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Can you help me understand this Management question? Assume that you have a business in garden care equipment and are planning to develop one or two models of lawn tractors to serve suburban homeowners. Consider the needs of the majority of such potential customers and write at least six [top level] requirements that express these needs. Remember the qualities of good requirements as you do so. All requirements will be complete sentences and not contain design solutions.

First Question Week 8 DQ 1: What would you do? You supervise a group of 10 people in a manufacturing environment. One of your direct reports, Mitch, has confided in you that his wife has left him and has filed for divorce. He has seemed depressed, often a few minutes late for work, low-energy. One of Mitch's coworkers mentioned to you that Mitch told him he "just wanted to blast everybody", and at another time he "just wanted to close the door and turn off the lights." The coworker is concerned about Mitch. What should you do? Second Question Week 8 DQ 2: Facebook and other social media at work HR professionals are discovering the value of using Facebook, Linked In, and other social media for recruiting. Other areas in organizations such as sales have started including social media in their public relations, marketing, and sales activities.  Organizations can also have Facebook or Facebook-like social media behind their firewall so it's only accessible for company employees. What role do you believe social media should have for employees' internal communications?   Is the use of social media at work an employee's right?  Is the use of social media when off work an employee's right?  Refer to the rights described in Chapter 15.   Paper  Read this description of Paul's previous job. Then write an analysis based on the instructions at the end.  Paul, the HR Director at Bumpbie, had previously worked as Director of HR for Kelecton, a small company with 240 employees that makes software for utility companies.  The majority of employees were programmers and engineers who designed and installed proprietary software for regulating and tracking electricity and gas.  Since the company had been experiencing a 15-20% rate of growth, recruiting experienced employees was a continuing challenge due to the specialized skill sets required.  Paul left the company when he found out from a friend about the opportunity at Bumpbie.  Just before he left, he conducted an employee survey which revealed the following: 78% of the employees were satisfied with their working conditions and they enjoyed freedom and flexibility to perform their jobs without strict supervision 70% felt their workloads were adequate – not too heavy, not too light 55% felt safe, with little danger of occupational hazards associated with their physical environment.  There were comments, presumably from the 45% who did not feel safe, that some of the utility plants where they worked on installations were not as safe as they should be 89% felt there were few if any opportunities to improve their skills 87% responded there were no promotion opportunities 74% felt there was little relationship between their performance and their pay.  There were numerous comments that performance reviews hadn’t been done on time or hadn’t been done at all.  Other comments indicated arbitrary treatment and favoritism of some employees. 56% felt their benefits were below average or poor.  Note: since many employees had previously worked for large utilities, Kelecton’s benefits probably did not compare favorably with those offered by the larger organizations.     Paul informally shared the survey results with the CEO, CFO, and VP of Operations.  They indicated concern for many items, but also pointed out that finances were stretched to the limit in order to fund their continuing growth.  They asked Paul to draw up a conceptual plan that would address the majority of the employees’ concerns “without breaking the bank.”   The next step was to meet and discuss the conceptual plan and give Paul direction as to next steps and priorities.     Develop a draft, 950-1200 words, of the plan Paul would have done if he had stayed.  The plan is a means to identify, on a general level, the options for management to consider and for Paul to pursue further.  Assume there is not sufficient time to assemble specific costs for the various options, but take into consideration what you have learned from the text about general costs and savings.  The plan should include:            - Changes to be made to current systems, processes, policies, and activities based on survey results, with your rationale for these changes - Prioritize the changes in order of least to most expensive - It is acceptable to make assumptions and/or add details that have not been provided   

