Building a Balanced Scorecard

Hit-n-Run Inc. owns and operates 10 food trucks (mobile kitchens) throughout metropolitan Los Angeles. Each food truck has a different food theme, such as Irish-Mexican fusion, traditional Mexican street food, Ethiopian cuisine, and Lebanese-Italian fusion. The company was founded three years ago by Juanita O’Brien when she opened a single food truck with a unique menu. As her business has grown, she has become concerned about her ability to manage and control the business. O’Brien describes how the company was built, its key success factors, and its recent growth.

“I built the company from the ground up. In the beginning it was just me. I drove the truck, set the menu, bought the ingredients, prepared the meals, served the meals, cleaned the kitchen, and maintained the equipment. I made unique meals from quality ingredients, and didn’t serve anything that wasn’t perfect. I changed my location daily and notified customers of my location via twitter.

As my customer base grew, I hired employees to help me in the truck. Then one day I realized that I had a formula that could be expanded to multiple trucks. Before I knew it, I had 10 trucks and was hiring people to do everything that I used to do by myself. Now, I work with my team to build the menu, set daily locations for the trucks, and manage the operations of the business.

My business model is based on providing the highest quality street food and charging more for it than other trucks. You won’t get the cheapest meal at one of my trucks, but you will get the best. The superior quality allows me to price my meals a little bit higher than the other trucks. My employees are critical to my success. I pay them a better wage than they could make on other food trucks, and I expect more from them. I rely on them to maintain the quality that I established when I opened my first truck.

Things are going great, but I’m feeling overwhelmed. So far, the growth in sales has led to a growth in profitability—but I’m getting nervous. If quality starts to fall off, my brand value erodes, and that could affect the prices that I charge for my meals and the success of my business.”

Create balanced scorecard measures for Hit-n-Run Inc. Identify whether these measures best fit the innovation, customer, internal process, or financial dimension of the balanced scorecard.

Case study

In April 2019, Paul Marrapese, an independent security researcher from San Jose, California, has published research warning that peer-to-peer software developed by Shenzhen Yunni Technology firm, that's used in millions of IoT devices around the world, has a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to eavesdrop on conversations or press household items into service as nodes in a botnet.
The software, called iLnkP2P, is designed to enable a user to connect to IoT devices from anywhere by using a smartphone app. The iLnkP2P functionality is built into a range of products from companies that include HiChip, TENVIS, SV3C, VStarcam, Wanscam, NEO Coolcam, Sricam, Eye Sight, and HVCAM.
What Marrapese found is that as many as 2 million devices, and possibly more, using iLnkP2P software for P2P communication do not have authentication or encryption controls built-in, meaning that an attacker could directly connect to a device and bypass the firewall. Marrapese discovered the iLinkP2P flaw after buying an inexpensive IoT-connected camera on Amazon.
"I found that I was able to connect to it externally without any sort of port forwarding, which both intrigued and concerned me," Marrapese told Information Security Media Group. "I found that the camera used P2P to achieve this, and started digging into how it worked. From there, I quickly learned how ubiquitous and dangerous it was."
While the flaws with the iLnkP2P peer-to-peer software apparently have not yet been exploited in the wild, Marrapses believes it's better for consumers to know now before an attacker decides to start taking advantage of this particular vulnerability.
"There have been plenty of stories in the past about IP cameras and baby monitors being hacked, but I believe iLnkP2P is a brand new vector not currently being exploited in the wild," Marrapese says. "With that being said, the biggest motivation behind this disclosure is to inform consumers before it's too late - because I believe it's only a matter of time."
As part of his research, Marrapese says he attempted to contact not only Shenzhen Yunni Technology but also several of the IoT manufacturers that use the company's P2P

software. As of Monday, even after publishing results, he had not heard back from anyone.
Users of IoT devices that make use of the iLnkP2P software scan a barcode or copy a six-digit number that is included in the product. From there, the owner can access the device from a smartphone app.
It's through these unique identifier numbers that Marrapese was able to discover that each device manufacturer used a specific alphabetic prefix to identify their particular product. For instance, HiChip uses "FFFF" as a prefix for the identification number for its devices. Once Marrapese was able to identify these devices through the unique number systems, he created several proof-of-concept attacks that took advantage of the flaws in the software.
[Source: https://www.databreachtoday.com/2-million-iot-devices-have-p2p-software-flaw-researcher-a-12428 Accessed July 2020]
a) In this case study, it is mentioned that vulnerable IoT devices can service as nodes in a botnet. Explain the working mechanism of a Botnet. Discuss any two attacks carried out by a botnet.
[8 Marks]
b) Report the importance of security in IoT devices. How does encryption help improve security for these devices?
[6 Marks]
c) Discuss the importance of lightweight cryptography in IoT enabled low-power devices. List the potential lightweight cryptographic algorithms for low-power IoT devices.

