Category: Business and Management

Case Discussion  
SMITHFIELD’S CUSTOM FURNITURE
It is 1901. Alicia Smithfield, daughter of the founder of Smithfield Custom Furniture, just inherited the company. She is the only surviving heir to the furniture empire her father built.  
Headquartered in upstate New York, the company has grown significantly over the past 60 years. Began in a shed built next to his log cabin, Jonas Smithfield’s quality furniture developed a huge following among New York City’s wealthiest residents.
After being educated in the best business schools in Europe and America, Alicia has run the business side-by-side with her father for the past 15 years. When there were many issues confronting the business, a tree being felled took an unexpected route and brought Jonas’ life to a surprising end.
The company had just moved to a facility large enough to house its workers: 10 carpenters; 5 furniture designers; 5 wood finishers (varnish and dye experts); 10 machine operators to assist with the various equipment needed to cut the wood into various designs, polish and sand the wood; 5 mechanics to keep the vehicles (5 trucks) and boats (7) that transported wood from upstate New York and Canada to the work area in good repair; 15 lumberjacks who cut wood in nearby areas and moved it downriver by boat or over the rugged highway by truck; and 5 office personnel who assisted with filing, invoicing, drafting and responding to correspondence, handling customer inquiries, and performing other necessary office functions. More than half of these employees were hired in the past 5 years.
Alicia’s Big Issues
The major issues confronting Alicia Smithfield are these:  
(1) The furniture manufacturing functions are very disorganized. It is not clear how to best organize these functions. For example, the varnish and dye experts each use a different method to complete their tasks.  
(2) The production schedule is a mess. It is not clear which projects should be completed first to ensure products are being delivered to customers on time. 
(3) The lumberjacks, both cutting trees down and shipping them by truck or boat, differ on the best methods to perform these tasks. 
(4) Tempers are flaring as a result of the disorganization. The office, clerical, and support workers are rude to each other and can’t seem to act as a cohesive work unit.
(5) While the company is financially successful, as it has grown from a small family-owned business to a large and complex enterprise, the organizational structure has not kept pace. Few formal rules exist, and the keeping and maintenance of records are haphazard.  
(6) Employees are feeling overworked and losing satisfaction in the work they are doing. They believe their basic needs are not being addressed.
Alicia’s Proposed Issue Solutions 
Alicia Smithfield is familiar with all of the contributors (e.g., Weber, Gilbreath, Taylor, among others) to the management theory you have read about this week. She has decided to hire six (6) of those contributors to management theory from the week’s readings as consultants. (We shall now refer to those contributors (e.g., Weber, Gilbreath, Taylor, among the others) in this week’s readings as “consultants.”)  
Each of the six (6) consultants selected will be assigned to solve only one of the six (6) issues listed above. Alicia’s problem is that she is unclear as to which of the six (6) contributors selected from the week’s reading to be her consultants are best matched to solve each of the six (6) specific issues listed above.   
Your Task for Your Initial Post 
You are to answer four (4) of the above-mentioned six (6) issues identified by Alicia Smithfield. Specifically, she has asked you to recommend a consultant to solve four of the six issues confronting her. You have been requested to explain to Alicia why you selected the four consultants you chose to solve each of the four selected issues. Each consultant will solve one of the four issues you identified that particular consultant to address. You must explain the major contribution/idea of the consultant selected and how that contribution/idea applies to the specific issue you have recommended that the consultant solve. You must identify the school of thought that each consultant represents.  
Note: You may not use any of the individuals in the readings to solve more than one of the four (4) issues. If a person you select is deceased, do not let that inconvenience stand in your way. You may still use that individual to solve a specific issue.
For research associated with this discussion, you must use course materials only. You must provide in-text citations and references for each of the four (4) issues you select.
Format for Your Initial Post
Use the exact numbers and corresponding headings for your initial post for each of your 4 selections. For example, one student’s post may be numbered 1, 3, 5, 6; another student’s post may be numbered 1, 2, 4, 5; and so forth. Any four of the six issues listed that a student selects to answer will be acceptable.     
Manufacturing Functions are Disorganized 
Production Schedule is a Mess
Lumberjack Disagreement Methods To Cut Trees/Load Boat  
Tempers Flare among Office Support Staff 
Lack of Formal Rules/Record-Keeping Processes  
Basic Needs and Job Satisfaction Overlooked 

