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Argumentative Essay Topics and Instructions: How much of a person’s character is shaped by gender, social group or ethnicity, in which he or she lives? In your essay, you are going to write about this matter from a personal point of view, and you can choose between the following: gender, social groups or ethnicity. Many of the main characters in The Help are social outsiders; for example, Skeeter is considered something of a misfit for being more interested in writing than boys. She is also unique in the way she crosses social barriers, when spending time with and getting to know the black house maids. However, in other places and times such behavior would be considered normal. With this in mind, write your text in relation to both your own situation and views, and the situation of characters in The Help. Title: How I was affected by my upbringing in terms of gender/social group/ethnicity (IMPORTANT! CHOOSE ONE OF THESE) Word limit: 300-500 words. Structure: 5-paragraph essay (See The English Handbook)

(TWO DIFFERENT ASSIGNMENTS) 1- This Physical Education Coursework is about to identify the stressor in the six dimensions of wellness. Identify the top stressor in your life for each of the six dimensions of wellness. (Emotional, Environmental, Intellectual, Physical, Spiritual, Social) For each stressor, do the following three things. 1. State which dimension of wellness is this stressor affecting. 2. Identify the type of stressor (Real / Imagined) and (Eustress / Distress) 3. List how you react to the stressor. (i.e. cry, develop rash, crave sweets, etc.) 4. Develop a plan of action to reduce this stressor from your life 2- The next assignment is about “Stress Management and Spirituality.” Is there a connection between stress management and spirituality? Can one identify their stress, manage it and connect with their own spirituality? Is it important for your health? How will you create a balance in our fast-paced society? Describe and recommend three strategies that help keep that balance. Recommend one website to the class that supports your strategies.

Ethics in public health coursework *report on potential issues (ethical, political, legal, and/or economic) concerning the use of QALY’s as a measure of evidence in public health practice and delivery (with respect to Medical Marijuana). Your report should explore real life situations whenever possible, and include discussion regarding ethical theories/principles- such as social justice and equity. *QALY however, is NOT to be confused with simply adding years to one’s life expectancy, and comes with its own controversies. For example, some claim that a QALY approach can lead to unjust social distribution, as it is calculated based-upon the capacity to benefit, rather than actual need. For instance, two populations with similar cancer rates may be competing for federal funding to implement a health promotion project that has been proven to lower cancer incidence. One population also has a high rate of disability, while the other does not. The QALY approach in this case would favor the healthier population, as they would have the best potential for an increased “quality” of life. Therefore, a question of social justice and equity may be raised. ** I have attached below a SAMPLE work on what the paper should be like **a PDF file with some explanation of what QALY’S are ** Some sources (websites) that may be helpful in writing this paper. You may use Sources of your choosing *** please note that if the topic of medical marijuana can not be used to support QALYs you may pick a different topic( not the same topic from the sample paper) http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/01/05/marijuana-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23072659 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC317370/ http://www.celforpharma.com/insight/do-you-know-what-qaly-and-how-calculate-it

The question that you will be able to prepare ahead of time is worth approximately 30% of the final exam and is one of the following two questions: 1. Pieces of music are often unified by repeated rhythmic patterns. For the following pieces, compare the repeated rhythmic patterns and the ways in which these repeated rhythmic patterns are used: Shango Maru-Bihag 2. Iterative and recursive form are ways in which musicians design pieces of music (cf., e.g., the material for Chapter 14 in the course kit, pp. 164-66 in the hardcopy version). Show how iteration and recursion are used in two of the following pieces: Spring Symphony no. 39 Schwiphti Note that you should answer either question 1 OR question 2. The first sentence of your answer should be exactly the same as the first sentence of the question you choose: ‘Pieces of music … rhythmic patterns.’ OR ‘Iteration and recursion … pieces of music.’ The second sentence of your answer should specify the pieces you are discussing and whether you will focus on similarities and/or differences between the pieces. E.g., an answer to question 1 might have as its second sentence: ‘In Shango and Maru-Bihag, the repeated rhythmic patterns are similar and/or different, and/however the ways in which these repeated rhythms are used are similar and/or different.’ Your second paragraph should elaborate on the second sentence of the first paragraph by specifying the particular similarities and/or differences that you have chosen to emphasize. Your third paragraph should return to the main idea of the second sentence of your first paragraph and summarize the main points of your second paragraph. E.g., for question 1: ‘In summary, the repeated rhythmic patterns of Shango and Maru-Bihag are similar and/or different as follows: …. Moreover, the ways in which repeated rhythmic patterns are used in Shango and Maru-Bihag differ and/or are similar as follows: ….’ Note that in the third paragraph you should not merely repeat all that you have said in the second paragraph. Instead, you should emphasize the most general points you have made in the second paragraph. Because you will be writing your answer in an exam, you should try to be as concise as possible in your answer. Although you will have about an hour for the essay question, you should aim for an answer that requires no more than 300 words.

