Benchmark Assignment—Finance Trends
Write a 750- to 1,050-word paper in which you:
Analyze the economic trends of the health care payment system.
Assess the role of ethics and compliance in the health care finance environment.
Analyze supply and demand for health care services.
Develop strategies to mitigate the increasing costs in the health care system.
Format your paper according to APA guidelines. Cite 3 peer-reviewed, scholarly, or similar references to support your paper.
Finance Trends
Benchmark Assignment—Finance Trends
Write a 750- to 1,050-word paper in which you:
Analyze the economic trends of the health care payment system.
Assess the role of ethics and compliance in the health care finance environment.
Analyze supply and demand for health care services.
Develop strategies to mitigate the increasing costs in the health care system.
Format your paper according to APA guidelines. Cite 3 peer-reviewed, scholarly, or similar references to support your paper.
Capital Management
Benchmark Assignment—Capital Management
Write a 750- to 1,050-word paper in which you:
Evaluate effective working capital management techniques.
Evaluate alternative capital projects.
Analyze risks associated with capital projects.
Analyze the decision-making factors in lease versus buy.
Analyze the effect of financing strategies on cost of capital. Analyze benefits and risks of debt financing.
Format your paper according to APA guidelines. Cite 3 peer-reviewed, scholarly, or similar references to support your paper.
background information on the controversy surrounding of ethics
Introduction and Background Information Assignment
For this assignment, you are expected to submit your introduction and the background information on the controversy surrounding the topic you have chosen for your Written Assignment. Please be sure to address all views on the topic and how it would relate to your work in the human services field. The assignment should be at least 3-5 pages in length and include in-text citations and a full reference list. This assignment is intended to keep you on track for the Written Assignment and also provide you an opportunity for feedback on the assignment before the final submission is due in Unit 7. The grading rubric will be included in the Unit 4 assignment information.
Criteria 16-20 points 11-15 points 0-10 points
Introduction Discussion of the ethical issue being addressed
20 points
Outline of the ethical topic is
clear; Ideas are appropriate
and clearly highlight the
controversy.
Outline of the ethical issue
is inadequate; Ideas are
inadequate or do not relate
to selected topic.
Information about the ethical
issue is not acceptable;
Directions were ignored and
information about the topic was
not addressed.
Background Information
Discussion of the
controversy and different perspectives of the ethical
issue being addressed
20 points
Outline of the controversy
behind the ethical issue is
clear; Ideas are appropriate
and clearly highlight the
controversy surrounding the
selected topic.
Outline of the controversy
does not do an adequate job
of addressing the topic;
Ideas are weakly supported
or unclear.
Information presented is not
acceptable; Directions were
ignored and background
information about the topic was
not addressed.
Mechanics, Grammar and
Proofing
Writing is free from error
and in proper format
20 points
Virtually free from
mechanical,
grammatical, punctuation, and
spelling errors; All
of the assignment
requirements were met
Some significant
errors are present, but the
overall meaning is clear;
about half of the
assignment requirements
were met
Errors distract
the reader, to the
extent the meaning is unclear;
the assignment requirements
were not met
Source Selection
At least two scholarly
sources were referenced in
proper APA format.
20 points
Sources chosen are highly
relevant to the topic; Sources
add greatly to discussion; few,
if any additional sources
needed
Some sources chosen are
relevant to the topic;
Requires additional sources
to complete the research
Sources are not relevant to
researcher’s topic; Sources
require extensive additional
research
Assignment Criteria
Length requirements met,
references included
20 points
Each source has a proper
citation; In-text citations are
included where needed, the
length requirement was met
Some sources have proper
citation; Some in-text
citations are included; The
assignment was just short of
the length expectation
Very few sources
have a proper citation; Very few
in-text citations are complete;
The length requirement was not
met
HSV400 Ethical and Legal Issues in Human Services
Introduction and Background Information Assignment
biography of Malcolm X
Read the biography of Malcolm X and answer the question that follow.
Rere the text opening of a new world. Highlight decisions that the author made. Explain how these decisions influenced his life. Highlight other people in the author‘s life. Explain how these people influenced the author. Highlight details about the various settings in the memoir explain how these places affected the author.
Ethics Paper Help-What is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and what are some of the elements of this Act that were designed to protect the integrity of the financial statements prepared and disseminated by publicly traded companies?
Ethics Paper Help-What is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and what are some of the elements of this Act that were designed to protect the integrity of the financial statements prepared and disseminated by publicly traded companies?
•What are some examples of major ethical breaches in the recent past that have led to increased scrutiny in the field of financial reporting and analysis? Why are they important to a firm’s stakeholders and the public at large?
