Writing Assignment

Writing AssignmentTitle: Assignment #1 – Media Violence
Introduction: This assignments enables the student to understand the strain theory.
This assignment fulfills/supports

• Module Outcome: You will be able to explore how recent events have affected how we experience race.
• Course Outcome: You will be able to describe and study historical forces and events that have influenced the intersection of race and ethnicity in the United States.
• General Education Competency
   You will be able to communicate effectively using the American Standard English in professional and academic environments.
  You will be able to use critical thinking to analyze problems and make logical decisions.
  You will be able to demonstrate computer literacy.

Assignment #1 – Media Violence
      Given today’s media presentation of examples of racial violence, one might believe this is a new trend. How might the increase of available videos and photos of racial violence distort the current understandings of the history of racial violence in America? How has increased access to technology influenced ways we consume information about racial violence? How does the increased availability of coverage of racial violence influence the modern social construction of race?Develop an essay addressing all of the above questions.
Acceptable Length: 2-3 pagesFormatting Requirements:

• Put your name, course and section number, and assignment title at the top of the document. 
• Use one-inch margins. 
• Use a 12-point Times New Roman font. 
• Use double line spacing in the document. 
• Use MLA_Citation_Style 

Prior to beginning work on this discussion, please review the National Gang Center’s About the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model (Links to an external site.)    https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Comprehensive-Gang-Model/About web page. Select one of the program evaluations available on the National Gang Center web page for review. You may also want to review the recommended resources, Chapter 3 in your text which covers theories of delinquency, as well as the help guides for PowerPoint (Links to an external site.) and Screencast-O-Matic (Links to an external site.). Then develop a short presentation the case. Your presentation should:

• Identify the program evaluation you selected.
• Describe the program’s approach, goals, and intended outcomes.
• Explain how outcomes were measured.
• Which of the theories identified in Chapter 3 does the program align with?
• Explain whether the program has been deemed effective.
  • If the program was deemed effective, what were the key elements that contributed?
  • If the program was not deemed effective, what key elements were missing?
• Evaluate the evidence on effectiveness and outcome measurement provided.
  • Is it evidence- or anecdotally-based?

Your presentation will be a combination of slides containing visuals and bullet points, as well as narration of the content. PowerPoint (Links to an external site.) or any other presentation software may be used to create a visual presentation of your research design. Narration is required so you will need to record your presentation using Screencast-o-matic (Links to an external site.) or similar software. You are not required to be on camera but may choose to be on camera if you want to do so. Support your claims with examples from the required materials and a minimum of one journal article that you find using the Ashford University Library. You can use your research article in your Final Paper, due in Week 5.

The file for the presentation should be attached or embedded in your post for your peers to review, please do not link to outside locations. The following presentation resources are available in the Ashford Writing Center for you to use:

• How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation Guide (Links to an external site.)
• Presentation Tips (Links to an external site.)

Your presentation should have a minimum of five content slides (excluding title and references slides) and be at least three minutes long. Support your presentation with examples from this week’s required materials and other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references either in-text on bullet points or in the notes section and reference slide. You must use at least one scholarly or credible professional resource to support your presentation. The presentation must include a title and references slide for sources cited in the body of the presentation.

************Narration must be wrote in detail in the notes section or in a separate word document!!!!!!*********

 

Mars Inc. is considering the purchase of a new machine which will reduce manufacturing costs by $5,000 annually.  The machine falls into the MACRS 3-yr class, (33%, 45%, 15%, and 7%) and it would be sold at the end of its 2-year operating life for $1,800. The machine would require an increase in net working capital by $2,000 when the machine is installed, but required working capital will return to the original level when the machine is sold after 2 years. Mars’s marginal tax rate is 40 percent, and it uses a 12 percent cost of capital to evaluate projects of this nature. If the machine costs $6,000 and the installation cost is $1,000, what is the project’s NPV?

If the answer is $123.45, enter 123.45 (two decimals).

 

The Marcos Company issued $100,000 of 30-year, $1,000 par value bonds with a coupon rate of 7% ten years ago.  The bonds with a call price of $1,040 were sold at a discount of $30 per bond.  The initial flotation cost was $6,000.  The company wishes to sell a $100,000 new issue of 6%, 20-year bonds in order to retire its existing bonds.  The company intends to sell its new bonds at their face value of $1,000 per bond.  The flotation costs of the new issue are estimated to be $8,000.  The company’s marginal tax rate is 40% and the new bonds are sold three months before the old bonds are called. What is the annual net cash outflow (ANCO) on the old bonds?

