...Goal of Course Management 4430 is the capstone course in finance and will incorporate concepts you have learned in through your study of corporate, investments, and international. We will utilize the case methodology to focus our analysis. Cases describe a context in which a particular problem is found. Regardless of the particular characteristics of the problem, problem solving follows a general methodology: identification of the problem, describing the context of the problem, analysis of potential alternative solutions, the identification of the best solution, implementation of the best solution , and the creation of controls and contingency plans, if applicable. Text and Other Sources: E-book based on Case Studies in Finance, 6th ed., 2010, McGraw Hill, Toronto, ISBN Prerequisites Management 3412, Fundamentals of Investments Investments, Analysis & Management, 2nd Canadian Ed., 2005, Cleary & Jones, John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd., Mississauga ISBN 0-470-83542-7 Management 3460, Corporate Finance Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, 6th Canadian Ed., 2007, Ross, Westerfield, Jordan, & Roberts, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Toronto ISBN 13: 978-0-07-095910-1 A list of topics for which you should have working knowledge follows: 1. Time value of money 2. Market Efficiency 3. Valuation, risk, and return 4. Capital budgeting 5. Cost of capital 6. Pro-forma financial statements 7. Capital structure 8. Dividend...
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...Odyssey uses the Greek pantheon and the tradition of hospitality in most of the epic to create conflict and solutions. This combination of characteristics help create a great and flowing story that is filled with interesting and creative plot that the audience can relate with. However, these characteristics can also be analyzed, as they sometimes cause conflict with one another and therefore, can cause interesting patterns and themes to emerge in the epic. This happens to be the case with another great epic, one which is the oldest surviving epic in old English, has tons...
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... • Being evidence-based, it can solve differences of opinion amongst team-members. It also allows each individual, both amongst the management team and in the wider organization beyond, to see where their activity contributes to the whole, and on whom they depend. • Since it highlights exactly where management actions and decisions exert control, it provides clear and specific strategies and action plans, that can be adapted as the future unfolds. • The method provides a solid foundation for methods such as the Balanced Scorecard and Value Based Management, and is a means of integrating other established strategy frameworks and approaches, such as PEST, Core Competence and Value Chain. Application of Strategy Dynamics: Starbucks Corporation by Pascal Gambardella, Ph.D. The Processes of Strategy Development and Implementation by Clayton M. Christensen and Tara Donovan Developing the Strategy: Vision, Value Gaps, and Analysis by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton with Edward A. Barrows Jr. http://www.strategydynamics.com/info/What-is-strategy-dynamics.aspx...
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...apart through the design and Volkswagen is the company behind such storied brands as Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini. Overview Challenge Faced with rising complexity within its supplier-facing processes, Volkswagen needed to make its employees more productive to stay ahead of the competition Why Become an On Demand Business? Volkswagen needed to integrate its information and processes to speed decision-making and become more responsive to a rapidly changing supplier environment Solution An On Demand Workplace that includes an enterprisewide portal for employees and suppliers whose sensing, analytic and workflow capabilities have radically streamlined the way employees access and act on information Key Benefits • 20% increase in procurement staff productivity • Expected 100% payback within one year • Significant decreases in materials purchasing and inventory costs “We need knowledgeable employees who can focus their energies on high-value activities and driving new efficiencies, spending as little time as possible seeking and wading through information.” –Dr. Martin Hofmann, Group Executive Director for Purchasing Process and Information Management, Volkswagen AG 2 engineering of its cars—yielding the mix of speed and simplicity that epitomizes...
