Author: chris

What is values-based service? How can a company create value for customers and other stakeholders?

Values-based service is defined as service that is firmly based on the core company values as well as social and environmental responsibility. When the core company values and the social and environmental values are in accordance with the values of customers and other stakeholders, resonance (rather than dissonance) occurs. To be successful, a values-based service business must seek resonance with its customers and other stakeholders in terms of values and avoid any suggestion of dissonance. Companies, such as IKEA, nurture and communicate values in their customer relationships.

Read the article “Values-Based Service Brands: Narratives from IKEA” by Edvardsson from the readings for this module. Using IKEA as the company in point, conduct research, using the Argosy University online library and the Internet, to better understand the “IKEA environment.”

Based on your research, write a report addressing the following points:

• IKEA’s Marketing (1 page) 

  Corporate strategy begins with marketing and understanding the key elements of the marketing plan. For IKEA, describe the following elements of its marketing strategy:

  • How do IKEA’s products, services, and related attributes satisfy the wants and needs known as its value proposition?
  • How does IKEA create a well-defined market position that appeals to customer wants and needs and differentiates its offering from competitive offerings in a process known as positioning and differentiation?

• Assess IKEA’s strategy using the criteria listed below:
  • Value Chain (1 page)

    Analyze the three sources of value (economic, social, and environmental) in IKEA’s value chain.

    • Explain sources of value as they relate to the wants and needs of IKEA’s core customer.
    • Explain how IKEA’s supply chain supports its value proposition.
    • Explain how IKEA’s focus on customer value (economic, social, and environmental) is reflected in its supply chain.
  • Intangible Products (1 page)
    • Explain IKEA’s intangible products and benefits.
    • Explain how other firms employ this concept of intangibles to erect barriers to entry for competitors.
    • Explain how the concept of intangible benefits is used to increase profits.
  • Customers (1 page) 

    IKEA considers the customer to be a critical stakeholder. The IKEA message is directed to the majority of people and what they can afford, and its pricing is dependent on the economic values that serve a majority of its customers.

    • Explain how this approach may or may not maximize profits for IKEA.
    • Explain if this premise is at odds with supply and demand economics. Give reasons for your answer.
  • Performance Measures (1 page)

    Suppose you are a vice-president of manufacturing for IKEA and are responsible for establishing operating performance measures.

    • For all of the performance factors other than quality and cost, create a set of 4–6 performance measures for evaluating your managers that integrates IKEA’s values (economic, social, and environmental) as discussed in the article written by Edvardsson.
    • For each performance measure, identify one specific process measure that demonstrates how well these values are being upheld in the manufacturing activities including suppliers of the company.
    • Recommend how you would develop the workforce to livethese values in the workplace. Suggest types of hiring, training, and performance management criteria that you will apply to the workforce.

Write a 6–8-page paper in Word format. Please use 3–7 scholarly articles in your research. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

Then, develop a short 6–8-slide Power Point presentation (not including the title and reference slides) covering the same information. Include headings for each slide, and provide your talking points in the notes section to explain the content if the presentation is given verbally.

Write a Java program that calculates and displays the results of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, modulus, bitwise &, or bitwise | operation on two integer values input by the user. The program should prompt the user for the two integers and the operation to be performed.

Here is a sample run:

Enter the first integer: 24

Enter the second integer: 4

Enter the operation: +

The results of 24 + 4 is 28

Imagine you work for a company that has recently merged with an overseas company. Write a brief introduction to your company as well as the company that was purchased. Then develop an eight to ten (8-10) point checklist detailing what steps you would take as the HR manager to help unify the culture of both companies.

