December 2017 – Page 2 – Precision Essays

December 9, 2017

HSHM521 Financial and Resource Management in Healthcare Assignment 1

HSHM521
Financial and Resource Management in Healthcare
Assignment 1
Due Date: 15 December 2017
40 marks
Important: You must show all calculations and explain how you got all your answers. For example, suppose a question asks what the profit will be in a particular month and you put “$50,000”. Even if this is correct you will receive no marks if you do not show how you got the answer.

There is generally no need for footnotes or references. If you quote or refer to sources this must be acknowledged. It is essential that the work is your own.

QUESTION 1 (8 Marks)
Several transactions are listed below. What impact do they have on assets, liabilities and owner’s equity – ie do they result in an increase or decrease in assets, liabilities and owner’s equity? You need to explain how you got your answer – to do this you need to specify what accounts would have been affected.

Patient services are provided for cash
Medical equipment is purchased on credit
Payment is made for the equipment purchased on credit
Money is received from patients for services provided last month
Land is bought for $2 million – $1 million is paid from the hospital’s cash account and $1 million from borrowings from a bank.
A telephone account is received and recorded: payment will be made later.
Salaries are paid in cash
Dividends are paid to shareholders.

QUESTION 2 (5 Marks)
The profit and loss statement for the year ended 30 June 2016 for the Randwick Private Hospital shows a loss of $10 million. But from the balance sheet you observe that cash on hand as at 30 June 2015 was $4.3 million and as at 30 June 2016 was $8.4 million. Give three possible reasons why the hospital could report a loss for the year while its cash balances increased.

QUESTION 3 (12 Marks)
Items from the Happy Valley Hospital’s balance sheet and revenue and expense (income) statement for the 2015/16 financial year (ending 30 June) were accidentally listed in alphabetical order as follows:

$’000
Administration expenses                                                  12,165
Audit fees                                                                            167
Cash at bank                                                                       2,276
Cleaning                                                                              869
Drugs expense                                                                   9,866
Food expense                                                                     2,287
Fuel, light and power                                                         1,090
Government grants                                                            141,759
Infrastructure expenses                                                    2,129
Interest income                                                                   477
Inventories at end of year                                                 1,566
Long-term investments                                                      100
Long-term lease liability                                                    906
Medical and surgical expenses                                       17,585
Miscellaneous revenue                                                    19,470
Non-current provisions                                                     10,676*
Other creditors                                                                    14,235
Other expenses                                                                  13,889
Owner’s Equity                                                                   133,378
Patient fees receivable                                                      2,079
Patient fees                                                                         12,570
Private practice revenue                                                   4,865
Property, plant and equipment                                        131,707
Repairs and maintenance                                                3,253
Salaries and Wages                                                          103,494
Short-term borrowings                                                       15,948
Short-term investments                                                     37,651
Short-term research assets                                               850
Superannuation                                                                 8,876
Trade Creditors                                                                   4,393
Trade debtors                                                                      3,307

*This is a non-current liability

Prepare a balance sheet for this organisation for the 2015/16 financial year. Make sure to distinguish between current and non-current assets and liabilities.
Prepare a profit and loss statement for the 2015/16 financial year.
Do you think Happy Valley Hospital is in a sound financial position? Give evidence to support your answer.

QUESTION 4 (10 Marks)

Dr. Bill Jones runs his own solo general practice and decided to save some money and prepare the practice balance sheet and income statement himself – rather than pay an accountant.

The income statement as prepared by Dr. Jones is as follows:

Jones Medical Practice
Income statement as at 30 June 2016
Revenues
Accounts receivable                     15,200
Patient fees paid in cash             32,500                             47,700

Expenses
Dividends                                                         4,000
Accounts payable                                           4,500
Office expenses                                              10,200
Salaries and wages                                        17,100                          35,800
Net income                                                                                             11,900

The balance sheet as prepared by Dr. Jones is as follows:

Jones Medical Practice
Balance sheet for the period ended 30 June 2016

Assets                                                                   Liabilities and owners’ equity

Cash                       17,400                                   Patient services
Practice Building 100,000                                 provided on credit         26,200
Less amount owing (30,000)                             Owners’ equity              30,000
Net income                     9,900
Retained earnings        21,300
Total                        87,400                                   Total                                 87,400

Dr. Jones is very pleased with himself as he saved considerable money on accounting fees. But he is less pleased when he is contacted by the Taxation Office telling him that although his balance sheet balances there are many mistakes and that he has not paid enough tax.
You can determine that most of the amounts reported in both the income statement and balance sheet are correct – although this does not mean they are properly classified. The only figure that is incorrect is the figure for “retained earnings”. Dr. Jones simply put this figure in to balance the balance sheet. The correct figure is $68,100.

Required:

Prepare a corrected income statement for the year for the financial year.
Prepare a corrected balance sheet for the financial year.
Assuming a 30% tax rate – does Dr Jones owe the Tax Office money? How much?
Write a brief memo to Dr. Jones explaining the differences between your figures and his figures. You also need to explain how much tax he should have paid.

Question 5 (5 Marks)

The Wagner Private Hospital anticipates that it will have 50,000 patient days next year. This is substantially below its capacity of 70,000 patient days per year. The hospital has variable costs of $150 per patient day and its fixed costs are $3 million per year.

Calculate the average cost per patient day for Wagner at a volume of 50,000 patient days and at 60,000 patient days.
Assume that a private health insurance fund offers to generate 10,000 extra patient days per year. It currently sends no patients to Wagner. It is willing to pay a maximum flat amount of $180 per patient day. Assuming that its casemix is similar to the current 50,000 patient days, should Wagner accept this business? Explain how you got your answer.