Title:
Investment Analysis of 5 firms out of the FTSE100 Listed Firms.
Objective:
To understand the key concepts, approaches, evidence and modelsof modern financial theory and practice.
Data:
You will draw the necessary data for this coursework from databases such as Yahoo Finance, FAME, and Thomson Reuters Datastream.
There are five firms from the FTSE100 index components – Aviva PLC, BAE Systems PLC, Unilever PLC, Worldpay Group PLC, Astrazeneca PLC. Download adjusted monthly closing stock prices for each one of your five firms over the most recent period of five years (your price series should be from June 2012 to June 2017 so that you can then obtain 60 monthly return observations in total for each stock). Also, download adjusted monthly closing price levels for the iShares Core FTSE 100 UCITS ETF(ISF) as a proxy for the UK market portfolio over the same 5-year period (you can find its information via Yahoo here).
In order to determine the risk-free rate, download the 3-month UK Treasury Bills monthly rates: open the Bank of England website, then select Statistics, Interest and Exchange Rates Data, Wholesale interest and discount rates, Treasury Bills (3 month) Sterling, End month – IUMAJNB – Monthly.
Description:
A wealthy Asian investor is considering the strategic decision of investing in a portfolio of five FTSE100 firms. This investor is diversified in terms of exposure to different sectors in the Asia region, but not diversified in terms of international geographical exposure.
You are employed by a leading financial institution and have been asked to advise this client. You will prepare an investment report in Microsoft Word for her containing all your work, results and arguments. All the relevant tables and figures should be contained and discussed in the main body of the report, not in some appendix. The report, which includes all of the following five sections, should not exceed 4,000 words in total apart from references and appendices.
Section 1. At the end of February 2017, there were 882 ETFs listed on the London Stock Exchange alone. While most ETFs are passive products built to track indices, the number of actively managed ETFs has grown to 173 in the US at the end of 2016. In the age of ETF, your client would like you to discuss the investment opportunities in exchange-traded funds (ETF) in terms of its advantages and disadvantages comparing with traditional passive and active mutual funds. Do not perform your own empirical analysis and testing but use the international and the UK empirical evidence and relevant theories from the literature and the news articles.
Relevant Reading: Lecture 1.(25 marks)
Section 2. Use your sample data to form the following four portfolios: equal-weighted portfolio (EWP);market-value-weighted portfolio (VWP);global minimum-variance portfolio (GMVP);and optimal risky portfolio (P). According to the five stocks and risk-free rate, build and draw the optimalcapital allocation line, the minimum-variance frontier and the efficient frontier in a graph (type: scatter with smooth lines) of expected returns against standard deviations.Further, mark the positions ofthefive stocks and four portfolios in that graph. Explain and discuss your results.
Table: Four portfolios’ weights, returns, standard deviations, and Sharpe ratios.
Figure:One graph includes the optimal capital allocation line,the minimum-variance frontier,the efficient frontier, the five stocks and four portfolios.
Relevant Reading:Lectures 2 & 5 and Labs 2 to 5& 7.(25 marks)
Section 3. Determine the proportion of the overall optimal complete portfolio (C) in the UK financial market that should be held in the optimal risky portfolio (P) of the five stocks along with the proportion that should be held in the risk-free asset. Assume that your client has the same coefficient of risk aversion as yours and that you should determine this by using the Charles Schwab Investor Profile Questionnaire. Transform the questionnaire risk tolerance scores “X” (0 to 40) into risk aversion index“A” (2 to 4) by using the following transformation: A=4 – X/20. Thus, a risk tolerance score of 30 becomes a risk aversion index of 2.5 (=4 –30/20). Finally, draw a graph (type: scatter with smooth lines) to illustrate the relevant indifference curve, capital allocation line, optimal risky portfolio (P), and optimal complete portfolio (C).Explain and discuss your results.
