Author: chris

Throughout this course, you will conduct a strategy audit for a selected company. Begin this assignment by selecting an organization for your course project activities.

In this module, you will assess the product portfolio of your selected business unit by analyzing the value proposition, market position, and competitive advantage of its products and services.

Part I: Interview

To gain an understanding of your selected business unit’s market position, value proposition, and competitive advantage, conduct at least one interview with a mid-level or senior manager.

Use the interview to solicit the manager’s perception of his or her business unit’s product portfolio. Be sure to discuss the points of analysis listed below in Part II of this assignment.

Part II: Analysis

Based on the information gathered from the interview, analyze the product portfolio of your selected business unit. In your analysis, identify the business unit of your company and the product(s) and service(s) on which you will focus.

Make sure to include the following points in your analysis:

• Describe the target customer for the product/service in terms of relevant characteristics that impact the marketing strategy, including location (how it should be reached) and buying habits.
• Identify each customer segment’s specific wants and needs. Explain why they buy your company’s product or service, or a competing product or service.
• Justify how well your product/service satisfies customer wants and needs. Identify any wants and needs that are not met by your product/service.
• Analyze the position of your product/service in relation to the competition. Identify the main competitors. Explain how your product differs in terms of features, function, quality, price, availability, brand image, and the like. Explain why this differentiation is important to your customers.
• Describe the source of competitive advantage for your product. Evaluate how sustainable is this source of advantage.
• Assess the long-term sustainability of the source of differentiation and competitive advantage.

Include appropriate information from the interview in support of your answer.

Part III: Matrix

In comparing your product/service to that of the competition, construct a simple matrix in the following way:

• List the key customer wants or needs on the left-hand vertical axis.
• List the competing products on the top horizontal axis, starting with your product/service on the left.
• For each customer want or need, indicate how well each competing product satisfies the need using a scale of 0–2.
  • 0 = need not met
  • 1 = need partially met
  • 2 = need fully met

This is a simple but effective visual mechanism for comparing the relative position of multiple offerings from competing sources.

Write a 3-page paper in Word format and attach the matrix as an appendix. 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.

Deliver your assignment to the M1: Assignment 3 Dropbox.

Assignment 3 Grading Criteria

 

Assignment Component	Proficient	Maximum Points
Describe the target customer for the product/service in terms of relevant characteristics that impact the marketing strategy, including location (how reached), buying habits.	Target customer is clearly and accurately identified. Description includes all relevant characteristics that impact the marketing strategy, including (but not limited to) location and buying habits.	12
Identify each customer segment’s specific wants and needs. Explain why they buy your company’s product or service, or a competing product or service.	Each customer segment’s wants and needs are identified, specific, and appropriate. Explanation as to why customer buys product/service is clear, complete, and provides specific detail to support ideas.	12
Justify how well your product/service satisfy customer wants and needs. Identify any wants and needs that not met by your product / service.	Justification of how well product/service satisfies customer wants and needs is clear, complete, and provides sound examples that support stance. Any wants and needs not met by the product/service are identified and evaluated.	20
Analyze your product’s position in relation to the competition. Identify the main competitors. Explain how your product differs in terms features, function, quality, price, availability, brand image, etc. Explain why this differentiation is important to your customers.	Analysis of product in relation to competition is clear, complete, and detailed. Where the product resides in the market as a whole is clear and accurate. Main competitors are specified. Explanation of how product differs from competition is clear and complete. It includes discussion of features, function, quality, price, availability, brand image, and the like. Explanation of why differentiation is important to customers is clear and supports the justification as to customers’ wants and needs.	20
Describe the source of competitive advantage for your product. Evaluate how sustainable is this source of advantage.	Source of competitive advantage for product is clearly and completely described with details to highlight specific ideas. Evaluation of sustainability of source of advantage is clear and grounded in appropriate examples.	12
Include information from appropriate interviews.	Information from interviews is woven into the assignment and used as support throughout.	8
Write using ethical scholarship and proper grammar and mechanics.	Writing is clear, concise, and in an organized manner; demonstrates ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and displays accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.	8
Academic Writing
Write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources (i.e. APA); and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.	Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.	8
Total:

