A firm’s human resources are the people in an organization that are crucial to its performance and the quality of work life within it. Unlike computers, human beings have the potential to grow and develop, to increase our depth, complexity and capacity over time. Human resource management can be defined as designing management systems to ensure that human talent is used effectively and efficiently to accomplish organizational objectives. Furthermore, HRM is considered the nuts and bolts of an organization. Thus, managers and leaders should focus on investing and developing their human resources who have the capacity to make significant contributions to the organization’s overall mission. Many organizations have noticed the importance of continuously training their employees and offering educational incentive programs to help keep employees up-to-date in their fields because in a significant number of cases, people actually get worse at their jobs over time. Performance can be enhanced if an employee is able to learn new ways of conceptualizing complex situations and deciphering abstract information. An employee should have knowledge of new research and advancements in his or her respective field in order to be able to adapt and overcome any organizational change. By performing at higher levels and being productive, an employee starts creating value for an organization. Most employees are evaluated by the value they create. Top managers seek employees who can bring value to an organization. When employees feel appreciated, they tend to perform at higher levels, producing more value. Unfortunately, most organizations are unable to “indulge” their employees and as a result, employees all over the world feel neglected and inundated. Interestingly enough, Schwartz, Jones, and McCarthy (2010) explain that:

Only 38 percent of employees worldwide believe their senior managers are genuinely interested in their well-being. More than 50 percent feel they’re treated as if they don’t matter at all or that they’re just another part of the organization to be managed. Only one out of every ten employees feels they’re treated as vital corporate assets (p. 162).

With employees all over the world feeling like they “don’t matter” in their organizations, it is important for upper level administrators to continuously develop their leadership strategies. Furthermore, with organizations constantly evolving, strategic human resource management is the optimum way to enhance performance levels. At IBM, for example, a thousand software developers working in different time zones have been given the flexibility to decide when they work. Different strategies should be implemented in organizations all over the world to help “humanize” the workplace.

Reference: Schwartz, T., Jones, J., & McCarty, C. (2010). The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working. New York, NY: Free Press. (This book is not required).

Case Assignment

Drawing on the material in the background readings and doing additional research, please prepare a 3- to 4-page paper (not including the cover and reference pages) in which you:

• Research the role of HR management in any organization. Next, what does human capital mean and why is important?
• What can HR do to help employees feel as if they do matter?
• As an HR manager, how would you humanize the workforce?

Assignment Expectations

Your paper will be evaluated on the following points:

• Precision: Does the paper address the question(s) or task(s)?
• Clarity: Is the writing clear and are the concepts articulated properly? Are responses made through paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts? (Or is there excessive use of quotations?) Are headings included in all papers longer than 2 pages?
• Breadth: Is the full breadth of the subject addressed?
• Depth: Does the paper address the topic in sufficient depth?
• Grammar, spelling, and vocabulary: Is the paper well-written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary suitable to graduate-level work?
• Referencing (citations and references): Does the paper use citations and quotation marks when appropriate?
• Critical thinking: Is the subject thought about critically (i.e., accurately, logically, relevantly, and precisely)?

Review the project case. Determine the scope of the District 4 Production Warehouse Move project from the information provided in the case. Using the Project Scope Checklist, prepare a scope document for review and approval by the project sponsor prior to starting the project.

Project Scope Checklist

1. Project objective
2. Deliverables
3. Milestones
4. Technical requirements
5. Limits and exclusions
6. Reviews with customer

Submit your report to M1: Assignment 3 Dropbox by Wednesday, January 27, 2016.

Assignment 3 Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Prepared a project scope document that is ready for sign-off.	30
Determined the complete scope of the project.	30
Included all sections from the scope checklist.	30
Used correct grammar, spelling, and word choice and cited all sources using correct APA style.	10

• Based upon the emergency management concept of incident management that includes the phases of preparedness and mitigation, response, and recovery, identify the actions that will need to be taken in each phase as they relate to Hurricanes in Miami, Florida.
  • Identify the major challenges that Miami and responders will encounter when responding to Hurricanes.
  • What solutions exist (e.g., mutual aid, contract services) to overcome challenges from a hurricane? Explain in detail.
  • What should be the short- and long-term recovery goals of Miami following the occurrence of a hurricane?
• Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.

