1.) Briefly outline and describe the five generic competitive strategies? Illustrate a specific example of each generic strategy in your description?

Your answers will be short essays and should be three full paragraphs or longer.

Netflix Now that you’ve identified the organization’s SWOT, you need to determine the project and its objectives and metrics. This project should be based on an unmet opportunity for the organization, or to minimize a potential threat. What does the organization need to do to advance its goals and/or expand its competitive advantage? How will you measure their progress? Complete the following: Explain why this opportunity/threat was selected, and how it is anticipated to benefit the organization. Create at least 3 measurable project objectives based on your analyses. Determine timelines and responsibilities for each objective (e.g. with a RACI chart) Explain why these objectives are appropriate for the project. Develop at least 2 metrics to evaluate achievement of each of the project objectives. Provide a 1-page explanation for why these are appropriate metrics for each of the objectives.

1.) What is the role of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in the strategy formulation and strategy execution process? Why has their job become increasingly difficult?

Your answers will be short essays and should be three full paragraphs or longer.

1.) What are some tests of a good strategy? How do we know if a company’s strategy is working? What are some options for a company if their strategy is not working?

Your answers will be short essays and should be three full paragraphs or longer.

Are The Broken Window Theory and Incrementalism similar or different? How? Mention specific examples. 300 words

Incrementalism (Referred to as the slippery slope, incrementalism describes how we unconsciously lower our ethical standards over time through small changes in behavior.)

You Be the Consultant "Controlling Employee Theft" (Page 546).

Managers at Holt of California, a heavy equipment dealer based in Pleasant Grove, California, noticed some “unusual” accounting transactions and began to investigate them. Gradually, they discovered that over seven years, their controller, “Stan” (not his real name), who had worked for the company for nine years, had stolen $4.8 million from the company. Stan had used company credit cards, some of which had been issued to former employees, to purchase goods and services, including electronics, cars, airline tickets, landscaping for his home, a country club membership, cosmetic surgery, season tickets to professional sporting events, and online games, for his personal use. In an unusual twist, authorities discovered that Stan had spent $1 million of his employer’s money playing Game of Fortune. To cover his theft, Stan had vendors send bills to his home, where he could alter them, and created a steady stream of false financial reports. Fortunately, Holt was able to survive its employee theft incident, but some entrepreneurs have to close their businesses because employee theft and fraud destroy their cash flow.

Because small businesses often lack the financial and control procedures that large companies impose, they are disproportionately more likely to be victims of employee theft. Small companies are common targets of employee theft because employees, especially long-term employees, know the weaknesses in the company’s systems, procedures, and controls and take advantage when the opportunity presents itself. Indeed, the longer the tenure of an employee who steals, the greater the amount stolen. According to a recent study by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the median theft by perpetrators who had been with a company more than 10 years is $250,000; the median theft for those who stole from a company in their first year of employment is $49,000. One expert cites the following “formula” for employee theft:

Pressure + Rationalization + Opportunity = Employee theft

The only factor in the equation that employers can control is opportunity, which is why entrepreneurs’ money is better spent preventing employee theft than detecting it.

As mentioned earlier, although 64 percent of small businesses report being victims of employee theft, only 16 percent reported the theft to the police. Business owners cite four reasons for failing to report theft by employees: (1) They do not perceive the theft as one warranting any more attention than firing the employee, (2) their attorneys often advise them that the cost in time and energy to prosecute the thief would likely outweigh any benefits, (3) the decision to prosecute is charged with emotion because the employee has worked alongside the owner for many years or is a family member, and (4) they see the police and criminal justice system as ineffective. The median amount stolen among small companies is $150,000, an amount significant enough to threaten the existence of many businesses. Oftentimes, such theft leaves the business in a cash bind from which it is unable to recover. In fact, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that one-third of all small business bankruptcies result from employee theft. In small businesses, the typical fraud goes on for 18 months before the owner discovers it. Nearly 30 percent of the time, an employee tips off the owner to the theft, twice the percentage of thefts that are discovered by management review (14.5 percent). Seven percent of thefts are discovered by accident.

Many entrepreneurs are shocked to discover that the people who are stealing from their businesses are their most trusted, highly valued employees—the last people they would suspect. In the United States, managers are more likely to steal (43.0 percent) than are employees (30.8 percent), and they cause 2.7 times more damage. The median theft by managers is $173,000, compared to $65,000 by employees. Managers’ thefts also are more difficult to detect, requiring a median of 18 months to detect, compared to 12 months for those that employees commit. The most common red flags that lead to detection are employees living beyond their means, having financial difficulties, having an unusually close association with a company vendor, and being unwilling to share their job duties (for fear of detection).

