Your task: Write one paragraph on how the changing retail landscape might potentially affect your career plans. Your answer should include at least two specific retail changes that could alter the way your targeted employer or industry functions in the future.

1.As a manager, you may find the constant pressure to produce praise exhausting.

a.When that happens, it is permissible to hold off until you are fully refreshed

b.When that happens, praise appears “forced” and disingenuous

c.You should never praise employees more frequently than the amount of praise that you receive

d.But remember that however unimportant these compliments seem to you, they’re fulfilling a genuinely vital psychological need in your employees

2.By giving the employee the opportunity to explain what’s going on, you’re communicating that

a.you see them as a person. Your employee probably feels very vulnerable in these moments, and they need to believe that you want to treat them fairly and care about how they perceive the situation

b.you will accept excuses

c.you acknowledge that you are out of touch with your team

d.you conjure up the worst fears of a Theory X manager

3.According to Fuller and Shikaloff, employees are more engaged if

a.they are sufficiently (financially) rewarded for their work

b.they are better educated

c.they work for a manager who is working at least as much as they are

d.management will just get out of their way so they can get their work done

4.The more a manager knows about the people who work for them,

a.the less confident the manager will be in the employee’s work potential

b.the more intrusive they will become in the employee’s personal life

c.the more he/she will be able to control/manipulate the employee

d.the more they’ll be able to motivate them, coach them, and help them grow

5.High performers typically

a.place a high value on their own development and see it as a sign that your company is a good place to build a career

b.avoid working for a company without a robust training program

c.find ways to build additional skillsets in the people they work with

d.are demanding (in terms of higher pay/greater benefits)

6.Fuller and Shikaloff have consistently found that larger manager networks correlate with

a.greater employee turnover

b.higher pay levels
c.the creation of a “good ole boy” network

d.a number of different positive business outcomes

7.Frederick Herzberg, a psychologist who studied employees’ motivation, argued that
a.a manager can effectively incentivize employee development through additional pay

b.different employees respond to different incentives, thereby making it impossible to find a common approach

c.money is a less powerful motivator than opportunities to learn, advance in their responsibilities, and be recognized for their achievements

d.an employee who does not take the lead in defining and pursuing incentives for professional growth is an employee who will flame out quickly

8.Once maximizers have made a choice, they are likely to

a.push ahead with their decision, accepting it as the best possible approach

b.find ways to quickly validate their decision

c.apply their new-found approach to an array of business concerns

d.second guess themselves and wonder whether they could have made a better choice. They are more prone to making social comparisons in order to gauge the optimality of their decisions

9.When you delegate, you should see your role as

a.a micromanager

b.a monitor and a coach

c.hedgehog

d.an enabler

10.Behavioral economist Herbert Simon argued that
a.the goal of utility maximization, as formulated by rational choice theory, is nearly impossible to achieve in real life

b.slackers come up for reasons why they can’t maximize

c.the higher the education, the greater the maximization

d.prospective employees should be tested to determine how well they maximize

11.Many managers make the following mistake:

a.Making an employee’s personal happiness the highest priority produces optimal work outcomes

b.They assume that the personal happiness of their employees conflicts with the needs of the business, and that they must choose between the two

c.An employee who brings his/her personal interests to the workplace obviously has their priorities mixed up

d.They try to juggle the personal interests of all employees with the business’ interests, satisfying neither in the end

12.Delegation of duties

a.gives you more time to focus on activities that require your unique skills and level of authority

b.sends a clear signal to employees exactly who is in control

c.gives you more time with friends and family

d.is discouraged because it makes subordinates less dependent on you

13.Compared to strategic planning, opera­tional planning

a.takes less time
b.Is more specific, less comprehensive, done at a lower level, in­volves the relative allocation of small amounts of resources, is often repetitive in nature and covers a short time span (i.e., one year or less)

c.begins in the C-suite and filters its way down

d.begins on the floor and filters its way up

14.Paul Hersey says situational leadership

a.requires that employees see a consistent approach to problems by managers

b.isn’t different strokes for different folks. It’s different strokes for the same folks, depending upon what it is you’re trying to get done and what their performance readiness is

c.leaves managers open to the accusation of favoritism among employees

d.effectively leaves the employees in charge of the business. (It is Theory Y run amuck.)

