Explain the unwritten rules and shared values that govern behaviors in the organization.

sherwin williams internal enviornmental scan

This section provides the opportunity to develop your course project. Conducting an internal environmental scan or organizational assessment, provides the ability to put the strategy audit together.

In this module, you will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the internal environment at your business unit or organization you are working with for this project, also known as an organizational assessment, and present your findings in a report. In your report, you should analyze the operating characteristics and assets of your business unit.

The SWOT model is one of the most common business tools used during organizational assessment. Another is developing a balanced scorecard based on a prescribed or planned set of performance objectives that will be measured and evaluated regularly. In this assignment, based on the external environmental scan you conducted in M2: Assignment 2 and the internal environmental scan in this assignment, you will develop a SWOT analysis and a balanced strategic scorecard.

Part I: Internal Environmental Scan (2–3 pages)

The internal environmental scan or organizational assessment should include the following:

Mission, vision, and values: Assess the organization’s understanding of the mission, vision, and values, and how they relate the business strategy. Is there consensus on the mission and vision of the organization? What are the shared values of the organization? What are the behaviors espoused by these values?
Strategy clarification: Assess the organization’s understanding of the business strategy through the interview with a mid-level or senior manager. Assess his or her understanding and agreement of the business unit’s value proposition, market position, and competitive advantage.
Cultural assessment: Explain the unwritten rules and shared values that govern behaviors in the organization. Do they act as enablers or blockers to the strategy? For example, is there a culture of information sharing and collaboration that enables the organization to respond quickly across structural boundaries to solve problems for customers? On the other hand, do groups not share important information through informal mechanisms, thus slowing response times?
Value chain analysis: Identify the primary (direct) and support (indirect) activities that create and deliver your product or service to your customers. Assess each activity’s contribution to competitive advantage through cost or differentiation. Identify any areas where the business may be at a competitive disadvantage.
Summary of findings: Using these different analyses, identify the organizational strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the business strategy. Organizational strengths are assets, capabilities, and resources that contribute directly to the organization’s strategic fit, differentiation, and competitive advantage relative to competing organizations. Organizational weaknesses are characteristics and capabilities (often lacking) that place the organization at a disadvantage relative to competitors.

Part II: SWOT Analysis (1–2 pages)

Your SWOT analysis should summarize the opportunities and threats from the external environmental scan with the strengths and weaknesses from your organizational assessment or internal environmental scan.

Your output should include a matrix depicting strengths or weaknesses on the horizontal axis and opportunities or threats on the vertical axis. This matrix will reveal a set of strategy forces that can be used to assess the current strategy and identify important potential changes to the strategic direction of the company.

In creating your SWOT analysis, look for natural pairings of internal and external factors that match internal resources and capabilities to the external environment. Internal strengths and external opportunities depicted in the upper-left quadrant on your matrix might form complementary pairs that suggest necessary strategic focus for the business unit to pursue opportunities that fit its competitive strengths. Conversely, internal weaknesses and external threats shown in the lower right quadrant of the matrix may combine to illustrate the need for a defensive strategy to avoid becoming highly susceptible to competitive threats.

Your matrix should not simply be a collection of four lists compiled together in a matrix. Your analysis should combine factors and explain why specific strengths complement specific opportunities, and selected weaknesses are amplified by external threats. In addition to your matrix, provide a brief narrative that summarizes the main findings in your analysis and the implications for the current and projected strategy.

Part III: Balanced Strategic Scorecard (1–2 pages)

Use the balanced scorecard or another similar tool to recommend indicators and measurements that will tell you if the company is successful or unsuccessful in progressing toward your vision through execution of strategy.

A balanced scorecard presents organizational performance on four primary groups of measures:

Financial
Customer (external stakeholder)
Learning and growth
Internal process

You should develop a strategy scorecard that ties the performance of your business unit in these areas to its overall business strategy. The challenge you face is selecting two-to-three measures in each of the four areas that give a measurable and reliable indication of the business unit performance in the key activities that promote strategic fit, customer value, and sustained competitive advantage.

Write an 5–7-page report in Word format. Apply APA

Compare and contrast the arguments for protectionism as a good and a bad approach for the US.

1) Cross-cultural issues need to be addressed in domestic operations, but even more so in companies operating globally. What is considered a successful human resources (HR) decision in one part of the world may become a challenge in another part of the world. In this assignment, you will look for the appropriate global HR policies.

The Amaya Corporation is an MNC whose corporate headquarters are in the United Kingdom (UK), with manufacturing operations in various countries throughout the world. There has been a change in leadership in the company’s subsidiaries in two countries: the Czech Republic and China. In the Czech Republic, a young male executive was sent from Germany. In China, a middle-aged female executive was sent from the company’s operations in India.

