Business Problem Statement

For this assignment, you will use the “Business Problem Statement” template to organize your problem statement. This will help you identify your business problem you will eventually address using analytics. The business problem statement will be an integral component of the remaining activities in this course.

Ensure that data are available to address your business problem. You will need to provide your dataset as a part of the Topic 3 assignment. If data are used from your company, ensure that proprietary concerns are addressed or approvals to use the data are obtained. If company data are being used and if there are concerns of proprietary issues, you can change your dataset accordingly.

APA style is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

Business Problem Statement

For this assignment, you will use this “Business Problem Statement” template to organize your problem statement. Complete the table below according to the directions found in your assignment.

After providing complete information below, write out your Business Problem Statement in the last box.

What is the organizational history?  
Has this problem been previously encountered?  
How long has this problem existed?  
What are the potential factors that are influenced by this problem or factors that the problems influence?  
What stakeholders can you interview to ascertain root causes of the problem?  
Is the business problem stated in such a way that analytical tools and techniques can be applied to address it?  
Can the necessary data for your identified business problem be obtained?  
What are specific benefits to the organization if the business problem is solved using analytics?  
State the business problem.

 

 

 

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Financial Statement Analysis &Problem Solving Assignment

Assignment-2

Financial Statement Analysis (50 points)

 

Purpose of this Assignment is to analyze some important financial ratios for the company based on its past performance in order to make a reasonable assessment about its future prospect. Also this analysis sets a base on your investment decision in the future assignments.

A. You should comment on the major changes you observe over five (5) years of balance sheets, income statements, and cash-flow statements. If you have explanations to support these major changes, provide them.

B. Using the same five (5) year statements, you should provide a complete DuPont Analysis. (as enclosed in the Textbook) Out of DuPont model, you should comment on the following aspects of your company:

Operating efficiency (total assets turnover) Operating profitability (profit margin, earning per share) Financial risk (leverage ratio) Growth potential (retention rate, return on equity, and sustainable growth)

All ratios should be analyzed regarding their trend over five (5) years as well as compared to the industry’s standard. You may use ratios of your competitor or the leading company in the industry as the proxy for the industry’s standard.

C. The conclusion should report what you expect the company to do for the next year in order to maintain its leading position, or improve some aspects that seem below the industry average.

D. Using financial statements, you should calculate following market ratios for your firm for last five years.

P/E ratio P/Cash Flow ratio P/Book ratio P/Sales ratio

Do not forget to cite your sources where it is necessary. Do not forget to provide in appendices:

• five (5) year of balance sheets, income statements neatly presented • the values for all ratios and industry’s values for comparison (tables and graphs)

 

 

Problem Solving Assignment (50 points)

1. (20 points) Use the following financial statements to find

a. Inventory turnover ratio in 2012.

b. Debt/equity ratio in 2012.

c. Cash flow from operating activities in 2012.

d. Average collection period.

e. Asset turnover ratio.

f. Interest coverage ratio.

g. Operating profit margin.

h. Return on equity.

i. Compound leverage ratio.

2. (10 points) A firm has an ROE of 3%, a debt/equity ratio of .5, a tax rate of 35%, and pays an interest rate of 6% on its debt. What is its operating ROA?

3. (10 points) A firm has a tax burden ratio of .75, a leverage ratio of 1.25, an interest burden of .6, and a return on sales of 10%. The firm generates $2.40 in sales per dollar of assets. What is the firm’s ROE?

4. (10 points) Here are data on two firms:

a. Which firm has the higher economic value added?

b. Which has higher economic value added per dollar of invested capital?

 
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Business And Finance

Question 1

Public Relations At Work.  Please respond to the following:

1a. Communications professor John Marston proposed a four-step model of the process through which public relations can influence public opinion. These steps include research, action, communication, and evaluation. Explain in detail how Marston’s four-step approach can be used to shape public opinion on the story you researched for the first e-Activity.

b. Businesses choose celebrities to endorse their products for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, some of these celebrities act in ways that generate a lot of negative publicity for themselves and, by extension, for the sponsors who pay them. In the case of the celebrity you researched in the second e-Activity, explain in detail what actions you would take in this situation and why you would take them.

Your initial posting must be in this format:

Question one

Answer one

Question two

Answer two

References

Posting of the references used to write the posting. The references must be in APA format.

Week 1 eActivity 1

· Research on the Internet a recent public relations campaign that was undertaken to address a corporate scandal or misbehavior by a government official or celebrity, and study what part ethics played in the campaign, whether positively or negatively. Be prepared to discuss.

