QUESTION 1

1. Assume that the two samples of five cereal boxes (one sample for each of two cereal varieties) listed on the TCCACCTC Web site were collected randomly by organization members. For each sample, assume that the population distribution of individual weight is normally distributed, the average weight is indeed 368 grams and the standard deviation of the process is 15 grams, and obtain the following using Excel and PHStat:

   Weights of Oxford O’s boxes
   360.4
   361.8
   362.3
   364.2
   371.4
   
   Weights of Alpine Frosted Flakes with Vitamins & Minerals boxes
   366.1
   367.2
   365.6
   367.8
   373.5 All answers should be accurate to 2 decimal places.

2. (a) For the Oxford's O:

      (i) The value of the sample mean =

      (ii) The proportion of all samples for each process that would have a sample mean less than the value you calculated in step (a)(i) =

      (iii) The proportion of all the individual boxes of cereal that would have a weight less than the value you calculated in step (a)(i) =

      (iv) The probability that an individual box of cereal will weigh less than 368 grams =

      (v) The probability that 4 out of the 5 boxes sampled will weigh less than 368 grams =

      (vi) The lower limit of the 95% confidence interval for the population average weight =

      (vii) The upper limit of the 95% confidence interval for the population average weight =

   (b) For the Alpine Frosted Flakes:

      (i) The value of the sample mean =

      (ii) The proportion of all samples for each process that would have a sample mean less than the value you calculated in step (b)(i) =

      (iii) The proportion of all the individual boxes of cereal that would have a weight less than the value you calculated in step (b)(i) =

      (iv) The probability that an individual box of cereal will weigh less than 368 grams =

      (v) The probability that 4 out of the 5 boxes sampled will weigh less than 368 grams =

      (vi) The lower limit of the 95% confidence interval for the population average weight =

      (vii) The upper limit of the 95% confidence interval for the population average weight =

QUESTION 2

1. Oxford Cereals then conducted a public experiment in which it claimed it had successfully debunked the statements of groups such as the TriCities Consumers Concerned About Cereal Companies That Cheat (TCCACCTC) that claimed that Oxford Cereals was cheating consumers by packaging cereals at less than labeled weights. Review the Oxford Cereals' press release and supporting documents that describe the experiment at the company's Web site and then answer the following assuming that now you have no information about the mean and standard deviation of the population distribution of the weight of all boxes of the cereal produced:

   Weight
   351.8
   360.65
   372.74
   382.96
   375.28
   352.16
   374.15
   361.8
   366.67
   398.86
   384.34
   367.53
   361.59
   364.47
   382.93
   366.88
   368.14
   408.19
   356.03
   379.27
   380.38
   386.44
   378.72
   342.05
   380.29
   361.1
   355.11
   387
   346.86
   391.94
   366.3
   350.52
   397.27
   349
   373.78
   384.04
   392.55
   361.98
   377.07
   390.88
   395.86
   370.21
   380.66
   389.33
   361.15
   386.74
   353
   354.22
   374.24
   363.77
   352.08
   364.11
   359.79
   367.12
   375.84
   343.29
   357.7
   384.75
   380.72
   356.22
   389.72
   375.28
   380.44
   379.14
   364.64
   379.63
   369.29
   337.1
   371.42
   347.63
   363.86
   381.28
   379.21
   366.26
   365.15
   351.33
   375.91
   363.32
   357.96
   375.58

   All answers should be accurate to 2 decimal places.

   (a) For a two-tailed t-test on whether the population mean weight is equal to 368g:

      (i) The value of the t-test statistic is =

      (ii) The p-value of the t-test statistic is =

      (iii) The lower-critical value is =

      (iv) The upper-critical value is =

   (b) For an upper-tailed t-test on whether the population mean weight is more than 368g:

      (i) The value of the t-test statistic is =

      (ii) The p-value of the t-test statistic is =

      (iii) The upper-critical value is =

   (c) For the 95% confidence interval for the population average weight:

      (i) The lower limit =

      (ii) The upper limit =

You must use C Language.

End Goal:

HATFIELD, HEIDI
KAISER, RUSSELL
LIPSHUTZ, HOWARD
PENKERT, DAWN
WRIGHT, ELIZABETH

The user inputs the students first name and last names separately but within one loop. The loop should end when the user presses enter on the first name without entering any text. Upon completing entry of data, the output pictured above should display on the output.

Using the code given, follow the steps:

1. You should be able to enter up to 20 student first names. Also, change the input array to an appropriate size of 18 for the length of the first name. Use a meaningful name for the storage of first names array. Change prompts as needed. The loop should exit when the user presses enter when inputing the first name without adding any text. Compile and make sure it works from main(). At this point, you should be able to enter and alphabetize a list of up to 20 first names! Alphabetizing the first name is just a test!!! In the end, you will alphabetize the whole name string.

2. Add another array and get input for last name INSIDE the loop for your first names. This last name array will also be an array of 20 elements but with room for up to 25 characters. Again, do not use another loop! Just add code to input the last name to the first loop. The program should now ask the user to input the student's first name and then last name in that order for each individual. Then the program will loop to continue adding student names until the user presses enter on the student's first name. Make sure the last name is converted to all caps. You do not need to alphabetize this array, but you may want to print it out to make sure everything is working just as a test.

3. Make changes to convert the first name to all upper case using a function. (Example: User enters bob on the first name, then on the last name enters jenkins, it will look like Bob Jenkins instead of bob jenkins)

Last step: Combine last and first into an third array. This code is most easily added to the first loop. You just had the user enter first and last names. So the current value of the subscript used for these arrays can be used to combine content and store in the third array.  Alphabetize THIS array (instead of the first name array) which means you need to send a different pointer to the stsrt() function. Print out the end result. Test that everything is working on this program.