1) Saint Gobain High Performance Plastics produces architectural plastics for projects such as radar domes and large pavilion-style architecture. They also produce robust industrial plastics for applications such as conveyer belts in hostile environments such as extreme temperatures, extreme temperature changes or constant exposure to various kinds of radiation. Saint Gobain offers a portfolio of standard products to the marketplace to support customer projects. St. Gobain products are built on a make-to-order basis with an average lead time of three weeks.   Saint Gobain also has the capability to design one-off products to customer specifications; these engineer-to-order products represent a small fraction of the business (less than 10%) but they are high profit margin sales.

Their manufacturing process is highly capital-intensive consisting of three types of equipment:

•           Industrial looms for weaving the substrate weave for their products out of various types of thread. There are a relatively small number of different substrate weave and the each form of substrate weave can be used in multiple products. Set up times and tear down for product change overs for the looms are typically in the range of two hours. Substrate is manufactured in quantities to meet the requirements of the Tower operations and is stores in rolls.

•           ‘Towers’ – five-story high, purpose built machines that are used to apply coatings to the substrate weave and then bake the coatings to create the plastic. Each of the St, Gobain product offerings requires a different coating. Because of the long (on average four hours) set-up and tear down times required for product change overs, these machines produce thousands of yards of product per run which are stored in rolls.

•           Cutting Operations: The rolls are then cut to customer specifications which are provided at time of order. Set-up times for the cutting operations are relatively short; typically less than an hour and the run times for the cutting phase of a customer order is typically less than three hours.

One key customer segment for Saint Gobain is the food preparation industry; they have a line of products that are FDA approved as “cook safe”. To-date these “cook safe” plastics have only been marketed to industrial firms in the food processing business. Saint Gobain has a new opportunity. McDonald’s has invited Saint Gobain to bid on the manufacture of the “grill sheets” that would be used in cooking the hamburgers in every one of the growing network of more than 37,000 McDonald’s restaurants worldwide. Grill sheets are reusable non-stick cooking surfaces that prevent the hamburger patty from sticking to the grill during cooking. St. Gobain’s design engineers have reviewed the specifications and are certain that one of the existing “cook safe” formulations can be applied with only minor changes to the Tower set-up and processing. The specification calls for one grill sheet per grill with a useful life of at least three months in a commercial application. Most McDonald’s restaurants have two grills.

One key requirement of the McDonald’s bid would be that Saint Gobain would commit to same day shipment to McDonald’s 3PL partners for McDonald’s orders.

Evaluate the supply chain impact of this new opportunity by identifying potential changes to the (a)PLAN, (b)MAKE, and(c) DELIVER processes that would be required in order to execute on this opportunity? (d) What are the inventory impacts of your recommendations?

In April 2019, Paul Marrapese, an independent security researcher from San Jose,
California, has published research warning that peer-to-peer software developed by
Shenzhen Yunni Technology firm, that's used in millions of IoT devices around the world,
has a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to eavesdrop on conversations or press
household items into service as nodes in a botnet.
The software, called iLnkP2P, is designed to enable a user to connect to IoT devices from
anywhere by using a smartphone app. The iLnkP2P functionality is built into a range of
products from companies that include HiChip, TENVIS, SV3C, VStarcam, Wanscam, NEO
Coolcam, Sricam, Eye Sight, and HVCAM.
What Marrapese found is that as many as 2 million devices, and possibly more, using
iLnkP2P software for P2P communication do not have authentication or encryption
controls built-in, meaning that an attacker could directly connect to a device and bypass
the firewall. Marrapese discovered the iLinkP2P flaw after buying an inexpensive IoT-
connected camera on Amazon.
"I found that I was able to connect to it externally without any sort of port forwarding,
which both intrigued and concerned me," Marrapese told Information Security Media
Group. "I found that the camera used P2P to achieve this, and started digging into how
it worked. From there, I quickly learned how ubiquitous and dangerous it was."
While the flaws with the iLnkP2P peer-to-peer software apparently have not yet been
exploited in the wild, Marrapses believes it's better for consumers to know now before
an attacker decides to start taking advantage of this particular vulnerability.
"There have been plenty of stories in the past about IP cameras and baby monitors being
hacked, but I believe iLnkP2P is a brand new vector not currently being exploited in the
wild," Marrapese says. "With that being said, the biggest motivation behind this
disclosure is to inform consumers before it's too late - because I believe it's only a matter
of time."
As part of his research, Marrapese says he attempted to contact not only Shenzhen
Yunni Technology but also several of the IoT manufacturers that use the company's P2P

