growing firm in the world. That's apparently based on a combination of profits, turnover, and investment return over three years which, in RIM's case, translates an 84% growth in profits in the past three years, a 77% growth in revenue, and a total return of 45%. It's also actually the first time RIM has made the list, although that's at least partly due to the fact that Fortune didn't include non-US firms last time around.
In September of every year Fortune Magazine publishes its Fastest Growing Companies list. The companies are ranked on revenue, earnings growth, and their stock returns over the past three years. This is a list dominated by traditional business areas, even though it is a list of fastest growing rather than biggest or most profitable. eBay is an online business, and a couple of the others do some significant online business, but overwhelmingly this is a list of pre-internet areas of business: steel, food, energy, medicine and so on.
What makes these companies performance to be considered as fast growing companies, how do they perform in the long run and what advantages and disadvantages do fast growing companies face? These are all interesting questions to be considered. Table 1.0 below gives data concerning the 30 fastest ??"growing companies as listed on March 16, 2005, on the Fortune magazine website.


Tabel 1.0: data concerning the 30 fastest ??"growing companies as listed on March 16, 2005, on the Fortune magazine website
Rank Company EPS Growth Revenue Growth Total Return
1 InVision Technologies 222% 93% 135%
2 eResearch Technology 256% 43% 218%
3 New Century Financial 85% 91% 89%
4 Central European Distribution 98% 49% 135%
5 eBay 92% 70% 39%
6 National Medical Health Card Sys 85% 44% 107%
7 Countrywide Financial 78% 71% 46%
8 Neoware Systems 76% 70% 47%
9 Friedman Billing Ramsey Group 93% 52% 44%
10 Bradley Pharmaceuticals 59% 59% 76%
11 Middleby 91% 33% 109%
12 Hovnanian Enterprises 71% 40% 69%
13 Websense 162% 60% 23%
14 Sanders Morris Harris Group 185% 35% 36%
15 Career Education 66% 51% 45%
16 American Healthways 167% 48% 28%
17 United PanAm Financial 65% 39% 62%
18 FTI Consulting 105% 61% 19%
19 Jarden 99% 25% 109%
20 Par Pharmaceutical 143% 87% 5%
21 Capital Title Group 84% 87% 21%
22 Advanced Neuromodulation 128% 46% 24%
23 Possis Medical 76% 38% 42%
24 Symantec 85% 30% 59%
25 ASV 128% 33% 32%
26 Chico's FAS 47% 43% 66%
27 Rewards Network 152% 29% 38%
28 Fidelity National Financial 64% 38% 38%
29 NetBank 107% 60% -1%
30 Electronic Arts 254% 32% 24%

Source: Fortune magazine website


Required:
1. Develop a stem-and-leaf display of the revenue growth percentages for the 30 fastest-growing companies and describe the shape of the distribution.
2. Develop a frequency distribution and a frequency histogram of the EPS (earnings per share) growth percentage. Then describe the shape of the distribution.
3. Construct a percent frequency polygon of the total return percentages and then describe the shape of the distribution.
4. Construct cumulative frequency and cumulative frequency distributions of the EPS (earnings per share) growth percentages. Then construct a relative frequency ogive of these percentages.
5. Calculate and provide a clear interpretation of the price/earnings ratio for each of the companies, provide a dot plot and describe the distribution of the P/E ratios.
6. Construct a dot plot of the total return percentages for the 30 fastest-growing companies and describe the distribution of return percentages.
7. How would you summaries your findings about the fastest-growing companies, pay particular attention to the questions posed earlier and the result of your data analysis.
Please note:
Your completed report must have a clear structure. It should be neatly and clearly presented and easy to follow. Diagrams and tables should have clear labels and be appropriately numbered. Please make sure you answer each question as fully as you can.


P.S. Pathick recomment you to me, please let me know that you can do this.

Thank you...

Peter
Customer is requesting that (gamemaster) completes this order.

Background:
Financial literacy helps you to become a better manager. Understanding the financial side of the business will make you more effective on the job and will make your work life more meaningful. The two core activities of financial management are to manage profitability and manage liquidity. If either of these two activities is neglected it can lead to the demise of an organisation. Hence, these two aspects guide the decision making for any manager. Issuing bonds (debt) and/or issuing stocks (shares), enables the corporation to manage the money it needs to finance the assets of the business. Therefore, being able to value these financial securities is also an important skill to have.