Now, do the following to complete this assignment:

List possible issues the two executives could face in the Czech Republic and China. For each potential issue, provide an analysis to explain why it is a potential problem.

Discuss the importance of cultural intelligence and its impact on the globalization of business operations.

Propose methods for preparing each executive for their assignment.

Support your positions with scholarly resources.

Write your initial response in 300–500 words. Your response should be thorough and address all components of the discussion question in detail, include citations of all sources, where needed, according to the APA Style, and demonstrate accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation

2) Using Argosy University’s online library resources, conduct research into the arguments for protectionism and free trade as they apply to US companies.

Then, do the following:

Compare and contrast the arguments for protectionism as a good and a bad approach for the US.

In the final paragraph of your posting, express your personal views on this topic: protectionism or free trade.

3) Do the following to complete this assignment:

Based on your business experience and the information accumulated in this class, identify three possible research topics related to the subject of the course.

What managerial problems or opportunities would each of the three studies address? Provide a short description for each research topic, highlighting:

The problem or opportunity in organizations that needs to be addressed

The purpose of the research

The question(s) that, if answered, will help in solving the problem or seizing the opportunity

4) Financial crises have short-term and long-term effects. However, most often analysts are focused only on short-term effects. In this assignment, you will be challenged to look for short-term and long-term effects and to compare the effects of two financial crises: one from 1997 and one from 2007.

Using the Argosy University online library resources and the Internet, conduct research into the 1997 South Asian financial crisis and the financial crisis that began in 2007.

Then, do the following:

Evaluate each financial crisis in terms of its impact on the international financial markets.

How significantly were global stock markets affected?

How did the major currencies react during each crisis?

What are the lessons to be learned from each crisis?

Discuss the concept of judicial review.

Write a paper of 700- to 1,050-words in which you discuss the roles of law and courts in today’s business environment.

Differentiate the federal court structure with your state’s court structure.
Discuss the concept of judicial review.
Explain how laws or regulations affect your present job or industry.
Describe various forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and discuss how this is different from the court system.
Properly cite to at least three peer-reviewed references.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Examine the graph that your spreadsheet produced based upon the calculations

Assignment 1: LASA 2: Exponential Growth

In Module 4, you were introduced to the concept of exponential functions that can be used to model growth and decay. Recall what you learned in The Number e lecture. In this exercise, you will use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to calculate the exponential growth of a population of your choosing. (If you use the linked spreadsheet below, it is recommended that you consider relatively small populations and not those of entire nations.)

Click here to open the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that you will use to perform the calculations for this assignment.

In the spreadsheet, perform the following operations:

Input a population value into the box next to Initial Population on the spreadsheet. This population should be anything such as the people, animals, microorganisms, or plants.
Input a rate of growth for your population into the box next to Rate 1. Since we are interested in a positive annual percent growth rate per year, this number should be greater than zero percent. Be sure to input this number in the form of a decimal.
Repeat the above procedure for Rate 2 and Rate 3. Make sure that the values you select differ by two percent. For example, the values 0.01, 0.03, and 0.05 would be good choices.
Under the Time (years) column, input three different year values. Make sure that your values increase by a minimum of ten years. For example, 10, 20, 30 years would be good choices. If you want to see a more dramatic change, select a longer time frame such as 10, 50, and 100 years.
When you input all of your data, you’ll see that the spreadsheet has performed the calculations for the future size of each population, rate of growth, and time interval. Additionally, this information will be presented graphically in the chart. To draw an exponential curve for each series, do the following:
1. Right click on the middle point for one of the series.
2. Click on add trendline.
3. Under Trendline Options, select Exponential.
4. Click Close
5. Repeat these steps for the other series.

Now that you’ve completed your analysis, it is now time to report the results and examine your findings.

In a Microsoft Word document, respond to the following:

Calculate what the future size of the population will be, given a specific initial population, rate of growth, and time interval.

Use the exponential equation: Future value = Present value * exp(rt)

- exp is the base “e”
- r = annual rate of growth expressed as a percent
- t = years

Note: The spreadsheet performed these calculations for you, so you can check the answer you obtain with those in the spreadsheet. In order to perform this calculation, you’ll need to have access to a scientific calculator that will have an ex button in order to perform the exp(rt) calculation. There are a number of free scientific calculators available over the Internet. Additionally, all smartphones have calculator apps that have a scientific mode. Check with your instructor for a list of currently available free options if you do not own a scientific calculator.

Repeat the calculation for at least two other values of t; make sure they are at least two years apart from one another. Use the same values you input into the spreadsheet and compare the answers you obtain to those that appear in the spreadsheet.

