asap need it tonight

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 M5 Assignment 2 DiscussionDiscussion Topic Task: Reply to this topic Due September 24 at 11:59 PM

Assignment 2: Discussion—Applying the Law and Future Considerations

You have reached the end of the course. In previous modules, you explored various aspects of employment laws. In this last assignment, you will summarize your understanding of employment laws, related challenges, and solutions for implementing them successfully. You will also look at the future of this field.

Tasks:

In a minimum of 300 words, answer the following questions:

  • What course topics were of most interest to you? Why?
  • What information from the course will you use as a professional?
  • What areas of employment law do you find most challenging?
  • What issues or concerns related to compliance did you identify with your current or past organization? What solutions would you suggest after going through this course?
  • Given the changing nature of the work environment, where do you see the need for the biggest legislative change in employment law in the near future?

Submission Details:

  • By the due date assigned, post your responses to this Discussion Area.
  • Read all your classmates’ postings and through the end of module, respond to at least two of the postings. Consider using contradictions and counterexamples supported by class readings when responding. This can be accomplished through questioning, disagreeing, redirecting, or asking your classmates to rethink what they have posted and expressing why. Whenever possible, mention the points of the previous postings you are responding to in your comments.

Write your initial response in 300–500 words. Your response should be thorough and address all components of the discussion question in detail, include citations of all sources, where needed, according to the APA Style, and demonstrate accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Do the following when responding to your peers:

  • Read your peers’ answers.
  • Provide substantive comments by
    • contributing new, relevant information from course readings, Web sites, or other sources;
    • building on the remarks or questions of others; or
    • sharing practical examples of key concepts from your professional or personal experiences
  • Respond to feedback on your posting and provide feedback to other students on their ideas.
  • Make sure your writing
    • is clear, concise, and organized;
    • demonstrates ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and
    • displays accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Grading Criteria

Grading CriteriaMaximum PointsQuality of initial posting, including fulfillment of assignment instructions16Quality of responses to classmates12Frequency of responses to classmates4Reference to supporting readings and other materials4Language and grammar4Total:40 

International accounting Paper

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General Motors and Japanese Convergence vs. Chinese Convergence

General Motors Corp. is the world’s largest automaker and has led the auto industry worldwide in sales since 1938.  GM employs over 324,000 people worldwide, with manufacturing operations in 32 countries and sales operations in 200 countries. 

GM operates its own facilities worldwide, but it also has global partners in Italy, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, and China.  In Japan, its global partners are Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., Isuzu Motors Ltd. and Suzuki Motor Corporation.  In China, it has a vehicle manufacturing venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.  

In your submissions use APA guidelines and references where appropriate. Include your name on your submissions with page numbers.

A major challenge that GM faces in both Japan and China is that both have financial reporting and measurement practices that differ from both U.S. GAAP and IFRS issued by the IASB.  Assume you have just been hired by GM as an intern, and your first assignment is to research the convergence of China’s financial reporting standards with U.S. or IAS GAAP since 1999.  Compare China’s historical path of convergence with Japan’s over the same period of time.  What societal values and economic goals have caused the two Asian countries to develop different financial reporting standards?  What societal values and economic goals have caused the two Asian countries to develop similar financial reporting standards?

Suggested websites:

www.iasplus.com

www.asb.or.jp

Project Risk: 450+ Words Discussion and TWO(2) responses with 100+ words (Strict only $10) with responses.

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 Assigned Readings:

Chapter 11: Project Risk Knowledge Management

Chapter 12: Cultural Shaping of Risk

Initial Postings: Read and reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Then post what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any other thing that you felt was worthy of your understanding in each assigned textbook chapter.Your initial post should be based upon the assigned reading for the week, so the textbook should be a source listed in your reference section and cited within the body of the text. Other sources are not required but feel free to use them if they aid in your discussion.

