After examining the chosen competitor’s segments, state if the group is cost leading or differentiating.
Team Chester- WK6
COLLAPSE
After examining the chosen competitor’s segments, state if the group is cost leading or differentiating. Provide rationale for your decision.
The cost leadership strategy focuses on competing based on price- this does not mean the goal of the company is to charge the lowest prices in the industry. A more accurate definition is charging the low prices compared to competitors within a specific target market (Short et al., 2014). The differentiation model is based on offering unique features that appeal to the specific needs of the target population- an example of applied differentiation is focusing efforts towards a single sales channel like the internet or targeting a specific demographic group like couples without children (Short et al., 2014). In relation to this project team Chester will be compared to Team Digby. After analysis of team Digbys strategy, it can be concluded this group is following a differentiation model as mentioned in previous discussions. Team Digby has based their strategy on the differentiation model since the beginning of the project competition.
Determine and define the chosen competitor’s overall strategy. Provide rationale for your decision.
Strategy creation is the analysis and planning or initiation of a design that any given company chooses to follow in order to become profitable (Harvard business review, 2005). Digby’s strategy is based on the ability to become faster, smaller, and consumer based. The strategy is consumer based and driven on consumer reports of productivity and satisfaction. Digby reports that the differentiation strategy will offer products that are unique compared to those offered by competitors in a comparable marketplace. The specifics of this strategy supports the team’s competitive advantage and increased market presence.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the chosen competitor’s strategy and decisions?
Team Digby has been successful in their research and development and product modifications. This creates a competitive advantage for the team. This team reports higher sales revenue and stock price than the majority of other teams within the competition. On the other hand, this strategy has led to an increase of employee turnover which surpasses that of other teams in the competition. “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.” Psalm 128:2 (Smith, 2021). Pursuing business guided by ethical values, will contribute to the team’s success if their energy is focused on the aspects of business that need improvement rather than always focusing on those departments that already report high performance.
If you were to become CEO of the chosen competitor group, what are the first three strategic initiatives you would implement? Why?
“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” Proverbs 13:4 (Smith, 2021). This scriipture reminds me of the importance of rewarding those who deserve praise. The company needs to decrease turnover rates so it would be wise to invest more in employee training and creating a program that focuses on employee satisfaction. Many companies now provide services to increase morale. For example, free lunches, onsite fitness and daycare centers, or meditation rooms are provided by the company to express care for their employees (Carucci, 2019).
Decreased complement in efforts to save money on staffing needs. It seems the company would probably operate more efficiently and save more funds by reassessing the staffing needs.
A higher asset turnover rate indicates a more efficiently run operation. In this case, Digby’s asset turnover is low in comparison to that of team Chester. In efforts to improve asset turnover rates a CEO should fine tune operation processes to become more efficient by training, firings, or new hires. This is dependent upon a factor of business aspects- specifically it would be most effective to focus on increasing production rates by creating new innovative products which require less work and maintain the same functional results.
References
Carucci , R. (2019, November 1). Balancing the company’s needs and employee satisfaction.
Harvard Business Review. Retrieved December 2, 2021, from
https://hbr.org/2019/11/balancing-the-companys-needs-and-employee-satisfaction
Harvard Business Essentials: Strategy: Create and Implement the Best Strategy for Your
Business. Harvard Business School Press, 2005.
Short, J., Try, D., & Edwards, J. (2014, September 12). Focused cost leadership and focused
differentiation. Mastering Strategic Management 1st Canadian Edition. Retrieved
December 2, 2021, from
Critically evaluate the drivers for seeking procedures, with reference to psychological theories of attractiveness and appearance
Medical Assessment, Consultation and Image Recording
Learning Outcome 1
Understand the external and internal motivations of persons seeking cosmetic and
aesthetic therapies.
Q No1
Critically evaluate the drivers for seeking procedures, with reference to
psychological theories of attractiveness and appearance.
Answer must include a minimum of four client dependent drivers that
require explanation and evaluation.
1.2 2 Analyse the evidence based literature for data describing the impact upon
psychological wellbeing from cosmetic/aesthetic procedures.
Learning Outcome 2
Understand strategies to identify and respond to patients needing emotional or
psychological support.
2.1
Q No1
Critically evaluate screening and diagnostic tools for persons seeking
cosmetic/aesthetic interventions.
2.2 2 Outline methods to manage patient expectations, unmet expectations, or
regret, including referral processes.
