Linking paradigm and methodology and choosing an appropriate methodology lie at the heart of research. Whether using a case-study, action research, research that relies upon grounded theory, or econometrics, the research design should ensure that the chosen methodological framework meets the objectives of the research, and helps the researcher answer the research questions. For this essay you will evaluate the characteristics of the methodologies used in the two papers from your field and consider whether those align to your own research plans.
To prepare for this essay:
• Read the files for Week 3.
• Revisit the two papers from your degree field in the files that has been attached and consider the paradigms and methodologies used
•In approximately 550 words, present the paradigms and methodologies used in the TWO articles
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of the methodologies implemented in these studies?
• Which of these could (or could not) be used for your research and why?
• What could be your feasibility concerns in any case?
SAMPLE ANSWER
METHODOLOGY AND METHODS
I. Article 1
Chang, Hueiju, and Hsi-Peng (2014) carried out research on the important nature of the social media with regards to popular cohesion and message diffusion. Despite the fact that several paradigms are employed in research such as positivism, critical theory, and critical theory, these researchers apply the positivism approach (Ryan 2015). It was developed by a French philosopher known as August Comte. His argument about paradigms was that actual knowledge is one obtained from the researcher’s senses. As such, the research methodology used include observation and experiment. Chang, Hueiju, and His-Peng use the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to observe the influence of quality and attractive messages on popular cohesion and message diffusion. When coupled with relative significance and user expertise, the usefulness and preference of a quality message lead to liking and sharing of the intention. As such, business utilizing the social media for marketing purposes gain market shares for their products.
II. Article 2
Saini and Budhwar (2008) employ the critical theory model which is very different from the earlier discussed approach. The argument of this method revolves around the employment of ideology critique and the action research. This method was to serve as a means to provide social scientists with an investigation plan for their researches. Following the research by Saini and Budhwar, who were investigating the human resource management practices of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), they utilized the case study methodology. This allows the contextual analysis of phenomena and deducing proper conclusions from the same. It is a form of action research where the researchers can analyze information, generate solutions which are implemented (Huss 2016). Their analysis revolves around the argument that the people management practices in SMEs are hindered primarily by their ‘bounded rationality’ (Saini and Budhwar 2008). This implies that these entrepreneurs usually believe that they are doing all they can to manage their people resources. Following their analysis, they discovered that their focus is primarily on financial, emotional and social support for their workforce.
III. Merits
Following the first methodology employed in the first article, positivism, there is a unique advantage it offers. This paradigm produces quantitative traits in the research implying that data trends can be easily monitored and generated as opposed to the qualitative form of data (Ryan 2015). The data is very reliable. On the other hand, the critical theory model collects information that is analyzed to produce solutions to be acted upon. Its merit is the solutions generated are dependent on the reality of the situation. It can also employ both the positivism and post-positivism approaches (Rubin and Babbie 2011). As opposed to the positivism methodology, however, the critical theory’s limitation is that it cannot be used to generate multiple conclusions or interpretation from the data (Huss 2016).
IV. Best approach for my study
The positivism paradigm bests suits my research because of its ability to generate quantitative data for analysis purposes. The data is therefore not limited to one or two interpretations similar to the critical theory model. The critical theory model focuses on generating solutions from the presented reality of a situation demanding action research to make the necessary changes which would limit my research. Positivism, on the other hand, allows the manipulation of the obtained data to create speculations regarding the future of the business. In the case of the positivism approach, the research is not as feasible as the critical theory. This is because the latter approach involves the collection of data from limited sources, unlike positivism which would require a larger sample size making it the least feasible paradigm (Al Zeera 2001).
References
Al Zeera, Z. (2001). Wholeness and holiness in education an Islamic perspective. Herndon, International Institute of Islamic Thought.
Chang, Y., Hueiju Y & His-Peng, L 2015. Persuasive messages, popularity cohesion, and message diffusion in social media marketing. Journal of Business Research, 68, pp. 777-782.
Huss, E 2016, ‘Toward a social critical, analytical prism in art therapy: The example of marginalized Bedouin women’s images’, Arts In Psychotherapy, 50, pp. 84-90.
Rubin, A., & Babbie, E. R. (2011). Research methods for social work. Belmont, CA, Brooks/Cole Cengage.
Ryan, P 2015, ‘Positivism: paradigm or culture?’, Policy Studies, 36, 4, pp. 417-433.
Saini, S D. & Budhwar S P 2008. Managing the human resource in Indian SMEs: The role of indigenous realities. Journal of World Business, 43, pp. 417-434.
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Strategies Needed for Small Retail Businesses to Sustain Beyond 5 years;Prospectus
Order Instructions:
This paper is critical as the previous paper had numerous problems and so I am changing the topic and starting all over again. I will upload a sample paper of which the writer will build on. It is important that the writer write this paper following the format of the sample paper. The writer will start from the problem statement and will follow how the writer in that paper develop that paper. the owner has choosing a topic similar to that of the sample paper so that the writer will use as much information as possible from that paper to build this new paper. This is a qualitative paper and the writer must pay attention to that fact. The writer must pay attention to passive voice as he write this paper. The sample paper is not in APA format, but the writer must use APA 6th edition throughout the paper. The writer must pay attention to sentence structure and grammar as he write the paper. The writer must also bare in mind that this paper is a continues paper and the reference cannot be more than 4 years old. The writer must use only but pear review articles for this paper as he will see some references from the sample paper. The writer will use the state of Maryland to writer the paper. the small business will coming from Maryland. so all the research will be from Maryland.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Prospectus: Strategies Needed for Small Retail Businesses to Sustain Beyond 5 years.
Problem Statement
Small businesses form a valuable part of the economy of the United States of America. However, they face the problem of entropy which can be defined as the closure of a business organization. Abatecola (2013) revealed that 20% of the small business operating within the American market fail within a period 5 years because of poor entrepreneurial strategies. Thus, the general business problem is that new business owners pursue their economic endeavors without referring to growth tactics or strategies. The specific business problem is that there is lack of entrepreneurial strategies among small business owners which could enable their businesses to remain in business for the first 5 years.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study is to investigate the strategies that small business entrepreneurs use to remain in business for the first 5 years. The participants of the study are small business entrepreneurs who operate within Annapolis, Maryland. The businesses will have had less than 50 employees and were profitable in the last 5 years. Moreover, the study may become an instigator societal development by encouraging the development of small businesses. Increasing the income that these businesses bring in can lead to the development of the community without having to depend on governmental resources. Increased employment will ensure that people are living above the poverty line.
Nature of the Study
Qualitative research can be categorized into four groups: ethnographic, phenomenological and case studies. Cronin-Gilmore (2012) defined ethnographies as qualitative research designs that entail private or open participation in the daily lives of the people endeavoring to explore their relationships, feelings, and beliefs (elements of culture). As much as this research study entails the study of businesses, there is no focus on the study of their cultures. The phenomenological is also not applicable to this research because the purpose of this study is not to consider the individual world perspectives on the subject matter. A case study, on the other hand, is most appropriate. Cumming and Li (2013) identified the case study approach as a research design that entails the investigation of a case with the sole purpose of producing similar outcomes. That type of case study that involves two or more case studies is the multiple case study approach. Determining the entrepreneurial strategies that small business owners are using to succeed in their business for more than 5 years means that this research will have to adapt to the descriptive, multiple case study design.
Research Question
What strategies are small business entrepreneurs in the American market using to sustain their businesses for more than 5 years?
Interview Questions
Describe the barriers that you encountered when trying to incorporate entrepreneurial strategies to your business.
Which strategies did work that have enabled you to succeed for more than 5 years?
Which strategies did not work for your business?
Which strategies would you recommend other business to pursue?
Is there a specific strategy that you can identify with as one that has guaranteed your success?
What else do you think I should know about your business that I have not asked?
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework
The theory of economic development is the conceptual framework that this research will follow. It is a theory that dates to 1939 when Peter Schumpeter presented it as the transformation through economic innovation (Acs, Audretsch, & Lehmann, 2013). Moreover, the framework has its core innovation and strategic functions centering on the solid operational basis that business achieves through decisions that ensure the continued success and profitability of the business. The theory is applicable to this research study since the study is focused primarily on the success of small businesses which are a part of the functionality of the economy.
Significance of the Study
Small businesses are an integral part of an economy because of their support to the health and wellbeing of the economy. These businesses could create a net of 62.9 percent of new jobs between 1993 and 2013 (Alkali, 2012). That revelation is significant as it displays the direct participation of small businesses in the sustenance of the economy. They are also a source of revenue for the government through taxes and a source of livelihood for the people of America (Alstete, 2014). Thus, this study incorporates the mindset of change in this industry concerning success of the small businesses. Change can be advantageous to the sector as it will allow these businesses to grow and expand. The development of these businesses means the transformation and development of the areas in which they operate.
Contribution to business practicenot APA format
The year 2012 marked the year the profits of small enterprises totaled about two- thirds of all the available enterprise jobs (SBA, 2014). Small business owners were also able to employ 50% of the workforce operating in the private sector (SBA, 2014). This was a advantageous to the small business owners with startups whose age is less than five years of their potential to create high numbers of jobs (SBA, 2014). The years 2007 and 2009 mark the financial turmoil from which many organizations are still struggling to recover (Street & Ward, 2012). Abidin et al. (2014) asserts that economic instability identifiable when over 40,000 business owners filing for personal bankruptcy. Thus, understanding the cause of the rampant bankruptcy among the business owners (which could be poor strategies) in the hope of deciphering the potential causes of economic instability is integral.
Implication for social change
Understanding the current strategies that small businesses use will result in an increase the ability of these businesses to provide employment to the members of the local community. Moreover, it will lead to the development of social amenities such as banking facilities that will favor the locals.
References
Abatecola, G. (2013). Survival or failure in the organizational life cycle. What lessons for managers? Journal of General Management, 38, 23–38. Retrieved from http://art.torver gata.it/handle/2108/75867
Abidin, R., Hasnan, N., Abdullah, C., Mohtar, S., & Zulhumadi, F. (2014). The relationship between social capital and technology transfer performance: A study on companies in the technology park. Journal of Southeast Asian Research, 3(1), 1–9. doi:10.5171/2013.11672
Acs, Z. J., Audretsch, D. B., & Lehmann, E. E. (2013). The spillover knowledge theory of entrepreneurship. Small Business Economics, 41, 757–774.doi:10.1007/s11187-013-9505-9)
Alkali, M. A. (2012). An empirical study of entrepreneur’s educational level and the performance of small business manufacturing enterprises in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Interdisciplinary. Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 4, 914–923. Retrieved from http://www.ijcrb.com/archives.html
Alstete, J. W. (2014). Strategy choices of potential entrepreneurs. Journal of Education for Business, 89, 77–83. doi:10.1080/08832323.2012.759094
Bublak, D. R. (2013). Barriers to small business participation in federal overseas contracts and subcontracts (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from Pro Quest Dissertations and Theses. (UMI No. 1473898282)
Burdin, G. (2014). Is worker managed firms more likely to fail than conventional enterprises? Evidence from Uruguay. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 67, 203–238. Retrieved from http://www.econstor.eu
Byrd, K., Ross, L. W., & Glackin, C. E. W. (2013). A preliminary causal analysis of small business access to credit during economic expansion and contraction. Journal of Applied Finance and Banking, 3, 77–84. Retrieved from http://www.scienpress.com/journal_focus.asp?Main_Id=56
Criscuolo, C., Gal, P. N., & Menon, C. (2014). The dynamics of employment growth: Evidence from 18 countries (CEP Report No. 1274). London, England: School of Economics. Retrieved from http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/60286/1/dp1274.pdf
Cronin-Gilmore, J. (2012). Exploring marketing strategies in small businesses. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 6, 96–107. Retrieved from http://www.na-businesspress.com/jmdcopen.html
Cumming, D., & Li, D. (2013). Public policy, entrepreneurship, and venture capital in the United States. Journal of Corporate Finance, 23, 345–367. doi:10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2013.09.005
Dahmen, P., & Rodriquez, E. (2014). Financial literacy and the success of small businesses: An observation from a small business development center. Numeracy, 7(1), 1–14. doi:10.5038/1936-4660.7.1.3
Leitch, C. M., McMullan, C., & Harrison, R. T. (2013). The development of entrepreneurial Leadership: The role of human, social and institutional capital. British Journal of Management, 24, 347–366. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8551.2011. 00808.x
Street, C. T., & Ward, K. W. (2012). Improving validity and reliability in longitudinal case study timelines. European Journal of Information Systems, 21, 160–175. doi.10.1057/eji s.2011.53
U.S. Small Business Administration. (2014). What is a small business? Retrieved from http://www.sba.gov
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Throughout this course, you will gain a deeper perspective of quality in health care and its importance in the health care industry. In this assignment, you will review a sample quality policy from a health care facility or provider.
Write a 1,000-1,250 word paper in which you assess the organization’s quality policy. Include answers to the following questions:
1.Discuss aspects of the policy: What is included and excluded?
2.What area of the organization is affected by this policy?
3.Why was this policy created?
Unsatisfactory
0.00%
Less Than Satisfactory
65.00%
Satisfactory
75.00%
Good
85.00%
Excellent
100.00%
70.0 %Content
55.0 % Essay on the Quality Policy of a Health Care Organization, Focusing on Completeness
Essay does not demonstrate an understanding of the concept of quality in health care implications. Essay does not address inclusions and exclusions as specified in the assignment. Essay does not demonstrate critical thinking and analysis of the situation, and does not develop effective answers to the questions, with rationale.
Essay demonstrates minimal understanding of the concept of quality in health care implications. Essay minimally addresses inclusions and exclusions as specified in the assignment. Essay demonstrates minimal abilities for critical thinking and analysis of the case study, and develops weak answers to the questions, with minimal rationale.
Essay demonstrates knowledge of the concept of quality in health care, but has some slight misunderstanding of the implications. Essay satisfactorily addresses inclusions and exclusions as specified in the assignment. Essay provides a basic idea of critical thinking and analysis for the questions, answers, and rationale. Essay does not include examples or descriptions.
Essay demonstrates acceptable knowledge of the concept of quality in health care implications. Essay satisfactorily develops understanding of inclusions and exclusions as specified in the assignment. Essay develops an acceptable response and rationale. Essay utilizes some examples.
Essay demonstrates thorough knowledge of the concept of quality in health care implications. Essay thoroughly develops an understanding of inclusions and exclusions as specified in the assignment. Essay clearly answers the questions and develops a very strong rationale. Essay introduces appropriate examples.
15.0 % Integration of Information From Outside Resources Into the Body of Paper
Assignment does not use references, examples, or explanations.
Assignment provides some supporting examples, but minimal explanations and no published references.
Assignment supports main points with examples and explanations.
Assignment supports main points with explanations and examples. Application and description are direct, competent, and appropriate of the criteria.
Assignment supports main points with references, examples, and full explanations of how they apply.
20.0 %Organization and Effectiveness
7.0 % Thesis Development and Purpose
Paper lacks any discernible overall purpose or organizing claim.
Thesis and/or main claim are insufficiently developed and/or vague; purpose is not clear.
Thesis and/or main claim are apparent and appropriate to purpose.
Thesis and/or main claim are clear and forecast the development of the paper. It is descriptive and reflective of the arguments and appropriate to the purpose.