Given Code:

void rollsheet(void) {
int ct = 0;
char *ptstr[LIMIT];
char input[LIMIT][SIZE];
int k;

printf("Enter up to %d student names, and I will sort them!\n", LIMIT);
printf("To stop, press the Enter key at a line's start.\n");
while (ct < LIMIT && s_gets(input[ct], SIZE) != NULL
&& input[ct][0] != '\0')
{
ptstr[ct] = input[ct]; /* set ptrs to strings */
ct++;
}
stsrt(ptstr,ct);
puts("\nHere's the sorted list:\n");
for (k = 0; k < ct; k++)
puts(ptstr[k]) ; /* sorted pointers */
}

void stsrt(char *strings[], int num)
{
char *temp;
int top, seek;

for (top = 0; top < num-1; top++)
for (seek = top + 1; seek < num; seek++)
if (strcmp(strings[top],strings[seek]) > 0)
{
temp = strings[top];
strings[top] = strings[seek];
strings[seek] = temp;
}
}

char * s_gets(char * st, int n)
{
char * ret_val;
int i = 0;

ret_val = fgets(st, n, stdin);
if (ret_val)
{
while (st[i] != '\n' && st[i] != '\0')
i++;
if (st[i] == '\n')
st[i] = '\0';
else // must have words[i] == '\0'
while (getchar() != '\n')
continue;
}
return ret_val;
}

Analyze the article

Remember to use the analysis tools in your writing ask yourself after reading the article

“so what?” and “why is this important?”

***

Article:

Marketing is important to every business’ survival, whether it’s for the local business up the street or the mega-corporation that spreads across all continents. Unfortunately, for the former, marketing is often put on the back burner, as a small-business owner has so many other things to deal with.

As a small business, you should start by looking at what your direct competitors are doing in the area. Find out how they are attracting customers and, more importantly, what is and isn’t working for them. It’s time to start or revisit your competitor research. “If you’re opening a location-based business, like a restaurant, that competitor research might involve visiting other venues in-person to judge quality, service, aesthetics and other factors through which you want to differentiate your own business," Score says. This is also a great time to introduce yourself to other local business owners. On the other hand, if you have an ecommerce business, you will be conducting a lot of the research online.

Make sure to document your findings; you can create a chart to show your strengths and weaknesses alongside your competitors. For instance, you might find that you are the only restaurant in the area who isn’t offering a loyalty program to attract customers, it is time to jump on that bandwagon.

An important part of marketing today is developing an online presence. You might think your local restaurant has no benefit of being online, as customers are usually local. To the contrary, you will be able to attract new customers in the area and beyond by being present online. It’s important to remember that one-third of all mobile searches are related to location and 78 percent of local mobile searches result in offline purchases. You want people to find you online when they are looking for a business in the area, whether that’s on Google, Facebook, LinkedIn or

From your competitor research (see point #1), you already have an idea of how other businesses in the area are presenting themselves online. Now dig a little deeper, asking questions like: Which businesses show up in Google’s local pack? Which keywords are often targeted? What social media platforms are they using? What type of online content are they sharing? Take inspiration from your competitors and improve upon their efforts in order to stand out.

An important piece of your online presence is online reviews. Reviews are crucial when it comes to ranking in local searches and acquiring new customers. Research shows that 72 percent say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more. What’s more, 92 percent of consumers say that they will use a local business if it has at least a 4-star rating.

Having positive reviews to your business name is an incredibly strong tool, so part of your marketing strategy should be directed toward collecting reviews from current clients. Pick one or multiple platforms that you want to direct people to (e.g. Yelp, Google My Business, Tripadvisor, Facebook). It is important to actively ask your customers to leave reviews to these platforms, as people often need a little nudge to share their opinion. You can ask this in-person, through your website or with the help of a mobile app. Prompt customers at the right time, after they have enjoyed their meal or received their order in the mail. Lastly, don’t be discouraged by negative or mediocre reviews; these are valuable insights into what you can do it improve your business.

You don’t have to do all the marketing yourself; in fact, one way to get the word out about your business is with local press coverage. We are not talking about getting covered by Forbes or The New York Times, but starting with the media outlets in your area who are always looking to cover local news.

Share your story with different media outlets. Many small businesses have heartfelt origin stories, so craft up a narrative that shows who you are and what your business’ mission is. You want to be able to supplement this great story with amazing visuals. Professional photos will help you get featured in news stories -- you can also repurpose these photos for your social media profiles! Depending on your industry, you can also put yourself in front of reporters by sending out samples of your product. The most important thing is to make a memorable connection with a few writers and journalists to secure your time in the spotlight.

You don’t need to do all the marketing yourself, turn your best customers into brand advocates who will market for you. In fact, word-of-mouth is 10 times as effective as traditional forms of marketing and advertising. So how do you generate that word-of-mouth marketing? You need to exceed your customers’ expectations!

The Missouri Business Development Program states: “All successful small businesses seem to have an edge. They have found a way to distinguish themselves, to rise above the commercial fray, to put the WOW into their business.” In other words, you need to delight your customers and make them say (or think) WOW. Maybe it is sending them a handwritten postcard or giving them a special gift with purchase. Maybe you have a lifelong warranty or know all your customers by name. Think of the most creative way to surprise your customer and they will not only become loyal customers, they will also spread the word for you.

According to eMarketer, 80 percent of SMB retail professionals report that email marketing is the best marketing tactic for driving customer acquisition and retention. Email marketing is a great way to a build lasting relationship with your customers. But in order to get the full benefits of email marketing, you need to build out a substantial email list first.

Start by setting up a lead magnet. “Lead magnets are essentially tempting offers that provide consumers something of value in exchange for their contact information,” says Lyfe Marketing. For local businesses, this might include asking for an email address in to sign up for a VIP loyalty program, or signing up for the email list to receive special discounts.

Once you have an email list, you can create an email marketing strategy. Decide what types of emails you would like to send out, ranging from newsletters and industry-related news to promotions and recommended purchases. The types of emails will depend on the goal you want to achieve, such as improving brand recognition, increasing customer retention or boosting sales.

An app is not just a mobile application, an app is a complete mobile marketing solution. It is a powerful marketing tool if used the right way. You can use an app to draw new customers in by offering mobile ordering or a loyalty program. You can re-engage existing customers by sending out messages with promotions and news about your business. You can set up a lead capture form within the app to start building out your email list. In addition, an app can also help you collect reviews, as you are able to prompt customers to share their opinion on social media, produce online reviews or send a referral.

If you want to get even more creative, you can pull out all the stops with an app launch party. This will, in turn, trigger word-of-mouth and draw more people to your business.

