Instructions:  Write a reflection about what you have learned in this module.  Your reflections should include (1) your opinion, (2) personal experience, and (3) evidence to back up your thoughts and/or opinion (APA citation).  The purpose of this assignment is to ensure you are processing your thoughts on the course content.  This will enhance your learning and knowledge.  Your posts in the discussion area should exhibit careful thought and logical reasoning and provide evidence for your position.  Each post should be at least one well-developed paragraph (approximately 4-6 sentences or more, unless otherwise indicated).  Use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar.  

You are also required to read and reply to other students (at least 2), as indicated in each discussion assignment.  

 Need 2 answers 

• Pinto Chapter 13
  Internet Exercise 13.27 or 13.28 on Page 487. The questions are provided below (I updated the link for the second one):
  13.27: Go to  and read the article on the multiple uses of project S-curves. What does the article suggest about the use of different S-curves and analysis methods?
  13.28: Go to  and access the article by Q. W. Flemingand J. M. Koppelman. From your reading, summarize the 10key steps in EVM and the advantages the authors argue earned value offers for project control and evaluation.

  The assignment involves that the student read the question, go and search for a site(s) on the internet and answer the question(s) in a 2-3 page paper. Refer to the course schedule matrix for due dates for all case assignments. 
  This is due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.

  What are some of the key organizational elements that can affect the development and maintenance of a supportive organizational culture? As a consultant, what advice would you give to a functional organization that was seeking to move from an old, adversarial culture, where the various departments actively resisted helping one another, to one that encourages project thinking and cross-functional cooperation?

Assignment 1.1 Introductory Speech Outline Due Week 2: 35 points 

1) Select either Topic A or Topic B for your introductory speech. 

Topic A: Elevator Pitch | Deliver an elevator pitch that describes your professional background and experience for a potential employer during a job interview.

Topic B: Dream Career | Discuss your dream career. 

 2) Create an outline or speaking notes in Microsoft Word. o Download the Microsoft Word template in the Assignment 1.1 section located in Week 2 of your course. o Focus your speech on 2-3 main points so you’ll stay within the 2-minute time limit. 3) Submit the completed Microsoft Word template in Blackboard (this is separate from your speech/self-review). 4) For this assignment, you will not compose an essay or speech. You are only required to submit an outline.

*****Topic A: Elevator Pitch/Customer Service/Call Center*****

Sample Outline Attached

Please make sure the answer is ORIGINAL… I need it completed by Tuesday 01/21/20 by 8 pm.

In this module, the discussion focuses on the differences between accrual and cash-basis accounting. We will also look at the deferral and accrual adjusting journal entries. Students will be asked to prepare an example of each adjusting journal entry type (deferral and accrual). Students will also be expected to understand the difference between an Unadjusted Trial Balance and an Adjusted Trial Balance, and the purpose of the Adjusted Trial Balance.

1).  Define the accrual basis of accounting, and why it is generally preferred over the cash basis?

2).  Describe the two main types of adjusting entries (deferrals and accruals), and give at least 1 example of EACH of the 2 types. (ie, You should have 2 complete journal entries 1 deferral entry, and 1 accrual entry Be sure to have a debit account and a credit account with amounts in your entry)

3).  Explain what an Unadjusted Trial Balance is, and the relationship between the Unadjusted Trial Balance, adjusting journal entries, and the Adjusted Trial Balance.

4).  Finally, what do we do with the Trial Balance, and what statements is it used to produce?

AT LEAST 350 WORDS

Company Presentation

Your instructor may opt to have you and your co-managers do a presentation at the end of the simulation (or possibly even at some point during the simulation). Typically, the audience for such a presentation is your company’s board of directors and/or shareholders (with your instructor, invited guests, and other class members assuming the roles of board members and/or shareholders). Your instructor will clarify whether the context of your presentation will be a meeting of the company’s board of directors or an annual shareholders’ meeting or some other audience.