3.1
Q No1
Critically evaluate the implications of a patient-centred approach to
cosmetic aesthetic medicine.
What is the critical issue(s) confronting WCC North America?
Customer Service at Woodson Chemical Company
From the perspective of Melinda Sanders, the problems of Woodson Chemical Company (WCC) were straightforward and easily identifiable. Solutions, however, appeared to be far more difficult and complex. Sanders had just turned 29 years old and was in her sixth year of employment with WCC. After graduating from a top university in the western United States with an MBA in marketing, she had steadily progressed through a series of positions in marketing, sales, and distribution operations. Her current position is lead distribution planner in the Chemicals and Performance Products Division of WCC North America.
The most recent WCC North America customer service report revealed that “customers continually give the company average-to-poor marks in customer service performance. In particular, customers express extreme dissatisfaction with the order-information process.” Sanders was of the opinion that the more WCC sales and distribution systems were expanded, the more management and communication bottlenecks seemed to be created. She was also well aware that the issue of order information status was problematic throughout all of WCC’s North American operations. Each division had been hard at work over the past 18 months developing and instituting a variety of software packages aimed at improving its service performance. During a recent meeting with Barry McDonald, WCC North America Chemical and Performance Products Director of Customer Service, Sanders had been given a copy of a report regarding projected directions and importance ratings of customer service requirements in the chemical industry. The report stated
Customers specifically desire instantaneous access to real-time order information status. This information accessibility is necessary throughout the supply chain—from the customer’s initial inquiry to production status, shipment loading, and arrival at the final destination. A critical goal is to be able to both commit and monitor inventory from the point in time an order is placed. While the goal of integrated logistics is a major goal for many chemical companies, efforts are frequently being hindered by inadequate information systems and organization structural design.
Woodson Chemical Company
WCC was founded in 1899 by Alexander Woodson. The company originally was located in southeast Texas; in the early 1960s the corporate headquarters were moved to St. Louis to capitalize on the city’s central geographic location. Approximately one-third of WCC’s business is conducted overseas. Most arrangements are wholly owned subsidiaries; there are few industrialized countries in the world where WCC does not have some manufacturing or sales presence. WCC North America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Woodson Chemical Company, is the sixth largest chemical company in North America and produces a diversified range of chemicals used as raw materials for manufacturing in the food, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, and utility industries.
The company operates four product groups which are broken down into three divisions (see Table 1). Division 1 comprises chemicals and performance products, which are mainly used as raw materials in the manufacture and/or processing of consumer products. Division 2 is composed of two product groups: plastic products, and hydrocarbons and energy. Plastic products are utilized in numerous markets such as packaging, automotive, electrical appliances, building and construction, housewares, recreation, furniture, flooring, and health care. The hydrocarbons and energy group is concerned with the purchase of Page 424fuels and petroleum-based materials as well as the production of power and steam used to manufacture WCC’s plastics, chemicals, and metals. Division 3 comprises consumer specialties, which serve the food care, home care, and personal products markets.
TABLE 1 WCC Sales 2011–2015 ($000,000)
Division 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
1 : Chemicals and Performance Products $ 3,630 $ 3,785 $ 3,562 $ 3,165 $ 3,130
2 : Plastic Products, 4,857 4,896 5,174 4,775 4,701
Hydrocarbons and Energy 1,051 1,243 1,547 1,353 1,214
3 : Consumer Specialties
Medical Health
Agriculture
Consumer Products 2,120 2,387 3,537 3,838 4,184
Total $11,658 $12,311 $13,820 $13,131 $13,229
In terms of functional support, each division maintains its own marketing, manufacturing, logistics, and administrative departments. Currently, divisional information processing responsibilities for customer service, transportation, and warehousing are provided by the logistics group. Information processing responsibility for finance and accounting are provided by the administration group. Figure 1 (Figure 1 can be found at www.mhhe.com/bowersox5e <http://www.mhhe.com/bowersox5e>) presents the organization structure for WCC North America’s operations.
