Operations management is at the heart of every organization and can be found every day in the news coverage of current events. 

For this discussion, you will need to access The Wall Street Journal through the Texas Wesleyan library (Go to txwes.edu -> Library -> Online Resources -> enter “Wall Street Journal” into the Search Online Resources dialog box -> click on https://WSJ.com/TxWes and set up an account) and choose an article from current events (within the past three months) about a topic related to the field of operations management. To assist in your search for a relevant article, refer to the table of contents in your textbook for search terms or consider using keywords such as: manufacturing, shortages, product line, sourcing, supply chain, product design, productivity, capacity, operations, forecasting, inventory, location, logistics, quality, transportation, warehouse, etc.

For your initial post in the discussion, address the following:

• Summarize the article and describe how it is related to the field of operations management.
• Explain how the article demonstrates a connection between operations management and another area of business that you are familiar with from previous courses, such as management, marketing, etc.
• Conclude with a thought-provoking question about the article for one of your peers (e.g., “What do you think the impact will ultimately be on American consumers if these manufacturing companies have to move their supply chains to another country?”).

Respond to at least two of your peers by expanding on their assessment of their article’s connection to other areas in the field of business. Then, consider the question they posed and provide a thoughtful response, drawing from what you know from the module’s lesson or prior experiences.

To successfully complete this assignment, view the Discussion Rubric document.

Using the same company that has been assigned to you for the midterm (nude projects ES), you must create an integrated marketing campaign for the company. You should focus on increasing brand awareness and promoting a new offering for the company. Include the following sections:

– Cover page: with all necessary details.

– Table of contents.

– Objective of the campaign: what do you want to achieve? What are key KPIs of the campaign?

– Branding assessment:

o What are the brand values that the campaign will highlight?

o What is the main CSR action that the company is concerned with?

– Marketing framework: explaining the new product, its price and place strategy (if you focus on a service, you must add people, process and

physical evidence).

– Promotional strategy: Include all necessary elements:

o Message: what do you want to communicate to customers?

o Slogan/Claim of the campaign

o Channels and justification (target audience’s media use): television/billboards/Twitter/Instagram (be specific). o IMC: How is this an integrated communication campaign?

– Conclusion: what are the expected results of this campaign.

– List of references: in-text citations and a proper list of quality sources is mandatory.

Formalities:

 Wordcount: 1500-2000 words.

 Cover, Table of Contents, References and Appendix are excluded of the total wordcount.

Module 5 Discussion

There are two parts to this discussion.  The first will be a general discussion about US foreign policy.  The second will focus on the US national budget.

Module 5 Discussion Question #1 – 

This is an “open” discussion regarding US foreign policy.  Please use a recent example (within the past month) of a world event and explain what you believe the US foreign policy should be in this specific example.  You must support your position by bringing in information learned in this class including but not limited to various actors or other agents who have power to affect this foreign policy.   You should properly cite any outside sources.  Your answer should be at least one full paragraph– 5-10 sentences.

Module 5 Discussion Question #2 – 

For this part of the discussion, you will complete a Budget Simulation.  You may play for as long as you like, but you should plan on spending AT LEAST two hours to finish this simulation.  

To start, please go the Brookings Institute Website to first get an idea about this simulation.

To set-up the simulation, click on  Game Simulation.    Then click on start a New Game , give yourself a name, and click on Let’s Get Started. 

1. To start playing, click on Choose My Own goals, then click the >arrow and read through all of the goals from which to choose. 
2. You will need to choose 2 goals that are important to you (and then click Let’s Go).
3. Next you will see several different sets of policies (i.e. In the News with 16 policies); click on the very bottom right arrow to see even more sets of policies.  Go into several of the sets and read many different policies;
   • As you go through the policies you need to choose policies which help to support your two goals (if a policy you choose helps with your goal, you will see a green star next to your goal; if a policy hurts your goals, you’ll see a red star).
   • Be sure that the policies you choose do NOT increase the debt (which is the picture of ship –do NOT sink it).  You may need to choose additional policies in order to better balance your debt.

To finish the simulation you need to

Earn at least 3 green checkmarks for both of your 2 goals AND

Ensure that you do not sink your ship but get to AT LEAST 80% toward your targeted debt limit.

Now to type this into our Module’s discussion.  

For each goal (2), you will create a separate paragraph.  In each paragraph you will

1. State the goal and which policies were used to attain 3 green stars for the goal, and
2.  Briefly explains why you chose this goal and its policies as they relate to your life or the life of people you know and

At the end of your discussion, include a statement as to  whether or not your reached your target debt limit (80% or higher) (i.e. I achieved 92% of my target debt limit).