Unfortunately, unethical—and sometimes illegal—financial practices are a common source of difficulty for many companies. You have undoubtedly heard one or more news stories in the past several years of companies who have found themselves under scrutiny due to questionable transactions. Some of these unethical practices include manipulating financial statements with schemes such as accelerating revenues, using off-balance sheet items to hide expenses or book phantom profits, delaying expenses, channel stuffing, earnings manipulation, and other arrangements. Companies need to be held responsible for these tactics, as an ethical workplace environment starts at the top. In this Discussion, you and your colleagues will explore the factors that contribute to unethical financial practices in an organization. To prepare for this Discussion: Identify a company in the news that has been involved with an unethical practice related to financial reporting methods within the last 5 years. Review the Academic Writing Expectations for 2000/3000-Level Courses, provided in this week’s Learning Resources. By Day 3 Post a 150- to 225-word (2- to 3-paragraph) explanation of unethical practices related to financial reporting methods for a selected business. In your explanation, do the following: Briefly describe the company you identified that was involved in an unethical practice related to financial reporting. Explain what the unethical practice related to financial reporting methods is. Explain how you think something like this can happen at a company. Specifically, what are the contributing factors for this instance, as well as in general? Describe what measures you would put in place to prevent situations like this from occurring in the future. To support your response, be sure to reference at least one properly cited scholarly source.

 Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you explain operation management's role in business today.

Think of a change in your own company or a company with which you are familiar. Who were the stakeholders in this change? Discuss what concerns different stakeholders might have and how communication is needed to address those concerns. need discussion Arthur Calloway 21 hours ago, at 10:57 PM The most recent change in my organization had to do with the organizational structure. The leadership decided that there needed to be a big shift in how operations were being preformed. The organizational structure was flat. The new change was to make it hierarchical. The reason that the change needed to happen was the enterprise is growing at such a fast rate. There was no ability to make sure that the standards were the same across the enterprise. The concerns of the other sites was autonomy. They want to make sure that they get the ability to have say in the policies and procedures created. There were also feelings of uncertainty. This new change requires us to hire two new managers. This means that there will be some time where they will not have a manager at their site. This is leaving the team in a proverbial limbo state. New changes will not be made until the new manager is brought on board. The need to eliminate doubt is the most important aspect of a good change management strategy. We have done this by providing support and interim policies that are rigid enough to provide stability. These policies are also flexible enough for the new manager to be able to revise when they get on site. Stefani Alvarez In a previous post I talked about how Blockbuster started to create a distribution system to keep up with Netflix, only for the shareholders to dislike the system due to its cost. The concerns these shareholders had was not unwarranted, as the system they had in place was costly. Not too long after the system was put into place the then CEO was fired and replaced, and the company declared bankruptcy three years later. These shareholders were one of the reasons the Then CEO was replaced, and why the next CEO decided to focus on the physical stores over competing with Netflix, which was the downfall of Blockbuster. If the lines of communication was open and well thought out, maybe the CEO and shareholders could have prevented the bankruptcy of the company by creating a different, more cost efficient system.

A new employee, with spouse and two children, joins your company at age 24 making $40,000 per year. Currently, banks are paying 5% interest on saving accounts, and the rate of return on the company stock is 4% per year. During benefits enrollment, the employee stated that she would like to retire at age 60 with $3 million in her retirement account. Your organization has a cafeteria style Benefit plan. Compare the following retirement options for this particular employee :  401(k) - Defined Contribution (+25% matching) Pension - Defined Benefit Annuities IRA ROTH IRA Company stock plan (ESOP) Estate planning Determine which retirement option(s) you would choose if you were this employee. Explain why. Assess the factors this employee should consider when selecting a retirement plan.

