Write the economic analysis section of a business proposal. This will include statements about the market structure and the elasticity of demand for the good or service, based on text book principles. You need to create hypothetical data, based on similar real world products to estimate fixed and variable costs.

Required Elements:

Identify market structure
Identify elasticity of the product
Include rationale for the following questions:
How will pricing relate to elasticity of your product?
How will changes in the quantity supplied as a result of your pricing decisions affect marginal cost and marginal revenue?
Besides your pricing decisions, what are your suggested nonpricing strategies? What nonpricing strategies will you use to increase barriers to entry?
How could changes in your business operations alter the mix of fixed and variable costs in line with your strategy?
No more than 1400 words
Your proposal is consistent with APA guidelines

Choice of product and the market structure
My choice of product is automobile/Car. And suppose that the company is Ford. The
American automotive industry has traditionally been oligopolistic in nature. The American
automotive industry although started with hundreds of manufactures, but by the end of 1920s it
was dominated by three big companies- Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. This trend of
dominance by few firms continued even after the post-world war II period with companies like
Ford, General motors, Chrysler and AMC dominating the market (i.e. holding the largest share of
the automobile market). Careful study of American automobile industry implies that there has
not been much change in the market structure of American automobile industry post World War
II; it continues to be dominated by few firms even now as in 1960s and 1970s. The Major players
in the American automobile market are; Ford, General motors and Chrysler (known as big three)
with foreign companies like, Toyota, Nissan coming up gradually in terms of market share.
Hence the market structure of Car/automobile industry is oligopoly with few large firms
dominating the market and large number of buyers. Firms in this industry are interdependent on
each other in terms of their output and price decision. This is so because each firm in this market
has the enough market power to affect market condition and therefore whenever a firm decides
about any of its policy or action; it always considers the corresponding actions which will be
taken by its rivals. As if other firms are charging a price which is relatively lower than the price
charged by the given firm, then there is a change that this firm may lose its all customers. So
each firms decision is interdependent on other firms decision.
In the automobile industry, products of each are differentiated from each other in some
form. This differentiation might be in the form of quality, brand name, size, weight, color,
features etc. These differentiations among goods produced by different producers allow them to

have some partial control over the price of their product in the short run i.e. this product
differentiation allows firm to behave like monopolies in the short run as it gives them power to
set their price in the short run. Also this product differentiation and hence the resulting market
power imply a downward sloping demand curve for each monopolistic firm.
Elasticity of demand and how pricing is related to elasticity of demand
The elasticity of demand of a product plays an important role in the determination of
pricing strategy by a firm.
If demand is elastic i.e. Ed>1 (or if absolute value of elasticity is less than one), then
proportionate decline in quantity demanded of a good (as a result of increase in price) will be
larger than proportionate increase in its price and therefore in this case, increase in price would
cause total revenue to fall. So in such a case, the price charged by the business would be at lower
levels. If demand is inelastic i.e. Ed<1 (or if absolute value of elasticity is less than one), then
proportionate decline in quantity demanded of a good (as a result of increase in price) will be
less than proportionate increase in its price and therefore in this case, increase in price would
cause total revenue to increase. So in such case, the price charged by business would be high.
This relationship can be seen using profit maximizing condition;
MR = MC or,

{given MR = [1-(1/e)}

P[1-(1/e)] = MC, implies P = MC/[1-(1/e)]
Here it can be noted that Price and elasticity values (in absolute terms) are negatively
related i.e. price charged by business falls with rise in the absolute value of elasticity (e).
For example, MC = 100 and e = 2
Then profit maximizing price P* = 100/[1-(1/2)] = $200

Now suppose e changes to 1.5, then profit maximizing price P* = 100/[1-(1/1.5)) =
$300
Thus we note that lower is elasticity, higher is profit maximizing price. This proves that
elasticity plays a significant role in determining profit maximizing price and quantity.
The demand for car by Ford is elastic in nature. This is because there are substitutes
available to it (for example; Cars by GM or Chrysler). In other words, if price of car by ford
rises, people are more likely to switch to other companies cars. Given this, the price of ford car
should kept at the comparable level-a level which neither too high nor too less.