Thesis and/or main claim are comprehensive. The essence of the paper is contained within the thesis. Thesis statement makes the purpose of the paper clear.
8.0 % Argument Logic and Construction
Statement of purpose is not justified by the conclusion. The conclusion does not support the claim made. Argument is incoherent and uses noncredible sources.
Sufficient justification of claims is lacking. Argument lacks consistent unity. There are obvious flaws in the logic. Some sources have questionable credibility.
Argument is orderly, but may have a few inconsistencies. The argument presents minimal justification of claims. Argument logically, but not thoroughly, supports the purpose. Sources used are credible. Introduction and conclusion bracket the thesis.
Argument shows logical progression. Techniques of argumentation are evident. There is a smooth progression of claims from introduction to conclusion. Most sources are authoritative.
Clear and convincing argument presents a persuasive claim in a distinctive and compelling manner. All sources are authoritative.
5.0 % Mechanics of Writing (includes spelling, punctuation, grammar, language use)
Surface errors are pervasive enough that they impede communication of meaning. Inappropriate word choice and/or sentence construction are used.
Frequent and repetitive mechanical errors distract the reader. Inconsistencies in language choice (register), sentence structure, and/or word choice are present.
Some mechanical errors or typos are present, but are not overly distracting to the reader. Correct sentence structure and audience-appropriate language are used.
Prose is largely free of mechanical errors, although a few may be present. A variety of sentence structures and effective figures of speech are used.
Writer is clearly in command of standard, written, academic English.
10.0 %Format
5.0 % Paper Format (use of appropriate style for the major and assignment)
Template is not used appropriately, or documentation format is rarely followed correctly.
Appropriate template is used, but some elements are missing or mistaken. A lack of control with formatting is apparent.
Appropriate template is used. Formatting is correct, although some minor errors may be present.
Appropriate template is fully used. There are virtually no errors in formatting style.
All format elements are correct.
5.0 % Documentation of Sources (citations, footnotes, references, bibliography, etc., as appropriate to assignment and style)
Sources are not documented.
Documentation of sources is inconsistent and/or incorrect, as appropriate to assignment and style, with numerous formatting errors.
Sources are documented, as appropriate to assignment and style, although some formatting errors may be present.
Sources are documented, as appropriate to assignment and style, and format is mostly correct.
Sources are completely and correctly documented, as appropriate to assignment and style, and format is free of error.
100 % Total Weightage
SAMPLE ANSWER
Understanding Quality
Introduction
An explicit health care policy helps a health care organization can in the establishment of a vision for tomorrow, outline the specific responsibilities of different individuals and the specific priorities of an organization (Black et al., 2011). However, it is important to note that implementation of health related policies can be faced with some challenges. Implementation of health care policies ensures standardization of care provided as much as possible. Systems in the healthcare sector are essential since they set a general plan of action to help lead in the desired outcomes and also are fundamental in the decision-making process (Black et al., 2011). The employees get a better understanding of the organization’s desired results and also whatever the organization expects from them by making them understand fully their roles and responsibilities. Besides, is provides clarification on legal and ethical issues.
Reasons for creation of the policy
In my organization of concern, Jaydee Hospital, the policy was created to serve a variety of purposes. To start with, the healthcare field is governed by a range of professional bodies, therefore, through the establishment of these policies, it will ensure that the organization complies with the relevant governing and regulatory body’s requirements. Also, the plan will ensure the improvement of care through implementation of standards and international best practices (Black et al., 2011). Also, it was to make sure that organization sets relevant goals and objectives which ensure provision of high-quality care and safety of the patient. In the healthcare environment, most often than not, policies in the health care sector help to lay a foundation for the provision of cost-effective and quality care. Finally, the plan was meant to ensure maintenance of an environment that is conducive to risk management by avoiding accidents to patients, employees and the customers in general (Black et al., 2011).
Aspects of the policy
Nosocomial infections are those infections that occur within forty-eight hours of admission or after 3days after discharge (Morrow & Kollef, 2010). Research indicates that in every one out of 10 patients get nosocomial infections. The overall effect per year is 5000 deaths, leading to high cost being incurred (Morrow & Kollef, 2010). Patients who acquire these infections tend to spend more time in the hospital making them incur extra cost more than the unaffected patient. Patients admitted to the intensive care unit are more prone to hospital-acquired infections due to their compromised state of health, use of mechanical ventilation and prevalence of invasive procedure to patients (Morrow & Kollef, 2010). Therefore, health care professional working in these areas needs to be more vigilant on prevention control measure. Development of these nosocomial infections compromises the safety of patients, health care providers working in these settings as well as other caregivers. It, therefore, calls for the health care organizations to come up with policies which will help in reducing the incidence of these nosocomial infections hence a reduction in the mortality rate.
Through the implementation of appropriate infection control measures, there can be a decrease in the frequency of these infections. Health care providers need to come up with strategies such as prevention strategies, treatment programs, and surveillance (Morrow & Kollef, 2010). An inspection team has to be set including a microbiologist; an infection control nurse has the responsibility of all issues of infection prevention and oversight within a hospital. This team is responsible for educating the other staffs, development of infection control and prevention policies and provide guidelines in this area. For the infection monitoring and prevention programs to be effective, they require extensive knowhow on local epidemiology of the causative agents and the most appropriate interventions (Alangaden, 2011).
Surveillance is the ongoing, step by step collection, analysis and interpretation of health related information which helps in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health issues. Through surveillance, data is collected for comparison of hospital-acquired infections to help come up with strategies to improve patient and health care provider’s safety. Before an organization comes up with any strategies, it should collaborate with the surveillance team.
Various factors predispose patients to nosocomial infections in the hospital settings. Mostly, these infections are contributed by poor hand hygiene (Alangaden, 2011). Studies show that compliance with hand washing go a long way in reduction of these hospital acquired infections. Health care providers, patients, and the other caregivers should use the proper hand washing techniques help reduce these infections. Also, health care providers should properly utilize protective gears to contribute to reducing contact with body fluids (Alangaden, 2011). Gloves, aprons and air filter masks are necessary for health care providers when handing body fluids.
Another prevention is use of appropriate antibiotics. Evidence shows that proper and early use of antibiotic helps to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with nosocomial infections (Alangaden, 2011). Health care providers require to have knowledge on antibiotic; that is, their proper mode of action, prevalent bacteria pathogens and resistant bacterial also, they should administer the right dosage for the appropriate duration of time. The health care providers should as well ensure they work in conjunction with the microbiologist and other surveillance personnel.
Area of the organization affected by the policy.
Nosocomial infections are occur in every department of a health care setting especially when relevant measures are not put in place. The infection prevention, control and treatment policy on nosocomial infections will affect major areas at jade health care organization (Alangaden, 2011). These strategies need to be implemented in the outpatient departments, operating rooms, the intensive care unit as well as the wards. Studies shows that most nosocomial infections are prevalent in the intensive care unit. Therefore, health care [professionals in this area need to be more cautious.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the significance of policies may not be apparent, though, through the management of these systems, it can help in improvement of the efficiency and productivity in the health care sector as well as ensure regulations and standards are not breached. Nosocomial infections are associated with high mortality and morbidity rates leading to increased financial burden. Use of appropriate infection control measures is necessary for effective control, prevention, and treatment of these infections. Awareness of upcoming pathogens and resistant organisms is also needed for treatment of nosocomial infections. Correct dosage and duration of antibiotic therapy are recommended to help in reduction of resistant pathogens (Alangaden, 2011). Healthcare providers, caregivers, and patients should use the recommended hand washing techniques to help in reduction of the hospital-acquired infections. Hand washing should not be substituted by use of gloves and hands must be washed after glove removal.
References
Alangaden, G. J. (2011). Nosocomial Fungal Infections: Epidemiology, Infection Control, and Prevention. Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.idc.2010.11.003
Black, A. D., Car, J., Pagliari, C., Anandan, C., Cresswell, K., Bokun, T., … Sheikh, A. (2011). The impact of ehealth on the quality and safety of health care: A systematic overview. PLoS Medicine, 8(1). http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000387
Morrow, L. E., & Kollef, M. H. (2010). Recognition and prevention of nosocomial pneumonia in the intensive care unit and infection control in mechanical ventilation. Crit. Care Med., 38(Suppl 8), 352–62. http://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0b013e3181e6cc98
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please use the same writer that wrote order # 114630 please. this second assignment has something to do with my first assignment #114630
THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT WAS WELL OK.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Assignment 2: Operations Decision
Introduction
Food industry in the United States has over the recent past undergone significant changes (Cachon & Terwiesch, 2012). The changes in the food industry have involved the emergence of low-calorie foods that are frozen and microwavable since they have gained wide acceptance among consumers across the country. According to Andreyeva,Long and Brownell (2010), this trend of increasing acceptance of low caloric foods that are frozen and microwavable has been motivated by heightened awareness among consumers towards healthy foods as well as healthy eating habits. The two leading competitors within the United States in the food industry involving the production of low-calorie as well as microwavable foods are: Healthy Choice which is a subsidiary of ConAgra and Lean Cuisine which is a subsidiary of Nestle Foods. In the United States, these two companies in the food industry control a significant market share and both have a considerable grip in the food industry market. These two features of the identified companies have enabled them to grow tremendously over the last decade with regards to revenues as well as range of their food products. In order to satisfactorily answer all the questions asked in Assignment 2, reference is made to the regression calculations presented in Assignment 1 and answers to varied operation decisions are as follows:
Market structure analysis is an important marketing plan tool that provides insights into the required strategies (Russell & Taylor, 2005). Saito (2011) noted that the food industry market needs are considered to significantly influence sales volumes and revenue of such companies subsequently impacting of their profitability. This means that it is imperative to carry out an analysis of growth trend of the target market since it shows the companies’ ability to predict or forecast future market trends, which is important in facilitating long-term decisions to be made. The market structure in the food are rapidly changeable and quite dynamic in the United States even though they can vary from one state to another or from one region to another within the same state (Noreen, Brewer & Garrison, 2013). Therefore, the companies should ensure that the appropriate market structure is embraced since the imperfectly structured market characterized by oligopoly require effective managerial and operational strategies in order to achieve competitive edge in the market (Luke, Froed & McCann (2015).
According to Best (2010) and Daly (2012), there is a vast range of factors that can be attributed to market structure changes, and two of the most important factors considered include consumers’ income levels and consumers’ tastes and preferences. These two factors are majorly the cause of shifts in the demand of products in the market. For instance, an increase or decrease in the income levels of consumers can either result to increased or decrease consumers’ purchasing power subsequently leading to diminishing demand for products (Cachon & Terwiesch, 2012). Also consumer tastes and preferences is the other fundamental factor that playa a vital role in determining market structure and its monitoring should be carried out regularly (Baye & Prince, 2013; Mankiw, 2014). According to Whelan (2011), consumers’ tastes and preferences determines whether they are interested in a particular product; whereby high interest translates to more sales, while low interest results to low sales. Thus, the company should consistently monitor these two factors and ensure they remain favorable by implementing the necessary corrective actions whenever signs of unfavorability are observed (Forstater, 2007; Mankiw, 2014).
Analysis of the market structure is a vital process in determining the position of a company in the market. Thus, on basis of the assignment 1 calculation results, the cost functions of Lean Cuisine both long-run and short-run can be determined by calculating performance indicators of the company in the market including AVC, VC, TC, ATC as well as MC as shown below:
Short-run Equilibrium
Long-run Equilibrium
In both calculations, that is, in the determination of the short-run and long-run equilibrium prices are observed to remain equal to quantity subsequently leading to equilibrium in the cost functions of the company. According to Baye and Prince (2013), market dynamic variations are attributed to upward and downward shifting of the equilibrium quantities. As a result, the obtained information can be used to realize optimal product demand through appropriate shifting of the prices in a direction that is favorable to consumers (Andreyeva,Long & Brownell, 2010). According to Daly (2012), the obtained information is also vital in identifying price changes that are unfavorable in a timely manner in order to allow corrective or mitigation interventions to be appropriately and swiftly taken (Best, 2010).
The expectations of any company when beginning or expanding its operations is that they will be prosperous, but sometimes circumstances become unfavorable forcing discontinuation of the operations. Baye & Prince (2013) note that a company has the ability to decide on discontinuation of its operations either in entirety or in some divisions based on the operational or market conditions, especially when they become unfavorable. The circumstances that can lead to discontinuation of operations include when the demand for the manufactured products dwindles as well as when the products become obsolete (Saito, 2011). These two circumstances can be caused by new entrants in the markets or changes in consumer demography as well as technological advancements that make machinery and systems outdated (Cachon & Terwiesch, 2012). According to Saito (2011), necessary modifications of the old machines can be done to avoid discontinuation of operations and also the company should allocate a higher budget to research in order to ensure new, appealing and high quality products are produced. However, if the modifications do not succeed, the company should look for alternative products that can be produced by the same machines and systems failure to which they should be sold prior to more depreciation subsequent to discontinuing operations (Best, 2010; Cachon & Terwiesch, 2012; Luke, Froed & McCann, 2015). Andreyeva,Long and Brownell (2010) emphasize that it is imperative for the company to gradually discontinue its operations through a step-wise disposal of associated facilities.
The pricing policy can be used to ensure profit maximization is achieved by leveraging on elasticities. For instance, in the food industry where the company operations are based is very competitive and rapidly changing market dynamics making it necessary to make frequent evaluation of its products’ price elasticity against competitor products as well as prevailing market conditions in order to determine the appropriate strategy for competitive edge to be achieved (Daly, 2012). Therefore, the company should embrace price reductions mostly through discounting in order to increase demand for its products and subsequently make its food products more appealing and affordable to consumers so that it can achieve increased sales and revenues as well as improved profitability (Daly, 2012).
It is undoubtedly evident from previous discussion that, optimal profitability of the company is only achievable through implementation of pricing strategies that have been effectively developed (Daly, 2012; Mankiw, 2014). This is attainable by ensuring that customer income levels and demographics are appropriately articulated with regards to the prevailing economic situations. According to Luke eta al. (2015), the company can leverage on these factors to evaluate its financial performance mostly through its long-run as well as short-run profits, revenues, sales volume and ultimately market share growth. This approach is undeniably very vital because it encompasses periods of economic hardships as well as periods of favorable economic conditions; whereby in the former economic situation pricing strategy adopted is fundamental is determining financial performance, while in the latter economic situation quality and convenience factors gain significance in determining demand (Luke, Froed & McCann, 2015).
With regards to the supply and demand calculations carried out for the determination of the company’s equilibrium both in the long-run and short-run operations, it is imperative to implement effective interventions in order to improve the company profits as well as ensuring that the stakeholders are delivered with more value. The appropriate strategies ought to follow a properly laid down plan including brainstorming, implementation and monitoring. Embracing this approach or plan is highly imperative to ensure the company competitive edge in the market is maintained ultimately leading to increased revenues and profitability. As a result, the two actions that are recommended to ensure This is attributable to the fact that, this approach is important in order to ensure that there is improvement in the company’s profitability as well as ensuring that the stakeholders are delivered with more value include:
There will be need to increase capital investment particularly in the area of research and new product development. Through continuous research and adoption of cutting edge technologies in food manufacturing, the company will be able to consistently produce high quality and novel food products (Mankiw, 2014). According to Whelan (2011), this is an essential strategy in enabling production of food products that are more appealing to consumers at low production and operational costs, which will in turn improve the company profitability.