Requirement:

Your task is to analyse the historical (for the last five years) performance of a listed company and present your findings in the form of a report, which will cover both qualitative and quantitative performance elements in a logical cohesive format.

Please note: If you are working for a company listed on the stock exchange, use this opportunity to complete the exercise on that company. Otherwise, feel free to value a competitor or a company that interests you. However, note that the company you select must be listed on a stock exchange and have a history of paying dividends.

The qualitative component of your discussion should include brief background information on the company including how they are placed within the industry, and a brief overview of the recent stock price movements for the company. The quantitative component should include an initial analysis of trends in the major items contained in the profit and loss statements and balance sheets, followed by an analysis of the following important ratios measuring liquidity, profitability, capital structure and market-value aspects of the company performance:
? Liquidity: Current ratio
? Profitability: Net profit margin ratio and Return on total assets
? Capital structure: Debt ratio and Interest cover ratio
? Market value: Price-earning (P/E) ratio.
Your analysis should highlight the important changes within these ratios over this period and identify the reasons for significant changes. Since these financial ratios are limited to the particular organisation, it is also useful to compare these ratios to other businesses in the same industry or by using industry averages.
You are also required to calculate the value of a stock (share) of the listed company selected above, using the Constant Dividend Growth Rate model. Go to your relevant stock exchange site (e.g. www.asx.com.au if using an Australian listed company) and find the latest share price. Assume the company chosen above has a 4% dividend growth rate and the required
rate of return is 9%. Compare that stock value with the current stock market price. Are there any differences? You are required to explain these differences.
Analyse and interpret the ratios and the other data with reference to the theoretical concepts introduced in this subject to evaluate the company?s operations and performance. Discuss limitations if any. Taking into account the quantitative and qualitative analysis, you are then required to make a recommendation on whether to:
1. Invest in the company
2. Do not invest in the company.
Please note: In order to start this assignment you will need to extract the financial statements (comprising five years information) of your chosen publicly listed company.
We recommend you familiarise yourself with the IBISWorld database available under the ?Research? drop-down menu in the header on the student learning portal. This tool provides the financials, financial ratios and company information plus industry averages for a broad range of companies.
Include referencing so that you clearly acknowledge your sources of information. All your references must be from credible sources such as books, peer-reviewed journals, magazines, company documents and recent articles. Students are highly encouraged to use peer-reviewed journal articles as this may contribute towards a higher grade. Your assignment mark will be adversely affected if you use poor references.
Please note: Remember to submit a hyperlink to the annual reports within the reference list in your assignment.
? This assessment is an individual assessment (ie this is not a group assessment). Please ensure you avoid collusion and other practices which compromise individual assessment work. Important Assignment Instructions
? The required word length for this assignment is 2500 words (plus or minus 10%).
? In terms of structure, presentation and style you are normally required to use:
- standard report format; and
- preferred Microsoft Word settings; and
- Harvard style referencing (which includes in-text citations plus a reference list).

? Reference lists for assignments / projects normally contain the following number of relevant references from different sources: 6-12 (for MBA assignments).
? All references must be from credible sources such as books, industry related journals, magazines, company documents and recent academic articles.

Dear writer,

Find attached my RESEARCH PROPOSAL, RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Chapter (3) that is to be reviewed on (The impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Company Performance in Beijing), for your guidance as you will be needing that for the development of the CHAPTER 4 (FINDING AND ANALYSIS.

TOPIC: The impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Company Performance in Beijing

ACADEMIC LEVEL: MASTERS

PAGES:6

Project Type:FINDING AND ANALYSIS (CHAPTER 4) FOR (The impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Company Performance in Beijing)




INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW:

(A) PLEASE READ THE WHOLE RESEARCH PROPOSAL, RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Chapter (3) AND USE IT TO DEVELOP THE CHAPTER 4 (FINDING AND ANALYSIS).

