Reference no: EM132294756

Assignment 1 -

In the discussion forum you are expected to participate often and engage in deep levels of discourse. Please post your initial response as early as possible and continue to participate throughout the unit. You are required to post an initial response to the question/issue presented in the Forum and then respond to at least 3 of your classmates' initial posts. You should also respond to anyone who has responded to you.

Please set-up solution model for the following capital budget problem. Explain the approach you plan to take and why. Then, please perform the calculations of your model and draw conclusions.

Capital Budget Problem: This case continues following the new project of the WePPROMOTE Company, that you and your partner own. WePROMOTE is in the promotional materials business. The project being considered is to manufacture a very unique case for smart phones. The case is very durable, attractive and fits virtually all models of smart phone. It will also have the logo of your client, a prominent, local company and is planned to be given away at public relations events by your client.

More details have emerged and your estimates are becoming more precise.

The following are the new values to the data that you have been estimating up to this point:

• You can borrow funds from your bank at 3%.
• The cost to install the needed equipment will be $105,000 and this cost is incurred prior to any cash is received by the project.
• The gross revenues from the project will be $25,000 for year 1, then $27,000 for years 2 - 4. Year 5 will be $23,000.
• The expected annual cash outflows (current project costs) are estimated at being $13,000 for the first year, then $12,000 for years 2, 3, and 4. The final year costs will be $10,000.
• After 5 years the equipment will stop working and will be worthless.
• The discount rate you are assuming continues to be 6%.

Calculate the net present value, and determine whether the project is worth doing from a financial perspective.

Assignment 2 -

Submit a written paper which is 4-5 pages in length. The paper should cite at least three sources independent of the textbook.

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 question with a recommendation.

This case continues following the new project of the WePROMOTE Company, that you and your partner own. WePROMOTE is in the promotional materials business. The project being considered is to manufacture a very unique case for smart phones. The case is very durable, attractive and fits virtually all models of smart phone. It will also have the logo of your client, a prominent, local company and is planned to be given away at public relations events by your client.

As we know from prior cases involving this company, more and more details of the project become apparent and with more precision and certainty.

The following are the final values to the data that you have been estimating up to this point:

• You can borrow funds from your bank at 3%.
• The cost to install the needed equipment will be $105,000 and this cost is incurred prior to any cash is received by the project.
• The gross revenues from the project will be $25,000 for year 1, then $27,000 for years 2 and 3. Year 4 will be $28,000 and year 5 (the last year of the project) will be $23,000.
• The expected annual cash outflows (current project costs) are estimated at being $13,000 for the first year, then $12,000 for years 2, 3, and 4. The final year costs will be $10,000.
• Your tax rate is 30% and you plan to depreciate the equipment on a straight-line basis for the life of the equipment.
• After 5 years the equipment will stop working and will have a residual (salvage) value of $5,000).
• The discount rate you are assuming is now 7%.

Requirements of the paper:

• Perform the final NPV calculations and provide a narrative of how you calculated the computations and why.
• Then provide a summary conclusion on whether you should continue to pursue this business opportunity.
• Research, using at least three sources other than the textbook materials that support your calculations and conclusions.

Papers will be assessed on the following criteria:

• Provide the final, accurate NPV calculations.
• A narrative on how the NPVs were calculated. The narrative should include how the data relating to depreciation and its tax consequences affect the cash flow of the project.
• Supporting narrative based on research of sources other than the textbook materials.
• Provide a conclusion on whether this business opportunity should be pursued.