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...Jerusalem Case Study The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most common conflicts in Modern Times and is one of the most critical and debated topic still going on today. This conflict is complicated and hard to understand, but it is important to always focus on the central point on a side issue. “What makes this conflict difficult is to say where religion ends and politics begin” (Adelman 114). Focusing on the main point of this conflict is the existence of Israel and its relations with Arab countries and with the Palestinian population in the area. Since the development of Israel, the Palestinians and the Jews have been fighting over the land for numerous years believing that they have a greater right than the other. Both parties share a variety of customs, practices and beliefs that makes them clash. Even the similarities between these two have been the source of battle for several of years. The crucial points that make the study of Jerusalem interesting are because of its ancient and modern history, sociopolitical situation and background, and negotiating for a position. Jerusalem, one of the oldest cities in the world, have so many secrets and important stories because of its ancient history. Located in ancient Judah that is now the capital city of Israel, Jerusalem had “Experienced at least 118 conflicts” (Oehring and Domingo). It is called the city of peace, but has been through everything but peace. In Adelman points of view, Jerusalem is a symbol of “something...
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...Business Regulation Simulation Alumina Inc. is an aluminum maker that operates in eight countries worldwide. Accounts in the United States make up 70% of the companies $4 billion worth. Located on Lake Dira, in the state of Erehwon, Alumina has business interests in automotive components, manufacturer of packaging materials, bauxite mining, aluminum refining, and aluminum smelting. Five years ago, Alumina was in violation of environmental discharge norms in a routine EPA compliance evaluation. PAH concentration in test samples was above the prescribed limit. A clean up was ordered, with which Alumina promptly complied. A follow up audit reported the violation as corrected. Other than this single isolated incident, Alumina has a good record of compliance before and after. Now, Kelly Bates, a 38-year-old single mother, accused Alumina of repeatedly contaminating the waters of Lake Dira with carcinogenic effluents, and has alleged that consumption of the contaminated water is the proximate cause of her 10-year-old daughter’s leukemia. Bates also alleges that her daughter’s condition may be as old as Alumina’s first instance of environmental law violation. The Key Facts, Regulations, and Legal Issues This section discusses the main themes of the simulation and why they are important aspects in the decision making process. The first key fact in this simulation is that five years ago Alumina Inc. in a routine EPA compliance evaluation was found to be in violation of environmental...
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...Below is a free essay on "Ob in Action Case Solution" from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. 1. What are your thoughts about the different approaches taken by Starbucks and Domino’s to reduce turnover? Given these strategies, which company will be more effective in the long term? Explain your rationale. The major difference between the strategies of the two organizations is that Starbucks includes higher-than-average starting wages as one tool to fight the turnover battle, while Domino’s takes a different perspective. Domino’s “is willing to try all sorts of tactics to retain hourly employees – except paying them significantly more.” Domino’s CEO David Brandon sees pay increases as “not a long-term solution.” Students will likely disagree. 2. Why do you think a store manager has greater impact on employee turnover than neighborhood demographics, packaging, or marketing? Interpersonal value conflict is often at the core of personality conflicts – a common source of employee turnover. To the extent that Brandon is successful in more selectively hiring managers, coaching, and rewarding (with stock options and promotions) who can effectively address interpersonal value conflicts, lower levels of turnover should result. Additionally, Azjen’s theory of planned behavior suggests additional ways managers can influence the behavior of his or her employees. Managers can influence employee turnover by doing or saying things that affect...
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...The Kellogg Company Optimizes Production, Inventory, and Distribution Gerald Brown gbrown@nps.navy.mil Operations Research Department Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, California 93943 Kellogg Company, P.O. Box 3599 Battle Creek, Michigan 49017–3599 Kellogg Company, P.O. Box 3423 Battle Creek, Michigan 49016–3423 Operations Research Department Naval Postgraduate School Joseph Keegan joe.keegan@kellogg.com Brian Vigus brian.vigus@kellogg.com Kevin Wood kwood@nps.navy.mil For over a decade, the Kellogg Company has used its planning system (KPS), a large-scale, multiperiod linear program, to guide production and distribution decisions for its cereal and convenience foods business. An operational version of KPS, at a weekly level of detail, helps determine where products are produced and how finished products and in-process products are shipped between plants and distribution centers. A tactical version of KPS, at a monthly level of detail, helps to establish plant budgets and make capacity-expansion and consolidation decisions. Operational KPS reduced production, inventory, and distribution costs by an estimated $4.5 million in 1995. Tactical KPS recently guided a consolidation of production capacity with a projected savings of $35 to $40 million per year. T he Kellogg Company has been using a large-scale linear program, the Kellogg Planning System (KPS), for more than a decade to guide its operational (weekly), production, inventory, and distribution decisions...