December 9, 2017

Business Case Study Analysis – Frank’s All-American BarBeQue

Business Case Study Analysis – Frank’s
All-American BarBeQue
Overview
Robert Rainsford is a twenty-eight-year-old facing a major turning point in his life. He has
found himself unemployed for the first time since he was fifteen years old. Robert holds a BS
degree in marketing from the University of Rhode Island. After graduation, a firm that
specialized in developing web presences for other companies hired him. He worked for that
firm for the last seven years in New York City. Robert rose rapidly through the company’s
ranks, eventually becoming one of the firm’s vice presidents. Unfortunately, during the last
recession, the firm suffered significant losses and engaged in extensive downsizing, so Robert
lost his job. He spent months looking for a comparable position, yet even with an excellent
résumé, nothing seemed to be on the horizon. Not wanting to exhaust his savings and finding
it impossible to maintain a low-cost residence in New York City, he returned to his hometown
in Fairfield, Connecticut, a suburban community not too far from the New York state border.
He found a small apartment near his parents. As a stopgap measure, he went back to work
with his father, who is the owner of a restaurant—Frank’s All-American BarBeQue. His father,
Frank, started the restaurant in 1972. It is a midsize restaurant—with about eighty seats—
that Frank has built up into a relatively successful and locally well-known enterprise. The
restaurant has been at its present location since the early 1980s. It shares a parking lot with
several other stores in the small mall where it is located. The restaurant places an emphasis
on featuring the food and had a highly simplified décor, where tables are covered with
butcher paper rather than linen tablecloths. Robert’s father has won many awards at regional
and national barbecue cook-offs, which is unusual for a business in New England. He has won
for both his barbecue food and his sauces. The restaurant has been repeatedly written up in
the local and New York papers for the quality of its food and the four special Frank’s AllAmerican
BarBeQue sauces. The four sauces correspond to America’s four styles of
barbecue—Texan, Memphis, Kansas City, and Carolina. In the last few years, Frank had sold
small lots of these sauces in the local supermarket.
As a teenager, Robert, along with his older sister Susan, worked in his father’s restaurant.
During summer vacations while attending college, he continued to work in the restaurant.
Robert had never anticipated working full-time in the family business, even though he knew
his father had hoped that he would do so. By the time he returned to his hometown, his
father had accepted that neither Robert nor Susan would be interested in taking over the
family business. In fact, Frank had started to think about selling the business and retiring.
However, Robert concluded that his situation called for what he saw as desperate measures.
Initially, Robert thought his employment at his father’s business was a temporary measure
while he continued his job search. Interestingly, within the first few weeks he returned to the
business, he felt that he could bring his expertise in marketing—particularly his web
marketing focus—to his father’s business. Robert became very enthusiastic about the
possibility of fully participating in the family business. He thought about either expanding the
size of the restaurant, adding a takeout option, or creating other locations outside his
hometown. Robert looked at the possibility of securing a much larger site within his
hometown to expand the restaurant’s operations. He began to scout surrounding
communities for possible locations. He also began to map out a program to effectively use
the web to market Frank’s All-American BarBeQue sauce and, in fact, to build it up to a whole
new level of operational sophistication in marketing.
Robert recognized that the restaurant was as much of a child to his father as he and his
sister were. He knew that if he were to approach his father with his ideas concerning
expanding Frank’s All-American BarBeQue, he would have to think very carefully about the
options and proposals he would present to his father. Frank’s All-American BarBeQue was
one of many restaurants in Fairfield, but it is the only one that specializes in barbecue. Given
the turnover in restaurants, it was amazing that Frank had been able to not only survive but
also prosper. Robert recognized that his father was obviously doing something right. As a
teenager, he would always hear his father saying the restaurant’s success was based on
“giving people great simple food at a reasonable price in a place where they feel
comfortable.” He wanted to make sure that the proposals he would present to his father
would not destroy Frank’s recipe for success.
Case Study Short Answer Questions
Students should answer each question individually. Each question will be submitted separately via
Moodle on completion of the relevant Module. Each question should be a minimum of 1 page in
length
QUESTIONS TO BE ATTEMPTED AFTER COMPLETION OF MODULE 1
Question 1: Discuss how Robert should explicitly consider the customer value currently
offered by Frank’s All-American BarBeQue. In your discussion, comment on the five value
benefits and the perceived costs.
Question 2: Robert has several possible options for expanding his father’s business—find a
larger location in Fairfield, add a takeout option, open more restaurants in surrounding
communities, incorporate web marketing concepts, and expand the sales of sauces. Review
each in terms of value benefits.
QUESTIONS TO BE ATTEMPTED AFTER COMPLETION OF MODULE 2
Question 3: In Chapter 2 “Your Business Idea: The Quest for Value”, Robert Rainsford was
introduced in the FRANK’S ALL-AMERICAN BARBEQUE case. He has returned to the family
business and is very enthusiastic about expanding the business. He has identified four
options: (a) expanding the restaurant either at its current site or elsewhere in Fairfield; (b)
opening several similar-sized restaurants in nearby towns; (c) using the Internet to expand
sales; and (d) expanding the sales of Frank’s sauces from a local store to a regional
supermarket chain. Any one of these ideas would represent a change from his father’s
business model. Given that he had not expressed any interest in the management of the