The other recommended action will be to devise and implement a marketing plan that is effective through appropriate advertising and promotional strategy to improve visibility of the company’s food products in the market and dispel the stiff competition (Cachon & Terwiesch, 2012; Daly, 2012). The company will be required to advertise its food products through a variety of promotional channels both mainstream and upcoming ones, methods and/or techniques as well as media outlets (Baye & Prince, 2013).
References
Andreyeva, T., Long, M. W., & Brownell, K. D. (2010). The Impact of Food Prices on Consumption: A Systematic Review of Research on the Price Elasticity of Demand for Food. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 216-222. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2008.151415.
Baye, M. & Prince, J. (2013). Managerial Economics & Business Strategy, (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Best, R. (2010). Market-based Management, (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Cachon, G. & Terwiesch, C. (2012). Matching Supply and Demand: An Introduction to Operations Management, (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Daly, J. (2012). Pricing for Profitability, (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Forstater, M. (2007). Economics. Chicago: Chicago Review Press.
Luke, M., Froed, B., & McCann, B. (2015). Managerial Economics. Boston, MA: South-Western College Publishers.
Mankiw, G. (2014). Principles of Microeconomics, (7th ed.). Boston, MA: South-Western College Publishers.
Noreen, E., Brewer, P., & Garrison, R. (2013). Managerial Accounting for Managers, (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Russell, R. S. & Taylor III, B. W. (2005). Operations Management: Quality and Competitiveness in a Global Environment, (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Assignment requested deadline November 5; NLT 7pm. Please read below for information concerning assignment. Support responses with examples and use APA formatting in the paper. You may access the school’s website by logging into: https://mycampus.southuniversity.edu/portal/server.pt
Please note that when you log into the website you must click launch class, and on the next screen click syllabus to view this week’s readings (weeks 4&5) and Academic Resources to access the school’s library.
To support your work, use the textbook, lectures and scholarly outside sources. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.
Below is feedback by professor from previous assignments, please apply.
Would like to have seen a stronger use of case law, examples, and statutory authority woven into the written paper.
Please make sure to include robust analysis with specific legal examples and legal authority.
Would like to see a stronger use of content related professional vocabulary
Read the scenarios and the questions that follow. Identify the legal issue(s) and apply legal concepts and possible arguments for each question. Prepare a solution for each question using laws, cases, examples and/or other relevant materials. Support your answers with applicable law and material from the textbook. By Saturday, November 5, 2016, prepare a 5- to 8-page paper that identifies the legal issues and potential solutions and answers all questions presented, supported by relevant legal authority. Properly cite all sources using APA format.
The Dilemmas
In the four years since Devon started Yard Tech in Florida, he incorporated the business, purchased two trailers and two pickup trucks, rented a storage facility for his trucks and equipment, and hired 2 full time employees. Yard Tech services include mowing, edging, mulching, planting, pruning and a variety of landscaping services. Yard Tech also offers pool cleaning services for a few clients. As expected, Devon and Yard Tech experience several scenarios while conducting operations.
Manny, a Yard Tech employee was mowing a yard when the homeowner’s dog escaped from his enclosure and bit Manny in the arm and ankle. The bite to the ankle severed a tendon that required extensive surgery and required months of physical therapy. Manny was unable to work for four months.
Myron was allowed to drive one of the company trucks to and from work because he was responsible for the territory in his part of town. Taking the truck home allowed Myron to go directly to the jobs without wasting time and gas to go pick up the truck each day. When driving home from work, Myron was involved in a collision with Hanh Nguyen. At the time of the accident, Myron had taken a detour in order to stop at the grocery store to pick up a few items and go home. Nguyen’s vehicle was totaled and she missed approximately two weeks of work recovering from her injuries. Nguyen sued Myron and Yard Tech. Myron suffered a broken leg and missed two months of work.
Although Devon considers himself an equal opportunity employer, he refuses to hire anyone who is not a heterosexual male or female based on his religious beliefs. Rey, a woman with 5 years of experience in landscaping applied for a job at Yard Tech. Devon hired Susan who only had two years of experience. Rey felt that she was discriminated against because she was a lesbian.
Because Devon often worked 12 to 14 hour days in the summer, he took his poodle, Brutus, to doggie daycare. Devon completed all of the forms and signs the authorizations without reading them. One day when Brutus was at daycare, he became covered in mud after running around with a golden retriever in the play yard. When the groomers gave Brutus a bath, he collapsed and died.
On December 31, 2013, Devon entered into a 5 year lease for a storage unit with Rudy. In September 2014, Devon discovered he needed more space and found a great deal on a storage facility with indoor and outdoor space for his vehicles and equipment. Instead of leasing, Devon purchased the entire storage facility with the intention of renting out some of the space to help pay for the purchase. Devon knew that Rudy would not let him out of the lease, so he assigned his rights under the lease to Girish on January 2, 2015. Girish used the storage unit and made payments for five months. Without Rudy’s or Devon’s knowledge, Girish vacated the unit end of July without paying for June or July and still owing the remainder of the rent for the lease period.
When Devon purchased the storage facility, he obtained a mortgage from Regions Bank.
• Discuss the potential liability for Yard Tech and the homeowner for the dog bite. Explain the type of insurance, if any, that Devon should maintain for Yard Tech. Be sure to establish a proper legal foundation for your responses.
• Discuss the arguments each party (Myron, Yard Tech and Nguyen) will make related to liability in the accident. Decide which party or parties should be liable and provide support for your choice.
• Determine whether Rey will succeed if she files a discrimination lawsuit against Yard Tech. Discuss state and federal laws that support your answer.
• Using principles of bailment, determine whether Devon could recover damages from the doggie daycare for Brutus’ death.
• Which party is liable for the remaining rental payments? If the party liable for the debt does not pay and Rudy obtains a judgment ordering payment from that party, what are Rudy’s options for seeking payment?
• Explain Devon’s rights in the property, including responsibilities for taxes, payments and future sale of the property. What are Devon’s rights if he defaults on the mortgage and the bank forecloses on the property?
• Identify and explain any ethical concerns that Devon may encounter
• Conclude your paper by providing suggestions for Devon to help prevent future occurrences of these types of legal and ethical problems.
Support your answers using the appropriate law, cases, and/or text material.
Submit the paper in APA format and properly cite sources on a separate page using APA.
Assignment 2 Grading Criteria Maximum Points
Evaluated the potential liability for Yard Tech and the homeowner for the dog bite, including the type of insurance, if any that Devon should maintain for Yard Tech and a proper legal foundation for your responses. 30
Analyzed the arguments each party (Myron, Yard Tech and Nguyen) will make related to liability in the accident. Decided which party or parties should be liable and provided support for your choice 30
Assessed whether Rey will succeed if she files a discrimination lawsuit against Yard Tech, including state and federal laws that support the answer. 30
Assessed arguments for Devon’s recovery from the doggie daycare based on principles of bailment and supported by laws, cases or examples. 30
Evaluated the appropriate party for liability of the rental payments and Rudy’s options for collecting any judgment he receives. 30
Analyzed Devon’s rights and responsibilities related to taxes, payments and sale of the mortgaged property as well as rights related to default and foreclosure. 20
Evaluated any ethical issues. 10
Evaluated suggestions to help Devon prevent future occurrences of each legal and ethical issue identified. 30
Written components. 40
Total: 250
SAMPLE ANSWER
New Business Dilemmas Part II
Question 1
The homeowner from where Manny got the dog bite owes specific duties to persons entering her/his real property by invitation. Manny was on the property for a business operation of mowing the yard. Therefore, it was the duty of the homeowner to discover any danger and ensure safety or warn Manny of the dog in the cage. In most cases, the dog owners are financially liable for any personal injury that their dog causes. A dog-bite statute law in Florida holds the dog owner responsible for any injury that the dog inflicts irrespective of whether the proprietor did not know it would hurt, was careful, or consistently tried to prevent the dog from injuring someone (Ryskamp, 2015).
Therefore, the victim can sue the dog owner if he/she did not provoke the dog and was acting peacefully in a public place or lawfully in a private place (Florida’s dog bite statute, Fla. Stat. Ann. 767.04). The defendant or the insurance company will have to compensate for all the damages resulting from the bite. For instance, a woman going door to door to take a survey was allowed into a house, but unfortunately, a dog came through the front yard of the house, knocked her, and bit her. The front yard was not fenced although there was a sign on the window reading, “Trespassers will be eaten.” The court ruled that the woman entered the house with the permission of the residents; therefore, she could sue the resident owner under the dog-bite statute (Jones v. Manhart, 585 p. 2d 1250. Ariz.1978).
On the other hand, Yard Tech and Devon are legally obligated to ensure safety for their employees. However, in a case of an accident or injury during work, workers compensation insurance should provide coverage ensuring that the injured employee gets medical care and compensation for the time and income lost while unable to report to work. Every employer conducting work in the State of Florida must provide Worker’s Compensation Insurance for his or her employees (Fla. Stat. Ann. 440.02). Therefore, Devon must maintain Worker’s Compensation Insurance for Yard Tech.
Question 2
Employers are always liable for the negligent actions of their employees if an accident occurs in the course of their employment. Hanh Nguyen may have sued Myron and Yard tech based on the arguments holding them liable such as negligent hiring or retention, respondeat superior and negligent maintenance of a vehicle. On the other hand, Yard Tech may argue that Myron is liable for the accident because, at the time of the accident, he had taken a detour to stop at a grocery store. In this situation, the respondeat superior principle does not apply. However, several factors will influence which party is liable for the accident, for instance, the state in which the accident occurred and the car policy. If the company insured the truck, then the insurance company will pay for the damages.
In my opinion, Yard Tech should be liable for the accident because it occurred during the work period. Myron was only driving home, which the company is aware of and the fact that he stopped to buy groceries should not be treated as a personal errand. The accident might have occurred due to the vehicles adverse conditions like a bad tire or poor maintenance, or the employee might have been unfit to drive the vehicle. The employer is held responsible for these factors under negligent hiring and negligent associated with the vehicle’s condition (Sackrin, 2015). Therefore, Devon should pay for all the damages and compensate Myron and the victim for the injuries. Under the common law of Florida, “an employer is liable for damages for the wrongful act of his workers that causes harm to a third party” (Weiss v. Jacobson, 62 So. 2d 904 (Fla. 1953).
Question 3
If Rey files a discrimination lawsuit against Yard Tech, she will succeed because Yard Tech considers himself an equal opportunity employer yet practices sexual discrimination. The Title VII, The Equal Pay Act, The Age Discrimination in Employment Act among other related equal employment laws protect the victim from any form of employment discrimination by an employer. The Federal and State laws of Florida protect sexual discrimination in employment processes. For instance, the 2016 Florida Statutes states, “It is unlawful employment practice to refuse or fail to hire any individual due to the individual’s sex or to discriminate against any person in any program, employment, training, or apprenticeship.” It is also unlawful “to deprive in any way an individual of employment opportunities” (Fla Stat. Sec. 760.01- 760.10).
However, specific jobs may require employers to hire individuals based on sex or religion; for instance, a women’s lingerie shop may only employ females. This is referred to as bona fide occupational qualification (Mallory & Sears, 2015). In the situation of Rey, Yard Tech refused to offer her a job because she is a lesbian. Such acts are punishable by the Federal and State laws. So yes, Rey will succeed if she files a discrimination lawsuit.
Question 4
Taking Brutus to a doggie daycare means that the bailee might have accepted a fee for holding possession and taking care of the pet. This situation is called a consideration type of bailment. For “consideration,” the bailee must ensure to provide a higher standard of care compared to a bailee who is providing care without pay, and in such a situation, if anything happens to the pet, the bailee has to pay for the damages.
If the doggie daycare accepted the responsibility of taking care of Brutus voluntarily, the bailee must ensure safety and proper care of the pet for the bailor to reclaim within an agreed time. Similarly, if Devon left Brutus for an indefinite term, then the bailee had an obligation to take care of it until he takes it back and the bailor can sue the bailee for any damage or harm on the pet during this period. According to Devon’s case, it is not clear on what terms or principles he left Brutus with the doggie daycare; hence it is difficult to determine whether he would recover the damages for Brutus’ death.
However, the fact that he signed and completed some authorization forms shows that the bailee voluntarily or considerably accepted the responsibility. Therefore, there are chances that Devon could recover damages from doggie daycare for the death of his pet. The State law imposes duties upon a bailee, and in the case of any breach of those duties, the bailee is deemed liable, and the bailor can recover damages for negligence or bailment (Delott, 2016).
Question 5
In this case, Devon is liable for the remaining rental payment because he leased out the storage to another party without informing the Rudy. Rudy did not know about Girish, and apart from breaching the agreement with Rudy, Devon went ahead to lease someone’s property without his consent. Therefore, Devon should pay the remaining rent for Rudy’s storage unit.
If he does not pay and Rudy obtains a judgment ordering payment from that the liable party, Rudy’s options include first, he should serve Devon with a written notice providing him three days to pay the unpaid amount and state the action he would take if the tenant does not pay by that time. Secondly, if the responsible party does not pay by the required time, Ruby may use his security money to pay the unpaid rent, and if it is not enough, he can finally sue the tenant to cover the unpaid rent (Garcia, 2016).
Question 6
When a person purchases a fixture (in this case a building affixed to land), the buyer acquires full ownership of the property. Therefore, he has all the rights relating to it such as the right to sell it or give it away, and rights to rent it. He also remains responsible for estate taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs of the property. Devon will similarly have these rights and responsibilities upon entirely purchasing the property.
If he default on the mortgage and the bank foreclose on the property, Devon has a right to redeem the property by paying off the full amount of the unpaid loan together with particular additional payments after the foreclosure sale. However, Devon will only be able to redeem the property before the court clerk files the certificate of sale (Fla. Stat. Ann. 54.0315).
Question 7: Ethical Issues
One of the ethical issues that Devon may encounter is hiring a driver who is unfit to drive the company’s vehicle. He should take note that only licensed drivers should drive company vehicles. The employer has the responsibility to identify any criminal history or unethical acts associated with driving that may cause future accidents, failure to which the employer will be liable for any damages done by the driver in a company’s vehicle.
He may also refuse to give up possession of a property at the end the tenant’s lease. This practice provides the landlord or attorney to demand double monthly rent at the end of every month. Devon should also ensure to fulfill every agreement signed such as contracts, to avoid penalties associated with violation of contracts.
Question 8: Conclusion
Devon can prevent future occurrences of these types of legal and ethical problems if one, he provides Worker’s Compensation Insurance for his or her employees (Fla. Stat. Ann. 440.02). This kind of insurance would enable coverage for any injury or damage of an employee during work. It also prevents Devon from running at a loss in his businesses.
Secondly, he should ensure to hire licensed drivers and ensure all the company vehicles are in safe conditions at all times. Just as in the case of Weiss v. Jacobson, 62 So. 2d 904 Fla. 1953, the law states that an employer is responsible for any harm or damage caused by his or her employee. Therefore, Devon should take measures to avoid such penalties. He should also put in place policies that restrict his employees from wrongdoings causing injuries to a third party.
