Research and Marketing

Write a paper of no more than 1,050 words in which you explain the role of research in marketing.
Include how research is used to develop marketing strategies.
List at least one specific strategy for price, product, promotion, or place used by your company or organization.
Include an evaluation of the effectiveness of this strategy.
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Environmental Analysis

Choose, as a team, a product for an environmental analysis.
Attain faculty approval for your chosen product.
Research an environmental analysis for the Learning Team’s selected product.
Write a research paper of no more than 3,000 words in which you include a descriptive analysis of the following:
The product: the main features of the product and the major benefits received by those using the product; current branding strategies, a description of pricing used at distribution levels and to final users
Target market: demographic or psychographic profile; identification of the overall market size
Distribution: the plan for distribution
Competitors: define competition, current market share, competitive marketing strategies, product attributes, promotion, pricing, services offered, and definition of distribution network; discussion of strengths, weaknesses, and competitive trends.
Financial analysis: overall industry sales and market shares by segment and geographical region; profitability analysis including projected revenues and expenses
Other factors: include trends, events, and external conditions that may affect the product launch; social, cultural, demographic, economic, technological, political, legal, regulatory, and ethical factors considered
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Marketing Strategy Presentation

Prepare a 10-to 12-slide PowerPoint® presentation that summarizes the marketing strategy choices based on your Learning Team’s environmental analysis conducted in Week Two.
Include the following in the presentation:
An Ansoff Matrix analysis
The price, product, promotion, and place in your summary
A list of the environmental factors and how they relate to the selected strategy
Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.

Define euphemisms, provide at least one example, and explain how they can be helpful in writing effective business messages

Each question must consist of a minum of 400 words.

 

1. Define euphemisms, provide at least one example, and explain how they can be helpful in writing effective business messages
2. Describe four important issues to consider when distributing business message

3.What are seven guidelines to keep in mind when creating content for business-related social media?

4. How does a social media release differ from a traditional press release?
5. How would you respond to a LinkedIn network connection who asks for a recommendation when you barely remember working with this person and do not remember whether he or she was good at his or her job?
6. Are emotional appeals ethical? Why or why not?

BUS 610 Organizational Behavior

Symbols of culture are called artifacts. Artifacts are the most visible and accessible level of culture. These include behaviors, stories, rituals (everyday practices that are repeated frequently), and symbols (e.g., company logos, company colors). For example, the president of a company volunteering at Habitat for Humanity is an artifact of culture. An example of symbols as an artifact of culture is Ashford University’s shield that serves as our logo and is printed on transcripts, diplomas and letterhead paper. Submit a two- to three-page paper (excluding the title and reference pages) describing the culture of either your current or past place of employment.

Your paper should provide examples of and address each of the following topics:

1. Observable artifacts
2. Espoused values (These are what organizational members say they value, like ethical practice.)
3. Enacted values (These are reflected in the way individuals actually behave.)

In addition, describe how each item listed above impacts the values and culture of the organization.

Your paper must use a minimum of two scholarly sources, in addition to the textbook. Your paper must also follow the APA Style guide.

Asymptotes of Rational Functions

This week you have studied the graphs of rational functions and in particular asymptotes.

In photography fixed focal length means that the focal length is not adjustable. Photographers are unable to zoom in and out on a particular subject when using such a lens. Not being able to easily zoom in on a subject might seem like a huge disadvantage. But such lenses are credited with being able to produce much higher quality pictures in controlled settings.

In order for a film camera with a fixed focal length F to focus on an object located a distance x from the lens, the film must be placed a distance y behind the lens. F, y, and x are related as follows

⅟F = ⅟X + ⅟Y

Now suppose a camera has a lens with focal length F = 65.

1. Explain what happens to the focusing distance y as the object moves far away from the lens.

2. Explain what happens to the focusing distance y as the object moves closer and closer to the lens.

3. In general, why is it not possible to cross a vertical asymptote?

Strategic and Operational Outcomes

Before you begin work on this assignment, be sure you have read the Case Study and reviewed the feedback received on your Stage 2 assignment.  Refer to the Business Analysis and System Recommendations (BA&SR) Table of Contents below to see where you are in the process of developing this report.