One of the fastest-growing segments of the online payments business is mobile payments. U.S. mobile payments are expected to reach $140 billion by 2019 and purchases using mobile devices could account for half of all online retail sales by 2017.
Google introduced one of the first digital wallet products that would work on a mobile device in 2011 when it also introduced support for the operation of NFC chips in its Android mobile operating system. Google Pay stores a MasterCard account for users that agree to maintain a cash balance with the card’s issuing bank, so it operates essentially as a debit card. Google Pay does not charge a fee to merchants or the MasterCard issuing banks, nor does it charge a transaction fee. Instead, it generates revenue from advertisers who pay to display ads, offer coupons or other promotions (specific ads are displayed based on the mobile device’s proximity to the stores that are making the offers). Google Pay has been slow to catch on with users.
In 2014, Apple introduced a digital wallet product for its mobile devices called Apple Pay. In operation, Apple Pay is similar to Google Pay; however, the infrastructure and revenue model is different. Apple Pay charges the issuing banks a fee of 0.05 percent of the transaction amount and guarantees each transaction; that is, if the transaction is fraudulent, Apple will cover the loss. Credit card companies normally charge merchants a fee ranging between 2 and 3 percent of the transaction amount, so the additional Apple Pay fee serves as a low-priced insurance plan for them. Consumers will not be charged at all for using Apple Pay and will not be given advertising messages. Further, Apple has stated that it does not collect information about consumer buying habits from Apple Pay data. Apple arranged for American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa credit cards to be included in their system, along with a group of large card-issuing banks. They also included major retailers such as Bloomingdales, Disney, Staples, Walgreens and Whole Foods. These participants will be able to collect data on consumer buying habits, but only on those consumers that use their card or shop at their stores. Apple reported that more than a million credit cards were registered with Apple Pay in the first three days it was available. After Apple Pay’s introduction, an increase in the number of retailers that accept NFC payments (as you learned in this chapter, NFC technology is used by both Google Pay and Apple Pay) caused an increase in the use of Google Pay.
Amy Lawrence, the owner of Random Walk Shoes, has asked you again to help her as she launches her company’s first Web site (see week 5 case study). She is interested incorporating a mobile application to her brick and mortar operation and wants your recommendation regarding credit card processing. This week’s assignment is to research Google Pay and Apple Pay and compare the benefits and drawbacks of each from a consumer’s standpoint, a retailer’s standpoint, and a bank’s standpoint. Include why you think Google decided to develop this new product why Google also decided to continue offering its Google Pay product. In addition, please include an explanation what a “card not present” transaction is and why it presents a greater risk than card present transactions for a retail business. Amy foresees that her business with grow into a large company, so discuss how the Electronic commerce software for a small online store must summarize sales and shipments, and contrast it with how software for a large enterprise might do so.
The following requirements must be met:
·        Write between 1,000 – 1,500 words using Microsoft Word in APA style.
·        Use an appropriate number of references to support your position, and defend your arguments. The following are examples of primary and secondary sources that may be used, and non-credible and opinion based sources that may not be used.
o   Primary sources such as government websites (United States Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Census Bureau, The World Bank), peer reviewed and scholarly journals in EBSCOhost and Google Scholar.
o   Secondary and credible sources such as CNN Money, The Wall Street Journal, trade journals, and publications in EBSCOhost).
o   Non-credible and opinion based sources such as, Wikis, Yahoo Answers, eHow, blogs, etc. should not be used.
·        Cite all reference material (data, dates, graphs, quotes, paraphrased statements, information, etc.) in the paper and list each source on a reference page using APA style. APA resources, including a template, are provided in the Supplemental Materials folder.

https://online.fiu.edu/videos?vpvid=4b48d90f-5ce1-4b0a-85e1-fbe649bebcc9 watch video
http://ethix.org/2011/06/25/was-aaron-feuerstein-wrong read article For discussion, address the following:
Was Feuerstein guided by morals or ethics?
Do you think he could have made the decision if Malden were a publicly traded company?
Why do you think he has critics for his decision?
You must provide citations for all materials used. If you use outside sources, provide URL.