Across the four product groups, performance has varied considerably over recent years. Although chemical and performance product sales have been declining or flat, increased volume and profit improvement is projected due to growth opportunities. In Division 2, plastic products has exhibited reduced sales; although moderate growth is attainable, prices are projected to remain under pressure due to a weak global economy and considerable industry oversupply. Hydrocarbons and energy sales have declined significantly in the past 3 years; although feedstock and energy purchase costs have been reduced, lower sales have more than offset procurement savings. Industry overcapacity remains a severe problem; additional capacity coming online in developing industries in Korea and China will only exacerbate the situation. Consumer specialties continues to exhibit very strong sales gains, particularly in medical and health and consumer product categories. Agricultural sales are relatively unchanged. Steady growth for consumer specialties is projected to continue, although perhaps not at the rapid rate of the past 5 years.
A significant concern of WCC management is the major cost and expense areas of distribution and marketing (see Table 2). The company has made considerable progress in reducing the cost of purchased raw material inputs, but other category expenses are increasing at a rate in excess of sales.
TABLE 2 Selected WCC Operating Costs and Expenses—2001–2005 ($000,000)
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Costs of Goods Sold $6,864 $7,335 $9,125 $8,863 $8,893
Research and Development 540 611 795 811 902
Promotion and Advertising 291 346 447 505 557
Selling and Administrative 1,138 1,231 1,459 1,527 1,630
Total $8,833 $9,523 $11,826 $11,706 $11,982
Industry Background
Chemical manufacturing has historically been a very cyclical industry; recessions and periods of slow economic growth typically depress chemical industry sales for several years at Page 425a time. As economies begin to rebound, manufacturing picks up and chemical production often leads the U.S. economy into a recovery period.
The chemical industry’s attempts to alter its strategic planning with regard to markets and strategy are changing. The expansion of a global economy and leading-edge chemical technology have dramatically altered the manner in which the chemical industry operates today. In the past, a large, fully integrated chemical company with control of raw materials, economies of scale, and modern plants possessed significant cost advantages that could eliminate marginally efficient chemical producers throughout the world. Today, such a strategy is easily negated. The availability of cutting edge chemical technology that goes into building premier chemical plants can make a low-cost producer out of most any company that can structure an arrangement for a constant supply of chemical feedstock from an oil-producing country. Contemporary competitive advantage is typically derived from a focused market position, good raw materials supply without the heavy investment required in a completely vertically integrated structure, and a lean efficient organization structure. Industry leaders must maintain efficient resource and organization structure while they leverage their technological expertise across as many chemical applications as possible. In addition, many chemical manufacturers are diversifying into specialty chemicals in an attempt to balance the cyclical nature of their earnings.
Faced with mounting pressure to become increasingly globalized, especially during difficult economic conditions, chemical industry information systems leaders are scrambling to implement more cost-efficient and effective strategies to track and share business information. Angela Lowrey, director of WCC North America’s Information Resources Planning, says, “Better logistics information across business divisions is integral to instituting a strategic business plan. With current spending on computer information systems accounting for approximately 2 percent of corporate revenues, [business] information is a premium commodity and a potential strategic asset that many firms in our industry are just beginning to recognize.”
The determination of where to focus chemical operations is also becoming increasingly complex as the geographic nature of the industry changes economically. Uncertainty in Eastern Europe, rapid growth in the Pacific Rim, and potential markets in Latin and South America and the Caribbean have upset the traditional patterns of global chemical manufacturing. Very high research and development costs are necessary to maintain a steady stream of high-margin, new products. Environmental problems and liability issues are a significant concern for the chemical manufacturing industry. Although compliance with increasingly stringent emission controls has improved the relationships among chemical manufacturers, government, and public interest groups, the transportation and handling of hazardous materials remains a high-profile issue, particularly in North America and Western Europe.
WCC North American’s Distribution Network
WCC North America produces and sells more than 1,500 products in many different formulations, packaging containers, and labeling arrangements. The products are manufactured at one or more of the 22 manufacturing locations in the USA, and are distributed through 5 WCC distribution centers to field warehouses and then to 325 stocking points (cooperatives and dealers). Table 3 lists the WCC manufacturing plants and distribution centers located in North America.