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For full credit

• You must answer each question.  
• Each of your answers should be written in at least one complete paragraph (so a minimum of 3 paragraphs).
• You will not be able to come back and edit your answers so be sure to check for grammar and properly cite any sources outside of our lectures and our online textbook.   
• Then come back and respond to at least two students (one with whom you disagree).
• These must all be posted on time.

To do this start by answering each of the questions.  Click on Reply and type in your three paragraphs. This is known as your initial post. When you are satisfied with your answers, click on Post Reply. You MUST have your answers posted before you may look at any of your fellow students answers (i.e. blank initial posts are not allowed). This initial post is due  BEFORE NOON (12 PM – lunch time) on the due date.

Term Research Paper Overview:

The topic of this term’s paper will be “A Construction Project Case Study.” This can either be an international, national or local construction project. The object of the paper will be to select a major construction project, either presently under construction, or built, preferably, within the last 10 years, by a company of the students choice and approved by the instructor and generally discuss the project, including the name of the project, the Architect and the Consultants, the Owner’s, a complete description of the structure being built, the project delivery system being utilized, and construction related issues, especially with respect to the country in which the project is located. Such issues, at a minimum, should include whether the project is in the public or private sector, building codes being utilized, the jurisdiction in which the building permit has been granted and specific challenges represented by local requirements and restrictions. Of special interest would be any problems that were solved by methods that were different or unique from those commonly used in the U.S., especially through the cooperation of international teams, and how this affected your outlook toward the tenets of global citizenship, as articulated in class. Information  must also be provided about the construction company building the project, including a brief history of the company, how long it has been in existence, how many employees overall, how many offices and employees per office, the type and volume of work they do and what makes the company unique.

Directions:

This is a formal Research Paper so please submit your research paper in MLA Format with 12 size font and style the to be New Times New Roman. However, you can be creative with your Title Page can use any font for the title. I will also allow creativity in the way you arrange your reference materials, just be consistent with the font size/style. Your research package needs to include the following:

1. Title page (Required)
2. Abstract (Optional)
3. Table of Content (Optional but suggested if you have a lot of additional reference material)
4. Introduction, Body and Conclusion – 6 pages minimum (Required)
5. Bibliography (Required)
6. Additional Referenced Materials (Required)

Tips on How to Format a Good Research Paper

A research paper contains the following elements:

1. Title page — features a title, student’s name, educational establishment, and publication date.
2. Abstract — a summary, brief (up to 250 words) and not obligatory. (Optional)
3. Table of Content —  Optional if you have a lot of supporting materials. 
4. Introduction — background information that leads to the thesis statement. In the introduction you can explain the choice of your topic, state your approach, express a theory or suggestion, make a strong thesis statement. This part implies covering the purpose and the main idea of your paper. Additionally, you have to provide the contextual information on the topic for the readers to have a good grasp on the matter. Note that effective introduction should attract the attention of a reader, so think of a story, current event, or statistics that pertain to the topic. Moreover, if the research that you are carrying out is rather complicated or involves using many terms, add them to your outline too. That will help you to understand the basic concepts of the topic. Do not forget that the introduction should close with the thesis statement, which is 1-2 sentences in length.
5. Body — consists of several parts: materials, methods, results, discussion, and the conclusion. This is the largest part of your paper, and therefore, it has to be split into several subtopics. Each subtopic has to be introduced as a separate paragraph with the main idea and at least two arguments, examples, or explanations supporting this idea. Mind that one paragraph should smoothly go over to the next one so that there is an inextricable link between these subtopics. Also, every thought or idea introduced further should not contradict the previously stated one.  
6. Conclusion — restate the thesis, proving that your study is important and relevant, and mission has been accomplished. It usually takes half of page or so and aims to give a brief summary of the subject in question, particularly the direction of your research. Here, you have to indicate the research method and theoretical approach you used. You will have to mention why you have chosen this topic and how significant or interesting it is.
7. Bibliography — list of cited works, which includes both literature quoted directly and paraphrased sources.
8. Additional Referenced Materials — tables, charts, figures, terminology, photos, plans, construction documentation etc. Aside from reference list, you might need to add notes and appendices. The purpose of notes, which are divided into footnotes and endnotes, is to add important or interesting yet not directly relevant information on the matter. Appendices, on the other hand, provide more detailed information on the topic, which would distract a reader’s attention if mentioned in the body of the text.