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...Outsourcing the IT Function of an Organization Frank Bicocchi CMGT/578 12/15/2014 DENNIS FINIGAN Outsourcing the IT Function of an Organization Strategic analyst and business analyst in the organizations of today have uphill battles. Often miss understood or limited by the executives of an organization, these positions function as the go-betweens for internal operations, clients and stakeholders. Managers also have the duty of handing similar aspects in terms of managing teams, ensuring project profitability and improving process efficiencies. Enter outsourcing; a solution that helps managers and analysts maintain standards while provide the most ‘bang’ for the ‘buck.’ Information systems and information technology are the latest functions to see large segments become outsourced to third parties as a means to an end. Outsourcing is not a new trend. In most businesses some percentage of each department is outsourced in some way. For instance, 94% of the businesses surveyed by HR Magazine outsource some aspect of their organizations’ human resource functions to be handled by one or more third parties; in most cases it is more than 60% of the given function (Gurchiek, 2005). Strategic planners use outsourcing as a tool to help organizations meet their goals while maintaining financial leanness and low cost/benefit ratios. In the information technology environment, outsourcing has increased primarily due to the sheer number of specialties involve in the field as a...
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...Choosing Your Battles Josh FOSTER 9/12/2015 Choosing Your Battles Josh FOSTER 9/12/2015 How would you ensure sufficient discussion of contentious issues in a work group? How can managers bring unspoken conflicts into the open without making them worse? Conflict is a word with no shortage of definitions but common to most of those definitions is the idea that conflict is a perception (Robbins and Judge 2015, p.400). Conflict is most generally a process that begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect, something the first party cares about (Robbins and Judge 2015, p.401). The conflicts people experience in organizations are numerous with examples of such conflicts being; incompatibility of goals, differences over interpretations of facts, and disagreements based on behavioral expectations (Robbins and Judge 2015, p.401). The role of conflicts in groups and organizations is hotly debated and generally comes down to two different views. The traditional view of conflict which holds the idea that all conflict is harmful and must be avoided due to the conflict stemming from a malfunction within the group or organization (Robbins and Judge 2015, p.401). The over view point; the interactionist view of conflict, holds the belief that conflict is a positive and absolute necessity for a group to perform effectively based on the idea that a harmonious, peaceful, tranquil, and cooperative group is prone to becoming...
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...Business Regulation Simulation University of Phoenix Alumina Inc. is a $4 billion aluminum maker based in the United States (U.S.) and operates in eight other countries around the world. The company has business interests in automotive components and the manufacture of packaging materials, bauxite mining, alumina refining, and aluminum smelting (University of Phoenix, 2008). The U.S. market constitutes 70% of the company’s sales. A crisis has arisen from allegations of environmental damages which have led to a person’s illness (University of Phoenix, 2008). This paper will identify key facts, regulations, and legal issues; identify several of Alumina’s values and stakeholders; identify conflicts which constitute ethical dilemmas; summarize legal counsel’s advice on the issues; and evaluate alternative solutions in the context of Alumina’s legal position. Key Facts, Regulations and Legal Issues Five years ago, a routine EPA compliance inspection revealed higher than acceptable levels of a carcinogenic substance, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), to which Alumina promptly responded with a cleanup. The subsequent environmental audit reported the violation as corrected and the company has maintained a good compliance record since then (University of Phoenix, 2008). Alumina has made every effort to be compliant with environmental regulations. Administering environmental laws at the federal level is the Environmental Protection Agency. Since many of the laws provide...