Also, provide a graduate-level response to each of the following questions:

Risk concerns both positive and negative aspects of a possible event. For example, when the covid 19 crisis took place this offered an unexpected business advantages or new product for certain organizations – a positive risk came to volition for that organization.  For example, when the covid 19 crisis took place this offered an unexpected negative risk, no one would come to your movie theatre, to come to volition for some organizations.  

  1. How should an organization prepare for either type of event?
  2. How should a business avoid negative events occuring and enahnce opportunity for positive events?
  3. Explain the concept of a Pereto Chart – provide an example – explain how the concept of the Pereto Chart might be used in making decisioins about handling negative risks which could impact a project or organization.

CS 210 Project 3

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I need help with this assignment. I am completely lost.  

Competency

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competency:

  • Utilize various programming languages to develop secure, efficient code

Scenario

You are doing a fantastic job at Chada Tech in your new role as a junior developer, and you exceeded expectations in your last assignment for Airgead Banking. Since your team is impressed with your work, they have given you another, more complex assignment. Some of the code for this project has already been completed by a senior developer on your team. Because this work will require you to use both C++ and Python, the senior developer has given you the code to begin linking between C++ and Python. Your task is to build an item-tracking program for the Corner Grocer, which should incorporate all of their requested functionality.

The Corner Grocer needs a program that analyzes the text records they generate throughout the day. These records list items purchased in chronological order from the time the store opens to the time it closes. They are interested in rearranging their produce section and need to know how often items are purchased so they can create the most effective layout for their customers. The program that the Corner Grocer is asking you to create should address the following three requirements for a given text-based input file that contains a list of purchased items for a single day:

  1. Produce a list of all items purchased in a given day along with the number of times each item was purchased.
  2. Produce a number representing how many times a specific item was purchased in a given day.
  3. Produce a text-based histogram listing all items purchased in a given day, along with a representation of the number of times each item was purchased.

As you complete this work, your manager at Chada Tech is interested to see your thought process regarding how you use the different programming languages, C++ and Python. To help explain your rationale, you will also complete a written explanation of your code’s design and functionality.

Directions

One of Python’s strengths is its ability to search through text and process large amounts of data, so that programming language will be used to manage internal functions of the program you create. Alternatively, C++ will be used to interface with users who are interested in using the prototype tracking program.

Grocery Tracking Program
Begin with a Visual Studio project file that has been set up correctly to work with both C++ and Python, as you have done in a previous module. Remember to be sure you are working in Release mode, rather than Debug mode. Then add the CS210_Starter_CPP_Code and CS210_Starter_PY_Code files, linked in the Supporting Materials section, to their appropriate tabs within the project file so that C++ and Python will be able to effectively communicate with one another. After you have begun to code, you will also wish to access the CS210_Project_Three_Input_File, linked in the Supporting Materials section, to check the functionality and output of your work.

As you work, continue checking your code’s syntax to ensure your code will run. Note that when you compile your code, you will be able to tell if this is successful overall because it will produce an error message for any issues regarding syntax. Some common syntax errors are missing a semicolon, calling a function that does not exist, not closing an open bracket, or using double quotes and not closing them in a string, among others.

