Author: chris

Select an article from a magazine or newspaper that has something in it that pertains to biology. This will serve as the “target article” for this assignment. For instance, you can select an article about medicine, invasive species, nature, conservation, genetic technology, ecology, or any other topic that is related to biology. One purpose of this assignment is to help you become aware of how biology is related to your everyday life.

Write a one to three (1-3) page paper in which you:

1. Summarize the article in one (1) or more paragraphs, using your own words. Be sure to identify the article using an in-text citation in the body of the paper, as well as a reference in the reference section.
2. Explain how the article relates to this course. Identify which biological concepts from the course and / or text are relevant to the topic covered in the article. Citing the course text, discuss the ways in which this course does (or doesn’t) provide background information to help you understand the article and the larger issues surrounding it.
3. Explain why the article caught your attention. Relate the article to your life and to issues that are important to you. Discuss how or if the scientific knowledge about the topic covered in the article affects you directly or indirectly.
4. Discuss your opinion on how research on this topic should be funded. State whether you think taxpayer monies should support research on this topic or whether such research in this area should be funded by the private sector. Rate the importance of research on this topic, relative to other areas of research.

In addition to the target article, you should use at least one additional resource, such as your textbook or another article. You must have a reference section which contains an APA reference to your chosen article and all other sources. Additionally, you must provide in-text citations (in APA format) to your references in the body of the text. Integrate all sources into your paper using proper techniques of quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing, along with your in-text citations.

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 or school-specific 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.

You have been selected to be the project manager (for a project of your choice). The project you choose here will be used again in Assignment 4 (Week 6) and you may be asked to reference this project in subsequent weekly discussions. The project that you decide to use should meet the key criteria of a project, such as (a) having a beginning and an end; (b) results in something being delivered to someone; (c) requires a series of activities that must be done to complete the project; and (d) requires resources (e.g, people, materials) to complete the work. The project can be one of a personal or professional nature.

Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you define the scope of your chosen project. In your paper you must:

1. Provide a brief summary of your chosen project.
2. Describe at least three (3) project goals and three (3) project objectives.
3. Identify the key customer(s) and at least two (2) stakeholders for your project. Remember, you are delivering the project to your customer(s); however, there are others (stakeholders) who have a vested interest in your project.
4. Describe at least three (3) key milestones and /or deliverables for your project.
5. Describe a high-level timeline that includes key tasks and deadlines.
6. Estimate the project’s overall cost and any key staffing and non-staffing resources needed.
7. Examine your project’s greatest challenge and provide a recommendation for addressing the challenge in question.
8. Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
   • Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
   • 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 is not included in the required page length.

Resentment tears people and organizations apart. A servant leader focuses on leading and not dictating. Explain how you could transform feelings of resentment into a force for leading.

I would like to know your thoughts on the previous outbreak of Ebola. There were people still able to travel within the country and at least one person that traveled to the US with the disease. The family in TX was to remain in their home but didn’t abide by the order. How would you handle people that won’t stay at home? Would your response be harsher for those inside the US or those trying to get in to the  US?

Read the article titled, “As drug industry’s influence over research grows, so does the potential for bias,” located at http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/as-drug-industrys-influence-over-research-grows-so-does-the-potential-for-bias/2012/11/24/bb64d596-1264-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9_story.html.

Review the six (6) rules of critical thinking (Chapter 1) and the steps of “Doing Sociology: A Student’s Guide to Research” (Chapter 2).

Student Success Tip: As you review the steps, jot a few notes or thoughts down. Relax and prepare to write a concise and accurate essay.

Write a one to two (1-2) page essay in which you:

1. Identify the first step in the student’s guide to research.
2. Define the first step of research in your own words.
3. Identify the major assumptions and bias of the drug industry that underlie drug research.
4. Identify the personal bias that you, as a consumer, have on the drug industry’s influence over research.

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. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• To keep this essay short and manageable, your only sources for the essay should be the article from The Washington Post and the sections noted in your text. For this reason, APA citations or references are not required for this assignment.
• 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 is not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Define the basic concepts used in the discipline of sociology.
• Define the various methodologies for sociological research.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in sociology.
• Write clearly and concisely about sociology using proper writing mechanics.

Calculate the financial ratios for the assigned company’s financial statements, and then interpret those results against company historical data as well as industry benchmarks:

• Compare the financial ratios with each of the preceding three (3) years (e.g. 2014 with 2013; 2013 with 2012; and 2012 with 2011).
• Compare the calculated financial ratios against the industry benchmarks for the industry of your assigned company.

Write a 500 to 750 word summary of your analysis.

A strategic purpose for a well-blended compensation program, one that includes various types of direct compensation, is gaining employee commitment and productivity. One of the most effective tactics for this strategy is designing a process for linking individual achievement to organizational goals.