business, how should he go about approaching his father with these ideas? If the company
expands, should Robert approach his sister and her husband about taking a more active role
in the business? What should their roles be?
Question 4: Frank Rainsford has been, in effect, the CEO of Frank’s All-American BarBeQue
since its inception. His major role has been that of restaurant manager, receiving support
from his assistant manager Ed Tobor for the last fourteen years. Frank has two children, a son
and daughter, who both worked in the restaurant as teenagers. His daughter has worked
periodically at the restaurant since she graduated from high school. Frank’s son, who recently
lost his job, has returned to work for his father. The son produced several plans to expand the
business, including the opening of a second restaurant and the extensive use of social media.
After careful consideration, Frank has decided to open a second restaurant, but this has
presented him with a major problem—how to assign responsibilities to personnel. His son
wants to be designated the restaurant manager of the second restaurant and made the vice
president of marketing. Ed Tobor also wants to be the manager of the new restaurant. His
daughter has expressed an interest in being the manager of either restaurant. How should
Frank resolve this problem?
QUESTIONS TO BE ATTEMPTED AFTER COMPLETION OF MODULE 4
Question 5: One night after the restaurant had closed, Frank Rainsford sat down with his son,
Robert. Frank had finished reading his son’s business plan for a third time. Robert sensed that
his father had some sort of reservations. “What’s the matter, Dad? Didn’t you like the plan?”
Frank paused and said, “Bobby, from a technical standpoint I think you have done a very, very
credible job, but you are right. I do have some concerns.” Disappointed, Robert asked his
father to lay out his concerns.
Frank told him that opening another restaurant was a huge and expensive undertaking. He
knew that Robert understood the financial risks, but he was not sure that his son understood
the problems associated with getting people to come to a new restaurant. Frank was
straightforward and told his son, “I have been at this for thirty-plus years. It took me years to
build up my client base. I really know my customers and what they like. Up until this year the
only marketing I did was flyers and a few ads in the local paper and the church bulletin. How
are we going to understand our customers at the new location? We are going to have to fill it
up quickly if we are to pay the bills. I know I’ve had some good success with selling the sauces
during the last few years, but remember that I’m selling them from Harry’s grocery store. His
customers already know me and my product. Your plans for ramping up sauce sales are great,
but again, how are we going to get people to know who we are and interested enough to by a
six dollar bottle of barbecue sauce?” Frank went on to tell his son that he knew that Robert
was extremely knowledgeable about marketing and the use of the Internet. He reminded
Robert that he had given him a greatly enlarged marketing budget in 2010.
If you were Robert, how would you go about alleviating your father’s concerns? (You may
want to consult Chapter 16 “Appendix: A Sample Business Plan” and review Robert’s business
plan for a new restaurant.) Answer the question from a marketing perspective.
Question 6: Frank’s All-American BarBeQue is planning to significantly expand its takeout
business. Currently, customers come into the restaurant and order from the menu. With the
new Darien facility and website, customers will be able to order online or fax an order to the
restaurant. Frank and Robert have been arguing over how to structure the takeout portion of
their operations. Frank wants to maintain the approach where customers order items from
the menu. Robert believes that in today’s world, it would be more convenient for customers
to order complete prepackaged meals. Father and son have argued about the nature of these
meals. Frank has suggests a limited number of standard meals that could be prepared during
the day and sold in the evening when commuters are returning home. However, this might
mean that excess inventory would be built up on unwanted items. Robert wants to offer
greater variety. These would include a main course, two side dishes, and a dessert. Because
there could be a large number of combinations, most would have to be made after the
receipt of an order. The “rush” to make these meals would drive up costs. How would you go
about pricing these two types of meals?
Question 7: In the Appendix (Chapter 16 “Appendix: A Sample Business Plan”), you will find
the business plan for Frank’s All-American BarBeQue. This plan examined several possible
locations for a second restaurant. Frank and Robert considered several factors when
evaluating alternative towns as possible locations. Some of these included population size,
average income, travel times, and percentage of population. Based on the data, they selected
Darien, Connecticut. Do you agree with the decision? Why or why not? Do you think other
factors should have been considered? If yes, what would you recommend?
QUESTIONS TO BE ATTEMPTED AFTER COMPLETION OF MODULE 5
Question 8: In the Appendix (Chapter 16 “Appendix: A Sample Business Plan”), you will find
the income statements and balance sheets for Frank’s All-American BarBeQue for the years
2006 to 2010. Compute some of the key financial ratios for this business and discuss the
meanings of any trends.
Question 9: Locate the average values of these values for the restaurant industry and
comment on how well or poorly Frank’s All-American BarBeQue appears to be doing with
respect to the industry.
Question 10: Frank’s business plan in the Appendix (Chapter 16 “Appendix: A Sample
Business Plan”) provides projected income statements and balance sheets for a five-year
forecast horizon. Compute the same ratios as in Exercise 1 and comment on your results.
Marking
Each question will be marked on the following scale:
• 0 points – No response or response did not address question
• 1 point – superficial or partial response
• 3 points – complete response that adequately addresses all aspects of the question
• 5 points – excellent response that draws on external evidence and other high quality sources

