Business-Level and Corporate-Level Strategies 

Choose an industry you have not yet written about in this course, and one publicly traded corporation within that industry. Research the company on its own Website, the public filings on the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml), in the University’s online databases, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help address some of these questions.

Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you:

1. Analyze the business-level strategies for the corporation you chose to determine the business-level strategy you think is most important to the long-term success of the firm and whether or not you judge this to be a good choice. Justify your opinion.
2. Analyze the corporate-level strategies for the corporation you chose to determine the corporate-level strategy you think is most important to the long-term success of the firm and whether or not you judge this to be a good choice. Justify your opinion.
3. Analyze the competitive environment to determine the corporation’s most significant competitor.  Compare their strategies at each level and evaluate which company you think is most likely to be successful in the long term. Justify your choice.
4. Determine whether your choice from Question 3 would differ in slow-cycle and fast-cycle markets.
5. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

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; 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 page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Identify various levels and types of strategy in a firm.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in business administration.
• Write clearly and concisely about business administration using proper writing mechanics.

Using the attached file, please complete the following:

Assignment 2: Final Project: Sampling 

Based on the feedback you received on your submission from last week, submit a revised draft of your paper with this additional information:

1. Five additional references that could be used for your research paper and include a 1-2 sentence description for each of the five additional references, explaining how they fit with the research topic and the research question proposed. Make sure that these references come from scholarly sources using Argosy’s library resources.
2. A  very detailed outline of what you would like to cover in the intro/lit review of your paper. Write it as an outline and think about what you want each paragraph or section to cover. Paste your references into each section where the information from that article applies to the topic. Below is an example of the outline although the references have not been pasted in yet:
   1. Introduction or Statement of the Problem (e.g. Predictors of Depression in Men)
      1. Research question (E.g. What factors predict depression in men? For example, age, marital status, family history, stressors).
      2. Why is it important/implications  (E.g. xx% of men are depressed; less likely to seek treatment; if we can identify who is at risk, may be able to direct them to treatment sooner)
      3. Revised hypothesis based on feedback from the instructor
   2. Review of the Literature (the following is an example for above topic):
      1. Brief description of depression, symptoms, and any unique symptoms for men (Cite articles from which you will obtain this information).
      2. How widespread is it? Stats on depression in general but also stats on depression in men (Cite articles from which you will obtain this information).
      3. List factors that put men at risk for depression (Cite articles).
         1. Difficulty communicating distress or sadness (Cite articles).
         2. Job/work pressures (Cite articles).
      4. Demographic characteristics (Cite articles).
         1. Relationship between age and depression (Cite articles).
         2. Relationship between marital status and depression (Cite articles).
3. A 1-2 page description of the sample you would like to use for your study, that provides the answer to the following questions:
   1. What sampling technique would you use?
   2. Does the sample generalize to the population? Explain why or why not.
   3. What inclusion criteria would be used? What exclusion criteria would be used, if any?
   4. What ethical issues might be encountered when collecting your information from this sample?
4. Be sure to also submit all your ten references (the five from last week and the five new ones you added) in an APA-style reference page. Be sure to also include an APA-style title page with your submission. Your paper should be at least 2-3 pages long. Make sure you write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Submit your assignment to the M2: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Wednesday, February 3, 2016

In this week, you will build on the analysis done in the previous weeks to create a quality management plan. Use the three steps of the Shewhart Cycle—Do, Check, Act—to complete your quality management plan.

Tasks:

Create a “balanced scorecard” and a “dashboard” specific to the areas of improvement in your quality management plan to describe performance measurement tools that are broad in scope but summarized in a few key indicators.

Using the selected healthcare operating unit, create a specific dashboard for an operating unit of a healthcare organization.

On the basis of identified weaknesses, the improvement implementation plans, and your knowledge of the unit:

• Create four categories of measurement. They must include both clinical and financial categories. Describe the categories and write a justification for each.
• For each category, create at least three specific performance measures. For each measure, describe how it is calculated and where the data can be found.
• Explain how the performance measures may change if the unit of analysis is the organization as a whole and not a specific operating unit.

In addition, present a 5-page plan addressing the following quality management plan controls:

• Discuss issues to be considered with the implementation of the improvement program.
  • Staff acceptance of change
  • Implementation time frame
• Discuss issues involved in the collection and analysis of data.
  • Data collection
  • Data analysis process
• Identify and describe a desired outcome of the quality improvement plan.

Epidemic, Endemic, and Pandemic Occurrence of Disease(s)

One aspect of epidemiology is the study of the epidemic, endemic, and pandemic occurrence of disease(s).

Some critics may argue diseases and conditions such as bird flu are endemic in many countries, and some may argue human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS is a series of epidemics.

Using the South University Online Library or the Internet, research about the various epidemic, endemic, and pandemic occurrence of disease(s).

Based on your research and understanding, answer the following questions:

• At what point does a disease become an epidemic, endemic, or pandemic? What are the parameters that define each of these states of a disease’s effect?
• Do you agree that bird flu, HIV, or AIDS could be described as a series of epidemics? Why or why not?
• Should we study epidemiology and disease control as a complement to the provision of healthcare services? Why or why not?
• Disease control has evolved since the discoveries and achievements of these epidemiological pioneers—Hippocrates, John Snow, Pasteur, and Koch. Explain the impact of at least one major historical contribution on the current status of epidemiological practices. How can history potentially shape and impact our future work in public health and clinical medicine? Explain.

To prepare the new staff for the upcoming tax season, you have decided to hold 1-week training.

Prepare a short PowerPoint presentation of 4-5 slides outlining the following:

• What type of tax rate structure does the U.S. tax system apply?
• What are the individual tax forms, and what factors are used to determine which one to use?
• What is taxable income, and how is it determined?