  1. Use C++ to develop a menu display that asks users what they would like to do. Include options for each of the three requirements outlined in the scenario and number them 1, 2, and 3. You should also include an option 4 to exit the program. All of your code needs to effectively validate user input.
  2. Create code to determine the number of times each individual item appears. Here you will be addressing the first requirement from the scenario to produce a list of all items purchased in a given day along with the number of times each item was purchased. Note that each grocery item is represented by a word in the input file. Reference the following to help guide how you can break down the coding work.
    • Write C++ code for when a user selects option 1 from the menu. Select and apply a C++ function to call the appropriate Python function, which will display the number of times each item (or word) appears.
    • Write Python code to calculate the frequency of every word that appears from the input file. It is recommended that you build off the code you have already been given for this work.
    • Use Python to display the final result of items and their corresponding numeric value on the screen.
  3. Create code to determine the frequency of a specific item. Here you will be addressing the second requirement from the scenario to produce a number representing how many times a specific item was purchased in a given day. Remember an item is represented by a word and its frequency is the number of times that word appears in the input file. Reference the following to help guide how you can break down the coding work.
    1. Use C++ to validate user input for option 2 in the menu. Prompt a user to input the item, or word, they wish to look for. Write a C++ function to take the user’s input and pass it to Python.
    2. Write Python code to return the frequency of a specific word. It will be useful to build off the code you just wrote to address the first requirement. You can use the logic you wrote but modify it to return just one value; this should be a fairly simple change (about one line). Next, instead of displaying the result on the screen from Python, return a numeric value for the frequency of the specific word to C++.
    3. Write a C++ function to display the value returned from Python. Remember, this should be displayed on the screen in C++. We recommend reviewing the C++ functions that have already been provided to you for this work.
  4. Create code to graphically display a data file as a text-based histogram. Here you will be addressing the third requirement from the scenario: to produce a text-based histogram listing all items purchased in a given day, along with a representation of the number of times each item was purchased. Reference the following to help guide how you can break down the coding work:
    1. Use C++ to validate user input for option 3 in the menu. Then have C++ prompt Python to execute its relevant function.
    2. Write a Python function that reads an input file (CS210_Project_Three_Input_File, which is linked in the Supporting Materials section) and then creates a file, which contains the words and their frequencies. The file that you create should be named frequency.dat, which needs to be specified in your C++ code and in your Python code. Note that you may wish to refer to work you completed in a previous assignment where you practiced reading and writing to a file. Some of your code from that work may be useful to reuse or manipulate here. The frequency.dat file should include every item (represented by a word) paired with the number of times that item appears in the input file. For example, the file might read as follows:
      • Potatoes 4
      • Pumpkins 5
      • Onions 3
    3. Write C++ code to read the frequency.dat file and display a histogram. Loop through the newly created file and read the name and frequency on each row. Then print the name, followed by asterisks or another special character to represent the numeric amount. The number of asterisks should equal the frequency read from the file. For example, if the file includes 4 potatoes, 5 pumpkins, and 3 onions then your text-based histogram may appear as represented below. However, you can alter the appearance or color of the histogram in any way you choose.
      • Potatoes ****
      • Pumpkins *****
      • Onions ***
  5. Apply industry standard best practices such as in-line comments and appropriate naming conventions to enhance readability and maintainability. Remember that you must demonstrate industry standard best practices in all your code to ensure clarity, consistency, and efficiency. This includes the following:
    1. Using input validation and error handling to anticipate, detect, and respond to run-time and user errors (for example, make sure you have option 4 on your menu so users can exit the program)
    2. Inserting in-line comments to denote your changes and briefly describe the functionality of the code
    3. Using appropriate variable, parameter, and other naming conventions throughout your code

tracking finances

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Tracking Finances

This week we looked at the Revenue Cycle Management with an emphasis on tracking patient services, charges, payments and adjustments.  Your homework assignment is to complete three of the forms that you may use as a billing specialist.

There is a total of 87 entries for you to complete.  The assignment score will reflect the number of correct entries made.

Include the following aspects in the assignment:

·  Download and open: Week 3 Homework. Follow the instructions to complete the work and submit the file as your homework assignment.

Part 1: Patient Ledger

Complete the patient ledger for the Ben Jones scenario provided in the homework word file.

Part 2: Daysheet

Use the additional forms and patient encounter forms to complete the daysheet portion of the homework word file for all four patients (Ben Jones, Ross Parker, Darla Sissle, and Amanda Chin.)

Ben Jones information scenario found on assignment file to include all 3 DOS (dates of service).

Encounter forms for all 3 patients: Ross Parker, Darla Sissle, Amanda Chin

Part 3: Insurance Claim Registry

Include an Insurance Claim Registry that includes the insurance claims for all four patients listed under Part 2.