If the answer is $5,500, just enter 5500 without dollar sign or comma.

 You are considering the purchase of a common stock that just paid a dividend of $4.00 (D0 = $4.00). You expect this stock to have a growth rate of 8 percent per year for two years from t=0 to t=2, and then to have a long‑run normal growth rate of 4 percent from t=2. If you require a 14 percent rate of return, how much should you be willing to pay for this stock? 

  

S‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‍TRATEGIC CHOICES Assignment Overview The Case in this course is an ongoing exercise, meaning that we will continue to review one company over the course of our four modules. In Module 3, we will be conducting a strategic analysis of Pepsico. Specifically, the Module 3 Case requires that you identify the primary business strategy employed by Pepsico. You will also be providing a critical, written analysis evaluating that strategy in the context of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats you identified in Module 2.

Required Reading Refer to the required and optional readings related to strategic choices, the theme of Module 3. Case Assignment In a 6- to 8-page paper, respond to the following: Which of the four generic (Porter) strategies does Pepsico follow, and how do you know? Integrate the strategy you have identified above with the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats you identified in Module 2 (this exercise should provide you with some specific actions the company should be taking relative to its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. These actions are referred to as “strategic choices”).

Do Pepsico’s strategic choices align with the firm’s generic strategy? If not, what are the specific points of disconnect? Think critically about this step, as no company achieves perfect alignment of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats with its chosen strategy. As the MBA, it is your job to uncover the discrepancies and problems. How can Pepsico leverage its strengths and shore up its weaknesses by altering its strategic choices? How can the company take advantage of environmental opportunities and minimize environmental threats by altering its strategic choices? Be specific.

Complete the paper by commenting on how your view of Pepsico’s vision and mission has changed or has been reconfirmed by this proce‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‍ss of strategic analysis. Would you make any suggestions to revise the company’s vision, mission, or values statements, or to any of its goals/objectives? 5. Consider the Case as a formal business report that you are developing for the Board of Directors and CEO as Pepsico’s consultant. This is a professional document. Follow the format below: Executive summary: This is a synopsis of the main points, conclusions, and recommendations made in the longer report. https://proficientacademichelpers.com/essayquestions/

If you would like a refresher on writing an executive summary, check this website: Introduction: State the main purpose of the paper (thesis statement), what you hope to accomplish, and how you will go about doing it. Main Body: The “meat” of the paper. Emphasize analysis, not just description. Delineate separate topics or sections with headings. Conclusion: Summarize your paper in light of your thesis statement. Assignment Expectations Your paper will be evaluated using the grading rubric.

Tips and Suggestions Business school case-study assignments are meant to offer practice opportunities for future business people who are earning their MBA degrees. Consider yourself a consultant hired by the company to make these critical assessments. There are no right or wrong answers to the Case question, as long as your position is well defended. Study the theoretical concepts provided in the Background materials section of the module, and identify main strategy concepts.

Include a cover page and reference page, in addition to the 6-8 pages of analysis described above. Include section headings as appropriate. Cite and reference all sources, including those that you paraphrase. This means include citations and quotation marks for direct quotes of more than five words, and citations for information you have “borrowed” or paraphrased from other s‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‍ources.

!!!PLEASE READ ABOUT THE HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION BELOW BEFORE STARTING ASSIGNMENT!!!!

Healthcare Organization

In this assignment, a non-profit organization that aims to promote care for patients with hypertension and diabetes will be created. The type of organization created is a specialized healthcare center that promotes the provision of effective healthcare services to patients who suffer from diabetes and hypertension. Additionally, the organization will create awareness about the conditions that may increase the risk of an individual contracting the two diseases. The name of the healthcare facility will be ‘Preventative Care Clinic.’

The facility mission will be “to increase the quality of life for the people battling diabetes and hypertension by providing high-quality patient-centered care to them as well as educating the population on the best ways that may be used to prevent oneself from suffering from the two illnesses.” The vision of the facility will be “to create an environment where the people with diabetes and hypertension can access care services regardless of their level of income.”

‘Preventative Care Clinic’ aims to identify the victims of diabetes and hypertension and provide them with the appropriate care that is needed as well as availing the necessary resources to them. By doing this, the clinic will promote the increase of the quality of life among the individuals who have diabetes and hypertension. Hypertension and diabetes are some of the lifestyle diseases that are increasing at a higher rate daily. Thus, by promoting effective care to the people who have illnesses, the health outcomes of the population will be promoted. 