•What is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and what are some of the elements of this Act that were designed to protect the integrity of the financial statements prepared and disseminated by publicly traded companies?
•What is the SEC, and what is its role in protecting the integrity of financial statements prepared and disseminated by publically traded companies?
Be sure to document your statements with credible sources, in-text citations, and references using proper APA format.
ustainable growth rate (SGR)
How does a company assess its sustainable growth rate (SGR)?
• How does a firm use the SGR in decision making?
What are the consequences for a firm that grows a higher rate than its SGR?
• What are the consequences for a firm that grows at a lower rate than its SGR?
Consider the following ideas to include in your answer:
• Which variables are used in calculating the SGR?
• How does a firm use the SGR in choosing a financing option?
• How does a firm finance a growth that is higher than its SGR?
• What is the opportunity cost for a firm that grows at a lower rate than its SGR?
company’s financial performance and its future outlook for investment purposes, conducting business, self-evaluation of strengths and weaknesses, and extension of credit
Several types of stakeholders and investors attempt to arrive at an estimation of a company’s financial performance and its future outlook for investment purposes, conducting business, self-evaluation of strengths and weaknesses, and extension of credit. They pose such questions as follows:
• What is the company’s performance record and what are the future expectations?
• How much risk is inherent in the firm’s existing capital structure?
• How successfully does the firm compete in its industry?
• What will be the source of debt repayments?
• How well does the company manage working capital?
• How well has the firm performed and why?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the company’s financial position? If you were performing this analysis, how would you go about doing it?
Consider the following ideas in your answer:
1. What type of financial data would you use and where would you get it?
2. What ratio analysis would you do?
3. How would you determine the leadership’s performance in the company?
4. What would you consider as an indication of a successful company versus a poor performing company?
Overview of Compensation & Benefits
| Overview of Compensation & Benefits |
Compare and contrast compensation and benefits strategy of the “people department” of Southwest Airlines to overall strategies of two other airlines. What distinguishes each approach from the others? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?
Guided Response: Be sure to include links to the companies, as well as the course text, among a minimum of five references. Respond to at least two classmates’ posts.
I need to respond to these two student’s discussion post
Respond to
I reviewed the compensation and benefits information for Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Airlines. For the compensation piece of my research I chose to focus on Flight Attendants to establish a baseline for comparison. I did this because all three airlines utilize them and I believed it would be easier to show the data within a like career path.
| Benefits | Southwest (Flight Attendant) | United Airlines (Flight Attendant) | Delta (Flight Attendant) |
| Salary | $25,491 – $121,942 | $24,271 – $115,944 | $24,705 – $105,098 |
| Medical | Y | Y | Y |
| Dental | Y | Y | Y |
| Vision | Y | Y | Y |
| Retirement/401K | Y | Y | Y |
| Vacation | Y | Y | Y |
The chart above depicts salary range and major benefit package offerings for all three airlines (payscale.com)
The first thing that jumped out to me when comparing the three airlines was the average starting salary, Southwest Airlines starting pay is slightly higher than the other two, which tells me their compensation strategy might be a bit more aggressive than their competitors.
All three employers offer the option of Medical, Dental and Vision care plans. According to their respective company benefits websites there are multiple options to choose from within each plan, to include family coverage.
The financial awards programs for all three are comparable as well, Southwest’s 401k program is more beneficial to the employee than the other two in that they match dollar for dollar up to 8.3 to 9.3 percent of the employee’s salary, United and Delta are below that.
One major area that Southwest distinguishes itself over United and Delta is in their Training and Development program. Southwest has what they call Southwest Airlines University, “it provides technical training and personal and professional development opportunities through classroom and online formats” (southwest.com). Either Delta or United mention this type of program being offered for their employees.
As you would imagine the three airlines offer very similar compensation and benefits packages to their employees with regard to medical, dental, retirement planning, and paid time off but Southwest appears to be a step ahead in what they offer. If I were to find a disadvantage in Southwest it would be that when they began operations they only used one type of aircraft, the Boeing 737. While this strategy helped them with maintenance costs, it probably hurt them with regard to employee knowledge development given they were only familiar with one airframe (Weathington, B. L. & Weathington, J. G. 2016)
https://www.deltajobs.net/travel_and_benefits.htmLinks to an external site.
https://www.glassdoor.com/Benefits/Southwest-Airlines-US-Benefits-EI_IE611.0,18_IL.19,21_IN1.htmLinks to an external site.
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Flight_Attendant/Hourly_Rate/cbc9177c/Southwest-Airlines-CoLinks to an external site.
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Flight_Attendant/Hourly_Rate/4bf8a22a/United-Airlines-IncLinks to an external site..
