Business

There are many aspects regarding conducting business in a virtual world discussed in Digital Habitats, Chapters 4 to end.  Pick any aspect from these chapters in the book and expand on it.  Tell why you think this is critical to a business.  Be concise – two paragraphs max!

Assignment Content You have been hired as a business process consultant for a fast food restaurant to strategically reorganize, standardize, and improve their service processes through the use of technology. Discuss how you will help to better utilize expensive resources to improve the restaurant’s strategic position and operational effectiveness. Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you identify the relationship between the restaurant’s current strategic positon and its operational effectiveness. Discuss the business process improvements necessary to produce and deliver the restaurant’s products and services in the following key areas: Business strategy. Operations strategy. Process architecture and operating policies. Discuss how the use of technology can be used to improve the restaurant’s s overall effectiveness. Evaluate the relationship between the restaurant’s strategy and the design of its managerial operations. Research a competitor in a similar market and compare and contrast how strategic positioning of the restaurant’s product will make the company more successful than the competition.

Discuss why team formation and project prioritization might be especially troublesome aspects of project management for a virtual team – especially when the team is global, with members scattered in many locations and time zones, and probably don’t have a common, fluent language.

Suppose a Ries Engineering conducted 8-week training to its workers to improve their productivity. The company wants to test whether the training increased the productivity of its workers. What is the problem in using two independent sample t-test for this research problem? What type of t-test would be appropriate? What are the assumptions? Suppose the you are given measured productivity before and after the training, what would be the next step to conduct the research How would you formulate the hypothesis using Di component?

Prompt Imagine you are the lead social media strategist at a large organization, and you’re responsible for the development and maintenance of quality social media strategy and junior social-media specialist mentoring. First, read Jamie’s initial email in the Jamie’s Email document. Then, compose a thorough, professional email response to help Jamie understand the purpose, process, and components of effective SMART goal creation, and support your response with appropriate evidence. Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria: Purpose: Explain the purpose of effective goal setting in social media strategy development and the repercussions for not having an effective goal to guide social media strategy. Process: Explain how effective social media goals are developed and identify resources that can be used to guide goal development for the following: Target audience data Key performance indicators (KPIs) Timelines Financial goals and restraints Components: Explain key criteria for the development of an effective SMART goal and provide clarifying examples for each component. Guidelines for Submission Submit this assignment as a 350- to 500-word Word document formatted as an email. Sources should be cited according to APA style.