software. As of Monday, even after publishing results, he had not heard back from
anyone.
Users of IoT devices that make use of the iLnkP2P software scan a barcode or copy a six-
digit number that is included in the product. From there, the owner can access the
device from a smartphone app.
It's through these unique identifier numbers that Marrapese was able to discover that
each device manufacturer used a specific alphabetic prefix to identify their particular
product. For instance, HiChip uses "FFFF" as a prefix for the identification number for its
devices. Once Marrapese was able to identify these devices through the unique number
systems, he created several proof-of-concept attacks that took advantage of the flaws
in the software.
[Source: https://www.databreachtoday.com/2-million-iot-devices-have-p2p-software-
flaw-researcher-a-12428 Accessed July 2020]

a) In this case study, it is mentioned that vulnerable IoT devices can service as nodes
in a botnet. Explain the working mechanism of a Botnet. Discuss any two attacks
carried out by a botnet.

b) Report the importance of security in IoT devices. How does encryption help improve
security for these devices?

c) Discuss the importance of lightweight cryptography in IoT enabled low-power
devices. List the potential lightweight cryptographic algorithms for low-power IoT
devices.

In this problem, assume that the distribution of differences is approximately normal. Note: For degrees of freedom d.f. not in the Student's t table, use the closest d.f. that is smaller. In some situations, this choice of d.f. may increase the P-value by a small amount and therefore produce a slightly more "conservative" answer.

Is fishing better from a boat or from the shore? Pyramid Lake is located on the Paiute Indian Reservation in Nevada. Presidents, movie stars, and people who just want to catch fish go to Pyramid Lake for really large cutthroat trout. Let row B represent hours per fish caught fishing from the shore, and let row A represent hours per fish caught using a boat. The following data are paired by month from October through April.

Use a 1% level of significance to test if there is a difference in the population mean hours per fish caught using a boat compared with fishing from the shore. (Let d = B − A.)

(a) What is the level of significance?

What is the value of the sample test statistic? (Round your answer to three decimal places.)

____________________________________

In this problem, assume that the distribution of differences is approximately normal. Note: For degrees of freedom d.f. not in the Student's t table, use the closest d.f. that is smaller. In some situations, this choice of d.f. may increase the P-value by a small amount and therefore produce a slightly more "conservative" answer.

The western United States has a number of four-lane interstate highways that cut through long tracts of wilderness. To prevent car accidents with wild animals, the highways are bordered on both sides with 12-foot-high woven wire fences. Although the fences prevent accidents, they also disturb the winter migration pattern of many animals. To compensate for this disturbance, the highways have frequent wilderness underpasses designed for exclusive use by deer, elk, and other animals. In Colorado, there is a large group of deer that spend their summer months in a region on one side of a highway and survive the winter months in a lower region on the other side. To determine if the highway has disturbed deer migration to the winter feeding area, the following data were gathered on a random sample of 10 wilderness districts in the winter feeding area. Row B represents the average January deer count for a 5-year period before the highway was built, and row A represents the average January deer count for a 5-year period after the highway was built. The highway department claims that the January population has not changed. Test this claim against the claim that the January population has dropped. Use a 5% level of significance. Units used in the table are hundreds of deer. (Let d = B − A.)

(a) What is the level of significance?

What is the value of the sample test statistic? (Round your answer to three decimal places.)