Prepare a report to senior leaders addressing the following:

• Explain the concept of tying performance to organizational goals.
• Describe the different types of individual and group-level performance measurements.
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of individual versus group-level performance recognition?
• Discuss the options an organization has to link individual or group monetary rewards to organizational success.
• Develop recommendations for how to implement, monitor, and evaluate such a program.

This course has introduced you to Jack Welch’s 20-70-10 differentiation framework and to Huselid, Beatty, and Becker’s categorization of employees as A, B, or C players.

Write a 3-5 page paper in which you do the following:

1. Discuss the strengths and pitfalls of differentiating employees in the manner suggested by Jack Welch (i.e. the 20-70-10 framework). What assumptions must one make in order to embrace differentiation?

2. Determine which framework you would use to assess your own employees, why you would use it, and how it would differentiate employees.

3. Discuss the values, cultural elements, and organizational processes that need to be in place for differentiation of employees to be equitable and productive.

Your assignment should adhere to these guidelines:

• Write in a logical, well-organized, conventional business style. Use Times New Roman font size 12 or similar, double-space, and leave ample white space per page.

• All references must follow JWMI style guide, and works must be cited appropriately. Check with your professor for any additional instructions on citations.

• On the first page or in a header, include the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. Title and reference pages are not included in the assignment page length.

• Faculty have discretion to penalize for assignments over or under the assignment guidelines. Check with your individual professor if you feel the assignment requires a much longer or shorter treatment than recommended.

The Genesis Energy operations management team is now preparing to implement the operating expansion plan. Previously, the firm’s cash position did not pose a challenge. However, the planned foreign expansion requires Genesis Energy to have a reliable source of funds for both short-term and long-term needs.

One of Genesis Energy’s potential lenders tells the team that in order to be considered as a viable customer, Genesis Energy must prepare and submit a monthly cash budget for the current year and a quarterly budget for the subsequent year. The lender will review the cash budget and determine whether or not Genesis Energy can meet the loan repayment terms. Genesis Energy’s ability to repay the loan depends not only on sales and expenses but also on how quickly the company can collect payment from customers and how well it manages its supplier terms and other operating expenses. The Genesis Energy team members agreed that being fully prepared with factual data would allow them to maximize their position as well as negotiate favorable financing terms.

The Genesis Energy management team held a brainstorming session to chart a plan of action, which is detailed here.

• Evaluate historical data and prepare assumptions that will drive the planning process.
• Produce a detailed cash budget that summarizes cash inflow, outflow, and financing needs.
• Identify and compare interest rates, both short-term and long-term, using debt and equity.
• Analyze the financing mix (short/long) and the cost associated with the recommendation.

Since this expansion is critical to Genesis Energy expanding into new overseas markets, the operations management team has been asked to prepare an executive summary with supporting details for Genesis Energy’s senior executives.

Working over a weekend, the management team developed realistic assumptions to construct a working capital budget.

1. Sales: The marketing expert and the newly created customer service personnel developed sales projections based on historical data and forecast research
2. Other cash receipt: Rental income $15,000 per month
3. Production material: The production manager forecasted material cost based on cost quotes from reliable vendors, the average of which is 50 percent of sales
4. Other production cost: Based on historical cost data, this cost on an average is 30 percent of the material cost and occurs in the month after material purchase
5. Selling and marketing expense: Five percent of sales
6. General and administrative expense: Twenty percent of sales
7. Interest payments: $75,000—Payable in December
8. Tax payments: $15,000—Quarterly due on 15th of April, July, October, and January
9. Minimum cash balance desired: $25,000 per month
10. Cash balance start of month (December): $15,000
11. Available short-term annual interest rate is 8 percent, long-term debt rate is 9 percent, and long-term equity is 10 percent. All funds would be available the first month when the firm encounters a deficit
12. Dividend payment: None

Based on this information, do the following:

1. Using the Cash Budget spreadsheet, calculate detailed company cash budgets for the forthcoming and subsequent years. Summarize the sources and uses of cash, and identify the external financing needs for both the forthcoming and subsequent years.

   Download this Excel spreadsheet to view the company’s cash budget. You will calculate the company’s monthly cash budget for the forthcoming year and quarterly budget for the subsequent year using this information.

2. In an executive-level report, summarize the company’s financing needs for the forecast period and provide your recommendations for financing the planned activities. Be sure to comment on the following:
   1. Your recommended financing solution and cost to the firm: If Genesis Energy needs operating cash, how should it fund this need? Are there internal policy changes with regard to collections or payables management you would recommend? What types of external financing are available?
   2. Your concerns associated with the firm’s cash budget. Is this a sign of weak sales performance or poor cost control? Why or why not?

Write a 7-page paper in Word format