All the above marketing strategies can help small businesses gain new customers and increase repeat business. Many of them also overlap and work together in order to set your business apart from the crowd: adding a “WOW factor” to your business can trigger positive reviews and, in turn, strengthen your online presence. A new app can help you build an email list, as well as get you local press coverage and so on. These are straightforward and attainable ways to boost your small business marketing.

PRG/280 Week Two Assignment:

Adding Navigation and CSS

This assignment walks you through the steps of adding one more page to your website and writing navigation (i.e., adding hyperlinks) between the two pages. The starting point will be the GroceryHome.html page from Week One.

Hint: Copy the GroceryHome.html file to a new folder (suggested name for the folder: Week_2_Assignment) for Week Two.

Step 1) First, modify the Week Two GroceryHome.html page to add the navigation. After the opening <body> tag, but before the opening <header> tag, add the following code:

            <nav>

               <a href="GroceryHome.html">Home</a> |

               <a href="Products.html">Products</a> |

               <a href="AboutUs.html">About Us</a> |

               <a href="Contact.html">Contact</a>

            </nav>

Step 2) Save and open the modified page in a web browser, such as IE or Chrome. The page will render like the image below with the navigation links at the top of the web page. If you recall from the Week One mock-up, we wanted the navigation to be at the top right of the page, but the navigation we just added appears at the top left.

Step 3) To align the navigation to the right, add the following CSS code to the <style> tag at the bottom, placing the code before the closing </style> tag. Be sure to leave the styling for the .myColumns elements as it is.

nav {

     float: right;

     display: block;

}

Step 4) Save and refresh the GroceryHome.html page in a browser. The page will render like the image below with the navigation now nicely positioned at the top right of the page.

Note: If you haven’t already, try resizing your browser window from full-screen to small and back again and notice how the links move automatically.

Step 5) To add a new page to the website, open a new blank document in NotePad++. Just as you did in the Week One instructions, begin your new web page with the following code:

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

</html>

Step 6) From the menu, select File à Save As, and name the file Products.html, making sure to select the correct file extension to save the file as an HTML file (see the screenshot below of the Save dialogue box).

Note: Be sure you spell this filename properly, as it must exactly match the value of the <a> tag’s HREF attribute that you typed into the navigation section earlier in this assignment.

Hint: Be sure to save your file in the same location on your computer where you saved the home page.

Step 7) Using what you learned from Week One, add the body, title, and article to the Products.html page, as follows:

<body>

<header>

            <h1> My Products Page</h1>

</header>

<article>

This web page shows an example of using a table to display seasonal vegetables. Below is an example of what the grocery store might stock during the spring, summer, fall, and winter.

</article>

</body>

Step 8) Save and open the Products.html file in a browser. The page will render similar to the image below with a title and article text below.

Step 9) Add the same navigation you added to the GroceryHome.html page to the Products.html page. Be sure to place the code between the opening <body> and the opening <header> tags, as follows:

            <nav>

               <a href="GroceryHome.html">Home</a> |

               <a href="Products.html">Products</a> |

               <a href="AboutUs.html">About Us</a> |

               <a href="Contact.html">Contact</a>

            </nav>

Step 10) Although the navigation is not properly formatted on the Products.html page, this is a good time to test the navigation between the two web pages.

Open the GroceryHome.html page, and click on the Products link at the top (the image below highlights the Products link in the navigation).

The Products.html page will render like the image below. Clicking on the Home link will navigate back to the GroceryHome.html page (the image below highlights the Home page link on the Products page).

Note: Clicking the About Us or Contact links will result in a File Not Found error, because the HTML file names (pages) associated with those links have not yet been created. You will add those pages in future assignments.

Step 11) To format the <nav> block so the navigation floats to the right, add an external CSS file. Open a new blank window in NotePad++ and add the following code at the top:

nav {

     float: right;

     display: block;

}

Note: Adding an external CSS file gives you a single place to specify formatting rules that you can then apply to multiple web pages by pulling in that CSS file (instead of copying-and-pasting CSS formatting code multiple times). Having all the formatting code in a single place means fewer errors!

Step 12) From the menu, select File à Save As, and name the file MyStyle.css, making sure to select the correct file extension to save the file as a Cascading Style Sheets file (see the screenshot below of the Save dialogue box).

Step 13) To pull in the MyStyle.css file and make that formatting rule available to the Products page, modify the Products.html page and add the following code between the <html> and <body> tags at the top of the page. Be sure to spell the CSS filename correctly.

<head>

   <link rel="stylesheet" href="MyStyle.css">

</head>

Step 14) Save and refresh the browser for the Products.html page. Using the external CSS, the page renders like the image below with the navigation floating to the right.

Step 15) Test the navigation between the Home and Products page. The About Us and Contact links will result in a “page not found” error, as you haven’t built those pages yet.

Step 16) Now it’s time to present some organized text on your web page. You’ll use an HTML table to do this, beginning with a single table row and multiple table header tags. In the Products.html page, insert the following code for a <table> after the closing </article> tag, but before the closing </body> tag:

<table>

     <tr>

<th>Spring</th>

<th>Summer</th>

<th>Fall</th>

<th>Winter</th>

     </tr>

</table>

Step 17) Save the Products.html page and refresh the web browser. Your page should look like the image below with the seasons aligned at the bottom of the page.

Step 18) Now begin to lay out the table text more attractively. Add the following code to the end of the MyStyle.css page, after the closing curly brace } that completes the nav declaration:

td, th {

     border: 1px solid #dddddd;

     text-align: left;

     padding: 8px;

     width: 75px;

}

Step 19) Save the MyStyle.css page, and refresh the Products.html page. Your page should render like the image below with the seasons evenly spaced and outlined in a table format.

Step 20) To the Products.html file, add the following <tr> table rows and <td> table detail data. The code will go after the closing </tr> table row for the <th>Winter</th> table header, but before the closing </table> tag.

