Assignment 1: Preparing for a Company-Wide Migration to Windows 8
Due Week 10 and worth 160 points

 

Crescent Manufacturing Inc. (CMI) is a luxury leader in crafted and customized home furnishings. The corporate headquarters and a production facility are located in Texas, with additional manufacturing facilities located in Nebraska and Maryland. 

 

There are 250 employees in the Texas location, 175 in Maryland, and 25 in Nebraska. All locations use Windows 7 as the primary client operating system. The systems at the Maryland location are over five (5) years old. CMI’s Information Technology (IT) department upgraded the computer systems with new hardware within the past year at all other company locations. These upgraded computer systems are capable of running Windows 8. CMI recently upgraded all of its servers to run Windows Server 2012 in an Active-Directory-based environment.

 

The Operations, Marketing, Administration, IT Support, and Finance departments are located in the Texas location. Nebraska is primarily a manufacturing location that is staffed by production line employees, a line supervisor, and a plant manager. The Maryland office also includes an operations component (i.e., production line employees, line supervisor, and plant manager), a small IT department, and the company’s human resources department. 

 

The current IT support staff comprises a seasoned group of individuals that collectively have over ten (10) years of experience in network administration and working with Microsoft operating systems. Many of the IT staff have recently completed training on the Windows 8 operating system and are well-versed in supporting Windows Server 2008 and 2012. The remainder of the company’s employees has only a basic knowledge of Windows 7 and relies on the company’s help desk to solve a majority of its computer problems. CMI has a team of 50 salespeople who use laptops and tablets while working from their home offices. These employees, who travel extensively with their laptops, must have their systems secured in case of loss or theft. The laptops, purchased over five (5) years ago, run the Windows 7 operating system. The tablets, used only by a subset of the sales staff, are iPads running iOS 7.

 

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is concerned about employees installing non-standard company applications downloaded from the Windows Store both while at work and when they have their devices at home. The CIO also wants to ensure that those persons on the IT staff are the only individuals authorized to update Windows Store apps. The CIO has an IT support staff of ten (10) employees and does not want to increase the number of applications that need to be supported via the company’s help desk. The help desk is currently staffed by three (3) employees from 8:00 a.m. − 5:00 p.m. (CST).

 

Hardware and software compatibility issues experienced during the upgrade to Windows 7 several years earlier resulted in the company going over budget by several thousands of dollars. The CFO stated that the reason for going over budget was directly related to problems with their business critical applications not being fully compatible with Windows 7. The applications are used by the Operations department to track inventory, schedule production runs, handle purchase orders, and track product shipments. Senior management wants to address software compatibility testing prior to moving the entire company to Windows 8. They are also concerned about the time it might take to migrate user settings and applications over to the new Windows 8 operating system, the time to train employees on using the new interface, the overall impact on the company’s help desk, and day-to-day operations.

 

The CIO and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) want more information before making the decision to upgrade to Windows 8 and have asked you to write a report that addresses their concerns and also includes your recommendations on how best to proceed, should the project be approved.

 

Write an eight to ten (8-10) page paper in which you:

 

1. Develop a SWOT analysis on the viability of upgrading to Windows 8 for the organization as a whole. 

 

2. Provide a detailed upgrade plan for the organization, including the sales staff. At a minimum:

 

a. Identify the number of systems, by location and / or departments that IT must replace with new or compatible hardware.

 

b. Recommend whether the organization should use a phased-in approach (i.e., upgrades are sequenced by departments and / or locations) or a flash-cut approach (i.e., all at once) in order to upgrade to Windows 8. If a phased-in approach is recommended, identify the departments and / or locations you would upgrade, and describe the preferred upgrade sequence. Support your recommendations.

 

c. Address the length of time in which the upgrade should occur, and identify the main issues which could impact the specified time frame.

 

d. Describe one (1) approach that IT could use in order to ensure that they thoroughly test business critical applications.

 

3. Describe three (3) best practices for securing the laptops and tablets for the sales staff after the upgrade is complete.

 

4. Examine the pros and cons of configuring AppLocker to standardize the software used by employees across the organization.

 

5. Explain the process and options available for managing application installations and updates via the Windows Store, and thus addressing the concerns voiced by the CIO. 

 

6. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. 

 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

 

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

 

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

 

• Demonstrate the ability to install and configure a client operating system, applications, and associated updates as well as designing a client operating system installation strategy.
• Validate and successfully install a computer client operating system.
• Demonstrate the ability to discuss the migration phases and considerations in a client operating system installation to include virtual machines and the cloud infrastructure.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply technology tools to monitor and configure applications and network performance.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in operating system environments.
• Write clearly and concisely about desktop administration and operating system topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions. 

 

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.