Instructions Proposing a Project part 1: For this course, the main deliverable, which is a simple project plan, is due in Unit VIII. The outline for the final project plan is below.    Project Overview (Units II, III, IV)    a. Unit II    i. Finalized Purpose, Scope, and Objectives    ii. Project Deliverables    iii. Project Organization    b. Unit III    i. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)    ii. Task Description Documentation    iii. Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS)    c. Unit IV    i. Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)    ii. Project Charter    iii. Quality Plan    Project Schedule (Unit V)    a. Finalized Activity List with Duration Estimates and Predecessors    b. Completed Network Diagram    c. Gantt Chart    Project Budget (Unit VI)    a. Project Resources    b. Other Costs    c. Cost Estimates    d. Final Estimated Project Budget    Risk Assessment – Create a risk assessment matrix (Unit VII)    a. Risk Identification    b. Mitigation Strategies    Project Closeout (Unit VIII)    a. Close Cost Accounts    b. Lessons Learned Please review the following three projects for ABC Company. ABC Company can be a part of any industry that you have knowledge of or that interests you. You will begin the project plan in this unit by choosing one of the three projects listed below to adopt as your own.    Workshop: You are a project manager and have been tasked with creating a new offsite leadership workshop that will run quarterly for at least 8 hours per workshop. The workshop will be able to seat 20 employees from ABC Company and may have differing topics and instructors from quarter to quarter. You will need to involve at least six different departments in this project.    New Product: You are a new product development employee at ABC Company. You have an idea for a new product or service that your company should create and sell. After discussing it with leadership, your idea has been accepted. You have been assigned as the project manager for this project. You will need to involve at least six different departments in this project.    Philanthropic Coalition: You work in the human resources (HR) department and have been tasked with the creation of a philanthropic coalition at ABC Company. In other words, ABC wants to give back to the community by using some budgeted company funds and in partnership with employee contributions and other local organizations' contributions. You are the project manager who is tasked with planning and implementing this endeavor, but you will not be the leader of the coalition once it is up and functioning satisfactorily. You will need to involve at least six different departments in this project. part 2: Then, you will prepare a preliminary project proposal of at least two pages that includes the elements below.    Identify the industry that ABC Company is a part of and the project that you have chosen from the list above.    Discuss your understanding of the purpose of the project and the objectives.    Explain any assumptions and benefits.    Provide a discussion of the constraints for this project.    Provide a preliminary list of at least 20 activities associated with this project.    Explain your approach to building a project team for this project. 

1. What purpose does culture serve for an organization? 2. Describe the Mayo Clinic’s culture from the perspective of espoused values and enacted values. 3. Using the perspective of the functions of organizational culture, explain the impact of Mayo’s values and ideals. 4. What role has the Mayo Clinic’s compensation system played in developing and maintaining its culture? 5. Do you think the Mayo Clinic’s culture provides a good model for other healthcare organizations? Why or why not?

