Author: chris

Begin to conduct research relevant to your course project. For example, you will need to research the industry and the product(s) or service(s) that are currently being offered outside the U.S. by the company you have chosen; and the major competitors that your company will face when it enters the U.S. market.

Prepare a report which identifies the company you have chosen for your course project, and the product(s) or service(s) the company is planning to introduce to the U.S. Describe at least four categories of information you have researched, how you looked for information, and some specific sources of information that you found. Be sure to address ALL of the grading criteria items.

The information you research will form the basis for deciding whether—and to what extent—to adapt your company’s marketing strategy (including the product itself) for the U.S. market.

By Wednesday, October 28, 2015, submit your responses to the appropriate M1: Assignment 3 Dropbox.

Format:

Present your responses in Microsoft Word document format.

Use the following file naming convention:

A county health department wants to increase the number of Medicaid beneficiaries that participate in prenatal care. It knows that only 40 percent of the expectant mothers eligible for prenatal care fully use the benefit. Many of these target customers make only one or two prenatal visits and then drop out of the program. Most of these women visit the emergency room if they have problems during pregnancy, and also come to the emergency room when they are in labor.

In 5- to 6-pages:

1. Define at least four questions you would need to ask in order to write a SWOT analysis.
2. Write vision and mission statements for the county health department that provides services to pregnant women.
3. Write at least four objectives for the department. In your objectives, try to address the problem presented in the scenario.

A large, fast-food chain unveiled a new touch screen register for its franchises. Each cashier was assigned a user id and password combination to log in to the register. The system allowed the incorrect password to be entered four (4) times before the register would lock and require a manager to unlock it with a key card. To prevent unauthorized access, the registers would lock after three (3) minutes if the screen was not touched. When the register locked, only the cashier who was logged in prior to it locking could unlock it without a system restart.

 

After a few days in operation, restaurant managers started complaining about the amount of time they were spending unlocking the registers. Some cashiers were forgetting their user Id and password, so other cashiers would log in for them. It also seemed that the button layout made it easy for the cashiers to key in the incorrect password. The managers also complained that cashiers would leave for a break or end their shift and forget to log out of the locked register. The managers would have to reboot the system, a three to five (3-5) minute process in order for the next cashier to log in. Additionally, managers noticed that grease was building up on the touch screens, making them less responsive.

 

 

 

Write a five to eight (5-8) page paper in which you:

 

1. Analyze the new system and determine the design issues with this new system.

 

2. Describe how you would correct the design issues with the system to make the restaurant managers happy.
3. Create a design plan that:
   1. Lists and explains the tasks associated with improving this interface.
   2. Contains at least six (6) tasks.
   3. Includes realistic time estimates for each task to be completed.
   4. Analyzes the development of the system in your plan.
   5. Analyzes the testing of the system in your plan.
   6. Analyzes the implementation of the system in your plan.
4. Examine how this system balanced security and usability, and explain the challenges of incorporating system security and system usability into a design.
5. Suggest changes that could be made to the security of this system to still meet security objectives but make the system more usable.
6. Use Microsoft Visio or an open source alternative, Dia, to create a graphical representation of your proposed interface. Note: The graphically depicted solution is not included in the required page length.
7. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.

 

Early computer systems relied on command line interfaces to perform all actions. Today, the majority of systems use direct manipulation rather than a command line interface. The goal of designing a direct manipulation interface is to make use of the system intuitive to the end user. One industry that has been extremely successful designing intuitive direct manipulation inputs is the video game industry. Most game players are able to learn controls as they play a game and then apply the same controls to similar games.  Rarely do they need to read a user manual.

 

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

 

1. Describe the three (3) principles of direct manipulation and give examples as to how they are used in video game controls.
2. Analyze video game-type interfaces and discuss three (3) reasons why video game-type interfaces would not be effective for real-world applications.

 

3. Describe at least three (3) advantages of direct manipulation versus command line interfaces.
4. Evaluate direct manipulation and describe three (3) problems with it.
5. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.