Table: Portfolio C’s weights, returns, and standard deviations.
Figure: One graph includes indifference curve, capital allocation line, optimal risky portfolio (P), and optimal complete portfolio (C).
Relevant Reading: Lecture 3 and Lab 4. (15 marks)
Section 4. On the basis of the single-factor market model CAPM, estimate the beta coefficients for each one of the chosen five stocks. You are free to use whatever method you prefer in estimating the market model parameters (e.g. scatterplot trendline, intercept and slope functions, or regression analysis). Discuss if the beta values you have estimated are sensible given the industry nature of the business activities of each firm. Finally, discuss the relationship depicted in a scatterplot (type: scatter) between expected returns (use theaverage annualised returns here)and beta coefficients for the five stocks.
Table: Alpha & beta coefficients, and expected returns for the five stocks.
Figure: One scatterplot of expected returns against beta coefficients for the five stocks.
Relevant Reading: Lectures 6 & 8 and Lab 6. (15 marks)
Section 5. Evaluate in absolute and relative terms the investment performance of each one of the four portfolios that created in Section 2 (EWP, VWP, GMVP and P) with the FTSE 100benchmark (the iShares Core FTSE 100 UCITS ETF)over the five-year sample period:
(i) Compare the performance of the four portfolios in terms of return, standard deviation, beta, Sharpe ratio, Treynor measure, Jensen’s alpha, information ratio, and M2 measure.All metric components (e.g., average return and standard deviation) should be annualised as appropriate.
(ii) Which portfolio would be the best for your client to invest in? Which portfolio do you consider the worst choice to your client? Justify and explain your recommendations.
(iii) Compare the best and worst portfolios to your client graphically by using wealth indices.
Table: Performance statistics for the four portfolios with the FTSE 100 benchmark.
Figure: Wealth indices (i.e. cumulative return) for the best and worst portfolios to your client.
Relevant Reading: Lecture 7 and Labs 2 & 7.(20 marks)
Coursework Excel File
• You should submit the relevant excel file electronically
• The calculations and data analysis should be performed using Microsoft Excel in a single workbook with multiple worksheets.
• The excel file should contain the data used along with the relevant analysis, results, and section titles.
• Failure to submit this file will cost your marks and may mean that you fail the coursework.

Unit 9 Assignment: Final Project
View an introduction to the Assignment here. Be sure to adjust your audio settings.
Unit outcomes addressed in this Assignment:
Analyze the current information models present in health information management.
Discuss the application of emerging technologies in health information and health information management.
Apply the research process to topics in health information management.
Course outcome assessed/addressed in this Assignment:
HI599-4: Health Informatics Finance: Evaluate health information systems based upon statistical and financial models.
Instructions:
In your new position as director of health information you have established yourself and you are respected by your peers and superiors and looked to for expert advice on health information management and health information systems.
Your organization has been asked to participate in a conference and present on a topic in health information management. Because of success on your previous projects and your knowledge of the field, the leadership at your organization has selected you to attend and present at the conference on behalf of the organization. At a prep meeting with your boss you are informed that you will be presenting on a topic of your choice in health information management and drawing new conclusions in practice or policy from the research that you gather. It is up to you to select a topic and report on how effective it is in improving health care and health services.
For your Capstone Project you will complete a systematic review of reviews and meta-analysis on a topic in health informatics. A meta-analyses draws upon the results of other research and literature reviews in addressing a specific research question.
Overall your report should address the effectiveness health information management technologies and policies to improve health. You should also include the following:
A review of issues, success, failure and any evidence based HIM practices mentioned.
A discussion on the impact of business strategies based on concepts of leadership and management and how these practices impact your chosen topic.
A discussion on the impact that economics, ethics, professional standards, and the law have on your specific topic in health information management.
A discussion on the impact of health policies and procedures to address health information management needs in the industry regarding your specific topic in health information management.
A discussion on the statistical models used in healthcare to collect and analyze data and provide a discussion on the statistical models used in your research.