The most effective way to deal with employee theft is to prevent it. Entrepreneurs can take the following steps to reduce the threat of employee theft:

• Screen potential employees thoroughly. Statistics show that, on average, 1 out of every 38 employees is caught committing employee theft. A business owner’s most useful tool against theft is a thorough pre-employment screening. The best time to weed out prospective criminals is before hiring them.

• Monitor inventory closely. Business owners who fail to keep up-to-date, accurate inventory records are inviting employee theft. When the co-owners of two ice cream stores realized that their employees were stealing, they began to take inventory of their stock twice each day. Once employees knew that controls were in place, the thefts stopped, and profits went up.

• Use technology to discourage theft. A variety of technology tools help business owners minimize losses to employee theft and fraud at very reasonable prices. Simple video camera systems, such as the ones used on the Food Network’s show Restaurant Stakeout, are responsible for nabbing many employee thieves, especially cameras that are focused on checkout stations and cash registers.

• Set up a hotline. One of the most effective tools for minimizing employee theft is to encourage employees to report suspicious activity and give them a mechanism for reporting. Remember that the most common way that managers detect employee theft is by getting tips from other employees.

• Embrace a zero-tolerance policy. When business owners catch an employee thief, the best course of action is to fire the perpetrator and to prosecute. Most owners take the attitude “Resign, return the money, and we'll forget it.” Letting thieves off, however, only encourages them to move on to other businesses where they will steal again.

1. Identify the factors that led Holt of California to become a victim of employee theft and embezzlement. What impact does this crime have on a company’s cash flow and survival?

2. Are small businesses more likely than large ones to be victims of employee theft? Explain.

3. List at least five steps, in addition to the ones described here, that entrepreneurs should take to prevent their businesses from becoming victims of employee theft and embezzlement.

1.) Within the framework of the Five-Forces Model of Competition, describe industry conditions that would lead to the highest level of profitability for industry participants. What about the lowest level of profitability? What are the differences between these two conditions?

Your answers will be short essays and should be three full paragraphs or longer.

Ben's Chia Seeds does not feel satisfied with the location and amount of shelf space it is given at Super Healthy Food Markets. This creates a source of

a. vertical conflict.

b. diagonal conflict.

c. horizontal conflict.

d. parallel conflict.

e. placement conflict.

2. Molson Coors is evaluating an idea for a new bottled water by using focus groups made up of young consumers to suggest brand names for the proposed product. This is an example of:

3. U. S. Steel produces steel products used in automobiles and various other products. U. S. Steel's products are selling so well that it has decided to buy new equipment that will increase its production capacity. This example best illustrates

4. Which of the following is FALSE?

5. Susan Stewart had Ethan Allen brand living room furniture and wanted to buy a particular chair of the same brand. She made a few calls to find a store that had the chair in stock. When she found one, she went there and purchased the chair. For Susan, the chair was

1.) Outline and detail a PESTEL analysis. What, in your opinion, is currently the strongest component of the macro-environment? Why? How has this changed?

Your answers will be short essays and should be three full paragraphs or longer.

Completely and thoroughly explain how a Flow Process Chart was successfully used by any company that makes any type of consumable beverage.

1. Consider the seven missteps mentioned in How to mess up your agile transformation in seven easy (mis)step. The concepts Handscomb discusses in each of the missteps do have much validity. Can you think of any modern day examples of firms and/or projects that have exhibited these pitfalls? In addition, what would you have done differently?

Completely and thoroughly explain how any type of Work Measurement Technique was used to determine the labor cost of their services by any Service Company that provides any type of service to its customers. A service company is any company that does some type of work for a customer, such a lawn maintenance, and although they may also include some products, such as applying fertilizer to the lawn, their primary function is providing the service, such as keeping the lawn, hedges, and flowers in an attractive condition.

Financial technology, also known as FinTech is an industry composed of companies that use new technology and innovation with available resources in order to compete in the marketplace of traditional financial institutions and intermediaries in the delivery of financial services.

The use of mobile apps is embedded in the average Mauritian’s everyday life while the country already provides services such digital insurance, mobile banking amongst others.

Several enterprises, particularly those aiming towards Africa, are already using Mauritius as a viable Fintech platform. The stable business climate and well-established corporate governance culture in Mauritius, favorable time zone, excellent connectivity and highly-educated labour, mitigates the high-risk profile of certain African countries.