December 9, 2017

Assignment 3 – Evaluating Economic Alternatives / Investing in Financial Assets

University of Business and Technology
Master of Engineering Management
Advanced Engineering Economy ENGM-515
Assignment 3 – Evaluating Economic Alternatives / Investing in Financial
Assets
1.For the following cash ows
(a)Calculate the payback period for each project
(b)Assuming a MARR of 10%, calculate the discounted payback period
Project Cash Flow ($)
nAB
0-$3 000-$5 500
12 0002 000
21 5002 000
31 5002 000
45005 000
55005 000
61 500
2.You need to know whether the building of a new warehouse is justied under the following
conditions: The proposal is for a warehouse costing $200,000. The warehouse has an expected
useful life of 35 years and a net salvage value (net proceeds from sale after tax adjustments)
of $35,000. Annual receipts of $37,000 are expected, annual maintenance and administrative
costs will be $8,000/year, and annual income taxes are $5,000. Given the foregoing data, which
of the following statements are correct?
(a)The proposal is justied for a MARR of 9%.
(b)The proposal has a net present worth of $152,512 when 6% is used as the interest rate.
(c)The proposal is acceptable, as long as MARR <= 11.81%.
(d)All of the preceding are correct.
3.Cable television companies and their equipment suppliers are on the verge of installing new
technology that will pack many more channels into cable networks, thereby creating a potential
programming revolution with implications for broadcasters, telephone companies, and the
consumer electronics industry. Digital compression uses computer techniques to squeeze 3 to
10 programs into a single channel. A cable system fully using digital compression technology
would be able to oer well over 100 channels, compared with about 35 for the average cable
television system now used. If the new technology is combined with the increased use of optical
bers, it might be possible to oer as many as 300 channels. A cable company is considering
installing this new technology to increase subscription sales and save on satellite time. The
company estimates that the installation will take place over 2 years. The system is expected
to have an 8-year service life and produce the following savings and expenditures:
Digital Compression
Investment
Now$500,000
First year$3,200,000
Second year$4,000,000
Annual savings in satellite time$2,000,000
Incremental annual revenues due
to new subscriptions$4,000,000
Incremental annual expenses$1,500,000
Incremental annual income taxes$1,300,000
Economic service life8 years
Net salvage value$1,200,000
Note that the project has a 2-year investment period, followed by an 8-year service life (a total
10-year life for the project). This implies that the rst annual savings will occur at the end of
year 3 and the last will occur at the end of year 10.
(a)If the rm’s MARR is 15%, use the Annual Equivalent (AE) method to justify the economic
worth of the project.
(b)If the rm’s MARR is 12%, use the Net Present Worth (NPW) method to justify the
economic worth of the project
(c)Compute the Rate of Return (ROR) for this project
4.You borrowed $15,000 for buying a new car from a bank at an interest rate of 12% compounded
monthly. This loan will be repaid in 48 equal monthly installments over four years. Immediately
after the 20th payment, you desire to pay the remainder of the loan in a single payment.
Compute this lump-sum amount of that time.
5.The AirJet Service Company’s bonds have four years remaining to maturity. Interest is paid
annually, the bonds have a $1,000 par value, and the coupon interest rate is 8.75%.
(a)What is the yield to maturity at a current market price of $1,108?
(b)Would you pay $935 for one of these bonds if you thought that the market rate of interest
was 9.5%?
6.A $1,000, 9.50% semiannual bond is purchased for $1,010. If the bond is sold at the end of
three years and six interest payments, what should the selling price be to yield a 10% return
on the investment?
7.Flint Metal Shop purchased a stamping machine for $147,000 on March 1, 2006. The machine
is expected to have a useful life of 10 years, a salvage value of $27,000, a production of 250,000
units, and working hours of 30,000. During 2006, Flint used the stamping machine for 2,450
hours to produce 23,450 units. From the information given, compute the book depreciation
expense for 2006 under each of the following methods:
(a) Straight line.
(b) Units-of-production method.
(c) Declining Balance method using a depreciation rate,α, of 16%.
Good Luck

December 8, 2017

ASSESSMENT ON CRITICALLY REVIEWING A JOURNAL ARTICLE

GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSMENT ON CRITICALLY REVIEWING A JOURNAL ARTICLE

In this assignment, you are required to write a 1,500 words critical review of one academic article on topics only related to management, Human Resources or business.
Choose one academic article of topics below which attached you in files: –

The Impact of High Performance Work System.
An exploratory study of current performance management practices Human resource executives’ perspectives.
Impact of Human Resource Management Practices (HRM) on Performance of SMEs in Multan, Pakistan.

Possible structure of the essay:
There is no, single ‘right way’ or writing your review. However, this structure should form your basic outline of the assessment: –
A brief introduction, summarising what the focus of the paper you are reviewing and how you will develop the paper
A short literature review to demonstrate your understanding of the topic. This is YOUR review of the key literature/authors on the topic.
A main part: This is your critical review.
Conclusion: A brief summary of the points you have made throughout your paper and your overall assessment of the article.

