MUST SHOW ALL WORK. CANNOT USE COMPUTER SOFTWARE FOR GRAPHS

 

 

1. (a) Define the slack and surplus variables. What do they represent? What is (are) the difference(s) between a slack and a surplus variable?

 

 

 

(b) Briefly describe the important parts of each step needed to make a decision using decision sciences models.

 

 

 

(c) What are the different types of special situations that may occur while solving a linear programming problem? Briefly describe each of these special situations.

 

 

 

(d) What are the important properties of a straight line? Briefly describe each property. What are the different types of slopes possible for a straight line? Briefly describe each type of slope and give one example for each type.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Given the following linear programming problem

 

 

 

Maximize 20x + 15y

 

Subject to

 

2x + 2y < 100

 

2x + 3y < 120

 

x > 10

 

x, y > 0

 

 

 

(a)  Graph the constraints.

 

(b)  Find the coordinates of each corner point of the feasible region

 

(c)  Determine the optimal solution.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Given that the optimal solution of the following linear programming problem is x = 10 and y = 10, state the problem in standard form and do a constraint analysis for the optimal solution.

 

 

 

Maximize   100x + 80y

 

Subject to

 

5x + 2y ≤ 80

 

3x + 5y ≥ 60

 

x + y ≤ 20

 

x ≤ 10

 

x, y > 0

 

 

 

 

 

4. A company manufactures two kinds of pinball machines, each requiring a different manufacturing technique. Each Super Ball machine requires 25 hours of labor, 8 hours of testing, and yields a profit of $350. Each Silver Ball machine requires 12.5 hours of labor, 8.5 hours of testing, and yields a profit of $200. There are 2500 hours of labor and 1200 hours of testing available.

 

 

 

The company has made contracts with the retailers to provide at least 60 Super Ball machines and at least 58 Silver Ball machines. The company wants to manufacture at most a combined total of 135 of Super Ball and Silver Ball machines.

 

 

 

How many of each kind of pinball machines the company should manufacture to maximize the total profit?

 

 

 

Formulate a linear programming model for the above situation by determining

 

(a) The decision variables.

 

(b) The objective function.

 

(c) All the constraints.

 

 

 

Note: Do NOT solve the problem after formulating.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Charm City Foods manufactures a snack bar by blending two ingredients:  a nut mix and a granola mix.  Information about the two ingredients (per ounce) is shown below.

 

 

 

Ingredient	Cost In Dollars	Fat Grams	Protein Grams	Calories
Nut Mix	0.90	20	6.5	650
Granola Mix	0.45	3	2.2	55

 

 

 

The company needs to develop a linear programming model whose solution would tell them how many ounces of each mix to put into the snack bar. The blend should contain no more than 1200 calories, at least 12 grams of protein, and no more than 32 grams of fat. In addition, at least one ounce of nut mix must be included in the blend. The objective is to minimize the total cost.

 

 

 

Formulate a linear programming model for the above situation by determining

 

(a) The decision variables.

 

(b) The objective function.

 

(c) All the constraints.

 

 

 

Note: Do NOT solve the problem after formulating.

 

 

 

 

 

6. Determine whether the following linear programming problem is infeasible, unbounded, or has multiple optimal solutions. Draw a graph to find the feasible region (if it exists) and explain your conclusion.

 

 

 

Maximize 22x_l + 32x₂

 

Subject to:

 

2x_l + x₂< 15

 

x_l  > 10

 

x₂ < 10

 

x_l, x₂> 0

 

 

OBJECTIVE
The specific objective of this graded written research exercise is to prepare an “executive level financial report” to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a mythical company in which you are employed as a financial analyst.  This report will pertain to the financial evaluation of a real, publicly-traded, company. It will require independent research (web-based or library), careful financial analysis, and the proper application of key financial theories and formulas.
The company that is to be analyzed for this project is (company selected by instructor).
Alternatively, you can request me to approve another publicly traded company. This request must be submitted before the end of the first week of the course. The request must include
a.         identification of the company by ticker symbol and name
b.         a reasonable and appropriate explanation of why you want to examine the alternative company
c.         the source of the analyst’s report that will be used in the analysis (which must be submitted to me)
d.         acknowledgement by you that all of the specific elements of the assignment (see below) will be prepared by you and included in the final research project report

SITUATION
You are a financial analyst with the mythical High Technology Corporation (“HTC”). HTC is an established manufacturer of a line of electronic components, which services an international market. HTC is currently a new fully-integrated wireless communication service for world-wide use.  A competitive technical and economic product evaluation has determined that THE COMPANY THAT IS TO BE ANALYZED FOR THIS PROJECT (COMPANY SELECTED BY INSTRUCTOR) (a real publicly-traded company) is the best potential candidate for a long-term commitment.  THE COMPANY (COMPANY SELECTED BY INSTRUCTOR) is offering a competitively favorable deal.  However, based on some serious general concerns about the fallout of companies in the industry in general, the CEO has asked your CFO to conduct a financial analysis of THE COMPANY (COMPANY SELECTED BY INSTRUCTOR) to determine if it is prudent to commit to this company’s communication system.  The cost of cutting over to the new communications system is significant and any interruption in support during the next few years would adversely affect HTC’s performance and profit. Specifically, the question is: will THE COMPANY be financially viable over the next two to three years?