Your project topic selection idea is your responsibility. Most ideas have come from course work and class discussion as well as from your workplace. Some topics to consider include:
CPOE systems
Telemedicine
Data mining
Data Analytics
Decision Support Systems
EMR or EHR (This is the one chose to discuss in the paper)
Computer based reminder systems
Mobile health
Cloud computing
Security and Privacy
System Implementation
Machine modeling techniques
New interventions and old practices
You will choose a topic and formulate a research question. Please choose a topic that suits your professional aspirations and interests and can be completed within the scope of this course. Choosing a topic that is not feasible within the parameters of this course could result in unsuccessful completion of the Capstone Project.
Requirements:
Your Capstone Project should include the following sections:
Table of Contents – This should include abstract, list of tables, list of figures, all major and secondary headings of the body of the paper, references, and appendices with appropriate page numbers for each element of the paper.
List of Tables – This should include any tables included in the paper starting with Table 1, and the page number where each table can be found.
List of Figures – This should include any figures included in the paper starting with Figure 1, and the page number where each figure can be found.
Abstract: A summation of the entire report.
Introduction: A generalized description of literature that is to be analyzed. Definition of any terminology used in the paper. A precise statement of what your research is examining. In this section you should also describe your methods or how you searched for articles, retrieved articles and decided to include or exclude articles in your review and analysis.
Body of Paper: Literature Review: Information regarding what you found in the literature regarding your topic. Your review should include at least 15 studies that have addressed the same research question. You should also include the following in this section:
A review of issues, success, failure, and any evidence based HIM practices mentioned.
A discussion on the impact of business strategies based on concepts of leadership and management and how these practices impact your chosen topic.
A discussion on the impact that economics, ethics, professional standards, and the law have on your specific topic in health information management.
A discussion on the impact of health policies and procedures to address health informatics needs in the industry regarding your specific topic on health information management.
A discussion on the statistical models used in healthcare to collect and analyze data and provide a discussion on the statistical models used in your research.
Results: Discuss the results of your meta-analysis. In this section you should discuss the effect sizes, present a graph of the effect sizes, and provide discussion on the descriptive statistics used (Pearson R, odds ratio).
Discussion: This section should include your library research and your own data collection methods and a critical analysis of the topic. You should examine and discuss your problem statement and the goal of your research. You should also interpret and discuss your findings against what is reported in the literature.
Limitations, Conclusions, and/or Areas for Further Study
References – This includes an appropriately cited list of citations that actually appear in the paper
Appendices – this section is not required but can be included if it is necessary to include supplementary information.
Please be sure to download the file “Writing Center Resources” from Course Resources to assist you with meeting APA expectations for written Assignments.

I. Introduction
a. Background or context of the study
b. Statement of the problem and its scope
c. Purpose of the study
d. Research questions
e. Significance of the study
f. Assumptions
g. Rationale for using qualitative research
h. Limitations and Delimitations
i. Definitions of terms/terminologies use in the study
Special note to whom it may concern: I am looking for consistency in these writings and I am kindly requesting that the writer for order #81914365 can write this introduction section as well. Please note also that I am looking for a permanent and consistent and permanent writer throughout this process of proposal and dissertation. I have be a loyal customer for years and I am requesting your assistance with consistency.

Requirements
1. Conduct company analysis
2. Review the relevant theoretical basis
3. Identify the challenges faced by your chosen company
using relevant theories
4. Recommend future viable strategies to address challenges
identified in terms of organisational functions
5. Propose a research plan to identify solutions for each
challenge
Requirements
1. Conduct company analysis
2. Review the relevant theoretical basis
3. Identify the challenges faced by your chosen company
using relevant theories
4. Recommend future viable strategies to address challenges
identified in terms of organisational functions
5. 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 (1)
1. 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.
2. Theory
 – a literature review of different challenges
(Bartlett & Ghoshal and Hofstede)
Michael Porter’s Diamond Model:
Sources of National Competitive Advantage
The structure of the report (2)
3. Challenges
 Competitive challenges
 Collaborative challenges( Alliances, JVs, etc)
 Organisational challenges (International configuration)
 Managerial challenges
 Worldwide learning challenges
 Cultural challenges (Hofestede)
4. 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.
The structure of the report (3)
5. Research proposal—-DETAILS!!!
 Provide recommendations through the fieldwork
 Sample
 Data collection
6. Conclusion
‐ Summarise the key challenges identified.
‐ Justify and recommend future strategies for your
chosen organisation to address these challenges.
Product
instructions
Presentation
 Content page/s with page numbers.
 Chapter headings.
 Subheadings.