(B) PLEASE DO INCLUDE TABLE OF CONTENTS

RESEARCH RESULTS OUTLINES:

1) INTRODUCTION

2) ANALYSIS FROM Qualitative AND Quantitative DATA (VERY IMPORTANT)

3) SURVEY ADMINISTRATION AND RESPONSE RATE (VERY IMPORTANT)

4) TESTING OF THE MEASUREMENT MODELS

5) DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS (VERY IMPORTANT)

6) RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY ASSESSMENT (VERY IMPORTANT)

7) INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLE (VERY IMPORTANT)

8) REGRESSION RESULTS ANALYSIS (VERY IMPORTANT)

9) SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

10) CITATION, QUOTE & REFERENCES

Assignment #5. Corporate Culture/Leadership Actions for Strategy Implementation.
Conduct an analysis of Southwest Airlines (Case 23/c-401) and prepare a 3-4 page report addressing the following:
Discuss the corporate culture at Southwest Airlines and how it leverages its culture to achieve a competitive advantage.
Evaluate the companys financial performance by calculating and interpreting the profitability ratios. (operating profit margin, net profit margin, return on total assets, return on stockholders equity)
Describe the characteristics of companys culture and how you think it affects company performance.
Given the strategic decisions in the case, recommend actions that management should take to sustain/strengthen the culture (or implement a change), based on the situation given.
Given the strategic decisions in the case, identify three leadership actions that the company would need to be consider to implement the decisions. Explain why these are critical to implementing the strategic decision.
The assignment will be graded using the following rubric:
Outcomes Assessed Formulate, implement, and evaluate strategies for exerting the internal leadership needed to drive the implementation of strategic initiatives and improve operating excellence.
Grading Rubric for Assignment # 5 ??" Corporate Culture/Leadership Actions for Strategy Implementation

Criteria 0
Unacceptable 20
Developing 30
Competent 40
Exemplary
1. Discuss the corporate culture at Southwest Airline and how it supports the strategy. Does not attempt assignment, nor discusses the corporate culture and its impact on strategy. The corporate culture elements were discussed and the related impact on strategy, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified. The corporate culture elements were discussed and the related impact on strategy, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed. The corporate culture elements were discussed and the impact to strategy with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.
2. Evaluates the financial performance by calculating and interpreting financial ratios. Does not attempt assignment, nor evaluates the financial performance and its impact on strategy. The financial performance ratios were calculated and interpreted, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified. The financial performance ratios were calculated and interpreted, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed. The financial performance ratios were calculated and interpreted with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.
3. Describe the elements of a companys corporate culture and how it impacts performance. No elements were discussed. One element was discussed. Two elements were discussed. Three elements were discussed.
4. Recommend how Southwest Airline can sustain/strengthen its culture. Does not attempt assignment, nor discusses culture improvements and its impact on strategy. The corporate culture improvement discussed and the related impact on strategy, but with less than 60 - 79% accuracy and some of the trends identified were inappropriate or were not identified. The corporate culture improvement elements were discussed and the related impact on strategy, with 80 - 89% accuracy and appropriate information was discussed. The corporate culture improvement elements were discussed and the impact to strategy with 90 to 100% accuracy and all appropriate information was identified and discussed clearly.
5. Identify 3 leadership actions to be taken to implement the strategic decisions at Southwest. No actions were discussed. One action was discussed. Two actions were discussed. Three actions were discussed.
6. Clarity
Did not complete the assignment or explanations are unclear and not organized.
(Major issues) Explanations generally unclear and not well organized.
(Many issues) Explanations generally clear and/or organized. (Minor issues) Explanations very clear and well organized.
(Added helpful details.)
7. Writing ??" Grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation, APA usage.
Did not complete the assignment or 8 or more different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Major issues) 6 - 7 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Many issues) 4 - 5 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Minor issues) 0 - 3 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage.

In Module 3, you will continue with the scenario and simulation you worked on in the Module 1 and Module 2 SLPs.

SCENARIO CONTINUATION:

It's New Year's Day 2016. You just had a great New Year's Eve celebration, having finished analyzing the performance of Clipboard Tablet Company, and are ready to charge ahead into the future. You turn on the TV and notice something strange (again). The TV commentator is saying something about New Year's Day 2012, and you realize that you are in Time Warp 2.

Your decision-making process will be different this time, as you will be using CVP analysis, a technique with which you recently became familiar.

