Blog

Assignment Content Review the Strategic Management Project Background and your strategic management research journal entries from Weeks 1–4.

Create a 10-slide presentation for Caterpillar Inc. leadership in which you summarize your key findings, propose recommendations, and provide rationale for your recommendations.

Respond to the following prompts:

Summarize your evaluation of the alignment between what Caterpillar Inc. is currently doing and their mission, vision, or values statement. Would you propose any changes to Caterpillar Inc.’s mission, vision or values statements? Why or why not? (Refer to Wk 1, Bullet #4.) Summarize your assessment of whether Caterpillar Inc. is leveraging the appropriate value and cost drivers for their business strategy. Would you propose any changes? Why or why not? (Refer to Wk 2, Bullet #3.) Summarize your analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of Caterpillar….

Case Problem Investment Strategy

J. D. Williams, Inc. is an investment advisory firm that manages more than $120 million in funds for its numerous clients. The company uses an asset allocation model that recommends the portion of each client’s portfolio to be invested in a growth stock fund, an income fund and a money market fund. To maintain diversity in each client’s portfolio, the firm places limits on the percentage of each portfolio that may be invested in each of the three funds. General guidelines indicate that the amount invested in the growth fund must be between 20% to 40% of the total portfolio value. Similar percentages for the other two funds stipulate that between 20% to 50% of the total portfolio must be in the income fund and at least 30% of the total portfolio value must be in the money market fund.

In addition, the company attempts to assess the risk tolerance of each client and adjust the portfolio to meet the needs of the individual investor. For example, Williams just contracted with a new client who has $800,000 to invest. Based on an evaluation of the client’s risk tolerance, Williams assigned a maximum risk index of 0.05 for the client. The firm’s risk indicators show the risk of the growth fund at 0.10, the income fund at 0.07 and the money market fund at 0.01. An overall portfolio risk index is computed as a weighted average of the risk rating for the three funds where the weights are the fraction of the client’s portfolio invested in each of the funds.

Additionally, William’s is currently forecasting annual yields of 18% for the growth fund, 12.5% for the income fund and 7.5% fir the money market fund. Based on the information provided, how should the new client be advised to allocate $800,000 among the growth, income and money market funds? Develop a linear programming model that will provide the maximum yield for the portfolio. Use your model to develop a managerial report.

Managerial Report:

a.Recommend how much of the $800,000 should be invested in each of the three funds. What is the annual yield you anticipate for the investment recommendation change?

b.Assume that the client’s risk index could be increased to 0.055. How much would the yield increase and how would the investment recommendation change?

c.Refer again to the original situation where the client’s risk index was assessed to be 0.05. How would your investment recommendation change if the annual yield for the growth fund were revised downward to 16% or even to 14%?

d.Assume that the client expressed some concern about having too much money in the growth fund. How would the original recommendation change if the amount invested in the growth fund is not allowed to exceed the amount invested in the income fund?

e.The asset allocation model you developed may be useful in modifying the portfolios for all the firm’s clients whenever the anticipated yields for the three funds are periodically revised. What is your recommendation as to whether use of this model is possible?

You can view the article (the case), “The Man Who Got Honeywell’s Groove Backt”, by linking to the course EReserves 

Follow the Case Analysis Outline given in your syllabus. This is a take-home, open-book, open-notes exam. You are on your personal honor to make sure your answers to the Case Analysis Outline are entirely and completely your own. If you do not honor this, you will fail this Assignment.  Use no other references other than Business Week article, 1 page background attached, your text and any resource materials on the course web site. Limit your response to no more than ten double spaced APA style pages (One inch Margins, 12 pitch, Times New Roman font) exclusive of cover page and an Appendix that includes any Figures or Tables…..

Answer the following questions in a clear concise essay.

1) Discuss the case for and against Aggressive Ethics Policy and active Corporate Social Responsibility.

2) Describe the interrelationship between affirmative action, diversity, the glass ceiling and a history of discrimination. What ethical principles are in play here?

