Author: chris

Instructions for this assignment: Perform all of the elements listed below.

This assignment has you complete two parts of a strategic business plan. To see how those parts fit into a full business plan, click here for a strategic business plan outline.

Part I – Analysis of the External Environment

As part of the Strategic Business Plan, you have been asked to:

• Identify and analyze the major driving forces for change in the external environment of the motorcycle industry.
• Analyze the dynamics of competition using Porter’s Five Forces Model of Competition. Correctly assess the dynamics of competition.
• Provide at least three statistics about the size of the motorcycle industry such as revenue, growth rate, number of units sold by manufacturer/country, etc.
• Summarize the strategic issues firms in this industry face and identify their biggest threats.

This section should be titled “The Analysis of H-D’s External Environment.”

Part II – Internal Environment Analysis

Financial

Gather the financial information necessary to do a complete ratio analysis and the Balance Score Card (BSC) key metrics information.

If you were going to create a BSC, what would be the key metrics you would measure in each of the four BSC areas:

• Financial
• Customer
• Internal Business Process
• Learning and Growth

Perform a ratio analysis using H-D’s five-year financial performance. Interpret the meaning of the ratios and financial performance.

This section should be titled “The Analysis of H-D’s Current Strategy: Two Views.” Be sure to include the ratio analysis. You may also include other graphics to support your narrative.

Competitors

Based on your analysis, you must decide which two competitors present the biggest competitive threat to H-D.

Perform a financial ratio analysis for the competitors after looking at trends in financial performance over five years, and compare the trends to industry averages.

Be sure you have a clear ranking of the industries’ competitors.

This section should be titled “Competitor Analysis.” Be sure to include the financial ratio anal

Harley-Davidson: External and Internal Analysis

Instructions for this assignment: Perform all of the elements listed below.

This assignment has you complete two parts of a strategic business plan. To see how those parts fit into a full business plan, click here for a strategic business plan outline.

Part I – Analysis of the External Environment

As part of the Strategic Business Plan, you have been asked to:

• Identify and analyze the major driving forces for change in the external environment of the motorcycle industry.
• Analyze the dynamics of competition using Porter’s Five Forces Model of Competition. Correctly assess the dynamics of competition.
• Provide at least three statistics about the size of the motorcycle industry such as revenue, growth rate, number of units sold by manufacturer/country, etc.
• Summarize the strategic issues firms in this industry face and identify their biggest threats.

This section should be titled “The Analysis of H-D’s External Environment.”

Part II – Internal Environment Analysis

Financial

Gather the financial information necessary to do a complete ratio analysis and the Balance Score Card (BSC) key metrics information.

If you were going to create a BSC, what would be the key metrics you would measure in each of the four BSC areas:

• Financial
• Customer
• Internal Business Process
• Learning and Growth

Perform a ratio analysis using H-D’s five-year financial performance. Interpret the meaning of the ratios and financial performance.

This section should be titled “The Analysis of H-D’s Current Strategy: Two Views.” Be sure to include the ratio analysis. You may also include other graphics to support your narrative.

Competitors

Based on your analysis, you must decide which two competitors present the biggest competitive threat to H-D.

Perform a financial ratio analysis for the competitors after looking at trends in financial performance over five years, and compare the trends to industry averages.

Be sure you have a clear ranking of the industries’ competitors.

This section should be titled “Competitor Analysis.” Be sure to include the financial ratio analysis. You may also include other graphics to support your narrative.

Management has reviewed your work from two weeks ago about how the employees’ low job motivation may affect the company internally and externally and determined that there is sufficient evidence to support an organizational change. It has asked you to recommend changes that will help to boost employee job motivation.

Recall that a survey showed that job motivation among employees was lower than average, with complaints such as:

• My job is so boring!
• My boss micromanages me but never tells me how I’m doing.
• I’ve been in my position for seven to fifteen years, but I am never allowed to provide any input about making the work better.

