Project Systems Acquisition Plan Grading Guide

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Resource: Project Systems Acquisition Plan Grading Guide

Resources:

· Baltzan, P., and Phillips, A. (2015). Business Driven Information Systems (5th ed).

· Week 3 articles and videos

· It is recommended students search the Internet for a Systems Acquisition Plan template.

Scenario: You are an entrepreneur in the process of researching a business development idea. As you create a high-level Information Technology (IT) strategy for your new enterprise, it is important to consider the acquisition of IT resources. A Systems Acquisition Plan will guide the process of identifying enterprise technology needs and acquiring appropriate information systems in the context of your goal to incorporate business driven IT. The Systems Acquisition Plan is intended to describe a high-level process for acquiring and maintaining IT systems. The Systems Acquisition Plan is a working document, which is expected to change over time as new project details emerge.

Create a high-level Project Systems Acquisition Plan for your project in a minimum of 1,050 words that includes the following information:

· A description and justification of the specific systems design and development approach (SDLC, RAD, Spiral, outsourcing, etc.) the enterprise will employ

· A summary of the steps in the systems acquisition process including initiation, analysis, design, acquisition, and maintenance

· A high-level overview of who will participate in each step of the systems acquisition process

Cite a minimum of 3 peer-reviewed references from the University of Phoenix Library.

Format consistent with APA guidelines.

Submit your assignment.

Resources

· Center for Writing Excellence

· Reference and Citation Generator

· Grammar and Writing Guides

· Learning Team Toolkit

 
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INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL MARKETS

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INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL MARKETS

Assignment Overview

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/NYSE.jpgThis assignment will cover both the role of the financial manager as well as the introductory material on stock market investing. Make sure to fully review all of the required reading material before you begin this assignment. Note that all of the questions are conceptual in nature and will not require any computations. But make sure to thoroughly explain your reasoning behind each answer, and to support your answer using references to the required background readings.

 

Case Assignment

Question 1: In your small business you have a finance department with a CFO, controller, and treasurer. For the following scenarios, explain which of these three financial executives would be the most likely to work on the issue based on the descriptions of the roles of the CFO, controller, and treasurer from Brealey, Myers, & Marcus (2009) from the required reading.

A. You suspect that a lower-level employee has embezzled about $50,000 over the last three years. You want to try to find out who based on past financial records. Who would be most likely person to look into this issue—the CFO, the treasurer, or the controller? Why?

 

B. Your chief marketing officer wants to take out a large loan to finance a major advertising campaign that he claims will bring in large sums of new profits over the next few years. However, your chief operating officer wants to take out a large loan to purchase some new equipment and machinery that she claims will save your company a lot of money over the next few years. You would like to see some estimates about which of the two projects will be most likely to increase profits enough to be able to pay back the loan. Who would be most likely person to look into this issue—the CFO, the treasurer, or the controller? Why?

Question 2: Explain whether the following assets are a real asset or a financial asset. Explain your reasoning using the definitions of real vs. financial assets in Brealey, et al., (2009) from the required reading.

A. A certificate of deposit at your local bank

B. A two-bedroom house

C. $50,000 worth of bonds from an airline company

D. Ownership of a copyright to a hit song

Question 3: Complete financial research on Facebook and General Motors using a webpage such as investing.com, finance.yahoo.com, or Bloomberg.com. Based on their stock’s P/E ratios, dividend yields, and other information, compare and contrast these two stocks. How would you classify these stocks: growth stock, value stock, or income stock? Explain your reasoning using concepts from the background readings as well as any information you find on these two companies. Your answer should be about 100–150 words and can include graphs or diagrams.

Assignment Expectations

Answer the assignment questions directly.

· Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.

· For computational problems, make sure to show your work and explain your steps.

· For short answer/short essay questions, make sure to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the  Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper , including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.

 
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Case 2 Analysis: Shopify

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Shopify

Case

 

Questions for Discussion:

 

6-16: Compare and contrast the nature of the business mar­ket structure and demand relative to consumer market structure and demand for Shopify’s services.

 

6-17: Discuss how a potential client for Shopify might go through the business buyer decision.

 

6-18: How does the concept of the buying center apply to Shopify?

 

6-19: How much of a threat does competition pose in Shopify’s future?

 

2

This is a B2B sale, that facilitates the B2C sale for others.

Industrial demand caused by

consumer demand.

Derived Demand

Distribution and Organizational Marketing Lecture

6

 

 

THE BUYING

CENTER

6-18

 

BUYING CENTER MEMBERS

 

Marketing- When a purchasing decision has an effect on the

marketability of the firm’s product.

Manufacturing- Responsible for determining the feasibility

& economic considerations of producing end products.

Research & development- Involved in initial development

of products & processes & set broad specifications for

components & materials criteria.