There are two parts of this assignment and you need to finish both two parts. Part One Read the pdf. first and answering the questions: 1. What is the project communications plan? a. For your specific project, what, to whom, and when are you going to communicate? b. For your specific project, how are you going to deal with project change and does project change affect other knowledge areas? 2. What is Project Risk Management and the project risk management plan? a. For your specific project, what is in your project risk management plan? b. What are the specific areas of risk?  c. How will you deal with them?  d. How does the risk effect other knowledge areas? Deliverables 1. Respond with a minimum of 250 words. 2. It should include at least one reference from relevant peer-viewed journal articles and/or books or other reputable sources. 3. These sources must be properly cited in APA 6th edition format. Part Two Read the following two posts and replying each of them. Post One What is the project communications plan? For my project of constructing healthcare buildings, a project communications plan refers to the control points placed throughout the project schedule in order to establish a bridge between the various trades of engineering that will be coordinating together to build.   For your specific project, what, to whom, and when are you going to communicate? For my specific project, the construction drawings and schedule will need to be communicated with the entire construction team that are onsite throughout any given stage in the project. This is essential for the various engineering trade specialists so that they can coordinate when they need to be onsite and collaborate with which other engineering specialists in order to complete their individual scope of work. For example; the electrical engineering specialists will need to communicate with the architectural engineering specialists since the wiring for all the electrical panels and the receptacles will have to go into the walls before they are closed. The two trades will have to work together so that the walls do not have to be reopened for when the electrical work needs to be done.  For your specific project, how are you going to deal with project change and does project change affect other knowledge areas? Project change is an inevitable part of any project scope. There are always unforeseeable circumstances that occur such as previously undiscovered existing conditions at the construction site that might extend the initial scope of work established in the planning phase. A small change in the project scope can effect multiple trades of engineering. For example; the addition of a single door will effect both architectural engineering and structural engineering since the load baring structure of the building will be altered if any wall is demolished to place a door. A contingency budget is put in place within the initial budget in order to tackle any unexpected changes or additions in design.  What is Project Risk Management and the project risk management plan? For your specific project, what is in your project risk management plan? Project risk management in construction is managed by investigating the possible worst case scenarios before the construction process begins and including the possible cost impact in the initial budget of the project. This budget is what will be used to bid the project to begin with so that all considerable risk factors are already accounted for in the budget of the project.  What are the specific areas of risk?  The specific areas of risk in construction are mostly associated with existing conditions on the site that cannot be investigated prior to the commencement of construction. For example; During the bidding phase the project manager may bid the project based on the city records that the land being excavated for foundation setting is of a certain density and will require only a certain amount of mobilization trips and labor. However, when the digging begins, the construction team discovers that the density of the soil is higher and will require more labor than initially calculated.  How will you deal with them?  The way the risk is dealt, is to incorporate a percentage of fluctuation in the soil density based on the city records in the initial calculation so that it is included in the bidding budget from the beginning in the form of contingency.  How does the risk effect other knowledge areas? This risk assessment severely effects other areas such as structural engineering. The structural team will be designing the foundation supports for the building to stand on and that can fluctuate immensely if the density of the soil changes. If the wrong foundation supports are laid out then the building could sink into the soil due to the lower compaction density.  Risk management is a key part of the scope of any project and must be tackled in the initial phases of planning for successful completion of the project in the long run.  Citation: Risk analysis and management. (2008, March 3). Project Management Institute | PMI. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/risk-analysis-project-management-7070 Post Two The communications management plan “establishes how, when, and by whom information about the project will be administered and disseminated (p. 87). The communications management plan for this project consists of several things. The first is a project directory which consists of: The directory includes the sponsor, project manager, landscaping lead, Koi pond lead, any employees either lead dedicates to this project, vendors used by team members, County electrical code inspector’s office, the local water department’s office, and all neighbors within three houses in any direction (PMBOK Guide – Sixth Edition, 2017).  The communications methods are face-to-face, telephonic, text, WhatsApp, Email, and Google Share documents. The technologies are the latest version of the Microsoft Office Suite of documents and MS Project for software, cell phone, WhatsApp (free download), and Google Share. MS Project is to be used for WBS creation. Project documentation is posted on Google Share. The project manager and project leads are allowed to contribute and edit documents on the share. The project sponsor and dedicated labor will have read-only access to the share. Neighbors, vendors, and municipality representatives will not have access (PMBOK Guide – Sixth Edition, 2017).  