15.According to Robinson’s study, engaging in strategic planning alone

a.was not found to have such a direct link to high performance

b.was more valuable than engaging in operational planning alone

c.resulted in higher performance over the long term

d.is something that produces intangible benefits difficult to measure

16.A common tactic to diffuse the awkwardness in the feedback process is to:

a.delegate the responsibility to someone who is not personally invested in the outcomes

b.break the feedback into many digestible bits and dole it out over a succession of days

c.do it over lunch
d.open with praise, move to criticism, close with praise

17.Operational planning refers to:

a.the process leading to the development of short range goals, action plans and procedures to guide the handling of day to day operations

b.a global understanding of a desired endpoint for the organization

c.determination of the firm's mission, its principal strategies, and the key goals these elements are intended to accomplish

d.the oversight required to identify/pursue leading-edge technology

18.According to Robinson’s research, businesspeople generally thought that operational plan­ning was

a.less important than strategic planning

b.equally important with strategic planning

c.more important to the success of their firm than strategic planning

d.is sector-specific (it is important in certain business sectors, but not in others)

19..A satisficer is

a.agonizes over making a less-than-perfect decision

b.is immune to the criticism that he/she lazy

c.less likely to experience regret, even if a better option presents itself after a decision has already been made

d.someone who stalls out very quickly in their professional careers

20.Satisficers are individuals who

a.quickly come up with excuses about why they can’t do their best

b.are pleased to settle for a good enough option, not necessarily the very best outcome in all respects

c.have a lower appreciation for quality than do maximizers

d.place speed over quality

21.The best time to give feedback, whether positive or constructive, is

a.after the dust has settled

b.at the end of the workday

c.in the moment

d.right before the employee goes on vacation

22.A good manager praises personally and often, but

a.not in front of the employee’s fellow employees out of concern for creating envy

b.usually includes it with a mention of perceived employee deficiencies

c.they make sure their accolades are as specific as possible, tailored to their own self-perceptions

d.are cautious not to do it until an employee has “achieved tenure.”

23.According to Herbert Simon, to make “best” choices

a.listen to your gut feelings, don’t worry about getting the very best all the time, and evaluate each outcome on its own merits rather than against others

b.find a mentor who is also a maximizer

c.go back to school and take a class in statistical analysis

d.create a large network of associates who can provide important feedback

24.The "high" operational planners experienced

a.higher sales and perceived performance, but ones that were not justified by the work and expense of operational planning

b.lower sales and perceived performance than those who prioritized strategic planning over operational planning

c.a temporary boost in productivity that tails off quickly

d.significantly higher sales per employee and significantly higher levels of perceived perfor­mance than did the firms that did not engage in "high" planning levels across each functional area

25.A good manager should

a.avoid monitoring the work-life balance of his/her employees, as they will quickly get overwhelmed with the personal problems of employees

b.check in frequently to make sure work isn’t disrupting important life functions like health, family, and leisure.

c.create/enforce rules for employees about achieving the right work-life balance
d.should avoid discussing with employees the importance of a healthy work-life balance for fear of appearing to be hypocritical

The Information Technology department notifies you that there has been evidence of unusual behavior from a privileged user's account, in this case the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The CFO indicates that they had received an email from a close friend with an attachment, clicked on a link, but it turned out to be junk and they ignored it. IT began their initial investigation immediately, and found that the email was likely a successful spear fishing attempt, from a similar but slightly different email address that mirrored the information of the friend's account.. What actions do you recommend be taken to contain this incident, and return to normal operations? Additionally, what steps should be taken to gather evidence during this procedure, in case it is later determined that you need to contact authorities? (the course is called cybersecurity management)

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING BASED ON THE BRAND "APPLE"

1. Situational Influences
   1. Suggest ways to measure based on your product/company
      1. I.E. if utilizing a focus group or survey – provide an example of 5-10 questions you’d ask
   2. Problem recognition – highlight what your product will ‘fix’ for the consumer, and why?

For the environmental influences (e.g Technological factors, Social factor, etc.) what is the differences between B2B and B2C in buying a product in Hewleet-Packard (HP)?

Facts: The Venetian approved a credit line of $500,000 to Nehme. One day, while gambling at the Venetian, Nehme signed a casino marker for $500,000 payable to the Venetian. Nehme exchanged the marker for chips and lost all $500,000 worth of chips playing blackjack. Nehme then left the Venetian with the marker outstanding. The Venetian presented the $500,000 marker to Bank of America, the bank specified on the marker, but the marker was returned for insufficient funds. The Venetian sued Nehme for failure to pay a negotiable instrument.

Issue: Is the Venetian’s casino marker signed by Nehme a negotiable instrument under the Nevada Uniform Commercial Code? If not, why not? If it is, why is it a Negotiable Instrument?