YOUR SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENT
Your specific assignment is to research, analyze, and prepare a report for the CFO on the actual financial performance of THE COMPANY THAT IS TO BE ANALYZED FOR THIS PROJECT (COMPANY SELECTED BY INSTRUCTOR).  In addition to reviewing the traditional financial performance indicators, you are also to review THE COMPANY’S past and current stock performance. Your report includes three parts:
(1)        An evaluation of THE COMPANY’S financial performance for the last year. DuPont analysis and analysis of significant financial performance results are required for the last three years. (See detailed description below)
(2)        An evaluation of THE COMPANY’S stock performance for the last one year.
(3)        Finally, a specific recommendation, with supporting rationale, as to whether or not THE COMPANY’S recent trend in financial and stock performance is of sufficient financial strength to warrant entering into a long-term commitment.
To assist you in your task, the CFO has provided the following general guidance. Since it is recognized that the industry is undergoing a major contraction, it is very important to comparatively evaluate THE COMPANY’S financial and stock performance trends against its Industry.
You may wish to include all necessary and relevant financial performance and stock information, trends, and projections in supporting your recommendation. These factors may include, financial ratio trends and industry comparatives, capital spending, stock growth, Beta values, credit rating service valuations, bond rating valuations, and management and investment reports – when these documents are available.
REPORT REQUIREMENTS
YOUR SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENT
Research and analyze the following information for THE COMPANY (SELECTED BY INSTRUCTOR).
–Annual Balance Sheets for THE COMPANY for the last three years.
–The Income Statements for THE COMPANY the last three years.
— Annual reports, 10K or 10Q——
–Industry norms ———–
—Analysts’ reports on performance
— Management reports or press releases
Using this information the students have to develop evaluation of the financial performance for THE COMPANY (SELECTED BY INSTRUCTOR). (Totally 85% of the assignment grade)
-1—Background and Industry (one short paragraph).
-2—Select of most significant financial performance results for the company: Compare Revenue, net income, working capital, total assets for the last three years and other results of your choice of the company against the industry or main competitor. Present the table with this information in your report. Write about 1 page of the analysis of these financial performance results. (15% of the project grade)
-3—Find financial ratios for the company and its major competitor in the Internet. Write about 1-2 pages of analysis of the ratio results you received. (15% of the project grade). Compare the ratio results against the industry or main competitor.
-4- Evaluate Return on Equity for the company for the last three years using the DuPont analysis. (10% of the project grade). Compare the company’s results to a major competitor.
Taking the information from the Income statements and the Balance sheets, calculate the company’s return on equity using the DuPont technique for the company for three years. Show your calculation!
Write about 1 page of analysis of the results that you received. Compare the results to main competitor. If the management of the company would like to improve their return on equity, what should the management of these companies do?
-5- Evaluate other areas of financial analysis: capital spending, stock growth, Beta values, credit rating service valuations (if possible), bond rating valuations (if possible), etc. Make an overall conclusion about financial performance of the company during the last years. Compare the results that you received against the industry or main competitor.  Summarize the results that you received in 1 page. What are the firm’s financial strengths and weaknesses? (10% of the project grade)
-6- Collect and evaluate the data about stock performance of the assigned company’s for the last one year. Compare the results that you received against the industry or main competitor.
Write about 1-2 pages of analysis of the ratio results you received. (20% of the project grade).
-7- Develop a specific recommendation, with supporting rationale, as to whether or not the assigned company’s recent trend in financial and stock performance is of sufficient financial strength to warrant entering into a long-term commitment (about 1 page) (15% of the project grade)

