Category: Business and Management

Competency
In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competency:
Utilize information from industry and scholarly sources to inform problem solving and decision making
Scenario
You are the sales department manager for a U.S.-based company that
builds engines for the automotive manufacturing industry. Your company
is considering diversifying into other business opportunities where your
motors can be sold in order to bolster the company’s portfolio and
increase revenue. Based on your knowledge of the national sales
landscape, your manager would like you to conduct preliminary research
and prepare a presentation with your recommendation for opportunity in a
chosen industry that will allow for this diversification through a new
sales division and increased sales. You have been asked to make your
presentation at the next stakeholder meeting, where you will address
internal stakeholders from across the company as well as external
stakeholders such as customers, investors, and suppliers.
As a preliminary step in developing this presentation, your manager
would like to see an executive summary of your research findings and
evaluate your decision modeling.
Directions
Complete the Project One Worksheet in your Soomo webtext and submit it for instructor feedback.
Part 1: Define
You will first conduct research on the U.S.-based automotive
manufacturing industry using the Shapiro Library database links provided
in the supporting materials section below. Then, prepare an analysis
report that addresses the following:
Define the problem.
Explain the type of qualitative and quantitative data you will be targeting in your research.
Provide a broad description of the U.S. automotive manufacturing industry and its value. Include:
Total value of the industry
Sales by region
Sales by fuel type: electric, hybrid, and gas
Describe the current trends in the automotive market.
The trend toward different types of motors for the vehicles being made and sold, such as electric and hybrid
Trends in customer demands such as vehicle color, extra features, and styles
Trends in the body types of vehicles sold (SUVs, trucks, sedans)
Part 2: Research
In Module One, you chose an industry that you think would provide
opportunity for your company. Now, using industry-specific and scholarly
resources to inform your decision, prepare an industry analysis report
that includes the following:
Provide a broad description of the chosen industry.
Describe the overall attractiveness of the industry.
Is this a growing industry?
Is this an industry that has a lot of growth potential?
What outside factors are affecting its growth?
Identify the factors that have allowed competitors to be successful in this industry thus far.
Summarize the overall value of the industry.
How is the industry currently trending?
Summarize the sales. Speculate if sales vary based on the region of
the country. (For example, there would be very few snow plow sales in
the southern United States, if any at all.)
Define expected growth areas.
Describe the current market trends for the chosen industry.
What products or services are trending?
What are some current customer demands?
Perform a Porter’s Five Forces analysis to determine the potential success of moving into this chosen industry.
Explain your rationale.
Part 3: Compare
Compare the two industries and summarize your findings.
Perform a Porter’s Five Forces analysis to compare the two industries.
Summarize how your findings address the problem.
What to Submit
To complete this project, submit an executive summary report
of 3 to 4 pages using the provided templates, or the document you
downloaded from Soomo. Sources should be cited according to APA style.

Part 1
Additional Information: Earlier today, you
attended a meeting with Shawn Williams, the new VP of global human capital
management at Atlantis Global Corporation (AGC), and John Dawson, the company’s
chief executive officer (CEO). John was very concerned about the financial
losses at AGC. John’s main concerns were product market share and the threat of
losing AGC’s market position as the top manufacturer of electronic circuit
boards for high-definition television screens. However, John did not mention
any issues relating to the employees who work at AGC. Last month, the
general manager of one of AGC’s global subsidiaries told Shawn that it is
difficult to recruit talent for AGC, that employees are not happy, and that
many are leaving AGC to work for other organizations. Shawn discussed
developing a new recognition-and-rewards program to attract talent, motivate
employees, and improve job satisfaction. When Shawn brought the up human
capital concerns at AGC in the meeting, John was not very interested and thought
that employee-related issues are not critical to AGC’s performance. Shawn
thinks that it will be challenging to work with John to implement a global
human capital management strategy.
You and Shawn are scheduled to meet next week with John and the board of
directors at AGC. Due to the urgency of the company’s situation, you and Shawn
decide to create a briefing about the value and need for an optimized program
for the management of global human capital.
Review the AGC scenario for this course and with your classmates; discuss the
following questions that will help you and Shawn prepare for the briefing:
What are the differences between the leadership styles of Shawn and
John? What are the pros and cons of each style?
What is your own leadership style? During the briefing, how will you
use your leadership style to illustrate the intrinsic value of human
capital? 
What human capital management strategies will you recommend to John
and the board of directors? What examples from other organizations can you
provide to strengthen the board’s knowledge of global human capital trends
and problems?