Repeat the calculations using two more selections of population growth rate; ensure that each population growth rate is at least two percent different than the others. Use the same values you input into the spreadsheet and compare the answers you obtain to those that appear in the spreadsheet.

Examine the graph that your spreadsheet produced based upon the calculations. Did this graph consist of straight lines or curved lines? Describe the shape of these lines for each growth rate. How did they differ? Why?
Explain the implications of growth rate for your population. What do you think will happen over a long period of time if a given population of organisms is allowed to increase without limits? Are there environmental factors that keep populations from growing exponentially unchecked? What would be the impact on environmental resources?
Explain the likelihood of your results. Would it be expected that the percent growth rate would stay constant over long periods? Is exponential growth an appropriate assumption for long periods? If not, what other changes in population size might be expected?

What kind of violence surprised you? Why? Is that kind of violence common?

Assignment Instructions

Chapter 15 of our text discusses many different kinds of domestic violence, against many kinds of victims. Which of these kinds of violence was a surprise to you? How common is that kind of violence? Present your evaluation of three different programs (you may use the internet) designed to curtail that kind of violence.

What kind of violence surprised you? Why? Is that kind of violence common? (Cite evidence.)
Describe 3 different programs designed to intervene in that kind of violence.
Evaluate these three interventions for how likely you think it is to work, its ability to affect the people involved, and the long-term benefit of the program.
No spelling and grammar issues/APA formatting/12 fonts
Paper is 1000-1500 words

Apply theories of realism, liberalism, and constructivism to the study of international organizations.

n 1994, Mearsheimer argued that only realism explains the international system and dismissed other approaches to international institutions. Question: does Mearsheimer’s argument apply in 2014? Remember to incorporate terminology correctly into the discussion, identifying the differences and relationships between international organizations, international institutions, and international regimes. These are overlapping concepts and there is much debate about their relationships, as the Lesson notes explained.

I look forward to reading your posts and providing feedback on the discussions!

Reading resources

Mearsheimer, John. 1994. The false promise of international institutions. International Security 1994/5: 5-49.

EBSCO: http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tsh&AN=9502230705&site=ehost-live

JSTOR: http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/2539078

Moldoveanu, Marcel. 2013. Regional integration and international cooperation: Between wishes and reality. Romanian Economic and Business Review 8(3) 111-119. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1468675325?accountid=8289

Students will be able to:

Apply theories of realism, liberalism, and constructivism to the study of international organizations.
Engage debates about the validity of realism and liberalism.
Conduct a critique of Mearsheimer’s (1994) article.

In this lesson, we will discuss:

Whether Mearsheimer’s frequently-cited (1994) arguments are applicable to the international system.
The merits of different debates about realism and liberalism.
Add topics that will help students prepare for the forums.

The following activities and assessments need to be completed this week:

Reading:

Mearsheimer (1994)
Moldoveanu (2013)

Analyze the process map and SIPOC model to identify possible main root causes of the problems.

Ben Davis had just completed an intensive course in Statistical Thinking for Business Improvement, which was offered to all employees of a large health maintenance organization. There was no time to celebrate, however, because he was already under a lot of pressure. Ben works as a pharmacist’s assistant in the HMO’s pharmacy, and his manager, Juan de Pacotilla, was about to be fired. Juan’s dismissal appeared to be imminent due to numerous complaints and even a few lawsuits over inaccurate prescriptions. Juan now was asking Ben for his assistance in trying to resolve the problem, preferably yesterday!

“Ben, I really need your help! If I can’t show some major improvement or at least a solid plan by next month, I’m history.”

“I’ll be glad to help, Juan, but what can I do? I’m just a pharmacist’s assistant.”

“I don’t care what your job title is; I think you’re just the person who can get this done. I realize I’ve been too far removed from day-to-day operations in the pharmacy, but you work there every day. You’re in a much better position to find out how to fix the problem. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

“But what about the statistical consultant you hired to analyze the data on inaccurate prescriptions?”

“Ben, to be honest, I’m really disappointed with that guy. He has spent two weeks trying to come up with a new modeling approach to predict weekly inaccurate prescriptions. I tried to explain to him that I don’t want to predict the mistakes, I want to eliminate them! I don’t think I got through, however, because he said we need a month of additional data to verify the model, and then he can apply a new method he just read about in a journal to identify ‘change points in the time series,’ whatever that means. But get this, he will only identify the change points and send me a list; he says it’s my job to figure out what they mean and how to respond. I don’t know much about statistics — the only thing I remember from my course in college is that it was the worst course I ever took– but I’m becoming convinced that it actually doesn’t have much to offer in solving real problems. You’ve just gone through this statistical thinking course, though, so maybe you can see something I can’t. To me, statistical thinking sounds like an oxymoron. I realize it’s a long shot, but I was hoping you could use this as the project you need to officially complete the course.”