   <tr>

      <td>Asparagus</td>

      <td>Squash</td>

      <td>Pumpkins</td>

      <td>Potatos</td>

   </tr>

   <tr>

      <td>Scallions</td>

      <td>Tomatoes</td>

      <td>Cabbage</td>

      <td>Leeks</td>

   </tr>

   <tr>

      <td>Green Peas</td>

      <td>Carrots</td>

      <td>Broccoli</td>

      <td>Turnips</td>

   </tr>

Step 21) Save and refresh the web browser. Your <table> should render like the image below with all of the vegetables laid out neatly in a table.

Step 22) Verify that the files (GroceryHome.html, Products.html, and MyStyle.css) are in the same folder. Keeping related files together is extremely important to avoid broken links (the screenshot below shows all three files: GroceryHome.html, Products.html, and MyStyle.css).

Step 23) To zip the files together, select the three files then right-click (alternately, press the Alt key while the files are highlighted, then F to bring up the File menu, navigate to the Send To menu with the up/down arrow keys, then arrow right to navigate to Compressed Folder). From the pop-up menu, select Send To à Compressed (Zip) Folder. Give the zip file an appropriate name with your name or initials at the end (the screenshot below shows all the files along with the ZIP file).

Hint: Verify that there are three files in the Week2.zip file before you submit the ZIP file. To do so, double-click Week2.zip file to view the three compressed files (or press the Enter key while the file is selected).

Step 24) Submit the website as a ZIP file using the Assignment Files tab.

The following information should be used when answering the provided questions below:- 1 Introduction Belaria Shoes was formed by two brothers who were passionate about diversity in cultures existing in Italy in early 1970s. At this time, the country was undergoing a period of rapid industrial growth and many companies were established that paid low wages and expected employees to work long hours in dangerous and dirty conditions. Workers lived in poor housing, were largely illiterate and had a life expectancy of less than forty years. The Belaria brothers held a set of beliefs that stressed the social obligations of employers. Their beliefs guided their employment principles – education and housing for employees, secure jobs and good working conditions. Belaria Shoes expanded quickly, but it still retained its principles. Today, the company is a private limited company whose shares are wholly owned by the Belaria family. Belaria Shoes still produce footwear in Petatown, but they now also own almost one hundred retail shops throughout Italy selling their shoes and ` IN SEMESTER (INDIVIDUAL) ASSIGNMENT Module Code: BUSS 1009 Module Name: Strategic Management Level: 3 Max. Marks: 100 Scaled down to 50 boots. The factory (and surrounding land) in Petatown is owned by the company and so are the shops, which is unusual in a country where most commercial properties are leased. In many respects this policy reflects the principles of the family. They are keen to promote ownership and are averse to risk and borrowing. They believe that all stakeholders should be treated fairly. Reflecting this, the company aims to pay all suppliers within 30 days of the invoice date. These are the standard terms of supply in Italy, although many companies do, in reality, take much longer to pay their creditors. The current Belaria family are still passionate about the beliefs and principles that inspired the founders of the company. Recent history Although the Belaria family still own the company, it is now totally run by professional managers. The last Belaria to have operational responsibility was Jock Belaria, who commissioned and implemented the last upgrade of the production facilities in 1991. In the past five years the Belaria family has taken substantial dividends from the company, whilst leaving the running of the company to the professional managers that they had appointed. During this period the company has been under increased competitive pressure from overseas suppliers who have much lower labour rates and more efficient production facilities. The financial performance of the company has declined rapidly and as a result the Belaria family has recently commissioned a firm of business analysts to undertake a SWOT analysis to help them understand the strategic position of the company. SWOT analysis: Here is the summary SWOT analysis from the business analysts’ report. Strengths Significant retail expertise: Belaria Shoes is recognized as a successful retailer with excellent supply systems, bright and welcoming shops and shop employees who are regularly recognized, in independent surveys, for their excellent customer care and extensive product knowledge. Excellent computer systems/software expertise: Some of the success of Belaria Shoes as a retailer is due to its innovative computer systems developed in-house by the company’s information systems department. These systems not only concern the distribution of footwear, but also its design and development. Belaria is acknowledged, by the rest of the industry, as a leader in computer-aided footwear design and distribution. Significant property portfolio: The factory in Petatown is owned by the company and so is a significant amount of the surrounding land. All the retail shops are owned by the company. The company also owns a disused factory in the north of Italy. This was originally bought as a potential production site, but increasingly competitive imports made its development unviable. The Petatown factory site incorporates a retail shop, but none of the remaining retail shops are near to this factory, or indeed to the disused factory site in the north of the country. Weaknesses High production costs: Italy is a high labor cost economy. Out-dated production facilities: The actual production facilities were last updated in 1991. Current equipment is not efficient in its use of either labor, materials or energy. Module Name Strategic Management (BUSS1009) – Semester – Spring 20 – CW 1 (Assignment) – Session D – QP MEC_AMO_TEM_034_01 Page 3 of 10 Restricted internet site: Software development has focused on internal systems, rather than internet development. The current website only provides information about Belaria Shoes; it is not possible to buy footwear from the company’s website. Opportunities Increased consumer spending and consumerism: Despite the decline of its manufacturing industries, Italy remains a prosperous country with high consumer spending. Consumers generally have a high disposable income and are fashion conscious. Parents spend a lot of money on their children, with the aim of ‘making sure that they get a good start in life’. Increased desire for safe family shopping environment: A recent trend is for consumers to prefer shopping in safe, car-free environments where they can visit a variety of shops and restaurants. These shopping villages are increasingly popular. Growth of the green consumer: The numbers of ‘green consumers’ is increasing in Italy. They are conscious of the energy used in the production and distribution of the products they buy. These consumers also expect suppliers to be socially responsible. A recent television programme on the use of cheap and exploited labor in Ethiopia was greeted with a call for a boycott of goods from that country. One of the political parties in Italy has emphasized environmentally responsible purchasing in its manifesto. It suggests that ‘shorter shipping distances reduce energy use and pollution. Purchasing locally supports communities and local jobs’. Threats Cheap imports: The lower production costs of overseas countries provide a constant threat. It is still much cheaper to make shoes in Ethiopia, 4000 kilometres away, and transport the shoes by sea, road and train to shops in Italy, where they can be offered at prices that are still significantly lower than the footwear produced by Belaria Shoes. Legislation within Italy: Italy has comprehensive legislation on health and safety as well as a statutory minimum wage and generous redundancy rights and payments for employees. The government is likely to extend its employment legislation programme. Recent strategies Senior management at Belaria Shoes have recently suggested that the company should consider closing its Petatown production plant and move production overseas, perhaps outsourcing to established suppliers in Ethiopia and elsewhere. This suggestion was immediately rejected by the Belaria family, who questioned the values of the senior management. The family issued a press release with the aim of re-affirming the core values which underpinned their business. The press release stated that ‘in our view, the day that Belaria Shoes ceases to be a Module Name Strategic Management (BUSS1009) – Semester – Spring 20 – CW 1 (Assignment) – Session D – QP MEC_AMO_TEM_034_01 Page 4 of 10 Petatown company, is the day that it closes’. Consequently, the senior management team was asked to propose an alternative strategic direction. The senior management team’s alternative is for the company to upgrade its production facilities to gain labor and energy efficiencies. The cost of this proposal is $37·5m. At a recent scenario planning workshop the management team developed what they considered to be two realistic scenarios. Both scenarios predict that demand for Belaria Shoes’ footwear would be low for the next three years. However, increased productivity and lower labor costs would bring net benefits of $5m in each of these years. After three years the two scenarios differ. The first scenario predicts a continued low demand for the next three years with net benefits still running at $5m per year. The team felt that this option had a probability of 0·7. The alternative scenario (with a probability of 0·3) predicts a higher demand for Belaria’s products due to changes in the external environment. This would lead to net benefits of $10m per year in years four, five and six. All estimated net benefits are based on the discounted future cash flows.

