Case Study

One year ago, Sarah started a new business, House Tech, with her husband, Paul. They came up with an innovative business strategy, taking a unique approach to interior design. Their goal was to give customers an IKEA-like “feel” to what their home might look like, but with the use of virtual reality and their home.

It started with an idea to take virtual reality goggles into customers homes so they could see how a renovation may look. Sarah takes a high-definition camera to her initial no-cost, no-obligations meeting with customers and records the tour of the house with explanations of what her customers want done. Then, her and Paul watch the footage and make virtual modifications, adding their own expertise to the customer’s vision along with specific products they can build or buy. Sarah meets with the customers again and shows them what their home may look like with the virtual reality goggles.

Nearly always, the customers are amazed by the experience and agree to the work done with little or no alterations. Some customers are more insistent on sticking with exactly what they envisioned, but Sarah is always happy to help them realize their dreams. She estimates that in 95% of cases, she does end up securing immediate work. A small portion of the homeowners end up contacting her in coming weeks or months for the same work she quoted earlier.

Most of the work is done by the couple, but they do hire contractors for certain jobs. On average, contractors accounted for 35% of the costs last year, while purchased appliances and furniture made up 55%. The remaining 10% was for other supplies, small tools, and materials for projects. Sarah estimates that there is a profit margin of 30% on each job, but she has not taken vehicle expenses into account. Paul suspects this expense will total $2,000 a month (they use the vehicles for personal errands 20% of the time). She wonders if they might be overlooking other expenses as well.

Sarah is specifically wondering what the correct accounting treatment for the high-end technology is. A year ago, House Tech purchased two virtual reality goggles for $700 each, a high-definition camera for $600, and two MacBooks for $1,750 each (everything on account). Although the equipment is expected to last five years with no salvage value, Sarah plans to sell everything after two years of use for half its original cost (cash sale). This will allow her to keep using the best technology for her work and sales pitches. She is looking for guidance on all journal entries on this equipment, including purchase, payment, annual usage, and eventual sale.

In addition to construction, Paul has some experience with building furniture, so he has started making tables and chairs himself. After customers saw his work, they also requested custom pieces, which he started charging a premium for. In the first year, House Tech completed 30 interior design engagements. Two-thirds of these were engagements where all major pieces were purchased. On average, the revenues totaled $6,000 for these jobs. The remaining third heavily involved Paul’s specialty items, resulting in higher revenue of $9,000.

Paul estimates he spends $200 of material and 4.5 hours on average per piece. He believes he made 25 pieces last year. He wonders if the extra money is worth pursuing more higher revenue jobs. By advertising $2,500 a month, the annual numbers could be increased to 40 engagements, half of them including significant specialty items made by him.

Sarah and Paul’s own basement was unfinished, so they did some work on it to create a similar setup to IKEA. Basically, they added new furniture and appliances, which customers might find appealing. Then, customers are invited to the basement to view and even try furniture and appliances. Even though House Tech only recently started the practice, many customers have purchased pieces on the spot and Paul later delivered them to their houses. Sarah is wondering if the construction of the basement should be considered a business expense. She wants to be as ethical as possible and is leaning towards only including the furniture and appliances sold as expenses. However, some guidance on correct and ethical accounting treatments would be appreciated.

Sarah and Paul are thinking of buying or renting another house to showcase even more products and ideas. They are wondering if the house could be partially rented out to a tenant who would agree to keep things clean and permit customers to visit with advance notice. The tenant could also help with adding or removing furniture and appliances once sales have been completed to customers. Sarah estimates that the monthly rental income of $1,000 would potentially make up half of the mortgage payment (35% interest on average over ten years) and four-fifths of the entire rental payment. In both a rental and ownership scenario, House Tech would incur additional monthly expenses of $500 a month. Sarah expects the new house will boost current sales by 10%. She also expects its value to increase by $30,000 over ten years. Sarah is asking for your input on whether they should rent, buy, or avoid the house altogether.

Required:

Prepare a well-organized business report for House Tech. Discuss all relevant issues, including pros and cons of each course of action. Outline any questions or inquiries which should be directed to Sarah or Paul and why the information is important to certain decisions. Please make sure your quantitative analysis is supported with a qualitative analysis.

Please write a 100 -150 word informational response to classmates post.