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Flight_Attendant/Hourly_Rate/8220585c/Delta-Air-Lines-IncLinks to an external site.
https://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/careers/workperks.htmlLinks to an external site.
https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/company/career/benefits.aspxLinks to an external site.
Weathington, B. L. & Weathington, J. G. (2016). Compensation and benefits: Aligning rewards with strategy [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
Respond to Elyse Willfong
In addition to Southwest Airlines, I chose to research pay scale and benefit summaries for JetBlue Airways and Alaska Airlines. Below is a chart of my findings: Pilot, Co-Pilot, Captain
| Benefits | Southwest Airlines | JetBlue Airways | Alaska Airlines |
| Pay Scale | $60k-$298k | $50k-$220k | $102k-$293k |
| Profit Share | Y | Y | Y |
| 401K | Y | Y | Y |
| Pension Plan | Y | Y | Y |
| Health Insurance | Y | ||
| Life Insurance | Y | ||
| Dental Insurance | Y | ||
| Vision Insurance | Y | ||
| Temp Disability | Y | ||
| Long-Term Disability | Y | Y |
When comparing and contrasting these three airlines for the said position above, I noticed first that Alaska Airlines pay their pilots/captains quite a bit more for their base pay than the other two airlines. I then began looking at the summary of benefits for each airline, expecting great benefits. However, I was shocked to learn that neither JetBlue nor Alaska companies offered any type of health insurance. I did see that Alaska Airlines offered two different pension plans, whereas, the other two only offered one.
Looking at the benefits that both companies carry, I wonder how Southwest and JetBlue have any employees, as much as Alaska Airlines are paying their employees. But, I also wonder why the two latter airlines do not offer the same benefits. How do you keep employees who are not offered health benefits? I believe these to be the weaknesses.
Ref:
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Southwest_Airlines_Co/SalaryLinks to an external site.
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Southwest_Airlines_Co/BenefitsLinks to an external site.
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=JetBlue_Airways_Corporation/SalaryLinks to an external site.
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=JetBlue_Airways_Corporation/BenefitsLinks to an external site.
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Alaska_Airlines,_Inc./SalaryLinks to an external site.
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Alaska_Airlines,_Inc./BenefitsLinks to an external site.
propose a team approach to achieve a long-term business goal
Consider your current work environment or one that you desire to join. Through a PowerPoint® presentation, propose a team approach to achieve a long-term business goal. Assume this presentation is being made to the executive team of the organization.
Develop a slide presentation that includes the following:
- Title slide – remember that this is being presented to the executive team.
- Introduction – Be sure to introduce the reason you are proposing a team approach by identifying the long-term business goal you desire to achieve.
- Actions for the organization level – Identify which of the 7 actions are appropriately established and which need to be revised or developed.
- Actions at the leader level – Using the 12 actions that leaders can take as a model, identify three strengths that seem generally consistent among leaders in the organization and three opportunities for development.
- Recommendations – Using persuasive language and negotiating skills
- Make recommendations for policy and structure changes to better enable the successful deployment of a team approach.
- Make recommendations for leader training and development to help the team approach succeed.
- Conclude with a call to action that seeks sponsorship and support for this initiative.
Provide Detailed Notes – The detail of what would be your verbal presentation must be represented in the notes section of each slide.
- Demonstrate mastery of the topics.
- Inform and persuade your audience of your choices.
- While “Content” points may be earned through the individual slides, the use of research will be demonstrated through the notes.
- “
- Analysis” points will mostly be earned through the notes of each slide.
- Include citations, as needed.
- References – any references used may be placed in the notes section of the concluding slide as it is not necessary for the audience to see this list.
Professional presentation, clarity of slides:
- It is important that the slides be streamlined, interesting, and professional.
- The use of an appropriate template, SmartArt to graphically depict information, and use of graphics to enhance the message is important. Do not just submit a plain PowerPoint deck that is filled with words and bullet point lists.
- The presentation must be interesting and visually appealing and memorable.
- Slides should not be overly cluttered and should be easily viewed when presented in a large setting. Use an appropriate font and font size.
- Slides must be grammatically correct and free of misspelled words.
The point distribution for the Assignment will be as follows:
- 50% (50 points): Content, focus, use of research, and organization
- 30% (30 points): Analysis and critical thinking
- 20% (20 points): Professional presentation, clarity of slides
Provide Detailed Notes – The detail of what would be your verbal presentation must be represented in the notes section of each slide.
- Demonstrate mastery of the topics.
- Inform and persuade your audience of your choices.
- While “Content” points may be earned through the individual slides, the use of research will be demonstrated through the notes.
- “Analysis” points will mostly be earned through the notes of each slide.
- Include citations, as needed.
- References – any references used may be placed in the notes section of the concluding slide as it is not necessary for the audience to see this list.