Create two (2) company introductions and develop an eight to ten (8-10) point checklist in which you:

1. Give a succinct overview of your fictitious company.
2. Give a succinct overview of the fictitious company merged with.
3. Develop an eight to ten (8-10) point checklist of steps you would take to unify company culture.
4. Explain your rationale for choosing each of the steps in your checklist.
5. Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:

a. Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.

b. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, your professor’s name, the course title, and the date.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Determine the nature of globalization, cultures, and labor markets, and assess the impact on human Capital management (HRM).
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in global HRM.
• Write clearly and concisely about global HRM using proper writing mechanics.

1-Using the starting salary data from table 3.3, and assuming an annual increase at the current cost of living ( currently about 2%) calculate what you could except to receive as a starting salary to your chosen field of study if you graduate three years from now

2- Using the information from figures 3.8 and 3.9, estimate the median salary after 30 years assuming the engineer is A)  a supervisor and B) a non-supervisor.

Using  12 point Time-Roman font and 1.5 spacing

questions 3 to 5  half a page length

3Further explore and examine some of the causes of air pollution discussed in this chapter, write an essay on possible new engineering development that might address  these problems areas

Choose any world famous speech and write a rhetorical analysis, clearly highlighting how logos ethos and pathos are depicted.

Argument for or against Charles Darwins theory on evolution.

How will a new technology influence the equilibrium in a product market? If that influence is felt across many firms then what are the implications for the national economy?