Write a paper in which you:

• Defend at least two organizational changes and explain how these changes will improve job motivation in the workforce. Support your recommendations by citing the theories covered in the readings or your own research.
• Assess potential conflicts that may arise due to the changes, including why you anticipate these conflicts.
• Justify a change implementation plan for leading the change initiatives and helping the organization overcome any resistance to the changes.
• Justify an appropriate communication plan that announces the changes and continues through the change management process.

Submission Details:

• Present a 6- to 7-page paper in a Microsoft Word document formatted in APA style.

Review the initial scenario and the Strategic Business Plan presented in Module 1to make sure that the requirements of the Board and the Part II Strategic Plan are met. In order to meet the requirements of the Board, you will prepare the finalStrategic Business Plan—Part II—Strategic Plan to the Executive Board. Ensure your strategic plan is thorough, succinct, and complete. Challenge yourself to link the targets to specific initiatives you have identified in the Strategic Plan you are developing for H-D.

Your written report should include a title page, table of contents, executive summary, and each of the following sections in an 8- to 12-page report:

Part I: Global Economy & Factors Affecting H-D  

1. 1. Identify H-D’s Motivations & Risks

• • Motivations for Expansion
  • Risks in Expansion

1. 2. Explain H-D’s competitive advantage in Global Markets
   3. Determine and explain entry strategies for global expansion
   4. Recommend an Internet approach/strategy for H-D

• • How the Internet adds value
  • Internet Business Models
  • Competitive Strategies
  • Leverage E-Business Capabilities

Part II: Corporate Leadership

Develop the following: Current Direction Setting

1. Organizational Culture: In addition, evaluate the culture at Harley-Davidson (H-D) and define what attributes you think team members should possess in reaching the business goals set forth by the organization. If you were part of the management team at H-D, what motivational techniques would you implement to make these teams successful?
2. Organizational Design: As you have been completing the Strategic Business

   Plan, the management at Harley-Davidson has decided to take a team-oriented approach in various departments rather than the traditional, functional structure. Based on your knowledge of different types of teams and their focus, suggest what kinds of team strategies should be applied to each department. Be sure to explain your recommendations in detail.

3. Leadership Traits
4. Ethical Organization Characteristics

• Identify elements
• Identify missing elements

Learning Organization Characteristics

• Identify elements
• Identify missing elements

Part III: Strategic Plan Summary

• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Implementation
  • Discuss how you will implement your strategic plans, including how teams should be implemented in each department
  • Develop a brief roadmap for implementation
  • Identify the primary benchmarks to assess success or failure
• Risks

Part IV:  Self-Reflection Summary

Self-reflection is the key to good leadership and good management. Reflect on what you have learned in this class and on what you gained from your Bachelor of Science program. Based on your reflections, discuss the following:

• Five or six key “lessons” learned from the textbook and the content that will help you in your career.
• Consider what you have learned throughout this program. Discuss career opportunities that interest you in business.
• Include what you have learned about yourself.

Evaluate how your personal biases and assumptions have affected your work in the past and how you plan to manage them in the future. Your final product will be in an MS Word document approximately 8–12 pages in length and utilizing approximately 4–6 scholarly/professional sources. Your document should be written in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Submit your final Strategic Business Plan—Part II—Strategic Plan with your self-reflection summary to the M5: Assignment 1 Dropbox by Week 5, Day 5.

Assignment 1 Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Assignment Components
Explain the current global economy, the motivational/risk factors affecting H-D, and their competitive advantage.	32
Determine and explain entry strategies for global expansion and recommend Internet approaches for H-D.	44
Explain H-D’s current directional setting, organizational culture, and design. Recommend and explain team strategies for each department.	32
Explain H-D’s leadership traits, ethical characteristics, and its learning environment.	40
Provide a Strategic Plan Summary to include your conclusions, recommendations, implementation, and risks.	56
Identify and explain 5–6 key lessons learned and how they will help you in your current and future career. Include an evaluation of your own personal biases and assumptions and how you plan to manage them in the future.	32
Academic Writing
Organization (16) Usage and Mechanics (16) APA Elements (24) Style (8)	6

Due to varying business characteristics, the managerial accounting techniques applied in each business may differ.  For example, a business in the start-up phase may rely heavily upon budgeting and capital investment techniques; whereas, a business in the mature/maintaining phase may rely heavily upon cost management and quality control. Ultimately, the techniques used by management should assist the business in achieving its short-term and long-term goals through effective decision-making.