 

General management- Top management is likely to be involved when the purchase situation is unusual.

 

Purchasing- Specialists with negotiation expertise & close working relationships with suppliers. They are generally dominant decision makers.

WHO MAKES ORGANIZATIONAL

BUYING DECISIONS?

Initiators: Perceive a problem /opportunity that may require

the purchase of a new product/service.

Users: People who must use or work with the product/service,

they often influence the purchase decision.

Influencers: Provide information for evaluating alternative

products & suppliers, they play a major role in

determining the specifications & the criteria to use.

Gatekeepers: Control the flow of information to other people

involved in the purchasing process.

Buyers: They have the authority to contact suppliers &

negotiate purchases.

Deciders: The person with the final authority to make a

purchase decision.

THE BUYING CENTER

 

Initiator: Recognizes that some company problem can be

solved by acquiring a product/service.

Gatekeeper: Problem or product expert.

Influencer: “Has a say” if purchase is made or not.

Deciders: People who say “yes” or “no” to purchase.

Purchaser: Concerned with obtaining product/service.

User: Concerned with using product/service.

 

TECHNICAL BUYING INFLUENCE

 

 

Role: To eliminate alternatives

 

Characteristics: Focuses on quantifiable

aspects of product & service

Gatekeeper

Can only say “no,” not “yes”

 

Focus: Product specifications

ECONOMIC BUYING INFLUENCE

 

 

 

Role: Gives final approval

 

Characteristics: Access to money

Can release money

Veto power

 

Focus: Total organization

Bottom line

 

Competition

 

Shopify: 31% Market Share

WooCommerce (8% and gaining)

Magneto

 
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Case Study For Forecast

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case studyreportEXCEL

Case Method:

Cases provide a context for application of analytic concepts, and illustrate the issues that arise in the complex decision-making situations that typically face top-management. As in real business problems, there are no “right’’ answer for case studies that we will examine in the course, although there are correct and incorrect ways to analyze or approach them. The challenge for the student is to (1) examine the facts and the data contained in the case, (2) employ the analytical frameworks learned in earlier classes (and concurrently), (3) reach conclusions, and (4) make specific recommendations that will resolve the issues presented by the case.

To prepare for a case discussion, you should read each case and analyze the data that it presents. Texts and readings from earlier courses should be used to the extent that they assist in your preparation. A thorough preparation for discussions includes systematically (1) outlining the major issues presented by the case, (2) identifying the analytical techniques or frameworks appropriate for resolving the problem, and (very important) (3) outlining steps to implement a specific course of action that is supported by the analysis. I would strongly recommend you to review the “Note to the Student: How to Study and Discuss Cases”.

Questions to think about while reading cases:

  • What are the basic facts? What are the characteristics of the company and the market?
  • Who are the key players? What are their objectives?
  • Is there an organization in distress? Is there an undeveloped market opportunity?
  • If so, what are the symptoms? What are the measures or evidence? Are they biased?
  • Are there underlying problems or trends? What are they? How do we know?
  • Is there one transcendent problem or opportunity? What is it? How do we know?
  • What decisions need to be made? What are the alternatives for action?
  • What are the pros and cons of each alternative? How do we evaluate them?
  • Which alternative do you recommend? Why?
  • What should we learn from this case?
  • How does this case relate to the course topic? To other cases? To the reading?

Suggested Format for Case Reports:

Case reports are individual assignments. The purpose of the case report is to synthesize all the knowledge you gain in the class relevant to the case and channel it to solve an operational problem. Your case report should be less than 5 pages using 1.5 line spacing and include the following sections: Executive Summary (not more than ½ page), Background and Issues, Situation Analysis, Evaluation of Potential Solutions, and Recommendations.

The Executive Summary is a summary of the report that explains the problem and the proposed recommendations. In the Background and Issues section you describe the situation under study (do not rewrite the case) and identify the key issues addressed by the report. In the Analysis section provide the details of your analysis. You should first start with listing the assumptions made, if any. Then explain the approach taken to analyze the situation, and how you have arrived to the recommendations/findings listed in the following section (Detailed reasoning and analysis in support of your recommendations/findings should be given in an Appendix). If appropriate, you can also suggest further issues to be examined or further studies to be done. In the Evaluation section you will propose potential solutions and evaluate each of them. Finally, in the Recommendations section you should propose a set of specific actions along with the key reasons in support of your recommendations. This section will be the conclusion to your report. You may use bullets when appropriate.

The grades on the reports will be based on the logical consistency, precision and analytic structure of the paper. Specifically you should think about the extent to which the report

  • Grounds the analysis on the analytical concepts discussed in class;
  • Explicitly states the assumptions in the analysis;
  • Isolates the fundamental problems for the situation, and remains focused on these;
  • States criteria for choosing among alternative action plans;
  • Integrates the action plans with the analysis;
  • Ensures that the action plans are situation-contingent;
  • Is persuasive that the action plans are reasonable, effective and efficient.