  Ben Jones – 3 entries

  Ross Parker – 1 entry

  Darla Sissle – 1 entry

  Amanda Chin – 1 entry

Objective:

Ø  Model the process for tracking finances in a medical office.

Ø  Interpret an encounter form and a chargemaster

Walmart Expansion Analysis

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THIS HAS TO BE COMPLETED IN 10 HOURS.

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review Chapter 24 of your textbook and the Walmart Case Study. You will also need to access Walmart’s most recent annual report from Walmart’s Financial Information (Links to an external site.) page. You can use the annual report to gather additional international data.

In this final project you will continue to build on your Walmart Case study work from previous courses. Imagine that you have been hired as a data analyst for Walmart. The Walmart executive team has asked you to gather data that will assist them in determining if this foreign market is a viable option for a Walmart expansion. You will continue to research the same region you have chosen to expand to in your previous MBA courses. Please refer to the Walmart Case Study for the list of available regions.

Your Final Project will be comprised of two parts. In Part 1 you will be required to gather and analyze data for your case study paper. 

Walmart Expansion Analysis Final Project, Part 1: Walmart Case Study Paper (17 points)

You have been tasked with collecting and analyzing key data points that will assist Walmart in their decision to expand to your chosen region. In Part I, you will gather data from various sources, use the tools learned throughout this class to analyze data, and determine the best way to present this data to the Walmart executive team. Finally, you will make a recommendation on whether or not this foreign market is a viable option for a Walmart expansion.

Note: It is OK to not recommend an expansion to your chosen region. Just be sure to justify your recommendation. (CHOSEN REGION IS NEW ZEALAND)

Step 1: Data Collection
As a data analyst, you will be required to locate data from multiple sources. It is recommended that you use the Mergent Database in the Ashford University Library, the Business Insight Global database in the Ashford University Library, and Walmart’s latest Annual Report to begin your data collection. These databases should serve as a guide for your research. You are expected to identify additional data sources that will be useful in your analysis.

Navigate to the Company Financials tab. You may want to review the Income Statement for items such as net sales, operating expenses, projected income, etc. It is recommended that you review data from at least the last five years.

Accessing Business Insights: Global database:
To access the Business Insight Global database, access the Ashford University Library and select to the “Find Articles and More”. Next, select “Databases A-Z”, then find the “Business Insights: Global” database. In the search bar, type “Walmart”, ensuring the “Company” tab is selected from the dropdown menu. You may want to review items such as gross profit, interest expense, net income, etc.

Business Insights: Global also has some information on Walmart in particular countries that may be useful in your research. To search, type Walmart or Wal-mart into the search bar at the top of the Business Insights: Global homepage, ensuring “Country” is selected from the drop-down menu. This will provide results that cover Walmart in areas such as China, Brazil, Chile, India, Puerto Rico, Argentina, and Canada. You may wish to gather data for countries that are closest to your region for comparison.

Accessing Walmart’s annual report:
You can find Walmart’s most recent annual report on their Financial Information (Links to an external site.) page. You can use the annual report to gather additional international data.

Here are some examples of data that may be useful to an analyst:

  • Under “Item 1: Business,” in the “Walmart International Segment,” you may wish to gather data for retail unit count and retail square feet for all available fiscal years for the country or continent closest to your region. For example, if you are looking to expand in Egypt, you will use the data for Africa.
  • In the “Item 2: Properties” section of the report, you may wish to gather data for the owned and leased properties for the country or continent closest to your region.
  • In the “Results of Operations” section of the report, look for “Walmart International Segment.” You may wish to gather data for net sales, operating income, and unit counts at period end for all available fiscal years.

You will likely need to gather more data to make your case. You are encouraged to seek out additional data points that will assist you in your analysis. Other data points you may want to consider include, but are not limited to

  • Gross national income
  • Population and demographic data
  • Key economic metrics, including current economic status, inflation, etc.
  • Labor market data, including average wage, unemployment rate, cost of living, etc.
  • Market environment
  • Foreign exchange
  • Credit environment outlook

Here are some suggested databases to get you started. These databases may not have all the information you need to make a full evaluation. You may need to conduct your own research to find useful databases that house the data you need to conduct your analysis.