The healthcare facility will offer services such as identifying individuals with diabetes and hypertension and providing effective care to them by addressing their individual needs, providing nutritional counseling, providing eye, foot, and skin care to patients, Medicare care, promoting patient’s awareness on managing medical interventions and ensuring the utilization of coping mechanisms for chronic illnesses. Preventative Care Clinic will be located in Austin, Texas due to Texas being one of the states in the U.S. with the lowest standards of healthcare services. Additionally, Texas has a high percentage rate of uninsured and underinsured residents, therefore, locating the healthcare facility in the location will ensure that many residents have access to the healthcare facility. Preventative Care Clinic will be medium-sized healthcare facility which will enable the facility to attend and service more patients in the location. The approximate number of employees that will be required will be 350. 

Data Examination

As indicated above, the healthcare facility will be located in Austin, Texas. The city has a total population of 978,908 (City Data, n.d.). In the population of Austin, 99% of the population is in the urban area while only 1% is in the rural area. The proportion of the male population is 50.6% which is 495,694 people (City Data, n.d.). On the other hand, the female population of 483,214 makes up 49.4 % of the population in the city. The median age of the residents in Austin is 33.9 years (City Data, n.d.). The estimated household income in the city is $75,413 whereas the per capita income as of 2019 was $46,217. The estimated median house value is $378,300. In Austin, the population of Whites is 477,668, the population of Hispanics is 318,016, the population of Asian is 79,536, the population of African Americans is 72,334, the population of American Indians is 2,796 whereas the rest of the races constitutes 1,260 people (City Data, n.d.). 

Texas has one of the worst healthcare systems in the United States. Considering that Austin is the capital city of the state, it is assumed to have better health facilities, however, the healthcare facilities are below average in comparison to the data on healthcare facilities in the rest of the United States. The state of a high number of uninsured and underinsured people, tough Medicaid regulations, and lack of quality healthcare services providence to the patients that has resulted in some of the highest rates of disease and death. Texas is ranked the fourth last state in the United States to have poor healthcare facilities by the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (Callaghan et al., 2019. 

Some of the common medical conditions in Austin include cancer, heart disease, chronic lung disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and obesity (Callaghan et al., 2019). Unfortunately, these medical conditions are some of the most expensive preventable chronic illnesses in Austin. As a result, ‘Preventative Care Clinic’ has chosen to concentrate on the provision of care to diabetes and hypertension patients due to these chronic illnesses having the possibility to result in other detrimental illnesses if not well controlled. Additionally, since the healthcare industry in Austin is poor and with a high uninsured rate of people, the healthcare facility, ‘Preventative Care Clinic’, is fit for this location to provide high-quality healthcare services at very affordable rates to the low-income earners (Callaghan et al., 2019). 

Some of the types of healthcare facilities located in Austin, Texas include hospitals, outpatient clinics, hospices, long-term care facilities, specialized care centers, and outpatient care centers (Callaghan et al., 2019). Some the healthcare facilities that are located in Austin include Austin Surgical Hospital, Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, Scoot & White Hospital, St. David’s Medical Center, Cedar Park Regional Medical Center, Northwest Hills Surgical Hospital, Seton Medical Center Austin, and University Medical Center Brackenridge (Travis County Health and Human Services Department, 2016). 

‘Preventative Care Clinic’ will be different from the other healthcare facilities in the area as it will focus on the providence of diabetes and hypertension care to its patients. Additionally, the healthcare facility will be a non-profit healthcare facility thus indicating that it will charge very low and affordable prices to its patients. Moreover, residents identifying as low-income families and those that are uninsured and underinsured will be qualified to access the offered healthcare services that will be provided in the healthcare facility. 

Organization Dynamics and Structure

The healthcare facility will have a managerial team and a board of managers. The c-level executives and the departmental managers will be employed based on their merit. Being employed based on merits indicates that individuals with a lot of experience will be hired to fill the positions because such individuals will ensure that the healthcare facility is successful. Since Preventative Care Clinic is a non-profit healthcare facility, it is essential to ensure that the managers are effective with ensuring that the amount charged to the clients is enough to cater for the running costs. Alternatively, managers should pitch the aim of the organization to non-governmental organizations to acquire the funding that will enable the healthcare facility to cater to the low-income earners that are underinsured (Mick and Shay, 2014). 

The healthcare facility will have several departments including the pharmacy department, finance department, human resource department, research department, outpatient department, inpatient department, physical medicine and rehabilitation department, counseling department, and medical department. The governing board of the healthcare facility will consist of people who have a plethora of experience in the healthcare industry and the required education. The board will consist of members with managerial backgrounds, financial backgrounds as well as healthcare backgrounds. 