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...Essentials of game theory 1. Introduction Game theory is the study of strategic decision making. More formally, it is "the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational decision-makers."[1] An alternative term suggested "as a more descriptive name for the discipline" is interactive decision theory.[2] Game theory is mainly used in economics, political science, and psychology, as well as logic and biology. The subject first addressed zero-sum games, such that one person's gains exactly equal net losses of the other participant(s). Today, however, game theory applies to a wide range of class relations, and has developed into an umbrella term for the logical side of science, to include both human and non-humans, like computers. Classic uses include a sense of balance in numerous games, where each person has found or developed a tactic that cannot successfully better his results, given the other approach. Modern game theory began with the idea regarding the existence of mixed-strategy equilibria in two-person zero-sum games and its proof by John von Neumann. Von Neumann's original proof used Brouwer's fixed-point theorem on continuous mappings into compact convex sets, which became a standard method in game theory and mathematical economics. His paper was followed by his 1944 book Theory of Games and Economic Behavior, with Oskar Morgenstern, which considered cooperative games of several players. The second edition of this book provided...
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...However, this remains my only complaint about the structure, because immediately after the fact, Danziger reveals the statistic that most heavily supports his claims about the mismeasure of poverty. He notes that rising corporate profits and stagnant earnings, income and poverty rates are the reason that many people live poorly. At this point, it seems that Danziger is finished presenting his points and he goes one step further to explain how the problems he presents could be solved. He makes the case that “a poverty measure that incorporated all anti-poverty policies” would show “how painful cuts to those programs could be,” in this case calling on politicians and government officials to help create this measure. He focuses on the same audience again two paragraphs later when he urges policymakers to create antipoverty measures. Danziger’s specific solution and direct address to policymakers make his conclusions and objectives easy to follow and perhaps, easier to put into...
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...Executive Summary Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has the unique distinction of being the first and only company to have had market leadership for 2 consecutive console generations. However, in recent times, the ecosystem has changed to include a larger audience and usability has trumped technological superiority as a key metric in generating buyer interest. In 2008, Nintendo’s Wii had 2 times the market share that Sony’s offering, the Play Station 3, had. I feel Sony should assess the following options. (1) Focus on catering to its niche advance game segment and focus on leveraging its progress form the previous 2 generations. (2) Respond to Wii onslaught by developing its previous generation console to include a low end offering that directly competes with Wii. (3) Partner with Nintendo and others to strengthen offerings in the gaming console space, eliminating Microsoft and creating a “co-opetition” I recommend a combination of (1) and (3) to ensure sustained dominance in the gaming console market. I would not look to option (2) since it undermines SCEI’s position as a focused differentiator (Exhibit 1 in appendix) and also because this would be a knee jerk reaction forcing Sony to play on Nintendo’s terms. Analysis As evident from Porters five forces analysis (Exhibit 2) the console market is not very attractive for new entrants. . However, there is a huge growth opportunity for established players since there is only moderate buyer bargaining power and few substitutes...
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...Case 01 Workplace Violence Problem Definition Workplace facing aggression from coworkers or supervisors and this occurred at workplace and causes victims. And the businesses will be embroiled in a legal battle which this affects negatively on the businesses and put the business at the risk. Justification of the Problem Workplace violence has many causes, some of these are related to personal behavior and personal values, and the others are related to business as work under stress for long time without appreciation, lack of communication between managers and team, lack of information and awareness for company values and safety program in addition to the nature and environment of workplace. List of Alternatives 1- Enhance internal communication at workplace. 2- Formal training for antiviolence policies. 3- Security system to protect workplace. Evaluate Alternatives 1- Enhance internal communication at workplace: HR roles; a- HR should select new employees compatible with company values. b- Preparation period announcement should have “employee book “include values, vision, mission of company, rights and obligations of employee with job responsibilities. c- Follow up with manager to insure every points transfer in right way clearly to employee. d- Electronics announcement in main area and branches using monitors to deliver basic information and success of employees all time. Manager’s roles; a- Insure massage and information transfers...
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