Author: chris

1. ) Create a set of 5 points that are very close together and record the standard deviation. Next, add a sixth point that is far away from the original 5 and record the new standard deviation.

What is the impact of the new point on the standard deviation? Do not just give a numerical value for the change. Explain what happened to the standard deviation in words.  (4 points)

1. b) Create a data set with 8 points in it that has a mean of approximately 10 and a standard deviation of approximately 1. Use the second chart to create a second data set with 8 points that has a mean of approximately 10 and a standard deviation of approximately 4. What did you do differently to create the data set with the larger standard deviation? (4 points)

1. Go back to the spreadsheet and clear the data values from question 1 from the data column and then put values matching the following data set into the data column for the first graph.  (8 points)

50, 50, 50, 50, 50.

Notice that the standard deviation is 0. Explain why the standard deviation for this one is zero. Do not show the calculation. Explain in words why the standard deviation is zero when all of the points are the same. If you don’t know why, try doing the calculation by hand to see what is happening. If that does not make it clear, try doing a little research on standard deviation and see what it is measuring and then look again at the data set for this question.

1. Go back to the spreadsheet one last time and put each of the following three data sets into one of the graphs. Record what the standard deviation is for each data set and answer the questions below.

Data set 1:       0, 0, 0, 100, 100, 100

Data set 2:       0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100

Data set 3:       0, 40, 45, 55, 60, 100

Note that all three data sets have a median of 50. Notice how spread out the points are in each data set and compare this to the standard deviations for the data sets. Describe the relationship you see between the amount of spread and the size of the standard deviation and explain why this connection exists. Do not give your calculations in your answer—explain in words.  (8 points)

For the last 2 questions, use the Project 1 Data set that is found in Course Content >> Course Guides and Assignment Instructions >> Assignment Instructions in Blackboard.

4. Explain what an outlier is. Then, if there are any outliers in the Project 1 Data Set, what are they? If there are no outliers, say no outliers. (4 points)
5. Which 4 temperatures in the data set look to be the most questionable or the most unrealistic to you? Explain why you selected these 4 points. (4 points)

1. ) Create a set of 5 points that are very close together and record the standard deviation. Next, add a sixth point that is far away from the original 5 and record the new standard deviation.

What is the impact of the new point on the standard deviation? Do not just give a numerical value for the change. Explain what happened to the standard deviation in words.  (4 points)

1. b) Create a data set with 8 points in it that has a mean of approximately 10 and a standard deviation of approximately 1. Use the second chart to create a second data set with 8 points that has a mean of approximately 10 and a standard deviation of approximately 4. What did you do differently to create the data set with the larger standard deviation? (4 points)

1. Go back to the spreadsheet and clear the data values from question 1 from the data column and then put values matching the following data set into the data column for the first graph.  (8 points)

50, 50, 50, 50, 50.

Notice that the standard deviation is 0. Explain why the standard deviation for this one is zero. Do not show the calculation. Explain in words why the standard deviation is zero when all of the points are the same. If you don’t know why, try doing the calculation by hand to see what is happening. If that does not make it clear, try doing a little research on standard deviation and see what it is measuring and then look again at the data set for this question.

1. Go back to the spreadsheet one last time and put each of the following three data sets into one of the graphs. Record what the standard deviation is for each data set and answer the questions below.

Data set 1:       0, 0, 0, 100, 100, 100

Data set 2:       0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100

Data set 3:       0, 40, 45, 55, 60, 100

Note that all three data sets have a median of 50. Notice how spread out the points are in each data set and compare this to the standard deviations for the data sets. Describe the relationship you see between the amount of spread and the size of the standard deviation and explain why this connection exists. Do not give your calculations in your answer—explain in words.  (8 points)

For the last 2 questions, use the Project 1 Data set that is found in Course Content >> Course Guides and Assignment Instructions >> Assignment Instructions in Blackboard.

4. Explain what an outlier is. Then, if there are any outliers in the Project 1 Data Set, what are they? If there are no outliers, say no outliers. (4 points)
5. Which 4 temperatures in the data set look to be the most questionable or the most unrealistic

• 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.

Cost and Decision-Making Analysis

Cheryl Montoya picked up the phone and called her boss, Wes Chan, Vice President of Marketing at Piedmont Fasteners Corporation.

Cheryl: “Wes, I’m not sure how to go about answering the questions that came up at the meeting with the President yesterday.” Wes: “What’s the problem?”. Cheryl: “The president wanted to know the break-even point for each of the company’s products, but I am having trouble figuring them out.” Wes: “I’m sure you can handle it, Cheryl. And, by the way, I need your analysis on my desk tomorrow morning at 8:00 sharp in time for the follow-up meeting at 9:00.”

Piedmont Fasteners Corporation makes three different clothing fasteners at its manufacturing facility in North Carolina. Data concerning these products appear below:

Total fixed expenses are $400,000 per year.