 One main point per paragraphe.
 Concise and clear.
 Use charts, diagrams and tables.
Where to find a company (MNE)
 Fortune 500
 World top 100 non-financial TNC (available on
LEARN)
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.

There are two assessment tasks to be done. I would like each assessment task to be done on separate papers.
***ASSESSMENT TASK 1: IDENTIFY MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES
Assessment description:
You will analyse a real organisation or simulated business to identify two marketing opportunities, research potential new markets, assess opportunities with respect to contribution to the business, and explore innovative approaches. You will then prepare a brief presentation for marketing peers to support and explain the two marketing opportunities you have identified.
You may base your analysis and report on:
? an organisation you are familiar with, such as a current or previous workplace, and from which you can access organisational strategic and marketing plans to identify and evaluate marketing opportunities
Note: You should ensure enough information is available for the organisation and relevant markets to complete the assessment task to specification
? BBQfun simulated business.
Procedure:
There are two parts to this assessment task. Part A requires you to identify and evaluate two opportunities for your chosen organisation. In Part B, you will explain these opportunities to your peers in a 15–20-minute presentation.
Part A:
Part A requires you to identify and evaluate two opportunities for your chosen organisation.
1. Choose an organisation to analyse. Identify two marketing opportunities for the organisation you have chosen.
To identify opportunities, analyse information on your chosen organisation’s market and business needs, for example:
a. comparative market information
b. competitors’ performance
c. customer requirements
d. legal and ethical requirements
e. market share
f. market trends and developments
g. new and emerging markets
h. profitability
i. sales figures.
Note: Some data in the BBQfun simulated business needs to be updated by you. For your chosen organisation or BBQfun, it is recommended that you use ABS data, for example, to determine demographic and consumer trends.
2. Research potential new markets for the organisation, for example:
a. export markets
b. segments of the market not currently penetrated.
3. Consider strategic marketing approaches, such as:
a. increasing market share
b. developing new markets
c. developing new products
d. diversification.
4. Using a suitable methodology (such as gap analysis, market or marketing analysis, or competitor analysis), identify and decide on two marketing opportunities to focus on and investigate further.
In your analysis, consider types of markets and aspects of the marketing mix, such as distribution, products and types of promotional activities, for example:
a. e commerce
b. business to business marketing
c. direct marketing
d. ideas marketing
e. marketing of goods
f. public sector marketing
g. services marketing
h. telemarketing.
5. Estimate the effect of the two marketing opportunities on the business, for example:
a. effect on sales volume
b. growth
c. market share
d. profitability.
6. Use numerical analysis or statistical methods to forecast effects. For example, use the least squares method to estimate demand. Use estimated demand to calculate effect on sales and profitability.
7. Explore and develop entrepreneurial, innovative or creative options (one for each opportunity) to apply the marketing opportunities in the context of the organisation.
For example, if you identify an e-commerce opportunity, determine how to apply the e-commerce opportunity to the organisation including aspects such as media, web-design to appeal to target markets, integration with existing operations, marketing strategy and overall strategic directions.
Part B
Prepare a 15–20-minute presentation for marketing peers explaining and supporting the two marketing opportunities you have identified. Ensure you complete the following:
1. Describe two marketing opportunities and how you identified them. Describe the process you undertook to analyse your organisation to identify the marketing opportunities. Refer to the current organisational marketing plan and products/services, as well as organisational procedures and protocols.
2. Support your choice of marketing opportunities with reference to market information such as market trends and sales figures. Include relevant statistics.
3. Describe the effect of opportunities on the business, for example:
a. sales volume
b. growth
c. market share
d. profitability.
Note: You must use evidence to support your assertions, such as:
a. refer to quantitative or qualitative data
b. show/use results of statistical methods of forecasting demand
c. show results of break-even or profit analysis.
2. Describe innovative or creative options (one for each opportunity) to apply the marketing opportunities in the context of the organisation. Refer to aspects of the marketing mix, i.e. product, price, promotion, place (distribution). Refer to, and explain, principles of marketing that apply to your approaches to realising the proposed opportunities.
3. Use appropriate language and level of formality to satisfy needs of your audience. For example:
a. professional but semi-formal language
b. technical vocabulary; potential need to define more obscure marketing terms or statistical methodologies
c. assume no knowledge of specific organisational policies or marketing strategies
d. elicit views and opinions of others by listening and questioning
e. provide for response and feedback.