Step 2: Analyzing the Data
Now that you have gathered your data, you will need to determine the best way to compile the data for analysis. Using the tools and skills you have learned in this course, create graphs and tables that will assist you in making sense of the data. You will use these tables to assess the data and support your analysis.

In your paper,

  • Summarize the background of the country or region, including what makes it unique and why it is a viable option for Walmart expansion.
  • Assess the data sets and include any charts or graphs used in your evaluation.
    • Measure outlook sales, interest, and other trends to make a determination on the regional outlook. Is the outlook improving, remaining stable, or deteriorating? For example, how will this expansion affect sales trends, interest cost trends, etc.?
    • Calculate whether Walmart will have favorable or unfavorable currency translation adjustments. For example, how strong is the country’s currency against the U.S. dollar?
    • Create revenue projections and sales projections based on the data. Consider the currently translation adjustments in your projection.
    • Propose a recommended course of action based on your interpretation of the data.

The Walmart Expansion Analysis Final Project, Part 1: Walmart Case Study Paper

  • Must be 8 to 10 double-spaced pages in length (not including title page, reference pages, or tables and graphs) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.
  • Must include a separate title page with the following:
    • Title of paper
    • Student’s name
    • Course name and number
    • Instructor’s name
    • Date submitted
  • Must use at least five applicable industry and company sources in addition to the course text.

Assignment: Briefing New Managers

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In this course, you have learned a lot about job attitudes, their varieties, and distinctions, their measurement, their antecedents, and their consequences. You now possess the knowledge to be an organizational consultant on this topic and assist organizations through change initiatives. As you reflect on all this material, consider the major takeaways you have gained. Then, reach a conclusion about the importance of job attitudes in the world of work.

To prepare for this Assignment:

  • Take some time to review resources from all of the weeks leading up to this one. Review your notes, discussion posts, and assignment submissions.
  • Outline in your mind, or on paper, the key talking points for your presentation.
  • Conduct supporting research if necessary. 

By Day 7

Submit a 10 slide presentation (not including references) that addresses the following:

Prepare a PowerPoint presentation that you would use to brief an incoming executive staff in a start-up organization about the importance of job attitudes. Keep in mind that you will not be speaking to academics, so choose your language appropriately. Even though you may not be dealing with scholars or scientists, provide enough empirical support for your briefing. Let the audience know that you know what you are talking about without losing them. Be prepared with sufficient notes in your slides to address the most common questions. Cite all sources used.

Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the Learning Resources for this course.

Reading Media Critically — Music Video

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For this assignment you will be writing a short essay that breaks down and interprets a music video. The YouTube era has witnessed a resurgence of creative, unusual, or otherwise outlandish music videos, but these forms of media have always featured inspired ways for conveying messages in short form. By mixing sound and visuals, these media are able to signify multiple things at once. In this assignment you engage with the power that these media forms can have for communicating ideas while speculating on how different audiences may interpret those ideas.

You must choose a music video that premiered before 1998. 

Provide some background for the video by briefly noting: 

  1. the song, artist, album, year, and director of the video.
  2. A few sentences on what the song is about.
  3. A short history on the release of the video: Was it the artist’s debut, or was it a comeback? Is it a widely known song or one      that only fans would recognize? Did the video spark any controversy?

Then, write a close textual analysis of the music video. Choose two or three moments that you think are most significant and focus your analysis on those. Describe the signs present and explain what you think they mean, and why. Could they be interpreted in more than one way, or in ways other than the creators intended? Do they make intertextual references and, if so, to which other media? Consider also how the song’s lyrics and/or music may contradict or enhance the images.

Finally, consider the cultural context in which the video first appeared, including the popularity of its genre, the social themes it addresses, and/or whether there were significant historical events at the time related to the video’s theme. 