You have been hired as the new managing director for a one of the beach resorts in Costa Brava, Spain.
Due to the current economic situation in Spain and in Europe in general many customers decided NOT to travel abroad this summer (expensive tickets, hotels, lack of language knowledge, climate change, etc.), so you have been informed that lately, the Catalan beach resorts have some problems with Overbookings (due to the limited number of guests permitted), reservations processes, customer service, bad reviews (as a consequence of lack of qualified service personnel among others) and the remaining employees are not happy with the resort due to several reasons. 
·       Define what the most important aspects are to take into consideration for a good service management in the current situation. Explain the service package and service design (blue print) of your beach resort activities (you should pick up a real operational hotel in Costa Brava).
·       Propose and carefully explain at least 2 strategies that you could implement to increase customer loyalty and customer satisfaction for the resort (that would be an indication for further improvements/investment).
·       Outline the possible obstacles / challenges service companies can have to manage their operations successfully in hospitality industry. Additionally, make suggestions on improving customer’s waiting experience. 
Formalities:
·       Wordcount: max. 15 min presentation during scheduled time hours 
·       Cover, Table of Contents, References and Appendix should be included in slides.
·       Real names should be used
·       Visuals must be used
·       NO reading is allowed
·       Grading will be performed individually

For the team final presentation, your team is to:
Respond to the following questions based on the information provided in the company that your team has chosen:
Create a spreadsheet to show the total revenue of the company for the last five years. 
In the same spreadsheet in a different worksheet, show the profits of the company for the last five years. Determine the percentage increase or decrease in profits for the company for the time period showing the calculations. Upload the spreadsheet in your PowerPoint presentation.
Briefly summarize the Fortune 500 analysis of the challenges and opportunities of the company. 
State the steps that the company will need to take to meet the challenges to increase their profits after your team looks at the financial picture of the company your team has been assigned and the Fortune 500 analysis.
TYPED DOCUMENT:      
Each team will submit one paper with the responses to the questions. You will compose a brief report of an analysis of the company, and in your report, address points a through d.
The team manager for the project will type a cover page with the team name, logo, and tag line, the names of the of all the members of the team who participated in the assignment. If someone in your team did not participate in the project, do not type the person’s name.
The team manager will edit the document for grammar, sentence structure, spelling, organization and logic of each of the sentences.
The team manager will upload the document in the team File Exchange after everyone has proofread the document.
DOCUMENT FORMAT:                 
Type the answers in a Word document. 
Use Arial 12.
Double space between questions and single space within the questions.
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
Each member of the team must present. 
You will create a PowerPoint summarizing the responses from question letter d.
The PowerPoint presentation must include the cover slide with the name of the team, team logo, team tag line, names of the team manager and all the team members who participated in the project. Anyone who has not participated in the project, team managers, do not include the person’s name.
Everyone in this class has created a PowerPoint presentation from previous classes. So creating a PowerPoint should not be a difficulty.
I am not instructing you on the template or the number of slides or the contents of the slides. You are all capable of making the decisions within your teams. 
Always remember that a PowerPoint is a visual and should have very limited text.
Graphics are extremely useful in a PowerPoint presentation. Less text, more visuals is the best guide to effective PowerPoint presentations.
use this logo 

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words: 
Discuss non-monetary benefits open trade has contributed to the world since the end of WWII. Provide at least 2 examples. Why do you think these are important?
How have changes to US trade and tariff policies affected US trade with other nations? Consider recent (less than 2 years old) credible news sources to support your response.

Clarify the distinction between a business continuity plan and a disaster recovery plan.
Define the concept of Cybersecurity.
Drawing from the instances of cyber attacks highlighted in “Cybersecurity’s Pearl Harbor,” illustrate the advantages of implementing business continuity plans and disaster recovery plans.
Analyze the effectiveness of business continuity plans and disaster recovery plans in mitigating potential cyber security attacks of significant magnitude

You are required to answer the following questions:  
Assume that you are advising a company of your own choice on their potential new international expansion/entry opportunities. Your task is to write an essay covering the following information:
1. In a few lines, briefly introduce the company, your suggested country and entry mode.
2. Explain and analyse the company’s readiness for internationalisation.
3. Identify the most attractive potential foreign country for the company internationalisation and support your choice with appropriate reasons.
4. Recommend the most appropriate entry mode to this country and explain your reasoning.
Answers will be assessed for both their theoretical and empirical contributions. Please make sure you answer all parts of the question. 

Performance management is an important HRM function as it involves the actions taken to align employee performance with organizational objectives. Prior to completing this discussion, read Chapter 6: Performance Appraisal: Measurement, Assessment, and Management, and the article Here’s How Managers Are Making Performance Reviews Simple, Painless and EffectiveLinks to an external site.. In your initial discussion post, you will
Discuss three performance management strategies you believe would be the most valuable in the performance management process.
Analyze your recommended strategies and share why they would contribute to effective performance management.
Your initial post must be a minimum of 300 words. Cite at least one scholarly source to support your response.
Link to article https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2021/09/09/heres-how-managers-are-making-performance-reviews-simple-painless-and-effective/?sh=7895a6135008
Chapter 6 attached