Effect of changes in the quantity supplied as a result of your pricing decisions on
marginal cost and marginal revenue
Profit = total revenue total cost
So profit is maximized at a point where the difference between total revenue and total cost is
maximized. There can be two ways to derive profit maximization point;
a) the point where the difference between total revenue and total cost is maximized
b) The point where marginal revenue (MR) equals marginal cost and marginal cost (MC)
curve intersects marginal revenue curve from below.
So, Fords pricing strategy is likely to be determined by this rule. To be concrete,
Fords pricing strategy at the profit maximization point (as explained above) is given by;
P* = MC/[1-(1/e)]
If price is charged according to this rule, marginal revenue would be equal to marginal
cost and Ford would be maximizing its profit. However if price charged is greater than P*, then
quantity supplied would decreases and MR would not be equal to MC; in fact, MR would be

greater than MC. On the other hand, if price charged is less than P*, then although quantity
supplied would increase but MR would again be not equal to MC; in fact, MR would be less than
MC. In both of these cases, profit of Ford would not be maximized. So the price charged by ford
should be P*.
Non-pricing strategies and barriers to entry
The automobile industry already has natural/in build entry deterrence in the form of large
entry cost. A firm entering in this market would need huge investment initially, in form of setting
up cost, approval cost, research and development cost etc. This makes entry difficult for most
firms with low capital formation. Also the market is already filled with many big manufacturers,
which makes the existence of a new firm difficult because of intense competition from these big
manufacturers.
Generally, the existing firms try to deter entry by taking actions that increases their rivals
cost, thereby making their entry difficult. The one of such action could be grand fathering of
rights. Under this, the existing firms convince the government set some standard criteria such as
in terms of fuel efficiency, mileage and product life to be the preconditions for a firm to enter.
This implies that the new firm will have to meet these criteria to enter which makes the entry
difficult for them. Also sometimes the existing firms illicitly collude with each other and thereby
collectively try to deter the entry by the new player.
The most common action used in securing the market share by the existing firm is to
invest in advertisement. These firms invest heavily in advertising for their product and thereby
try to maintain their dominance (or increase their market share). They also invest heavily in
research and development. The automobile industry requires continuous invention/exploration as
the need for new features/technology are ever increasing. Also as the concerns regarding global

warming are rising, companies are spending lots of money on R&D to make the car more fuel
efficient and environment friendly. This creates additional difficulty for new firms to enter the
automobile manufacturing industry as they might not have required technology to start with.
Effect of changes in business strategy on the mix of fixed and variable costs
Business strategies are mainly directed towards maximizing the firms profit. As
explained above, profit a firm is maximized when the difference between total revenue and total
cost is maximized. This means to maximize the profit, Ford will follow those business strategies
which generates maximum revenue at the lower possible cost. This implies that business
strategies followed by Ford are likely to have negative impact on the mix of fixed and variable
costs i.e. both are likely to fall/ be at minimum. Some of business strategies could be;
a) Efficiently utilizing the available resources
b) Following an effective and significant market strategies
c) Participating in innovative and cost effective techniques.

References:
Mankiw, G N (2006) , Principles of Microeconomics, 4th edition, Cengage Learning.
Snyder, C and Nicholson W (2008), Microeconomic Theory: Basic Principles and extensions,
10th edition, Cengage Learning.
How the US automobile has changed, published on April 2012, available at:
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/12/auto-industry.asp#axzz20Z7qv7zh [accessed
on: 30/10/2013]

The Strategic Planning Process: Objectives, Tasks, Timelines, and Task Leads 
An important step of the strategic plan is to identify key tasks that must be performed; the timeline 
completion dates, and the responsible person or task leads. Completed tasks will lead to a final completed 
functional process that meets the requirements in the strategic plan. For this module, you will assign a Gantt 
Chart Lead that will solicit input from the team and will prepare a detailed task chart for your project topic 
completion and its implementation. You may use the Excel Spreadsheet provided to you in the course, or make your own. 

What is your team strategic plan Gantt chart? Discuss and complete your plan Gantt chart. 

Team Project: Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Risk Management Strategic Plan CASE: The ACO Integrated Delivery System
Assume you are the CEO of a large, clinical, operational, and health information management technology-intensive hospital that includes two other smaller community hospitals and a wide range of primary and specialty care physicians and other providers working in private practice in a medical service community of 500,000 population.
The Market

Currently, your hospital is paid by Medicare—the federal insurance program for the elderly and disabled—under the Medicare Severity Diagnostic Related Group (MS-DRG), part of the inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and under Ambulatory Payment Classifications (APC) under the outpatient perspective payment system (OPPS). These payments are fixed amounts for every admission or every outpatient service to your hospital. The IPPS and OPPS are cost-based systems that pay based on the severity of the patient’s needs for inpatient and service groupings for outpatient. Physicians and other professional providers in your community are paid under the Resource-Based-Relative-Value-Scale (RBRVS), which is a fee-for- service system. The federal government has just made an offer to your community to form an ACO that could accept an annual capitation payment per person eligible for Medicare in your service area.

