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Hillyard Company (50 points)

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M3D1: Strategic Management

 View the following video, which goes behind the

M3D1: Strategic Management

 View the following video, which goes behind the scenes at PTC, The Product Development Company. PTC works with corporate clients to develop software platforms. Howard Heppelmann explains the kind of work PTC does and discusses the means PTC uses to help its clients be environmentally conscious. He holds that green management is an important element of any business strategy in the current corporate world.

• Pearson Education Inc. (Producer). Management Company Cases: PTC—Green Management[Video File 06:35 min]. Available from
  http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/bp/bp_mylabs/akamai/template/video720x405.php?title=Management% 20Company%20Cases%20-%20%20PTC-%20%20Green%20Management%20&clip=pandc/bp/2012/MGMT/ /OBPOM/OBPOM2012_PTC_Green.mov&caption=bp/bp_mylabs/akamai/2012 /MGMT/OBPOM/xml/OBPOM2012_PTC_Green.xml

After viewing the video, respond to the following questions:

• Discuss where you think PTC fits into the product creation spectrum?
• According to Heppelmann, what are the challenges that companies face when creating environmentally friendly products?

Post your primary response. Be sure to review your writing for grammar and spelling before posting.

Read any postings already provided by your instructor or fellow students. Read and respond to the conclusions drawn by at least two of your classmates. Remember to read the feedback to your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.

Compose your work using MS Word and save it frequently to your computer. When you’re ready to make your initial posting, click the Create Thread button and copy/paste the text from your Word document into the message field. Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you post it.

Evaluation Criteria

Review the SBT Discussion Rubric to understand expectations for this activity. All discussions together make up 20% of the course grade.

M3D2 Planning

This discussion is based on the Closing Case in your textbook (Chapter 5, p. 129). The case details the planning for a new executive leadership training program. Information is offered on goal setting, including prioritization and measurement issues; resource assessment (human, financial, and time); the development of an action plan with specific information on timing, sequence, and accountability; and preliminary results and problems. The case ends with the manager in a quandary because the plan is not working as hoped. What should she do?

Read the Closing Case and answer the following questions:

• What adjustments would you make at the point where the case ends? Would you cancel the program or run it at a loss? Give reasons for your decision.
• What do you think went wrong? What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of the planning process as observed in this case?

Post your primary response. Be sure to review your writing for grammar and spelling before posting.

Read any postings already provided by your instructor or fellow students. Read and respond to the conclusions drawn by at least two of your classmates. Remember to read the feedback to your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.

Compose your work using MS Word and save it frequently to your computer. When you’re ready to make your initial posting, click the Create Thread button and copy/paste the text from your Word document into the message field. Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you post it.

Evaluation Criteria

Review the SBT Discussion Rubric to understand expectations for this activity. All discussions together make up 20% of the course grade.

M3A1: Current Event

·  Select a current event that pertains to competitive advantage for an organization. Information about the current event can come from any reliable resource, including local television news, CNN, MSN, The New York Times, other newspapers, and the Excelsior Library. The published date of the article must be within the last year.

Write a paper on the current event you select. Your paper should include the following:

• Summary of the event: Use information from reliable sources as described above and cite your sources.
• Analysis of the event based on what you have learned in this module: Include references to your textbook and other academic sources in support of your analysis.
• Any other comments

The paper needs to be at least 2–3 pages in length (not including title and reference page) and formatted according to APA standards.

Guidelines

The APA (6th ed.) is the guiding manual for form and style for this project. No more than 15% of your paper should be from direct quotes. No reference can be listed on the reference page that does not first appear in the text of your paper. Please make all papers double-spaced, with a page number and your last name on the top right corner in the header, with 1” margins on all sides. Please use Time New Roman, 12 point font.

Evaluation Criteria

Read the Short Paper Rubric [PDF File Size 156 kb] to understand expectations for this assignment. The three Current Event assignments together make up 15% of the course grade.

·  Due Date

March 23, 2014 11:59:00 PM EDT

Universities are typically organized by departments or colleges, such as business, biology, engineering, political science, and so on.

Consider university structures and respond to the following:

• Is this an appropriate structure? What aspects of the environment support this structure?
• Are there any aspects of the internal or external environment that currently or in the near future may push for changes in university structures?

Post your primary response. Be sure to review your writing for grammar and spelling before posting.

Read any postings already provided by your instructor or fellow students. Read and respond to the conclusions drawn by at least two of your classmates. Remember to read the feedback to your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.

Evaluation Criteria

Review the SBT Discussion Rubric to understand expectations for this activity. All discussions together make up 20% of the course grade.

M4D2: Diversity

The closing case in Chapter 7 from your textbook describes the efforts of Alliant, a power and natural gas company out of Wisconsin, to increase the diversity of its workforce and its suppliers, particularly minority- and women-owned businesses. The case takes a close look at Alliant’s efforts to improve diversity awareness.