Question One: Using academic principles and examples from the above case, assess the following concepts:- (a) Strategy (b) Strategic planning (c) Strategy development.

Question Two : Belaria shoes wishes to develop a strategy for guiding its operations in future. (a) Classify and examine the main factors which are likely to shape and influence the values and strategy of the above organization? (b) Discuss the likely problems with mergers as a means of external growth.

i want the answer of Q2.

Business Case: The “Hack, Pump, and Dump” Scheme1 Criminals have discovered yet another way to steal money. They are combining phishing attacks, Trojan horses, and keyloggers to steal identities for use in investment fraud. The scheme works like this. Hackers first gain the personal information of legitimate investors, including names, account numbers, passwords, and PINs. These criminals then hack into the accounts of unsuspecting investors, selling off their holdings in various companies to purchase shares in penny stocks. As they buy the penny stocks, the share price increases. (A penny stock is a low-priced, speculative stock of a small company.) After a short time, the hackers sell the penny stocks for a profit and transfer the money to offshore accounts. Aleksey Karmardin, for example, used this scheme 14 times to defraud investors of more than $80,000. He and his accomplices allegedly hacked into four legitimate online trading accounts, sold their holdings, and purchased shares in a penny stock. The stock’s price went from 26 cents to 80 cents in less than one day. The hackers promptly sold the shares and moved the profits to an offshore account. The fraud affects not only investors but also companies whose stocks are pumped and then dumped. One firm (Firm X) had its stock price go from 88 cents to $1.28 in one day. The following day, the stock fell to 13 cents, where it remained. TD Ameritrade, an online broker, restricted online trade on the company’s stock. The company’s owner had planned to make a large acquisition, but given the declining stock price canceled the purchase.

TD Ameritrade found out you were taking SRA 365 this semester and would like to capitalize on your high quality services! Ameritrade believes that variations in stock prices can help to determine whether or not the company is being pumped and dumped. You have been tasked with developing models that would flag suspicious trading patterns. This is a difficult task because stock prices fluctuate frequently throughout the day.

After evaluating the patterns in the stock prices of Firm A, you observe the following fluctuations.

Firm A Stock Price Fluctuations

Price $0.51 $0.55 $0.63 $0.74 $0.89 $0.91 $1.01 $1.05 $1.12 $1.33

Use Excel spreadsheet from Lesson L01b to calculate and report the following values:

Mean =  

Sums of squares =  

Variance =  

Standard deviation =  

NOTE: Please round all values to 2 decimal places. When rounding, remember that you would only add 1 to your second decimal place if your third decimal place is greater than or equal to 5 .

When determining whether or not transactions are fraudulent, Ameritrade has asked that you keep their most recent policy in mind. Ameritrade has instituted a policy in which firms with prices within ~68% of the normal distribution of scores are ignored, outside ~68% (but within ~95%) of the normal distribution of scores are monitored, and outside ~95% of the normal distribution of scores are restricted. This policy is based on the most recent fraudulent activities that took place at Firm X.

Provide the cutoff values you would use to ignore, monitor, or restrict trade for Firm A based on the recent policy implemented by Ameritrade. Use the numeric values in the following graphic as a guide.

HINT: You will need to use the mean and standard deviation from the previous question and the 68-95-99 rule to create these cutoffs.

(a):  

(b):  

(c):  

(d):  

(e):  

(f):  

(g):  

Given your calculations in the previous question, state the decision you would make (i.e., ignore, monitor, or restrict trade) if the stock price for Firm A changed to each of the five values presented below.

i) $0.33

Group of answer choices

Ignore

Monitor

ii) $1.03

Group of answer choices

Ignore

Monitor

Restrict

iii) $0.01

Group of answer choices

Ignore

Monitor

Restrict

iv) $2.00

Group of answer choices

Ignore

Monitor

Restrict

Ameritrade decided to relax it's policy and only monitor trades within 90% of the normal distribution of scores. Use the zscore tables to provide the z-score that corresponds to the mid-90% of the distribution:

Use this z-score to provide the new cutoffs you would use to monitor trades.

Lower Limit:   
Upper Limit:  

NOTE: Please round your answers to 2 decimal places.

Calculate the z-score you would use to determine the probability that the stock price for Firm A will fall below a penny (i.e., $0.01).

Complete the blanks below with the values you used in this calculation.

z =	- _______________________________	=

NOTE: Please round your final answer to 2 decimal places.

Use this z-score and the z-score tables to determine and report the probability that the stock price for Firm A will fall below a penny (i.e., $0.01).

You examine the price fluctuations for Firm B and find that the trades have a distribution with a mean of $1.11 and a standard deviation of 0.36. Calculate the z-score you would use to determine the probability that the stock price for Firm B will fall below a penny (i.e., $0.01).