TABLE 3 WCC North America’s Distribution Network
Manufacturing Plants Distribution Centers
Schaumburg, IL Gary, IN Reno, NV
Los Angeles, CA Omaha, NE Louisville, KY
Harrisburg, PA Spokane, WA Shreveport, LA LA
Memphis, TN Denver, CO Charlotte, NC
New Orleans, LA Little Rock, AR Omaha, NE
Shreveport, LA Raleigh-Durham, NC
St. Louis, MO Morristown, NJ
Houston, TX Toledo, OH
Lubbock, TX Wilmington, DE
Tulsa, OK Jacksonville, FL
Montgomery, AL Billings, MT
Field Warehouses (as necessary) Primary public facilities
Dealers and Cooperatives Contractual throughout North America
Chemical manufacturing does not maintain significant levels of WIP (work-in-process) inventories and managing them is typically not difficult. However, managing finished goods inventories is a considerable problem. Short customer lead times, high customer service levels, large manufacturing and distribution replenishment quantities, and long manufacturing and distribution lead times require that many products be in inventory when customer orders are received. The size and complexity of the WCC distribution network makes distribution management complex and difficult.
Page 426
According to Melinda Sanders, WCC’s management structure does not match up well to the firm’s needs of supply chain management. Recently, however, the firm has begun to implement an integrated logistics system to coordinate planning, purchasing, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution functions. Increased attention has been directed to the problems of providing manufacturing with the necessary information to determine the level of individual SKU production (via MRP) as well as how much and where to deploy products (via DRP). Improved communication among marketing, manufacturing, and distribution has led to better forecasts of IT customer demand.
However, although each division of WCC is beginning to operate in a more integrated manner, each division continues to maintain separate responsibility for customer orders and information status. Each division also designs, plans, and executes its manufacturing, warehousing, picking, and loading activities. The majority of warehouses utilized are public facilities. Transportation is provided by common and contract carriage and railroad. A significant portion of WCC’s product moves by rail; in fact, WCC owns and operates a sizeable private railcar fleet due to the specialized nature of its products. The link between transportation and customer service is a vital component at WCC. “Logistics at WCC North America’s Chemicals and Performance Products Division is a competitive tool,” says Logistics Manager Michael Davidson. “I make sure that we always have more than enough carriers on our inbound and outbound traffic lanes to keep product moving throughout our system.”
Traditionally, a general level of attention to customer service was acceptable but as WCC restructured its divisional operations by product grouping and, in particular, diversified into specialty chemicals, the requirements across divisions have become very differentiated. The complexity of customer service is additionally complicated because each division serves a considerable number of common customers, many of whom are high-volume, key accounts. WCC North America’s decentralized divisional structure has historically allowed each division to provide tailored, high-quality customer service to meet the differentiated and demanding requirements of WCC customers. The ability to tailor such services is considered a competitive strength at WCC. Sales, marketing, and cost control efforts are becoming increasingly customer responsive—the level of focus is now not only division-specific but also individual customer account-specific. In particular, the Consumer Specialties Division serves a highly time-sensitive market that includes many powerful, large retailers and mass merchandisers.
Melinda Sanders and her staff have a meeting scheduled tomorrow morning with Douglas Liddell, vice president of WCC’s Corporate Information Systems Group, to discuss the direction of WCC North America’s Chemicals and Performance Products Division. Page 427Sanders strongly believes that any investment in information systems should directly support a specific business strategy. The question is, which investments should be made and what exactly should WCC’s strategy be?
Questions
1. What is the critical issue(s) confronting WCC North America?
2. What changes, if any, should be initiated to address the critical issue(s)?
3. Identify the risks and benefits of your proposed changes from the perspective of (a) WCC North America corporate management; (b) WCC North America line distribution management; (c) WCC North America customers.
4. What would be the impact on WCC North America operations if the proposed changes were successfully implemented?
5. What changes, if any, would you recommend in WCC North America’s information processing arrangements?
6. Is Melinda Sanders in a position to properly understand WCC North America’s problems? Why or why not?
7. Do you think WCC North America’s current situation is applicable across its global operations? How, if at all, does it change the nature of the problem?
What is the difference between activity-based costing and segment profitability analysis?
Profitability Analysis at Best Potato Chips, Inc.
Aaron Delaney, logistics manager at Best Potato Chips, Inc.., was faced with a difficult task. Joe Kik, the new vice president, had circulated a letter from Best Potato Chips’ only mass merchandise customer, Value Savings Stores, complaining of poor operating performance. Among the problems cited by Value Savings Stores were: (1) frequent stockouts on store shelves (2) poor customer service responsiveness and (3) high prices for Best Potato Chips’ products. The letter suggested that if Best Potato Chips were to remain a supplier to Value Savings Stores, it would need to eliminate stockouts by: (1) providing direct store delivery four times per week (instead of three) (2) installing an automated order inquiry system to increase customer service responsiveness ($600,000 investment) and (3) decreasing product prices paid by Value by 5 percent. While the previous vice president would most certainly have begun implementing the suggested changes, Joe Kik was different. He requested that Aaron prepare a detailed analysis of Best Potato Chips’ profitability by segment. He also asked that it be prepared on a spreadsheet to permit some basic analysis. This was something that Aaron had never previously attempted, and it was needed first thing in the morning.
