What is values-based service? How can a company create value for customers and other stakeholders?

Values-based service is defined as service that is firmly based on the core company values as well as social and environmental responsibility. When the core company values and the social and environmental values are in accordance with the values of customers and other stakeholders, resonance (rather than dissonance) occurs. To be successful, a values-based service business must seek resonance with its customers and other stakeholders in terms of values and avoid any suggestion of dissonance. Companies, such as IKEA, nurture and communicate values in their customer relationships.

Read the article “Values-Based Service Brands: Narratives from IKEA” by Edvardsson from the readings for this module. Using IKEA as the company in point, conduct research, using the  University online library and the Internet, to better understand the “IKEA environment.”

Based on your research, write a report addressing the following points:

• IKEA’s Marketing (1 page) 

  Corporate strategy begins with marketing and understanding the key elements of the marketing plan. For IKEA, describe the following elements of its marketing strategy:

  • How do IKEA’s products, services, and related attributes satisfy the wants and needs known as its value proposition?
  • How does IKEA create a well-defined market position that appeals to customer wants and needs and differentiates its offering from competitive offerings in a process known as positioning and differentiation?

• Assess IKEA’s strategy using the criteria listed below:
  • Value Chain (1 page)

    Analyze the three sources of value (economic, social, and environmental) in IKEA’s value chain.

    • Explain sources of value as they relate to the wants and needs of IKEA’s core customer.
    • Explain how IKEA’s supply chain supports its value proposition.
    • Explain how IKEA’s focus on customer value (economic, social, and environmental) is reflected in its supply chain.
  • Intangible Products (1 page)
    • Explain IKEA’s intangible products and benefits.
    • Explain how other firms employ this concept of intangibles to erect barriers to entry for competitors.
    • Explain how the concept of intangible benefits is used to increase profits.
  • Customers (1 page) 

    IKEA considers the customer to be a critical stakeholder. The IKEA message is directed to the majority of people and what they can afford, and its pricing is dependent on the economic values that serve a majority of its customers.

    • Explain how this approach may or may not maximize profits for IKEA.
    • Explain if this premise is at odds with supply and demand economics. Give reasons for your answer.
  • Performance Measures (1 page)

    Suppose you are a vice-president of manufacturing for IKEA and are responsible for establishing operating performance measures.

    • For all of the performance factors other than quality and cost, create a set of 4–6 performance measures for evaluating your managers that integrates IKEA’s values (economic, social, and environmental) as discussed in the article written by Edvardsson.
    • For each performance measure, identify one specific process measure that demonstrates how well these values are being upheld in the manufacturing activities including suppliers of the company.
    • Recommend how you would develop the workforce to livethese values in the workplace. Suggest types of hiring, training, and performance management criteria that you will apply to the workforce.

Write a 8 page paper in Word format. Please use 3–7 scholarly articles in your research. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M3_A2.doc.

Then, develop a short 6–8-slide Power Point presentation (not including the title and reference slides) covering the same information. Include headings for each slide, and provide your talking points in the notes section to explain the content if the presentation is given verbally. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M3_A2.ppt.

By , January 23, 2016, deliver your assignment to the 

Only need 350 words total but need citations from internet articles or news, include link I can look up.

Explain the concept of Open Markets and Closed Borders.

1) The United States Government is striving to have an open, but secure border. What would be the consequences/impact to the United States if the border was suddenly made less open and more secure?

2) Should the “need to know” be replaced by the “need to share” as stated in the 9/11 Commission Report? Why or why not? Fully explain your position.

3) What is the role of the Department of Defense in border and coastal security? What is the DOD’s relationship with the Department of Homeland Security as it pertains to border security? How does DOD support civil authorities?

According to the intensive distribution strategy, a consumer should not have to go beyond the nearest store to buy the product. Create a 300- to 400-word response answering the following:

• Which products are best suited for an intensive distribution strategy and why?
• Provide an example of a product you buy that is always available.
• How does this influence your brand loyalty toward the product?
• Discuss a situation when you went out of your way to buy a particular product. Why did you make such an effort to buy it? What are the lessons for marketing managers who sell products that consumers consider special?