Complete the blanks below with the values you used in this calculation.

z =	-   _______________________________	=

NOTE: Please round your final answer to 2 decimal places.

Use this z-score and the z-score tables to determine and report the probability that the stock price for Firm B will fall below a penny (i.e., $0.01).

True/False: It is less likely that the stock price for Firm A will fall below a penny than the stock price for Firm B.

Latches are commonly organized into groups of 4-bits, 8-bits or more into registers.

1 point

True

False

An asynchronous counter is one where all stages of the counter trigger together.

1 point

True

False

Pull-up resistors and special interface ICs are typically used as an interface between different logic families.

1 point

True

False

Which logic gate provides a low output only when an odd number of inputs are high?

1 point

and

or

exclusive OR

exclusive NOR

Which of the following measurements is not analog in nature?

1 point

speed

weight

data storage

pressure

Karnaugh mapping is an easy-to-use graphic method of simplifying Boolean expressions.

1 point

True

False

The heart of a voltage comparator is an operational amplifier.

1 point

True

False

Most newly designed electronic devices contain digital circuitry.

1 point

True

False

A mod-8 counter has how many different output states?

1 point

2

4

8

16

Digital-to-analog converters consist of a resistor network and a difference amplifier.

1 point

True

False

How many J-K flip-flops are needed to wire a modulo-16 counter?

1 point

one

two

four

eight

Decoders are _______________ logic circuits with several inputs and outputs.

1 point

inverted

encrypted

combinational

digital

In an unregulated power supply, if load current increases, the output voltage _________

1 point

Remains the same

Decreases

Increases

None of the above.

The clocked R-S flip-flop looks almost like an R-S flip-flop except that it has one extra input labeled CLK.

1 point

True

False

What is the 8421 BCD code equivalent for the decimal number 36?

1 point

0100 0110

0110 0011

0011 0110

0010 0100

A circuit that operates by using only high and low signals is called

1 point

a digital circuit

an analog circuit

a rectifier circuit

a filter circuit

In a synchronous counter it is necessary to have all stages of the counter trigger together.

1 point

True

False

The J-K flip-flop has the features of all the other types of flip-flops.

1 point

True

False

The Boolean expression A ∙ B + C ∙ D = Y is called the sum-of-products or what form?

1 point

maxterm

xor

nand

minterm

Op amps are characterized by high input impedance, low output impedance, and a variable voltage gain that is set

1 point

at the manufacturer

with external resistors

with internal capacitors

with external inductors

Integrated circuits within a logic family are designed to interface easily with one another.

1 point

True

False

A counter that counts from lower to higher numbers is called an up counter.

1 point

True

False

The 8421 binary-coded decimal code is frequently referred to as the BCD code.

1 point

True

False

The LED is nothing like a PN-junction diode.

1 point

True

False

The D/A converter converts analog information to digital data.

1 point

True

False

Excellent noise immunity is a characteristic of which logic family?

1 point

CMOS

DDL

TTL

RTL

Applying 1.6 V to a TTL input is interpreted by the IC as what logic level?

1 point

high

low

undefined

undetermined

Minterm Boolean expressions are used to create which logic circuits?

1 point

nor-nor

nor-nand

nand-nor

and-or

The binary number system is sometimes called the

1 point

base 2 system

base 8 system

base 10 system

base 16 system

Which logic circuit law allows for the back and forth conversion from minterm to maxterm forms of Boolean expressions?

1 point

Kirchhoff

Karnaugh

De Morgan

Fourier

If the light intensity on the photocell is reduced, which of the following results

1 point

resistance of the photocell decreases

resistance of the photocell increases

increase in current through series resistances R2 and R3

an increase in the reading at the binary outputs

The basic building block for sequential logic is the logic gate.

1 point

True

False

Digital signals are composed of two well-defined voltage levels.

1 point

True

False

This is the logic symbol for a(n)

1 point

AND gate

NOT gate (inverter)

OR gate

ANAND gate

What is the decimal number for the BCD number 0010 1001 0111?

1 point

279

479

297

497

The invert bubble at the clock input of a D flip-flop

1 point

shows the triggering occurs on the negative-going edge of the clock

shows the triggering occurs on the positive-going edge of the clock

causes the clock signal to be 180° out of phase

disables the clock signal

The truth table for three variables has how many possible combinations?

1 point

2

4

8

16

The most widely used rectifier is___

1 point

half-wave rectifier

centre-tap full wave rectifier

bridge full-wave rectifier

none of the above

A very common output device used to display decimal numbers is the seven-segment display.

1 point

True

False

The unique output of the NAND function is a low output only when all inputs are low.

1 point

True

False

The D flip-flop has only one data input and a clock input.

1 point

True

False

4. Which of the following is not related to digital systems?

1 point

calculations

data manipulation

alphanumeric outputs

position measurements

Question: What is the annual difference in cash spent on publishing work if Horizon Insurance outsources to G-Art? Do not consider the gain or loss from the sale of special materials or equipment in this calculation.

Use the following case to help determine the answer to this question:

Horizon Insurance (HI) was a full-service regional insurance agency that has done all the printing and publishing of its own promotional brochures, newsletters, informational pamphlets, and required regulatory reports. Linda Wolfe, the business manager of the agency, had for some time thought that the firm might save money and get equally good services by contracting the publishing work G-Art Inc. She asked G-Art Inc. to give her a quote at the same time she asked Bob Myer her controller to prepare an up-to-date statement of the cost of operating Horizon’s publishing department.

Within a few days, the quote from G-Art Inc. arrived. The firm was prepared to provide all the required publications work for $ 410,000 a year with the contract running a guaranteed term of 4 years with annual renewals thereafter. If the estimated number or assumed mix of publications changed in any given year beyond the baseline planning estimates, the contract price would be adjusted accordingly. Wolfe compared G-Art’s quote with the internal cost figures prepared by Myer:

Table 1; Annual cost of operating HI’s publications department: Myer’s figures.