 

Individual Portion

• Develop a PowerPoint presentation of 6–7 slides that provides details about your plan.
• Include speaker notes of 200–300 words that will be used when presenting the plan to your superiors.

n this assignment, you will create a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation that exhibits the different organisms in your current biome.

Include the following in your presentation:

• Describe Your Own Environment

  Consider the natural environment or biome found in the geographic area where you currently live. For example, if you live in the Midwest, the natural biome for this area is the grassland. If you live in Alaska you are likely to live in either the tundra or the boreal forest. Describe the main features of the biome found in your geographic area. Include features such as the environment (moisture, temperature) and any topographic features that would influence the climate (mountains, large bodies of water, etc.).

• Identify Ten Organisms

  Make a list identifying at least ten organisms—at least five plants and five animals—that live in your biome, and describe how these organisms interact with one another. For example, is the relationship competitive or symbiotic?

• Describe Each Organism and its Environmental Needs

  In the speaker notes section in your presentation, briefly describe these ten organisms and the type of conditions—that is, moisture, warm temperatures, or a type of plant—they need in order to survive. Be sure to include the interactions between these organisms and the resources they need to survive. You may wish to use various tools available in Microsoft PowerPoint to visually depict these relationships.

• Hypothesis of a New Environment

  Consider a situation where the temperature of the climate was to increase by an average of ten degrees Celsius. Address the following:

  • How would these organisms survive if the temperature warmed up this much?
  • Would they stay or move to a more suitable environment?
  • Would a new species move in?
  • How would migratory species be impacted?
  • What would happen to your biome?

  Now, consider if your biome changes with the temperature shift. Address the following:

  • What types of plants and animals do you think would live there?
  • What will happen to the rarer species? Will they cease to exist?
  • Identify five plants and five animals that you feel would inhabit this warmer area.
  • Describe this new ecosystem and the new interactions that will most likely exist.
• Additional Topics to Include
  • How would environmental management practices change in your area?
  • Would this drastic shift in temperature impact culture and society in your area?
  • Would you still choose to live in this area after a drastic shift in temperature? Give reasons to support your answer.

Use pictures from the Internet to represent your chosen species, and give credit to these Web sites. Support your statements with 3–5 credible sources. Use the last slide of your presentation as a reference slide.

Develop a 10–15-slide presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M3_A2.ppt.

By Wednesday, January 27, 2016, deliver your assignment to the M3: Assignment 2 Dropbox.

Assignment 2 Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Describe the environment where you live in terms of its biome.	12
Identify five plants and five animals within your biome, and describe how they interact with one another.	40
Consider the ten organisms you picked and describe what each one needs to survive (including interactions between the organisms).	28
Identify five plants and five animals that you feel would inhabit your area if the climate were to increase by an average of ten degrees Celsius, and describe the hypothetical new ecosystem along with the new interactions that would likely exist.	40
Summarize how environmental management practices would change in your city with this drastic shift in temperature and how these new conditions would impact the culture and society. Explain if you would still choose to live in this area and justify your answer.	36
Presentation Components: Organization (12) Style (4) Usage and Mechanics (12) APA Elements (16)	44

In this assignment, you will create a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation that exhibits the different organisms in your current biome.

Include the following in your presentation:

• Describe Your Own Environment

  Consider the natural environment or biome found in the geographic area in LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA USA. For example, if you live in the Midwest, the natural biome for this area is the grassland. If you live in Alaska you are likely to live in either the tundra or the boreal forest. Describe the main features of the biome found in your geographic area. Include features such as the environment (moisture, temperature) and any topographic features that would influence the climate (mountains, large bodies of water, etc.).