The 2019 EY and University of St Gallen Global Family Business Index provide significant insights into the world’s largest family-owned businesses, ranked by revenues. 
Of the selected Family Business, prepare and submit 4 summary slides with the following information in addition to those slides prepared in part I.
Two slides with the following:
History. How many generations? Major events (relevant as a family business)?
Family members working in the business. What roles do they play?
How is the Board? Changes in the board through the company history.
Ownership? Who owns the company? How much is retained in the family?
Two slides with the following:
Key success factors and competitive advantage? (Elaborate the answer. Provide critical arguments of why they are key success factors and competitive advantage compared to competitors and the market).
The company should be one of “The Family Business Index”:-
https://familybusinessindex.com/

Please follow the instructions below and submit it as soon as possible. Do not use any AI tools or plagiarism. 

As an aspiring entrepreneur, develop an idea on either a product or service. Based on your
knowledge acquired in this course so far, demonstrate how you will turn this idea into a major
blockbuster business success. You must highlight the costs, revenue, and profit projections
associated with this business venture. Discuss the need for this product or service.
Demonstrate why you think you stand a better chance of beating the odds of failure. What
would be your major sources of financing for this venture? Has there been any substitute
product or service? If so, why did it fail? Investigate all the parameters that would guarantee
your business viability in the industry. Does location matter in this venture? Who would be your
target market and why? Discuss what you hope to accomplish via the entrepreneurial venture
that would leave a legacy behind if anything. How do you intend or plan to beat the
competition? How would you describe your distinct entrepreneurial makeup or category? Are
you a Classic, Serial, or Social entrepreneur? Justify your category by highlighting distinct
features or characteristics associated with your entrepreneurial category…be very objective the
best you can.
Among the millions of entrepreneurs who are alive or passed, who is your favorite and
why?….keep this particular segment to one page, but the entire write-up paper should be
between 5 and seven pages excluding cover and works cited pages.
Please note that the topic proposal must be in the form of a clear statement or Question stating
exactly the problem for research or the question to be answered. Focus on a problem that is
manageable and one that you can handle with ease