Measures to maintain diversity and cultural competence will be formulated. Since the healthcare facility will have people from various cultural backgrounds, the employees at the healthcare facility will be needed to follow the stipulated strategies that will be used to ensure that diversity is maintained (Henderson et al., 2018). Some of the strategies will be the promotion of effective communication and collaboration, encouraging feedback, and focusing on attaining the objectives of the healthcare facility such as promoting patient-centered care and patient safety (Borkowski, 2016).

Teamwork will be promoted in this healthcare facility and a visionary management style will be used in managing the healthcare facility. The process management theory will be used to influence organizational behavior (Bratton & Gold, 2017). The theory is utilized to increase the efficacy and efficiency of the processes that will be involved in the healthcare facility. The theory will also be utilized to ensure that the objectives of the healthcare facility are achieved. The target market of the healthcare facility will be individuals that have diabetes and hypertension residing in the Austin, Texas area. The healthcare facility will also target to serve the patients with diabetes and hypertension in the towns surrounding Austin. There are no special needs that will be required for the patients in ordered to be serviced in Preventative Care Clinic. Individuals of all genders and ethnicities will be treated and be provided with quality and patient-centered care while in Preventative Care Clinic. 

Recommendations and Conclusion

In a nutshell, the healthcare facility will provide care services for individuals with diabetes and hypertension in the city of Austin, Texas, and the surrounding regions. Currently, there are not specialized care healthcare facilities catering to patients with diabetes and hypertension in the area. Since the level of healthcare in Texas is low, the healthcare facility will come to revolutionize the story. One of the recommendations that may be given is to seek funding from non-governmental organizations. 

By seeking funding from non-governmental organizations will ensure that the healthcare facility can provide healthcare services to the patients with diabetes and hypertension that come from low-income earning families. Another recommendation would be to increase the conditions that the healthcare facility will provide care for by including other chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular illnesses in order to maximize possible funding. 

References

Borkowski, N. (2016). Chapter 1: Overview and history of organizational behavior. In Organizational behavior in health care (3rd ed.). Jones and Bartlett Learning: Burlington, MA. Retrieved from the Trident Online Library.

Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2017). Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.

Callaghan, T., Washburn, D. J., Nimmons, K., Duchicela, D., Gurram, A., & Burdine, J. (2019). Immigrant health access in Texas: policy, rhetoric, and fear in the Trump era. BMC health services research, 19(1), 1-8.

City Data. (n.d.). Austin, Texas (TX) profile: Population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news, sex offenders. City-Data.com – Stats about all US cities – real estate, relocation info, crime, house prices, cost of living, races, home value estimator, recent sales, income, photos, schools, maps, weather, neighborhoods, and more. https://www.city-data.com/city/Austin-Texas.html

Henderson, S., Horne, M., Hills, R., & Kendall, E. (2018). Cultural competence in healthcare in the community: A concept analysis. Health & Social Care in the Community, 26(4), 590–603. doi: 10.1111/hsc.12556. Retrieved from the Trident Online Library.

Mick, S. S., & Shay, P. D. (2014). Chapter 2: A primer of organizational theories in health care. In Advances in health care organization theory (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons: San Francisco, CA. Retrieved from the Trident Online Library.

Travis County Health and Human Services Department. (2016). CHRONIC DISEASE IN AUSTIN/TRAVIS COUNTY. AustinTexas.gov. https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Health/Chronic_Disease/Chronic_Disease_in_Travis_County___cover.pdf

Case Assignment:

Using the information from the reading above, please extend your paper by answering the questions below. 