Assuming it is a Negotiable Instrument, even if you do not believe it is one, what arguments can the Venetian use to enforce the Negotiable Instrument?

Should manufacturers have a responsibility to take back their products after their useful consumer life?how might life cycle responsibility change the way products are designed, manufactured, and sold?

The goal of this assignment is to demonstrate your ability to understand the basics of simple queueing models as solved using a simulation approach:

1. National Bank (see previous problem) is considering adding a second teller to the lunch-time situation to alleviate congestion. If the second teller is added, find the following:
   1. The average teller utilization
   2. The average number of customers in line
   3. The average time a customer waits before it seeing the teller
   4. The average time a customer spends in the service system

Please remember to answer using a simulation approach:

** For each problem, you should run at least 10 iterations of 50 simulations to ensure your results are correct. You can report the answers as the aggregation of your trials.

The goal of this assignment is to demonstrate your ability to understand the basics of simple queueing models as solved using a simulation approach:

1. National Bank currently employs a single teller to assist customers over their lunch breaks. The typical arrival rate of customers is 11 people per hour where the teller can service people at a rate of 12 customers per hour. Assuming the standard assumptions of queuing models are met, find the following:
   1. The utilization of the teller
   2. The average number of customers in line
   3. The average time a customer waits before it seeing the teller
   4. The average time a customer spends in the service system

Please remember to answer using a simulation approach

** For each problem, you should run at least 10 iterations of 50 simulations to ensure your results are correct. You can report the answers as the aggregation of your trials.

Case Study

Will Saleh and Sons Nursery Company, Al Kharj overcome prevailing business turbulence?

Mr Saleh is the owner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a family owned and operated business established in 1990. His business operated under the name of Saleh and Sons Nursery Company and based in Al Kharj, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The company’s net worth is SAR 5 million. Their nursery is situated 40 Km away from Al Kharj which is managed by two of his sons. The nursery specializes in cultivating a variety of seasonal and perennial plants both indoor and outdoor and engaged in transplanting, budding, and grafting. Elder son Rakan manages outdoor plant business while younger one Salim manages the indoor plant business. In addition to nursery operations, the company also deals in other floriculture commodities related to seeds, soil, fertilizers, gardening tools, garden decorative etc.

The company is renowned and reputed in Al Kharj and adjoining cities since it has been in business for the last 30 years. It has 20% market share in the region. The Fresh Plant Company and Friends plant company are its two main rivals who operate out of Riyadh. Both hold a market share of 30% and 25% respectively. Remaining market is shared between big retail stores and unorganized businesses. However, Saleh has a competitive advantage of being local in Al Kharj region by catering to the needs of his customers by providing bespoke and consultative customer service. In spite of this advantage, their business is witnessing sluggish growth patterns over the past 5 years owing to the presence of new big retail stores who also stock indoor plants. Often these stores sell these plants at heavily discounted prices even below the cost prices that directly impacted Saleh’s business with decreasing sales and depleting profits. Nursery business annually growth rate is 15% due to awareness of the advantage of being green by community at large.

The company opened its first retail store (1990) in the Al Kharj city center near the main vegetable market which is a very popular and strategic located. The second store was opened up a decade ago along Riyadh road, Al Kharj due to recent economic developments in the region. Considering business scalability and expansion, Saleh shown interest in his sons to open up a Flower and Boutique store noticing a shift in consumer buying behavior in gifting from chocolates to flowers. Rakan is computer engineer proposed to open an online store and invest in building an e-commerce platform. On other hand Salim is a business management graduate, he proposed to reposition their products categories and diversify their business into gardening and landscaping since there is no other company offering such types of services in Al Kharj. Whereas Saleh intends to scale up and expand its business operations by opening new retail stores in nearby cities of Dilam, Hota Bin Tamimi ,Riyadh etc.

Saleh stands on a cross road, he wanted to convene a meeting with his sons and the company top management in order to discuss business scalability and expansion strategies from 2020 and beyond especially with Pandemic crisis.

Questions

Q1. Analysis of at least five micro(actors) and five macro(factors) environment factors affecting Saleh and Sons Nursery Company business in current situation. (

Q2. You are the company marketing head, propose viable five new business development plans with strategies to the top management.

Q3. Saleh intends to make policies in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) coupled with social marketing. Frame five plans with strategies can be devised to community engagement for this initiative?   

what responsibility do manufacturers have in the design and use of harmful products?

Do robo-advisors offer a good “value proposition”? In other words…

What do you pay them for their services? What are those services? How customized/specialized are they? Is there a better alternative, and if so, what is it, and why is it better?