You analyze the results of the first set of decisions you made in Time Warp 1, from 2012 to 2015. You use CVP analysis to help determine a new strategy, employing the CVP Calculator.

You analyze the results using CVP and develop your complete four-year strategy, making notes about your analysis and your reasoning process, just in case you have to do this again.

You finish the report that shows your strategy for the next four years during Time Warp 2.

Do not run the simulation yet; just turn in the report.

Session Long Project

Write a 4- to 6-page paper, not including cover and reference page, in which, after again reviewing and analyzing the results that you got in SLP2 (Time Warp 1 decisions), you develop a revised strategy and make a case for this new strategy using analysis and relevant theories.

KEYS TO THE ASSIGNMENT

The key aspects of this assignment that should be covered and taken into account in preparing your paper include:
?The revised strategy consists of the Prices, R&D Allocation %, and any product discontinuations for the X5, X6, and X7 tablets for each of the four years: 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.
?You must present a rational justification for this strategy. In other words, you must make a case for your proposed strategy using financial analysis and relevant theories.
?Use the CVP Calculator and review the PowerPoint that explains CVP and provides some examples.
?You need to crunch some numbers (CVP Analysis) to help you determine your prices and R&D allocations.
?Make sure your proposed changes in strategy are firmly based in this analysis of financial and market data and sound business principles.
?Present your analysis professionally making strategic use of tables, charts and graphs.
?Time Line Summary:

SLP1
?2015: Hired on December 15.
?Turned in first report to Sally a few days early on December 30.
?Celebrated on December 31.

SLP2
?Time Warp 1 begins: January 1, 2016 warps into January 1, 2012.
?You realize you have to make decisions for 2012 ? 2015, which you do.
?December 31, 2015 ? You have gone through all four years, and you write your report to summarize how you did. You are hoping that you will wake up tomorrow and it will be 2016.

SLP3
?Time Warp 2 begins: January 1, 2016 warps into January 1, 2012. (Again)
?Now it is January 1, 2012: You decide to use CVP analysis and develop a four-year plan for your strategy. You analyze the results of your first decisions in Time Warp 1 and make notes. You use the CVP Calculator to help develop a strategy, and make more notes explaining your logic and analysis.


Previous SLP 1:

Executive Summary
Mr. Schmoe's performance over the past four years has been quite poor. Essentially, Mr. Schmoe made no changes to the strategy, and while that worked initially, the company's performance has deteriorated, and is at present in a bad state, where our best products are entering decline and we have no new products in the pipeline, as we still have older models on the market that are making no money. This report will go over each year to investigate the company's performance under the Schmoe regime.

Overview of Key Concepts
The first key concept that should drive decision-making is cost-volume-profit analysis. Each product we make has a fixed cost, and therefore it needs to sell a certain volume in order to be profitable. This will help us to make decisions with respect to what products to keep in the lineup, and when to drop them. Another key concept is the product life cycle. All products begin with an introductory period, before moving through growth, maturity and decline. Growth and maturity are the most profitable. When the product matures, sales volumes decrease as the newer technologies are winning most of the sales, and because the older products have a large installed base already ? there are fewer opportunities for new customers.

2011
In 2011, the company had two products, the X5 and the X6. At 15% saturation, the X5 was entering the growth stage, while the X6 was in the introductory stage. Both products were already profitable, and the company had two emerging hits on its hands. The clear strategy here was to continue pumping money into both marketing and R&D, because there was high potential sales for both of these products. Schmoe's strategy was to do just this.

2012
In this year, we introduced the X7. This product was in the introductory stage and lost money. With the two other products in the growth stage, however, the company performance well overall, with a significant increase in profitability. Both the X5 and X6 were highly profitable. The X5 reached 27% saturation and the X6 reached 16%, indicating that both were now in the growth stage of the product life cycle. It was at this point that Schmoe made his first real error. He minimized the role of the X7, on the basis of it losing money, but the reality is that losing money was expected. The X7 was our product with the greatest potential. While each of the X5 and X6 had a total expected market of 6 million units, the X7 has a total expected market of 17.5 million units, which means that it had the greatest profit potential overall, and therefore should have been where more resources were deployed, yet it only received an even third of the R&D allocation.