In addition, he should learn to read and understand every form before signing any agreement. He should seek clarification about the consequences of either party breaching an agreement. For instance, he did not read the form provided at the doggie daycare, which made it difficult for him to determine whether he could recover damages or not. As a pet owner, he should understand that he might be absolving pet bailee from legal responsibility when signing forms and should be aware of the bailee’s right to keep the pet under the Lien Law (Delott, 2016).
Mallory, C. & Sears, B. (2015). Employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida. The Williams Institute. Retrieved from: https://goo.gl/LPEMYb
Assignment requested deadline November 2; NLT 7pm. Please read below for information concerning assignment. Support responses with examples and use APA formatting in the paper. You may access the school’s website by logging into: https://mycampus.southuniversity.edu/portal/server.pt
Please note that when you log into the website you must click launch class, and on the next screen click syllabus to view this week’s readings (week 5) and Academic Resources to access the school’s library.
To support your work, use the textbook, lectures and scholarly outside sources. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.
Below is feedback by professor from previous assignments, please apply.
Would like to have seen a stronger use of case law, examples, and statutory authority woven into the written paper.
Please make sure to include robust analysis with specific legal examples and legal authority.
Would like to see a stronger use of content related professional vocabulary
Select TWO of the following scenarios and answer the question presented.
Scenario 2
Holmes Construction Company (Holmes) hired Luke as the Materials Manager. Luke was authorized to enter into contracts to purchase materials for Holmes. On many occasions, Luke contracted to purchase plumbing supplies from FloTec Industries. Because of a downturn in the economy, Holmes terminated Luke’s employment on November 30. On December 9, Luke contacted FloTec to purchase materials on behalf of Holmes; however, Luke provided a new delivery address, accepted delivery and wrongfully kept the materials. FloTec was not aware that Holmes terminated Luke. On December 15, Holmes provided written notice to FloTec Industries that Luke had been terminated.
a. When was Luke’s express authority to act for Holmes effectively terminated?
b. Did Luke have authority to enter into the contract with FloTec on December 9? If so, what type of authority did he have?
c. Is Holmes obligated to perform the December 9th contract?
d. What should Holmes have done differently?
Please provide specific legal support for each of your responses.
Scenario 3
Azteca Industries hired virtually all of its employees from Fairview High School, which was primarily Hispanic in its racial makeup. Accordingly, there were virtually no non-Hispanic employees employed by Azteca Industries. The work that these employees performed was work that any reasonably capable high school graduate could do. When organizations representing non-Hispanic individuals questioned the policy, the Director of Human Resources indicated that Fairview High School graduates were hired because they had worked successfully for the company and because the president of the company had graduated from that school. There was no evidence that there was any plan or intention to discriminate against non-Hispanics. Discuss the possibility that this policy may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Please rely upon Title VII and applicable case law to support your responses.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Scenario 2
When was Luke’s express authority to act for Holmes effectively terminated?
Based on the Holmes Company, Luke’s contract was terminated on the 9th of December; hence Luke had no authority to transact any business on the behalf of the company (Smith, 2012). However, the fact that Holmes had terminated Luke’s contract did not in any way prevent him from making transactions on behalf of the company to third parties except through written communication. The Express authority for Luke to act for Holmes was effectively terminated on the 15th of December. An express authority is a binding type of authority that is expressly granted in writing. Therefore, Holmes could have written an express of authority to help FloTec indicating that Luke’s contract had been terminated.
Did Luke have authority to enter into the contract with FloTec on December 9? If so, what type of authority did he have?
Yes, the apparent authority. This form of authority involves the actions of an agent in dealing with a third party. In this scenario, Luke could have used apparent authority to transact with FloTech. Since with apparent authority, it gives Luke the permission to implied or express, to have a binding contract with FloTech. Nonetheless, Flotech’s ignorance when it comes to Luke’s actions could not have prevented the deal from taking place (Beavers, 2015).
Is Holmes obligated to perform the December 9th contract?
Based on the Holmes Company, Luke’s contract was terminated on the 9th of December; hence Luke had no authority to transact any business on the behalf of the company. However, the fact that Holmes had terminated Luke’s contract did not in any way prevent him from making transactions on behalf of the company to third parties except through written communication.
What should Holmes have done differently?
Upon terminating Luke’s contract, Holmes should have made a public notice through newspaper telling its business associates that Luke had no authority to make transactions on behalf of the company. Moreover, Holmes should have informed its respective partners through written, indicating that Luke was no longer authorized to make any transactions on behalf of the company (Feuer, 2015).
Scenario 3
Discuss the possibility that this policy may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
By employing only Hispanic, Azteca Industries had violated against Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In reality, Tittle VII outlaws any manner of discrimination when it comes to employment opportunities that are pegged on race, skin color, religious affiliation, gender or place of origin. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has the obligation to ensure that all these laws are implemented. In short, Azteca Industries is liable for prosecution (Aiken, Salmon & Hanges, 2013).
References
Aiken, J. R., Salmon, E. D., & Hanges, P. J. (2013). The origins and legacy of the civil rights act of 1964. Journal of Business and Psychology, 28(4), 383-399. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10869-013-9291-z
Please use Australian Info and Australian Harvard references.
Project Report – Assignment 2 – Word length Maximum 2750 and is worth 60% of my grade.
Please do better on this order as for the first assignment on order #114485 which is the same subject I barley passed.
You do the same project you did on order #114485 which was:
Project Title:
.Healthy Eating: It’s not just about eating apples! Developing programs for preschool children, primary and high school students on healthy eating.
I have added files which will explain how to set out the assignment.
It states that we need to copy and paste the first assignment on the beginning of the second assignments paper and than we need to follow what it asks us to do in the second assignment.
start like this. (file attached for further info)
.The Project Rationale -(Assignment One) add to the beginning of the paper
.Stakeholder Identification and Analysis
.Budget and Project Procurement
.Project Risks and Contingencies and Ethical Issues (risk management issues)
.Monitoring and Control
.Handover and Evaluation
.Reference List
.Any Appendices
Essentially this is a comprehensive project proposal to apply, as far as possible, the knowledge and skills developed in this course. Students are required to include Assignment 1 (not part of the word count). Then have Stakeholder Table, Budget, Risks and Ethics, Monitoring and Control and Handover and Evaluation. Finally a Reference List and any relevant Appendices are included but are not part of the word count.
I have added the first assignment #114485 that your writers did and attached the feedback my teacher gave me on the assignment.
I have asked your chat to ensure the writer knows that there is a few tables that needs to be created in word for this assignment.
there is an example on how to write the second assignment which my teacher has added follow that as much as possible with my project of course.
Thank you
SAMPLE ANSWER
Project Title
Healthy Eating: It’s not just about eating apples! Developing programs for preschool children, primary and high school students on healthy eating.
Role and Organisation
Australia Food and Grocery Council’s main mandate is to develop specific nutritious programs for different age groups in the community (Bevans et al., 2011). The focus of their programs is directed towards promoting healthy eating. There are organisations are concerned with developing and implementation of nutritious programs across various settings ranging from schools to elderly homes and hospitals. In this case, the healthy eating programs to be developed are to be implemented in schools (Department of Health and Aging, 2008). The organisation is under the Department of Health and Ageing and its workforce is majorly composed of nutrition officers who are extensively experienced in matters of developing and implementing healthy diet programs that target children.
Project Summary
In this project there will be development of a pilot program for various schools sampled in a particular state in Australia. The criteria for this selection of the schools is to be included in the healthy eating project re that, they must have all the levels of schooling; preschool, primary school as well as high school. The aim of the program to be developed is to introduce a new diet method that is nutritious to the children going to school. Prior to the beginning of the project there will be elimination of all confounding variables with potential to influence the program. The confinement of the program will be strictly to boarding schools to ensure a significant reduction of confounding variables interference. In addition, the focus of the new diet implementation will be in the incorporation of a balanced diet in all three meals during the day for three meals. All the participating children will have their weights taken and recorded prior and after the program. This will be followed by a physical check-up on all children prior and after the study in order to ensure that the changes caused by the program are assessed. The grouping of all the children will be based on their ages. Another group of children not participating in the study will be taken as a control where the collection of data will be done in the children of the same age group.
Project goal
To provide the students, at preschool, primary and high school level with adequate nutrition to foster their progress in terms of academics.
Project objectives
1. To design programs that ensure students have access to three square meals in a single day.
2. To develop programs that ensure students have access to proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and fats (a balanced diet) in the morning, lunch hour and the evening.
3. To design programs that ensure students have access to regular exercise to shed off extra weight.
4. To create awareness of the programs amongst the stakeholders and make sure they are educated on their importance and how they impact their nutritional status.
5. To perform frequent monitoring and evaluation of the students participating in the pilot program to allow for speculation of its progress (in terms of implementation) and impact.
Project Rationale
Patterns and trends of healthy eating habits at childhood and adolescent play a vital role in promoting optimal growth among school going children (Burns, Bentley, Thornton & Kavaanagh 2013). Sahota (2014) noted that these patterns are fundamental in intellectual development among the children in addition to promoting their growth. Additionally, these patterns also determine the development of modern day health problems such as anaemia, dental caries, and overweight, obesity, among other eating disorders (Slusser, Prelip, Kinsler, Erausquin, and Thai& Neumann 2011). This may also be critical in influencing prevention or reduction of health problems that are long term including stroke, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases (Denney-Wilson, Harris, Laws & Robinson 2013; Wilson, Campbell, Hesketh & Sanigirski 2011). As a result, developing healthy eating school programs can help school going children to achieve good health as well as their optimal educational potential (Wilson, Campbell, Hesketh & Sanigirski 2011).
In the world over, people have depicted poor health because of poor eating habits which have in turn led to poor nutritional status (Ballam 2016). Individuals with weak states in terms of their nutrition will also depict declining health. This is attributed to the fact that their immunity will deteriorate significantly to the extent that they will be unable to fight off diseases (Peyer et al. 2016). When students are involved, their poor eating habits will cause them to develop nutrition-related conditions that will hinder their academic progress. Schools in this community have exhibited poor food programs for their students, yet they demand remarkable academic performance from their students.
Young people are very needy when it comes to their nutrition. Considering that they are a growing bunch, they need more nutrition than an average individual. According to researchers, in the early years through to adolescence, a person experiences growth spurts (Niermann et al. 2015). For them to maintain the required growth phase, a child has to have access to enough food. It is notable that the food required should not be the empty calories full of fats and carbohydrates. This is because access to too much of the calories could result in catastrophic illnesses that are medically considered to be terminal. Some of these diseases included diabetes, obesity, heart diseases and even fatty liver (Lamari et al. 2014). Such conditions are bound to make the life of these students tough especially when it comes to learning.
Healthy eating programs in schools play an important role in ensuring that healthy eating habits are promoted among school children. This is attributable to the fact that, dietary factors in these school based programs are essential in ensuring that there is substantial reduction of premature deaths caused by nutrition related illness in countries such as Australia (Grube Bergmann, Herfurth, Keitel, Klein, Klitzing & Wendt 2013). In fact, the Department of Health and Aging advocates for schools to develop a nutrition health promotion for all students from pre-school and 12th grade. National Health and Medical Research Council abbreviated as NHMRC is in the forefront in encouraging all schools across Australia to introduce and teach healthy eating and nutrition matters in their educational system such as a nutrition subject (Department of Health and Aging, 2008). The two organisations are fully aware of the imperative role in developing healthy eating among small children.
On the same note, children in the preschool, primary, and high school levels of education are still incapable of making healthy choices on their own (Dedaczynski and Boye 2015). It is the responsibility of the adults including the parents and teachers to ensure that their students have a healthy life while at home and school. A child at the preschool age would opt for the sweeter foods neglecting the natural, and nutritious foods like the vegetables which improve their health. Other students at the high school level are at the adolescent stage where they are conscious of their body images and would, in turn, forgo meals to maintain their body shapes (Niermann et al. 2015).
In the nation today, obesity is one of the greatest public concerns, and this affects the schools and the children learning in these institutions (Zayed et al. 2016). According to statistics, one of every three children is either overweight or obese, and this stresses the significant disregard of proper nutrition in our everyday lives. Good health is the ultimate way to increase the lifespan of people and cannot be achieved by providing medicine for diseases alone. The lack of nutrition for children in communities is leading to increasing food insecurity and hunger for children at school. Further statistics assert that 16.7 million children reside in households that go without food for some days of the week throughout the year. This further emphasizes the need for healthy eating programs for children at schools.
For a child to develop as required, it is essential for the parents and teachers to be aware of the necessity of all the meals, that is breakfast, lunch, supper and snacks in between meals (Olsen et al. 2015). Following a good night’s rest, it is essential for a child to have breakfast. This is because the child is probably hungry and this will present a challenge for him or her to concentrate in the classroom the rest of the day. Therefore, a bowl of cereals, milk and some fruit could serve as an excellent starter for the child. At school, the children have access to the school canteen which provides a variety of choices for the child. But because a child opts for the sweeter foods that are high in energy and low in other nutrients, it is essential for a helping hand to be there to assist in picking the desired foods. Therefore, the school programs, once initiated, will provide healthy choices for the children by limiting the highly processed, sugary, fatty and salty foods which would make a small portion of the diet.
A number of health and nutrition programs that are school based have a high potential of improving dietary habits and practises among young persons in childhood and adolescent phases of growth in order to deal with a wide range of health issues often affecting them. A good example is the school feeding program initiated by the Obama administration to provide the young children at school to meet their nutrition needs (Townsent, Murphy and Moore, 2011). According to Just and Price (2013), some of the eating patterns that manifest unhealthy trend among most children include undernutrition, obesity, iron deficiency anaemia, as well as being overweight. Wilson, Magarey and Masterson (2013) stated that under nutrition has the potential of causing a lasting negative influence on cognitive development of children as well as their respective school performance. In addition, undernourished children are believed to be likely of attaining lower scores or grades in school setting, especially when the test is related to languages ((Bevans, Sanchez, Teneralli & Forrest 2011). Furthermore, school children who are hungry and undernourished have compromised immune system which makes them vulnerable to infections meaning that such children have a more likelihood to miss school and this can subsequently have a significant negative influence on their performance in (Denney-Wilson et al., 2013).In addition, a significant number of such children have low concentration in class because of their low energy levels and also show increased levels of irritability(Denney-Wilson, Harris, Laws & Robinson 2013; Wilson, Campbell, Hesketh & Sanigirski 2011). As a result, most of such children miss school and fall behind curriculum compared to other children, especially those coming from poor backgrounds (Bevans, Sanchez, Teneralli & Forrest 2011). Some reports from the health department in the Australia indicate that millions of children suffer from hunger over the course of years while in school (Department of Health and Aging, 2008). Dudley, Cotton and Peralta (2015) conducted a study in some Australia schools on school children coming from schools located in low income areas whereby health programs led to improved standardised scores as well as a reduction in school absence rates and tardiness among school children. The health program envisaged to be developed will ensure that children across various settings will grow well mentally as well as physically. In addition, children across varied settings have a high likelihood of suffering from mineral deficiency, especially iron deficiency which subsequently leads to anaemia. This means that such a health program has the potential to prevent or eliminate some of the associated health deficiencies that are not easy to detect in general populations (Denney-Wilson, Harris, Laws & Robinson 2013; Wilson, Campbell, Hesketh & Sanigirski 2011).