Company Background
Best Potato Chips, Inc., is the second largest potato chip producer in the mid-Michigan market. The company was founded in 1962 and following an unsuccessful attempt at national expansion has remained primarily a regional operation. The company currently manufactures and distributes several varieties of potato chips to three different types of retail accounts: grocery, drug, and mass merchandise. The largest percentage of business is concentrated in the grocery segment, with 450 retail customer locations accounting for Page 4286,100,000 annual unit sales and more than 65 percent of annual revenue. The drug segment comprises 240 customer locations which account for 1,200,000 annual unit sales and about 13 percent of annual revenue. In the mass merchandise segment, Best Potato Chips has one customer (Value Savings) with 36 locations that account for 2,400,000 annual unit sales and almost 22 percent of annual revenue. All distribution is store-direct, with delivery drivers handling returns of outdated material and all shelf placement and merchandising.
Recently, Best Potato Chips has actively sought growth in the mass merchandise segment because of the perceived profit potential. However, while the company is acutely aware of overall business profitability, there has never been an analysis on a customer segment basis.
Performance Statistics
Aaron recently attended a seminar at a major midwestern university concerning activity-based costing. He was anxious to apply the techniques he had learned at the seminar to the current situation, but was unsure exactly how to proceed. He did not understand the relationship between activity-based costing and segment profitability analysis, but he knew the first step in either is to identify relevant costs. Aaron obtained a copy of Best Potato Chips’ most recent income statement (Table 1).
TABLE 1 Income Statement
Income
Net Sales $17,710,00 0
Cost and Expenses
Cost of Goods Sold
Marketing, Sales, Logistics and Other Expenses
Total Costs and Expenses $11,359,000
5,312,000
$16,771,000
Earnings before Income Taxes $939,000
He also knew specific information concerning logistic costs by segment (Table 2). All deliveries were store-direct with two deliveries per week to grocery stores, one delivery per week to drug stores and three deliveries per week to mass merchandiser stores. The cost of delivery to each store was dependent on the type of vehicle used and the amount of time spent at store locations. Standard route trucks were used for drug stores and grocery stores, while extended vehicles were used to accommodate the volume at mass merchandisers.
TABLE 2 Annual Logistics Costs by Segment
Cost Category/Segment Grocery Drug Mass Merchandise e
Stocking Cost ($/Delivery) $25 $20 $50
Delivery Cost ($/Delivery) $30 $30 $55
Trade prices for grocery and drug stores were $1.90 per unit and $1.60 for Value Savings. Aaron was also aware that Value Savings Stores required Best Potato Chips to cover the suggested retail price with a sticker bearing its (reduced) retail price. The machinery required to apply these labels had an annual lease cost of $60,000.00. Labor and materials for the labels cost an additional $.06 per unit.
Conclusion
As Aaron sat in his office compiling information to complete the segment profitability analysis, he received several unsolicited offers for assistance. Bill Smith, manager marketing, urged him not to bother with the analysis:
Value Savings Stores is clearly our single most important customer. Look at the sales per store. We should immediately implement the suggested changes.
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Steve Brown, director of manufacturing, disagreed. He felt the additional manufacturing cost required to meet Value Savings Stores’ requirements was too high:
We should let Value Savings Stores know what we really think about their special requirements. Stickers, of all things! What business do they think we are in?
The sales force had a different opinion. Jake Williams felt the grocery segment was most important:
Just look at that volume! How could they be anything but our best customers?
The broad interest being generated by this assignment worried Aaron. Would he have to justify his recommendations to everyone in the company? Aaron quietly closed his office door.
Based on the available information and his own knowledge of ABC systems, Aaron needed to complete a segment profitability analysis before his meeting with Joe in the morning. With all these interruptions, it was going to be a long night.
Questions
1. What is the difference between activity-based costing and segment profitability analysis? How would you counter the arguments by other managers concerning the most attractive segments? Using relevant costs provided above, determine the profitability for each of Best Potato Chips’ business segments.