In this project, you will demonstrate an understanding of management and leadership skills and leadership styles.  You will read a case scenario and apply what you have learned to make a recommendation for a new position with Wonder Products. Scenario You are currently working as an associate reporting to the Senior Lead Consultant for Management Consultants.  The Senior Lead Consultant has been contacted by Paula Stiles, head of Human Resources for Wonder Products. Wonder Products currently produces and distributes organic food products to major retailers such as Whole Foods that in turn are sold to the public.  Wonder Products has decided to start producing and distributing a line of all-natural energy bars with its existing contracted clients.  Paula explained that she has been working to complete the initial phase of the planning process for a new division within the company that will be called the Energy Bars Division.     As Wonder Products launches the Energy Bars Division to design, develop and deliver energy bars, the company will need to bring in a Senior Manager to manage and lead this division and will be responsible for bringing the division together to operate as a well-oiled machine.  The desire is that the new Senior Director for the Energy Bars Division have both management and leadership traits and will be open to innovative ways to create products that contain all-natural products that help maintain steady blood sugar levels.  These products will not only be popular among the traditional Wonder Products customer base, but also will be the face of the organization when marketing company products.  The Senior Lead Consultant has asked you to help conduct a candidate search for the position of Senior Director for the Energy Bars Division.   Partnering with Number One Management Consultants, Paula will be vetting three potential candidates who will be expected to jump in and begin the development of management plans that will be used to establish the new division.  The transcripts from the interviews of the three potential candidates have been given to the Management Consultants team who will help Paula.  The new Senior Director will be a Manager of the 21st Century who will be able to instill the culture, value and traditions of Wonder Products into the employees hired as managers and employees.  In the beginning, the Senior Director will be the face of Wonder Products’ marketing brand.  In addition, the new Senior Director will need to be able to motivate not only the employee base of these new products but also motivate a new customer base for Wonder Products on the ‘difference’ Wonder Products will bring to the Energy Bars industry.   Currently, the Energy Bars industry consists of many well-established companies, and a strong entry will be key to grab market share.  Innovative and well-made products, good marketing, and a clear strategy will be critical to a strong entry, so bringing in a strong director will be key.  Candidate Summary of Transcripts Nancy Drew Nancy has spent the past 20 years working for Star Lite Foods, a mid-sized vegetarian food company currently operating out of Arizona, which recently was bought by a large health food company looking to expand to Energy Bars.  For the past three years Nancy has served as the Vice President of the New Product Design and Marketing Department where, according to her statements in the interview, she oversaw a team of workers who made decisions about what products to pursue and the amount of marketing each product should receive.  Nancy admitted that she likes to delegate because she feels her team of workers need the freedom to make choices.  Nancy boasted that the team was instrumental in helping Star Lite gain a double-figure increase in market share.  Before being named as a vice president for Star Lite, Nancy worked for 10 years as a Regional Manager in Idaho responsible for sourcing vegetables from regional farms.  During her run as a Regional Manager she was responsible for making visits farms to help develop a whole farm business plan.  This type of business plan provides a 30,000-foot perspective to helps family farm businesses develop a vision and mission to keep the operations on course.  She credited her success in that role to her ability to get local farmers to work together to develop cooperative opportunities between farms.  Instead of farmers working independently, they had the benefit of group decision making.  A program was implements called, Community Communications created by Nancy to keep farmers apprised of the latest news in farming and to encourage the building of relationships.  Nancy utilized the assistance of her staff to set up a blog, a website for members of the farming community with the latest up-to-date sources of information for farming learning initiatives, activities and strategic goals and plans.  The latest initiative was to implement social media channels for news and information.  The previous seven years with the company were spent climbing the corporate ladder starting with the company in the production line at the Michigan plant where the company got its start.  During her interview Nancy suggested that Wonder Products should consider getting into the Energy Bars industry with less focus on sustainability and green initiatives as it can be a difficult industry for new entrants.  Nancy proposed focusing on making quality products that can be sourced from local vendors.  She stated that once established, the company could initiate a move to being more environmentally and attentive to the well-being of consumers.   Nancy proudly stated that she likes to surround herself with good people whose behavior is better than hers.  In her cover letter, Nancy stated that she is an experienced executive with a successful track record. Dane Evers Dane Evers started Evers Vegetarian Foods 12 years ago that currently has $400M in annual sales.  In a recent acquisition, Wonder Products agreed to purchase Evers Vegetarian Foods.  As part of the settlement, Dane was promised a senior position with Wonder Products.  The agreement also made accommodations for several of the key managers and employees to work for Wonder Products as Dane expressed his gratitude and respect for these employees who were highly skilled, educated and experienced employees.  In the interview, Dane shared that he encourages these staff members to get involved in both major and minor discussions stating that he like to think of the business as a family.  Everyone calls each other by their first names and Dane indicated that everyone is willing to roll up their sleeves to meet deadlines.  Dane admitted that while he depends on the people that comprise Evers Vegetarian Foods, that he likes to be immersed in the business and always wants to stay informed as to what is happening with every department.  He laughed and indicated that likes to know the facts so that the most rational decisions can be made.  He also shared that he has limited experience with Marketing but believes that he believes that since he has been leading Evers Vegetarian Foods through its growth that he could easily manage Wonder Products into a new venture.  Dane  feels confident he is the best candidate and is a front runner for the position. Joe Johnson Joe Johnson has been working for Wonder Products as the Deputy Executive Director of the Southern Division for the last year mainly focused on helping the Flavorful Soybean Spreads branch become more environmentally and human friendly.  Joe holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Baltimore.  Before coming to Wonder Products, Joe was the production manager at the San Diego faculty for 12 years.  He was highly regarded within the employee ranks as a fair manager who is interested in increasing the confidence in abilities and commitment of his employees.  During the interview Joe stated that his direct reports frequently comment that Joe is willing to commit the time to focus on the task while taking the time to listen and offer advice to his workers.  At one point in the interview, Joe commented that he believes in engaging workers by encouraging them to develop skills to progress to the next level.  When employees reach the next level, he sees himself as a manager who focuses more on the employee than the tasks by supporting these workers to ensure work continues to be done at the required level.  For some of the workers, Joe indicated that he empowers workers to take the ball and run with it.  Joe admitted he does not have any marketing experience to help be the face of the new product, but has a strong desire to work on those skills and believes he has the managerial and leadership skills to guide the team to success.  Joe stated in his cover letter that although he has limited experience, he believes he would be a good fit for the new position because he is committed to Wonder Products employees who lives its core values and has a firm understanding of the company’s vision and mission.  He has a strong desire to see the company become a leader in energy bars  and he believes his degree in chemical engineering and his desire to be a leader at Wonder Products makes him the best candidate for the position. Instructions:  You have been asked to review the three candidates and make a recommendation for the Senior Manager position.  The new Senior Manager will have a lot of responsibility in managing and leading.  You will evaluate each of the three candidates considering each candidate’s full body of experience and how their experience aligns with Paula’s expectations for the new position as well as how each candidate will lead within the context of Wonder Products desire to create all-natural products.   Use the following headings and instructions to complete the project: Introduction Write an Introduction paragraph.The Introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper and will be used to describe to the reader the intent of the paper explaining the main points covered in the paper.  This intent should be understood prior to reading the remainder of the paper so the reader knows exactly what is being covered in the paper.  Consider writing the introduction last to ensure that all of the main points are covered. Management and Leadership Skills/Style Identify and discuss the management skills that each candidate possesses. Identify and discuss the leadership skills that each candidate possesses. Identify and discuss the leadership style of each candidate. Candidate Recommendation Recommend one candidate that Number One Management Consultants should recommend to Paula Stiles at Wonder Products and explain why this candidate is the best choice. Explain why the other two candidates were not selected. Conclusion Create a concluding paragraph.  The Conclusion tells a reader the main topics covered in the paper.