For your Final Paper, you will analyze the role of managerial accounting in two parts. Part I will provide a general overview of managerial accounting. Part II will provide examples of how managerial accounting theories and principles are applied in the business world.  You may find it helpful to reflect upon your own professional experiences for examples.

Part I (three to four double-spaced pages, excluding the title and reference pages)

Present the following:

• Define managerial accounting
• Describe the role of managerial accounting and the management accountant in a business or organization
• Describes ethical issues/concerns for the management accountant
• Describes at least three managerial accounting techniques available and their application within a business or organization

Part II (Four to six double-spaced pages, excluding the title and reference pages)

Select at least three of the five topics identified below:

• Cost Management Techniques
• Costing Methods
• Capital Investment Decision Techniques
• Budgeting
• Quality Control

For each topic selected, present real world examples of the application of managerial accounting techniques within a business or organization.  Examples may be gathered from your own professional experiences or from case studies obtained from credible sources (excluding textbook examples explored in previous weeks).  Presentation of each example should include how a managerial accounting technique was applied in the business or organization’s decision-making model.  Be sure to support your example with calculations when applicable.

Writing the Final Paper

The Final Paper:

• Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
• Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
• Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
• Must use at least five scholarly sources.
• Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Homework Assignment 2

Due in Week 2 and worth 30 points

Answer the following questions in the space provided below:

Explain the importance of variation to health-care organizations and answer the following questions.

1. What might be the key processes for health-care organizations?
2. What are the potential common causes of variation that would have an impact on the key processes of health-care organizations?
3. What special causes might be more important than the others?
4. How might health-care organizations’ business environment be dynamic and change over time

 

Due to varying business characteristics, the managerial accounting techniques applied in each business may differ.  For example, a business in the start-up phase may rely heavily upon budgeting and capital investment techniques; whereas, a business in the mature/maintaining phase may rely heavily upon cost management and quality control. Ultimately, the techniques used by management should assist the business in achieving its short-term and long-term goals through effective decision-making.

For your Final Paper, you will analyze the role of managerial accounting in two parts. Part I will provide a general overview of managerial accounting. Part II will provide examples of how managerial accounting theories and principles are applied in the business world.  You may find it helpful to reflect upon your own professional experiences for examples.

Part I (three to four double-spaced pages, excluding the title and reference pages)

Present the following:

• Define managerial accounting
• Describe the role of managerial accounting and the management accountant in a business or organization
• Describes ethical issues/concerns for the management accountant
• Describes at least three managerial accounting techniques available and their application within a business or organization

Part II (Four to six double-spaced pages, excluding the title and reference pages)

Select at least three of the five topics identified below:

• Cost Management Techniques
• Costing Methods
• Capital Investment Decision Techniques
• Budgeting
• Quality Control

For each topic selected, present real world examples of the application of managerial accounting techniques within a business or organization.  Examples may be gathered from your own professional experiences or from case studies obtained from credible sources (excluding textbook examples explored in previous weeks).  Presentation of each example should include how a managerial accounting technique was applied in the business or organization’s decision-making model.  Be sure to support your example with calculations when applicable.

Writing the Final Paper

The Final Paper:

• Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
• Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
• Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
• Must use at least five scholarly sources.
• Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

list the forms that you will be reviewing with a new patient to accommodate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) policies and procedures.