Week 1 eActivity 2

· Research on the Internet a celebrity who has generated negative publicity in recent years for his/her sponsoring company. Be prepared to discuss.

Question 2

The History of Public Relations.  Please respond to the following:

1a. Ivy Ledbetter Lee believed public relations should focus on providing honest and accurate information to the public. Using the company or celebrity you researched for the third e-Activity, list and explain in detail at least two factors that contributed to why you think the company or celebrity was successful or unsuccessful in following Lee’s formula.

b. Public relations came of age due to five general factors in our society. Choose one of these factors (listed below) and explain in detail how it contributed to the development of public relations as we know it today.

· The growth of large institutions

· Heightened public awareness and media sophistication

· Increasing incidence of societal change, conflict, and confrontation

· Growing power of globalization

· Dominance of the Internet and growth of social media

Your initial posting must be in this format:

Question one

Answer one

Question two

Answer two

References

Posting of the references used to write the posting. The references must be in APA format.

Question 3

Communications.  Please respond to the following:

1. There are four typical goals for public relations communications: to inform, to persuade, to motivate, and to build mutual understanding. Based on the e-Activity, explain in detail which goal or goals you think the campaign was reaching for and how the campaign tried to achieve them.

2. Chapter 3 discusses a number of traditional and contemporary theories of communication. Choose one of these theories and explain in detail how this theory can guide a public relations campaign.

3. Based on the e-Activity, provide at least one example of how this theory has been used in a current public relations campaign.

Your initial posting must be in this format:

Question one

Answer one

Question two

Answer two

Question three

Answer three

References

Posting of the references used to write the posting. The references must be in APA format.

Question 4

Public Opinion. Answer the following questions about the public relations campaigns you read about in the third and fourth e-Activities.

1. Attitudes are based on a number of characteristics. Elaborate on how public relations can take advantage of one of these characteristics to shape public opinion.

2. Describe and explain at least one example of how this characteristic was a focus of the selected public relations campaign.

3. One goal of public relations is to manage public opinion on a particular topic. For the public relations campaign you selected, analyze the methods used to shape public opinion.

4. Justify why you think these methods were either successful or unsuccessful.

Your initial posting must be in this format:

Question one

Answer one

Question two

Answer two

Question three

Answer three

Question four

Answer four

References

Posting of the references used to write the posting. The references must be in APA format.

eActivity 1

· Research on the Internet a recent public relations campaign with wide media exposure and evaluate its goal or goals. Be prepared to discuss.

· eActivity 2

· Research on the Internet a current public relations campaign which applies any one of the theories of communication covered in Chapter 3. Be prepared to discuss.

· eActivity 3

· Research on the Internet a recent public relations campaign that took advantage of a specific characteristic of attitudes to help shape public opinion. Be prepared to discuss.

· eActivity 4

· Research on the Internet a recent public relations campaign that sought to manage public opinion on a particular topic, and study the methods it used. Be prepared to discuss.

QUESTION 5

Management.  Please respond to the following:

1. Imagine that you are developing a public relations plan for a business you frequently patronize. Identify a problem or opportunity facing that business.

2. Explain in detail how you might apply each of the four basic steps of a public relations plan (see “ Conceptualizing the Public Relations Plan” in Chapter 5) when developing a plan for that business to address the problem or opportunity.

3. Chapter 5, “Implementing Public Relations Programs,” discusses a number of public relations duties. Choose the most challenging of these duties and explain why it is more difficult than the others.

Your initial posting must be in this format:

Question one

Answer one

Question two

Answer two

Question three

Answer three

References

Posting of the references used to write the posting. The references must be in APA format.

Question 6

Ethics.  Please respond to the following:

1. The news media have reported on a large number of corporate scandals and misbehavior by governmental officials and celebrities in recent years. Based on the e-Activity, describe and explain how ethics played a major role in a public relations campaign in either a positive or negative way.

2. Chapter 6 “Ethics in Public Relations” describes four ethical theories important to the practice of public relations. Based on the e-Activity, explain in detail how a public relations campaign applies one or more of these ethical theories.

Your initial posting must be in this format:

Question one

Answer one

Question two

Answer two

References

Posting of the references used to write the posting. The references must be in APA format.

eActivity 1

· Research on the Internet a recent public relations campaign that was undertaken to address a corporate scandal or misbehavior by a government official or celebrity, and study what part ethics played in the campaign, whether positively or negatively. Be prepared to discuss.