Due by 10/08/2015 8:30 pm EST.  All references cited and each post must be 250 words minimum

 

1. Tools for the Editing Process

   Chapter 3 (in particular, p. 73, p. 76 and pp. 81-83) lists a number of resources available to writers and editors. Review at least three of these sources and describe more specifically how they can assist in the writing and editing processes. Also, visit the Ashford Writing Center (username: ashford; password: student) and evaluate how it can assist you in your writing and editing skills. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings. (text is Contemporary Editing)

2. Editing for Different Media

   How does the medium in which you are communicating your message influence your writing and editing styles? To illustrate your points, provide examples of how writing and editing for one medium might differ or be similar to another medium. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings.

Due by 10/08/2015 8:30 pm EST.  All references cited and each post must be 250 words minimum

 

1. Tools for the Editing Process

   Chapter 3 (in particular, p. 73, p. 76 and pp. 81-83) lists a number of resources available to writers and editors. Review at least three of these sources and describe more specifically how they can assist in the writing and editing processes. Also, visit the Ashford Writing Center (username: ashford; password: student) and evaluate how it can assist you in your writing and editing skills. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings. (text is Contemporary Editing)

2. Editing for Different Media

   How does the medium in which you are communicating your message influence your writing and editing styles? To illustrate your points, provide examples of how writing and editing for one medium might differ or be similar to another medium. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings.

Paper 1: Primary document analysis (3 pages)

Choose one of the primary documents we have read for class. Identify some of the main themes discussed in the document and write a paper analyzing them. What is the author trying to say? Why would someone in his/her situation hold these opinions? Why is this important? What does this document reveal to us about the historical context in which it was written? No outside sources are necessary

I recently completed my reading log on the short-story “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant and submitted it to my teacher for assessment. I received a mark of 68% and I was not satisfied with this mark. Upon asking my teacher if I could redo the assignment, she agreed and said that I can. The only condition is that on my second attempt, I have to analyse a different quote than the one which I already did. 

 

 

1. What is the LCD of 3/5 and 1/6?

A. 5

B. 6

C. 11

D. 30

 

2. What is the difference between 3/7 and 1/14?

A. 1/2

B. 4/14

C. 5/14

D. 9/14

 

3. If sandys recipe calls for 1/3 cup of brown sugar and she increases it by 2/9 of a cup, how much brown sugar does she use?

A. 7/9 cup

B. 5/9 cup

C. 4/9 cup

D. 1/9 cup

 

4. What value could be added to 2/15 to make the sum greater than 1/2?

A. 1/15

B. 8/30

C. 5/15

D. 8/15

 

5. Which set of mixed numbers has a difference less than 1?

A. 1 2/9, 1 1/9

B. 3 4/7, 2 1/7

C. 2 4/5, 1 1/3

D. 2 7/9, 1 1/3

1. What is the LCD of 3/5 and 1/6?

A. 5

B. 6

C. 11

D. 30

 

2. What is the difference between 3/7 and 1/14?

A. 1/2

B. 4/14

C. 5/14

D. 9/14

 

3. If sandys recipe calls for 1/3 cup of brown sugar and she increases it by 2/9 of a cup, how much brown sugar does she use?

A. 7/9 cup

B. 5/9 cup

C. 4/9 cup

D. 1/9 cup

 

4. What value could be added to 2/15 to make the sum greater than 1/2?

A. 1/15

B. 8/30

C. 5/15

D. 8/15

 

5. Which set of mixed numbers has a difference less than 1?

A. 1 2/9, 1 1/9

B. 3 4/7, 2 1/7

C. 2 4/5, 1 1/3

D. 2 7/9, 1 1/3

Computing Gross Earnings:

(Regular Hourly Rate x Regular Hours Worked) + (Overtime Hours Worked x 1.5) + (Holiday or Double Time Hours Worked x 2.0) = Gross Earning

1. Michael Ross is a legal assistant for law firm. He makes $52.35 per hour. He receives time and a half (1.5), for any overtime hours that he works. He also receives double time (2.0) for any holiday that is worked. Michael works 53 total hours, 8 hours of overtime and 5 hours on a holiday.