Planned project communications are in accordance with the communications matrix. The communications matrix consists of: The project manager has scheduled a kickoff meeting, design approval meeting, parts submittal meeting, weekly project meetings (Mondays 0800), acceptance testing coordination meeting, and project close/lessons learned meeting. Project leads are to schedule team meetings with their personnel as appropriate and external (neighbors and municipalities) contact meetings. Sponsor attendance is to be coordinated through the project manager, as appropriate. Project communications are as follows:   (The flow chart I created will not paste into Canvas.)  Project communications flow: Is the communication to a municipality, neighbor, or vendor? Yes, contact the external party. NO, Is this a regular project communication? Yes, see the communications matrix. No, contact the project manager.           The owner of each respective communication is considered the chair and is responsible for documentation. The communication plan for this project establishes what, to whom, and when communications take place. In the event that project changes are proposed either in a weekly project meeting or communication directly with the project manager, the change proposer will follow the change process and prepare an impact statement that addresses schedule, cost, and quality. The project manager will then sponsor a change request discussion meeting via the communications matrix with all potentially affected stakeholders invited. These meetings and attendees are ad-hoc in nature. The project manager will determine if the sponsor needs to attend or not. Approved project changes can potentially affect the schedule, cost, quality, HR, risk, procurement, stakeholder, and integration knowledge areas (PMBOK Guide – Sixth Edition, 2017).  Project risk management “includes the processes of conducting risk management planning, identification, analysis, response planning response implementation, and monitoring risk on a project” (p. 717). The initial risk assessment for this project was conducted during the project kickoff meeting and throughout the design phase. Risk assessments conducted as an agenda item during these phases rather than a separate meeting. The initial identification was performed using expert judgment and lessons learned from similar historical projects. Expert judgment is used throughout the project. The project leads are responsible for the safe practices of their crews. Risks associated with malpractice by workers, unserviceable equipment, climate considerations, and the likes are assigned to the respective safety officers and not addressed in the risk management plan. Along this line, anyone observing an unsafe condition on the job site is authorized to call a work stoppage until the unsafe condition is remedied. The project manager will be notified immediately if this occurs (PMBOK Guide – Sixth Edition, 2017). When a risk is identified it is added to the risk register on the project’s Google share drive. The risk register documents: Newly identified risks are reported to the project manager. Risks with a total score of 5 or higher are reported to the project manager immediately. Those with a total score of 4 or less are reported within 1 business day of identification. The project manager will call a risk meeting if immediate action is required or will address the risk during the weekly project meeting. Risk mitigation, response, and monitoring is the responsibility of the risk owner and is approved by the project manager (PMBOK Guide – Sixth Edition, 2017).  The risks on this project are acts of God to the residence, missing the completion date, and a COVID 19 outbreak to the workforce. Acts of God such as fire, earthquake, or other incidents that render the residence unfit for use are considered catastrophic and are listed as grounds for exiting the project on the charter. Events that could cause the completion date not to be met are not probable but would have a big impact. To mitigate adverse effects, the purchase and planting of desert fauna (specifically fruit trees) have been included as an executable contract line item (CLN) rather than included in the basic scope. The fruit trees need to be planted during the cool winter climate in order to take root before the hot desert weather sets in. This task included as an optional item will allow the completion date to move to the right is needed. In the event that a COVID 19 outbreak occurs in the workforce, various mitigation measures are in play. Project slack was built into the schedule to allow for some slippage. The project scope was phased into three groupings. Should an outbreak not allow work to continue for anyone phase, that phase could be de-scope from the project and pick up on a later date as a standalone project. Should the outbreak affect the workforces for all three phases, the project completion date could slide to the right and the fauna CLN would not be exercised. Risks can affect anywhere from no other knowledge areas all the way to affecting all knowledge areas. These risks to this project identified to date are all low probability and high impact. The impact for any of the identified risks ranges from not expecting a CLN to project exit (PMBOK Guide – Sixth Edition, 2017).  Reference Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge             (PMBOK guide). Newtown Square, Pa: Project Management Institute. Deliverables 1. Reply each of these posts and you need to write two replies. 2. Your response to these two replies need to be substantive, meaning it should add something new to the original comment, including a level of depth that enriches the discussion (i.e. reflecting on their response, applying their comment to the workplace, the literature, etc.). 3. Each replies at least 120 words. Do not Plagiarism, thank you!