• Why is Alliant so committed to diversity?
• How will this benefit the company?

Post your primary response. Be sure to review your writing for grammar and spelling before posting.

Read any postings already provided by your instructor or fellow students. Read and respond to the conclusions drawn by at least two of your classmates. Remember to read the feedback to your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.

Evaluation Criteria

Review the SBT Discussion Rubric to understand expectations for this activity. All discussions together make up 20% of the course grade.

·  M4A2: Final Project Outline

·  Instructions

The final paper is an in-depth managerial analysis of a selected organization. Provide an outline of your final paper for review along with the abstract and a list of references to date.

To organize the material you intend to present in the final paper, you can create an outline. The outline will be a set of headings or sections that identify the important points in the paper. You can have these points at two levels, similar to headings and subheadings. The outline should be written concisely, each point at just enough length for clarity and no longer.

Another way to organize your thoughts is to write an abstract, or a very short summary, of what you intend to say in your paper. Write a first draft only of the abstract now. (You can revise it later.) Include the draft with the outline.

You have been doing research for your final paper. You should have a list of references by now, and you will be adding to it. Include the list you have now with the outline.

Guidelines

The APA (6th ed.) is the guiding manual for form and style for this project. No more than 15% of your paper should be from direct quotes. No reference can be listed on the reference page that does not first appear in the text of your paper. Please make all papers double-spaced, with a page number and your last name on the top right corner in the header, with 1” margins on all sides. Please use Time New Roman, 12 point font.

Evaluation Criteria

Review the Weekly Assignment Rubric [PDF File Size 9.39 kb] to understand the expectations for this activity. The final project outline makes up 3% of the course grade.

Click to Launch

The Midterm Examination makes up 15% of the course grade

at PTC, The Product Development Company. PTC works with corporate clients to develop software platforms. Howard Heppelmann explains the kind of work PTC does and discusses the means PTC uses to help its clients be environmentally conscious. He holds that green management is an important element of any business strategy in the current corporate world.

• Pearson Education Inc. (Producer). Management Company Cases: PTC—Green Management[Video File 06:35 min]. Available from
  http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/bp/bp_mylabs/akamai/template/video720x405.php?title=Management% 20Company%20Cases%20-%20%20PTC-%20%20Green%20Management%20&clip=pandc/bp/2012/MGMT/ /OBPOM/OBPOM2012_PTC_Green.mov&caption=bp/bp_mylabs/akamai/2012 /MGMT/OBPOM/xml/OBPOM2012_PTC_Green.xml

After viewing the video, respond to the following questions:

• Discuss where you think PTC fits into the product creation spectrum?
• According to Heppelmann, what are the challenges that companies face when creating environmentally friendly products?

Post your primary response. Be sure to review your writing for grammar and spelling before posting.

Read any postings already provided by your instructor or fellow students. Read and respond to the conclusions drawn by at least two of your classmates. Remember to read the feedback to your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.

Compose your work using MS Word and save it frequently to your computer. When you’re ready to make your initial posting, click the Create Thread button and copy/paste the text from your Word document into the message field. Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you post it.

Evaluation Criteria

Review the SBT Discussion Rubric to understand expectations for this activity. All discussions together make up 20% of the course grade.

M3D2 Planning

This discussion is based on the Closing Case in your textbook (Chapter 5, p. 129). The case details the planning for a new executive leadership training program. Information is offered on goal setting, including prioritization and measurement issues; resource assessment (human, financial, and time); the development of an action plan with specific information on timing, sequence, and accountability; and preliminary results and problems. The case ends with the manager in a quandary because the plan is not working as hoped. What should she do?

Read the Closing Case and answer the following questions:

• What adjustments would you make at the point where the case ends? Would you cancel the program or run it at a loss? Give reasons for your decision.
• What do you think went wrong? What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of the planning process as observed in this case?

Post your primary response. Be sure to review your writing for grammar and spelling before posting.

Read any postings already provided by your instructor or fellow students. Read and respond to the conclusions drawn by at least two of your classmates. Remember to read the feedback to your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.

Compose your work using MS Word and save it frequently to your computer. When you’re ready to make your initial posting, click the Create Thread button and copy/paste the text from your Word document into the message field. Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you post it.

Evaluation Criteria

Review the SBT Discussion Rubric to understand expectations for this activity. All discussions together make up 20% of the course grade.

M3A1: Current Event

·  Select a current event that pertains to competitive advantage for an organization. Information about the current event can come from any reliable resource, including local television news, CNN, MSN, The New York Times, other newspapers, and the Excelsior Library. The published date of the article must be within the last year.