PRESENTATION OF PAPER AND WRITING (15%) of the project grade):
-Organization, Format and Presentation of Paper including the Title page, Introduction, Body, and Summary (4% of the project grade)
Use of Tables, Figures and Other Graphics to Summarize and Support Analysis Presented in the Paper (3% of the project grade)
Logical and Smooth Flowing Transitions and Relationships Among Sections of the Written Report (3% of the project grade)
Research Sources and Significance of Research Information and Data, Use of APA Citation Methodology (5% of the project grade)
Your final report is to be an executive-level financial report, directed to the CFO. This report should be about 8 double-spaced typewritten pages (without tables and graphs). Include suitable comparative, quantitative and qualitative analyses and conclude with a specific and supported recommendation on the projected financial viability of THE COMPANY THAT IS TO BE ANALYZED FOR THIS PROJECT (COMPANY SELECTED BY INSTRUCTOR) for the next several years.
Essential research data, financial calculations and other documentation as necessary to support your recommendation should be referred to in summary form in your report and attached in detail as enclosures.  All major sources should be referenced.  There is no set limit to the size of the enclosures, but it is recommended that only essential enclosures be attached. You should use references and bibliography to identify any remaining supporting documents you wish to include.
The Individual Research Report must be posted to the D2L Student Assignments as a Attachments are limited to a maximum two files in doc, docx., xls. xlsx., or rtf. formats. OTHER FORMATS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE, will not be reviewed and graded.
If these formats are not available, use the following option:
File – Save As – in the bottom of the window for saving file you see “save as type” – choose type Rich Text Format for doc. file, and previous option of Excel for Excel file.
Pdf. files will not be accepted and graded.
All works must be Word processed. Handwritten and scanned work will not be accepted and graded.
This report is an individual effort and must be researched, developed and prepared by you.  All questions related to this assignment, should be referred to the mythical CFO (i.e., your instructor).
All works must be Word processed. Handwritten and scanned work will not be accepted and graded.
This report is an individual effort and must be researched, developed and prepared by you.  All questions related to this assignment, should be referred to the mythical CFO (i.e., your instructor).

Must be original (Turnitin)

 

First, follow the links to read the articles below; you will need your Saint Leo portal logon information.

Then you will write and submit a 2-3-page essay (double-spaced, 12-point font) in MLA format addressing the following:

 

Should there be a legal path to citizenship for the undocumented children of illegal immigrants? Why or why not? If you were charged with proposing a solution to this dilemma, what do you think would be the best and most fair way to address this problem? Be sure to provide a detailed stepby-step proposal. How does your proposal relate to the Saint Leo core values of community and personal development?

Please provide a statement that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve.

Assignment 2: Required Assignment 1—Ethical and Legal Issues

HR ethics are important to organizations as they can have legal and moral implications. In this assignment, you will develop a plan to resolve some of the ethical and legal issues involved in a merger. Use the Argosy University online library and textbooks to read about ethical and legal issues.

Consider the following scenario:

As part of the employment contracts, employees have certain rights. For example, employees have the right to not be coerced into situations against their will. They expect to be able to access the information, which affects their job, company, and career. Such work situations can increase stress, lower self-esteem and productivity, cause loss of trust, and decrease efficiency.

Good employees who are looking for a more secure work environment may resign and take valuable tacit knowledge and talent with them. It is the responsibility of HR management to create an ethical work environment before, during, and after the merger.

Instructions:

As a strategic HR Director, you have been asked to identify ethical and legal issues involved in a merger and develop a plan to resolve these issues. Your plan should address the following:

• Identify specific legal and ethical issues that should be considered before, during, and after the merger.
• Develop an implementation plan for managing the potential legal and ethical concerns for the merger.
• Explain how the proposed plan would help managers establish an ethical work environment.
• Develop a plan for how to resolve ethical and legal issues.

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 live these 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. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M3_A2.doc.

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.

 

**develop a project scope statement and work breakdown structure (WBS) for the project chosen***

 

 

You may use Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, or Microsoft Visio to complete this assignment. You may optionally use project management scheduling software to create the WBS.

 

I already have a WBS break down and developed the project!!!

Ethanol Fires can be difficult to extinguish. Discuss why this is true and what approach firefighters might use to fight this type of fire.

Complete an APA-formatted two-page paper (not including the title and reference pages)

answering the following questions.

1. Organizations that decide to issue bonds generally go through a series of steps. Discuss the six steps.
2. An alternative to traditional equity and debt financing is leasing. Leasing is undertaken primarily for what purposes?
3. Discuss the two major types of leases.
4. Discuss the terms short-term borrowing and long-term financing.
5. What are the primary sources of equity financing for not-for-profit healthcare organizations?
6. The capital budgeting process occurs in several stages, but generally includes what?
7. Discuss and list the three discounted cash flow methods.

How does Aristotle’s list of virtues and vices differ from our modern conceptions of vice and virtue?

How might we determine  which is  better: Aristotle’s system or our own?

 

 

one and a half page