2013
In this year, the company nearly doubled its profits. The X5 and X6 both increased their sales and dramatically increased their profits. As a result, the company enjoyed tremendous success. The problem in strategy at this point was the lack of attention paid to the X7. By this point, the X5 had achieved 48% saturation, meaning it was in the maturity phase. The X6, at 34% saturation, still had some growth. But combined, they accounted for around 8 million remaining customers. The X7 lost money in the year and struggled to get out of the introductory phase, achieving only 3% market saturation. The fact that this product, which still had 17.3 million potential remaining customers, was stalled at 3% saturation and still losing money, should have been Schmoe's primary concern, but his strategy does not reflect that. He was living for the moment with the two growth products, and not thinking enough about the future, which the numbers indicate was with the X7.

2014
The company's performance flatlined in this year. While the X7 was marginally profitable, the X5 was clearly in the maturity stage, with diminishing sales and profits. The X6 was finishing its growth phase, barely increasing profits from the year before. The net result was that the total profit barely increased for the company, and most of that increase as on the basis of the x7 not losing money anymore, rather than any growing strength in the X5 and X6. By this point the X5 was at 75% saturation and headed for decline, and the same can be said for the X6 (63%). The X7 was at 4% saturation, and was clearly going to be the engine of growth for the company going forward. However, this was its third year on the market, and it was still in the introductory phase of the product life cycle and for a profit driver, had no momentum.

2015
This year saw the inevitable declines in the X5 and X6. The X7 still only reached 5% saturation, but now has four years on the market. The company's profit declined significantly as a result. Schmoe had ridden two hot products to profits and growth, but by the end of 2015 the X5 is going to have to be discontinued, the X6 has about one year left, and the X7 is going nowhere, despite being on the market for four years. We lost money over the four years with the X7. Schmoe may have felt his profits meant he was going a good job, but it is clear that he grossly mishandled the X7, and we could have done much better. Alarmingly, we are now in a very bad position and may well lose money next year.

Conclusions
It is evident that Joe Schmoe had poor understanding of the product life cycle concept, and of CVP. The former led him to make poor decisions with respect to R&D, to the point where he was plowing money into R&D in 2014/2015 into two products with only one or two years of life left in them, while the X7 was failing to gain traction in the market. This basically put the company in the position of leaving nearly 17 million unit sales on the table with the X7, something we never could afford to do. Furthermore, Schmoe's lack of understanding of pricing has created issues as well. First, his pricing is part of why the X7 never went anywhere. Second, his pricing left us in the position of having to discontinue the X5 now, with nearly 400,000 customers still out there. We wanted to saturate to 100%, not to 94%, in order to maximize profits on the X5. With some more careful analysis, and smarter decision making based on the principles of CVP and product life cycle, we can do much better than Joe Schmoe did. If only we had a time machine and could go back and do it all over again?

Summary Table of Results

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
X5 units 968979 1647592 2145622 1853177 963776
X6 units 562961 1288999 2134931 2364061 1118142
X7 units 0 165586 237202 338448 479827
X5 profit 43991228 139504962 206738942 167258894 47189707
X6 profit 37579840 154134825 285254260 320769459 127652006
X7 profit 0 -23065952 -13397740 270435 19356593
Total Profit 81571068 270573835 478595462 488298788 194198306




previous SLP2 below:

Introduction
Having examined the performance of Joe Schmoe, it is believed that some attention to the fundamental principles of cost-volume profit analysis and to the product life cycle will immediately allow Clipboard Tablet Co. to perform better, since it is getting the chance to re-do history. This paper will outline the basic strategies, along with their outcomes, and an analysis of why these strategies delivered better (or worse, as the case may be) performance versus that of Joe Schmoe.