Current ACO Market Payer Mix
Hospital Payer Mix Physicians Payer Mix
-Medicare 55% -Medicare 45%
-Medicaid 15% -Medicaid 5%
-Managed Care 25% -Managed Care 35%
-All other 5% (Private, Liability, Workers’ Comp.) -All other 15% (Private, Liability, Workers’ Comp.)

Based on a preliminary assessment and analysis, the hospital Finance Department has demonstrated in a pro forma that the total revenues from the ACO Capitation offer would exceed or equal the current hospital costs under MS-DRGs and exceed or equal payments under the APC and RBRVS reimbursement programs. Based on a hospital survey, you have 95% positive support for the ACO from community physicians and ancillary care providers. Your Hospital Board has agreed to accept the Medicare offer for ACO capitation and to be the lead organization of the community ACO, but only if you create a strategic plan that brings both hospital and physicians in alignment with necessary cost and quality-of-care objectives in order to manage the health care and cost risks.

Necessary ACO Core Competencies:

The ACA is a separate business entity, a requirement. It will accept the capitation payments and pay the hospital and providers for their services under the Medicare IPPS, OPPS, and RBRVS reimbursement systems. Additionally, there will be performance bonuses (Pay-4-Performance) (P4P) to the facilities and physicians that managed their patient’s care well and met performance standards.

Use the outline I have pasted below to help you.
This is what you need to answer:
The Strategic Planning Process: Objectives, Tasks, Timelines, and Task Leads 
An important step of the strategic plan is to identify key tasks that must be performed; the timeline 
completion dates, and the responsible person or task leads. Completed tasks will lead to a final completed 
functional process that meets the requirements in the strategic plan. For this module, you will assign a Gantt 
Chart Lead that will solicit input from the team and will prepare a detailed task chart for your project topic 
completion and its implementation. You may use the Excel Spreadsheet provided to you in the course, or make your own. 

What is your team strategic plan Gantt chart? Discuss and complete your plan Gantt chart. 

The Needs Assessment
Needs assessment is an organized process for determining and attend to needs, or difference between existing circumstances and required circumstances or wants. The need can be a requirement to advance existing performance or to correct a deficit. The aim of the hospital is to offer services to patients hence to know the needs of the customer, several methods can be used for example using the existing data, performing the attitude survey to know how they feel about the services and asking the elders of the community and the decision makers who have great knowledge about the population (Altschuld & White, 2010). 
The need of the hospital is to reduce its operating cost and reduce discrimination while offering services the needs of the patients are; faster services, quality services, affordable services and specialized services because some of them are disabled and old. 
Mission Statement
The current mission is to deliver timely and compassionate medical services to our patients and their families to the highest possible standard through the provision of qualified staff and appropriate equipments. The mission statement says that we are in a medical business, we offer medical services and we serve the community it does not mention how unique we are ( futures, 2009). It should address the discrimination and technological need; it is the role of the hospital to ensure that there is no discrimination in offering the service and to embrace technology for effective and low cost production.
The role differs in that other organization offer medical services but we offer the services to all people. Our stakeholders are the customers, workers and the shareholders and we should respond to everyone’s needs equally and in time (Alberta, 2005). The hospital’s philosophy is equality and the core values are respect and equity. The mission is not out of date in that it considers up-to-date technological equipments. I would like to propose a change that is the mission should include up-to-date equipments and mention equity and respect to all and mention its aim of reducing operation cost to ensure charges are low and affordable.
Vision
Forming an ACO (Accountable Care Organization) Integrated delivery system that will allow hospitals, primary physicians, specialty physicians, and private practice to accept an annual capitation payment per person eligible for Medicare in your service area. 
Purpose
The Purpose is to establish an ACO (Accountable Care Organization) Integrated Delivery System. That will combine the federal insurance programs for hospitals, primary physicians, specialty physicians, and private practice in our community network.
Assessing Readiness for Strategic Planning

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT Analysis)
What are the strengths that will contribute to organizational success? What weaknesses exist affecting your organizational success? 
1. Decrease the number of federal insurance systems.
2. Puts hospital in a strong capital position
3. Lower cost may require
1. New Training required 
2. System updates 
3. Old employees may leave or retire as instead of learning the new system.