Materials                                                                                                             $40,000

Labor                                                                                                                 $290,000

Department overhead

Manager’s salary                                                                                            $48,000                                  

Allocated cost of office space                                  $10,000

Depreciation of equipment                                       $32,500

Other expenses (travel, education, ect.)               $25,000

                                                                                                                             $115,500

                                                                                                                            $445,500

Share of company administrative overhead                                         $30,000

Total cost of department for year                                                          $475,000

Wolfe’s initial conclusion was to close Horizon’s publications department and immediately sign the contact offered by G-Art. However, she felt it prudent to give the manager of the department, George Richards, an opportunity to question that tentative conclusion. She called him in and put the facts before him, while at the same time making it clear that Richards’ own job at the agency was not in jeopardy.

Richard came up with the following to keep in mind before his department was closed:

For instance, what will you do with the customed graphic design and printing equipment? It cost $260,000 four years ago, but you’d be lucky if you got $80,000 for it now, even though we had planned on using it for another four years at least. Andthen there is the sizable supply of print materials that includes a lot of specialized ink, specialty card stock, paper, envelopes ect. We bought the custom supplies a year ago when we were pretty flush with cash. At that time it cost us about 125,000 and at the rate we are using it now, it will last us another four years. We used up about one-fifth of it last year. As best as I an tell, Myer’s figure of $40,000 for materials includes about $25,000 for these customized sipplies and $15,000 for generic supplies we use on a regular basis. If we were to buy these custom supplies today it would probably cost us 110% of what we paid for it. But if we try to sell it, we would probably get only 60% of what we paid for it.

Wolf thought that Myer ought to be present during this discussion. She called him in and put Richard’s points to him. Myer said:

If we are going to have all of this talk about “what will happen if” don’t forget the problem of space we’re faced with. We’re paying 12,000 a year in outside office space. If we close Richard’s department we could use of the freed-up space as office space and not need to rent it on the outside.

Wolfe replied:

That’s a good point, though I must say I’m a bit worried about the people if we close the publications department. I don’t think we can find room for any of them elsewhere in the firm. I could see whether G-rt can take any of them, but some of them are getting odler. There’s Walters and Hines, for example. They’ve been with us since they left school 40 years ago, and I think their contract requires us to give them a total severance payoff of about $60,000 each, payable in equal amounts over four years.

Richards showed some relief at this. “ But I still don’t like Myer’s figures” he said. “What about the $30,000 for general administrative overhead. You surely don’t expect to fire anyone in the corporate office if Im closed, do you?

“Probably not” said Myer, but someone has to pay for those costs. We can’t ignore them when we look at an individual department, because fi we do that with each department in turn, we will convince ourselves that accountants, laywers, vice presidents, and the like don’t’ have to be paid for. And they do, believe me”

	Myer’s figures	Total cost inside	Total cost with G-Art Contract	Savings (higher cost) contracting outside
Material: Generic supplies	$15,000
Custom supplies	$25,000
Labor:       Wages	$290,000
Severance
Overhead: Manger’s Salary	$48,000
Office (internal)	$10,000
Office rental
Equipment deprec.	$32,500
Other	$25,000
Share of general and administrative	$30,000
Total	475,000
G-Art Contract	410,000
Net Difference	65,500

Clarification: In the fact set, Custom Supplies are expected to sell for 60% of what the company paid for them. Assume (to make numbers cleaner), that this is 60% of their 'current' book value of $100,000 (derived from the fact set), not the original cost..

Question: What is the recognized gain (loss) on sale of equipment if Horizon Insurance elects to outsource publishing to G-Art? please use a dash "-" for a loss on sale.

Use the following case to help answer this question:

Horizon Insurance (HI) was a full-service regional insurance agency that has done all the printing and publishing of its own promotional brochures, newsletters, informational pamphlets, and required regulatory reports. Linda Wolfe, the business manager of the agency, had for some time thought that the firm might save money and get equally good services by contracting the publishing work G-Art Inc. She asked G-Art Inc. to give her a quote at the same time she asked Bob Myer her controller to prepare an up-to-date statement of the cost of operating Horizon’s publishing department.

Within a few days, the quote from G-Art Inc. arrived. The firm was prepared to provide all the required publications work for $ 410,000 a year with the contract running a guaranteed term of 4 years with annual renewals thereafter. If the estimated number or assumed mix of publications changed in any given year beyond the baseline planning estimates, the contract price would be adjusted accordingly. Wolfe compared G-Art’s quote with the internal cost figures prepared by Myer:

Table 1; Annual cost of operating HI’s publications department: Myer’s figures.

Materials                                                                                                             $40,000

Labor                                                                                                                 $290,000

Department overhead

Manager’s salary $48,000                                  

Allocated cost of office space                                  $10,000

Depreciation of equipment                                       $32,500

Other expenses (travel, education, ect.) $25,000

                                                                                                                             $115,500

                                                                                                                            $445,500

Share of company administrative overhead $30,000

Total cost of department for year $475,000

Wolfe’s initial conclusion was to close Horizon’s publications department and immediately sign the contact offered by G-Art. However, she felt it prudent to give the manager of the department, George Richards, an opportunity to question that tentative conclusion. She called him in and put the facts before him, while at the same time making it clear that Richards’ own job at the agency was not in jeopardy.

Richard came up with the following to keep in mind before his department was closed:

For instance, what will you do with the customed graphic design and printing equipment? It cost $260,000 four years ago, but you’d be lucky if you got $80,000 for it now, even though we had planned on using it for another four years at least. Andthen there is the sizable supply of print materials that includes a lot of specialized ink, specialty card stock, paper, envelopes ect. We bought the custom supplies a year ago when we were pretty flush with cash. At that time it cost us about 125,000 and at the rate we are using it now, it will last us another four years. We used up about one-fifth of it last year. As best as I an tell, Myer’s figure of $40,000 for materials includes about $25,000 for these customized sipplies and $15,000 for generic supplies we use on a regular basis. If we were to buy these custom supplies today it would probably cost us 110% of what we paid for it. But if we try to sell it, we would probably get only 60% of what we paid for it.

Wolf thought that Myer ought to be present during this discussion. She called him in and put Richard’s points to him. Myer said:

If we are going to have all of this talk about “what will happen if” don’t forget the problem of space we’re faced with. We’re paying 12,000 a year in outside office space. If we close Richard’s department we could use of the freed-up space as office space and not need to rent it on the outside.