· eActivity 2

· Research on the Internet a recent public relations campaign that applied one or more of the ethical theories covered in Chapter 6. Be prepared to discuss.

Question 7

1.”Banking Overview” Please respond to the following:

· From the e-Activity, compare the services of the bank that you use with the services of neighboring banks. Determine if you would consider switching to any of these banks and explain why or why not.

· Determine three benefits resulting from the relationships between banks and insurance companies. Provide examples as support.

2.”Government and Banking” Please respond to the following:

· Determine the benefits of the government providing a system of deposit insurance. Propose whether the system should be wholly or partially subsidized by the taxpayers. Support your position.

· Examine the three U.S. banking laws that you believe have been the most important in shaping American history. Provide a rationale for selecting the U.S. banking laws that you did.

eActivity

· Use the Internet to visit the Website of the bank that you use and take note of the services that the bank you use offers. Go to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) Website and use Bank Find, located at  http://research.fdic.gov/bankfind/ , to locate information about banks in your area. Be prepared to discuss.

Question 8

1″Bank Services and the Internet” Please respond to the following:

· Propose three ways that a bank might be able to involve its customers in designing its Website and pricing its Internet services package.

· Determine the steps you should take if you suspect that you have become a victim of Internet fraud. Propose three precautions that you can take to prevent Internet fraud.

2.”Banking Organization” Please respond to the following:

· Determine whether bank failures are or are not a sign of a relatively healthy industry. Support your position.

· Determine how mergers are changing the shape of the financial services industry. Support your position with two examples.

QUESTION 9

1.”Financial Statements” Please respond to the following:

· From the e-Activity, examine the dollar compositions of OREO and Goodwill and Other Tangibles. Determine whether Bank of America is a strong investment based on your research. Support your position.

· Examine the reasons why financial statements issued by banks and by nonbank financial-service providers look increasingly similar today. Determine which nonbank financial firms have balance sheets and income statements that closely resemble those of commercial banks.

eActivity

· The Report of Condition has information about the sources and uses of funds. Go to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Website and click on the link “SDI: Tutorial”. Next, watch the demo for Tutorial 4 “Prepare and view financial and demographic reports of FDIC-insured institutions” (0 m 53 s), located at http://www2.fdic.gov/sdi/ . Then, following the directions from the tutorial, generate a report for Bank of America and take note of the assets and liabilities for the bank’s recent year end, located at  http://www.fdic.gov/ . Once you have generated a report for the bank, examine the link for Other Real Estate Owned (OREO) and the link for Goodwill and Other Tangibles. Be prepared to discuss.

2. “Measuring Banks” Please respond to the following:

· Propose two ways that return on equity capital might be useful to the managers of financial firms. Support your answer with examples.

· Determine why the managers of financial firms often pay close attention to the net interest margin, noninterest margin, and the earnings spread. Propose ways that this information can be helpful to you in future job positions.

PART 2

Assignment 1: Financial Organization Analysis

Use the Internet to research one (1) of the following financial institutions: J.P. Morgan, Bank of America, or Citigroup. Gather information about the overall nature of their business, products or services it sells, key financial data, and its mission and vision statements.

Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:

· Describe the business of the organization that you have chosen, indicating the financial services provided by the institution.

· Develop and apply a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis of this organization.

· Suggest ways that the institution could capitalize on its strengths and minimize its weakness. Provide support for your rationale.

· Examine the current regulatory environment and illustrate three (3) ways in which this environment affects the profits of the organization that you have chosen.

5. Suggest ways that the organization can minimize the impact of the regulation on its operations. Provide support for your rationale.

6. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

· Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

· Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

· Analyze the organization and structure of the banking and financial-services industry.

· Use technology and information resources to research issues in commercial bank management and operations.

· Write clearly and concisely about commercial bank management and operations using proper writing mechanics.