1. Health Care Delivery and Models
   1. Categorize the organization as an MCO or ACO.
      1. Provide a rationale for the categorization.
   2. Provide a comprehensive explanation of services that will be offered by the organization/facility. Note: Services offered should meet the needs of the population identified and the dynamics of the organization/facility.
      1. Inpatient, outpatient, and/or ancillary services.
      2. Include E-Health Services.
   3. Prepare a map detailing the delivery of care (services) in the organization/facility. (See Burton, 2017, for a sample map.)
      1. Interpret and provide an explanation of the map you prepare.
2. Information Systems
   1. Describe the systems used in the organization/facility that will manage health care data.
      1. How will information be collected, stored, and managed?
      2. Identify standards, policies, and security measures used.
      3. Explain how the organization/facility will promote interoperability.
3. Operations Management
   1. Construct and explain a simple organizational chart outlining the staffing and reporting relationships within your organization (How to Create an Organization Chart).
   2. Create and explain a general strategy map (pg. 86 of McLaughlin & Olson, 2017) for your organization.
   3. Using the Operational Excellence Scale provided by McLaughlin & Olson (2017, pp. 405-406), rationalize in detail the operational tools your organization/facility will use be a “level 4” organization.
4. Quality Assurance & Accreditation
   1. Rationalize specifically how the 6 domains of Health Care Quality (by the AHRQ) are fully addressed within the organization/facility.
   2. Create a detailed risk management and patient safety plan for the organization/facility.
   3. Identify and explain two leading methods of continuous quality improvement (Plan-Do-Study-Act, Rapid Cycle Improvement, FOCUS-PCDA, Lean, Six Sigma, and/or the FADE Model) that will be used in the organization/facility.
      1. Rationalize how the methods will be used to ensure that quality and safety are kept at/above the safety rating of major hospitals in the area of the organization/facility.
      2. You may use the following source to find the Leapfrog Hospital Safety grade for hospitals in your area: https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/
   4. Assume the new organization/faciality is seeking Joint Commission (https://www.jointcommission.org/en/) accreditation. Identify and explain the major competencies this will require from management and staff.
5. Conclusions and Recommendations
   1. Bring this section to a close and provide 2 or 3 recommendations for your organization based on the information researched and identified.

REQUIRED READINGS:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.). Six domains of health care quality. Retrieved from https://www.ahrq.gov/talkingquality/measures/six-domains.html

Bauer, G. (2018). Delivering value-based care with e-health services. ACHE. Retrieved from https://www.ache.org/-/media/ache/about-ache/covid/hap/deliveringvaluebasedcarewithehealthservices5.pdf

Burton, D. A. (2017). The anatomy of healthcare delivery model: How a systematic approach can transform care delivery. Retrieved from https://downloads.healthcatalyst.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/anatomy-of-healthcare-delivery.pdf

Note: The image used is Figure 2 on page 4 of the PDF.

McLaughlin, D. B. & Olson, J. R. (2017). Chapter 4: Strategy and the balanced scorecard. Healthcare Operations Management (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press. Retrieved from the Trident Online Library.

McLaughlin, D. B. & Olson, J. R. (2017). Chapter 15: Holding gains. Healthcare Operations Management(3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press. Retrieved from the Trident Online Library.

Clark, J. S. (2010). Data analysis in health care compliance programs. Journal of Health Care Compliance, 12(3), 39-40,70-71. Retrieved from the Trident Online Library.

Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2017). Chapter 1: Major characteristics of U.S. health care delivery. In Essentials of the U.S. health care system (4th ed). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Retrieved from the Trident Online Library

Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2017). Chapter 2: Foundations of U.S. health care delivery. In Essentials of the U.S. health care system (4th ed). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Retrieved from the Trident Online Library

Optional Reading

Clarke, J., Bourn, S., Skoufalos, A., Beck, E.H., & Castillo, D.J. (2017). An innovative approach to health care delivery for patients with chronic conditions. Population Health Management, 20(1):23–30. doi:10.1089/pop.2016.0076. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5278805/#__ffn_sect

Assignment Expectations

1. Conduct additional research to gather sufficient information to justify/support your analysis.
2. CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS NEED TO BE UTILIZED
3. CITE EVERY FACT
4. Case papers should be at least 5 pages, not including the title and reference pages. 
5. Support your paper with peer-reviewed articles with at least 5 references.
   Use the following link for additional information on how to recognize peer-reviewed journals:
   • Angelo State University Library. (n.d.). Library guides: How to recognize peer-reviewed (refereed) journals. Retrieved from https://www.angelo.edu/services/library/handouts/peerrev.php
6. You may use the following source to assist in formatting your assignment:
   • Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). General APA guidelines. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
7. For additional information on reliability of sources, review the following source:
   • Georgetown University Library. (n.d.). Evaluating internet resources. Retrieved from https://www.library.georgetown.edu/tutorials/research-guides/evaluating-internet-content

POWERPOINT Expectations (PART 2)

The intent of the PowerPoint presentation is for you to transform the theoretical and general aspects, from the case assignment above, to a “Board-meeting” presentation. The PowerPoint will demonstrate the culmination of your understanding and your ability to identify the key points of your case work and transform them into relevant slides utilizing Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) software.

1.  Conduct additional research to gather sufficient information to justify/support your analysis.

2.  The PPT should be at least 10 slides, not including the title and reference pages.

3.  DO NOT COPY AND PASTE SLIDE CONTENT IN THE NOTE SECTION. The note section of EACH SLIDE should be an extemporaneous discussion of your material, with your slides simply providing highlights.