Be sure to reference the attached Scoring Guide, if all points are covered on the scoring guide than paper will pass. 
This assessment addresses decision making on a company level. A venture capital firm wishes to acquire a boutique hotel chain in an environment of economic and global disruption such as that caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. You will evaluate and apply decision-making frameworks to determine acquisition criteria. You must determine which sections of a framework are needed to make assessments for the potential acquisition. You will need to answer questions such as What are the most important types of data needed to effectively inform decision alternatives and why? What economic and financial data and measures are needed for risk and return evaluation?
You will prepare acquisition criteria for a San Francisco venture capital firm, Morgan-Eskola Hospitality Partners (ME-HP) LLC. The partnership is interested in acquiring European-style boutique hotels and spas targeted at hosting business meetings, retreats, weekend getaways, and upscale tourism, beginning with one location each in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Boston.
The entire hospitality industry has been radically affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The hygiene and cleanliness of hotels has become the focal point in the recovery plan during Covid-19. Investing partners from ME-HP LLC believe that early in the post-Covid recovery is an opportune time to consider a major investment in the industry, as it retools and reinvents itself after the global pandemic. The partners asked you to lead a team to formulate hospitality hotel acquisition criteria. Acquisition criteria can fall into three broad categories: general, operating, and financial. In the general category a sample criterion could be: Is retaining hotel management important?
To assist your team, the investors provided you with these three articles:
Pillai, S. G., Haldorai, K., Seo, W. S., & Kim, W. G. (2021). COVID-19 and hospitality 5.0: Redefining hospitality operations. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94(2021), 1–11. (ATTACHED TO ORDER)
This study uses past disasters affecting the hospitality industry such as SARS to evaluate the impact of Covid-19 and how the industry may respond. In their suggested framework (p. 7), the authors evaluate hotel guest touch points and consideration of a Hospitality 5.0 perspective using a combination of people and AI/robotics. The authors argue that adoption of Hospitality 5.0 technologies is mandatory as a key facilitator of hygiene and safety. The proposed recommendation requires large-scale investment and decisions on where to begin and how quickly to take action.
Seyitoğlu, F., & Ivanov, S. (2020). A conceptual framework of the service delivery system design for hospitality firms in the (post-) viral world: The role of service robots. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 91(2020), 1–10. (ATTACHED TO ORDER)
This study creates a conceptual framework to evaluate the hospitality industry service delivery system design in a post Covid-19 world. The authors present a comprehensive framework (p. 4) from customer demand and expectations through alternatives to physically distant service delivery system design of the use of AI/robotics.
Wieczorek-Kosmala, M. (2021). COVID-19 impact on the hospitality industry: Exploratory study of financial-slack-driven risk preparedness. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94(2021), 1–14. 
(ATTACHED TO ORDER)
The Wieczorek-Kosmala study looks at financial liquidity requirements in the hospitality industry and how they might be used to evaluate the viability of hotels continuity. Look closely at the elements in the financial models and how they can be represented in your acquisition criteria for a strategic investment.
As a starting point for identifying the acquisition criteria, the investors want you to expand on the Figure 1 framework, page 4 of the Seyitoğlu and Ivanov article A Conceptual Framework of the Service Delivery System Design (ATTACHED TO ORDER). The article provides definitions for each element in their framework. You are asked to evaluate and address these questions:
Relevance of the Framework: Which sections of this framework are the most important for identifying acquisition criteria for a strategic investment and why?
Elements of the Framework:
What preliminary information have you discovered to help develop acquisition criteria related to:
Demand: customer expectations.
Situational analysis.
Differentiation: positioning.
Service delivery system and alternatives.
What financial data and measures are required for your acquisition criteria?
How might the financial liquidity requirements suggested by Wieczorek-Kosmala in the article COVID-19 Impact on the Hospitality Industry (ATTACHED TO ORDER) be integrated into your acquisition criteria?
Acquisition Criteria for Strategic Decision Making: Identify and justify 5–10 acquisition criteria you will present to the investors.
Reflection: From a practitioner perspective, how do you see the utility, value, and application of a strategic decision-making framework to establish acquisition criteria? Explain what you learned from this assessment in less than one page.
You will need a minimum of three scholarly and professional references in addition to the supplied readings. Add any new references to your Capstone Literature Matrix (ATTACHED TO ORDER).

Another component of this class is to complete an analysis paper to highlight a relevant ethics topic and clear identification of impacted stakeholders. For this assignment, find a current event or topic of interest to focus upon. This is meant to be an analysis of an issue: apply the facts and scenarios to the readings. Analyze the ethical dilemma from an unbiased viewpoint presenting both sides; identify impacted stakeholders and their level of involvement/importance. If you choose, you may add your personal opinion at the end. 
Book info 
Treviño & Nelson (2017). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right. Wiley, Seventh Edition OR Trevino & Nelson (2021). Managing Business Ethics: straight talk about how to do it right.  Wiley, Eighth Edition