A book review is a description, critical analysis, and an evaluation on the quality, meaning, and significance of a book, not a retelling. It should focus on the book’s purpose, content, and authority. A critical book review is not a book report or a summary. It is a reaction paper in which strengths and weaknesses of the material are analyzed. It should include a statement of what the author has tried to do, evaluates how well (in the opinion of the reviewer) the author has succeeded, and presents evidence to support this evaluation. There is no right way to write a book review. Book reviews are highly personal and reflect the opinions of the reviewer. A review can be as short as 50-100 words per chapter reviewed, or as long as 1500 words per chapter, depending on the purpose of the review. For this class your review should be between 10-15 typed, double spaced pages following the guidelines below. 1. Write a statement giving essential information about the book: title, author, first copyright date, type of book, general subject matter, special features (maps, color plates, etc.), price and ISBN. 2. State the author’s purpose in writing the book. Sometimes authors state their purpose in the preface or the first chapter. When they do not, you may arrive at an understanding of the book’s purpose by asking yourself these questions: a. Why did the author write on this subject rather than on some other subject? b. From what point of view is the work written? c. Was the author trying to give information, to explain something technical, to convince the reader of a belief’s validity by dramatizing it in action? d. What is the general field or genre, and how does the book fit into it? (Use outside sources to familiarize yourself with the field, if necessary.) Knowledge of the genre means understanding the art form. and how it functions. e. Who is the intended audience? f. What is the author’s style? Is it formal or informal? Evaluate the quality of the writing style by using some of the following standards: coherence, clarity, originality, forcefulness, correct use of technical words, conciseness, fullness of development, fluidity. Does it suit the intended audience? g. Scan the Table of Contents, it can help understand how the book is organized and will aid in determining the author’s main ideas and how they are developed – chronologically, topically, etc. g. How did the book affect you? Were any previous ideas you had on the subject changed, abandoned, or reinforced due to this book? How is the book related to your own course or personal agenda? What personal experiences you’ve had relate to the subject? h. How well has the book achieved its goal? i. Would you recommend this book or article to others? Why? 3. State the theme and the thesis of the book. a. Theme: The theme is the subject or topic. It is not necessarily the title, and it is usually not expressed in a complete sentence. It expresses a specific phase of the general subject matter. b. Thesis: The thesis is an author’s generalization about the theme, the author’s beliefs about something important, the book’s philosophical conclusion, or the proposition the author means to prove. Express it without metaphor or other figurative language, in one declarative sentence. Example Title: We Had it Made General Subject Matter: Religious Intolerance Theme: The effects of religious intolerance on a small town Thesis: Religious intolerance, a sickness of individuals, contaminates an entire social group 4. Explain the method of development-the way the author supports the thesis. Illustrate your remarks with specific references and quotations. In general, authors tend to use the following methods, exclusively or in combination. a. Description: The author presents word-pictures of scenes and events by giving specific details that appeal to the five senses, or to the reader’s imagination. Description presents background and setting. Its primary purpose is to help the reader realize, through as many sensuous details as possible, the way things (and people) are, in the episodes being described. b. Narration: The author tells the story of a series of events, usually presented in chronological order. In a novel however, chronological order may be violated for the sake of the plot. The emphasis in narration, in both fiction and non-fiction, is on the events. Narration tells what has happened. Its primary purpose is to tell a story. c. Exposition: The author uses explanation and analysis to present a subject or to clarify an idea. Exposition presents the facts about a subject or an issue as clearly and impartially as possible. Its primary purpose is to explain. d. Argument: The author uses the techniques of persuasion to establish the truth of a statement or to convince the reader of its falsity. The purpose is to persuade the reader to believe something and perhaps to act on that belief. Argument takes sides on an issue. Its primary purpose is to convince. 5. Evaluate the book for interest, accuracy, objectivity, importance, thoroughness, and usefulness to its intended audience. Show whether the author’s main arguments are true. Respond to the author’s opinions. What do you agree or disagree with? And why? Illustrate whether or not any conclusions drawn are derived logically from the evidence. Explore issues the book raises. What possibilities does the book suggest? What has the author omitted or what problems were left unsolved? What specific points are not convincing? Compare it with other books on similar subjects or other books by the same as well as different authors. Is it only a reworking of earlier books; a refutation of previous positions? Have newly uncovered sources justified a new approach by the author? Comment on parts of particular interest, and point out anything that seems to give the book literary merit. Relate the book to larger issues. 6. Try to find further information about the author – reputation, qualifications, influences, biographical, etc. – any information that is relevant to the book being reviewed and that would help to establish the author’s authority. Can you discern any connections between the author’s philosophy, life experience and the reviewed book? 7. If relevant, make note of the book’s format – layout, binding, typography, etc. Are there maps, illustrations? Do they aid understanding? 8. Check the back matter. Is the index accurate? Check any end notes or footnotes as you read from chapter to chapter. Do they provide important additional information? Do they clarify or extend points made in the body of the text? Check any bibliography the author may provide. What kinds of sources, primary or secondary, appear in the bibliography? How does the author make use of them? Make note of important omissions. 9. Summarize (briefly), analyze, and comment on the book’s content. State your general conclusions. Pay particular attention to the author’s concluding chapter. Is the summary convincing? List the principal topics, and briefly summarize the author’s ideas about these topics, main points, and conclusions. Use specific references and quotations to support your statements. If your thesis has been well argued, the conclusion should follow naturally. It can include a final assessment or simply restate your thesis. Do not introduce new material at this point.