//draft to work from for Assignment 7 where you compute a student's quiz average, dropping two lowest scores, assuming
//they have 2 or more quizzes
// a max of 12 quizzes can be taken
#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <fstream>

using namespace std;

const int NUM_QUIZZES = 12;  //assume 12 quizzes max can be taken

int buildQuizArray( int [] );   //you need to write these 5 functions below
void printQuizArray( string, int [], int );

double calcQuizAverage( int [], int );

void sortQuizArray( int [], int );
void copyArray( int [], int [], int );


int main()
{ //this is the driver code in main routine , calling your functions
int quizArray[NUM_QUIZZES];  //declare array to hold 12 quizzes
int numQuizzes;              //will be filled in with number of quizzes from buildQuizArray

numQuizzes = buildQuizArray( quizArray );  //call buildQuiz array, numQuizzes is returned from function

printQuizArray( "Quiz Scores From QuizArray After My Build Function", quizArray, numQuizzes );  //print it out to make sure it is built correctly
                                                                                    //take out when finished
cout << fixed << setprecision(2);

cout << endl << "Your quiz average is " << calcQuizAverage(quizArray, numQuizzes)
     << "%" << endl;  //call function and get a double returned to print to user

printQuizArray( "Quiz Scores From QuizArray after calling calcQuizAverage", quizArray, numQuizzes );  
                                                   //print array again to make sure you did not change the original array

return 0;
}

 //********************************************************************************

int buildQuizArray( int array[] )
{
//build the array of quizzes  and return the count of entries of the array back to main routine
}


//*************************************************************************
void printQuizArray( string reportTitle, int array[], int numValues )
{
//print out the quiz array with appropriate title passed to you in reportTitle....add  "/10" to end of each quiz score
}


//***************************************************************************

double calcQuizAverage( int array[], int numValues )
{

//if 2 or less values in array use formula in assignment sheet for 2 or less values to compute average

//if more than 2, define another "work" array in this function, call copyArray function below  to copy elements to a "work array" from array passed to you,
//and then call sortQuizArray function to sort your "work array". After work array has been sorted ascending order, use formula in sheet
// to compute the quiz average  (which will not factor in the two lowest quiz scores in positions 0 and 1 in array)

//return the average computed to the main return
}



//***********************************************************

void copyArray( int destinationArr[], int sourceArr[], int numValues )
{
//copy the data from source array into destination array with a loop
// numValues has number of entries in the array

//at the bottom of this function print out  destinationArr to make sure it is correctly copied, simply call printQuizArray
printQuizArray("Here's my copy/work array that is to be sorted: ", destinationArr ,numValues);
}
//***************************************************************
void sortQuizArray( int array[], int numValues )
{
//code selection sort logic here to sort array passed in ,  BEGIN=0, END=numValues-1
//suggestion: document each line of code here to simulate the selection sort algorithm


//at bottom of sort, to make sure table is sorted call print function and verify it is sorted
printQuizArray( "Here is my sorted array", array, numValues );  //print it out to make sure it is built correctly,take out when finished

}

import java.util.Scanner;

public class Lab5 {

public static void main(String[] args) {

final char SIDE_SYMB = '-';

final char MID_SYMB = '*';

Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);

String inputStr = "";

char choice = ' ';

int numSymbols = -1, sideWidth = -1, midWidth = -1;

do {

displayMenu();

inputStr = scanner.nextLine();

if (inputStr.length() > 0) {

choice = inputStr.charAt(0);

}

switch (choice) {

case 'r':

System.out.println("Width of the sides?");

sideWidth = scanner.nextInt();

System.out.println("Width of the middle?");

midWidth = scanner.nextInt();

scanner.nextLine(); // Flush junk newline symbols

System.out.println();

System.out.println(buildRow(SIDE_SYMB, sideWidth, MID_SYMB,

midWidth));

break;

case 'p':

System.out.println("Number of symbols on the lowest layer?");

numSymbols = scanner.nextInt();

scanner.nextLine(); // Flush junk newline symbols

System.out.println();

System.out.println(buildPyramid(SIDE_SYMB, MID_SYMB, numSymbols));

break;

case 'd':

System.out.println("Number of symbols on the middle layer?");

numSymbols = scanner.nextInt();

scanner.nextLine(); // Flush junk newline symbols

System.out.println();

System.out.println(buildDiamond('*', ' ', numSymbols));

break;

case 'q':

System.out.println("Bye");

break;

default:

System.out.println("Please choose a valid option from the menu.");

break;

}

System.out.println();

} while (choice != 'q');

scanner.close();

}

/**

* Build a row of symbols (pattern) with the given parameters.