Wolfe replied:

That’s a good point, though I must say I’m a bit worried about the people if we close the publications department. I don’t think we can find room for any of them elsewhere in the firm. I could see whether G-rt can take any of them, but some of them are getting odler. There’s Walters and Hines, for example. They’ve been with us since they left school 40 years ago, and I think their contract requires us to give them a total severance payoff of about $60,000 each, payable in equal amounts over four years.

Richards showed some relief at this. “ But I still don’t like Myer’s figures” he said. “What about the $30,000 for general administrative overhead. You surely don’t expect to fire anyone in the corporate office if Im closed, do you?

“Probably not” said Myer, but someone has to pay for those costs. We can’t ignore them when we look at an individual department, because fi we do that with each department in turn, we will convince ourselves that accountants, laywers, vice presidents, and the like don’t’ have to be paid for. And they do, believe me”

	Myer’s figures	Total cost inside	Total cost with G-Art Contract	Savings (higher cost) contracting outside
Material: Generic supplies	$15,000
Custom supplies	$25,000
Labor:       Wages	$290,000
Severance
Overhead: Manger’s Salary	$48,000
Office (internal)	$10,000
Office rental
Equipment deprec.	$32,500
Other	$25,000
Share of general and administrative	$30,000
Total	475,000
G-Art Contract	410,000
Net Difference	65,500

Clarification: In the fact set, Custom Supplies are expected to sell for 60% of what the company paid for them. Assume (to make numbers cleaner), that this is 60% of their 'current' book value of $100,000 (derived from the fact set), not the original cost.

Question: What is the recognized gain (loss) on sale of special materials if Horizon Insurance elects to outsource publishing to G-Art? please use a dash "-" for a loss on sale.

Use the following case to help determine the answer to this question:

Horizon Insurance (HI) was a full-service regional insurance agency that has done all the printing and publishing of its own promotional brochures, newsletters, informational pamphlets, and required regulatory reports. Linda Wolfe, the business manager of the agency, had for some time thought that the firm might save money and get equally good services by contracting the publishing work G-Art Inc. She asked G-Art Inc. to give her a quote at the same time she asked Bob Myer her controller to prepare an up-to-date statement of the cost of operating Horizon’s publishing department.

Within a few days, the quote from G-Art Inc. arrived. The firm was prepared to provide all the required publications work for $ 410,000 a year with the contract running a guaranteed term of 4 years with annual renewals thereafter. If the estimated number or assumed mix of publications changed in any given year beyond the baseline planning estimates, the contract price would be adjusted accordingly. Wolfe compared G-Art’s quote with the internal cost figures prepared by Myer:

Table 1; Annual cost of operating HI’s publications department: Myer’s figures.

Materials                                                                                                             $40,000

Labor                                                                                                                 $290,000

Department overhead

Manager’s salary                                                                                            $48,000                                  

Allocated cost of office space                                  $10,000

Depreciation of equipment                                       $32,500

Other expenses (travel, education, ect.)               $25,000

                                                                                                                             $115,500

                                                                                                                            $445,500

Share of company administrative overhead                                         $30,000

Total cost of department for year                                                          $475,000

Wolfe’s initial conclusion was to close Horizon’s publications department and immediately sign the contact offered by G-Art. However, she felt it prudent to give the manager of the department, George Richards, an opportunity to question that tentative conclusion. She called him in and put the facts before him, while at the same time making it clear that Richards’ own job at the agency was not in jeopardy.

Richard came up with the following to keep in mind before his department was closed:

For instance, what will you do with the customed graphic design and printing equipment? It cost $260,000 four years ago, but you’d be lucky if you got $80,000 for it now, even though we had planned on using it for another four years at least. Andthen there is the sizable supply of print materials that includes a lot of specialized ink, specialty card stock, paper, envelopes ect. We bought the custom supplies a year ago when we were pretty flush with cash. At that time it cost us about 125,000 and at the rate we are using it now, it will last us another four years. We used up about one-fifth of it last year. As best as I an tell, Myer’s figure of $40,000 for materials includes about $25,000 for these customized sipplies and $15,000 for generic supplies we use on a regular basis. If we were to buy these custom supplies today it would probably cost us 110% of what we paid for it. But if we try to sell it, we would probably get only 60% of what we paid for it.

Wolf thought that Myer ought to be present during this discussion. She called him in and put Richard’s points to him. Myer said:

If we are going to have all of this talk about “what will happen if” don’t forget the problem of space we’re faced with. We’re paying 12,000 a year in outside office space. If we close Richard’s department we could use of the freed-up space as office space and not need to rent it on the outside.

Wolfe replied:

That’s a good point, though I must say I’m a bit worried about the people if we close the publications department. I don’t think we can find room for any of them elsewhere in the firm. I could see whether G-rt can take any of them, but some of them are getting odler. There’s Walters and Hines, for example. They’ve been with us since they left school 40 years ago, and I think their contract requires us to give them a total severance payoff of about $60,000 each, payable in equal amounts over four years.

Richards showed some relief at this. “ But I still don’t like Myer’s figures” he said. “What about the $30,000 for general administrative overhead. You surely don’t expect to fire anyone in the corporate office if Im closed, do you?

“Probably not” said Myer, but someone has to pay for those costs. We can’t ignore them when we look at an individual department, because fi we do that with each department in turn, we will convince ourselves that accountants, laywers, vice presidents, and the like don’t’ have to be paid for. And they do, believe me”

	Myer’s figures	Total cost inside	Total cost with G-Art Contract	Savings (higher cost) contracting outside
Material: Generic supplies	$15,000
Custom supplies	$25,000
Labor:       Wages	$290,000
Severance
Overhead: Manger’s Salary	$48,000
Office (internal)	$10,000
Office rental
Equipment deprec.	$32,500
Other	$25,000
Share of general and administrative	$30,000
Total	475,000
G-Art Contract	410,000
Net Difference	65,500

Clarification: In the fact set, Custom Supplies are expected to sell for 60% of what the company paid for them. Assume (to make numbers cleaner), that this is 60% of their 'current' book value of $100,000 (derived from the fact set), not the original cost.