Given these considerations, what would the images in the video connote to audiences at the time? What do these same images connote to you now? Has something changed, and if so, how can we explain this? In this section, you are making an argument about the work of interpretation as historically specific. Make sure you ground this argument in facts about the social, cultural, or political context of the time of release and contrast these to those of today. 

Formatting and length requirements: 

○ Double-spaced 

○ 12-point font

○ Minimum 1,000 words. Max 1,500 words. 

○ MLA format

Discussion on APA Chapters and Creswell Dissertation Professional writing

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3 Discussions

Need Two references for each discussion and one page answer for each discussion.

Week 9: Discussion Posting – Readings:  The purpose of this discussion postings is for students to read the assigned textbook chapters (Creswell Ch. #7), synthesize the information, and then critically think and share the information with other students using their own words.

Initial Posting (Saturday): The assignment requires students to read the week’s assigned reading requirements (Creswell Ch. #7), then post a summary of four (4) interesting facts that they learned from the reading of “each” assigned chapter using their own words by the Saturday due date. Direct quotes are not acceptable.

Reference: Chapter 7 Research Questions and Hypothesis, Qualitative and Quantitative methods

Week 10: Discussion Posting – Readings:  The purpose of this discussion postings is for students to read the assigned textbook chapters (APA Ch. #5, APA Ch. #6), synthesize the information, and then critically think and share the information with other students using their own words.

Initial Posting (Saturday): The assignment requires students to read the week’s assigned reading requirements (APA Ch. #5, APA Ch. #6), then post a summary of four (4) interesting facts that they learned from the reading of “each” assigned chapter using their own words by the Saturday due date. Direct quotes are not acceptable.

Chapter 5 HOW DO I STRUCTURE AND FORMAT MY PAPER?

Chapter 6 Credit Sourcing

Week 11: Discussion Posting – Readings:  The purpose of this discussion postings is for students to read the assigned textbook chapters (APA Ch. #7, APA Ch. #8), synthesize the information, and then critically think and share the information with other students using their own words.

Initial Posting (Saturday): The assignment requires students to read the week’s assigned reading requirements (APA Ch. #7, APA Ch. #8), then post a summary of four (4) interesting facts that they learned from the reading of “each” assigned chapter using their own words by the Saturday due date. Direct quotes are not acceptable.

Chapter 7 TYPES AND VARIATIONS 2. EXAMPLES BY TYPE, this chapter provides how to cite references for various types of documents, books, articles, etc.

Chapter 8 THE PUBLICATION PROCESS This chapter provide an overview of the journal publishing process. We emphasize the author’s responsibilities in manuscript preparation and at each subsequent stage of publication

2 Pg Paper

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Purpose:

Throughout the course, you have learned a wide array of business concepts and theories.  This assignment is designed to have you demonstrate knowledge of the course material learned in the course applying concepts and theories to a case scenario.

Outcomes Met With This Assignment:

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  • identify the critical business functions and how they interact in order to position the organization to be effective in the current business environment
  • explain the importance of the integration of individuals and systems to organizational effectiveness
  • describe the ethical and social responsibilities that confront a business

This project is the second of two projects.  You will read a case scenario related to starting a small business.  Many of the concepts learned in the course are seen in this project.  The project requires you to go beyond mentioning concepts but requires you to apply the concepts.

A requirement of this project is to write a report.  In business, a report is formal document that addresses specific information with a clear purpose and to a particular audience.  Information is presented in a clearly structured format that uses headings to help a reader easily read, follow and locate information.  This report does not have recommendations as it is informational only.

The expectation is that you provide a robust use of the course readings and research to support ideas, reasoning and conclusions.  This means that you will present an idea and then use the research and the course readings to explain what you presented.   Stringing one sentence after another using the course readings or research does not meet the requirement and does not demonstrate critical thinking.   Critical thinking is demonstrated when the “why and how” and the “who and what” are thoroughly explained. 