Include the following in your submission:

• List all forms that must be reviewed with a new patient per HIPAA’s guidelines.
• Describe each form and what information is needed to complete it.
• Identify the purpose of each form

The Industrial Revolution, which began in the eighteenth century, has had an ongoing influence on society as well as the relationship between humans and their environment. With the onset of industrialization came the drastic increase in urbanization, setting up of factories in places which were once biomes, and the rapid development of land. All this occurred without assessing the long-term impact to the environment. Recognizing the importance of the Industrial Revolution era and the ongoing impact it has had on the environment is essential to learning how to help the environment and correct the damage of that era.

Using the readings for this module, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, complete the following:

• Identify three of the most environmentally negative impacts of the Industrial Revolution and justify your choices. For example, the invention of the automobile revolutionized travel in a positive manner. However, this invention is causing some of the biggest environmental problems as a result of the extensive use of oil extracted from the earth.
• Examine how these three negative impacts changed the environment; list the mechanisms through which this happened. For example, factories caused an increase in pollution through the release of toxic waste, which led to diminished and lost fish populations in rivers.
• Explain the effect of the environmental movement on the process of industrialization in the United States during the 1970s.
• Identify the laws passed to help ameliorate the environmental issues in the U.S. or around the world related to these three impacts. Have any laws been passed since this movement in the 1970s? If there have been laws implemented, summarize the spirit of the law and comment on the effectiveness of the law.
• Based on your research, examine whether the state of the environment has become worse or has improved as a result of these laws. Suggest steps to improve the environmental situation.

Support your statements with appropriate examples and scholarly references. Be sure to include an additional page for references.

Write a 4–5-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M1_A3.doc. For example, if your name is John Smith, your document will be named SmithJ_M1_A3.doc.

By Wednesday, January 13, 2016, deliver your assignment to the M1: Assignment 3 Dropbox.

Assignment 3 Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Adequately examined the impact of three of the most environmentally negative impacts of the industrial revolution.	28
Explained the effectiveness of the environmental movement in the U.S. and the laws that were created to combat the environmental problems created by the industrialization.	28
Suggested solutions to address these environmental problems.	24
Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

The Industrial Revolution, which began in the eighteenth century, has had an ongoing influence on society as well as the relationship between humans and their environment. With the onset of industrialization came the drastic increase in urbanization, setting up of factories in places which were once biomes, and the rapid development of land. All this occurred without assessing the long-term impact to the environment. Recognizing the importance of the Industrial Revolution era and the ongoing impact it has had on the environment is essential to learning how to help the environment and correct the damage of that era.

Using the readings for this module, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, complete the following:

• Identify three of the most environmentally negative impacts of the Industrial Revolution and justify your choices. For example, the invention of the automobile revolutionized travel in a positive manner. However, this invention is causing some of the biggest environmental problems as a result of the extensive use of oil extracted from the earth.
• Examine how these three negative impacts changed the environment; list the mechanisms through which this happened. For example, factories caused an increase in pollution through the release of toxic waste, which led to diminished and lost fish populations in rivers.
• Explain the effect of the environmental movement on the process of industrialization in the United States during the 1970s.
• Identify the laws passed to help ameliorate the environmental issues in the U.S. or around the world related to these three impacts. Have any laws been passed since this movement in the 1970s? If there have been laws implemented, summarize the spirit of the law and comment on the effectiveness of the law.
• Based on your research, examine whether the state of the environment has become worse or has improved as a result of these laws. Suggest steps to improve the environmental situation.

Support your statements with appropriate examples and scholarly references. Be sure to include an additional page for references.

Write a 4–5-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M1_A3.doc. For example, if your name is John Smith, your document will be named SmithJ_M1_A3.doc.

By Wednesday, January 13, 2016, deliver your assignment to the M1: Assignment 3 Dropbox.

Assignment 3 Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Adequately examined the impact of three of the most environmentally negative impacts of the industrial revolution.	28
Explained the effectiveness of the environmental movement in the U.S. and the laws that were created to combat the environmental problems created by the industrialization.	28
Suggested solutions to address these environmental problems.	24
Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.