Article Critique: Talking Styles

Read “Shared talking styles herald new and lasting romance.” Then, visit the Language Style Matching website and, using sample written communication between you and another person, follow the directions on the website to retrieve your language style matching score. Write a two-page paper (excluding title and reference pages) about your thoughts on this article and your language style matching score. In your paper, be sure to address the following:

• Do you think the results provide by the Language Style Matching website are accurate? Why or why not?
• Do you believe that language style matching is a comprehensive way to predict the quality of interpersonal relationships?

Be sure to reference the article and at least one of your other course readings from this week in your paper. This can be your textbook or one of the recommended articles.The paper must be formatted according to APA style. Cite your resources in text and on the reference page. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar.

Directions: Answer the following questions on a separate document. Explain how you reached the answer 

or show your work if a mathematical calculation is needed, or both. Submit your assignment using the 

assignment link in the course shell. This homework assignment is worth 100 points.

Use the following information for Questions 1 through 5:

Assume you are presented with the following mutually exclusive investments whose expected net cash 

flows are as follows:

EXPECTED NET CASH FLOWS:

Year Project A Project B

0 −$400 −$650

1 −528 210

2 −219 210

3 −150 210

4 1,100 210

5 820 210

6 990 210

7 −325 210

1. Construct NPV profiles for Projects A and B.

2. What is each project’s IRR?

3. If each project’s cost of capital were 10%, which project, if either, should be selected? If the cost 

of capital were 17%, what would be the proper choice?

4. What is each project’s MIRR at the cost of capital of 10%? At 17%? (Hint: Consider Period 7 as 

the end of Project B’s life.)

5. What is the crossover rate, and what is its significance?

INSTRUCTIONS: To post, click on the Topic title to access the topic and then click the “Post New Thread” button. Part I: Select a fact about one of the authors this week that you found most interesting and tell us why. Part II: If you had to choose only one aspect of who you are that is predominant in your identity, what would it be? Why? With that in mind, what character could you best relate to this week? Part III: Select one of the works this week. Discuss how one of the characters defines him or herself. Take a look at another character in the same work. Does that character perceive that person the same way? How do their definitions differ? For instance, you may discuss how Mother defines herself and how her husband sees her. Be sure to support your response with cited evidence from the text. Submission Instructions: As with every “main” discussion post, please make comments substantive (in at least 300 words). Use quotations to support your points, but make sure to balance them with your own original ideas.

“Picture Bride” by Cathy Song in American Literature Since the Civil War

“Woman Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros in American Literature Since the Civil War

“Big Two-Hearted River: Part I and Part II” by Ernest Hemingway in American Literature Since the Civil War

“Two Postures beside a Fire” by James Wright in American Literature Since the Civil War

“El Patron” by Nash Candelaria in American Literature Since the Civil War

Mary Wilkins Freeman’s “The Revolt of Mother” from Short Stories for English Courses

Students, please view the “Submit a Clickable Rubric Assignment” in the Student Center.
Instructors, training on how to grade is within the Instructor Center.

Assignment 1: How Big Global Businesses Compare   

Select one (1) global industry, such as the automobile or cell phone industry. Next, use the Internet to research three (3) major international competitors within the chosen industry. Take note of manner in which the popular international business press (e.g., newspapers, magazines, e-zines, press releases, etc.) depicts the selected companies.

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Compare and contrast the three (3) models of culture. Next, select one (1) of the researched international competitors, and ascertain the model of culture that is most appropriate for the selected international competitor. Provide a rationale for your response.
2. Recommend the type of economic system that best relates to each of the researched international competitors. Predict three (3) potential effects of such an economic system on the societies in which the system is involved. Provide a rationale for your response.
3. Speculate on the major reasons why certain countries have lagged behind other countries in economic development. Recommend three (3) generic actions that the three (3) researched major competitors could take in order to encourage economic progress within these countries. Provide a rationale for your response.
4. Imagine that you have been given the opportunity to lead one (1) of the three (3) researched international competitors. Select one (1) company in which you are interested in leading, and provide a rationale for your choice. Propose the necessary major steps—including education, social development, community activities, bargaining skills, language skills, conflict management skills, etc.—that you would need to take in order to propel you from where you are today to a global leadership / management position at your chosen company.
5. Suggest two (2) global changes in expansion, technology, marketing, products, services, human resources, and customer service, etc., that you would make as CEO of the selected international organization from Question 4. Provide a rationale for your response.
6. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other similar websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Examine the management concepts in a global business including culture, ethics, and social responsibility.
• Examine the complexity of understanding new cultures and its impact to multinational management.
• Evaluate strategic management and participation strategies in a global business.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in global management.
• Write clearly and concisely about global management using proper writing mechanics.

Click here to view the grading rubric for this assignment.

Assignment 3: Final Project Annotated Bibliography

Craft a research question on the topic you selected in your first discussion question post. Then locate at least five articles from peer-reviewed journals that pertain to your question that will be used to write the introduction section of your research proposal.

Submit these five citations in the form of an APA-style reference page. Under each citation, write one paragraph summarizing the main points of the article. As you read your articles, keep the following questions at hand; these will help you generate the information about each article.