Post #1:
“The role of the law enforcement is to enforce the law, serve and protect the people. They were mandated and sworn in by the government to arrest and detain people they suspect have broken the law. Usually when police officers get the complaint then the officers have all of the information needed, they take a report, investigate, and hopefully make an arrest with probable cause. If there’s a big amount of evidence and multiple witnesses they may be interviewed, gathering all the evidence collected and documented, and having the suspect caught. With enough evidence at the point of interaction and the officer thinks a crime was committed, they have the authority to arrest the person on the spot. If there is not a lot of evidence to gather on then a warrant will be needed. After the person has been caught we have to make sure the suspect has had their Miranda rights read to them. Then the booking process which includes being fingerprinted, photographed, and in many cases, DNA swabbed in order to send it to the DNA repository, and once this is all completed suspects may be released or bail may be established depending on the crime.  I think that just deserts model hinders social and criminal justice in some ways because this model shows how fairness is above other priorities, punishment should be the same in each case, with this kind of thinking it makes it seem like not everything was thought out correctly. It’s like saying someone stealing food to feed their family would be considered the same as someone stealing from money from someone’s wallet. This model treats all crimes fairly it doesn’t incorporate the social justice factor and account for individuals.”

  As featured in her engaging TED Talk (2010), Gaming can make a better world (Links to an external site.);  she discusses gamification in classroom contexts. 

Compose a formal written response that addresses the following;

Content Instructions

• Gamification Influences (1 point): Evaluate the potential influences gamification can have on teaching and learning.
• Gamification and Motivation (1 point): Evaluate the science behind learner motivation and its connection with gamification.
• Differentiation Support (2 points): Analyze how gamifying supports differentiated ways to teach and learn.
• Technologies (1 point): Discuss how specific technologies and gamification are being used to enhance teaching and learning and motivate learners.

Written Communication Instructions

• Length Requirement (1 point): Five to seven pages including the title and references pages.
• Syntax and Mechanics (1 point): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.
• Source Requirement (1 point): Utilize at least three sources in addition to TED (2010) video. All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.
• APA Formatting (1 point): Use APA formatting consistently throughout the assignment. Refer to the Writing Center for assistance with APA style and formatting or your copy of the APA Style Manual.

follow the template that I have provided for you and used it to complete assignment

 Edyburn, D. L. (2013). Inclusive technologies: Tools for helping diverse learners achieve academic success (2nd ed.). Bridgepoint Education. 

You must complete the required textbook readings in preparation for the Poetry Essay. This will equip you to objectively respond to the readings by compiling information from a variety of sources in order to compose a persuasive analysis of a literary work. You will also learn to follow standard usage in English grammar and sentence structure; identify the theme and structure of each literary selection and the significant characteristics or elements of each genre studied; and evaluate the literary merit of a work (Syllabus MLOs: A, B, C, D, F, G and Module/Week 5 LOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

In Module/Week 5, you will write a 750-word (approximately 3 pages) essay that analyzes 1 poem from the Poetry Unit. Before you begin writing the essay, carefully read the below guidelines for developing your paper topic and review the Poetry Essay Grading Rubric to see how your submission will be graded. Gather all of your information, plan the direction of your essay, and organize your ideas by developing a 1-page thesis statement and outline for your essay as you did for your Fiction Essay. Format the thesis statement and the outline in a single Microsoft Word document using current MLA, APA, or Turabian style, whichever corresponds to your degree program; check your Perrine’s Literature textbook, the Harbrace Essentials Handbook, and/or the link contained in the Assignment Instructions Folder, to ensure the correct citation format is used. 

The final essay must include, a title page (see the General Writing Requirements), a thesis/outline page, and the essay itself followed by a works cited/references/bibliography page of any primary and/or secondary texts cited in the essay.

You must submit the thesis and outline by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 4 for instructor feedback.

You must submit the Poetry Essay by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 5.

Guidelines for Developing Your Paper Topic

The “Writing about Literature” section of your Perrine’s Literature textbook (pp. 1–54) and the “Writing” section of Harbrace Essentials (pp. 1–12, 18–21, 22–28) provide pointers which will be helpful for academic writing in general, and more specifically for your literary essay. Be sure that you read this section before doing any further work for this assignment. Take particular notice of the examples of poetry essays on pp. 43–48 of Perrine’s Literature.