Question:

Select a local company of your choice which provides FinTech services and: Explain the services provided by the chosen company & justify why the provided services falls under the FinTech umbrella of technologies.

Answer to be around 1500 words

From "Foundations of the Legal Environment of Business"

Explain “piercing the corporate veil.” In your answer explain how this can happen. Additionally, explain who might benefit from this and why some might not

What Makes a Patient-Centered Medical Home? No unread replies.No replies. Case prepared by Cynthia Sieck, Jennifer Hefner, and Ann McAlearney (Health Services Management, 11th Ed.: 2018) Introduction Crescent Medical Practice is a midsized primary care practice in the Midwest with approximately 17,000 patients. It has 10 full-time and 5 part-time practicing physicians, and its staff includes a practice manager, 2 administrative assistants, 16 medical assistants, 5 physician assistants, 6 registered nurses, a care manager, a social worker, and a part-time nutritionist. Crescent has been in existence since 2001. The practice implemented an electronic health record in existence in 2010 and a tethered patient portal (i.e., a patient portal connected to the EHR) in 2013. Since the introduction of the EHR and patient portal, providers and staff have become more comfortable with electronic documentation and communication. In addition, patients have expressed their appreciation for the convenience of scheduling appointments and communicating with their providers through the patient portal. This case examines Crescent's decision about whether to adopt a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model of care. Before the Case Electronic health records introduced at Crescent (2010) Tethered patient portal introduced (2013) During the Case Jill Smith, practice manager at Crescent, charged with exploring transition to patient-centered medical home (PCMH) Jill forms Transition Management Committee Committee elects to hire a practice facilitator to guide the PCMH transition Practice facilitator delivers a report to the committee Administration of a patient survey about access to appointments Implementation of an increase in the number of same-day appointments Plan to enhance information technology capabilities to track patients and coordinate their care Development of a dashboard of metrics to compare practice performance to regional and national targets for use in tracking success of quality improvement projects Additional training to staff in health information technology capabilities Crescent considers starting a patient and family advisory group After the Case Crescent decides to pursue PCMH certification Medicare starts the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus program to provide financial incentives for practices to incorporate elements similar to the PCMH standards The Evidence for Becoming a Patient-Centered Medical Home The PCMH model represents a comprehensive team-based approach to care that focuses on providing the patient with "the right care, in the right amount, at the right time" (NCQA 2014). This approach emphasizes the critical role of primary care practices in transforming the US healthcare system. Crescent is considering becoming a PCMH, and it has learned of several incentives available to PCMH practices in the area that could help offset the cost of transition to a PCMH. Evidence suggests that the PCMH model can help engage patients and their families in the healthcare process, while also potentially improving healthcare quality and leading to cost savings (Higgins et al. 2014; Markovitz et al. 2015; NCQA 2017). In addition, the team based structure of a PCMH may lead to a greater employee satisfaction by encouraging all employees to practice at the top of their licenses and distributing care responsibilities across the team (Nielsen et al. 2012). However, for a PCMH to be effective, organizational process must be enhanced beyond just focusing on care coordination (McWilliams 2016). Jill Smith, practice manager at Crescent, is charged with exploring the requirements of transitioning to the PCMH model, and she beings by searching for as much information as she can find related to PCMH recognition. Jill quickly finds the the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), which recognizes PCMH practices, defines six standards that must be achieved for a practice to become a certified PCMH: Patient-centered access - Structures that meet patient needs during and after hours. Team-based care - Care organized to include all members and meet the cultural and linguistic needs of patients. Population health management - Use of data to improve the health of the population. Care management and support - Support for patients in management of their conditions through the use of evidence-based guidelines. Care coordination and care transitions - Coordination of tests, referrals, and points of transition in care. Performance measurement and quality improvement - Use of ongoing performance and experience data to guide quality improvement. Through her search, Jill learns that practices can receive NCQA recognition as a PCMH if they attain certain metrics within each of the these standards. She also learns the three levels of certification exist and that the timeline for achieving each can vary depending on existing practice elements and how long it takes to implement new elements. Level 1 certification, representing the most basic PCMH, allows both paper and electronic-based systems and stresses the importance of processes for documenting the services provided by the practice. Level 2 certification requires the the practice have some electronic means to document, plan, and coordinate care, but it does not require full electronic capabilities. Finally, Level 3 certification requires the use of an EHR for care and practice management: this level identifies the most advanced practices. As a physician-led