All three products are sold in highly competitive markets, so the company is unable to raise its prices without losing unacceptably large numbers of customers.

The company has a very effective lean production system, so there is no beginning or ending work in process or finished-goods inventories.

Using the module readings, the University online library resources, and the Internet, research break-even point and costing systems. Analyze the case based on your research and what you have learned so far in the course.

Respond to the following:

• Calculate the company’s overall break-even point in total sales dollars. Explain your methodology (approximately 2 pages).
• Of the total fixed costs of $400,000: $20,000 could be avoided if the Velcro product were dropped, $80,000 if the Metal product were dropped, and $60,000 if the Nylon product were dropped. The remaining fixed costs of $240,000 consist of common fixed costs such as administrative salaries and rent on the factory building that could be avoided only by going out of business entirely (approximately 2 pages):
  • Calculate the break-even point in units for each product. Explain your methodology.
  • Determine the overall profit of the company if the company sells exactly the break-even quantity of each product. Present your results.
• Evaluate costing systems for this company. Explain if this company should be using a job-order or process-costing system to accumulate costs (1 page).

Be sure to include your calculations in Microsoft Excel format.

Write a 5–6-page report in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

Marwan has worked at Studio Five Theme Park as a character actor portraying a swash-buckling pirate. He does not have an employment contract.  He loves his job because of his seniority with the company and all the attention he receives from the guests in the park. Unknown to anyone, his prosthetic leg has no noticeable impact on Marwan’s success in this position.

Marwan has become an accomplished flirt with all this attention, and now goes to the extent of placing his hands on the female guests’ behinds when posing for pictures. The women he has encountered so far have not complained, didn’t seem to mind, or they were taken by such surprise they were not sure how to respond.

One day, Marwan grabbed the breast of one of his fellow female actors who had been recently hired. When she threatened to report him, Marwan told her that he could get her fired if she did not go on a date with him. The fellow employee reported the incident anyway and Marwan was terminated immediately. Marwan contends that he was terminated as a result of physical disability.

Directions:

Research employment law related to hiring/firing and discrimination, using your textbook, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet. Based on the facts of the case and research, write an analytical paper. In the paper, respond to the following questions:

• What civil rights laws may prohibit Marwan’s conduct with his fellow co-worker? Do those laws apply to his conduct toward the park guest?  Explain both answers.
• Did Marwan commit sexual harassment? If so, what type? Explain your answers and the terms you use.
• What is the legal nature of Marwan’s employment?  Explain your answers and the terms you use.
• What actions and steps should Studio Five take against Marwan? Explain what actions you considered and why you either recommend them or reject them.
• Discuss Marwan’s allegation that he is being discriminated against based on his disability and what response Studio Five may have to that allegation. What would each of them have to prove in court?
• If the female employee sues Studio Five Theme Park, what defenses can Studio Five use?   Are they liable for Marwan’s conduct even if they were unaware of and did not approve of Marwan’s actions? Explain your answers and the terms you use.
• If Marwan was a member of a union that had a collective bargaining agreement with Studio Five, would that change any of your previous answers? If so, why?
• What types of company policies, procedures, and actions should businesses employ to avoid harassment of their employees?

Write a ten-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards for writing style to your work.

Submit your assignment to the M5: Assignment 1 Dropbox by Monday, February 8, 2016.

Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M5_A1.doc.

The Genesis Energy operations management team is now preparing to implement the operating expansion plan. Previously, the firm’s cash position did not pose a challenge. However, the planned foreign expansion requires Genesis Energy to have a reliable source of funds for both short-term and long-term needs.

One of Genesis Energy’s potential lenders tells the team that in order to be considered as a viable customer, Genesis Energy must prepare and submit a monthly cash budget for the current year and a quarterly budget for the subsequent year. The lender will review the cash budget and determine whether or not Genesis Energy can meet the loan repayment terms. Genesis Energy’s ability to repay the loan depends not only on sales and expenses but also on how quickly the company can collect payment from customers and how well it manages its supplier terms and other operating expenses. The Genesis Energy team members agreed that being fully prepared with factual data would allow them to maximize their position as well as negotiate favorable financing terms.

The Genesis Energy management team held a brainstorming session to chart a plan of action, which is detailed here.

• Evaluate historical data and prepare assumptions that will drive the planning process.
• Produce a detailed cash budget that summarizes cash inflow, outflow, and financing needs.
• Identify and compare interest rates, both short-term and long-term, using debt and equity.
• Analyze the financing mix (short/long) and the cost associated with the recommendation.

Since this expansion is critical to Genesis Energy expanding into new overseas markets, the operations management team has been asked to prepare an executive summary with supporting details for Genesis Energy’s senior executives.

Working over a weekend, the management team developed realistic assumptions to construct a working capital budget.