Several severe accidents have recently occurred in the 12 employee boiler room of City Foundry.James Worth, the boiler room supervisor, is quite upset about the situation.Just yesterday, the Foundry Plant Manager called: Plant Manager:James, what in the world is going on down there?Are you trying to put us out of business? James:If I've lectured these people about safety once, I've done it 50 times.They just don't seem to listen. Plant Manager:Accidents cost us money for repairs, lost time, and medical expenses, not to mention the human suffering involved.Your department's record is awful, and something must be done about it.Maybe you should try something new. James:I'm not sure what it will be, but I'll comeup with something. Plant Manager:Good.Please report back to me when you come up with something. James decided to discuss his problem with several other supervisors in the foundry to see what ideas they might have.One suggestion was that James schedule a weekly 10 minute safety talk by one of his employees.These talks could be on such topics as "Good Housekeeping", Using Proper Safety Guards on Equipment," "Following Procedures," and "Health Hazards."Another suggestion was that James review his department periodically and that any unsafe act discovered during his review be punished by an immediate two-day suspension for the offender.The person making this suggestion obviously believed that what James needed was to get touch.A third suggestion was that James talk personally to each employee about the department's safety problems; let the employees know that he was personally interested in each of them.A final suggestion was that James give the employee with the best safety record for the past four months a day off with pay. QUESTIONS 1.Why do you think James has been having safety problems? 2.Which of the suggestions given to James would you attempt to implement? 3.What additional ideas might you try if you were James?