Selecting your article
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate what you have learned about the different approaches to research. Therefore, you will find it much easier to do this assignment if you choose an article that is based on primary research. If you chose a different kind of article, a literature review, an article proposing a theoretical model or a ‘how to do it’ article you will find it much harder as you can only really critique articles like this if you know the subject matter in as much depth as the author – and that is unlikely.
Reading and studying your article
Before you even begin to think about what you might write you should make sure you have a very clear idea in your mind as to what the article is about and how the author’s argument is constructed. Here are some helpful tips.
Most articles follow a similar structure as mentioned in the lecture. See if this applies to your article. If so, try and find the key sentences in each section that tell you what the author is trying to do in that section. So, for example:
In the Introduction, the author is making the case for the research, convincing you of its uniqueness. How have they done that?
In the author’s literature review the author will usually show you where they are locating their work within a wider body of theory on the subject/ How have they done that?
In the methodology the author is describing the approach they took to the primary research and trying to convince you that their research design is appropriate to their topic and that therefore, their results will be reliable and valid. How have they done that?
In the findings section the author is presenting their most important results and supporting them with evidence. What are these results and how convincing is the supporting evidence?
In the discussion section the author is pulling out the significance of their findings and relating them back to the initial questions or objectives. How convincingly is s/he doing that?
In the conclusion the author is summarising where the research has taken us, how it has added to knowledge, what new questions or limitations are there for future work. These two final sections should set out the overall significance of the research.
Once you have highlighted the key sentences in each section, and summarised them (in your own words) in a brief paragraph you should have a clear idea about the overall argument. Here is a nice quotation about essays and structures:
‘An essay without structure is just a sequence of ideas and arguments with no interconnections and no sense of direction. Even if the ideas themselves are interesting or provocative, the absence of structure conspires against making sense of them’ (Gabriel 2008:288)
So, bearing this in mind, look at how the different sections are connected. Look for any sentences or phrases that might provide a bridge from one paragraph to another. Word such as ‘in order that…’, ‘now we can see that…’, ‘following on,’ etc are markers that the ideas immediately before and after are linked in some way. Can you see how they are linked? If you can put down your ideas about how the different sections / themes are linked then you should, by now, have a clear outline of the overall article.
Sample for writing a brief summary
Now, see if you can write a single sentence (or maybe a couple of sentences) that says exactly what the author has done in the article. See if this format can help:
In this article the author(s) investigate the topic/problem/question by methodology and conclude that the main / most significant conclusion.
If you can do that, then you really do have a grip on the article! After that wonderfully concise opening sentence, you can go on to summarise the whole article in more detail (although don’t go beyond a paragraph or two).

Writing the rest of the review
To write the main review you should go back to your section by section summaries. Use these as a basis for developing your essay:
Questions you may answer:

What kind of literature did the author review? What does that tell you about their main interest, focus, research paradigm? What have they left out?
What choices did they make about their methodology? What comments can you make about their choices? Don’t just say they are good – say WHY you have made that judgement (and remember what you learned about research methods to help you do that!).
What about the sampling selection? Is it representative of the population?
Do you think that the questions used in the methodology are valid? Did they test the questions of validity and reliability?
How clearly have they set out their findings and their evidence? What audience are they writing for? How well can you judge the validity of their findings?
Do they identify some key relevant points in their discussion? Do these follow from their findings?
And finally, how does that research add to our understanding of the topic? Who is the research aimed at? How useful is it? How applicable might it be to different situations? What are the limitations of the research?
And finally, can you write a conclusion of your review that follows the same pattern as the summary above:

In this paper I have reviewed the author(s) article the subject and by examining the key areas you chose to write about conclude that …….

Marking scheme:
A: 14-16: An excellent essay that demonstrates a good summary of what the article is about, relevance of the article topic in business management and how the research was conducted. An excellent essay that covers the maximum from the above given questions in a manner which is backed up by good references and citation to support your analysis- The analysis should be written in a logical, concise and coherent way with proper justifications for each argument. An essay that is well-structured, clear sub headings with use of proper format of citation and references.
B: 11-13: A good essay that demonstrates a meaningful summary of what the article is about, relevance of the article topic in business management and how the research was conducted. A good excellent essay that covers at least half of the above given questions (especially related to methodology section) in a manner which is backed up some references and citation to support your analysis- The analysis should demonstrate some clear justifications for each argument used. An essay which has a clear structure, sub headings and use of proper format for citation and references.
C: 8-10: A vague summary which provides a general outlook on the article and its relevance to the field of business management. The essay at least provides a critique of methodology section of the article with some explanations adequately supported by few citations and references. Few clear justifications for the arguments used in answering the questions given. Evidence of some structure and subheadings available with some evidence of citations and referencing in the required format.
D: 5-7: The essay does have a small summary but is vague. You have answered at least 2 questions from the above list with some evidence of explanations and argument although without justifications. In text citation and references are missing. No clear structure and lack of subheadings. The essay just barely covers all the important areas which help in critique of the article.
E: 4: You select an article which is somewhat related to the areas of business management/ HR management.The essay is poor and demonstrates little or no relevance to the questions above. No structure and subheadings. No evidence of citations and referencing.
F: 2: You do not select an article. The student fails to submit the work OR the essay does not have any relevance to the questions asked in the assessment brief

December 8, 2017

Antecedent and Outcome of financial literacy among university students

Antecedent and Outcome of financial literacy among university students

Group Project

Requirements

The aim of the group project is to develop and conduct scientific research.

Successful completion of the research project would require

A minimum of three constructs measured on an interval scale

Use of both quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques

Submission

The final submission of the research project is to be made by means of a research report and formal presentation. The research report needs to adhere to the following format:

1.     Introduction –

       a)    Describe the purpose, and significance of the study, with precise research
objectives

b) Statement of the problem: This is a general introduction to the topic.

c)      Significance of the problem: Comment on why this question merits investigation.

d)     Statement of the research questions and hypothesis: What specific research questions are being addressed in this study?

2.     Literature Review – summarize major published literature in the field of study

       3. Theoretical Framework – identify and define the main constructs, and how
            they are related

4.     Research Methodology – outline the research process carried out

a.       Description of the research design and procedures used: completely explain step-by-step what was done.

b.      Sources of data: give complete information about who, what, when, where, and how the data was collected.

c.       Sampling procedures: explain how the data was limited to the amount which was gathered. If all of the available data were not utilized, how was a representative sample achieved?

d.      Methods and instruments of data gathering: explain the procedures for obtaining the data, also describe the manner in which data was recorded.

e.       Statistical treatment: explain the complete mathematical/statistical procedures used in analyzing the data and determining the significance of the results.