Calculate his gross earnings for the above given information.

Calculate Regular Earnings: HINT: How many hours would a full time employee work?
Regular Earnings	=	Hourly Rate	x	Regular Hrs. Worked
Regular Earnings	=	52.35		53.0
Regular Earnings	=	2,774.55
Calculate Overtime Earnings
Overtime Earnings	=	Hourly Rate	x	Overtime Hrs. Worked	x	1.5
Overtime Earnings	=	52.35	x	8.0	x	1.5
Overtime Earnings	=	628.20
Calculate Double Time Earnings
Double Time Earnings	=	Hourly Rate	x	Double Time Hrs. Worked	x	2.0
Double Time Earnings	=	52.35	x	5	x	2.0
Double Time Earnings	=	523.50
Gross Earnings: HINT: (Use your answers from above)
Gross Earnings	=	Regular Earnings	+	Overtime Earnings	+	Double Time Earnings
Gross Earnings	=	2,774.55	+	628.20	+	523.50
Gross Earnings	=	3,926.25

2. Calculating Payroll Deductions and Net Pay

Net pay is computed by using the following formula: Net Pay = Gross Pay – Deductions. Deductions are Federal and State withholdings, Social Security and Medicare taxes withholding. These deductions are the computed and added together to arrive at your payroll deductions.

For the purpose of this example we are going to say that federal withholding is at 25% and State withholding is at 7% of the gross yearly salary. Social Security tax is calculated at 6.2% (.062) and Medicare is calculated at 1.45% (.0145). Given the information above, let’s calculate the annual Deductions and Net Pay for an employee who makes $75,000 a year.

HINT:  You will multiply Net pay by each of the tax with holdings for each line. To get net pay you will subtract those answers, from each line, from gross pay to get the net pay total. 

Just like your paycheck, taxes must be withdrawn from your gross pay to get your “take home pay.”

Annual Gross Salary						$75,000.00
Federal Taxes Withheld (25% or .25)	=		x		=
State Taxes Withheld (7% or .07)	=		x		=
Social Security Taxes (6.2% or .062)	=		x		=
Medicare Taxes (1.45% or .0145)	=		x		=
Annual Net Salary

3. Calculating Payroll Deductions and Net Pay

Another way of calculating payroll deductions is on a check by check basis. We can do this by starting with the gross paycheck then deducting the payroll deductions.

Instead of calculating the federal withholding as a percentage, we can use the following tables to look up the federal withholding by looking at to see if they are single or married and how many withholding allowances they claim on their W-4. Below are the tables for a Single Persons and a Married Persons who get paid on a weekly basis.

So if this employee is married, they made $1,165 a week, with 2 withholding allowances for Federal purposes, State withholding is 5% of the gross paycheck and Social Security is at 6.2% and Medicare is at 1.45%. Calculate the net paycheck.

Gross Weekly Paycheck						$1,165.00
Federal Taxes Withheld (Use table above)						–
State Taxes Withheld (5% or .05)	=		x		=	–
Social Security Taxes (6.2% or .062)	=		x		=	–
Medicare Taxes (1.45% or .0145)	=		x		=	–
Weekly Net Salary						=

 

which of the following is not a potential sign that a person is suicidal?

a. She losses interest in her personal .

b. she becomes closer to her friends and family.

c. she gives away treasured or imortant personal belongings

D. she runs away from home

jack needs to borrow $1,200 for the next year. Bank south will give him the loan at 11%. Sun Coast Bank will give him the loan at 7% with a $51 loan origination fee. first National will give the loan at%6 with a $25 loan origination fee. determine the total interest and fees jack will be charged in each case. which loan should jack choose?
 if jack takes the loan at Bank South, the amount of total interest and fee is