Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal would be a great paper due Oct 6, 2015

Part 1: Note: This is Part 1 of the Course Project/Case Study and is due in Unit 3. (Part 2 will be completed in Unit 4). Part 1 of the Project, due at the end of this unit, requires you to complete an analysis of an organization. This evaluation will provide the basis for Part 2 of the Project. “The Organization” may be understood and used in three ways: 1) You may use your own employer as the basis for the Project – If your employer is appropriate to the assignment and has the requisite information to support a graduate-level analysis. Use of an organization that is not appropriate may result in a diminished score. If you have any doubts, please contact your instructor for additional guidance. 2) Another possibility would be to use a local company willing to help you with your Project, even if you are not an employee. 3) If you are not employed, or if your employer is not appropriate to the assignment, you may select a different organization. You may use any organization of your choosing, but it must be appropriate to the Project. NOTE: If you are self-employed, your own company would not be an appropriate research subject. You must select another company to meet the requirements of the course Project. One method for choosing a company will be to do an on-line search for a company that might interest you; then you may search the company’s web-site as the basis for your Project. Another great resource for locating a company is the Textbook Student Companion website “Professional Resources”. There is a “Company link” to many great organizations. For your convenience, it is provided here: http://highered.mcgraw- hill.com/sites/0078025532/student_view0/professional_resources.html A title page with properly formatted APA running head, an abstract and reference pages are required. Review the APA Template and the APA Sample Paper documents in Doc Sharing for guidance. 1. Begin with an introduction to the organization. Identify whether it is a manufacturing or a service organization. Detail briefly the products or services offered by your organization, the company’s market niche and/or customer base.

2. Based on the readings, create a balanced scorecard, incorporating all four of the organizational dimensions (financial, customer, internal business, and learning and

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growth). Identify 3–5 critical success factors (CSF) for each dimension, and evaluate and analyze your organization’s performance in relation to these critical success factors. (To help you with this part, review the material found on pages 11, and 43 through 51 in your textbook. Your BSC should resemble Exhibit 2.5 in the Textbook, page 45). NOTE: Do not simply cut and paste a BSC collected from an on-line source. Create your own BSC.

3. Identify significant costs in your organization. Which of these costs are associated with quality? Remember, quality costs are not limited to manufacturing organizations. There are also costs associated with the quality of service. Are there costs associated with environmental concerns? Evaluate these quality and environmental costs and identify whether they are prevention costs, appraisal (detection) costs, internal failure costs, or external failure costs.

4. Create (again, the term “create” is very important – do not simply cut and paste a version collected from an on-line source) a “Strategy Map” for your organization. Your organization’s strategy map should resemble Exhibit 2.6, seen on page 47 of your textbook. Include an explanation for each element in your strategy map. One thing to particularly note–The BSC and Strategy Map must be aligned. Please compare Exhibit 2.6 & 2.7 on pages 47 and 48 in the textbook. Please note that the elements in the BSC and the strategy map are coordinated.

5. Next, incorporate a discussion of sustainability, as seen on pages 48 to 51 in your textbook. Use specific measures for Environmental (EPI) and Social Performance Indicators (SPI).

6. Include a section devoted to Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis (CVP). Review Chapter 9 in your textbook. The level of detail you include in this section is flexible. But, make sure your analysis is related to actual financial data from the company. Suggested metrics might include the contribution margin, DOL, breakeven point, and others.

7. Finally, end with a summary review (a formal “Conclusion” section is required) of the performance evaluation. What are the key strengths and weaknesses of the organization? What changes would you recommend be made to the current organizational strategy? Part 1 of the Project should have a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 10 double-spaced pages, and will be evaluated for content, analysis, critical thinking, grammar, spelling and formatting. So be sure to proofread and then proofread again! Be certain that you do a “spell and grammar” check on all of your assignments in all units, even the Excel assignments. The 8 to 10 page minimum/maximum does not include the required title, abstract and reference list pages. Those must be in addition to the 8 - 10 pages. Do not incorporate

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enlarged type, extra line spaces, extra points at the end of a line, over-sized graphs and charts, or unusual margins to artificially inflate the page length. NOTE: Do not use overly wordy phrases. Do use economy of expression. Use concise and precise language that avoids slang or colloquial expressions. For example: Instead of using “On the other hand…” simply use “Alternatively…” Your project must be presented in accordance with the guidance found in the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition. For help with your presentation and formatting, please review the writing tips presented in “Extra! Extra!”. Also, the Kaplan Writing Lab is a tremendous resource. So please take full advantage of the great helps available there. You may access the Writing Lab by going to your “My Studies” tab located at the KU Campus Home Page. Then, access the “Academic Support Center” link. The Writing Center will be located there for your access. Remember, this Assignment will be processed using the Turnitin software to determine the level of original content in the assignment. Please review the Syllabus and the Kaplan University Academic Policy regarding plagiarism. Excessive similarity to existing works will result in varying consequences, depending on the nature of the similarity.