5.     Results – document major findings of statistical techniques applied on the data set for quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis

5.1 Quantitative Analysis

a)   Reliability Analysis

b)   Frequency Analysis

c)    Test for Difference (T Test)

d)    Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

e)    Test for Association (Correlation Analysis)

f)    Test for Influence (Multiple Regression Analysis)

5.2 Qualitative Analysis

6.     Discussion – elaborate on the results with reference to existing literature. The discussion should be based on each Research Questions, supported with the present findings and reference to literature discussed in Literature Review section.

7.     Conclusion – review key findings and highlight areas for future research

a.       Limitations: explain the limitations that may invalidate the study or make it less than accurate.

b.      Recommendations for further investigation: from the knowledge and experienced gained in undertaking this particular study, how might the study have been improved or what other possible hypotheses/thesis might be investigated in future?

8.     References – List all external sources cited in text using APA format

[4 Marks]

1 Marks

1 Marks

1 Marks

1 Marks

[3 Marks]

[1 Marks]

[4 Marks]

1 Marks

0.5 Marks

1 Marks

1 Marks

0.5 Marks

[7 Marks]

1 marks

1 Marks

1 Marks

1 Marks

1 Marks

1 Marks

1 Marks

[3 Marks]

[2 Marks]

1 Marks

1 Marks

[1 Marks]

Appendix – Attached the questionnaires

December 7, 2017

ENGL200 – Advanced Composition Final Research Paper Guidelines

American University of Ras Al Khaimah

Fall 2017
ENGL200 – Advanced Composition
Final Research Paper Guidelines

Guidelines:
The paper should be 8 to 10 pages long (2000 – 2500 words), and should be properly formatted (font size 12, double spacing, etc.). It should incorporate the instructor’s feedback on the working draft, and contain the following elements:

An abstract: It should describe your research in no more than 250 words. It should briefly introduce the topic, include the thesis statement or research question and summarize the findings. Please place this short paragraph in a separate page at the beginning of the paper, at about a third of the page down, and with the simple header “Abstract.”
An introduction: Up to 1 pa It should preferably contain an attention getter, an appropriate entry to the topic, and research question(s)/ research thesis.
The body (7 to 8 pages): It should present a well-structured and logically argued d It should synthesize multiple sources and support all points/arguments with credible source material. It should also demonstrate originality and critical thinking.
Conclusion (up to 1 page): It should restate the main points, come to logical conclusion from evidence, give answer(s) to the research question(s), and make final comment(s). The final comment(s) could refer to suggestions for further investigation, comments about the significance of the research, reference to attention getter in introduction,
Works Cited: An MLA style reference list, containing all and only the sources cited in the pa
Proper Formatting: Aside from the abstract in a separate page at the beginning of the paper, no cover page is needed. The first page of the paper (where the title is written) should include on the upper left corner, your full name, the coure name, the instructor’s name and the date. Write the title of the paper on the following line in regular text. Start your text in the next line after the title. The header should be in the upper right corner and should include both your family name and the page number.

Mapping of the Assignment onto the SLOs and the PLSLOS
The assignment fulfills all SLOs as well as four out of the six PSLOs, namely PSLOs 1, 2, 3 and 4.b., as detailed in the tables below:

Student Learning Outcomes

SLO 1	Demonstrate ability to write and revise effective and persuasive communication for various purposes and audiences through various course writing assignments
SLO 2	Demonstrate ability to apply critical reading strategies that are appropriate to advanced reading in their academic discipline and future workplaces through various course writing assignments
SLO 3	Demonstrate an understanding of how knowledge is constructed in their academic disciplines and future workplaces through various course writing assignments
*SLO 4*	Demonstrate ability to analyze rhetorical situations (audience, purpose, and context) of texts produced in their academic disciplines and future workplaces through various course writing assignments
*SLO 5*	Produce writing, including arguments and proposals, that is appropriate for a range of rhetorical situations with particular attention to textual features such as common genres; organizational strategies; style, tone and diction; and expected citation formats

Program’s Student Learning Outcomes

General Education Competencies	Student Learning Outcomes
1. Communication and Information Literacy	1. a. Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills 1. b. Identify appropriate investigative methods, while designing and implementing research strategies.
2. Critical and Ethical Thinking	2. a. Demonstrate critical, analytical thinking in decision making and problem solving 2. b. Explain how ethical perspectives are applied to real-world problems.
3. Creative and Aesthetic Expression	3. a. Describe the diverse nature, meanings and functions of creative endeavors through the study of literature, film or the visual arts.
4. Inter-Cultural and Global Citizenship	4. a. Describe the contributions that people of diverse backgrounds bring to a multicultural world. 4.b. Explain cultural topics and issues in relation to history, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices.
5. Natural Sciences	5.a. Demonstrate knowledge of scientific methods used to explore natural phenomena. 5.b. Apply scientific concepts and models to at least one of the natural sciences.
6. Quantitative and IT Literacy	6.a. Solve quantitative problems. 6.b. Construct proofs supported by quantitative evidence. 6.c. Communicate arguments and solve problems using a variety of formats (words, tables, graphs, and mathematical equations, as appropriate) and computer software, programming and technology.