Be sure to properly cite your sources using APA; include your references and in-text citations.

3-5 paragraphs APA format 

On the Discussion Board, respond to the questions below and include an educated explanation for each:

• If most youth gangs are racially and ethnically homogeneous, should law enforcement use race and ethnic-specific strategies to fight gang formation and control gang crime?
• On the other hand, should law enforcement strategies be racially and ethnically neutral?
• What dilemmas are created for police departments that pursue each of these strategies?
• Is the likely result institutional or contextual discrimination?
• Which theory of crime do you believe best explains the prevalence of gang crime in the United States?

2-4 paragraphs APA format 

You are a probation officer and have a client, John Smith, who is a registered sex offender. One of the obligations of a probationer is to keep in close contact with his probation officer. This particular probationer failed to do that for a period of 4 months. You later found that John was involved with a woman who has three children, ages 6, 9, and 14. You felt compelled to contact this woman and find out whether she knew why John was on probation. During the conversation, she was appreciative that you had concerns but explained that John told her that he was involved with a 16-year-old, but that the girl had lied to him about her age. She said his conviction was the fault of the girl’s parents, who convinced the daughter to press charges as a way to keep him away from her. She said it was not a big deal because the girl lied to John about her age. You want to tell her about John’s past of being involved with molesting two girls, ages 4 and 7.

Analyze this scenario, and discuss the following:

• What is the most ethical way to handle this situation?
• What are some unethical decisions one could make in this case?
• Making sure to uphold ethical and moral values/concepts, what other options do you have in this situation?

Apply ethical and moral concepts to your decision-making process in 2–4 paragraphs, and cite all sources in proper APA format. When commenting on your classmates’ posts, consider the way they propose to handle the situation, and compare this to how you would handle the situation. Were there similarities/differences in your decision-making processes?

Policy networks are a prevalent feature of democratic governance. The policy network approach requires collaboration among interested parties in order to make progress in forming public policy. The various actors in a policy network organize, form coalitions, communicate, coordinate, and compete around policy issues of interest to them. Policy networks are organic entities that may change over time. Depending on the policy issue, today’s allies in a policy network may be tomorrow’s enemies. For example, conservative and libertarian groups may work together to defeat a new tax proposal but may quickly part ways over the legalization of medical marijuana. The operation of policy networks is shaped by the political, social, and economic climate in which they operate.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review the articles “Analyzing and Managing Policy Processes in Complex Networks: A Theoretical Examination of the Concept Policy Network and Its Problems” in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider the definitions of policy network presented and the evolving structures and processes associated with the term policy network.
• Review Chapter 1 of “The Network Society from Knowledge to Policy” in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider the effect of networks on society.
• Review the article “The Development of Policy Network Analyses: From Modest Origins to Overarching Frameworks” in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider whether basic concepts of democratic governance play a role in policy networks.
• Review the article “Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework to Understand Freight Transportation Policy Change” in this week’s Learning Resources. Think about how the advocacy coalition framework is used to advance policy change.
• Reflect on the elements of the policy network approach present in the advocacy coalition framework.
• Recall the issue you selected for this week’s Discussion and think about which actors and organizations might be part of the policy network related to the issue.
• Pay particular attention to how actors in a policy network might communicate and coordinate.
• Consider how democratic governance might influence the operation of policy networks.

The Assignment (2–3 pages):

• Briefly describe the issue you selected.
• Describe the actors and organizations in the policy network related to your chosen issue.
• Explain how democratic governance influences the operation of policy networks, specifically the one(s) related to your issue. Next, explain how policy networks influence democratic governance.
• Based on your analysis, draw conclusions and share insights about the relationship between democratic governance and policy networks.

Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list only for those resources not included in the Learning Resources for this co