These kinds of health programs aim to address another major problem that affect the health and nutrition of children across pre-school, primary and high school levels. Overweight and obesity rates have also been noted to be increasing exponentially among school children across schools in Australia. For instance, it has been noted that the current prevalence rates have doubled among school children aged between 6-17 years over the past three decades (Tran, Ohinmaa, Johnson, Veugelers, 2014).Such high obesity levels are associated with sedentary life as well as increased intake of junk foods and animals that have high cholesterol levels, which are directly related to cardiovascular diseases. As a result, increased physical activity and balanced diets have the potential to effectively address this health problem. Thus, this health programs are aimed at ensuring that such health issues are dealt with through increased awareness as well as appropriate physical activity methods(Tran, Ohinmaa, Johnson, Veugelers, 2014).
Townsend, Murphy and Moore (2011) stated that eating disorders in adolescents in most cases commonly begin at adolescence whose eating behaviours are influenced by moodiness, depression, low self-esteem, negative body image compared to other age groups. As a result, the program will involve creation of awareness and motivation to avoid negative eating habits. Guidelines for use by nutritional management will also be developed in this program outlining the required food proportions of a balanced diet including carbohydrates, proteins, fats as well as other important components of a balanced diet including vitamins, fibre, water and minerals.
While at school, it is essential for the child to access some mid-morning and afternoon snacks to keep up the energy to propel him or her throughout the day (Nigg et al. 2016). It is also notable that too much food could make a child sleepy during the afternoon classes. However, a properly treated child with access to just the right amounts of calories will be fueled to go through the day. In this sense, some snacks would provide the child with some needed energy. It is, however, important to note that the snacks should be a limited resource for the child considering that at the young age, he or she might prefer the sweeter foods over the nutritious meals meant for them (Ross and Melzer 2016). If this is not done, the outcome would be that the child will not eat nutritious foods, become overweight or even obese, lots of money spent on snacks and the child will disregard healthy eating habits.
At the preschool and primary school age, children exhibit swings regarding their appetite for food which is related to the level of activities they are involved. A child with no physical activity on their schedule will have almost no desire for foods (Mareno 2015). Also, considering that some of the nutritious foods might not be appealing to some of them, these children will avoid eating at all costs (McGill et al. 2015). In this sense, the children will have to be exposed to some snacks in between their meals.
As mentioned before, obesity is one of the greatest public health concerns in the contemporary society (Tzu-An et al. 2016). This issue affects the children because they are the ones who frequently opt for the junk foods in the fast food chain restaurants as opposed to home cooked meals. The worrying factor is that children could eat the junk food frequently (Olsen et al. 2015). For the young minds, it is understandable because they might be ignorant of the health impact of such foods. On the other hand, the teenagers ignore the information they are provided and continue to consume foods. This leads to another critical component of these school-based healthy eating programs which are aimed to fight obesity among the school going children (Tchoubi et al. 2015). The healthy eating programs have the exercise and activity part where all children will have time to work out.
Children experiencing growth spurts will tend to eat more than they require because of their needy nature. As such, these children, if not taken care of, will become overweight, and these programs will not have achieved any of its objectives (Chai et al. 2016). The plans will involve the students having time in the early evening before being released, to work out and exercise in a bid to improve their health and frame in general. Every student will be involved in an activity regardless of health status. In other words, those with a health problem or conditions such as physical disabilities will be provided with activities suited for them (Hohman and Mantinan 2014). The exercise would be a good way to ensure that students can maintain or regulate their body weights.
This healthy eating program which has been proposed in this project is aimed at providing all the fundamental elements of a balanced and nutritious diet. As a result, healthy program is highly essential at ensuring that balanced diets are implemented in all schools across the three levels because of their potential to protect the school going children against diet related diseases. In turn, the children will benefit from improved health and their optimal potential academically and physically. The effect of developing and implementing healthy eating programs in schools might have the greatest impact among small children in preschool and primary school, especially during the respective development and growth phases. Once full implementation of such programs has been achieved it is highly likely that the children will grow and develop healthily. In addition, more awareness on healthy program will be created among the children.
The Gantt chart
Project Activities
Time in Weeks
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Conduct Project Scoping
Write training packages
Training
Develop Evaluation Tools
Arrange Program Locations
Scope for Participants
Eligibility of participants
Invite Participants
Progress Check
Training Package
Create Timetable For Nutritional and Academic Assessments
Implementation of The Pilot Program
Perform Academic Assessment
Perform Nutritional Assessments
Write Evaluation Report
Deliver Report to Stakeholders
Assignment 2 Project Proposal
Stakeholder identification and analysis
A stakeholder refers any individual who has an interest in any aspect of a business (Angrave, 2015). It may be a single person, groups or even organizations and the operation of the business affects them. In this sense, a stakeholder refers to all the people involved in the success of this healthy eating program. They include the teachers, parents, community leaders, participating students and the project team.They were identified following the stakeholder analysis of the project. Stakeholder analysis refers to the process of pointing out individuals and groups that are affected by the activity of a business. The identified parties are then sorted based on how the stakeholders’ actions impact will have on the business. They all have a stake in this project and its successful implementation would lead positive outcomes their way.
Teachers
Teaching is an essential component of many Australian societies considering that they have an integral role in developing and cultivating the young minds (Barlow 2011). Students might have skills and talents but without the nurturing hand of the teacher, they will have a bleak future (Barlow 2011). In this sense, teachers are essential in this program. They can nurture and assist the students participating in the program motivating them to be integrated fully in the program. It is also in their best interest that the students go through the program successful. This is because the students developing healthily will increase academic performance as opposed to the under-nourished ones. Therefore, a teacher would be more grateful to teach bright minds rather than struggle with hindered and distracted ones. In this sense, the teachers will be on board with the pilot program so that their students can have a chance at better performance in schools. Their power over the students can also serve to align them towards the achievement of this pilot project’s objectives.
Parents
They are among the influential members of the stakeholders because of the power they have over the students. In the development phase for children, it is recognizable that parents are among the forces that shape the morality for their children. This implies that the input from the parent is important. They form the section of stakeholders who will determine whether their children could participate in the healthy eating program. Because of the power they have, an education program will be initiated to inform the parents of the project implementation in the selected schools. The program will not only request their permission regarding the involvement of their children but also teach them on its merits. Regardless, the parents will be appreciative of this study because of the numerous health benefits the program provides to the beneficiaries (students). In this sense, those parents with a difficulty in feeding their children will have an easier time because of this project.
Community leaders
They are considered to be the gate keepers of the community and they include the shire president or mayor. They are a powerful advocate force for the program because they are in control of the local amenities and environment and once they are included in the loop, they will inform everyone in the area of the program. Even though their actions are aligned with the national guidelines, they act locally. As part of the training program, they will be educated on the program implementation and benefits so that they would inform others in the area.
Students
They are the most important in the study because they are the main participants in the program. This project encompasses the ethical component where they are given the opportunity to reject participation. Therefore, they will be educated and informed on what they are to do while in the program as well as the benefits of this program. Most of the students will be up for the program because the healthy eating program provides them with not only healthy foods but also well-cooked meals. Because of their ages, students will not pass an opportunity to have a chance for good meals considering that young people still need energy to maintain their growth spurts.
The project team
Without them, the project cannot be implemented. This is because the project team is the main human resource available with the technical know-how on the implementation and adjustments necessary to successfully go through with the projects. There are many aspects of the program that need to be installed hence their involvement allows them to be a very critical component.
Stakeholder identification and analysis
Stakeholder Name
Project Role
Stakeholder’s Interests in the Project
What does the Project Need from the Stakeholder?
Interests Analysis
Power Analysis
Parents
Stakeholder
The project will provide healthy meals for their children at no costs.
They are required to provide their children with the necessary support to go through the program.
High
Low
Teachers
Stakeholder
Healthy students perform well and actively in the classroom.
They are meant to assist the students to understand the importance of the program.
High
Medium
Community Leaders
Stakeholder
The program will serve to improve the community in terms of health and academic performance.
They are to create awareness throughout the community informing parents and other concerned parties of the program and how they could be involved.
Medium
Low
Students
Participants
Their participation determines the progress and success of the whole project.
They are to be involved in the program whole-heartedly.
High
Low
Project team members
Team Member
Their coordination and skills ensure appropriate implementation within the designated time frame.
They are to employ their project management skills to ensure the successful implementation of the project. Also, they are to provide the necessary training of the involved parties.
High
High
Budget and Procurement
Another important component of this project is the budget allocation which describes the expenditure of this program. The budget is essential as it assures the stakeholders of the proper use of the money allocated to the project. It also screams accountability and considering a successful implementation in the sampled schools, it can be adopted throughout the education system. Among the stakeholders, there are those who provide the capital for initiating such a program and they require a complete breakdown on how their money is being utilized towards the realization of their shared dream. Money is important and once it is misused, the stakeholders lose their hope and trust in the program making it even more difficult in completing the project within the stipulated time.
The budget for this program has several components and as such categorized into two key distinctions, employee compensation and other expenses. Employee compensations refers to the all those factors affecting the hired persons in the project such as salary, benefits, and incentives. The other expenses category on the other hand covers all the remaining aspects of the project. They include the training and seminars fee, legal fees, office expenses (supplies), insurance and travelling expenses. Following the budget for the healthy eating program, the total expenses accumulated to $1,210,000. Employee expenses totaled to $380,000 while the other expenses summed up to $830,000. It is however notable that the budget is for the selected time period ranging from the implementation to monitor and control of the project. The table below provides the budget breakdown more clearly.
Expenses
Amount ($)
Employee Compensation
Salary
$ 200,000
Bonus and Commissions
$ 80,000
Employee Incentive
$ –
Employee Benefits
$ 100,000
Temporary Labor
$ –
Total Salary and Benefits
$ 380,000
Other Expenses
Seminars & Training
Training the trainers
$ 100,000
Seminar for teachers
$ 100,000
Seminars for parents in the community
$ 100,000
Consulting Fees
$ 80,000
Legal Fees
$ 300,000
Other Professional Fees
$ –
Contracted Services
$ –
Recruitment
$ 200,000
Advertising
Brochures
$ 40,000
Posters
$ 20,000
Advertising
$ 20,000
Marketing Materials
$ 50,000
Travel & Entertainment
$ –
Office Expense
$ –
Telephone
$ –
Computer Lease
$ –
Repairs & Maintenance
$ –
Utilities
Food Materials
$ 50,000
Cooking Equipment
$ 200,000
Office Supplies
$ 50,000
Dues & Subscriptions
$ –
Office Rent
$ –
Postage
$ –
General Insurance
Public Liability Insurance
$ 100,000
Professional Indemnity Insurance
$ 100,000
Taxes & Licenses
$ –
Software Licenses
$ –
Total for Other Expenses
$ 1,510,000
Total Expenses
$ 1,890,000
Assumptions and Risks
Strategies are put in place to ensure that risks are avoided at all costs. The great fear behind risks in project management lies in the fact that they are usually accompanied with consequences which might even cripple the progress of the project. An assumption on the other hand refers to the factors in the project that are deemed to be true without the requirement of proof and very essential in the planning purposes. In any project, assumptions are made to enable proper achievement of the objectives.
Resource assumptions
The most common assumption in any project is the resource assumption and this can be any of the items utilized in a bid to complete the project. In the implementation of the healthy eating program, the primary resource assumptions made are labor and the materials necessary to complete the project. Resources are usually limited and such an assumption might have profound effects on the completion of the program. The human resources overtly states that individuals are required to work 40 hours in the day shift (Angrave 2015). This is an approximate 8 hours in a day. The material on the other hand covers the other resources like computers, the internet, energy and stationary. They have to be adequate and such an assumption is made from the basis of the budget.
Student permission assumption
Several aspects had to be assumed to allow this project to be successful in the long run. Also, it has been assumed that the parents of the students selected for the pilot program will be able to make room and support the children without any setbacks. For those students who will be going back home, the program assumes that they follow the strict protocols from the healthy eating program. As such, they will not deviate from the set objectives.
Safety risk
On the other hand, there is one risk that is associated with the program even though means will be taken in order to reduce it. Because all the meals are prepared together, the issue of clean environments in the kitchen while preparing the meals is boggling. The cooks have to ensure that they are clean at all times while in the kitchen where they will be provided with clean apparels to wear during the cooking procedures. The equipment used to make the food will also be cleaned severely after every meal to ensure that all the disease-causing germs and bacteria have been scrubbed off (Ross and Melzer 2016).
Success Criteria
In order for this project to be successful, it has to be able to reach the desired outcome. In this sense, after the three months set, the students should not only be depicting improving nutritional statuses but also academic progress. As mentioned before, low performance has been associated with students with poor nutritional statuses. This does not only imply those students with low nutritional statuses (underweight students) but also those with over-nutrition. Malnutrition refers to having inadequate or more than the required amount of nutrients leading health conditions (Barbosa et al. 2015). Therefore, as students depict criteria that would enable them to exit the program, they will be well nourished and their parents or guardians provided with more information on how they will ensure that their children should be feeding as per the healthy eating program guideline.
Ethics
The project will provide the students the choice to participate in the program voluntarily. This will be achieved where students will be educated on how the program works, its benefits to their health and more importantly, on their academic performance. Soon after, they are provided with contractual documents with an ethical consent note that provides them with the opportunity to make informed choices regarding their involvement in the pilot project. As such, the student will not be punished for not participating in the program. All students regardless of their health status will also be provided for in the program in line with their nutritional needs. In this sense, everyone will have an equal opportunity to participate in the program. In order to ensure child safety, the project team leader will constantly report to the stakeholders following the mandatory reporting laws of Australia. Apart from the project team leader, other mandatory reporters include the teachers.
Monitoring and Control
The final and equally component of this program would be monitoring, evaluation, and control. Control refers to the regular assessment of the program in line with its objectives to check whether its implementation is going as planned. It allows the stakeholders to know whether every aspect of their program has been successfully and correctly implemented (Banna et al. 2016). The best control strategies for this pilot project will involve the use of a key performance indicator (KPI) will be employed where the students’ performance will be evaluated constantly. Coupled with the evaluation which will be carried out twice, as the program goes on (mid-term evaluation) and after the designated period after successful implementation (end-term evaluation), the monitoring will involve repeated assessment of the students and the workers responsible for the running of the pilot project. The mid-term review will be carried to assess the progress of the program as set out by the objectives (Banna et al. 2016). The end-term evaluation, on the other hand, will be carried out after the implementation in order to assess the impact of the program. One month after the implementation of the pilot program, the students will be involved in a nutritional assessment followed by assessment exams in order to provide an outlook of the general progress. The nutritional assessment will involve the collection of the students’ weight and height data after the designated period. The weight value will then be divided by the squared value of the students’ height in order to achieve their body mass indices (BMI), a representation of their nutritional statuses. It is also notable that the project team leader will head the entire monitoring and control.
Constant monitoring of the project is necessary in order to check whether the implementation is going as scheduled and planned, and to ensure that the objectives are achieved. As such, the program instituted a monitoring component where a checklist will be used to reassess the achieved and to be achieved aspects of the program implementation. Also, after the achievement of a major milestone, a review will be underway to ensure that it is in line with the desired outcome after the three months period. For example, after the training of the workers, they will be subjected to an assessment to review the skills they have acquired from the process.