GRADING RUBIC

Points: 200 Assignment 1: Financial Organization Analysis
Criteria  

Unacceptable Below 60% F

Meets Minimum Expectations 60-69% D  

Fair 70-79% C

 

Proficient 80-89% B

 

Exemplary 90-100% A

1. Describe the business of the organization that you have chosen, indicating the financial services provided by the institution. Weight: 10% Did not submit or incompletely described the business of the organization that you had chosen, indicating the financial services provided by the institution. Insufficiently described the business of the organization that you had chosen, indicating the financial services provided by the institution. Partially described the business of the organization that you had chosen, indicating the financial services provided by the institution. Satisfactorily described the business of the organization that you had chosen, indicating the financial services provided by the institution. Thoroughly described the business of the organization that you had chosen, indicating the financial services provided by the institution.
2. Develop and apply a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis of this organization. Weight: 15% Did not submit or incompletely developed and applied a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis of this organization. Insufficiently developed and applied a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis of this organization. Partially developed and applied a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis of this organization. Satisfactorily developed and applied a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis of this organization. Thoroughly developed and applied a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis of this organization.
3. Suggest ways that the institution could capitalize on its strengths and minimize its weakness. Provide support for your rationale. Weight: 20% Did not submit or incompletely suggested ways that the institution could capitalize on its strengths and minimize its weakness. Did not submit or incompletely provided support for your rationale. Insufficiently suggested ways that the institution could capitalize on its strengths and minimize its weakness. Insufficiently provided support for your rationale. Partially suggested ways that the institution could capitalize on its strengths and minimize its weakness. Partially provided support for your rationale. Satisfactorily suggested ways that the institution could capitalize on its strengths and minimize its weakness. Satisfactorily provided support for your rationale. Thoroughly suggested ways that the institution could capitalize on its strengths and minimize its weakness. Thoroughly provided support for your rationale.
4. Examine the current regulatory environment and illustrate three (3) ways in which this environment affects the profits of the organization that you have chosen. Weight: 20% Did not submit or incompletely examined the current regulatory environment and did not submit or incompletely illustrated three (3) ways in which this environment affects the profits of the organization that you have chosen. Insufficiently examined the current regulatory environment and insufficiently illustrated three (3) ways in which this environment affects the profits of the organization that you have chosen. Partially examined the current regulatory environment and partially illustrated three (3) ways in which this environment affects the profits of the organization that you have chosen. Satisfactorily examined the current regulatory environment and satisfactorily illustrated three (3) ways in which this environment affects the profits of the organization that you have chosen. Thoroughly examined the current regulatory environment and thoroughly illustrated three (3) ways in which this environment affects the profits of the organization that you have chosen.
5. Suggest ways that the organization can minimize the impact of the regulation on its operations. Provide support for your rationale. Weight: 20% Did not submit or incompletely suggested ways that the organization can minimize the impact of the regulation on its operations. Did not submit or incompletely provided support for your rationale. Insufficiently suggested ways that the organization can minimize the impact of the regulation on its operations. Insufficiently provided support for your rationale. Partially suggested ways that the organization can minimize the impact of the regulation on its operations. Partially provided support for your rationale. Satisfactorily suggested ways that the organization can minimize the impact of the regulation on its operations. Satisfactorily provided support for your rationale. Thoroughly suggested ways that the organization can minimize the impact of the regulation on its operations. Thoroughly provided support for your rationale.
6. 3 references Weight: 5% No references provided Does not meet the required number of references; all references poor quality choices. Does not meet the required number of references; some references poor quality choices. Meets number of required references; all references high quality choices. Exceeds number of required references; all references high quality choices.
7. Clarity, writing mechanics, and formatting requirements Weight: 10% More than 8 errors present 7-8 errors present 5-6 errors present 3-4 errors present 0-2 errors present
 
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Management Course: Discussion Topic 11

This week you will assess organizational change and its impact.  You will assess why individuals resist changes and discuss the step-by-step process that will lead organizational change. You will further discuss organizational culture and, how the culture of an organization is tied to its leadership and processes.  You will learn how the culture created set the tone, provides direction, determine behaviors and decision-making in the organization.

 

 

 

PROMPT: Suppose you are asked by senior officers of a city government to identify ways to reinforce a new culture of teamwork and collaboration.  The senior executive group clearly supports these values, but it wants everyone in the organization to embrace them.  Identify and evaluate four types of activities that would strengthen these cultural values.

 

 

 

Support your answer by utilizing research that you have gathered from at least 2 sources other than your text. Finally, be sure to cite your sources in proper APA formatting.

 

 

 

A detailed and thoughtful response to the topic is required (minimum of 500 words). RUBRIC IS ATTACHED BELOW.

 

 

 

Additionally, emphasis is placed on your ability to conduct and synthesize scholarly research. 

 

 

 

Your posts should be professional in content and follow the APA standards. Be sure to city your sources in APA formatting.