4. Prepare and keep presentation notes and other materials used in the presentation such as PowerPoint slides and handouts.
5. Deliver your presentation as per specifications (below).
6. Submit presentation notes, PowerPoint slides, etc. to your assessor. Keep a copy of all documentation for your records.
Specifications
You must:
? deliver a 15–20-minute presentation
? submit presentation notes and other materials used in the presentation, such as PowerPoint slides and handouts.
Your assessor will be looking for:
? culturally appropriate communication skills employed to relate to people from diverse backgrounds and people with diverse abilities
? literacy skills to identify and interpret market information
? numeracy skills to calculate and evaluate financial information on new marketing options
? research and evaluation skills to gather information on and interpret market trends to identify marketing opportunities
? knowledge of the organisational marketing plan, and products and services
? knowledge of principles of marketing and the marketing mix
? knowledge of statistical methods and techniques to evaluate marketing opportunities, including forecasting techniques.
– Note to writer; please send me a draft of assessment task 1 by Monday 31st July.
***TASK 2: EVALUATE MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES (Please start a new paper)
Procedure
There are two parts to this assessment task. Both parts relate to three new opportunities that need to be evaluated. Part A requires you to read all materials and to evaluate and complete the information in the BBQfun sales data worksheet. In part B you will prepare a report for a Board of Directors to outline, evaluate and rank the opportunities.
Part A
1. Read all materials required for this activity: this procedure, BBQfun simulated business, information supplied in the scenario, and information supplied in the BBQfun sales data worksheet of this assessment task.
Scenario:
You are the Marketing Manager at BBQfun. You and your team have identified three marketing opportunities to evaluate. They are:
? manufacture and sell own brand
? sell products through e-commerce
? sell products at bargain prices.
The first opportunity is to manufacture and retail own-branded barbecues and products. Manufacture would take place at a leased plant in India as BBQfun has no manufacturing capability. Also, manufacture in Australia would be too expensive.
The second opportunity is to offer all products in an online store. Stock could be stored at no extra cost at existing stores. Customers would cover delivery costs.
The third option is to aim to increase market share by cutting the cost of products and aiming at mass appeal.
Further information is provided in the BBQfun sales data worksheet.
Each opportunity will be promoted through a $500,000 television, internet and email advertising campaign (cost accounted for in approved budget).
You will need to review the BBQfun simulated business information to determine organisational fit, profitability and operational implications for each of the three opportunities.
On the basis of the profitability index (opportunity cost estimated to be 8%) and a full appreciation of other, non-financial factors, you will need to rank these opportunities and choose one top-rated opportunity for further evaluation.
After ranking the three opportunities, you will complete your evaluation in terms of impact on operations. Information is provided in the BBQfun sales data worksheet.
You will then need to provide a report to the Board of Directors documenting your evaluation of identified marketing opportunities and required changes to operations.
2. Using all the information that you have been provided, fill in the blank spaces (the shaded boxes) in the BBQfun sales data worksheet in the following order:
a. Forecast the total market potential for the coming financial year.
b. Use the market share for each opportunity and the total market potential to forecast the number of buyers in each category for the e-commerce market opportunity.
c. Use the number of buyers from market potential tables to calculate the unit sales volumes for the e-commerce and bargain market opportunities.
d. From this information, calculate estimated total revenue and gross profit.
e. Use the additional fixed costs and the BBQfun simulated budget to determine the net profit for each opportunity.
f. Use gross profit and total fixed costs from each opportunity to calculate the profitability index for each opportunity.
g. Use information from this assessment task and the BBQfun simulated business to calculate total cost of operational changes.
3. Complete your own research to supplement the information you have been provided with. Ensure that you have all the information that will enable you to address all the requirements of the report.
Part B
1. Complete a report according to the following requirements.
2. Referring to the BBQfun simulated business documentation, analyse the three opportunities outlined in the scenario in terms of likely fit with organisational goals and capabilities. Consider:
a. organisational marketing plan, structure, products and services
b. principles of marketing and the marketing mix
c. additional marketing information such as survey results in the BBQfun sales data worksheet.
3. Using information in the BBQfun sales data worksheet, evaluate each opportunity in terms of impact to current business and customer base. Evaluation should include investigation of:
a. sales volume for each opportunity in upcoming financial year
b. gross and net profit for each opportunity
c. use numerical analysis or statistical methods to forecast, for example, the size of potential markets.