In this assignment, you will compare and contrast the differences between marketing strategies in a changing competitive environment.

Scenario:

Consumer behavior and competitive market analysis are key initiatives for a marketing manager. With the changing competitive environment of the global marketplace, marketing managers are always in search of evolving markets and underserved profitable niches to provide them with a competitive advantage. Porter’s Five Forces and strategies to overcome the Five Forces are seminal works on competitive advantage.

Select a company and a product in an industry affected by changes in the business environment or in consumer preferences. As a consultant to that company, you are asked to provide strategic marketing recommendations.

Directions:

1. Describe the company you chose and the industry they are in; include an overview of one of their products/services and the markets they serve. Present their current marketing strategy.
2. Using Porter’s Five Forces framework, evaluate the profitability of the current market. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the strategies currently used to market the product/service.
3. Research at least six peer-reviewed academic articles related to marketing strategy and competitive advantage.
4. Using best practices from the literature, propose a new marketing strategy to give your selected company a competitive advantage. Include the following in your marketing strategy:
   • Describe how the proposed marketing strategy aligns with the goals of the company.
   • Examine areas in the marketing strategy that could provide a competitive advantage based on current marketplace competition.
   • Analyze market segmentation, differentiated points of value, message(s), and product positioning.

Write a 6–8-page report in Word format. Utilize at least six scholarly sources in your research. Make sure you write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

This final research paper must demonstrate an understanding of new learning in logistics management and how the supply chain supports the organization’s business strategy. The paper must be eight- to- ten pages (not including the title and reference pages), integrating readings, multi-media and class assignments. It is mandatory to include research from the course text, as well as six- to- eight sources from the internet or online library to support your views.

 

In your eight- to- ten page research paper (not including the title and reference pages), you will describe both the business strategy and supply chain strategy for your organization, for a business unit of your organization, or for some other organization for which you have worked in the past and still retain contacts. Your research paper will analyze how this organization aligns its business strategy with its supply chain strategy and recommend strategy or tactics to improve strategic alignment based on scholarly resources and what you have learned in this course.

 

You are required to use non-course materials to support your contentions and incorporate supporting documentation to support your analysis.  Use APA style and submit your proposal to the instructor by the last day of class.

 

Writing the Final Paper

 

The Final Paper:

1. Must be eight- to- ten double-spaced pages in length, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

2. Must include a title page with the following:

 

a. Title of paper

b. Student’s name

c. Course name and number

d. Instructor’s name

e. Date submitted

 

3. Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.

4. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.

5. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.

6. Must use at least six scholarly resources.

7. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

8. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

 

 

For your first assignment, you will critically examine the theories presented in Units 1 and 2 and then apply those theories to a current, publicly traded company. Write a paper in which you complete the following:

• Critically analyze, compare, and contrast the theories of disruptive innovation and value innovation. This means you will need to define each theory and then compare and contrast these theories: How are they alike? How are they different?
• Choose any publicly traded company (listed on any stock exchange, such as NYSE, Tokyo, et cetera) and analyze that organization’s capacity for strategic foresight and opportunities for disruptive or value innovation, based on your analyses of the theories. As part of your evaluation, consider the organization’s successes and failures in this capacity, focusing on events within the last five (5) years.

Directions:

Identify a company you would like to use for this assignment. This should be an organization that you are familiar with, or have access to their information. You will complete a comprehensive marketing plan, which will include an analysis of their current market situation. In other words, ask yourself: Is the industry growing? What is the market share for the organization that they represent? Who is the dominant player in the marketplace? Remember, you will need to justify your approach using market research and data.

The second step in the process is the actual writing of the plan. Think about the following: What are the goals and objectives for the organization? What is the timing of the plan? What resources will be required to achieve the plan? What are the financial goals?

In your marketing plan, be sure to include the following sections:

1. Executive Summary and Table of Contents

In the executive summary, make sure you address all the main goals and objectives of your plan. These goals and objectives need to be clear, measurable, and reasonable.