 

 

 

 

 

SAMPLE RESPONSE:

 

The organizational culture of an organization is a culmination of the values and assumptions that members share (McShane & Glinow, 2013).  In many cases, the culture is built around the common values that the majority of people share.  A strong organizational culture is developed when the employees share the values and goals of the company and few people have differing ones.  When the opposite is true, there are several ways that the culture and subsequent values can be strengthened.

 

One way is to have a strong vision for the company and to have the founder or other leaders within the company express this vision.  Hiring a person whose sole responsibility is to focus on the culture is an effective way to get all the employees heading in the right direction (McKinnon, 2013).  The leaders in a company are viewed as role models and the other employees often aspire to be like them.  By practicing the values that the company culture needs to be built upon and expressing these values as often as possible, others will begin to pick up these values as well.

 

Another method to strengthen the values is to align company artifacts with those values (McShane & Glinow, 2013).  The artifacts of a company represent what the company stands for and how it is run.  A leader could change the artifacts to suit the new values or make sure that the old artifacts stay in place.  It is important to pick only a few necessary values to focus on and align these artifacts with (Aguirre & Katzenbach, 2013).  Too many will cause the culture to lose focus and opens the door for other values to take precedence.

 

A reward system should also be put in place that emphasizes the values and artifacts that the company wants to express.  Offering rewards strengthens the opinions of employees that following the values is good.  This creates commitment and lessens the chance of countercultures arising that would harm the company’s goals.  If an employee does not follow the company’s values, the leaders’ rational needs to be explained.  Simply punishing the employee will not cause a lasting impression because he or she may not understand the values.

 

Finally, the company needs to hire employees that have similar values (McShane & Glinow, 2013).  This is especially important when a company is acquiring another organization or if a new branch is being established.  If the employees that are hired already believe in these values, they can become the natural leaders and instigators for creating a culture based on them.  Hiring people with similar values also decreases employee turnover, which leads to less training and cultural clashes.  Employees with similar values as the company will not feel conflicted when making tough choices and will be happier completing their work.  As the organizational culture grows stronger, it will be easier to identify and attract new hires with similar values.

 

Establishing these new values will not lead to long term success.  The company’s leaders need to maintain the values by constantly reinforcing proper behavior and leading by example (Aguirre & Katzenbach, 2013).  Attracting and selecting the right people is also imperative because having many people who share the values will create a positive dominate culture.  Only with the majority of the employee’s support will the company be successful at creating a strong organizational culture with fully integrated values.

 

 

 

References

 

 

 

Aguirre, D. & Katzenbach, J.  (2013, May 8).  4 ways to get your culture working for you.  Tanveer Naseer.  Retrieved from http://www.tanveernaseer.com/four-steps-to-improve-organizational-culture-jon-katzenbach-deanne-aguirre/

 

McKinnon, T.  (2013, October 4).  How to build a great company culture.  Forbes.  Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/groupthink/2013/10/04/how-to-build-a-great-company-culture/

 

 

 

McShane, S. L., & Glinow, M. A. (2013). Organizational behavior: emerging knowledge, global reality (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

MGMT 645 Forum Description and Grading Rubric

 

Exemplary Level

Meeting all requirements that include this criterion will earn a maximum of 50 points

Core Concepts: 25
Student analyzes and synthesizes research to demonstrate core concepts. Posts reflect student’s critical thinking abilities. Student demonstrates comprehension of breadth and depth of material.
X/25

 

Mastery Level

Meeting all requirements that include this criterion will earn a maximum of 40 points

Engagement: 10
Student participates and is interactive in the dialogue with thoughtful peer replies that further the discussion.

 

X/10

 

 

Competency Level

Meeting the requirements of the four criteria areas will earn a maximum of 15 points

APA: 5 Mechanics: 5 Organization: 5
Student follows APA formatting guidelines with at least two citations (in-text and reference list match) in each post from peer-reviewed journals. Sentence structure, grammar, diction; correct use of punctuation; minimal to no spelling errors; no run-on sentences or comma splices. Posts contains an introduction, supporting body, conclusion and reference page. Ideas are arranged logically to support the purpose or argument. They flow smoothly from one to another and are clearly linked to each other.

The reader can follow the line of reasoning.

X/5 X/5 X/5

 

Every week you will research & respond to two topics posted in the weekly forum. A detailed and thoughtful response to both topics is required (minimum of 500 words per response).

Additionally, emphasis is placed on your ability to conduct and synthesize scholarly research.

Your posts should be professional in content and follow the APA standards.

July 14, 2011

 
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