What opportunities may your organization create? What threats are there to your organization’s success?
1. Increase patient intake 
2. More financial/billing jobs3. 1. Increase governmental regulations
2. Increase capital

Plan Objectives

Short Term (0-6 months) • Needs Assessment
• Achieve 100% approval from community physicians and ancillary care providers
• Community system selection
Intermediate (7-24 months) • Establish core values and procedures to assure quality healthcare and cost risk objectives.
• Establish cost benchmark
• System implementation (go live)
• Train physicians and staff on new system 
• Create a performance bonus system that evaluates the hospital and physician 
Long Term (2-5 years) • Update glitches in the system
• Quality assurance
• System re-evaluation

LDR 531 Final Exam

1) Which of the following is best defined as a consciously coordinated social unit, composed of two or more people, which functions on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals?

    a.    party

    b.    unit

    c.    team

    d.    community

    e.    organization

2) Over the past 2 decades, business schools have added required courses on organizational design to many of their curricula. Why have they done this?

    a.    Managers no longer need technical skills in subjects such as economics and accounting to succeed.

    b.    There is an increased emphasis in controlling employee behavior in the workplace.

    c.    Managers need to understand human behavior if they are to be effective.

    d.    These skills enable managers to effectively lead human resources departments.

    e.    A manager with good people skills can help create a pleasant workplace.

3) Robert Katz identified three essential skills that managers must have to reach their goals. What are these skills?

    a.    technical, decisional and interpersonal

    b.    technical, human, and conceptual

    c.    interpersonal, informational and decisional

    d.    conceptual, communication and networking

    e.    human, informational and communication

4) __________ is a field of study that investigates the effect that individuals, groups, and structures have on behavior within organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization’s effectiveness.

a.    Organizational development

b.    Human Resources Management

c.    Organizational behavior

d.    People management

e.    Corporate strategy

5) What do the fundamental consistencies underlying the behavior of all individuals enable researchers to do?

    a.    observe human behavior

    b.    systematize human behavior

    c.    research human behavior

    d.    predict human behavior

    e.    detect human behavior

6) Which of the following is a generic term that covers a broad range of feelings that people experience?

a.    Affect 

b.    emotions

c.    moods

d.    emotional labor

e.    cognition

7) What term is used for intense feelings that are directed at someone or something?

a.    affect

b.    cognition

c.    moods

d.    thoughts

e.    emotions

8) If personality characteristics were completely dictated by __________, they would be fixed at

birth and no amount of experience could alter them.

a.    job satisfaction

b.    heredity

c.    environment

d.    situations

e.    religion

9) Which of the following are classifications on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?

    a.    extroverted/introverted

    b.    sensing/intuitive

    c.    perceiving/judging

    d.    independent/dependent

    e.    thinking/feeling

10) Maria is dissatisfied with the way that her manager treats her. She has quit her job and found a new position with another firm. How has she expressed her dissatisfaction?

    a.    exit

    b.    voice

    c.    loyalty

    d.    neglect

    e.    social voice

11) You quietly continue to do your work when you know things will not improve. This is what type of response to dissatisfaction?

    a.    exit

    b.    voice

    c.    loyalty

    d.    neglect

    e.    social voice

12) A group

a.  generates positive synergy through coordinated effort

    b.  generates greater outputs with no increase in inputs

    c.  is two or more individuals interacting and interdependent

    d.  engages in collective work that requires joint effort

13) __________ results in a level of performance that is greater than the sum of the individual input.

    a.    Synergy

    b.    Enthusiasm

    c.    Energy

    d.    Initiative

    e.    Inversion

14) What happens in the second stage of Tuckman’s five stage model of group development?

a. Close relationships are developed.

 b. The group demonstrates cohesiveness.

c. Intragroup conflict often occurs.

 d. Groups disband.

15) Zach is devout and very active in his church. He is also a very dedicated employee. His manager offers him a promotion, but the new role will require him to work Sundays. Zach would like the promotion, but realizes that it would force him to miss some church activities. It is likely that Zach is experiencing which of the following:

    a.    role conflict

    b.    role expectation

    c.    role perception

    d.    psychological conflict

16) Which role focuses on bringing about order and consistency by drawing up formal plans?

a.    leadership

b.    management

c.    task structure

d.    initiating structure

e.    none of the above

17) Which statement regarding leadership is true?

a.    All leaders are managers.

b.    Formal rights enable managers to lead effectively.

c.    All managers are leaders.

d.    All leaders are hierarchically superior to followers.

e.    Nonsanctioned leadership is as important as or more important than formal influence.