    Student+Simple ES

    HBP Product No.: ST5WS
    UST005/WSS/1207
    Simple Exponential Smoothing Model
    MM-YY Period Sales Forecast Error Absolute Alpha = 0.4
    t St Ft St – Ft Error
    Jul-09 1 3,924 Formula
    Aug-09 2 2,619 3,924 -1,304 1,304 F2 = S1
    Sep-09 3 6,920 3,402 Ft+1 = Alpha*St + (1 – Alpha)*Ft
    Oct-09 4 5,676 Percentage Error = (St – Ft) / St * 100%
    Nov-09 5 8,348
    Dec-09 6 6,044
    Jan-10 7 6,877
    Feb-10 8 6,535
    Mar-10 9 6,395
    Apr-10 10 6,684
    May-10 11 5,414
    Jun-10 12 3,180
    Jul-10 13 4,350
    Aug-10 14 3,175
    Sep-10 15 6,935
    Oct-10 16 6,356
    Nov-10 17 8,919
    Dec-10 18 7,146
    Jan-11 19 7,763
    Feb-11 20 7,397
    Mar-11 21 7,286
    Apr-11 22 7,498
    May-11 23 6,386
    Jun-11 24 4,209
    Jul-11 25 4,825
    Aug-11 26 3,764
    Sep-11 27 7,066
    Oct-11 28 7,015
    Nov-11 29 9,535
    Dec-11 30 8,278
    Jan-12 31 8,773
    Feb-12 32 8,393
    Mar-12 33 8,288
    Apr-12 34 8,432
    May-12 35 7,455
    Jun-12 36 5,346
    MAD =
    This spreadsheet is created by Professor Ronald Lau to accompany the teaching note, Reference No.: UST005/TN/1808 (HBP Product No.: ST5T), of the case : Chinese Pharmaceuticals (HK) Limited: Effective Forecasting for Optimal Inventory Management, Reference No.: UST005/1808 (HBP Product No.: ST5). © 2012 by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. This publication may not be digitized, photocopied or otherwise reproduced, posted, or transmitted without the permission of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

    You should exclude the data of the first two cycles (24months) when calculating the average error (Mean Absolute Deviation), as it takes time for exponential forecasting model to establish before providing an accurate demand forecast

    Student+Adaptive ES

    HBP Product No.: ST5WS
    UST005/WSS/1207
    Adaptive Smoothing Model
    MM-YY Period Sales Forecast Abolute % Error Absolute %
    t St Ft Error (in dec.) Error (in dec.) Formula
    Jul-09 1 3,924 F2 = S1
    Aug-09 2 2,619 3,924 1,304 0.498 0.498 Ft+1 = Alpha t+1*St + (1-Alpha t+1)*Ft
    Sep-09 3 6,920 3,274 Percent Error: PEt = (St – Ft) / St * 100%
    Oct-09 4 5,676
    Nov-09 5 8,348 Alpha t+1 = 0.00001, if | PE t | = 0
    Dec-09 6 6,044 Alpha t+1 = 0.99999, if | PE t | > 1
    Jan-10 7 6,877 Alpha t+1 = | PE t | otherwises
    Feb-10 8 6,535
    Mar-10 9 6,395
    Apr-10 10 6,684
    May-10 11 5,414
    Jun-10 12 3,180
    Jul-10 13 4,350
    Aug-10 14 3,175
    Sep-10 15 6,935
    Oct-10 16 6,356
    Nov-10 17 8,919
    Dec-10 18 7,146
    Jan-11 19 7,763
    Feb-11 20 7,397
    Mar-11 21 7,286
    Apr-11 22 7,498
    May-11 23 6,386
    Jun-11 24 4,209
    Jul-11 25 4,825
    Aug-11 26 3,764
    Sep-11 27 7,066
    Oct-11 28 7,015
    Nov-11 29 9,535
    Dec-11 30 8,278
    Jan-12 31 8,773
    Feb-12 32 8,393
    Mar-12 33 8,288
    Apr-12 34 8,432
    May-12 35 7,455
    Jun-12 36 5,346
    MAD =
    (MAD for last 12 months only)

    You should exclude the data of the first two cycles (24months) when calculating the average error, as it takes time for exponential forecasting model to establish before providing an accurate demand forecast