Theory
There are six decisions to be made each year. These are the percentages allocated to R&D and the price for each product. First, the price. For any given price, there will be a pricing curve that determines how much of a product will be sold, given a certain price. In general, the higher the price, the lower the volume of sales, and vice versa. The key concept here is price elasticity of demand, which is the rate of change in demand given a certain change in price. We do not know this elasticity at present, because Joe Schmoe never changed the prices. But we can assume from the three products that they will have different price elasticities. The X7 has a starting price of $190 and the X6 has a starting price of $430. This means that the X7 is likely to be a more basic product, attracting a more price conscious audience. The X6, on the other hand, it probably a more feature-packed product, and those features are probably what is attractive about the product.
Thus, as a basic, logical starting point, the X7 probably needs to have its price reduced. This is basic pricing theory. As a new product on the market, the X7 has a very low installed base. But the senior marketing team has estimated that it has a very large potential market of 17,500,000 customers. It is worth noting that the X5 and X6 have only a potential market of 6,000,000 customers each, and they have already sold to some of them. Logically, the X7 needs to have a policy of low price-high volume in order to generate the highest level of profitability. The fixed costs are going to exist for each year, if we assume that the X7 will not be cut. Thus, the strategy that optimizes the contribution to fixed costs is the one that will deliver the best results. The closer we can get the sales volume to that 17,500,000 figure, the better the overall bottom line is going to be. Thus, a lower price is needed. But we also need to calculate the elasticity on the X7, because once we have that, we can estimate the slope of the demand line, which is an essential part of the cost-volume-profit analysis. A wild card is how much R&D matters to this product. It needs to be competitive in R&D, and will be peaking in the product life cycle when the other two are on their way out, so maybe initially the R&D can remain at a lower level, but it should rise later on.
The X6 consumer loves features, and maybe has a lower degree of price sensitivity. Because of where this product is in the product life cycle, there is reason to believe that all 6 million customers can be reached within the next few years, something that will deliver the greatest contribution to the fixed costs. Pricing should reflect a balance between the margins that the company can earn, and ensuring that volume is maxed out. But volume is also dependent on the R&D expense. With this product, keeping up the R&D is going to be important, so it should receive investment until it reaches the decline part of the life cycle.
The X5 is furthest along in the product life cycle. Investment in R&D for this product is less likely to yield dividends as it is expected that the product will, more or less, reach its 6 million sales target. A wildcard element with the X5 is that it has the highest fixed costs of the three products. The fixed costs are $75 million for this product, double that of the X6. As such, there is a threshold at which, during the decline stage of the life cycle, the X5 is not going to be viable. Joe Schmoe lost money on this product in the final year, so we are going to watch out and try not to make that same mistake. As far as pricing is concerned, the X5 seems mostly priced appropriately, but may benefit from a slight price reduction to ensure that the 6 million mark is reached in time to cut the product for the last year.

2012
With the above strategies in mind, the following decisions were made in 2012, with the following results:

2012 X5 X6 X7 Total
Price 275 445 165
R&D 33 34 33
Profit 155.95 152.681 -20.472 369.731
Saturation 27 16 2

2013
In this year, the process of feeding R&D funds into the X6 and X7 began, with prices remaining the same. The results were as follows:

2013 X5 X6 X7 Total
Price 275 445 165
R&D 10 45 45
Profit 244.519 266.628 -8.014 503.133
Saturation 52 32 3

2014
The X5 will have the minimum 1% R&D expense, and will also have a price cut to spur sales. The X7 will also have a price cut to spur sales. The results are as follows:

2014 X5 X6 X7 Total
Price 265 445 145
R&D 1 50 49
Profit 97.222 362.763 31.604 491.589
Saturation 84 58 5

2015
The last year was a bit frustrating. At this point, the X5 is going to be continued but we are worried that it will lose money. It should still be profitable, but only barely. The X7 needs to have a big year this year in order to meet our goals. The results were as follows:

2015 X5 X6 X7 Total
Price 265 445 145
R&D 1 50 49
Profit -17.955 171.476 93.142 246.663
Saturation 100 88 9

This shows us two things. The first is that the math on the X5 was wrong. It should have been cut. The second is that the X9 never got off the ground. Cutting the price in 2014 was simply too little, too late. The product was not sufficiently compelling for consumers. The CVP analysis will give us a chance in the future, now that we have a sense of what the elasticities of demand are for these products, to determine the optimal price point for each. While $145 seems low, we do know that the X7 can be priced lower, because the variable costs are $55 per unit. Basic economic theory holds that any price above the variable cost will generate a contribution to fixed costs. We now that we are going to incur those fixed costs, so finding the right point at which optimal total contribution will be generated is essential. We now have the data to run a proper CVP analysis and find that point.
The R&D remains a wild card. It did not seem to help the X7 much, but maybe the X7 just needs more. The R&D did help the X6, but that product finished with 88% saturation, when perhaps it might have been better to have 100% saturation. It is worth considering that price is more important to the X5 than R&D is, and some reallocation would be beneficial.
All told, the company earned poorly, and the net profit declined in both 2014 and 2015. I should probably be fired, but I am certain that I was on the right track. If the numbers are refined, now that we have better data, there seems little doubt that we can improve on our profit totals.