 

Overview

 

As the business analyst in the CIO’s department of Chesapeake IT Consulting (CIC), your next step in working towards an IT solution to improve the hiring process at CIC is to analyze the strategic outcomes and processes at CIC and develop a set of requirements for the hiring system.

 

Business Analysis and System Recommendation (BA&SR) Table of Contents

I.                    Background and Organizational Analysis (Stage 1)

A.                  Introduction

B.                   Organizational Strategy

C.                   Components of an Information System

1.                   People and Technology

2.                   Processes

3.                   Data/Information

II.                  Strategic Use of Technology (Stage 2)

A.                  Decision Making

B.                   Communication

C.                   Collaboration

D.                  Relationships

E.                   Structure

F.                   Competitive Advantage

III.                Strategic and Operational Outcomes (Stage 3)

A.                  Strategic Outcomes

B.                   Process Analysis

C.                   Requirements

IV.                System Recommendation (Stage 4)

A.                  Benefits of an Enterprise Solution

B.                   Proposed IT solution

C.                   How the Proposed IT Solution Meets the Requirements

D.                  Implementation Steps

E.                   Conclusion

 

 

 

 

 

Assignment

 

The first step is to incorporate the feedback you received on your Stage 2 assignment, making any needed corrections or adjustments.  (If you have not incorporated the feedback from your Stage 1 assignment, you should do so prior to submitting Stage 3.) For this assignment, you will add Section III to Sections I and II, as outlined below.  Note:  In addition to the criteria for Stage 3, as indicated in the grading rubric, the incorporation of improvements based on substantive feedback (more significant problems with content) from the previous stage will also be evaluated. 

 

Section III of the Business Analysis and System Recommendation Report analyzes the organization’s strategy and processes to determine how technology solutions can be used to support organizational processes and enable strategic and operational outcomes.  For this assignment, you will list requirements for a new hiring system. This analysis leads into Section IV – System Recommendation section of the BA&SR (the Stage 4 assignment) that will propose an IT solution to meet CIC’s organizational strategy and fulfill its operational needs.

Using the case study, assignment instructions, Course Content readings, and external resources, develop your Section III on Strategic and Operational Outcomes.   Approximate lengths for each section are provided as a guideline; be sure to provide all pertinent information.  A key to successful business writing is quality and conciseness rather than quantity.

The case study tells you that the executives and employees at Chesapeake IT Consultants (CIC) have identified a need for an effective and efficient hiring system.  As you review the case study, list three goals (or strategies) from the description of the company, as well as from the “interviews” that are documented.  Then, to focus on operational outcomes, you will analyze the hiring process in use at CIC by identifying specific steps.

 

Note:  Refer to the Week 6 Content “Good Practices for Developing User Requirements” in particular for this assignment.  Business Requirements – why the project is being undertaken – aligns with the Strategic Outcomes section III- A.   User Requirements and Software Requirements are addressed in III-C – Requirements below.

 

III.                Strategic and Operational Outcomes

 

1. Strategic Outcomes – Identify three strategic goals or objectives mentioned in the company description and interviews in the CIC Case Study, and explain how the new hiring system would help achieve those goals/objectives.  (2-3 sentences for each goal/objective)
2. Strategic Goal/Objective 1 and explanation: 
3. Strategy Goal/Objective 2 and explanation:
4. Strategy Goal/Objective 3 and explanation:

 

1. Process Analysis – To understand what the new hiring system needs to do for CIC, you will first analyze the current hiring process.  The Interviews in the CIC Case Study provide the information you need about how the process is currently conducted.  You will need to combine the steps that each interviewee discusses and organize them into a logical sequence showing the high level start to finish process.  First, insert an introductory opening sentence for this section.  Then, for each of the elements listed below, complete the table with the requested information. The beginning and ending step have been provided for you.  Each process step should be concise and start with an action verb.  (Provide an introductory sentence and copy the table and insert information within.)

Evidence-Based Management

Based on the feedback obtained in Unit 9 on your project draft, revise your project as needed. Submit your final project in this assignment. Review the Evidence-Based Management course project description prior to submitting to ensure you understand the and meet the grading criteria for this assignment.