• Identify Ten Organisms

  Make a list identifying at least ten organisms—at least five plants and five animals—that live in your biome, and describe how these organisms interact with one another. For example, is the relationship competitive or symbiotic?

• Describe Each Organism and its Environmental Needs

  In the speaker notes section in your presentation, briefly describe these ten organisms and the type of conditions—that is, moisture, warm temperatures, or a type of plant—they need in order to survive. Be sure to include the interactions between these organisms and the resources they need to survive. You may wish to use various tools available in Microsoft PowerPoint to visually depict these relationships.

• Hypothesis of a New Environment

  Consider a situation where the temperature of the climate was to increase by an average of ten degrees Celsius. Address the following:

  • How would these organisms survive if the temperature warmed up this much?
  • Would they stay or move to a more suitable environment?
  • Would a new species move in?
  • How would migratory species be impacted?
  • What would happen to your biome?

  Now, consider if your biome changes with the temperature shift. Address the following:

  • What types of plants and animals do you think would live there?
  • What will happen to the rarer species? Will they cease to exist?
  • Identify five plants and five animals that you feel would inhabit this warmer area.
  • Describe this new ecosystem and the new interactions that will most likely exist.
• Additional Topics to Include
  • How would environmental management practices change in your area?
  • Would this drastic shift in temperature impact culture and society in your area?
  • Would you still choose to live in this area after a drastic shift in temperature? Give reasons to support your answer.

Use pictures from the Internet to represent your chosen species, and give credit to these Web sites. Support your statements with 3–5 credible sources. Use the last slide of your presentation as a reference slide.

Develop a 10–15-slide presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M3_A2.ppt.

Strategic Groups and Marketing Decisions

Complete the following discussions:

• Although strategic groups tend to be rigid, they are by no means fixed. One of the things managers have to be aware of is which firms may change group membership. With the results from Year 13 of the simulation, consider the following:
  • Why do firms tend to cluster into strategic groups?
  • Would it not make sense for firms to spread out across strategic spaces? Why or why not? Explain your rationale.
  • How likely is it that firms competing in other strategic groups will adapt their strategy to compete directly against you? Explain your rationale.
  • Which firms currently not in your strategic group would be most likely to try and enter your group? Why?
• Firms also sell in the Internet markets and have to coordinate the Internet marketing strategy with the branded marketing strategy.
  • How do firms that are successful in the Internet market balance their sales there with those in retail markets?
  • Is there any evidence showing firms that emphasize the Internet channel are being hurt in the retail channel and vice versa? Support your answer with examples.
  • A firm has to market an athletic shoe product line that it orders from its factories. Which decisions on the Production and Labor screens are critical to coordinate with the firm’s marketing strategy? Why?

There are two key documents used to define a project. Identify those documents and explain how a PM would use them in managing the project throughout the project life cycle. Use the text and outside sources to support your response and document them in APA format.

 

 

When to Form the Team

Project teams are an essential part of most projects and depending on the project scope and work scope team membership is likely to change. The question is “When should the PM form a project team?” Provide your response in 200 words or less and support your rationale using the text and outside sources.

onsider the following Case Study:

You are a HR Consultant who has been contracted by the Fellows Company.

The Fellows Company would like to implement a HRIS. The company has 200 employees and plans on growing 100% over the next 3 years. Currently, Fellows utilizes Excel and Word for keeping track of employee files. Annually, the company spends $50,000 for the HR Department for the salaries of one HR employee who maintains the employee records. There is an accounts payable clerk who makes $45,000 a year and works on Payroll 2 days per week.

Your project is to help the Fellows Company determine the cost-savings and ROI for a new HRIS. Based on research and the Module Readings, determine the ROI of implementing a HRIS. Estimate the initial cost of implementation of an Employee Records/Payroll HRIS for the Fellows Company. You may make assumptions for costs, if you are unable to discover actual costs of HRIS systems.