Unless otherwise instructed, your presentation should include the following topics and slides:

• A brief review of the financial performance of your company during the time you and your co-managers have run the company.
  This review should consist of charts showing the following:
  
  • Trends in the company’s annual total revenues
  • Trends in the company’s annual earnings per share (EPS)
  • Trends in the company’s annual return on equity investment (ROE)
  • Trends in the company’s annual credit rating
  • Trends in the company’s year-end stock price
  • Trends in the company’s annual image rating
  • The Performance Highlights report (accessible through your Decisions / Reports Program menu), includes a charting feature at the bottom of the report page. You can easily create a trend chart for each of the above six performance indicators and save each chart to a local storage device for insertion into a PowerPoint presentation or Word document. Double-click on the chart to download and (depending on the web browser you are using) you will be prompted to save to a PNG file. Once you have named and saved a picture file you can insert the picture into a PowerPoint slide or Word document using the Insert tab at the top of the MS Office program.If you wish to create additional performance graphs you may do so, but the above six performance measures tell an adequate story about your company’s historical performance.
• A slide describing your strategic vision for the company.
• A slide that shows what performance targets for EPS, ROE, credit rating, and image rating you and your co-managers would set for each of the next two years (assuming the simulation were to continue). You may also want to indicate a stock price target as well.
• A slide that sets forth your company’s competitive strategy for the internet market in some detail and how that strategy has evolved over the years you have managed the company. You may need to have more than one slide here if your company’s strategy for the internet market varies markedly from geographic region to geographic region.
• A slide that sets forth your company’s competitive strategy for the wholesale market in some detail and how that strategy has evolved over the years. Again, more than one slide may be needed if your company’s strategy for the wholesale market varies markedly from one geographic region to another, such that your company is pursuing a meaningfully different competitive strategy in some regions versus others.
• A slide that sets forth your company’s competitive strategy for the private-label market in some detail and how that strategy has evolved over the years you have managed the company.
• A slide describing your company’s production strategy (as concerns plant capacity and location, use of overtime, and work force compensation/training strategy).
• A slide describing your company’s finance strategy (as concerns dividends, use of debt versus equity, stock issues/repurchases, actions to achieve/maintain a strong credit rating, etc.) You should clearly describe your company’s dividend policy during the period you have managed the company. Here, you should also set forth what sort of dividend increases, if any, you would likely consider paying out in the next two upcoming years (given the EPS targets you have established).
• A slide showing (1) those companies you consider to be your strongest/closest competitors in the internet market as of the last year or two of the simulation, (2) those companies that are your strongest/closest competitors in the wholesale market, and (3) those companies that are your strongest/closest competitors in the private-label market.
• One or more slides detailing the actions you would take to out-compete these close rivals in the next two years (assuming the simulation continues for several more years). Since the actions may differ between internet, wholesale, and private-label, you may well need more than one slide here.
• A set of slides detailing the “lessons learned” about crafting a winning strategy and about what the managers of a company should or should not do for a company to be financially and competitively successful in a head-to-head battle against shrewdly-managed rival companies.

You should, of course, adjust the content of your presentation to conform to whatever topical outline that your instructor specifies. Thus, depending on what your instructor tells you about what items to address in your presentation, you may need to add slides covering other topics or delete coverage of some of the above suggested topics. This is for the BSG Simulation game

 One company may acquire another company for a number of different reasons. When the acquisition is made, it often has a significant impact on the financial statements of the acquiring company.

Find a publicly-listed company of personal interest to you that has acquired another company or made an equity investment in another company within the last three years. Locate a copy of the annual report on Form 10K containing information about this acquisition. Attach a copy of the annual report on Form 10K to your posting. A PDF file or a Word document file containing the Annual Report on Form 10K are both acceptable to attach as part of your initial response. 

Note: Annual reports on Form 10K are available on the investor relations section of your chosen companys website; they are also available on the SEC website a www.sec.gov 

Start your initial response posting with a heading in bold type: Apple Acquisition of LinkedIn (as an example; this acquisition did not really happen.).

Include the questions in bold before your answers. Supplement your answers by copying and pasting contents from the respective annual report on Form 10K. Note: Simply including copied information from the annual report on Form 10K is not an adequate response to the question.

1. Provide      at least 2 reason that your chosen company acquired the other company. How      did this acquisition benefit your chosen company, strategically?
2. What      were the terms of the deal, or the consideration given, by your company to      acquire the other company?
3. How      was the acquisition funded by your chosen company?
4. What      type of acquisition discussed in this module describes the merger or the      acquisition accounting which your chosen company performed on its books?      Why would this type of merger or acquisition accounting be appropriate      given the consideration given in the merger?

Include in bold type in your initial response the above question(s) you are answering.

Assignment 1: Impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)
Due Week 3 and worth 280 points

Assume that you are a CEO of a medium-sized company that needs a significant influx of cash for several expansion projects. As the CEO, you must determine whether your company should remain private or go public. Some companies postpone going public due to the unpredictability of economic and market conditions. Consider the ramifications of both alternatives. Construct an argument for and against going public. Before providing your response, review the guidelines and regulations associated with going public by visiting Small Business and the SEC located at http://www.sec.gov/info/smallbus/qasbsec.htm.