*

* For example, -----*****----- can be built by the parameters

*

* sideWidth = 5, midWidth = 5, sideSymb = '-', midSymb = '*'

*

* @param sideSymb A char to be repeated on both sides

* @param sideWidth Number of symbols on each side

* @param midSymb A char to be repeated in the middle

* @param midWidth Number of symbols in the middle

* @return A String of a row of the designed pattern

*/

private static String buildRow(

char sideSymb, int sideWidth, char midSymb, int midWidth) {

String result = "";

// YOUR CODE HERE

// Make one side

// -->

// Make the middle part

// -->

// Combine side + middle + side, save into "result"

// -->

return result;

} // End of buildRow

/**

* Build a pyramid pattern with the given parameters.

*

* For example, the following pattern

*

* -----*-----

* ----***----

* ---*****---

* --*******--

* -*********-

* ***********

*

* can be built by sideSymb = '-', midSymb = '*', numSymbols = 11

*

* When ptnHeight is not an odd integer, replace it by the closest

* even integer below. For example, if numSymbols is 10, use 9 instead.

*

* When ptnHeight is 0, return an empty String.

*

* @param sideSymb A char to be repeated on both sides

* @param midSymb A char to be repeated in the middle

* @param numSymbols The number of symbols on the lowest layer

* @return A String of the pyramid pattern.

*/

private static String buildPyramid(

char sideSymb, char midSymb, int numSymbols) {

String result = "";

int sideWidth = -1, midWidth = -1;

// YOUR CODE HERE

// If numSymbols is 0, return an empty string

// -->

// If numSymbols is not an odd number, find the

// odd number less than numSymbols and replace it

// -->

// Make a loop to iterate the pyramid's levels

for (????????????) {

// Compute the number of middle symbols

// -->

// Compute the number of symbols on one side

// -->

// Use the "buildRow" method to make a row, then

// add the row to the variable "result".

// You may need to add a linebreak char "\n".

// -->

}

return result;

}

/**

* Build a diamond pattern. The parameters are the same

* as {@link #buildPyramid(char, char, int)}.

*

* @param sideSymb A char to be repeated on both sides

* @param midSymb A char to be repeated in the middle

* @param numSymbols The height of a pyramid

* @return A String of the inverted diamond pattern.

*/

private static String buildDiamond(

char sideSymb, char midSymb, int numSymbols) {

String result = "";

// YOUR CODE HERE

// -->

return result;

}

/**

* Display the menu

*/

private static void displayMenu() {

System.out.println("Please choose one pattern from the list:");

System.out.println("r) Row");

System.out.println("p) Pyramid");

System.out.println("d) Shallow diamond");

System.out.println("q) Quit");

} // End of displayMenu

} // End of Lab5

Annotations

Case Study 1: Food Poisoning

Background

The faculty and staff of Bristol High decided to hold one of their faculty meetings at Central Park one evening after school. The plan was to have a cookout and then proceed with the meeting after everyone had time to eat and relax. Many faculty and staff members brought family members to the picnic. Everything seemed to progress as planned, that is until later that evening. That’s when people began to get sick. Many of the faculty came down with a mysterious illness.

City officials were alarmed at the sicknesses and deaths, which seem to be associated with the event. They have promised a full investigation. Park managers said that most of the symptoms—such as dehydration, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting—seem to indicate some type of food poisoning; however, at this point they cannot be certain.

Even the waste-water treatment plant just a few hundred yards up river will have to submit a report on their procedures for water treatment. This is the first time anything like this has happened at the park and officials want to be sure that it does not happen again.

You are now part of a team of epidemiologists that have been called in to get to the bottom of this mystery. You will need to identify the cause of the disease and prevent any further outbreaks. Time is of the essence.

Information

The picnic started at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday evening at Central Park. The park is located by the Bristol River and contains several gazebos and picnic areas. The administration and faculty of Bristol High School organized the picnic as a relaxing event before their faculty meeting to be held after dinner. Many faculty and staff brought members of their family.