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome @@@Define Role of Investment Manager If you were a Registered Investment Advisor(SEC registered) with a Client. Describe how you would ascertain the needs of the client and how you would create a portfolio to meet the client’s needs in writing(don’t choose actual investments). In four(4) pages(double spaced) or less discuss your process using at least 3 investment concepts, theories, or investment strategies learned or discussed in the Text or Course Lectures. This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome @@@Option Strategies for Stocks Explain in words and numerical displays at least Three(3) Option strategies. You can choose a fictitious stock and make up the call or put option prices associated with it, OR you can choose quotes from the CBOE website and use realistic numbers to show you understand the three(3) or more strategies you chose as examples. No more than four(4) pages long. @@@Risks of International Investing Describe the risks, the opportunities, and the rational of international investing in two(2) pages or less.

-The assignment: First, brainstorm two topics you might pursue for your own “Underappreciated Research” essay. Eventually, you will narrow this down to one. Second, write a summary of each topic that answers the following: 1. What is being underappreciated? 2. Who is doing the underappreciating? 3. What is the potential impact on your discipline? -The 2 topics that I have chose are in Marketing; The first one is, “Brand personality and how to create it” Reference: https://www.ebaqdesign.com/blog/brand-personality#volvo The second topic is in, “Marketing Imagination” Reference is on the file section.  Write only half page for each topic based on the above questions in the assignment. Example:  Here are 2 examples for the way you should write the 2 topic, First example; Within my discipline, I think that two underappreciated topics are: women and the importance of the Italian neorealism movement. I think that women can commonly be underappreciated within the film industry as “statistics concerning gender in the film industry (also) heavily lean towards men” (Muessig, 2015).  While I do not truly know where the underappreciating derived from, I have learned from film classes that this was common when Hollywood was starting out. I think that it became normal to see traditionally male-identified roles. However, this made characters such as Wonder Woman a hit as she challenged the status quo. This topic has impacted my discipline very much especially over the past few years and has led to things like the “Celluloid Ceiling” annual study. https://pamplinmedia.com/wlt/109-education/284837-160847-women-underrepresented-underappreciated-in-film-industry (Links to an external site.) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jan/02/women-film-industry-hollywood-2019 (Links to an external site.) I also think that the Italian neorealism movement  and characteristics have been underappreciated within Hollywood. This movement aimed to focus people’s attention onto the clear social problems that were present and the harsh realities of life (especially after WWII). While this movement has seemed to dominate Italian cinema, it seems to have only influenced the cinemas of other countries. I feel as though there could be more influence, bringing a new wave of American cinema. I again am not quite sure who is doing the underappreciating here but I would think that it is each country’s filmmakers as they could use more of this movement within their films. This could have the potential impact of starting a new wave of American cinema. https://www.lifeinitaly.com/cinema-italiano/italian-neorealism/ Second example; 1. Importance of building credit asap Credit cards are often misunderstood. Most people are afraid to use them because of their bad reputation for getting people in debt. Mainly teenagers and young adults are doing the under-appreciating of credit cards. I have friends who are still using their parents’ credit cards in college or using a debit card to pay for everything. This topic has a great potential impact on my discipline because it will cause people to appreciate proper planning in making their financial decisions.   2. Importance of creating a will/trust asap Wills and trusts are often under-appreciated. Usually, in movies, wills are portrayed as something old people have on their death beds. As a result, parents are not prepared in creating a will or trust as soon as they have children. I understand that people want to enjoy their life in the present, instead of having an awkward conversation with their loved ones about death. However, the potential impact this could have on my discipline is amazing because it will allow families to have an easier transfer of property and avoiding probate, after a loved one’s passing.

1.Of the following four, which goal orientation characteristic best describes you: (1) High Mastery / Low Performance? (2) High Mastery / High Performance? (3) Low Mastery / High Performance? or (4) Low Mastery / Low Performance)?  Did the goal orientation surveys (and associated tables) accurately describe your own motivation-­related perceptions of yourself? Provide some examples / stories from your own life that illustrate your goal orientation tendencies. Make some connections between the concept of goal orientation and some of the other concepts discussed thus far in the course.   As a leader, do you believe it’s important to foster a mastery goal-­oriented perspective among employees (yes / no / it depends)?  Why?   From your perspective, what would be your approach to creating a positive motivational climate in the workplace, and how might you go about accomplishing that objective?  Be specific. (Hint: The acronym “TARGET” is helpful in terms of thinking about the final question above.  Consider six different dimensions associated with creating a positive motivational climate: The Task dimension, the Authority dimension, the Goals dimension, the Evaluation dimension, and the Time dimension.)