 

 

 

My topic is … Do Women make better eyewiness then men in court ?

What were the topic/research questions being investigated?

 

• How was the study conducted (participants, materials, procedure, etc.)?

 

• What did the results reveal?

 

• How might these methodological considerations affect the research findings and the conclusions drawn from them?

 

• How does this article fit in with your paper? How did it influence your own ideas about your paper?

Based on your reading of the literature, what do you expect to find?

Include a hypothesis and a title page for your submission.

 

Several years ago, the Major League Baseball players’ association went on strike in September, just before the World Series started. The players’ contracts expired at the beginning of the season (May), but they held off the strike until September when they would lose only one-sixth of their salaries. In contrast, a September strike would hurt the owners financially because they earn a larger portion of their revenue during the playoffs. As one player explained: “If we strike next spring, there’s nothing stopping [the club owners] from letting us go until next June or July because they don’t have that much at stake.”

 

 

 

Use your knowledge of the sources and contingencies of power to explain why the MLB baseball players’ association had more power in negotiations by walking out in September rather than March.

 

 

 

Cite the text to support your ideas in an essay with a minimum of 300 words in APA format.

 

 

 

Citation

 

MLB strike free … for 10 years and prospering. (2004, August 10). ESPN.com. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1856626

 

Longest strike in Major League Baseball history ends. (n.d.). History.com. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/longest-strike-in-major-league-baseball-history-ends

 

Staudohar, P. (1997, March 1). The Baseball Strike of 1994-95. . Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CDoQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstats.bls.gov%2FOPUB%2FMLR%2F1997%2F03%2Fart4full.pdf&ei=vDmeU6KlBo_woASJ2YHoDQ&usg=AFQjCNE1C1Hz7SagOHBBriuA7hAEjfALjw&bvm=bv.68911936,d.cGU

 

Bill of Rights

When the Constitution was completed in the summer of 1787, approval by representatives from nine of the thirteen states was needed for it to become the nation’s law. The issue of individual rights was managed—though this, too, created conflict among the Framers—with the addition of the Bill of Rights. Change was written into the supreme law of the land; since then, legal institutionalization of changes has occurred. Since the Constitution’s adoption, change has taken place through the amendment process identified in the Constitution. Change has also occurred under the direction of the branches of government established in the Constitution: the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary.

Research

The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Review the Bill of Rights in your textbook and select one of the first ten amendments to research more thoroughly. Using the Argosy University online library resources, select at least three peer-reviewed articles about the amendment you have selected. Look specifically for articles that focus on current events or controversies related to the amendment and be prepared to summarize the content of each article.

Annotated Bibliography

Prepare an annotated bibliography of your research. Please read Annotated Bibliography.pdf for an overview on annotated bibiographies. Click here for an example of what an annotated bibliography looks like. Include the following:

• For each article, write details such as the article title, author name, journal title, and publication date.
• Write a summary of each article in 200–250 words.
• Write the conclusions you have drawn from research and your opinion in 1–2 paragraphs.
• Write a reference list of the selected articles in APA style.

Write a 2–3-page annotated bibliography in Word format. Apply APA standards for writing style to your work

 

1.       SBA – Personality

 

Access stages of managing organizations at this link: http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html. Describe each stage as it relates to a new small business’s launch. Which stage do you feel is most important to a small business’s success? Why?

 

Are the chances of success for a small business dependent on the entrepreneur’s personality? What are basic competencies an entrepreneur needs for a successful business? Provide examples to support your answer.

 

2.       Entrepreneur Business

 

How may an entrepreneur determine a business venture’s success? Explain components of conducting a feasibility analysis. What element do you feel is most important? Provide examples to support your rationale.

 

Why is it important for an entrepreneur to develop a business plan? What key components must be included in a well-written business plan? Identify components you would include in a business plan for a start-up business. Do differences exist between business plans for start-up and existing businesses? If there are, what may be reasons for those differences?

 

One specialized type of security is called an equity futures. This is a contract that guarantees you a share of a particular company to be delivered to you not today, but sometime in the future, at a price that is determined by the market right now. This price is usually called the futures price of the stock (note – the term is plural – “futures”). If you ‘buy’ this futures, you don’t pay for the shares now. You are actually signing a contract whereby you are committed to pay that price in a particular date in the future, and you are guaranteed to receive one share of the company at that time, irrespective of its actual market price at that future date. Suppose for example that the futures price of the XYZ company is $40. Suppose you ‘buy’ a 6-months futures contract. If six months later the share price is $45, you gain $5 per share. If the market price in 6 months is only $35, then you lose $5.

Using the Yahoo Finance take a look at the five year chart for your reference company (the one you chose for SLP1). Using this chart and other information you can find on this company, write a paper answering the following question:

What do you think would the futures price of 100 shares of your reference company to be delivered to you in one year be right now?

 

COMPANY : ALL MARKETING SOLUTIONS, INC

 

2-3 pages APA Cited references