    Student+Full ES

    HBP Product No.: ST5WS
    UST005/WSS/1207
    Exponential Smoothing with Trend and Seasonality Model
    MM-YY Period Sales Level Trend Seasonality Forecast Absolute % Error Absolute %
    t St Lt Tt It Ft Error (in dec.) Error (in dec.)
    Jul-09 1 3,924 5718 0 0.686 3,924 Alpha = 0.1 Beta = 0.2 Gamma = 0.15
    Aug-09 2 2,619 5718 0 0.458 2,619
    Sep-09 3 6,920 5718 0 1.210 6,920 Initialization (1<= t <= 12) Note: This procedure helps determine the initial values of Seasonality for the first year
    Oct-09 4 5,676 5718 0 0.993 5,676 Set Ft = St Tt = 0 Lt = average of first year sales
    Nov-09 5 8,348 5718 0 1.460 8,348 It = St / average of first year sales
    Dec-09 6 6,044 5718 0 1.057 6,044
    Jan-10 7 6,877 5718 0 1.203 6,877 Formula (for t>12)
    Feb-10 8 6,535 5718 0 1.143 6,535
    Mar-10 9 6,395 5718 0 1.118 6,395 Lt = Alpha (St / It-c) + (1 – Alpha) (L t-1 + Tt-1)
    Apr-10 10 6,684 5718 0 1.169 6,684 Tt = Beta (Lt – Lt-1) + (1 – Beta) Tt-1
    May-10 11 5,414 5718 0 0.947 5,414 It = Gamma (St / Lt) + (1-Gamma) It-c
    Jun-10 12 3,180 5718 0 0.556 3,180
    Jul-10 13 4,350 5,780 12 0.696 3,924 F t+m = ( Lt + (Tt * m) ) * It-c+m (for m-step-ahead forecast)
    Aug-10 14 3,175 5,906 35 0.470 2,653
    Sep-10 15 6,935 5,921 31 1.204 7,191
    Oct-10 16 6,356 5,997 40 1.003 5,908
    Nov-10 17 8,919 6,044 41 1.462 8,813 For F13 to F36:
    Dec-10 18 7,146 6,153 55 1.073 6,433 Ft +1= (Lt+Tt)*It+1-c
    Jan-11 19 7,763 6,233 60 1.209 7,466 e.g. F17= (L16+T16)*I5 (seasonal cycle c = 12)
    Feb-11 20 7,397 6,310 63 1.147 7,191
    Mar-11 21 7,286 6,388 66 1.122 7,128
    Apr-11 22 7,498 6,450 66 1.168 7,544
    May-11 23 6,386 6,539 70 0.951 6,169
    Jun-11 24 4,209 6,705 89 0.567 3,675
    Jul-11 25 4,825
    Aug-11 26 3,764
    Sep-11 27 7,066
    Oct-11 28 7,015
    Nov-11 29 9,535
    Dec-11 30 8,278
    Jan-12 31 8,773
    Feb-12 32 8,393
    Mar-12 33 8,288
    Apr-12 34 8,432
    May-12 35 7,455
    Jun-12 36 5,346
    Average Error =

    You should exclude the data of the first two cycles (24months) when calculating the average error, as it takes time for exponential forecasting model to establish before providing an accurate demand forecast

    Student+Inv. Development

    HBP Product No.: ST5WS
    UST005/WSS/1207
    Replenishment Template of Notoginseng Capsules (Lead time = 2 months)
    Warehouse capacity of inventory 25,000 Safety stock =
    MM-YY Beginning Inventory (Book Record) Stock to be received in the month Stock in Transit (to be received in next month) Inventory Position Inventory required covering lead time & review period Order Quantity Actual Demand Forecast Demand Buffer (gift for promotion) Forecast & Buffer
    Definition (=Beg. inv. of last month + stock received – actual demand) (= Order quantity 2 months ago) (= Order quantity 1 month ago) (= Beginning inventory + Stock receipt + Stock in transit) (= Sum of forecast & buffer for the current month and lead time) (= Forecast demand over vulnerable period + Safety stock – Inventory position) Given Results from Forecast Model (= forecast*0.2) (= forecast + buffer)
    Mar-11 26,662 0 0 0 Legend 7,286 4,813
    Apr-11 0 0 0 Order 7,498 4,244
    May-11 1000 No need to order 6,386 3,727
    Jun-11 4,209 3,275
    Jul-11 4,825 3,664
    Aug-11 3,764 3,569
    Sep-11 7,066 7,833
    Oct-11 7,015 8,377
    Nov-11 9,535 11,224
    Dec-11 8,278 8,315
    Jan-12 8,773 8,328
    Feb-12 8,393 7,616
    Mar-12 8,288 7,375
    Apr-12 8,432 7,482
    May-12 7,455 6,567
    Jun-12 5,346 5,033
    Jul-12
    Aug-12
    Sep-12
    Oct-12
    Nov-12
    Dec-12
    Jan-13
    Feb-13
    Mar-13
    Apr-13
    May-13
    Jun-13
 
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