4. consider also:
a. impact on growth plans
b. market share
c. knockout factors to rule out opportunities.
5. Assess external factors that may be relevant to each opportunity. Identify
(in outline) all of:
a. codes of practice and models
b. regulations
c. relevant legislation.
6. Refer to relevant BBQfun policies and procedures.
7. Referring to BBQfun simulated business documentation, summarise major costs, benefits and risks associated with each opportunity, including risks associated with potential competitors. Identify at least two strategies or approaches to mitigate risk.
8. Using information in the BBQfun sales data worksheet, assess the return on investment for each opportunity. Calculate the profitability index for each opportunity.
9. Based on your analysis so far, rank the three marketing opportunities. Justify your ranking in terms of both financial and non-financial factors (such as organisational fit).
10. Using information from the BBQfun sales data worksheet, for the top-ranked marketing opportunity, identify changes to current operations in order to take advantage of the opportunity. Ensure changes identified are adequate to:
a. service an increased or different customer base
b. ensure continued quality of service.
11. Ensure you can justify changes on the basis of maintaining quality.
12. Using information from the BBQfun sales data worksheet, estimate and justify resource requirements and costs for changed operations. Consider:
a. additional staff
b. distribution costs
c. equipment
d. promotional costs
e. staff training.
13. Prepare the report for the Board of Directors to document your evaluation of the three marketing opportunities and operational changes for the top-ranked opportunity. Ensure you include the following in your report:
a. An executive summary.
b. The results of your investigation of marketing opportunities in steps 3–8. Document the results of your investigation at each step. Consider documenting each step separately, under its own section heading.
c. For the top-ranked opportunity, the results of your evaluation of required changes to operations in steps 9–10. Document the results of your evaluation at each step. Consider documenting each step separately, under its own section heading.
14. Ensure your report is written with appropriate language and level of formality to satisfy needs of your readers:
a. formal language
b. technical vocabulary, for example, no need to define terms such as ‘marketing mix’
c. assume knowledge of organisational policies, marketing strategies.
15. Submit your report as per specifications below. Keep a copy of your report for your records.
Specifications
You must submit:
? evaluation report for the Board of Directors that covers all of the listed requirements.
Your assessor will be looking for:
? literacy skills to identify and interpret market information, to write in a formal style appropriate to a professional audience and to document outcomes and requirements
? numeracy skills to calculate and evaluate financial information on new marketing options
? knowledge of key provisions of relevant legislation from all forms of government, codes of practice and standards that may affect aspects of business operations, such as:
? anti discrimination legislation and the principles of equal opportunity, equity and diversity
? ethical principles
? marketing codes of practice and conduct such as the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) Code of Practice, the Free TV Australia Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice, and the Australian Guidelines for Electronic Commerce
? Competition and Consumer Act 2010
? privacy laws.
? knowledge of the organisational marketing plan, structure, products and services
? knowledge of principles of marketing and the marketing mix
? knowledge of statistical methods and techniques to evaluate marketing opportunities, including forecasting techniques.
Note to writer: please send me a draft of assessment 2 task by Thursday 3rd August
BBQfun sales data worksheet
Performance
Market share (projected*):
Assume market share constant across all products.
Financial year (FY) Local independents The Yard BBQs R us Outdoorz BBQfun
FY 2013–14 30% 0% 25% 23% 22%
FY 2014–15 30% 0% 27% 23% 20%
FY 2015–13 30% 0% 22% 25% 23%
*FY 2016–17 30% 0% 22% 24% 24%
Sales performance:
Financial year (FY) Total sales
FY 2013–14 8,500,000
FY 2014–15 10,000,000
FY 2015–13 9,000,000
FY 2015–16 9,500,000
Estimated total market potential for FY 2012–13 (SE Qld)
Calculate potential sales for marketing opportunities.
Total market potential (with potential online sales included)
Use to calculate potential sales with e-commerce included in FY 2012–13.
Financial year (FY) BBQs Outdoor Furniture BBQ Accessories Total
FY 2012–13 25,000 13,000 42,000 80,000
FY 2013–14 35,000 15,000 58,000 108,000
FY 2014–15 40,000 17,000 68,000 125,000
FY 2015–13 45,000 19,000 75,000 139,000
FY 2016–17
Own branded products
Assume market share of 24% for BBQfun to calculate projected number of units to sell for each item in FY 2012–13.