Create a 3-4-page proposal that summarizes the benefits and the ROI of a new HRIS. Consider the following in your proposal:

1. What functions does the HRIS offer and how will it save Fellows time and money?
2. What will be the ROI for the investment? (Consider the initial investment as well as the cost per month/per employee)
3. What reassurances can you offer the company to help them feel confident in your recommendation?

As you learned from our discussion this week about informal assessments and from the required readings in the text, using informal assessments to guide curriculum planning and instructional decisions allows educators to best support children’s specific strengths and needs, as explained in the Jaruszewicz (2012) text, developmentally appropriate approaches to assessment include a comprehensive, systematic, and focused look at each and every child’s specific learning and development. In this assignment you have an opportunity to explore informal assessments further in relation to the use of data to drive the creation and delivery of those assessments.

Consider the following scenario as a frame of reference for this assignment: You are an educator that has collected assessment data on a child in your program or classroom and now must create a curriculum plan based on the assessment data. Next, review the Week Three Instructor Guidance for additional help with this assignment and review the multimedia resources for Anecdotal Records, the Rating Scale, and the Checklist. Finally, use the instructions below to guide your creation of your curriculum plan based on the assessment data in the resources. Remember to review the Grading Rubric associated with this assignment to understand how you will be evaluated. It is recommended you use the labels below as headings throughout your writing to organize sections (Tip: These would all be APA level-one headings.)

Instructions

• Introduction (0.5 Points): Write a succinct introduction that informs the reader of the topic of the assignment and its organization. Remember, an effective essay introduction tells the reader what you will say.
• Assessment Observations (3 Points): In one to two paragraphs, describe the observations that you made from the data using several examples from the assessments.
• Child Observations (3 Points): In three to four paragraphs, describe the strengths and areas of opportunity (i.e., weaknesses) for the child based on the assessment data.

• Short-Term Goal (3 Points): In three to four paragraphs, explain three specific instructional decisions for a short-term goal for the child based on the data analysis.
• Long-Term Goal (3 Points): In one to two paragraphs, explain one specific long-term goal for the child based on the data analysis.
• Conclusion (0.5 Points): Write a succinct conclusion that informs the reader of the main points from the assignment. Remember, an effective essay conclusion tells the reader what you have said in a summary.
• Length Requirement (0.25 Points): Two to three pages, not including the title and references pages.
• APA Formatting (0.25 Points): Use APA formatting, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center, consistently throughout the assignment, which includes citations in the body of the assignment, the title page, and references list.
• Source Requirement (0.25 Points): Reference three scholarly sources in addition to the text.
• Syntax and Mechanics (0.25 Points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar

You are in the midst of preparing the departmental budget for the year. The next portion of the budget is the coding staff development budget.  You currently have five coders in your department.

In a word document prepare the following:

1. A staff development plan for the coding staff for the coming year.
2. A budget for staff development.

1. A. First step of this assignment is to assess the needs of your staff:

• What resources will go for staying current with the new code changes, rules and guidelines?
• What continuing education will keep staff current on the latest procedures and techniques done within your facility that may impact coding?
• What resources will go training based on the feedback from the last peer-to-peer audit and also the last external audit.
• What professional development do your coders need or want in the areas of topics like HIM, electronic health records, general computer skills, or supervisory or interpersonal skills.

Develop a prioritized list of what training is needed for your coding staff. Look at the training opportunities that may be available at low cost or no cost. D. Also consider the amount of time the coders will be away from their production responsibilities while attending these training events. Will your accounts receivable be impacted if all the coders are out at a two-day conference? Will you have to replace their productivity with temporary staff?

Prior-year Expenditures Budget vs. Actual Coding Area
Item	Budget Amount	Amount Spent
Supplies	$1,200	$1,000
Travel	$2,000	$2,500
Conference Fees	$1,000	$1,200
Membership Dues	$750	$600
Subscriptions	$350	$325
Equipment	$5,000	$3,000

1. Analyze which area/areas have variances and their proposals for correcting this in the future.
2. Along with each variance calculation, prepare a brief report justifying why there may be