Use the Internet to research SOX law, located at http://www.sarbanes-oxley-101.com/sarbanes-oxley-compliance.htm.

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Outline three (3) ways in which your medium-sized private company may benefit from going public, providing a rationale for each.
2. Create an argument that the same goals may be achieved if the company remains a privately held entity. Provide support for your argument.
3. When a company decides to go public, it can typically obtain capital by issuing stocks or bonds. Suggest four (4) leading financial ratios that will be evaluated and how each will impact the companys decision to obtain expansion funds. Determine whether the results of the ratios would alter the decision to go public. 
4. By researching the results of SOX compliance surveys, assess the financial impact that SOX might have on your company if it decides to go public. Considering the impact of SOX compliance, take a position as to whether your company can overcome the challenges posed by SOX compliance if the decision is to go public. Based on your research, support your decision by identifying the potential advantages and disadvantages that SOX may have on your company. Provide specific examples.
5. Make a recommendation as the CEO regarding the alternative (i.e., going public or staying private) that will best support the companys expansion goals. Support your position.
6. Use at least four (4) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources. 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the students name, the professors name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

In todays competitive business environment, information has become very important. Organizations spend lots of time and resources on gathering, storing, and analyzing data. Control of flow of information is equally important. Thus, information system has become essential for survival of any firm. Firms are using information system to improve efficiency, speedup decision making process, achieve higher customer satisfaction level, lower cost, improve quality, and create competitive advantage. 

Three ways in which information system are transforming business.

TopicModule Discussion

Discussion

600 words 450words post and 75 words reply for each”2 replies”

APA

need reference 

Module 10 Discussion

Please read the article “Changing the Way Employees Interact With Guests With Disabilities.”

Link to article (NID login required):  https://login.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/login?auth=shibb&url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=105775378&site=eds-live&scope=siteLinks to an external site.

Write a FORMAL discussion post answering ONE of the following questions:

1. Theme parks must be prepared to accommodate guests with varying abilities and disabilities across all lines of business.  Choose two lines of business from the following list and discuss the accommodations you would expect them to make for guests with disabilities, as well as any other ideas that you think might help in providing a consistent experience for all guests regardless of ability/disability.  Lines of business to choose from:  Attractions, Merchandise, Food and Beverage, Entertainment, Ticketing/Guest Relations, Transportation

2. Disability awareness and accommodations are not only an important issue for guests, but also for employees as well.  Answer question 1 as it would apply to employees with disabilities instead of guests.

Write an INFORMAL (1-2 paragraph) discussion post about the following:

Describe an experience you have had assisting a guest with a disability in your current or previous job.  How well was your company prepared to accommodate all guests?  What could you or the company have done better/differently to enhance the experience for your guest?  Please do not mention the company by name. 

Required elements (formal post only):

Post a 1-2 paragraph response by the assignment due date.

Cite at least one outside source that adds relevant information to the response.

Use APA format, including in-text citations and references (the assigned article as well as outside sources need to be cited properly and included in your references).

Ask an open-ended question at the end of your response to promote discussion.

Required elements (informal post):

Post a 1-2 paragraph information answer to the question/prompt given

Submit both your formal and informal posts in the same submission.

Replies:

Reply to at least two students’ posts within 1 week from the assignment due date.

Replies must be substantial and contribute to the ongoing discussion.

Outside sources are not required in your replies, however if you do use an outside source you must cite it properly in APA format.

See rubric for grading details.  The rubric can be found by clicking on “show rubric” at the top right corner of this page.

80% of your grade for this assignment is based on your initial post, and 20% is based on your replies.  Late work is not accepted.  If your initial post is submitted after the webcourse due date, you will receive a zero for that portion of the grade.

Read the case study. Write a paper between 700 and 1,000 words addressing the following:

Part 1, Sections 1-2: Provide calculations and a solution for total variable costs, break even in sales volume (number of members), break even in sales (in dollars), and margin of safety.

Part 1, Section 3: Respond to the questions included with the case study.

Part 1, Section 4: Assume you decide to invest in the franchise. Provide a description and estimates in dollars for monthly sales, variable and fixed expenses. Explain how you determined each number and provide a written list of assumptions.       

Format the paper consistent with APA guidelines. Deliverables: Paper (MS Word) and Excel File (optional). Review your Originality Report generated from SafeAssign. A new originality report is created with each attempt. Your last attempt is used for grading. 