In terms of evaluation, the program has instituted two sessions, one when the project is mid-way and the other after the project is successful. The ultimate outcome desired for this project is to ensure that the students depict improved nutritional statuses, and increasing academic performance. Nutrition has been associated with an improved outcome and till that is achieved, the project cannot be installed anywhere else. Therefore, the nutrition assessment component will be present for this project. This implies that the students’ nutritional status will be evaluated in terms of their body mass indices (BMI) which is calculated from their weight and height. Most students should be in the normal category whereas the remaining put through the program to ensure that they improve nutritionally. Because of the association with academics, the students’ performance has to be critically appraised. Therefore, the students will be put through assessment tests that will be charted in order to monitor their progress. As such, the performance before joining the program will be assessed to measure the program’s impact. Also, the chart should continually go up after the implementation of the program implying that they are improving academically.
Handover and Evaluation
After the program has been implemented in the target schools, the students will go through for another three months so as to appreciate the changes in the students’ health changes. The end term evaluation will therefore be done after the three months that the students have to be in the program. As such, the nutrition assessment will be included in the final report considering that it will be assessing its impact. This will be achieved through the calculation of the students’ BMI and the results compared to the standards that have been set by the World Health Program (WHO). The results of this evaluation procedure will inform the stakeholders the impact of the project influencing the final decision. Academic performance will be covered every month after the successful implementation and the results charted. Results from each evaluation will be included in the report assessing the impact further.
Project scope
The Problem
Many schools have tried to introduce the health component in the menus they provide for their students in schools. Regardless, it has proven to be very expensive and difficult to manage the choices that children make about their meal options. As such, students have continually depicted poor performances, and despite the efforts of the stakeholders, no changes have been realized. The world is increasing becoming aware of the impact of nutrition on the lives of human beings. Poor nutrition has been associated with lifestyle diseases, and this has been shown to decrease the concentration power of young minds (Nigg et al. 2016). According to a survey performed in the US, close to 17 million children comes from a household that experiences hunger some days in a week throughout the year. The purpose of this proposal is to provide a means to ensure that the young children of preschool, primary and high school age have access to adequate meals while they are in session.
Objectives
Specific
The set objectives for the healthy eating program are indeed specific considering that they have specified what they are to achieve (Jung 2007). For example, the first program goal is to ensure that the school children from the sampled schools have at least three square meals in a single day. This will be achieved via program components that aim to ensure that they have breakfast, lunch and evening meals coupled with some snacks during the day (Lara et al. 2016).
Measurable
Given the layout of the program, the objectives can be measured effectively. This is achieved through the monitoring and evaluation component of the healthy eating program. The students’ nutritional status will provide an indication of the impact of the program. In this sense, the outcome after the designated three weeks will provide the measure of all the objectives(Jung 2007).
Achievable
The set targets are possible following that the constraints are put at bay. Through the support that the parents, teachers and the community as a whole will provide in the pilot program, all the objectives could be achieved. In other words, the set-out role of every stakeholder of this program has to be properly carried out for it to be successful. The desired outcome is a healthy population of students with improving academic performance (Lara et al. 2016).
Realistic
The practical nature of these goals comes from the core fact that we all need our children to eat properly. In this sense, the program will have adequate support from the parents and teachers who would not like to see their students struggling while in school. Also, healthy eating is an individual choice, and in the case of children with little or no ability to make healthy choices for themselves, parents have to teach their kids about healthy eating habits (Ling, Robbins and Hines 2016).
Time Framed
This project is time sensitive, and the set objectives cover up to three months. This is because it is a pilot project trying to check the effectiveness of this program once implemented in schools throughout the education system.
Appendices
Appendix 1: The Work Breakdown Structure
References
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Introduction
The international energy business is the largest sector in the world. According to IRENA (2016), the industry contributes about $5-trillion (8.2 percent) each year to the global GDP, with the largest share ($4.4 trillion derived directly from oil, coal, and natural gas. Nonetheless, it has been reported that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states are dominant in expanding the global energy industry. IRENA (2016) supposed that the abundance of hydrocarbon resources in the GCC market usually makes it not only the premier producer but also the chief exporter of petroleum products, crude oil, and natural gas. The researcher added that the GCC accounts approximately a quarter of the international production of crude oil. Besides, it has been reported that the GCC stands out for having the second (Saudi Arabia), sixth (UAE), and ninth (Kuwait) largest global producer of the resource. The same can be said about the production of petroleum products. IRENA (2016) revealed that Saudi Arabia, with at least eight operational refineries as well as a capacity of over 2.2 million b/d, is the largest producer of petroleum products among the GCC member states. However, UAE and Kuwait are also major producers. The trade of energy resources in the GCC also serves to expand the global energy economy. According to IRENA (2016), GCC accounts for at least 80 percent of the Middle East’s aggregate liquid energy exports.
After the decision of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states in the year 2014 not to cut the production of oil following the drop in oil prices, the cost of a barrel of oil has significantly fallen to its lowest since 2015. According to Milmo (2016), the drop in oil prices in this case affects the economy of Qatar since the stock markets around the world are significantly affected by these drops (pp.38). The decrease in oil prices in Qatar was brought about by several factors that include the following: changing policy objectives of the GCC member states, the increasing decline in global oil product demands, and an increase in oil production from other oil producing economies. Additionally, the decrease in GCC’s geopolitical concerns that appertain to supply disruptions in other countries that depend on oil from Qatar is another challenge that has resulted in the drop in oil prices.
Krane (2015) supports the views of Milmo (2016) by stating that in as much as several O+G importing countries have immensely benefited from the drops in oil prices, the effects and impacts of these price drops may not be positive worldwide (pp.16). This can be depicted in the fact that some of the leading oil producing states such as Qatar struggle in maintaining their economy and stability as a result of declines in oil revenues (United Arab Emirates Oil & Gas Report 2015, pp.110). As a result of the destabilizing effects that result from a drop in oil prices, serious implications for companies and their workforce are considered to be immense.
Smead (2015) states that a decrease in oil prices has the capacity to significantly strengthen the dollar, a factor that would affect other corresponding currency of Qatar as a result of the state’s dependence on commodity exports (pp.85). As a result of oil drops to a state’s financial assets to oil, widespread default on companies are likely to be experienced. This is attributed to the fact that the precipitation of financial contagion may lead to instabilities in such organizations.
However, Marais (2016) contrasts to the views of other authors since he alleges that Qatar significantly seems to be immune to the effects of price drops in its oil products. According to this author, the economic performance of Qatar is still strong even with the drop in oil prices, an aspect that is attributed to the state’s expansion in other entities such as the non-hydrocarbon industry (Qatar Oil & Gas Report 2015, pp.65). This industry is considered to drive the state’s economic momentum, thus propelling the spending made on investments. Breunig and Tse Chern (2015) also point to Qatar’s construction and banking industries as robust in recording the state’s economic growth (pp.114).
Several researchers have attempted to explore the important internal factors that have led to the decline in the prices of oil and gas. One of the largest influences has been the GCC tax structure. Daou (2016) reported that, while the recent tax reforms (the VAT common framework) were optimal, the GCC failed to a introduce tax administration system that incorporates best practice methodologies, systems, and procedures to guarantee efficient tax revenue management. The researcher added that the tax structure has already caused a shift in demand for oil and gas (Daou, 2016). With this, the prices of the resources have to decline. In another study by Tverberg (2014), it was revealed that the GCC culture has played a significant part. As such, the GCC’s energy use culture is evolving, however gradually. These findings resonate with those off Nusair (2016) who revealed that the GCC member states have realized that they have an obligation to the environment. Therefore, they have joined the western nations in fighting global warming. Even though the subjects are still reluctant to change, the production of non-renewable energy resources is slowly rising. In the light of this, it is apparent that the price of the oil and natural gas has to lower.
HRM and how it has developed as a discipline
HRM abbreviates human resource management. According to Rotich (2015), HRM has undergone various changes in its history. The earliest form of HRM was industrial welfare in 1833 all through to 1913 (Cascio, 2015). However, at around 1916, recruitment and section were introduced. After the Second World War, other personnel activities, which included training, discipline, wage policies, morale and motivation, safety, and health, were acquired (Rotich, 2015). In the 1970s, a period of rapid industrialization, industrial relations became a norm. Still in the same period, the employment legislation scope was increased, with the personnel function taking the role of the specialist advisor, who ensured that managers did not contravene the law. In the 1990s, flexibility and diversity were set as part of the HRM practice. The recent addition to the HRM sphere was Information Technology, and this is confirmed by the fact that more and more companies have implemented the e-recruitment strategy (Rotich, 2015).
At present, the HRM is regarded as one of the most important functions. This applies in particular, given that the productivity of other departments depends on the HRM decisions. Hence, the contemporary managers often make strategic decisions regarding the manner in which labor can be utilized best. Nonetheless, most managers draw on the various schools of thoughts to develop optimal choices, For example, using the motivation school of thought, the HRM managers seek to understand the needs of their workers (Cascio, 2015). Subsequently, the managers tend to create a working system that corresponds with those demands. This is the reason that one will find firms offering competitive salaries, innovative benefit packages, and interactive work conditions and processes (Cascio, 2015).
Webb, Jeffrey and Schulz (2011) pointed out to the fact that employees are the organizations most important resource and need to be properly compensated in order to achieve the goals of an organization. As detailed initially, the development of the human resource management (HRM) approach is vitally based on approaches aimed at utilizing people and treating them as resources in order to realize an organizations objectives (Webb, Jeffrey & Schulz 2011, pp.212). This clearly denotes the functional role of HRM within these organizations, an effort directed towards initiating high performance work systems. This aspect consequently entails linking the workforce in different departments within an organization. Thus, O+G companies incorporate the use of effective HRM systems to increase their competitive nature through an investment in employee development.
The concept of employee performance is often associated with the workforce’s ability to achieve quality in relation to output, the presence of employees on the job, the timeliness of the output, and the effectiveness of the work completed. Fedor and Rensvold (2012, pp.790) stated that an efficient leadership style has a bearing that encourages employee performance. The views of Lin (2011) are in support of those of Fedor and Rensvold (2012). According to Lin (2011), employee performance involves the successful completion of duties and responsibilities as developed by the supervisors and top managers of an organization (pp.895). In this case, the performance of employees according to these authors may be considered in the perspective of three elements that enables them to perform better, with the determinacy of their performance considered as wholly dependent on their declarative knowledge, motivations and procedural knowledge. In short, it is essential to establish that efficient human resource practices have a positive impact on the performance of employees within an organization.
As a result of the drops in oil prices in Qatar, Das et al. (2013, pp. 52) noted that there are five internal human resource management practices that affect the performance of employees. This consequently includes organizations efforts directed towards eliminating recruitment packages and competitive compensation levels, the elimination of training and development, including personal appraisals and the layoff of staff members with the aim of stabilizing the functions of these organizations. In this case, organizations are forced to restructure their systems and functions during such periods in order to remain competitive in the market as stated by Hu and Kaplan (2015). The sharp decline in oil prices has tipped several companies into recession, an aspect that has slumped investment levels within the O+G industry. Several employees have been laid off as a result of this slump, thus affecting the functions of HRM within the organizations (Hu & Kaplan 2015, pp. 125). In their article, Hu and Kaplan (2015) have clearly pointed out how the layoffs of employees within this sector affects various operations of oil and gas companies, including a decline in production of goods and services within these projects such as O+G ripping services, engineering and construction services.
The decline in oil prices has caused employees in O+G organizations in the state of Qatar to experience various external issues that impact their performance. Jaffe and Elass, (2015) purported that the drop in oil prices has in fact led to the cancellation of a series of projects within the energy companies’ proposals, which has in turn resulted in significant job cuts. Several foreign expatriates have also left Qatar for holidays and also to take their families back to their home nation. According to Jaffe and Elass (2015), this results from the outcome of the efforts of O+G corporations that are aimed at establishing the right sizing of their organizations human resources. In essence, oil companies in this region have taken steps in downsizing their workforce and cancelling their projects as an approach of cushioning the workforce on the impact of the falling oil prices. Hu and Kaplan (2015) support these views when they pointed out that several companies in Qatar demurred on the renewal of their contracts with other companies worldwide.
In addition to this, the depression in oil prices has also seen oilfield service companies and their sub-contractors suffer from some huge drops in their organizational activities, thus impacting the performance of employees. There are many instances of reductions in spending on staffs on pertinent activities such as training and development, motivation and empowerment by organizations as a result of low incomes received by these companies (Salehi, Save, Nel & Almquist, 2015, pp.47). The drop in oil prices has also seen several employees in companies dealing in the O+G sector encounter an increase in financial pressures. This results from swelling prices of products and services within the emirates economy of this nation, an aspect that has affected these employees immensely. As a result of the scope of staff cuts, many Qatari citizens working in these companies have been rendered jobless, thus their survival has turned out to be challenging.
The low levels of oil prices are likely to result in a new market equilibrium that is depicted to last longer as compared to the short-term price limitations that occurred in 2008-2009. As a result of this current situation, all the net oil exporters in Qatar are predicted to face challenges in adjusting to the macro-and microeconomic factors, an element that affects several oil producing companies and their employees.
Qatar primarily depends on oil for many purposes that include planting its fields, powering cars, operating some of its oil-powered irrigation systems and to be used as raw materials in the production of different products that include fabrics and medicines (Kilian, & Lewis, 2011, pp.1048). Several industries have therefore been developed that produce products that are consumed by the population both at home and abroad, an aspect that has seen the employment of many workers from the country.
When the prices of oil are low, the production of several products is likely to decline, thus leading to a series of secondary effects such as job looses, debt defaults as a result of deflation, the loss of letters of credit that are required by exporters and the decline in oil exporters (Kilian, & Lewis, 2011, pp.1049).The low oil price makes it more challenging for drillers to repay their loans that are taken to enhance the process. These results in lower cash flows and interest rates on some of the new loans that is consequently higher thus affecting different individuals who would require loans from banks.
Once the lowering of oil prices are experienced in states such as Qatar, the prices of different commodities also fall to levels that make different products available for consumers, an element that cuts down the shares of production on different commodities (Kilian, & Vigfusson 2011, pp.336). When the production of commodities drops and prices are fixed on the concept of affordability, an aspect that cuts back on several aspects such as housing, food, and cars, thus impacting the employees of different organizations is experienced.
Employee performance
Human resources, or employees, are the back bone a company. They are the most vital asset of an organization. Proper use of a company’s employees could improve the bottom line of the firm and lead the company from bottom to up. Performance is understood as the accomplishment of a particular duty or job measured against predetermined known standards of speed, cost, completeness and accuracy (Richard et al. 2012). Employee performance is of great importance given that the success of an organization is directly associated with the employee’s job performance. Various researchers have reported that the success of staff members at their functions would further the organization’s success (Richard et al. 2012). Human resource managers in O+G companies in Qatar and other oil producing countries in the region need to first hire people who have the right qualifications and skills for the job. Following the completion of the hiring process, the HR professionals should seek to make sure that the work of a staff member is aligned closely with the objectives and goals of the company. In order to attain strong employee work performance, HR managers execute training and development programs, carry out employee performance evaluations, and choose when to reassign and/or promote staffs (Hsin-Hsi 2012).