Course Project:
Units with response feedback for Final Project:
Unit 4- How does the organization curb high employee turnover?
The organization has been hiring administrators, but the number of those quitting is more than the retention rate. This is referred to as employee turnover. It has been described as the percentage of employees who leave the organization and the new ones are hired. The goal of any efficient organization is to reduce employee turnover as it hurts any organization’s bottom line (Lee, 2012). This is because research has indicated that it costs twice as more to train a new employee than to retain a current one. High turnover can also negatively impact other employees’ motivation.
To achieve this goal, the healthcare organization needs to be aware of the different strategies to avert this trend. First, the organization needs to hire the right individuals from the start. This is the single best method of averting staff turnover (Lee, 2012). Candidate should be interviewed and vetted carefully so as to ensure they possess the right skillset that will fit into the company culture. The organization should also set the right benefits and compensation structure as incentives to employees. Such information can be obtained by the human resources department getting current industry data on various industry pay packages. They can also get creative when necessary such as implementing flexible bonus structures and work schedules. HR can obtain this information from the internet or surveys conducted by other interested parties.

Once the relevant data and information are obtained, the organization can use it to devise strategies to curb the high employee turnover. Such data can be used to implement ways of bolstering employees’ engagement (Sheridan, 2014). This is because employees are motivated by healthy social interaction and a more rewarding work environment. The data will also be useful in reviewing the employees’ compensation and benefits package paying attention to the trends in the industry.

The stakeholders in this exercise will be the healthcare institution’s management and its employees. This is because they are directly affected by the high staff turnover. The management has to incur the costs of replacing and training new staff members while the staff are demotivated when their colleagues constantly quit (Lee, 2012). Controlling staff turnover is not an easy task, but the health care facility has made great strides. Currently, there are fewer employees quitting their jobs as a result of additional incentives. Such incentives include flexible working hours and bonuses.

However, managers can do more in reviewing the importance of a positive work environment. They should also come up with ways of recognizing top achievers so as to motivate the rest of the team to work extra harder on their tasks. Recognition, awards and praise are also cost-effective ways to achieve and maintain a productive and happy workforce.

References:

Locke, E. A. (2009). Handbook of principles of organizational behavior: Indispensable knowledge for evidence-based business (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. ISBN: 9780470740941.

Marr, B. (2010). The intelligent company: Five steps to success with evidence-based management. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. ISBN: 9780470685952.

Shemilt, I., Mugford, M., Vale, L. Marsh, K., & Donaldson, C. (2010). Evidence-based decisions and economics: Health care, social welfare, education and criminal justice (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 9781405191531.

Lee, T. (2012). Employee voice and employee retention. Academy of Management Journal, 123.

Sheridan, J. (2014). Organizational culture and employee retention. Academy of management Journal, 89.

Resolving Conflicts

This unit focuses on how leaders can be effective by using power to resolve conflicts. In this discussion, evaluate the ways a leader can resolve conflicts. Using information in your Locke text, answer the following:

How do managers attempt to resolve conflicts?
Which of these methods do you feel are most powerful and productive?
Explain your thoughts.
Read the Discussion Participation Scoring Guide prior to posting to learn how the instructor will evaluate your discussion participation.

Response Guidelines
Read the posts of your peers and respond to two. In your response to each peer, address the following:

Do you agree or disagree with your peer’s assessment of how managers attempt to resolve conflicts? Explain.
Based on what you learned from your peer and your readings, can you think of any other ways managers can effectively handle conflict? If you have one, please provide an example.

Changes That Affect the Organization

Any decision made within an organization will somehow affect the structure, strategy, or overall functioning of that organization. Using the information presented in the Locke text, asses how change affects the organization. Provide an example of change that may occur in a health care organization and how it would affect that organization.

Read the Discussion Participation Scoring Guide prior to posting to learn how the instructor will evaluate your discussion participation.

Response Guidelines
Read the posts of your peers and respond to two. Do you agree or disagree with your peer’s assessment? Explain.