Helene Fuld College of Nursing Bachelor of Science Program World History Page 1 of 4 ORAL HISTORY – WRITING ASSIGNMENT PRE-INTERVIEW 1. In order to adequately prepare to conduct this oral history assignment, you are required to review your class notes, course hand-outs, and textbook readings related to the history of the 20th century. 2. Choose a friend, relative or acquaintance that was born and/or lived during the 20th century, preferably the early 20th century (1900-1950). Inform the person you are interviewing of the educational purpose of the Oral History interview as part of your requirement to satisfactory complete World History. 3. For preliminary information on how to conduct an Oral History interview, review: Columbia University Library. (n.d.) Columbia Center for Oral History: Oral History Philosophy, Procedures and Evaluation. Retrieved from http://library.columbia.edu/content/dam/libraryweb/locations/ohro/CCOH%20Three-Pager.pdf 3. Obtain, formal written consent from the person you plan to interview. Your interviewee must agree to your interview by signing the following form. If they are unable to write, they may consent verbally. However, their consent must be recorded, along with the date of consent. You may cut and paste the sample Consent Form below onto a separate sheet and obtain the written person of the person you are interviewing. Helene Fuld College of Nursing Bachelor of Science Program World History Page 2 of 4 Oral History Project Consent Form I, [add your name] give my permission to [add your name] to use this interview, or part of it, for educational purposes in a World History course at Helene Fuld College of Nursing. [Add your name] has informed me that they will obtain additional consent if my interview is to be used for any other purpose. Name of Person to be interviewed: _____________________________ Signature of Person to be interviewed: __________________________ Date of Signature: __________________________________________ Interviewer________________________________________________ (Print your Name) Helene Fuld College of Nursing Bachelor of Science Program World History Page 3 of 4 4. Conducting the oral interview and writing the essay. Your first step is to interview an older family member, friend, or acquaintance. Choose someone you feel comfortable asking questions of, and who is interested in your project. You may choose to interview the person about: a) His or her life history or b) You may focus on a particular event (e.g., the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s, 1960s, or 1970s; the Jim Crow Era) or c) A period in the person’s life (e.g., the Depression, the building of the Panama Canal, the Harlem Renaissance, migration to the North or to the South), or d) A period of political turmoil (World War I, WWII, or the Vietnam War). 5. Prepare a series of questions ahead of time, but don’t feel restricted by them. If other questions come up during the interview, don’t hesitate to ask them. Take notes or tape the interview. Below are some sample questions. Choose at least three questions from each section for a total of (21) questions. Helene Fuld College of Nursing Bachelor of Science Program World History Page 4 of 4 Basic Questions What is your full name? Does your name have any special meaning? What is the date and place of your birth? What was your schooling like? Family History Questions Do you remember hearing your grandparents/aunts or uncles describe their lives? What did they say? Do you remember your great-grandparents? What do you know about them? Who is the oldest person you can remember in your family from when you were a child? What do you remember about that person? Lifetime Changes What would you consider to be the most important inventions during your lifetime? How is the world different now from when you were a child? As you see it, what are the biggest problems that face our nation and the World and how do you think they could be solved? What are your thoughts on America’s election of a Black president? What is the biggest challenge for people of color today? What do you think will resolve the issue of race and color in the World, if at all? Family Life Where have you lived as an adult? List the places and years that you lived there. Why are you living where you are today? Do you wish you lived somewhere else? If so, where? Career What was your first job? What kinds of jobs have you had? How did you decide on your career? If you served in the military, when and where did you serve and what were your duties? Were you ever injured in the line of duty? If so, what were the circumstances and what were your injuries? Travel/Vacation Have you ever been to Africa? If No, would you want to visit Africa? Why or Why Not? What is the most beautiful place you have ever visited and what was it like? What is the longest trip you have ever gone on? Where did you go? What was your favorite vacation? Where did you go and why was it special? What is the favorite place you ever visited and what was it like? Personal What person had the most positive influence on your life? What did he or she do to influence you? Is there a person that really changed the course of your life by something that he or she did? How did it happen? Do you remember someone saying something to you that had a big impact on how you lived your life? Who said it, and what did that person say? How would you like to be remembered? Helene Fuld College of Nursing Bachelor of Science Program World History Page 5 of 4 6. Immediately after the interview, you should review your notes (or listen to the tape). Also try to write information related to the interviewee’s facial expression or body language. Also, if relevant, include the place where the interview took place. 7. In order to prepare to write the essay, your first paragraph should reveal the period of World History that relates to the interview. Begin your essay with some general information about the period (remember to use APA in-text citation and cite your source on the Reference page).

Assume you are the leader of a global team that is charged with developing a market plan for a new breakfast cereal. Select a country in South America or Asia, and assume that 8 members of the 12-member team are in that country. Search the internet for information about the culture of that country that will help you avoid communication problems with the other team members. Consider geography, national holidays, language, customs, and history. Identify areas where team coordination might be a problem and communication difficulties could occur.