Write a paper on the current event you select. Your paper should include the following:

• Summary of the event: Use information from reliable sources as described above and cite your sources.
• Analysis of the event based on what you have learned in this module: Include references to your textbook and other academic sources in support of your analysis.
• Any other comments

The paper needs to be at least 2–3 pages in length (not including title and reference page) and formatted according to APA standards.

Guidelines

The APA (6th ed.) is the guiding manual for form and style for this project. No more than 15% of your paper should be from direct quotes. No reference can be listed on the reference page that does not first appear in the text of your paper. Please make all papers double-spaced, with a page number and your last name on the top right corner in the header, with 1” margins on all sides. Please use Time New Roman, 12 point font.

Evaluation Criteria

Read the Short Paper Rubric [PDF File Size 156 kb] to understand expectations for this assignment. The three Current Event assignments together make up 15% of the course grade.

·  Due Date

March 23, 2014 11:59:00 PM EDT

Universities are typically organized by departments or colleges, such as business, biology, engineering, political science, and so on.

Consider university structures and respond to the following:

• Is this an appropriate structure? What aspects of the environment support this structure?
• Are there any aspects of the internal or external environment that currently or in the near future may push for changes in university structures?

Post your primary response. Be sure to review your writing for grammar and spelling before posting.

Read any postings already provided by your instructor or fellow students. Read and respond to the conclusions drawn by at least two of your classmates. Remember to read the feedback to your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.

Evaluation Criteria

Review the SBT Discussion Rubric to understand expectations for this activity. All discussions together make up 20% of the course grade.

M4D2: Diversity

The closing case in Chapter 7 from your textbook describes the efforts of Alliant, a power and natural gas company out of Wisconsin, to increase the diversity of its workforce and its suppliers, particularly minority- and women-owned businesses. The case takes a close look at Alliant’s efforts to improve diversity awareness.

• Why is Alliant so committed to diversity?
• How will this benefit the company?

Post your primary response. Be sure to review your writing for grammar and spelling before posting.

Read any postings already provided by your instructor or fellow students. Read and respond to the conclusions drawn by at least two of your classmates. Remember to read the feedback to your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.

Evaluation Criteria

Review the SBT Discussion Rubric to understand expectations for this activity. All discussions together make up 20% of the course grade.

·  M4A2: Final Project Outline

·  Instructions

The final paper is an in-depth managerial analysis of a selected organization. Provide an outline of your final paper for review along with the abstract and a list of references to date.

To organize the material you intend to present in the final paper, you can create an outline. The outline will be a set of headings or sections that identify the important points in the paper. You can have these points at two levels, similar to headings and subheadings. The outline should be written concisely, each point at just enough length for clarity and no longer.

Another way to organize your thoughts is to write an abstract, or a very short summary, of what you intend to say in your paper. Write a first draft only of the abstract now. (You can revise it later.) Include the draft with the outline.

You have been doing research for your final paper. You should have a list of references by now, and you will be adding to it. Include the list you have now with the outline.

Guidelines

The APA (6th ed.) is the guiding manual for form and style for this project. No more than 15% of your paper should be from direct quotes. No reference can be listed on the reference page that does not first appear in the text of your paper. Please make all papers double-spaced, with a page number and your last name on the top right corner in the header, with 1” margins on all sides. Please use Time New Roman, 12 point font.

Evaluation Criteria

Review the Weekly Assignment Rubric [PDF File Size 9.39 kb] to understand the expectations for this activity. The final project outline makes up 3% of the course grade.

Click to Launch

The Midterm Examination makes up 15% of the course grade

Hello student demographer/economists…welcome to a rather sharp turn in our road (maybe a welcome one, after all that data stuff) We are now turning down a path that is equal parts legal theory & principle; constitutional history & culture, with current politics & policy issues folded in. What a recipe. Welcome to Texas government… let’s start with theory. The kind of theory that you must be able to relate to, and not view as cocktail party or talk radio conversation. In other words theory (ideas) about good, or at least effective governing (not politics). Situations like the current state budget “situation”, the state’s health care/insurance setting, inadequate education finances, or especially immigration and security remind us about the vitality and purpose of our constitutional design, and its limits for that matter. Stop for a second to reflect. I mentioned a few politically controversial items in the paragraph above. But they aren’t just that simple, or flimsy. What I mean is that politics is simplistic, while governance based on law is complex. Any simpleton can fill out a candidate form, and possibly get elected–then what? They are situations where a constitutional issue (Arizona police power, Florida and Texas Voting ID laws) or a constitutional provision (taxes, health care, etc) are the basis for the political problem. But constitutions aren’t absolute, are they? The important thing to learn now is how the realities of American/Texas citizenship, pertains to the state constitution (within the framework of the US Constitution). Thus, we need to compare the two constitutions to be able to learn, and thus analyze or critique. Caution: part of the comparison also involves history, and previous legal decisions. This is the way our system works…for 225 years. Politicians and wild-eyed activists often leave that part out, so they can blather about what the constitution means in a theoretical vacuum. You want a good example? Suggesting the repeal (negate) the 14th Amednment to the US Constitution’s clause that “all persons born here are US citizens” Or, repeal the 17th Amendment, which gave voters the ability to elect the two U.S. senators in each state. Huh? There are much more effective and likely measures to reform illegal immigration and its impacts, but this is an insult to the American people the constitution represents. Besides, the process to amend the US Constitution is very difficult and time-consuming–it would simply never happen. Maybe that’s why politicians make these statements.