Mrs. Smith and Ms. Johnston arrived at 5:30 to set up. Mr. Albert was next to arrive to set up the grill. He brought his grill from home and had to take a few minutes to clean it off because it had not been used since last summer. Mr. Drake arrived next from the supermarket where he had picked up the hamburgers. After the charcoal was lit and aluminum foil was placed over the grills, Mr. Albert began to cook.

At 5:55, Mrs. Smith realized there was only one serving spoon. She left to get some more, returning about 30 minutes later. The other teachers waited for a while, but finally decided to start eating about 6:20.

When all of the food arrived there was a full menu that included baked beans, chicken, ham, green bean casserole, tuna casserole, cherry pie, pudding, potato salad, macaroni salad, corn, and hamburgers. Drinks included soda, water, coffee, and tea.

Mr. Drake was first through the line. He tried:

• green bean casserole
• ham
• hamburger

Ms. Cummings was next. She ate:

• potato salad
• ham
• a hamburger

The third person through the line was Mr. Carlson. He ate:

• green bean casserole
• potato salad
• a hamburger

Mrs. Albert was next in line. She sampled:

• potato salad
• a hamburger
• cherry pie

Mrs. Smith arrived at this time with more serving spoons. Mrs. Bell came at the same time. She was a little late because she had to be sure that her chicken was done.

Mrs. Wolfe went through the line next. She ate:

• green bean casserole
• chicken
• a hamburger
• pudding

Next was Mr. Lewis, who ate:

• baked beans
• green bean casserole
• macaroni salad
• corn

The line became a little unorganized at this point and it is not clear who went through next. Mrs. Smith and Ms. Johnston were two of the last people through since they helped to serve.

Mrs. Smith ate:

• green bean casserole
• potato salad
• a hamburger
• pudding

Others in attendance included Mr. Harvey, Ms. Jackson, Mr. Dooley, Mrs. Jones, and Mrs. Darwin. A lot of the guests said they could not remember exactly what they ate, but Mr. Harvey, Mr. Dooley, Mrs. Jones, and Mrs. Bell all had hamburgers, baked beans, and macaroni salad.

Ms. Jackson and Mrs. Darwin had ham, baked beans, corn, and some pudding for desert.

Mrs. Cain, Mrs. Williams, Dr. Oakton, Mrs. Corning, and Mrs. Reid have not yet been interviewed. Some other staff members arrived just in time for the faculty presentations, which started at 7:45. These included Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Brown, and Mrs. Wright.

Some of the faculty and staff walked around while they ate but most sat in one of the gazebos. The presentations were held in the main gazebo, which was a relief for some of the faculty because it seemed to be one of the few places free of duck droppings.

Even during the meeting, some of the kids chased ducks with their water guns. These kids never seemed to run out of water because the guns held almost a gallon each, but even if they did run out, they quickly refilled them from the river.

Just about everyone at the picnic except for those that came for the meeting only were soaked. Since it was a hot day, the only time anyone seemed to mind the soaking was when one of the kids missed their intended target and almost put out the grill. After this incident, which happened about 6:10, the kids stayed away from the main gazebo, where the food was located, and turned their attention to the ducks and teachers walking around.

Bristol High Picnic Menu

Baked beans: Simply purchased two large cans of baked beans and heated on stove top to boiling.

Pudding: Mixed four packets of chocolate pudding with four cups of milk. Heated and then refrigerated.

Chicken: Baked chicken legs for 1 hour.

Ham: Baked ham for 2 hours 30 minutes until thermometer read 150 degrees for 20 minutes.

Green Bean Casserole: Cracker crust covered with two cans of cream of mushroom soup and two jars of green beans. Topped with 2 cans of small onions. Baked for 20 to 25 minutes to warm.

Potato salad: One jar of salad dressing, assorted diced vegetables, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 cup mustard, 6 cups diced and cooked potatoes.

Macaroni salad: One box elbow macaroni, 3 T mustard, one jar salad dressing, various diced vegetables.

Tuna casserole: Cracker crust, 3 cans tuna, one can cream of mushroom soup, one can cream of chicken soup. Mixed and topped with parmesan cheese topping.

Hamburgers: Purchased at the supermarket just before the picnic (receipt showed time was 12:25).

Corn: 2 large cans of corn heated to simmering.

Cherry pie: Mountain top cherry pie, baked 40 minutes, pre-made.