BBQs Outdoor Furniture BBQ Accessories
Number of buyers 30,000 13,000 56,000
Quantity 1 1 3
Average price $600 $850 $50
Bargain market
Assume market share of 25% for BBQfun.
BBQs Outdoor Furniture BBQ Accessories
Number of buyers 40,000 20,000 70,000
Quantity 1 1 3
Average price $500 $650 $40
With E-commerce
Assume market share of 24% for BBQfun.
BBQs Outdoor Furniture BBQ Accessories
Number of buyers
Quantity 1 1 3
Average price $620 $880 $55
Opportunities and profit figures for calculation
Own brand E-commerce Bargain market
Sales volume (units) BBQ: 7,200 BBQ: BBQ:
Furniture: 3,120 Furniture: Furniture:
Accessories: 40,320 Accessories: Accessories:
Price BBQ: $600 BBQ: $620 BBQ: $500
Furniture:$850 Furniture: $880 Furniture: $650
Accessories:$50 Accessories:$55 Accessories:$40
Unit contribution margin BBQ: $500 BBQ: $300 BBQ: $200
Furniture: $600 Furniture: $420 Furniture: $220
Accessories: $40 Accessories: $20 Accessories: $10
Total revenue
Total gross profit FY 2016–17
Additional fixed costs Add lease: $1,000,000
Add labour: $500,000
Add plant (depreciation): $500,000 Add training: $50,000
Add online store development:
$100,000
Add new plant and equipment (depreciation): $150,000
Add labour: $250,000
Add reconfiguring of warehouse/
office: $50,000 See approved budget (no change in fixed costs)
Total net profit
FY 2016–17
Profitability index figures for calculation
Own brand E-commerce Bargain market
Cash flow 2016–17 (Use gross profit) (Use gross profit) (Use gross profit)
Opportunity cost 8% 8% 8%
Present value of future cash flows
Present value of initial investment (Use total fixed costs) (Use total fixed costs) (Use total fixed costs)
Profitability index
Operational changes
After consulting with the management team at BBQfun, you determine:
? high risk of customer service quality problems for online customers
? high risk of staff misunderstanding changes and considering online sales as threat to jobs
? eight online sales and customer service people will be needed to manage increased online customers
? since stores are overstaffed, need for online people could be met from drawing from existing employees at the two stores
? currently no staff have online customer service skills
? management would like to develop people through retraining rather than hire new staff to handle online sales
? six delivery trucks needed to enable distribution
? website will take 50 days to develop
? three forklifts needed
? four additional warehouse workers needed
? six additional drivers needed
? office space may need to be reconfigured.
Available resources and costs
Resources Costs
Additional staff $25,000 year average Additional staff costs:
Plant and equipment depreciation ? Delivery trucks
($20,000 each)
? Forklifts ($10,000 each) Plant and equipment costs:
Promotional costs $500,000
Website developers Contractors ($2,000/day) Website development cost:
Staff training Online customer service training
($3,000 per staff member) Staff training cost:
Management change leadership training for store managers and team leaders $3,000 each Management and leadership training cost:
Warehouse and office reconfiguration Reconfiguration cost:

The Mexican narco-trafficking problem
The case can be found on page 707 of Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, Angwin and Regner (2014) Exploring Strategy, 10th edn. Harlow, Pearson.
Questions
1. What strategies are being followed by the main narco-trafficking organisations (NTOs)? What are
the (two largest) NTOs’ objectives?
2. Who are their key stakeholders and what are their expectations? Which diversification strategies applied at which stages of the NTOs’ life cycles/evolution?
3. What strategic options are available to NTOs (at the time of the case study)? How is the current external situation changing?
4. How might these strategic options be evaluated?
5. What strategic options are open to the government? And which strategic choices should the President make?
The questions are equally weighted and the answers have to be written in essay style. Your responses should reflect your knowledge and understanding of the concepts, tools and techniques covered in the Strategic Management module. You should also demonstrate your skills and abilities to analyse data and information that you have obtained from a variety of up-to-date, high quality sources. Stronger answers will demonstrate an ability to exercise independent critical thinking. Full in-text citations and references, using the Harvard referencing style, are required.