1B. Oral History Interview (and Report) about Paid and Unpaid Work Prior to the 1970s/1980s If you elect to do an oral history interview, you will undertake a much different set of assignment activities. Instead of doing secondary research (i.e., reading about research done by others), you will do primary research by gathering first-hand information from the person you interview. In addition to arranging for and conducting the interview, you will need to prepare a written report of the interview. Follow these steps to prepare your interview and written report: To begin, identify a woman, a lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) person, and/or a gender-nonconforming/transgender person who would be able and willing to participate in an interview. They might be someone in your own family, a family friend, or a person suggested by a friend or colleague. Ideally, the person you interview should be able to comfortably talk, in some detail, about their work at home and their work for pay before the 1970s or 1980s. Once you have identified a potential interviewee, contact that person to determine if they would be willing to participate in an interview. Complete the Recruitment Form for Assignment 1B. The recruitment form will help you explain the interview process to your interview subject. Be sure to describe the purpose of the interview and let the subject know that this activity is part of an AU course assignment. Review the ethical obligations you have as a researcher. First, tell the interviewee that you will guarantee their anonymity, which means that you will not write up the interview in any way that would reveal the interviewee’s name or any personal details that would allow them to be identified. Second, assure the interviewee that you will treat all information they provide as confidential, which means that you will not share this information with family members, friends, or coworkers. Finally, tell the interviewee that they have the right to refuse to answer any question asked. Should the subject then agree to an interview, you can arrange for a time and place that is convenient for them. When you begin the interview, reiterate your promises on these three points. Complete three copies of the Consent Form for Assignment 1B. Review the content of the form with your interview subject and, if they agree to the interview, have them sign and date all copies. Leave one copy with them, mail the hard copy or email a scanned copy to your tutor (contact your tutor for a mailing address), and keep a copy for your files. Do not conduct the interview until you have a signed consent form. Before the interview, prepare a list of questions that you intend to ask the subject about their experiences with work in the past. Your questions should be general and open-ended so that your interviewee has plenty of opportunity to respond. Oral history interviews differ from other types of interviews in that they involve less-frequent and less-directed questioning. Prepare a list of broad questions that will encourage the person to talk at length, in their own way, about their own life and work history. In developing your interview questions, reflect on the assigned readings for Unit 1 and on the historical situation of women and marginalized people in Canada. You may want to ask questions that touch on the issues below. Feel free, however, to develop your own questions. Can you tell me about the paid work you have done throughout your life, starting with your first job? What about the work you have done at home? What can you tell me about that, starting from the time you were a young adult? What has been the most satisfying work you have done during your life? What made it so satisfying? What special memories of work do you have? Are there particular stories or events that stand out? Looking back over your lifetime, how has work changed for women, transgender people, LGB people, racialized people, and/or Indigenous people? When you meet for the interview, be sure to thank the subject for participating and for volunteering their time. You should also repeat the assurances you gave earlier concerning confidentiality, anonymity, and the right to refuse to answer questions. If you want to record the interview in any way, you must ask for and obtain permission to do so before you start, and you must respect the interviewee’s wishes in this matter. Note that recording is done primarily for purposes of accuracy and that any recordings made will be deleted once you have completed your report. The interviewee might ask for a copy of the interview recording, and if so, you can offer to send the recording to them once you have completed your written report. You might also offer to provide them with a copy of your written account of the interview. If the participant prefers that the interview not be recorded, you will need to take notes as they talk. Begin by asking easy, conversational questions about the interviewee’s background, such as where they grew up, their family, how they lived, and so on. You can then ask the more general questions that you developed for the interview. Let the subject speak at length as much as possible, and listen carefully for any issues you want to clarify or follow up on. At some points in the interview, you may need to ask brief questions to encourage the interviewee to continue telling their story. For example, as they describe the paid work they did over their life, you may need to prompt them to continue by asking about the type of job they did next. At other points, you may want to ask clarifying or follow-up questions to ensure that you understand what they have said. You can ask these questions at points where natural breaks in the conversation occur, or you can ask them at the end of the interview. It is important to go into the interview with an open mind. Do not assume or expect your interviewee to have certain views or experiences. Listen carefully and learn as much as you can. Ask questions that will help you understand more about their life and point of view. For example, if your subject has a different view than you about a certain issue, ask them why they feel this way. When the interview is completed, sit down as soon as possible and develop more extensive notes based on your recollection of the discussion. It is crucial that you do this immediately; otherwise, important details will be forgotten. Following the interview, be sure to send the interviewee a thank-you note. Remember to send along any promised recordings or notes from the interview as well. Sharing your recording or interview notes also gives your subject an opportunity to correct or expand on anything that they said. Once you have completed the interview and follow-up, begin preparing your written report. Review your interview recording and/or notes while reflecting on the unit’s assigned readings. Your written report should not be a word-for-word transcript of the interview; rather, it should convey a concise story of the interviewee’s working life. Try to identify the key events and/or issues that emerge from the interview. Include direct quotes from your interviewee to illustrate the issues and events that were important to them. Ideally, your report should provide the reader with a sense of who the interviewee is, the types of work they have done, and their feelings and insights about their paid and unpaid work throughout their lifetime. Your report needs to reference and discuss three of the key concepts from Unit 1 in relation to your interview. As an appendix to your report, attach a list of the questions you asked in the interview and a brief summary (one paragraph) of how the interview went. Here you can note what worked well and what you would do differently another time. When you have completed your oral history interview report, ensure that you make or keep a copy for your records. Upload your assignment to the assignment drop box and submit it to your tutor for marking. If for some reason you are unable to do this, contact your tutor about using regular post.