2. Based on your analysis, should Best Potato Chips consider the changes desired by Value Savings Stores? Why or why not?
3. Should Best Potato Chips eliminate any business segments? Why or why not?
4. If the price to mass merchandise stores were to increase by 20 percent, would that change your answer to the previous question?
5. Are there factors other than segment profitability that should be considered? If so, what are they?
Identify a series of code-switching junctures
Multilingualism in Society: Data Collection
For this assignment, you must:
1) Collect a 30-minute sample of naturally spoken language; the sample can be a recording of an interaction (e.g. group of friends, peers), or a compilation of media broadcasts (e.g. stand up; talk show; documentary), etc.
2) Transcribe the sample of naturally spoken language and either:
a. Identify a re-occurring linguistic feature (e.g. ethnic-speech markers in interaction);
b. Identify a series of code-switching junctures
3) Code your collected sample for the feature/junctures of interest in preparation for subsequent analysis (for this assignment, you are not required to actually do the analysis, this is just to prepare your data for later analysis. For 2(a): Choose three factors to look at when coding: for example, one factor might be linguistic (i.e. what constrains the variable), two factors might be stylistic [topic, audience] or social [gender, age]).
Coding:
By ‘coding’ we mean the translation of a spoken or written text into an analyzable format. Coding requires you to think about the different things that could affect the realisation of your variable and then to organise your data in a way that will allow you to test your hypotheses.
Say, for example, you are interested in auxiliary-verb deletion in Black British English and you draw from a 30-minute recording of an interaction with a Black British English speaker (or multiple speakers). Coding your data would entail listening to your recording, and identifying all the instances in which the feature could appear (these are called tokens). You would also want to think about the various parameters that could influence whether an overt auxiliary is present or not: linguistic factors (tense, following syntactic environment, person, etc.); social factors (sex, education, social class, age, etc.; and stylistic factors (topic, audience, genre, etc.). For each token, you would then take down the relevant information for all the factors that you previously identified. In other words, for any given token you would determine whether there is an overt copula; what the tense, following syntactic environment, person, etc. for that token is; what the sex, education, social class, age, etc. of the speaker who uttered that token are; and what the topic, audience, genre, etc. of the token are. Note that this is just a hypothetical example: you will need to determine what kinds of linguistic, social and/or stylistic factors are important to consider for your variable (and what kinds of things it will be possible for you to examine based on the data you have). Remember, you are exploring just three of
these possible factors.
Your choice of feature will influence the way that you code your data. You will still need to think about the various linguistic, social and stylistic factors that could influence the realisation of your target feature.
What are the principal considerations in determining an overall credit policy?
1. Explain the risk–return trade-off and give two examples.
2. What are the principal considerations in determining an overall credit policy? How do the actions of competitors affect a company’s credit policy?
3. Discuss the concept of leverage. Use a numerical example to illustrate the effect of leverage.
explain the purpose of consideration and why this element is necessary for contracts.
The general rule is that each contract must meet the requirement of having consideration. Before responding to this week’s discussion board, please review Chapters 12 and 13.
In a new thread, please answer the following questions:
1. Please explain the purpose of consideration and why this element is necessary for contracts. Please feel free to reference a case example in Chapter 12 to support your explanation.
2. Identify one reason why a party could potentially avoid a contract based upon lack of real consent. Please refer to Chapter 13 and use only examples from the textbook.
While replies are encouraged, they are not a factor in your grade for this discussion post. A new thread must be posted before replying to other posts. Additionally, please also be sure to stay on topic and limit your discussion to only the questions posed. Please conduct yourself in the discussion board as you would in a professional, business environment.
Write an essay offering a solution—or solutions—to the problem of opioid overdoses in the United States.
1. Opioid Overdoses
Write an essay offering a solution—or solutions—to the problem of opioid overdoses in the United States.
Your purpose is two-fold:
to convince your audience that opioid overdoses is a problem and
to convince your audience that your solution(s) should be adopted.
Make sure that your solution—or solutions—will actually work:
that they have worked elsewhere,
that they have worked in similar situations, or
that credible experts believe that they will work.
For this topic, you should focus more on the solution part of your essay—rather than on the problem part—since most people in your audience will already agree that opioid overdoses is a problem.
Use Andrey-Smith’s “Why the Inventor of the Antidote Naloxone Lost His Stepson to Heroin…” as one of your sources—and cite (quote) it in your essay.