18) What are three situational criteria identified in the Fiedler model?

    a.    job requirements, position power, and leadership ability

    b.    charisma, influence, and leader-member relations

    c.    leader-member relations, task structure, and position power

    d.    task structure, leadership ability, and group conflict

    e.    emotional intelligence, group orientation, and employee status

19) The reconceptualization of the contingency model by Garcia and Fiedler is called _____ theory.

    a.    situational

    b.    cognitive resource

    c.    evaluative

    d.    leadership recognition

    e.    cognitive dissonance

20) Which path-goal leadership style leads to greater satisfaction when tasks are ambiguous or stressful?

a.    directive

b.    supportive

c.    participative

d.    mixed

e.    reactive

21) According the Path-Goal Theory, what leader is friendly and shows concern for the needs of followers?

a.    the achievement-oriented leader

b.    the directive leader

c.    the laissez-faire leader

d.    the participative leader

e.    the supportive leader

22) Phrases such as “more cultural diversity,” “many new entrants with inadequate skills,” and “increase in professionals” are all examples of what force for change?

    a.    technology

    b.    world politics

    c.    nature of the work force

    d.    social trends

23) What is a goal of planned change?

    a.    to change the forces of change

    b.    to alter the agents of change

    c.    to change employees’ responsibilities

    d.    to improve the ability to adapt to the environment

    e.    to alter the employees’ environment

24) Using covert influence to overcome resistance to change is called what?

    a.    negotiation

    b.    cooptation

    c.    education

    d.    coercion

    e.    manipulation

25) If individuals resisting change are included in making change decisions in an attempt to gain their support, what is this approach is called?

    a.    cooptation

    b.    exploitation

    c.    manipulation

    d.    coercion

    e.    education

26) Which of the following is a characteristic of organizational control?

a. Formality orientation

    b. Decision orientation

    c. Team orientation

    d. Managerial orientation

27) What term describes the key characteristic of organizational control that addresses the degree to which employees are expected to exhibit precision?

    a.    accuracy orientation

    b.    accountability

    c.    attention to detail

    d.    stability

    e.    reactivity

28) Power is

a. a means for leaders to achieve goals

    b. defined by leaders’ hopes and aspirations

    c. a goal in and of itself

    d. not an influence on leaders’ goals

29) Leaders achieve goals, and power is

a. defined by leaders’ hopes and aspirations

b. usually used by poor leaders

c. a means of achieving goals

d. a goal in and of itself

e. a strong influence on leaders’ goals

30) The most important aspect of power is probably that it _____.