“I see your point, Juan. I felt the same way, too. This course was interesting, though, because it didn’t focus on crunching numbers. I have some ideas about how we can approach making improvements in prescription accuracy, and I think this would be a great project. We may not be able to solve it ourselves, however. As you know, there is a lot of finger-pointing going on; the pharmacists blame sloppy handwriting and incomplete instructions from doctors for the problem; doctors blame pharmacy assistants like me who actually do most of the computer entry of the prescriptions, claiming that we are incompetent; and the assistants tend to blame the pharmacists for assuming too much about our knowledge of medical terminology, brand names, known drug interactions, and so on.”

“It sounds like there’s no hope, Ben!”

“I wouldn’t say that at all, Juan. It’s just that there may be no quick fix we can do by ourselves in the pharmacy. Let me explain how I’m thinking about this and how I would propose attacking the problem using what I just learned in the statistical thinking course.”

Source: G. C. Britz, D. W. Emerling, L. B. Hare, R. W. Hoerl, & J. E. Shade. “How to Teach Others to Apply Statistical Thinking.” Quality Progress (June 1997): 67–80.

Assuming the role of Ben Davis, write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you apply the approach discussed in the textbook to this problem. You’ll have to make some assumptions about the processes used by the HMO pharmacy. Also, please use the Internet to research articles on common problems or errors that pharmacies face. Your paper should address the following points:

Develop a process map about the prescription filling process for HMO’s pharmacy, in which you specify the key problems that the HMO’s pharmacy might be experiencing. Next, use the supplier, input, process steps, output, and customer (SIPOC) model to analyze the HMO pharmacy’s business process.
Analyze the process map and SIPOC model to identify possible main root causes of the problems. Next, categorize whether the main root causes of the problem are special causes or common causes. Provide a rationale for your response.
Suggest the main tools that you would use and the data that you would collect in order to analyze the business process and correct the problem. Justify your response.
Propose one (1) solution to the HMO pharmacy’s on-going problem(s) and propose one (1) strategy to measure the aforementioned solution. Provide a rationale for your response.
Use at least two (2) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Describe how organizations use statistical thinking to be more competitive.
Apply the basic principles of statistical thinking to business processes.
Apply the SIPOC model to identify OFIs in business processes.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in business process improvement.
Write clearly and concisely about business process improvement using proper writing mechanics.

List at least three examples of dysfunctional leadership that were displayed in the video and explain why they are dysfunctional?

For this assignment, write a 2 -3 page paper which provides an overview of a minimum of three of the various strategic leadership types.

Identify a business situation requiring change where one type could be successfully used. Support your selected type with your chosen references.

Describe the reasons for the dysfunction as shown in the video.
List at least three examples of dysfunctional leadership that were displayed in the video and explain why they are dysfunctional?
Did the supervisor display qualities of strategic leadership? Why or Why not?
Explain how you would have handled the situation differently if you were the manager?
What contingency model do you feel would have been most effective in this situation?

Have you ever engaged in social loafing while on a team? Why or why not?

Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you address the following:

Do you agree with your results?
Based on your self-assessment, what do you see as your strengths and weaknesses regarding working on a team?
Have you ever engaged in social loafing while on a team? Why or why not?
How does working effectively on a team give you an advantage in the workplace?
How do groups normally develop?
How does the effectiveness of the team members influence the group’s development process?

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Describe modifications that may be necessary prior to the implementation of your proposed action plan.

Instructions

Edutopia hosts action plans and resources which have been implemented in schools across the nation to change instruction and improve teaching and learning. Review these resources at the webpage “Edutopia: Schools that Work” (http://www.edutopia.org/schools-that-work). Next, select three or more resources from this website that you could reuse or remix to implement in your own action plan. Create your paper to meet the Content and Written Communication expectations below. Be sure to cite each article you summarize accurately in the text of your writing and include a full APA citation on the reference page.

Content Expectations

Resource Summary (3 points): Summarize at least three resources from Edutopia noting how they can be reused or remixed to implement in your proposed action plan.
Modifications Summary (1 point): Describe modifications that may be necessary prior to the implementation of your proposed action plan.

Written Communication Expectations

Page Requirement (.25 points): Two to three pages, not including title and reference pages.
APA Formatting (.25 points): Use APA formatting consistently throughout.
Syntax and Mechanics (.5 points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Your written work should contain no errors and be very easy to understand