Also use at least four sources beyond that essay—and cite them in your essay
Describe the priority quality assurance/quality improvement project you would undertake.
Case Assignment
After carefully reading through the Module background readings, and the ORYX and CQI initiative, please answer the following questions by creating a PowerPoint presentation. You have been asked to assess an organization for priority quality improvement needs. In your PowerPoint:
Define the health care organization you are discussing.
Describe the priority quality assurance/quality improvement project you would undertake.
Discuss why the activities you have selected would take precedence over any other quality assurance/quality improvement activity in the organization.
Be sure to include your rationale for your choice.
Assignment Expectations
Please define the type of organization.
Outline your points, and then explain them with your OWN added insight.
Speaker’s notes are required.
You must cite peer-reviewed articles as well as the background materials.
Module Readings:
Crider, N. M., & Ulrich, E. (2016). Evaluation of organizations and systems. Evaluation of Health Care Quality for DNPs. In J. Hickey & C. Brosnan (eds) Evaluation of health care quality for DNPs. (127-142) New York: Springer Retrieved from Trident University Online Library.
Kim, R.H., Gaukler, G.M., & Won Lee, C. (2016). Improving healthcare quality: A technological and managerial innovation perspective. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 133(b):373-78. Retrieved from Trident University Online Library
Morais, R. M. d., Somera, S. C., Goes, W. M., & Costa, A. L. (2016). Applicability of an assessment model for healthcare information systems in a public hospital. Journal of Information Systems and Technology Management, 13(3), 459.
Naessens, J. M., Van Such, M. B., Nesse, R. E., Dilling, J. A., Swensen, S. J., Thompson, K. M., … & Santrach, P. J. (2017). Looking under the streetlight? A framework for differentiating performance measures by level of care in a value-based payment environment. Academic Medicine, 92(7), 943.
Newman, M. W. (2017). Integrated and collaborative care: Quality improvement in action. Psychiatric Annals, 47(7), 374.
van, d. H., Niemeijer, G. C., & Ronald J.M.M. Does. (2013). Measuring healthcare quality: The challenges. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 26(3)269-78. Retrieved from Trident University Online Library
Yamasato, K., Tsai, P. J. S., Bartholomew, M., Durbin, M., Kimata, C., & Kaneshiro, B. (2016). Discrepancy between identification of early-term elective deliveries by manual chart review and data vendor. Hawai’i Journal of Medicine & Public Health, 75(12), 367.
Newspaper Articles
Slabodkin, G. (2017). Joint Commission eases ORYX requirements for acute care hospitals. Health Data Management (Online).
Health and medicine – Quality of care; Researchers at Oregon State University describe findings in quality of care (what drives continuous improvement project success in healthcare?). (2017). Health & Medicine Week.
Explain some of the reasons why certain companies’ expansion plans have failed in the past.
Purpose
This assignment is intended to give you an opportunity to strengthen your skills in gathering and analyzing business-related information. It provides a deeper understanding of how companies can look at globalization as part of their strategic and operational plans. The assignment has two parts: one focused on information research and analysis, and the other is on applied analytics.
Resources:
Part 1: Globalization and Information Research
Context: Companies that perform well in their country of origin usually consider expanding operations in new international markets. Deciding where, how, and when to expand is not an easy task, though.
Many issues need to be considered before crafting an expansion strategy and investing significant resources to this end, including:
the level of demand to be expected for the company’s products/services
presence of local competitors
the regulatory, economic, demographic, and political environments
Carefully researching and analyzing these and other factors can help mitigate the inherent risk associated with an overseas expansion strategy, thus increasing the likelihood of success.
As a data analyst in your company’s business development department, you’ve been tasked with the responsibility of recommending countries for international expansion. You’ll write a report to the company’s executive team with your research, analysis, and recommendations.
Instructions:
Write a 525-word summary covering the following items:
According to the article listed above, what were the most important strategic moves that propelled Netflix’s successful international expansion?
The article mentions investments in big data and analytics as one of the elements accompanying the second phase of overseas expansion. Why was this investment important? What type of information did Netflix derive from the data collected?
According to the article, what is exponential globalization?
Not all international expansion strategies are a resounding success, however. Research an article or video that discusses an instance in which an American company’s expansion efforts in another country failed. According to the article/video you selected, what were the main reasons for this failure? Do you agree with this assessment?
Explain some of the reasons why certain companies’ expansion plans have failed in the past.