Poisoned Picnic Faculty Information

Mrs. Cain

Brought plates and cups to the picnic. Had chicken, potato salad, pudding, green bean casserole. Became sick Tuesday evening. Symptoms included nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.

Mr. Lewis

Organized a game of volleyball set up by the gazebo. The players were a favorite target for the water guns!!! The only foul was when Mrs. Cain stepped on a duck going after the ball. Mr. Lewis became ill Tuesday evening. He was treated and released from the hospital Wednesday morning.

Mrs. Williams

Recovering. Became ill Tuesday night and was rushed to the hospital by her husband. Her son enjoyed his water gun, dowsing teachers with river water. She loved the burgers made by Mr. Albert. She also tried some green bean casserole, chicken, and pudding. Her son did not become ill.

Mrs. Reid

Sampled a little bit of everything. She became ill Tuesday night and finally went to the hospital Wednesday morning. She complained of stomach cramps and nausea. Doctors quickly began an IV to help replenish lost fluids. She briefly went into a coma then slowly recovered.

Dr. Oakton

Recovering. Had a great time except for when she stepped in duck droppings, which seemed to be everywhere. She didn’t even mind being soaked. She tried a little bit of everything to eat.

Mr. Albert

Mr. Albert took control of the grill. Mr. Drake soon showed up with the hamburger meat and started making the burgers. Mr. Albert had some potato salad, green bean casserole, a hamburger, and pudding for desert. Mr. Albert became ill, suffering from numbness, disorientation, nausea, and vomiting. He was treated and released after several days in the hospital.

Mrs. Corning

Arrived late, just in time to grab a burger and some green bean casserole. Most of the utensils and food were already put away. She became ill Wednesday morning and had to leave work around 8:30. She suffered from nausea, dizziness, and was so disoriented that she could not drive home.

Mrs. Smith

She arrived early with her son and helped to set up for the picnic. After many of the staff arrived, she realized that there was only one serving spoon so she went home to get some more. She returned about 30 minutes later with spoons, (after several faculty had gone through the line) to find her son chasing ducks with the water guns. Both Mrs. Smith and her son became ill.

Ms. Johnston

Helped to set up for the picnic. She had a hamburger, baked beans, pudding, and corn. She and several other teachers spent their time sitting in one of the gazebos talking and watching the children dash about after the ducks. Ms. Johnston is lactose intolerant. She became ill just a couple of hours after the picnic suffering from severe stomach pains. She went to bed and recovered overnight.

Mrs. Albert

Complained of stomach cramps early Tuesday night. Her condition continued to worsen until she finally had to be taken to the hospital. She was given massive doses of antibiotics. Her condition became worse as her symptoms began to include vomiting and disorientation. She soon found that she could not remember much about the picnic. After some time her condition improved.

Additional Information

We have since learned that luckily there was only one burger on the grill when it was soaked. Mr. Albert decided to throw it away because he had to lift up the grill and add more charcoal. Many times he would walk away from the grill to talk to someone and return to some very well done burgers. No one seemed to mind, that's the way they wanted them.

We have also learned that the wastewater treatment plant performed several tests on the water coming from their plant. The effluent (water being pumped out) was virtually void of any bacteria. The plant was doing a good job. They also did tests on the water around the park and found no notable bacterial contamination.

Pathology Report

Victim: Mrs. Wolfe

Admitted to hospital suffering from abdominal pain and vomiting. Began diagnostic tests but patient's condition deteriorated. Death due to respiratory and heart failure. Time of death: 3:30 a.m., 9/21/05.

Victim: Mr. Carlson

Paramedic response to home. Pronounced dead on arrival. Attempts to revive failed. Time of death: 11:30 p.m. 9/20/05

Victim: Mr. Drake

Admitted to hospital suffering from abdominal pain, headache, and paralysis of extremities. Lapsed into shock. Pulmonary failure followed. Time of death: 2:30 a.m. 9/21/05.

Victim: Ms. Cummings

Admitted to hospital suffering paralysis. Unable to communicate to hospital staff. Died of heart and respiratory failure. Time of death: 1:20 a.m., 9/21/05.