December 5, 2017

USING ЕХАMРLЕS FRОM ОNЕ ОRGАNISАTIОN ОF YОUR СHОIСЕ, ЕХАMINЕ HОW LЕАDЕRSHIР THЕОRY АND РRАСTIСЕ HАS IMРАСTЕD UРОN ОRGАNISАTIОN SUSTАINАBILITY

Rationale :

The report and presentation should demonstrate that students can use academic theory and relate it to practice in the area of leadership. By asking students to examine leadership practices within one organisation, students will be required to relate academic theory to practice and demonstrate an understanding of how leadership impacts on organisational sustainability.

Research objective :
This research will examine how leadership theory and practice has impacted upon Coca cola sustainability. It will also

About the report :

The report word limit is 3500 words (+/-10%) excluding appendices and reference list.

Using the organisation you researched in Part 1: Group presentation, you are required to address the following:

‘Using examples from ONE organisation of your choice, examine how leadership theory and practice has impacted upon organisation sustainability.’

To do this, you must
1-      Critically evaluate at least 2 leadership theories and demonstrate how these theories relate to leadership practices occurring within the chosen organisation.
2-      Select 4 additional topics covered within the lectures. Discuss and critically evaluate the relevance of these topics for the organisation of your choice
3-      Draw on a range of academic literature to provide supporting evidence for your discussion.

Individual report – 70% of your overall unit mark Students must submit an individual written assignment of 3500 words (+/-10%) via Turnitin. The assignment must address the following:

‘Using examples from ONE organisation of your choice, examine how leadership theory and practice has impacted upon organisation sustainability.’[1]
This is an academic assignment and you will be expected to draw on a range of academic, peer-reviewed literature to support your assignment. Students scoring in the higher marking bands will have demonstrated a good understanding of the literature and that they have read beyond the scope of what is covered in the lectures and seminar

70% of your overall unit mark Students must submit an individual written assignment of 3500 words (+/-10%) via Turnitin. The assignment must address the following: ‘Using examples from ONE organisation of your choice, examine how leadership theory and practice has impacted upon organisation sustainability.’[1] This is an academic assignment and you will be expected to draw on a range of academic, peer-reviewed literature to support your assignment. Students scoring in the higher marking bands will have demonstrated a good understanding of the literature and that they have read beyond the scope of what is covered in the lectures and seminars.

1 In terms of conceptualising ‘organisational sustainability’, we draw upon Colbert and Kurucz (2007) colloquial definition of sustainability as being to “keep the business going”. Wales (2013) states another frequently used term in this context refers to the “future proofing” of organizations.
You are required to draw upon at least two leadership theories and critically evaluate them in relation to the organisation you have chosen to examine. However, in addition to this, during the unit we cover the following key elements:  Unethical leadership/ the dark side of leadership  Leadership, gender and diversity  Leadership self-awareness, EQ and resilience  Leading teams and others  Global and strategic leadership  Leadership development  Generational expectations of leadership You must select four of the above elements to discuss and critically evaluate these within your assignment (using appropriate academic literature) and relate these to the organisation which you are using as an example. Credit will be given to those who demonstrate a comprehensive understating of contemporary leadership issues and literature which draws on a wide scope of materials covered within this unit. The individual assignment will be marked in accordance with the Generic Level M marking guide, see Appendix 1 for the full guide. Please make sure you read this guide and have a clear understanding of the criteria and expectations. However, please be aware that there are 5 elements to be covered in this assignment – the leadership theories element and the 4 leadership topic areas – please make sure you balance your assignment to reflect these (i.e. do not allocate too much of your word count to any one area).

Assignment Format

Your paper must comply with the following criteria:
Arial 12 font type and size to be used;
1” margins top, bottom and sides;
Headers or footers where appropriate;
Word processed and 1.5 spaced;
You may use headings/sub-headings where appropriate throughout your assignment.
Spell checked and grammar-checked;
Written in an appropriate, clear style of English
Well structured, organised, logical and coherent

December 4, 2017

Assess the impact of the Vikings on the Frankish empire

Topic: Vikings. Essay question: “Assess the impact of the Vikings on the Frankish empire.”

December 4, 2017

Use the specified Case Study entitled “Daffodil Inn” as provided in your textbook (130-133)

This assessment task is compulsory.
Assessment Task: Assignment 2
Submission Date and Time: 11 December, 11:59pm
Value (Weight): 30% of total assessment
Word Length: 2000 words (plus or minus 10%)
Learning Outcome(s): 1-3
Assessment Instructions
• Use the specified Case Study entitled “Daffodil Inn” as provided in your textbook
(130-133).
• No other case will be marked.
CASE STUDY
‘Daffodil Inn’. In Jabri, M. (2017), ‘Daffodil Inn’, in Managing Organizational
Change, pp. 130-133.
REQUIRED:
Utilising the specified Case Study provided and from your own perspective as a
change agent or management consultant, formulate your own change agency plan
to diagnose the situation at hand.
Your plan must draw upon a wide range of appropriate and relevant concepts and
processes. Please remember, this assignment assesses not only your diagnostic
ability but also your aptitude for communicating your findings.
Use the specified Case to provide an operational context for devising and presenting
your own knowledge. Consider all organisational details in the case as relevant and
important.
MARKING CRITERIA
Assignment 2 will be marked according to the following criteria:
• Clarity and the justification of your role as an agent/leader for change
(comprises 20%).
• Soundness of your identification and discussion of the forces to be addressed
at Daffodil Inn along with the options you see to be reflecting a desired state
inspired by promoting growth and service responsiveness (comprises 20%).
• Relevance of your discussion of how you would work your way intervening at
the level of more than one person or group (comprises 20%).
• Relevance of your discussion of issues and choices associated with TQM,
action research and/or any other change lever such as appreciative inquiry
(comprises 20%).
• Breadth of considerations of how to create readiness, create a conducive
workplace climate and spark growth at Daffodil Inn from your perspective as a
change agent or management consultant (comprises 20%).