NOTE:  All submitted work is to be your original work and only yours. You may not use any work from another student, the Internet or an online clearinghouse.  You are expected to understand the Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy, and know that it is your responsibility to learn about instructor and general academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources as specified in the APA Publication Manual, 6th Ed. (Students are held accountable for in-text citations and an associated reference list only). 

Read the following case scenario:

Susan Smart and her husband Max love to bake. They also love to travel.  After a recent trip to Egypt the couple returned to their home anxious to try to duplicate the two desserts they had found, Umm Alli and Qatayef.  Umm Alli is a phyllo pastry layered with milk, double cream, and nuts (sometimes, raisins or dates are added).  The dessert is baked in a large pan.  When done, the dessert can be cut into bars much like brownies.  Qatayef, on the other hand, is like Pierogis.  They are crescent shaped dough pockets stuffed with double cream, nuts or custard and baked. The treats are very popular in Egypt and frequently sold by street vendors.  They are often accompanied by coffee.  Drinking coffee is a favorite Egyptian past time and social activity, one that has become popular in America as well.

Susan and Max live in Athens, Georgia.  As college professors at University of Georgia, the couple feels handicapped by having to travel in the summer when travel is most expensive for Americans. Also, the couple’s teaching contracts obligate them to teach at least two summer classes.  They are eligible to take one year off every seven years for sabbatical leave.  In addition, the couple must show evidence of scholarly work at the end of each year (i.e. book, community clinic service, journal, documentary, etc.).  The couple has often thought that they would love to start a small business so that they could have more flexible travel plans. “Truthfully,” Susan says, “we would be truly happy if we had the money and the time to travel.”

The last trip abroad gave them a great idea – Why not start a mobile coffee café that sells Egyptian coffee and desserts?  They could get a small food truck and set up tables and chairs outside the truck bringing them inside at the end of the day.  Susan and Max could move the truck around the city working the hours they wanted and build a broad customer base between the college and downtown businesses.  They believe that this concept is a great new twist on a café.

The couple loves the café idea and have decided to consider moving forward by researching the commercial viability of the business.  They start by consulting other small business owners in the area and made an appointment with the local Small Business Association (SBA) and SCORE, a non-profit associated that helps small businesses get started.  The couple wants to gather the critical data needed to determine how best to prepare for opening “Egyptian Delights”. Susan and Max uncovered the following facts and articles in researching their business opportunity.

Information:

  • 79% of first year small businesses succeed. 50% of all small businesses fail after five years and 33% survive after 10 years in business
  • Small business is the backbone of Athens, Georgia’s local economy

Articles:

Do you remember the enthusiasm? (2013, October 1).  50 food truck owners speak out:  “What I wish I’d known before starting my food truck.”  Retrieved from https://foodtruckr.com/2013/10/what-i-wish-id-known-before-starting-my-food-truck/

Food trucks are advertised as (2016).  The complete breakdown of food truck operation costs.  Food Truck Empire.  Retrieved fromhttp://foodtruckempire.com/how-to/costs/

Newtek (2013, February 26).  7 habits of great small business owners.  Retrieved from Forbes at https://www.forbes.com/sites/thesba/2013/02/26/7-habits-of-great-small-business-owners/#7c1523f334b3

Productivity Teams (n.d.).  11 challenges startups face.  Teamwork.com. Retrieved from https://blog.teamwork.com/11-challenges-startups-face/

Small Business Information, Insight and Resources (2017).  Answers to the 20 Most Frequently Asked Question About US Small Business.  Retrieved fromhttps://smallbusiness.com/selling-to-small-business/small-business-statistics-2016/.