1. Sales: The marketing expert and the newly created customer service personnel developed sales projections based on historical data and forecast research
2. Other cash receipt: Rental income $15,000 per month
3. Production material: The production manager forecasted material cost based on cost quotes from reliable vendors, the average of which is 50 percent of sales
4. Other production cost: Based on historical cost data, this cost on an average is 30 percent of the material cost and occurs in the month after material purchase
5. Selling and marketing expense: Five percent of sales
6. General and administrative expense: Twenty percent of sales
7. Interest payments: $75,000—Payable in December
8. Tax payments: $15,000—Quarterly due on 15th of April, July, October, and January
9. Minimum cash balance desired: $25,000 per month
10. Cash balance start of month (December): $15,000
11. Available short-term annual interest rate is 8 percent, long-term debt rate is 9 percent, and long-term equity is 10 percent. All funds would be available the first month when the firm encounters a deficit
12. Dividend payment: None

Based on this information, do the following:

1. Using the Cash Budget spreadsheet, calculate detailed company cash budgets for the forthcoming and subsequent years. Summarize the sources and uses of cash, and identify the external financing needs for both the forthcoming and subsequent years.

   Download this Excel spreadsheet to view the company’s cash budget (this is the attached document titled m3_a2_cash budget). You will calculate the company’s monthly cash budget for the forthcoming year and quarterly budget for the subsequent year using this information.

2. In an executive-level report, summarize the company’s financing needs for the forecast period and provide your recommendations for financing the planned activities. Be sure to comment on the following:
   1. Your recommended financing solution and cost to the firm: If Genesis Energy needs operating cash, how should it fund this need? Are there internal policy changes with regard to collections or payables management you would recommend? What types of external financing are available?
   2. Your concerns associated with the firm’s cash budget. Is this a sign of weak sales performance or poor cost control? Why or why not?

Write a 7-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

**I have included 2 documents that have been provided by the instuctor to help with the calculations.  I have started but please double check what I have done (m2_a2_ cash budget)***

Management

Mathis, Inc. is a designer and manufacturer of women’s clothing and specializes in high-end women’s winter fashions. Normandale, a retailer, sells high-end products in malls throughout the country. With Mathis’s high costs, Normandale is unable to make a profit from the sale of Mathis’s products.

Countess Lori-Ann (CLA) is a Mathis competitor. Normandale sends photographs and samples of the Mathis line to CLA and instructs them to make an identical line at a lower price. Mathis labels are easily discernable in the photographs and the samples have the Mathis label attached. CLA copies the Mathis line for Normandale.

CLA sells the clothing to Normandale at a low price allowing Normandale to sell the products for a total gross profit of nearly $3 million, an increase of nearly 50% over its sale of Mathis products. Mathis discovers that Normandale is selling counterfeit products, and sends several cease-and-desist letters to them—to no avail. Mathis then sues Normandale alleging Normandale has engaged in illegal conduct. Normandale counters that it did nothing wrong.

Research business law in regard to protection of intellectual property using your textbook, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet. Based on the facts of the case and research, write an analytical paper. In the paper, respond to the following questions:

• Was it ethical for Normandale to sell the alleged knock-off products at a lower price? Explain.
• What federal or state laws protect owners of intellectual property?  How do they apply here? Explain.
• What damages, if any, has Mathis suffered because of Normandale’s conduct? Explain.
• What are the differing views on the social responsibility of corporations like Normandale?
• What ethical code could Normandale implement to prevent similar incidents in the future?
• Do the owners of Normandale have personal liability to Mathis for damages?  Explain.
• Do the owners of Normandale have personal criminal liability for their conduct and that of the business?  Explain.

Write a five-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards for writing style to your work.

Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M3_A2.doc. For example, if your name is John Smith, your document will be named SmithJ_M3_A2.doc.

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

Using the same organization that you selected in Week 1, propose a change that your organization could implement that would aid it strategically. The proposed change might relate to some area of need, performance deficiency, or other opportunity that you observe in the organization. Note: You will be proposing a change initiative related to motivation in next week’s assignment. Accordingly, focus your change project for this week’s paper in a direction other than motivation.

Write a paper addressing the following:

• Describe the change that you propose and defend its benefits to the organization.
• Evaluate how the proposed change may affect various groups of employees.
• Assess the conflicts that might occur before, during, and after the change, including why you anticipate these conflicts.
• Defend at least three best practices to prevent or resolve those conflicts.
• Justify the channels of communication the organization should use in implementing this change.

Submission Details:

• Present a 4- to 5-page paper in a Microsoft Word document formatted in APA style.

Prepare a 1,050-word paper analyzing the characteristics of a learning organization and its applications in a global environment.

Outline Senge’s five disciplines and their applications.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

100% original

0 plagiarism

Introduction and conclusion

For tomorrow January 28 no more late than 3pm

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Reference the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Discussion Title

Ashford 6: – Week 5 – Discussion 2

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Reference the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Discussion Title