practice, Crescent is eligible for recognition as a PCMH, but Jill notes the the practice must first meet certain requirements in specific areas. These areas include providing patient-centered appointment access, organizing team-based care, using data for population management, providing care planning and self-care support, and implementing continuous quality improvement. Throughout the process, Crescent will be required to provide data to NCQA to document its progress. Transitioning to a PCMH Model Upon learning how comprehensive the process of becoming and maintaining status as a PCMH will be for Crescent, Jill decides to convene a PCMH Transition Management Committee. She invites a lead physician, Dr. Beth Myers; one of the staff nurses Rachel Piccolo; and a care coordinator, Brian Williams, to join her committee. Collectively, the committee's role will be to provided overall direction for the process, to help staff understand the reasons for the transition and what each staff member can do in support of the effort, and to address additional practice needs identified through the transition process. During the Committee's first meeting, Jill explains to the group: "There is evidence that a new type of staff member, a practice facilitator, can assist practices with the transition to a PCMH and make the transition process more manageable. Lead physician Dr. Myers asks, 'What does that really mean? And how would that be helpful for us here at Crescent?" Jill replies: "Apparently practice facilitators can help a practice like ours to examine current clinical, business, and organizational practices and see where there might be gaps or opportunities for improvement. Practice facilitators have been through this before, so they know what data are most helpful to guide a practice's transition to a PCMH. For us at Crescent, this means we could learn about quality improvement methods that we could apply to improve how our practice runs. Also, a skilled practice facilitator can provide feedback and coaching throughout the transition process, so we would have a resource person w could turn to when we had questions." "That's all very well and good," notes Dr. Myers, "but how is Crescent supposed to pay for a new staff member? You know that we run on a tight budget, so it's not clear to me that brining in a fancy consultant is going to work for us." 'Yes, that's an important point, Beth," Jill acknowledges. "But what I've learned through investigating this process is that we don't have the capability to do this on our own. If we agree that pursuing a PCMH model is the right direction for Crescent, I'm going to need help to get us there." After more discussion, the members of the committee decide that the potential benefits of becoming a PCMH will be worth the investment in the services of a practice facilitator. Benefits include expert guidance and input from an external evaluator who can assess the status of Crescent relative to the PCMH standards and provide an action report. The home is that these benefits will speed the process of PCMH certification and save time and resources, this offsetting the cost of the facilitator. After reaching out to her colleagues, Jill is referred to Mara Thomas, a practice facilitator based in Washington, DC. After several conversations, Jill decides that Mara's approach is a good fit for Crescent, so they finalize a contract. Mara's first step is to learn about Crescent, so she requests that Jill send has as much background information as possible. Mara receives summaries of discussions related to the Crescent organizational structure and current clinical processes. She notes whom she would like to meet in person to learn more. Mara's next step is to visit Crescent so she can meet with stakeholders and observe how the practice is run. In a busy first visit, Mara meets with the Transition Management Committee, speaks with several physician members of the practice, and observes practice operations. She returns for a follow-up visit two weeks later for additional meetings and further observation. Based on her findings, Mara develops a feedback report identifying areas in which Crescent would need to consider changes to become a PCMH. Mara recommends that Jill share the report with the committee, adding that she would be happy to answer any questions that come up. A Year Down the Road Crescent decides to pursue certification as a PCMH, and a year later, it learns about a new program being implemented for Medicare patients. Called the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) program, the initiative offers additional incentives to practices that engage in efforts to transform care delivery in five areas: (1) access and continuity of care, (2) care management, (3) comprehensiveness ad coordination of care, (4) patient and caregiver engagement, and (5) planned care and population health. CPC+ provides reimbursement for care management, a performance-based incentive payment, and payment according to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, with an additional payment for practices that provide even more comprehensive care. Practices must apply to the program in one of two tracks that cover the five areas, with Track 2 addressing the area more comprehensively than Track 1. If selected, practices participate for a period of the five years (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2017). Please discuss any, or all, of the following questions:

Questions

(1) What areas of organizational design does Crescent need to take into consideration or change if it transitions to a PCMH model? How will new staff change the design?

(2) Crescent is considering the use of a patient and family advisory group to help it incorporate patient feedback into its transformation efforts. What other means of feedback could the practice use?

(3) How does Donald Trump's election change the approaches you would recommend in this case? Please in total i need 500 words for the answer.