Assignment 3 -

According to Bauer (2004) onboarding systems range and vary from highly structured to a more 'sink or swim' approach. Research shows that formal onboarding significantly increases employee satisfaction and retention, yet many companies lack solid onboarding processes to help the new employee to understand their job and the organizational culture and to become connected to the organization. Onboarding has four distinct levels or building blocks: Compliance, Clarification, Culture, and Connection. The degree to which an organization addresses all four of these is broken into three levels:

1. Passive

2. High Potential

3. Proactive

Onboarding Strategy Level	Compliance	Clarification	Culture	Connection
1 Passive	YES	SOME	LITTLE/NONE	LITTLE/NONE
2 High Potential	YES	YES	SOME	SOME
3 Proactive	YES	YES	YES	YES

Bauer, T. (2004)

• Consider the best and worst onboarding experiences you've had and compare them by applying the Onboarding Strategy Levels and how they addressed the four C's.
• Have you ever left a job because of poor onboarding?
• Put yourself in the shoes of an employer who has limited time and financial resources for onboarding, what strategies would you use to effectively onboard your new employees?

Assignment 4 -

Good News! Red Lobster is very happy with the job you've done for them in developing a job description for their Restaurant Manager position!

Building on the work you did in Unit 2 with the Red Lobster Case Study, you will now use the job process and job description to design a targeted recruitment strategy to help attract candidates for the Restaurant Management position. Use the resources provided in this unit and/or your own research to create a targeted recruitment process and include the following:

• An overview of the targeted recruitment process you've designed for Red Lobster including how and where to advertise the position for maximum exposure.
• Strategies for reaching passive job applicants
• Strategies for reaching a culturally diverse applicant pool
• The text for a print-based job posting (and/or a script for a video or other multimedia recruitment)
• Your recommendations for how to pre-screen candidates to ensure that the people brought in for interviews are the best possible fit

Look for ways to be creative and innovative in order to help the client get the most bang for their recruitment buck.

Submit your paper in about 2-3 pages. Be sure to cite any resources you use to develop your report.

Assessment Criteria - Papers will be assessed on the following:

• The recruitment strategy overview demonstrates a superior understanding of targeted recruitment and of the client's needs and goals
• Strategies for reaching the passive job candidate pool are sound given the needs of the client and show a level of creativity and innovation given the client's challenges
• Strategies for reaching a culturally diverse applicant pool are sound given the needs of the client and show a level of creativity and innovation given the client's challenges
• The proposed advertisement shows a superior understanding of the Restaurant Manager position, as well as the type of candidate the client wants to attract
• Recommendations for pre-screening applicants shows a superior understanding of pre-screening techniques used today and how best to apply those techniques given the client's overall needs and goals.
• Writing quality and clarity

Assignment 5 -

Arrange an interview with a senior executive/partner/principal of a firm, preferably a business you are interested in. The manager must have EMPLOYEE supervision responsibilities. Your task in this interview is to identify the interviewee's orientation and business philosophy toward key human resource management functions. A face-to-face interview is highly recommended, however, a phone interview is acceptable.

The interviewee should not be:

• A family member
• A former supervisor
• A person from your current or past places of employment

PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEW

Develop a list of approx. 10 human resource related questions you will ask that cover recruitment, staffing, staff motivation, employee development, and employee appraisal. (In your priority order). One question must cover the Supervisors viewpoint on the "competitive advantage through people". I am available to review your questions if you desire feedback.

DELIVERABLE - Prepare a three-page, double-spaced paper that summarizes the responses and your analysis of the interview including:

• What you learned about supervising/managing others? Did you learn anything new? Did the interview clear up any misconceptions you had about HR and HR management?
• What did you agree with and disagree with?
• What was (were) the most memorable part(s) of the interview? Why?
• How did the responses of your interviewee compare to class readings and class discussions this far?
• What was the interviewee's thoughts on the "competitive advantage through people"?
• Summarize the interview and include your thoughts and feelings towards the professional you interviewed. Did you walk away with an overall view of this person's philosophy and values as they relate to HR management?
• Critically reflect on your own perceptions of HR management. What beliefs did you have going into the interview about HR management? Has anything changed for you?

Please write an email or note to the person you interviewed thanking him/her for their time.

Hand in:

• A maximum of three pages, double-spaced
• Include a cover page which indicates clearly the full name of the interviewee, their position title, their organization, address, date, type of interview (face to face or phone)
• Attach the list of your pre-interview questions to the document you submit.
• Attach a photocopy/copy of the Thank You note you sent to your interviewee.