Include the following in your Report:

1. Create a table listing all food items at the picnic and all of the people who ate. Use this table to help you determine which fooeds the patrons consumed and the commonalities.
2. What organism caused the disease represented in this activity? How did you arrive at this conclusion?
3. What food item was contaminated? How did you arrive at this conclusion?
4. Briefly outline the events of the picnic that lead to the spread of this illness.
5. What different food items and organisms did you consider as the possible source and cause of the illness? What made you eliminate these as possibilities?

Outline a strategy to prevent future occurrences of this and other food borne illnesses.

In this paper, please discuss the following case study. In doing so, explain your approach to the problem, support your approach with references, and execute your approach. Provide an answer to the case study’s questions with a recommendation.

You and your lifelong friend are partners together in the promotional materials business. That is, when marketing firms and their clients begin advertising or public relations campaigns, they come to your company to obtain the materials and products that would support the ad campaign. Examples of the materials and products you supply are printed posters, signs, T-shirts with printed logos, key chains, and other such items. You supply these items by procuring them from other sources or in some cases you manufacture them using various equipment in a warehouse you use near the center of the city. Your company’s name is WePROMOTE.

You and your business partner are planning the next major project for your company. The project is a significant step in the growth of your firm in that the project will generate cash inflows into the firm for many years into the future. However, there will be a large investment of funds required by the firm to launch the project. The planning is in its preliminary stages where the numbers and other data are gross estimates. Despite the “fuzzy numbers”, you and your partner still need to decide whether the project will be worth pursuing.

The following is some of the estimated data you have:

• You both decided to finance the project using your own funds.
• The cost of the equipment will be $80,000 and this cost is incurred prior to any cash is received by the project.
• The expected cash inflows are the most variable of the estimates. Your partner is convinced that the firm will receive $14,000 annually for 7 years. You have your doubts. You think it is more reasonable that there will be cash inflows of $14,000 in year 1, then inflows of $16,000 from years 2-4, and then inflows of $17,000 for years 5-7.
• You both agree that after 7 years, the equipment will stop working and can be sold for its parts for about $5,000.
• You both consider a discount rate of 7% but remain open to other future possibilities.

You trust your partner’s instincts and agree to start analyzing the feasibility of the project. The first step is to perform net present value (NPV) calculations for the project using your partner’s estimates and then using your estimates.

Requirements of the paper:

• Perform the two NPV calculations and provide a narrative of how you calculated both computations and why. Your answer must be justified.
• Present your calculated answers in schedule format (a table) along with your narrative. Microsoft Excel is also recommended for calculating and creating a table (your schedule).
• Then provide a summary conclusion on whether you should continue to pursue this business opportunity.
• Finally, assuming your partner remains unconvinced of your conclusion, present relevant points of your analysis that you believe are compelling and persuasive in supporting your position.

Papers will be assessed using the following criteria:

• Accurate NPV calculations are provided
• A narrative that fully explains how NPVs were calculated and why is included
• A clear, logical summary and conclusion is given
• A compelling and persuasive analysis in supporting your position

Cape Fear Marine Mini Case

Sarah Connor was recently hired by Cape Fear Marine Company to assist the company with its short-term financial planning and to evaluate the firm’s financial performance. Sarah graduated from college five years ago with a degree in finance and had been employed in the treasury department of a large firm in Raleigh, North Carolina since then.

Kyle Reese founded Cape Fear Marine Company 15 years ago. The company’s operations are located near Wilmington, North Carolina. The firm is structured as an LLC. Cape Fear Marine manufactures a diverse line of boats, ranging from low-end fishing boats to high-end luxury craft. The company and its products have received high reviews for safety and reliability, as well as awards for customer satisfaction.

The marine products/boating industry is fragmented, with a number of manufacturers. As with any industry, there are market leaders, but the diverse nature of the industry ensures that no manufacturer dominates the market. The competition in the market, as well as the product cost, ensures that attention to detail is a necessity.

To get Sarah started with her analysis, Kyle has provided the following financial data. Sarah has gathered the industry ratios for the boat manufacturing industry.

a.   Calculate all of the ratios listed in the industry table for Cape Fear Marine.

b.   Compare the performance of Cape Fear Marine with the industry as a whole. For each ratio, comment on why it might be viewed as a positive or negative relative to the industry. Don’t just say it is positive or negative, or that it is positive because it is greater than the median. Tell me briefly why it is negative or positive: e.g., the firm’s debt is greater than the median and is too high because too much debt increases the probability of bankruptcy.