Zoom Presentation: Making Your Organization THE Place to Be
Due: Monday, 9:00 am (eastern), Week 8  (Weight: 25%)
Overview
The Netflix Freedom & Responsibility Culture Deck has been hailed as one of the most important documents to come out of Silicon Valley. Its origins, however, were much less aspirational. For Reed Hastings and Patty McCord, it was an iterative tool. It was not designed to be pretty or to have a place on the world stage. It was an attempt to define what Netflix was as a company – not in terms of a business plan or strategy, but from a “people perspective.” It was an effort to articulate all they had learned about what it takes to create a high performing culture. It also sent a message to both current and potential employees: “If you want to work for Netflix, here’s what you’re in for. If this doesn’t look like something you want to be a part of, then Netflix is not for you.”
Scenario
The work you have been doing in the HR concentration of your MBA program has been getting a lot of attention around the office lately. You have had some great conversations with colleagues and challenging the perceptions of what HR can do as a strategic growth driver in the organization. In fact, all this buzz has caught the attention of your CEO.
Your first meeting with the Executive Team in which you discussed your HR Snapshot and presented a candid view of the needs and opportunities (Assignment 1) was well received. The CEO has heard you talking about the Netflix Culture Deck, and has asked you to lead a meeting to discuss whether a resource like that would be an effective tool in defining and communicating the cultural and talent management principles in your own organization.
Instructions
You have decided to organize your PowerPoint presentation in two parts:
1. In the first part of your presentation, you will use 4 to 5 slides to present an analysis of the Netflix Culture Deck to share with the CEO and Executive Team. In drafting your analysis, your objective is to assess which of the Netflix practices are most relevant for growth at your organization.
Identify the three most exciting and relevant practices in the Netflix Culture Deck. Explain why you selected them and the potential benefits and challenges of implementing these practices at your organization. If applicable, indicate how each practice you chose might need adaptation to succeed in your workplace culture.
You know that your CEO respects the teachings of Jack Welch and that the three practices you’ve chosen may differ from those that Jack advocates. As you present each Netflix practice, compare it with Jack’s ideas on that topic. Explain how it aligns with Jack’s principles or, if it does not align, explain why the Netflix practice makes sense in the context of your business and/or today’s marketplace.
2. In the second part of your presentation, you will use 4 to 5 slides to outline recommendations for talent management practices that could help to transform your organization into “THE place to be.” You can organize this part of your deck as you wish, but it must include the following:
Recommend 2 or 3 transformative practices. These could be practices presented in the Netflix Culture Deck or they could be different practices.
Explain:
How the ideas you are presenting will transform your organization
What it will take to implement them, including:
team structures that may need to be changed
management capabilities
compensation and access to talent pools
timelines and milestones for a rollout
How success and ROI will be measured
You know you have to get the Executive Team excited, so have some fun. Be bold, but not reckless. Explain why your ideas are right for your company, for the labor market in which you compete, and how they relate to the current organizational culture and norms. Bring your enthusiasm and show your 4 E’s + P, as described by Jack in Chapter 6 of Winning.
Submission Requirements
The submission for this assignment is in the form of a recorded presentation delivered via Zoom
Must include a PowerPoint deck of 8 to 10 slides, addressing all the required components  
The presentation demonstrates mastery of the materials and includes citations to support any sources, figures or references used 
Presentation must last for 8 to 10 minutes, demonstrate strong executive presence, and be delivered in a professional manner appropriate for a C-Suite meeting

Please refer to “Fictional Invitation to Tender – Requirements” to help me edit “Fictional Tender Response Draft”. Since it is my first time to write a tender response, if there is any imprecision in the format or content, please help me correct and rewrite it, thank you.

Students will complete a 3-page analysis of an article and a response to a series of questions concerning the ethics of a controversial marketing strategy.
For this assignment, you will read an article and answer a series of questions concerning the ethics and moral responsibilities involved with a controversial marketing strategy. Begin by researching the CSU Online Library to find an article about marketing to vulnerable populations, stealth or undercover marketing, ambush marketing, or E-lining. The article you choose must be at least three pages in length and published in the last 5 years.
Then, provide a written response to each of the items listed below.
In your own words, how would you describe the marketing techniques used in the article you chose?
Explain the ethical issues involved in the marketing technique from the perspective of marketers, company owners, consumers, and competitors.
Describe an actual instance of the marketing technique not included in the article. What was the organization hoping to achieve through its marketing tactics? Would you consider the organization’s marketing an immoral practice or morally permissible competitive strategy? Explain your position.
As a leader of an organization, would you allow this type of marketing? Explain your reasoning.
Your completed assignment should be a minimum of three pages in length. You must use a minimum of three academic or peer-reviewed sources. You must use the CSU Online Library to obtain at least one of these sources. The How to Find Peer-Reviewed Sources video from the CSU Online Library may help with your search efforts. Adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment.

Resume your Policy Manual construction with this week’s requirements:
Part A) Explain the concepts of employee rights and employer responsibilities. 
Part B) Explain positive and Progressive Discipline.
Part C) Include all manual-related assignments from previous weeks including discussion, and skill-building activities.
Part D: You will also include a final Lessons Learned. APA Format – Considered punctuation, grammar, spelling, paragraph/sentence structure, etc… Most of this assignment is student observations, but further research on other similar processes (and personal communications interviewing others) may require citations and references.
Expectations: For each part; a minimum of 2+ pages (350 words per page).  Provide three different references and matching citations across any of your input for the new input.
(Use best practices in analysis, cite anything that you use in APA format).