    a.    is needed to get things done in an organization

    b.    is a function of dependency

    c.    tends to corrupt people

    d.    is counterproductive

    e.    involves control

In this assignment, integrate all the pieces of work you have drafted and formally turn it into the capstone strategy audit.
In previous assignments, you performed multiple, specified analyses of your company (or any company of your choosing). Those individual analyses provide the needed research to successfully complete the following LASA.
Part I: Strategy Audit Report
Using the tools and framework learned in class and throughout the program, prepare a 15-page strategy audit of your company with a companion presentation. The strategy audit is a comprehensive analysis of the company’s business strategy and operating performance, and culminates in a series of recommendations for improving your company’s performance based on the findings and conclusions of your analysis.
A strategy audit involves assessing the actual direction of a business and comparing that course to the direction required to succeed in a changing environment. A company’s actual direction is the sum of what it does and does not do, how well the organization is internally aligned to support the strategy, and how viable the strategy is when compared to the external market, competitors, and financial realities. These two categories, the internal assessment and the external or environmental assessment, make up the major elements of a strategy audit.
In your strategy audit:
• Provide a high-level analysis of the company’s business strategy and operating performance. Be sure to complete the following: 
o Analysis of the company value proposition, market position, and competitive advantage 
o External environmental scan/five forces analysis 
o Internal environmental scan/organizational assessment 
o SWOT Analysis 
o Balanced scorecard/strategy scorecard 
• Recommend specific tactics for improving your company’s strategic alignment and operating performance. 
o Recommendations can include but are not limited to tactics in marketing, branding, alliances, mergers/acquisitions, integration, product development, diversification or divestiture and globalization (if you recommend your company go global, you must include a supply chain analysis and an analysis of your firm’s global capabilities). 
o Explain how the recommendations will help the company achieve its strategy and vision. 
You are to write this report as though you are a consultant to your company, and are addressing the executive officers of this company. You will collect and analyze a large amount of data in producing your report, but your final product will be condensed and focus on presenting your analysis findings and conclusions.
Your report should consist of the following sections in the given order.
1. Executive summary (1 page): A concise and insightful summary of the significant findings of your analysis and the recommendations you have for your executive team. 
2. Strategic issues and recommendations (5 pages): Identify 5–7 most important strategic issues facing your business unit. Strategic issues arise from a mismatch between internal capabilities and external trends such that important opportunities are not being pursued or significant external threats are not being addressed under the current strategy. 
The strategic issues list should integrate your SWOT analysis, your Five Forces analysis, and the organizational assessment and external environmental scan completed earlier during the course. These detailed analyses are the foundation for your final set of findings and recommendations presented to the executive team.
In developing your recommendations for addressing each strategic issue, consider misalignments that might be apparent in different operating areas:
i. Product portfolio: Are there changes to the target market segment, value proposition, or positioning of the product or service line needed? 
ii. Structure: Are the organizational roles and responsibilities, decision-making authority, skill requirements, and work assignments properly configured and aligned to support the strategy? 
iii. Organizational culture or behavior: Does the organizational culture inspire behaviors that support the strategy? Are the mission, vision, and values clearly articulated and aligned with the strategy? What new behaviors are needed? 
iv. Value chain activities: Does the organization value chain fully align with the strategy? Are their activities that should be added, eliminated, or modified significantly? 
v. Performance measures: Do the organization’s performance measures focus on the key drivers of strategic success? Is there a strategy scorecard that ties the main elements of the strategy to specific operating capabilities, including goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) that give an indication of incremental or predictive progress toward reaching strategic goals? 
Your recommendations should fall into these general categories, but should be specific in terms of scope and expected impact.
These sections have been completed earlier in the course, and should appear as appendices:
3. SWOT analysis: SWOT matrix illustrating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. 
4. Balanced strategy scorecard: Develop a Balanced Scorecard for your business unit that reflects the key drivers for your business strategy. 
5. Organizational assessment 
6. External environmental scan and five-forces analysis (3 pages) 
7. Market position analysis (3 pages) 
Use information from your previous assignments to support your conclusions and recommendations and conduct additional research when needed. Make sure you properly reference and cite so that the location of information is clear.
Submit your 12-page report in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. 
Part II: Companion Presentation
Finalize the companion with a 10-slide Power Point Presentation that summarizes the audit and recommendations in a compelling manner that persuades senior management to explore and possibly implement your recommendations. The elements of the presentation should include the following:
• Title 
• Agenda 
• Summary of audit 
• Recommendations 
• Key measurements 
• Risks and benefits 
• Call to action 
• Next steps 
Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

These are discussions only and should only be about 3 or 4 paragraphs each

 

 

 

Discussion 1

 

If you have taken the time to review Herzberg’s work, you may have learned that people accept a job and stay on the job for different motivational reasons.  Job satisfaction is achieved through what Herzberg would categorize as motivational factors (such as personal growth, responsibility, the work itself, and opportunities for achievement, advancement, recognition and/or to make a positive difference) rather than hygiene factors (such as status, salary, job security, types of supervision, etc.).  

Using at least three comparison web examples from the industry you used to in your discussion one post this week  (this is attached), delineate a creative employee benefits plan designed to keep your best employees satisfied and motivated.  Remember to include all of the links, as well as references from the course text and other resources to support your rationale. 

 

Discussion 2

 

There are many issues affecting organizations today (such as employee retention, flexible work schedule, contingent workforce, talent management, work-life balance). Select one of these issues and discuss how it integrates to at least two of the functional areas of HRM that you have learned about (T & D, Recruiting/Selection, Performance/Evaluation, Compensation & Benefits, etc.). 

In your post, include at least three reasons why this issue is important to organizations.

 

Discussion 3

 

Now let us take a look at what it takes to put it all together. How do you manage human resources in a global technological environment? How can an organization be strategic with their most important resource – their people? Explain your answer. You must use at least two scholarly sources to support your discussion.