The job performance of employees within an organization is affected in a negative and positive way by various factors. Example of these factors include organizational culture, style of leadership used, training and development, personality trait of employees, motivation, workplace environment, job stress, job satisfaction, as well as organization structure among other factors. Managers in O+G companies need to be aware of the many factors affecting the work performance of their employees and strive to improve them (Dutton & Kleiner 2015). Business organizations are dependent on their human resources to deliver and produce high quality services and/or products. Ewenstein, Hancock and Komm (2016) pointed out that as they attempt to carry out their job tasks, workers are affected by both external and internal forces. Employers who recognize these internal and external forces and who are ready to counter or leverage them would be able to increase employee performance, loyalty as well as productivity.
External and external factors affecting employee performance
Each employee in any O+G company in Qatar or any other O+G producing and exporting country has to work in accordance with what is expected of him or her. Most definitely, there are a number of things that these employees have to achieve in performing their employment functions. Training and education – Dutton and Kleiner (2015) reported that staff members who are trained and educated according to their field generally tend to work better, smarter and more efficiently than others. It is important that O+G companies in Qatar and in other oil producing and exporting nations in the region allocate sufficient amount of money for training their employees in order to improve their skills as well as knowledge regularly. As the skills and knowledge of employees increases, so does their job performance and achievement.
The working environment – according to Root (2014), the working environment has a great influence on the achievement and performance of employees in O+G companies. A positive working environment includes colleagues who are supportive and friendly, leaders and top managers who give positive motivation in the workplace, and comfortable work environment. In an uncomfortable working environment with leaders who undervalue workers and colleagues who are hostile, the work performance of an employee is likely to reduce (Root 2014). On the whole, the workplace environment is an important factor in terms of keeping staff members in an O+G company satisfied.
In their survey, Hsin-Hsi (2012) found that 10 percent of the surveyed workers reported that the workplace environment was a vital factor in keeping them contented whereas other crucial aspects included compensation, recognition and praise as reported by 29 percent of those surveyed. Employees who are satisfied and contented with their workplace environment are inclined to exhibit high work performance. Other important factors are promotions and engaging in recreation activities at the workplace which are helpful in improving health, increasing self-esteem and confidence, reducing stress, and relaxing the mind. In essence, recreation at the place of work has a positive effect on the performance of workers since employee job satisfaction will increase, their quality of service would increase, and their work productivity also increases (Saira et al. 2016).
Leadership style: there are many styles of leadership including participative, charismatic, transformational, democratic and autocratic styles among others. The performance of employees comprises meeting the set deadlines, carrying out the defined functions and tasks, efficiency and effectiveness in carrying out work, as well as employee competency. Richard et al. (2012) pointed out that top managers and leaders in O+G companies need to have strong styles of leadership that would stimulate the performance of their workers. Researchers have reported that there is a strong correlation between the behavior of a leader in an organization and the level of performance of her subordinates: a leader who motivates and inspires her followers tends to bring out the best in those employees (Lepine et al. 2016). On the whole, the leader influences workers toward attaining the goals and objectives of the company. As such, a leader’s behavior and the leadership style they adopt could have a noteworthy effect on work outcomes, and on how jobs are done.
Organizational culture: the culture of an organization defines how the staff members carry out their job tasks and interact with one another within the company. In any business organization, the cultural paradigm consists of different symbols, rituals, values and beliefs governing how people in the organization operate (Nag 2011). A company’s organizational culture has a great impact on how workers conduct themselves with suppliers, customers, and their fellow employees. Organizational culture, as Lefifi (2015) pointed out, includes more than simply a work environment. It also includes empowerment/autonomy given to workers, growth plans of the company, and attitude of the company’s management toward employees. Furthermore, tone at the company’s senior management level is utilized in describing the culture of an organization. While a negative tone could result in absences, employee dissatisfaction, vandalism and even theft, a positive tone could help the workers to become happier and more productive, which in turn help to improve their job performance (Lefifi 2015).
Organizational cultures could have different impacts on the levels of motivation and performance of the workers. In many instances, staff members work harder to attain the goals and objectives of their company if they see themselves as being part of the organizational culture. The culture of an organization offers a framework regarding the behavior of workers within the organization. The effect of culture on the performance of employees could either be negative or positive. According to Nag (2011), the culture of an organization in which staff members are seen as a vital element of the company’s growth process promotes commitment of staffs toward the company. They align their objectives as well as goals with the goals/objectives of their company and feel responsible for the company’s overall well-being. As their efforts are consequently recognized by the organization’s top managers and rewarded, the workers have great job satisfaction. In such corporate cultures, workers are dedicated to attaining their goals/objectives; hence they have a positive effect on the company’s overall performance (Root 2014).
Conversely, in companies in which managers are taskmasters rather than being facilitators, staffs live in mistrust and fear, and work is a dull and unexciting chore. Given that they are not involved in the company’s overall goals and objectives, they do not actually recognize the implication of their tasks and might therefore not be dedicated to attaining them (Lefifi 2015). An O+G company in which various departments do not cooperate will end up having staff members working in silos. The workers may also end up working toward undercutting or denting the efforts of other departments. These are both damaging to the company’s overall health. To a large extent, the culture of an organization determines employee performance. For this reason, negative factors that hold back the job performance of workers should be eliminated so as to promote a positive corporate culture or positive workplace environment (Root 2014).
Motivation: to obtain the best work performance from workers in O+G companies, it is important to have some type of motivation besides the monthly payment. Saira et al. (2016) stated that motivation could be in the form of a career path which actually leads to management, a chance to take part in company projects, or even monetary incentives. Effective motivation could make employees more productive. If there are no motivating factors however, workers could be left looking for reasons to do their best at work and give their maximum effort. Hsin-Hsi (2012) reported that motivation is an essential driving force to attain any given task.
The two kinds of motivation are extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. While extrinsic motivation is founded upon external sources, intrinsic motivation is understood as the inner force of the employee to achieve a particular objective or goal (Hsin-His 2012). The level of employee motivation has a direct impact on the performance of workers in O+G companies in Qatar. It is notable that together with skills, abilities, and knowledge, motivation is a vital aspect that actually contributes to job performance of an employee. Researchers have found that positive reinforcement improved employees’ level of performance from 44% to 96%, since regular feedback as well as recognition gave the workers the psychological feeling that in fact influenced their work performance positively and strongly (Ewenstein, Hancock & Komm 2016).
Motivations can also be categorized as fear motivation, incentive motivation or achievement motivation. Fear motivation – punishment and fear of punishment greatly influence workers to carry out their tasks effectively. If an employee breaks some rules, does not follow the set down company policies, behaves in an unacceptable manner, and/or fails to complete his or her work tasks within the required timeframe, that employee is likely to face disciplinary action for instance suspension or firing. As such, since many workers tend to fear punishment, they will strive to complete their tasks properly, on time and in accordance with the requirements and description to avoid punishment (Dutton & Kleiner 2015). This in turn helps to improve their job performance. Incentive performance – in general, behaviors that are positively reinforced would become strengthened by the employee. Root (2014) noted that fiscal or non-fiscal incentives and rewards are crucial in motivating workers to work in an efficient and productive way. If workers are aware that they would be rewarded or that achieving a particular job assignment would give them benefit, then they are very likely to try their best and make their best effort to carry out the work effectively and satisfactorily (Root 2014). Achievement motivation – every person has a need for achievement. The need for achievement is an essential aspect of human personality. People who have a high level of achievement motivation generally have the willingness of going very far to attain their objectives and goals, in spite of hurdles and impediments in their way (Lefifi 2015).
Organizational structure: Organizational structures define the departmental structure, supervisory relationships, as well as workflow in an organization. The structure of an organization is focused not just on the layout of departments within an organization, but also on work responsibilities in the context of reporting relationships (Latifi & Shooshtarian 2011). There are various sorts of organizational structures including innovative, divisional, professional, bureaucratic and flat organizational structure. Lefifi (2015) reported that the performance of employees are inhibited in companies with organizational structures such as bureaucratic organizational structure where work is very structured and formalized, typified by a lot of standards, procedures, policies and routines. Conversely, the performance of workers tends to be promoted in O+G companies with organizational structures that are informal and unstructured, and where employees have autonomy with regard to how they perform their job tasks (Lefifi 2015).
Job stress: Job stress is understood as the damaging emotional and physical responses that take place whenever job requirements do not fit with the needs, resources and abilities of the employee (Karasek & Theorell 2012). Work stress is a significant challenge to individual physical and mental health, as well as organizational health. In his study, Park (2012) found that employees who experience work stress have a higher likelihood of being poorly motivated, unhealthy, less safe at the workplace, and less productive. As a result, O+G firms in Qatar with stressed workers tend not to succeed within a competitive market. In Qatar, it is estimated that stress related to work costs the nation’s economy a substantial amount in litigation, healthcare, sick pay, as well as lost productivity costs (Karasek & Theorell 2012).
Training and development: This is of great importance in enhancing employee job performance. Even new staffs will benefit very much from orientations programs as well as training and development programs that are aimed at helping them attain the company’s performance objectives. While training activities will help the staff members to improve their work performance at the present time, development activities help to prepare staffs for their future responsibilities and roles (Root 2014). Rapid changes in consumer preferences, technology and regulations necessitate many business organizations to implement continuing employee training and development efforts. In their study, Hsin-Hsi (2012) learned that training and development programs help staff members to acquire skills and knowledge that they require in order to stay up to date in their fields and help the organization to sustain a competitive edge. Managers may carry out a needs analysis for the purpose of ensuring that training and development activities are actually matched to the employment tasks and skills of the employee. No staff member would like to take part in a training activity that does not relate to his or her performance objectives and goals.
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Assignment requested deadline October 15NLT 8pm. Please read below for information concerning assignment. Support responses with examples and use APA formatting in the paper. You may access the school’s website by logging into: https://mycampus.southuniversity.edu/portal/server.pt
Please note that when you log into the website you must click launch class, and on the next screen click syllabus to view this week’s readings (week 2) and Academic Resources to access the school’s library.
Case Study 2
Danny was looking for a birthday gift for his father, Frank. Frank loved cigars; however, Danny was a nonsmoker. While Danny was looking around the Butt Hutt, a local cigarette and cigar store, the owner suggest Danny try a new cigar, imported from Jamaica. The owner stated that the new cigar is just like Cuban cigars. After some hesitancy, Danny lit one up. The cigar had a surprisingly aromatic smell and took seven or eight minutes to consume. Danny purchased a box of the cigars and gave them to his father on his birthday. When Frank smoked one of the cigars, it gave off a bitter obnoxious smell and was consumed in less than four minutes. When Danny saw this, he was upset and asked his father to try another cigar. The same situation was repeated with offensive smell and the cigar burning down very quickly like a cigarette.
After Danny tried unsuccessfully to return the cigars for a refund, he filed a small claims court action against the Butt Hutt. The case was based on the failure of the purchased cigars to conform to the sample, breach of the implied warranty of merchantability, and the misleading statement “just like the Cuban cigars.” Discuss the probable outcome of the case using the Common Law of Contracts and/or the UCC to support your decision.
Case Study 3
Jefferson and Marcy Darcy contracted to purchase one 85” television from Bundy Electronics, a large retailer for appliances and electronics. Bundy agreed to deliver the television to Darcy’s home. On the way to Darcy’s house, the delivery truck, subcontracted by Bundy, was hit by another truck and all of the contents were destroyed. Who bears the risk of loss? What is the status of the contract? What if there is no visible damage to the television when it is delivered to Darcy’s? Please be sure to answer thoroughly and completely, citing to the appropriate UCC provision(s) to support your response.
Support responses with examples and use APA formatting in the paper. Submit your document to the W2 Assignment 2 Dropbox by Saturday, October 15, 2016.
Assignment 2 Grading Criteria Maximum Points
Answered one case study, analyzing the facts and provided well-reasoned answers that reflect an understanding of course material. Supported the response with appropriate cases, laws and/or other relevant examples. 20
Answered a second case study, analyzing the facts and provided well-reasoned answers that reflect an understanding of course material. Supported the response with appropriate cases, laws and/or other relevant examples. 20
Used correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and professional vocabulary. 5
Presented the paper in APA format and properly cited sources using APA. 5
Total: 50
SAMPLE ANSWER
Common Law of Contracts
Case Study 1
The uniform commercial code (UCC) refers to one of the many regulations that have been formulated in a bid to harmonize the sales processes and commercial transactions throughout the United States (Klass, 2010). All the 50 states in the nation, the District of Columbia and all the US territories have adopted this law. While searching for a gift for his father’s birthday, Danny ventured into the Butt Hutt, a cigar shop, because his father loved cigarettes. The store owner claimed that the new brand of cigarettes he had pointed out were imported from Jamaica and upon testing one cigarette, Danny was satisfied and this led to his acceptance of the contract. Regardless, when his father smoked the first and second cigarettes, he produced an offensive smell and consumed him in less than four minutes. Returning the product to the shop yielded no results forcing him to sue the shop. Following this case study, it is evident that the store went against the Common Law of Contracts, particularly the good faith law.
This aspect of the Common Law of Contracts implies that all the parties involved in an agreement should deal with pure honesty, fairness, and good faith (Klass, 2010). The good faith law ensures that one party should not interfere with the other’s right to gain the benefits of the contract. Faith is abstract in nature and includes a sincere belief that lacks any malice or intentions to defraud others. In the case presented, the shop owner told Danny that the brand of cigars is imported from Jamaica which was a misrepresentation on his part. To add to the lie, the shop owner compared the brand to the original Cuban cigars confusing the young man who did not even know how a cigar tastes like. The lies projected by the shop owner painted a wrong image of the product leading to lawsuits. The good faith requirement desires that honesty is upheld which was the missing factor in the formation and execution of the contract leading to its breach (Klass, 2010).
Case study 2
Upon entering a partnership, Jefferson and Marcy decided to purchase a television from Bundy Electronics where they have joint and several liability. The seller is a large retailer who sells electrical appliances and electronics throughout the country. The conditions of the contract is that the product is to be paid for when it arrives. However, after the contract was agreed on, the supplying truck had an accident and the goods were damaged beyond repair. According to the UCC’s codes protecting the contract, the seller, that is Bundy Electronics, would assume the loss of the product until the proxy arrives at the desired destination (Cabrelli, 2016). In other words, if the television had reached the destination and is damaged, then Marcy and Jefferson would assume the loss. In this sense, the contract becomes void because the buyers did not gain physical possession of the television.
This article is activated when the contract is breached like I this case the truck got an accident, and the product got damaged. Considering the possibility that the television did not incur any damage while it was en route, the seller would then not assume the loss. This is because the product would have reached the buyers, who are Marcy and Jefferson. Taking physical possession of goods would imply that the contract would have been completed (Cabrelli, 2016). No physical damage to the product would not put the seller in a disadvantaged position even if the truck that was delivering it was involved in the loss. The contract would therefore still be viable. This is in conjunction with Article 2 of the Common Law of Contracts which covers not only the sales but also the repudiation of a contract (Cabrelli, 2016).
Reference
Cabrelli, D. (2016). Liability and Remedies for Breach of the Contract of Employment at Common Law: Some Recent Developments. Industrial Law Journal, 45(2), 207-219.