Are you living the dream, or are you living a hectic nightmare?  (2014, July 8).  Successful entrepreneurs’ secrets to mastering work-life balance.   Open Forum Retrieved from https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/successful-entrepreneurs-secrets-to-mastering-work-life-balance/

Small Business Trends (2015, April 20).  3 challenges small business owners face.  Retrieved from https://smallbiztrends.com/2015/04/3-challenges-small-business-owners-facee.html

Tools for New Entrepreneurs.  (2016, January 7). 8 Challenges Facing the New Entrepreneur.  Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/254721

Instructions

Step 1:  Your Role

The Smarts have come to you for advice because they heard you are a small business consultant and business owner who can help explain some of the concerns that their preliminary investigation has revealed. 

Below is a list of considerations that the Smarts have developed for further research and development.  The Smarts have asked you to address these consideration by researching and then putting your findings in a report. 

Considerations

Challenges Facing a Startup Business:  Currently, the Smarts make a combined income of $140,000 after taxes from their jobs at the University of Georgia.  Explain the challenges the Smarts can expect with starting the business in relation to lifestyle, marriage, time management, obtaining health insurance and personal finances.

Building a Team: The Smarts have made it clear that they don’t just want to hire employees but are interested in hiring a team for the Café?  Explain why it is important for the Smarts to use a team approach and give a minimum of three examples of specific areas in the business where a team approach can yield improvement.

Marketing:  The Smarts know they can create a great product that will be appealing to the public.  The Smart know they need to capture the attention of the customers, which is why they believe Egyptian Delights is a good name for the business.  However, they want to be sure to have an appealing name and would like know what different marketing tools can be used to determine the best possible name for the business.  The Smarts are interested in learning about different tools so it is important not to limit the options to the same methodologies.

Secondly, the Smarts need advice on how to promote the café, its products and how to develop the brand.  Explain how the Smarts can use the 4P’s to market the café, its products and build Egyptian Delights’ brand.

Operation Management: In reviewing your notes, you realize that the Smarts have overlooked operations management.  You know this is an important area of focus for the business.  Explain to the Smarts the definition of operations management and why it is important to their particular business.  Explain how attention to operations management impacts the success of the business in terms of employee retention, inventory management, quality control, customer satisfaction and profitability.

Step 2:  Write the Report

Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document using 12-point font.  A report is left-justified with no indentations of paragraphs.  Double space between paragraphs to make the memorandum easy to read.

The report will be between 2-3 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page.  In business, writing must be concise, easy to read and free of writing and grammatical errors.

You are required to use in-text citations and the associated reference will appear in a reference list at the end of the memo (on a separate page).

Use the following in completing the project:

  • Title page with the title, your name, course number and name; date, and the instructor’s name;
  • Overview (brief summary that tells the reader what the report is about; identifies the purpose and the important features of the report). 
  • Background (paraphrase and do not copy/paste from the case scenario)
  • Discussion (covers the elements of the considerations)
  • Conclusion (brief, clearly written and specific as to the major features discussed in the report)
  • References (separate page)

Step 3:  Review the Report 

Read the report to ensure all required elements are present and that the elements address the report requirements.  Use the grading rubric to ensure that you gain the most points possible for this assignment.

Step 4:  Proofread the report for spelling and grammatical issues, and third person writing.  

  • Read the report aloud as a first measure;
  • Use the spell and grammar check in Word as a second measure;
  • Consider submitting the report to the Effective Writing Center (EWC).  The EWC will provide 4-6 areas that may need improvement.

Step 5:  Submit the report in the Assignment Folder (The assignment submitted to the Assignment Folder will be considered a student’s final product and therefore ready for grading by the instructor.  It is incumbent upon the student to verify the assignment is the correct submission.  No exceptions will be considered by the instructor).

Preparation for Writing the Report

  • Read the grading rubric for the project.  Use the grading rubric while completing the project to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible grade.
  • Third person writing is required.  Third person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing).  If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link:  http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person.
  • Contractions are not used in business writing, so do not use them.
  • Paraphrase and do not use direct quotation marks.  This means you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source document, but put a passage from a source document into your own words and attribute the passage to the source document.  Provide the page or paragraph number.  Note that a reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa.   
  • Other than the eBook for the course, you may not use any other books as source material.