Choose 1 (ONE) of the poems from the list below to address in your essay:

• “The Lamb,” or “The Tiger,” or “The Chimney Sweeper” by William Blake

• “Batter my heart, three-personed God” or “Death Be Not Proud” by John Donne

• “Journey of the Magi” by T. S. Eliot

• “God’s Grandeur” or “Spring” by Gerard Manley Hopkins

• “Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats

• “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

• “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning

• “Sailing to Byzantium” by William Butler Yeats

• “The Road Not Taken” or “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost

• “It Sifts from Leaden Sieves” or “There’s No Frigate Like a Book” by Emily Dickinson

• “Ulysses” by Alfred Lord Tennyson

• Psalm 1 or 23

• “Virtue” by George Herbert

• “That Time of Year” (Sonnet 73) by William Shakespeare

Consider answering the following questions about the poem that you have chosen:

• What is/are the theme(s) of the poem?

• Is there a literal setting or situation in the poem? What lines from the poem tell the reader this information? What details does the author include?

• Is the setting symbolic?

• How would you describe the mood of the poem? What elements contribute to this mood?

• Is the title significant to the poem’s content or meaning? How?

• What major literary devices and figures of speech does the poet use to communicate the theme(s)?

• How are rhyme and other metrical devices used in the poem? Do they support the poem’s overall meaning? Why or why not?

• Is the identity of the poem’s narrator clear? How would you describe this person? What information, if any, does the author provide about him or her?

• Does the narrator seem to have a certain opinion of or attitude about the poem’s subject matter? How can you tell?

NOTE: These questions are a means of ordering your thoughts while you collect information for your essay. You do not need to include the answers to all of these questions in your essay; only include those answers that directly support your thesis statement.

 Your responses to your classmates must be substantive. Share ideas, explore differences, and think critically about your classmates’ posts. Bring in information from your textbook, classroom resources or other credible sources that you find to contribute to the discussion. You are invited to share relevant audio, video, or images in your responses. You must cite and reference any sources you use, even in your responses to your classmates. It must be at least 100 words.

PEER RESPONSE:

 Academic integrity is the students’ dedication even in difficult times to follow the five fundamental education values. The values include trust, responsibility, honesty, respect, and fairness (Eaton, 2017). These values are crucial to me as a scholar and professional because they guide the academic community to interpret principles into actions. Ahmed (2018) believes academic integrity can be incorporated into the orientation program of new college students. Providing students with enough information before they are affected by an existing culture of cheating, for instance, is essential in maintaining and restoring academic honesty.

Some of the elements of academic dishonesty include plagiarism and cheating. Eaton (2017) describes plagiarism as literary theft, a sin, or a violation. The online writing article chosen has elements of plagiarism and cheating. Plagiarism can be considered the act of borrowing another academician’s texts or inappropriate citation. The author does not cite information from where he obtained them. Guest writing and ghostwriting are sometimes considered part of the plagiarism group. In medical sciences, guest writing is frequent because it allows the real author to use another author to write their paper to get credibility (Eaton, 2017). Cheating is an academic violation that entails using study guides in examinations, using unauthorized materials or using other students’ information during an academic exercise. The fact that the author uses material without citing can also be considered cheating because unauthorized content from another article.

The strategy I will use to avoid plagiarism and cheating mainly acknowledging that some information from my work is borrowed by citing the authors. Information borrowed from other academicians can be paraphrased and cited or used as a direct quote and cited. I can avoid cheating by sticking to academically qualified sources and reducing the pressure from factors that might force me to cheat in exams. For instance, working part-time can be stressful during the exam period. I can therefore increase my study hours by taking a break from work to concentrate on preparing for the examination. As a scholar, I owe my readers accurate information generated from critical evaluation of authorized material and acknowledging other academicians’ work.

References

Ahmed, S. S. (2018). Impact of cheating university examination on quality of education in Kenya: a case of Umma University, Kenya. European Journal of Education Studies, 5(1), 272-287. https://oapub.org/edu/index.php/ejes/article/viewFile/1939/4576

Eaton, S. E. (2017). Comparative analysis of institutional policy definitions of plagiarism: A pan-Canadian university study. Interchange, 48(3), 271-281. https://prism.ucalgary.ca/bitstream/handle/1880/106472/Eaton-2017.pdf?sequence=2