Assignment  — please read extra carefully the first few sections of Chapter 2. In those pages are a number of important concepts and definitions. Focus on the concept of concurrent powers–those “shared” by the two governments.  They are taxing & spending, land use/regulating commerce, and police powers (education, law enforcement, public health)

The “shared” powers are essentially the cutting edge of what American Federalism is, which is constantly in motion. It works pretty much along three separate but connected pathways:

1. funds (from the Federal government) AND state tax system

2. US Supreme Court legal outcomes (precedents)

3. Texas Supreme Court legal outcomes

Now, try to conceptualize the way concurrent powers work–so think of how each of the concurrent areas would play out in the real day to day sense. Start with law enforcement, for example.

State and federal law enforcement are concurrent, i.e. happening at the same time. However, who, or what is the state version, and who or what is federal ?  Taxing is another example—what does the state tax, and what is taxed by the federal govt?

For the ASSIGNMENT, let’s use a very potent tool, the 2009 Economic Recovery Act (Stimulus Plan) .  When you access this link:

http://www.window.state.tx.us/recovery/

You’ll see numerous Texas agencies or schools and universities, that have been implementing programs allocated by the Recovery Act. 

UPDATE/FYI:  Guv-candidate Perry reject a half-billion dollar education incentive from the Recovery Act last year, because he felt concerned that aligning core curricula standards might “dumb down” education in this state.  I’ll let you evaluate that for yourselves.  Texas also declined to participate in Race to the Top program, as this would benefit some in public schools, as opposed to private entities.

You’ll also see $$ coming in from the US Department of Homeland Security.  There is an on-going investigation about abuse of the funds from DHS, as many local law enforcement have purchased some really cool stuff for themselves.  Article to follow on homepage.  the Texas Dept of Public Safety is responsible for oversight of $$ coming the federal govt, but DPS is Perry’s pet agency. 

For assignment, click on a particular agency, for each of the four areas below, and look around.  List below the name of the agency or school, etc, and how much its accepted from the Plan.  List what the funds are being used for, etc. 

EDUCATION —

LAND USE / REGULATING COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY—

 LAW ENFORCEMENT —

PUBLIC HEALTH–

Sometimes we don’t know the answers to how governments work together, and apart, but now we have to begin putting that constitutional framework into a living, daily environment!  I sincerely believe, and know that most of the time, government agencies want to coordinate for some overall betterment of things. Elected officials are the ones getting in the way, not the governments involved, and that’s the most accurate and sincere notion you’ll hear (at least for now 😉

HOMEWORK 2

George W. Bush and his power circle (including Rick Perry of course) is the gift that just keep giving in this state.  As governor, he signed school reform proposals that gave more “local control” over K-12 education to ISD (Independent School District) governments.  Great!  Isn’t it in the state constitution that all Texas kids be provided public education?  Yes.

So how does the state fulfill this basic and vital responsibility, by granting greater control to ISD?  Easy Peasy.  It doesn’t, because it doesn’t have to fulfill the funding in ways it used to, starting with the ratio of funding from the state’s huge treasury.  AND by “de-regulating” the cost of tuition.  Thanks again Governors Bush and Perry.  But don’t take my word for it, just ask your family and friends how much tuition was 10-12 years ago…

When are the middle and working class workers, taxpayers, students, and parents in this state going to read the signs?  What the state government has done is systematically undermine education, slice and dice.  Small changes over time, and then it’s beyond reach.  Our property taxes are again increased to their legal limits, to make up some of the state’s shortfall.  The rest is tuition and fees (don’t forget those!) increases.

For the discussion board 5 points, please read the article below by Ross Ramsey, which is very kind toward the movers of education policy…Why I don’t know.  I suppose its so he can continue to be granted interviews with the slick ones.

Please indicate in your post, the following:

1.  Who is the person interviewed?  What is his background?

2.  Explain the change (how much in %) in funding for higher education coming from the state

3.  What insights do you get from the interview– that is, does the Chairman seem pro- or hands-off education finance and tuition reform

4.  Can you spot the portion of the interview where he does the politicians classic “pivot” away from the problem or question–to get off the troublesome topic of tuition to quality/success of the school.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/us/texas-provides-less-so-education-costs-more.html