3) In your view, what is the best way to ensure consumer protection?

4) Research two or more current advertisements and discuss whether they meet ethical standards. Defend your decision.

5) Describe and provide an example of a conflict of interest in a business situation.

6) What is a Fair Wage? What are the characteristics of a fair wage? What is the difference between a fair wage, living wage, and minimum….

Choose one case from among the cases at the end of chapters 3, 4, 5, 7 or 10.  (This means you will be writing on only one case for your paper).  DO NOT use any of the cases at the end chapters 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, or 11.

 Content: 

Provide a brief (1 to 2 paragraph) summary of the case (including details you think are relevant – leave out extraneous details).

Outline what you think the major ethical conflict in the case is. In other words, what do you think is the single, most important ethical conflict?  When trying to understand the thinking of those who have resolved the issue, speculate on which ethical theory seems to best fit with their choices.

Describe how you would resolve the issue you have outlined (i.e.: what would your judgment be).Explain what….

Assignment Content Purpose of Assignment  The Case Study focuses on CVP (Cost-Volume-Profit), break-even, and margin of safety analyses which allows students to experience working through a business scenario and applying these tools in managerial decision making.

Resources

Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis Grading Guide Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Tutorial help on Excel and Word functions can be found on the Microsoft Office website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products. Scenario: Mary Willis is the advertising manager for Bargain Shoe Store. She is currently working on a major promotional campaign. Her ideas include the installation of a new lighting system and increased display space that will add $24,000 in fixed costs to the $270,000 in fixed costs currently spent…..

Select 4 questions to answer from 8 questions. Your answer must based on Allen’s book. 200 words for each answer.

1. Describe a time when you were in a homogeneous social identity group (with people of the same category as yourself), and you had a conversation about people in a different identity group. (Examples: a group of women talking about men or vice versa; a group of heterosexuals talking about gay people; etc.) Explain the circumstances and describe your feelings at the time. Looking back on it, how do you feel about it now?

(Based on Chapter 1, p. 21, question 11)

2. Select one of the dominant ideologies listed below, and explain how you have had personal experience with this ideology and its effects, or else….

Which value is typically larger, accounting profits or economic profits?  When are accounting profits equal to economic profits? Please refer to the Cadbury income statement in Table 3.1.  Suppose the depreciation and amortization expenses are based on the prices for buildings and other facilities purchased several years ago, and the annualized opportunity cost for these capital assets is approximately 80% higher in the current market.  What is the firm’s economic profit? The authors explain in Chapter 2 that subsidies are the opposite of taxes.  Recently, the Trump administration announced that US soybean farmers will receive subsidies to offset the tariffs imposed by China on soybeans imported from the US.  Prior to the imposition of tariffs by the US and China, soybeans were selling for about $11 per bushel in the….

Week 3 – Assignment 1

After you have finished your team discussion, write a 3 to 4 page paper that addresses each question below. This is an individual assignment and should synthesize and demonstrate application of your learning from playing the simulation, the team discussion, and course material.

1. Summarize the results you achieved while playing the simulation.

a. What did you do well and what were some areas that needed improvement?

b. What were the important differences demonstrated from each of the four scenarios?

2. Analyze and discuss at least 3 comparisons between the simulation and what we have learned in the course.

3. How can you apply what you learned in this experience to the company you work for? Disuss at least two different….

Discussion: Project Planning & Selection

Identify a project that you worked on in the past (or research one online) and discuss at least four of the key decisions made during the pre-initiating and initiating processes. Do you think all necessary decisions can be made during this process? Why or why not?

Discuss your response in detail (250 words). When responding, use terminology from the module materials and provide appropriate and adequate details in all responses. Each response should be in your own words, grammatically sound, and free of spelling errors.

Using current APA format, include and cite at least one external reference material in your initial discussion post.

Discussion: Project Planning & Selection

Identify a project that you worked on in the past (

or research one online

….