Klass, G. (2010). Contract law in the USA. Austin [Tex.: Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.
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Assessment Task 3: Communication/education plan
Develop a company-wide plan detailing the implementation of the change.
Scenario or background information:
The strategy you proposed in Assessment Task 2 has now been approved and has been given the green light to proceed. Your task is to now develop a communication/education plan that will be written in a report format designed to assist staff and key stakeholders of your chosen organisation. The intention is to help staff and stakeholders understand what is going on and to guide them through the process you have previously identified. It should help them see, feel and understand why this is necessary and will need to demonstrate your concern for the people element in the change process. Note: there is no specific word limit.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Abstract
The communication plan in this project is for Blackberry, which is a Canadian telecommunications and connectivity company, which once dominated the industry of electronic and computer science. However, due to the fast-paced and increasing demand of the technological industry, the company was not able to maintain its stability and is currently experiencing negative sales profits and on the verge of bankruptcy. To aid the company in regaining its stability in the business industry, a strategy of facilitating changes in several business operation areas (training, recruitment, outsourcing, strategic partnerships and open innovations) is proposed to the company. The primary goal of this communication plan is to disseminate to employees coming from different departments all information concerning the chances that the company will undertake. It seeks to distribute all information necessary to prepare employees to deal successfully and cooperate with all the alteration in the operations and policies of Blackberry. Discussed in this paper are the specific details of the communication plan (who are the individuals responsible, who are the persons affected by the communication plan, the process information distribution).
Keywords: Blackberry, communication plan,
A Communication Plan for Blackberry Limited
Introduction
Advancements in the field of technology and connectivity are one world’s greatest scientific innovations. First-world countries and eminent technological corporations are now racing against one another to produce the most innovative connectivity products to sell in the market. Both micro and macro companies are continuously developing connectivity products that would provide them access to the world market of electronic and computer science. One of the brands that ultimately made its name in the technological industry is the Blackberry. Founded by Mike Lazardis, Blackberry initially operated as Research in Motion (RIM). The company gained popularity as the pioneer wireless data developer in America and the first company to create and innovate connectivity products for Mobitex wireless packet-switched data communications network outside Scandinavia. Continuous state-of-the-art technological developments made RIM renowned in the industry of electronic and computer science in the late 1980’s.
Discussion
Modernization and fast-rising mobile and connectivity companies spring forth thousands competition for Blackberry. Although the company has mastered the production of mobile phones, smartphones, and other connectivity products, the company was not able to maintain its sales performance and incurred a negative growth in sales, which resulted in the company’s bankruptcy. In 2013, the shareholders decided to sell the company to about $4.7 billion (“BlackBerry timeline: A look back at the tech company’s history,” 2013). Despite the company’s attempt to revive its popularity in the technological industry, the company is still on the verge of bankruptcy and is innovating and developing a variety of products in the hope of regaining its popularity in the technological market.
After all the efforts that Blackberry exerted to maintain its position in the business industry, Blackberry does not have any room to accommodate risks that would deteriorate the company’s performance. This strategy requires the company to undertake a holistic change and improvement regarding training, recruitment, outsourcing, and partnerships with other businesses. Improvements in these areas guarantee a change in the performance of the company. Increasing economic progress furnish large-scale companies with greater chances to prosper and equip employees to improve product development and marketing; An opportunity that Blackberry must grab and use to its advantage.
To provide to the company’s continuous sales decline, a strategy which suggests facilitating changes and developments in four specific business areas. The strategy proposes to create alterations and enrichments in training, recruitments, outsourcing and partnerships with other companies.
Trainings. During training, outsourcings recruitments and partnerships, businesses and employees both benefit from the aftermaths. Worldwide companies provide training for employees to improve their work performance through developing their skills and abilities (Bashir & Jehanzeb, 2013). Despite the cost and effort needed to train employees, the outcomes are all directed to the company’s development. Training provides employees with additional information and skills needed to perform their efficiently. Nassazi (2013) conducted a qualitative research that determined the effects of training on the performance 120 respondents. The research had 120 employees who are all working the largest communication companies in Uganda. The results of the study showed that the amount and quality of training provided to employees significantly affect the manner by which they execute their respective jobs. Thus, furnishing the employees with training in various areas of specification (e.g. customer service, performance development, work motivation) increase the capacity of the company to achieve development in sales and growth.
Recruitment., Recruitment, and Selection of employees is an essential Human Resource Management activity that significantly contributes to the organization or company (Evans, Glover, Guerrier &Wilson, 2007). Recruiting competent and highly skilled employees require experience and sufficient knowledge regarding employee selection and hiring qualified employees are one of the secret strategies of a top-performing company. Primarily, the recruitment process mostly affects the kind of employees that the company would be dealing with and nurturing. Developing a hiring process that would hire more competent employees guarantees the company with a set of the knowledgeable workforce which delivers satisfactory, if not, excellent job performance. In a study conducted by (Abidin & Ismail (2010), he evaluated the effects of worker competence on job performance. The research had a total of 1136 participants who are all employed in the Malaysian private sector. The results of the study indicate that competence significantly affects the kind of work performance that an employee delivers. Competent employees bring out the excellence of the company.
Outsourcing. Another factor in the proposed strategy is outsourcing. Outsourcing requires a company to hire employees from outside the organization. Over the past few years, Blackberry experienced difficulty to catch-up with the demands of increasing technological innovation in the industry of telecommunications and connectivity. Outsourcing furnishes the company with employees outside the company who are capable of bringing more insights, innovative ideas, more skills needed to enhance the company’s products and performance and additional workforce.
Strategic Partnerships. Though it is hard to accept, Blackberry must admit to the reality that other renowned large-scale technological companies have already outstood the performance and quality of the products created by Blackberry. Partnering with more stable and competent companies would provide Blackberry with more opportunities to improve the company’s performance and create innovative products to suit the high demands of the customers.
Open Innovations. Open innovations allow the company to open the search for new ideas and creative product reinventions deviating the outdated product productions of the company and allowing changes to transfer smoothly inward and outward. Innovations enable the company to create products that cater the demands of the continuously advancing telecommunications and connectivity industry.
To further increase the profit of the company, a cost-benefit analysis the strategy also encourages the company to conduct a cost-benefit analysis to identify which investment provides the company with the greatest benefit. The cost-benefit analysis proposes four (training, recruitment, outsourcing, and partnerships) changes that the company must conduct to gain an increase in annual sales and profit. A cost-benefit analysis is a process of comparing the costs and the benefits of a particular project to determine its efficacy to the company sales and growth. The CBA also presents a realistic preview of the amount of money that the company would be spending to improve its performance and sales further. It allows the company to determine the amount of impact that a proposed strategy to the company’s development.
To quickly and efficiently execute the facilitation of these changes, the company must follow a communication plan that would furnish the company with rubrics for the proper execution of the proposed changes. A communication method guarantees the company that all employees are prepared and are knowledgeable about the impacts of the changes in the company.
Communication Plan
The communication plan seeks to disseminate all information with regards to the proposed strategy for the company. A communication plan provides a framework that summarizes the approach and the methodologies to be used for information distribution, feedback, project distribution and stakeholder management (Charles Sturt University, 2011).
The communication plan aims to disseminate information regarding the factors (training, recruitment, outsourcing and partnering with other companies) considered in the strategy proposed for Blackberry. Although are the primary audience of the communication plan, it is of high importance to provide due attention to the group of employees affected by the changes that would be implemented by the company.
Communication Media Effectiveness
Circulation. The communication plan was designed to assure that employees from different departments receive all essential information regarding the alterations in the company. All department heads serve as coordinating bodies that receive and transfer information to all employees coming from different departments. Furthermore, memorandums are utilized as tools for disseminating information to all individuals in the company’s workforce.
Frequency. The communication plan aims to communicate the necessary information regarding company changes through monthly memorandums and meetings (both annual and monthly meeting).
Credibility. Since authorized personnel distributes all information, employees are guaranteed to receive specific details of training (e.g. agenda, schedule, venue). Furthermore, letters serve memorandum letters sent to all staff serve as direct and credible media of communication.
Feedback. The communication pattern the strategy is designed to establish interaction between the communicator and the message receiver. Since the communication will be done both through letter and face-to-face interaction, all employees have the opportunity to provide feedbacks and idea.
Communication Plan Table
Key Message
Target Audience
Communication methods.
Who is responsible.
T
R
A
I
N
I
N
G
· Equip all the employees with necessary skills essential for work performance improvement and product enhancement.
· Imbibe quality service in the work habits of all staff in the company
· Employees to acquire skills vital in gathering new, creative and innovative ideas for the company
· Human Resource Director
· Employees from different departments
· Department Heads
A. Issue training memorandum to department heads
B. Monthly meeting regarding training agenda
C. Company announcements on bulletin boards.
A. Human Resource Director or Personnel
B. Department Heads and Human Resource Department
C. Human Resource Department
R
E
C
R
U
I
T
M
E
N
T
· Assure that all employees hired are competent and have excellent work performance
· Guarantee that all employee has excellent skills to offer to company
· Improve its sales and growth through ensuring that all employees will contribute competence and excellence in all
fields of specification
· Human Resource Director
· Human Resource Employees
· Employees from all departments
A. Issue a memorandum letter to the Human Resource Employees
B. Conduct monthly meetings regarding recruitment policies.
C. Provide employees with intensive training regarding recruitment procedures
D. Monthly meetings with staff from different departments
A. Human Resource
Director
B. Human Resource
Department
C. Human Resource
Department
D. Human Resource and Department Heads.
O
U
T
S
O
U
R
C
I
N
G
· Generate more ideas for innovations and new product ideas
· Hire employees who will provide the company will be fresh ideas on product marketing and product design
· Hire employees who will contribute new and modern ideas that will allow the company to catch-up with the fast-paced technological industry
· Human Resource Director
· Human Resource Employees
· Employees from all departments
A. Job vacancy posts on the company’s website
B. Media advertisements in social networking sites and other publicity websites
C. Outsourcing notices in local newspapers
D. Coordinating with other business managers
A. Human Resource
Department
B. Human Resource
Employees
C. Human Resource
Director
D. Human Resource Director
P
A
R
T
N
E
R
S
H
I
P
S
· Facilitate business, consumer, and resource expansion
· Facilitate improvement of innovative efforts and technological advancement
· Senior Managers
· Stockholders
· Company President
A. Corporate meetings with the company’s stockholders
B. Corporate meetings with the employees
C. Corporate meetings with other potential partners
A. Company’s CEO
B. Human Resource and Department Heads
C. Company’s CEO
I
N
N
O
V
A
T
I
O
N
· Enhance company’s acceptance towards new and innovative changes meant to catch-up with the demands of the industry.
· Product development department
· Product development employees
A. Communicate the new goals of the company through meetings and memorandums
B. Department Director and Human Resource Department
Monitoring
Monitoring must be conducted to prepare the company for the consequences of the changes that it will facilitate in its core communication operations. A forecasting of possible dilemmas and communication difficulties are formulated to furnish the company with solution options if such circumstance occurs.
Scenario
Two months after the implementation of the communication plan, the company discovered that some employees who are members of a union asked assistance from their organizations to issue the company a complaint letter regarding staff cuts and changes. The union representatives want to determine the number of employees who will be affected by the changes and what specific alterations concerns the staff conditions. The company must provide a letter that responds to the inquiries of the union representative to professionally deal with the problem, (see figure 1, for the letter).June 06, 2016
Mr. Adam Smith
USA Workers Union
Union Representative
To the Union Representative,
Blackberry Corporation is currently implementing changes in its core operations to produce high-quality and innovative products to satisfy the needs of customers worldwide. Furthermore, the company is also performing alterations on the policies and core activities of the company to provide Blackberry employees with a stable and competent workplace. The changes in the company are meant to improve all services that Blackberry Corporation offers to both customers and staff. Changes take form in training, recruitments, outsourcing, strategic partnerships and open innovation.
As of this writing, the estimates of the company revealed that impacts of the alterations in the highly affects employees in the product development and production department. The staff cuts are due to the changes in positions and job descriptions of employees from different departments. As much as the company desires to retain all employees who offered services and labor for Blackberry, the company is still exerting many efforts to regain its stability in the industry and have a high need to conduct staff cuts and alterations on staff conditions. Employees are mandated to attend training to enhance their skills and abilities. However, the company must remove employees who do not exhibit any sign of improvement to improve the service offered by the company. We understand that the sudden alteration in the staff conditions significantly affects the welfare of our employees. However, rest assured that all changes in the company are tailored to suit and cater the rights and privileges that Blackberry employees deserve to have.
If you wish to provide suggestions concerning staff conditions and learn more about the company’s new policies, please do send the company a response letter and Blackberry corporation will gladly accommodate it.
Human Resource Director
Blackberry Corporation
United States
Results
Throughout the project, the company will undoubtedly encounter difficulties in disseminating all the necessary details of the changes that will occur in the core operation of the company. Communication failures are consistent in all project implementations, proper information distribution does not eliminate communication failures, however, it diminishes the occurrence of communication misunderstandings and information mismatch. It is important the specific and accurate instructions are provided to the employees to lessen the impacts of communication failure throughout the implementation of the changes in a company.
Since Blackberry is a large-scale company, it is not easy to transport information accurately without any added or removed detail to all departments of the organization. In this case, the cooperation and active participation of the department directors (heads) mainly contribute to the success of the change plan. These are the individuals who serve as contributors and distributors of all necessary information in relevance to the changes facilitated by the company. Furthermore, it is unavoidable to experience complaints from employees, business partner and customers and the best solution that the corporation could equip employees with is knowledge. All employees must be given individual memorandums and must be mandated to attend meetings dealing with all matters concerning the modifications in the company, to ensure that all members organization receive an update about the status of the company.
Also, to lessen complaints and employee-related dilemmas, the company must practice transparency in disseminating all information that concerns (positive and negative) the welfare of the employees. The company has all the right to terminate, retain, and promote employees, however, the employees, regardless of their work performance, also have all the right to recognize the reasons for all actions that affect their employment in the company.
At the end of the day, there exists no finite set of possible dilemmas that a company would encounter will implementing a change plan. The only viable way to ensure the success of the program is to: First, before applying a change plan, identify first the amount of risks and benefits that it will cost the company and the employees. Second, determine whether the impacts of the changes in the company are reasonable and would pay off the efforts and investments that the company will make. Third, prepare all the employees for the changes that company will undertake. Lastly, ensure that the company facilitates clear and precise communication throughout the implementation of the company modification plan.
Summary
This paper discusses a communication plan tailored to transfer information efficiently throughout the implementation of a proposed change plan for Blackberry corporation. The communication plan is designed to facilitate the exchange of ideas and feedbacks between the information distributors (Blackberry Corporation) and the receivers (Blackberry employees). The communication plan focuses on the department heads and the Human Resource personnel as primary transporters of all essential information regarding the details and the status of the change plan proposed for Blackberry. This paper gives emphasis on coordination between department heads and employees as key components in the success of the proposed communication plan.
References
Abidin, S. Z., & Ismail, R. (2010). Impacts of worker’s competence on performance in the Malaysian private sector. Business and Economic Horizons, 29-35.
Bashir, N., & Jehanzeb, K. (2013). Training & development program and its benefits to employee and organization. European Journal of Business and Management, 244-255.