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Textbook Name: Auditor's Guide to IT Auditing; 2nd edition; ISBN: 978-1-118-14761-0


Please Follow Instructions:
All questions reference the above mentioned textbook; however other sources can be used to support your answers. All response MUST be SPECIFIC to the questions asked, showing a detailed understanding and in depth knowledge of the material.
Two (2) pages minimum are required for each question providing an in depth knowledge and understanding.

Chapter 1
What is the role of databases in the auditing function and why is this role important?
Describe the use of the Declarative Data Definition Language and its role in the ability to describe security specifications?

Chapter 2
Chapter two discusses some the characteristics of an auditor or an audit team. There is a relationship between the company and the audit team regardless if the team is external or internal. The skill set of auditor is different than other company personnel, and in that regard has many qualities that might not be part of the corporate structure or the overall goal. Part of the process is determining a companies performance needs and categorizing performance threats. A charter can perhaps be a way to enforce standards when structure or desire is not evident.
The role of an auditor is not purely technical, scientific or managerial. After reading chapter two, answer the following question:
What are the qualities or roles of an auditor that are perhaps beyond the skill set of the normal corporate manager?

Chapter 3
Discuss the risks involved in examining evidence in order to arrive at an audit conclusion, be sure to incorporate the concept of independence and objectivity.

Chapter 4
This chapter discusses standards and guidelines, starting with a given set of rules of conduct. Investigate any legal actions that have been taken against auditors because they did not follow these rules of conduct

Chapter 5
This chapter discusses controls, of the following three goals; examine one of the following in regards to the overall auditing process, keeping in mind topics that were discussed in the previous chapters.
? Preventive Controls
? Detective Controls
? Corrective Controls

Chapter 6
This chapter discusses risk and the interaction between the corporation, the auditing team and the component of risk.
Discuss risk and its relationship to the auditing process.

Chapter 7
What are the advantages and disadvantages to audit planning and why are audit plans difficult or nearly impossible to accurately follow?

Chapter 8
Discuss the relationship between audit management and audit quality assurance?

Chapter 9
In the auditing evidence process there is certainty of risk, elaborate on how you can reduce the risk of other evidence process?
The use of simulations allows for the determination or classification of risk, explain how the Monte Carlo, game theory and queuing theory can assist in the determination of risk analysis.

Chapter 10
Audit reporting is necessary in order to provide management of the various results from the objectives of the audit. This feedback to management is sometimes the more difficult task of an audit process. Choose one of the areas in chapter 10 and elaborate with details on the importance of your chosen area.

Chapter 11
Audit management covers a wide area such as Projects, Quality Control, Operations and Production, Performance and Technical services. If you were at the management level, how would you qualify these areas and what would you do to prioritize your efforts?

Chapter 16
This chapter defines a basis for a formal structure that should exist prior to an audit, without a structure of some kind, it would be difficult to determine responsibilities and the outcome it to determine responsibility or where overlaps or excessive authorization exists and is not needed. In the end of the chapter, two types of system analysis are used, object-oriented and process-oriented analysis.
How could you use these one of these systems to address the other areas of the chapter, such as Management, customers, operations, staff, and technical support?

Chapter 17
How can SAP or Oracle be used to manage areas such as configuration and change management, capacity management and business continuity management?

Chapter 18
On page 230 and 231, there are a list of bulleted items that are the possible cause of problematic events. These items, some or all of them, exist in almost all companies. They also have a direct bearing on the success of an audit. In your opinion discuss at least three that you feel would have the largest impact if you were to do an audit?

Chapter 19
How would you balance continuous monitoring with the growth and potential of business process outsourcing and e-business?

Chapter 24
Elaborate on the differences between continuous monitoring and continuous auditing, please provide examples.