December 4, 2017

АNАLYSЕ А СОMРАNY ОF YОUR СHОIСЕ RЕGАRDING INTЕRNАTIОNАL MАNАGЕMЕNT ISSUЕS BАSЕD ОN THЕОRЕTIСАL СОNСЕРTS ОF MULTINАTIОNАL FIRMS АND SHОW HОW INTЕRNАTIОNАL BUSINЕSS СHАLLЕNGЕS АRЕ DЕАLT WITH IN THIS СОNTЕХT

Requirements

Conduct company analysis
Review the relevant theoretical basis
Identify the challenges faced by your chosen company

using relevant theories

Recommend future viable strategies to address challenges

identified in terms of organisational functions

Propose a research plan to identify solutions for each

challenge

Assessment Criteria
 Understanding of relevant theory/literature: 15%
 Application of theories/models : 15%
 Quality of analysis : 15%
 Validity of recommendations : 15%
 The precision, rigor and feasibility of research
proposal : 30%
 Presentation/structure/references: 10%

The structure of the report

Introduction

-Brief description of your chosen MNE
– Very brief summary of key findings from your Porter’s diamond analysis and identify the sources of national competitive advantage of your chosen MNE.

Theory

– a literature review of different challenges (Bartlett & Ghoshal and Hofstede)

Michael Porter’s Diamond Model: Sources of National Competitive Advantage

Challenges

– Competitive challenges
– Collaborative challenges( Alliances, JVs, etc)
– Organisational challenges (International configuration)
– Managerial challenges
– Worldwide learning challenges
– Cultural challenges (Hofestede)

Propose possible recommendations

-What strategic options are available for the chosen MNE from different international management functions, such as human resource, finance, marketing, research and development and product divisions.

Research proposal—-DETAILS!!!

– Provide recommendations through the fieldwork Sample Data collection

Conclusion

‐ Summarise the key challenges identified.
‐ Justify and recommend future strategies for your chosen organisation to address these challenges.

Recommended textbook
Bartlett, C. A., Ghoshal, S. and Beamish, P. (2008). Transnational Management: Text, Cases, and Readings in Cross-border Management. New York: McGraw -Hill.
Bryman, A., and Bell, E. (2007) Business Research Method. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Referencing:
The first lines of paragraphs, except the first paragraph of the report, should be indented. End notes, references, appendices, tables and figures should be placed at the end of the report. Parentheses should be place around references throughout the body of the report -for instance, either Jones (1997) or (Jones, 1997). NOTE: Please use parentheses (), not brackets [] for the first level of enclosure. If it is appropriate to include page numbers, they should be indicated as Jones (1997, pp. 85-86). End notes, references, appendices, tables, and figures should be placed on separate sheets of paper and put at the end of the report.

Contents
The introduction should state clearly the objective of the report as well as the motivation and context of the report. The literature review should be limited to the articles, books and other items that have a direct bearing on the topic being addressed.

Headings
A main heading designates the topic of a major section of the report; it should be in bold and centred, with only the first letter of the major words capitalized. Secondary headings should also be centred; they should be in italics, with only the first letter of the major words capitalized. Tertiary headings should appear at the beginning of paragraphs. They should be in bold, followed immediately by a period. A space should separate them from the text that follows.

Notes
End notes are called “Notes”. They should be kept to a minimum, and they should never be used in citing references. They all should be placed at the end of the report preceding the references. Substantive comments should be integrated within the text rather than placed in a note.

References
A list of references or works consulted (alphabetical, by author’s last name, but including first names) should follow the notes at the end of the report. Students should make certain that there is a complete reference for every citation in the text and that the cited dates and the spellings of authors’ names in the text and references are in agreement. The following are examples of proper form:

Journal articles

Cosset, J.-C. & . Suret, J., 1995. Political Risk and the Benefits of International Portfolio Diversification. Journal of International Business Studies, 26(2): 301-18.

Books

Porter, M. E. 1985. Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. New York: Free Press.

Chapters in edited books

Teece, D. J., 1987. Capturing Value from Technological Innovation: Integration, Strategic Partnering, and Licensing Decisions. In R.B. Guile & H. Brooks, editors, Technology and Global Industry : Companies and Nations in the World Economy. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Conference papers

Caves, R.E., 1990. Corporate Mergers in International Economic Integration. Paper presented at CEPR/Instituto Mobliare Italiano Conference in European Financial Integration, Rome, Italy.

Internet pages

Note that references to websites should include the hyperlink to the website and the date at which it was accessed. Where the author is unknown to you, use Anon. For example:

Anon. (2007), “Failing to Champion or Championing to Fail?” http://www.abc-xyz.co.uk/strategy/webpage.htm. Accessed 1st May 2012.

Dissertations
Salk, J. E. 1992. Shared Management Joint Ventures: Their Developmental Patterns, Challenges and Possibilities. Unpublished PhD Dissertation, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Tables and Figures
The table or figure will be placed after the first mention in the text, as soon as graphically possible and pleasing.

Appendices
Appendices should include any data or additional information collected for the report.