2. Situational Analysis

A situational analysis presents a snapshot of the market in its current state by describing the company’s products/services, target segments, distribution networks, and position of the products/services in the segment, along with competing offerings and relative positioning. It includes current and future assessment of the business conditions and challenges. Within your situational analysis, analyze all the following points:

• Market summary
• SWOT analysis
• Competitor analysis
• Product offering
• Keys to success
• Critical issues
• Pricing

3. Marketing Strategy

The marketing strategy describes the planned direction and goals of the marketing activities, incorporating facts and assumptions about the market size, growth, and financial objectives. Think about the following questions: Where do you see your business going in the next 3-5 years? What is unique about your product portfolio? How will you tell the consumer about your products and unique value proposition? How will you stay connected to your target market’s needs and wants? How will you price your product? Within your market analysis, be sure to address the following:

• Mission
• Marketing objectives
• Product positioning
• Marketing mix (4 Ps)
• Marketing research

4. Financials

The financials of the marketing plan describe a set of five-year revenue, cost, and profit projections for the marketing plan, including any initial startup costs, sales by channel and segment, and profit margins. Think about the following questions: How much do you plan to sell? What are your factory cost targets? What is your profit target by percent and dollar amount? Remember to include the following in your financials:

• Sales Forecast
• Profit targets

5. Controls

The controls of the marketing plan describe the budget tactical activities for implementing the plan, as well performance benchmarks for each activity. These include pricing, product configuration, promotion, and distribution performance benchmarks, and plans for changing any of the parameters if performance measures are not met. They are in place to measure forecast and profit attainment. Forecasts should be reviewed monthly and quarterly. Secondly, a 12-month calendar should be developed to clearly target specific dates for product introductions and promotional activity.

Remember to include the following:

• Milestones
• Implementations and timelines

6. Summary

The summary of the marketing plan should summarize the plan by summarizing the size and scope of the opportunity, and reiterating the STP (segmentation, targeting, positioning) and 4 P (product, price, place, promotion) elements of the plan. It should tell the reader that the plan is real, how you will win, and why it is worth pursuing as an organization (RRW). This section should be no longer than one page.

Remember to review the grading criteria as you write the plan to ensure you address all needed elements.

Use the grading criteria to guide your report. Make sure you include details within your analysis to support your ideas. Use proper grammar, spelling, and APA style throughout. For more information on modeling the buying process, refer to your textbook.

Write an 8–12-page report in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

Crowdsourcing in the field of interface design takes tasks traditionally performed by specific individuals and spreads them out among a group of people or a community. These assignments are usually done through an open call. Crowdsourcing has become increasingly popular with the growth of Web 2.0 and online communities.

 

 

 

Write a fifteen to eighteen (15-18) page paper in which you:

 

1. Examine the invention and growth of crowdsourcing in the field of interface design.
2. Describe the impact that crowdsourcing has had on the field of interface design.
3. Analyze and discuss at least three (3) benefits of incorporating crowdsourcing in a design project.
4. Analyze and discuss at least three (3) challenges of incorporating crowdsourcing in a design project.
5. Propose a solution for generating interest in your design project from an online community.
6. Suggest a solution for evaluating the skill set and quality of the code submitted by potentially unknown users.
7. Describe how crowdsourcing may affect the budget and timeline of a design project.
8. Assess crowdsourcing in regard to the legal, societal, and ethical issues it raises, and suggest methods to alleviate these concerns.
9. Use at least five (5) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.

n the final phase of the Database Design Proposal assignment, you are required to design a working prototype of the proposal. You will be required to utilize SQLite Database. The SQLite database is a small, lightweight database application, suited for learning SQL and database concepts, or to just explore some database-related ideas without requiring a full-blown database management system (DBMS). Refer to “Supplement: SQL Examples for SQLite Database,” for the link to the SQLite Database download and examples.

The working prototype should include the following:

1) Provide a brief synopsis (utilizing research from related assignments) analyzing the detailed requirements of your prototype database design.

2) Design a database prototype that includes diagrams, data dictionary, design decisions, limitations, etc. The database should consist of at least four tables, two different user roles, and two reports.

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.