Graded Homework

post bus411 week 1 discussion latest
2016 july

Strategic
Thinking

Everything we do in a
business environment is done with a strategic purpose. Your taking this course
is to complete a degree program and better your opportunities for career
advancement. At least for most of you. For others it might be purely personal.
So in a sense, you’re all trying to better each other for “that” job. So moving
forward, from a strategic standpoint, what are you going to do to beat every
other person in this course, out for that job? How do you position yourself to
“look better”? Or do you attack this from the opposite side and attempt to make
everyone else look just a bit worse?

post bus411 week 2 discussion latest
2016 july

Maturity
in the Business Sense

How much of an impact does the “maturity” level of the industry or company have on strategy? How can you be innovative in a mature industry? How can you be conservative in an introductory/rapid growth situation? Should you be conservative??? Back up your assertions with resources and readings from the course, and your own research or experience.

post bus411 week 3 discussion latest
2016 july

dq 1

Finance and Operations; The Ethical
Cost of Doing Business.

Detecting unethical practices at supplier
factories, to include monitoring and compliance, is a major challenge to say
the least. Yet, wages drive cost and it’s an absolute necessity to maintain the
lowest cost in production of any good. Or is it???

This week, focus on debate! Start or select a
fellow student’s side, and eitther support, or argue against, that position.
Teamwork!

But be constructive in your approach.

Discuss how important is it for companies such
as Nike and Wal-Mart that source extensively from foreign suppliers located in
countries where wages are low and substandard working conditions are common to
institute supplier codes of conduct and undertake programs to monitor and
ensure supplier compliance with these codes of conduct? Would you recommend
that a company join the Fair Labor Association and use FLA’s standards and
program of factory audits instead of trying to set up its own supplier
monitoring and compliance effort? What can a company do to detect and combat
the efforts of unscrupulous foreign suppliers to deceive inspection/compliance
teams?

dq 2

Internal
and External Analyses

Post University in general, and myself
specifically, need your assistance. We continually strive to be better. So
here’s your chance to unload; Identify and give examples of the steps that can
be taken at the functional level to improve Post’s efficiency, product quality,
ability to innovate, and responsiveness to our customers. That is, you!
Remember however, to be practical and pragmatic. This is a business. Draw from
this week’s materials. Funding is not unlimited. This is a real world
environment, so provide real world solutions. Cite specific examples
throughout!

post bus411 week 4 discussion latest
2016 july

Competitive
Positioning

This week, you have a car to sell. You want to purchase a new vehicle and the dealer is offering you, well, almost nothing for the car you have now. So you’re going to sell it outright. Describe the competitive positioning you face and are going to take, the tradeoffs you face with differentiation, the cost, and any pricing options you might offer. Be creative! You need the money!

post bus411 week 5 discussion latest
2016 july

The
Tailored Business Model

This week we look at
tailoring business models to existing conditions and different industry
environments. But I thought that in starting a business, or in fact growing a
business, you need to “stand out” from the crowd. You need to distinguish
yourself and your business. So just how important then in your opinion, is
tailoring the business models? Select a business that that either already
exists, or you would love to start, and support your thoughts. Show us why it
is, or is not, important to tailor the models!

post bus411 week 6 discussion latest
2016 july

Horizontal
vs. Vertical Integration

This week let’s discuss
integration. First, name a company the practices horizontal integration.
Describe the structure. Now do the same for a company vertically integrated. In
your opinion, which is better to work for? Which offers workers the better
opportunity to better yourself? Now, if you owned the business, which would you
implement? Think again about the workers opportunities. Does their betterment
also mean what’s best for your business?

post bus411 week 7 discussion latest
2016 july

Stakeholder
Importance

Are you a stakeholder in Post University?

Next week, in all your courses, you’re going
to be asked to complete your student survey. Big deal… Why should your
instructors care about what you have to say? Why should Post care about what
you have to say? What difference can you, can any stakeholder make, by
conveying your thoughts to the company you’re a stakeholder in? Is there a
better way to reach for a result or action from the company? If you own the
company, why should you listen to whatever anyone say regarding improvement for
the company you’ve poured you heart, should and monies into? Who are we to tell
you??!

Ahhh, perhaps a light goes on here? Who is a
stakeholder and why are they, and their voices, important?

post bus411 week 8 discussion latest
2016 july

Leadership So we end with leadership. Which many would argue should be at the start of any organization. What qualities and behaviors are most important in a leader? Are manager’s leaders? Why or why not? And lastly, inevitable you’ll be asked to name all the good qualities you want to see in a manager, or a leader. Tell me the worst qualities you’ve actually experienced in managers and leaders. Why do they stand in your mind? Are you a strong enough leader yourself to employ the same tactics as you move forward in your career? Or are managers and leaders sometimes forced to use techniques that you consider “poor” at this point in your career?