Case Study: In addition to regular gyms, nontraditional workout concepts and centers such as Kosama are increasing in popularity. Kosama is a franchise opportunity that offers members the opportunity to improve their health and fitness level. To learn more about the company visit kosama.com. 

Part 1, Section 1: Assume the following revenue and cost break-down.

Revenue:  

-Monthly membership fee = $28.

Costs:

-General fixed operating expenses = $3,975 per month.

-Equipment Lease = $410 per month.

-Towel service = $.50 per member based on volume.

-Mixed costs are equal to $275 per/month (fixed) plus $1.10 per membership sale (variable). 

-Total variable costs are not known.  

-Estimated number of members required to break even is between 255 and 275 members per month.  

Using the information provided estimate the amount of variable costs. When performing your analysis, assume that the only fixed costs are the estimated monthly operating expenses, equipment lease and the fixed part of mixed costs. Show your work and all calculations.

Part 1, Section 2: Using the information from section 1. What would monthly sales in members and dollars have to be to achieve a target net income of $14,500 for the month? What is the margin of safety in dollars? Show your work and all calculations. 

Part 1, Section 3: Discuss how cost structure, relevant range, margin of safety, cost behaviors, and CVP apply to an investment in the franchise. How do you plan to use this in order to manage the business and plan for profitability? What type of internal accounting reports would you prepare? Why?

Part 1, Section 4: Assume you decide to invest in the franchise. Provide a description and estimates in dollars for sales, variable and fixed expenses. Explain how you determined each number and provide a written list of assumptions.

The following is additional explanations and resources.

Part 1, Section 1: Use the following formula in order to determine total variable costs.  

Sales – Variable Costs – Fixed Costs = Net Income. 

Add the problem data to the formula and solve for the missing piece of the equation (i.e. variable costs).

1. Membership sales is equal to sales volume times the price per member.  

2. Total variable costs is not known. Enter X in the above formula.

3. Total fixed costs are provided with the problem. Enter fixed costs in the above formula.

4. Net income at the break even is equal to zero. Enter 0 in the above formula for net income.

5. Solve the equation. X = total variable costs.

The above formula determines total variable costs at the break-even.  

Part 1, Section 2: Use the solution from part 1, section 1 (i.e. variable costs) in order to calculate the contribution margin (i.e. sales – variable costs) on a per unit (member) basis. In addition to fixed costs, add targeted net income equal to $14,500.  

Contribution Margin:

Sales: membership sales times the price per member

Minus Variable Costs: See solution in part 1, section 1.

Equals: Contribution Margin in dollars

Contribution Margin in dollars / number of memberships = contribution margin per member. 

The next step is to determine what would monthly sales in members and dollars have to be to achieve a target net income equal to $14,500 for the month? Utilize the CVP formula (fixed costs / contribution margin per member) to finalize the problem. Compute the margin of safety.   

Resource – Enhance learning & understanding: For additional guidance regarding cost volume profit analysis and related cost concepts please review the following.

Cost Volume Profit

Franchise Agreement: As you review and analyze the franchise opportunity it is important to develop a thorough understanding of the franchise agreement prior to investing. The following is an article that explains the basic fundamentals of an agreement. 

Franchise Agreement

Part 1 Section 4: You need to estimate/project sales, variable, and fixed expenses for your business. The first step is to determine a physical location for your franchise (i.e. city & state). Once this is identified, begin researching what the average monthly fee is for comparable fitness clubs in your area. The monthly fee per customer will help you determine sales revenue. The next step is to estimate your expenses. Do you plan to buy a building or sign a lease? Real estate is typically leased based on square footage. How many square feet does your business require and what is the cost per square foot based on the location of your business? In addition to the lease expense, do you expect to incur additional fixed expenses such as the purchase of fitness equipment? Finally, you need to determine all of your variable expenses. This could include hourly wages, sales commissions, utilities, etc.  

Assumptions: Explain how you developed estimates for sales revenue and business expenses and list any assumptions. 

Example: 

1. Explain how you developed your monthly fee and volume estimates.  

2. Discuss why you decided to rent or buy a building and the related costs such as rent per square foot based on, in part, the location of your business.

The key is to present the data in a professional manner so the end user (business owner, etc.) can review the numbers, understand it, and modify it in the future with little effort. If you use Excel add formulas so you can modify the data to account for changes in activity. This will help you manage your investment in the franchise. Example: What if sales volume is more or less than your original estimate? In this case you could change sale volume (number of members) and sales revenue and variable expenses automatically change based on formulas in the spreadsheet.

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