Demand / Demand trends –Industry Trends

The product concept of "Omelette in a cup" shares many of the same attributes of other instant meals, such as Ramen Noodles. These instant noodles are expected to exceed 154 billion packs by the year 2017.

With similar characteristics, Omelette in a cup will produce a profit because of environmental factors such as minimal cooking time, wide variety of taste and flavor profiles, and low cost of products. 

Other factors such as the globalization of food, progressively busier lifestyles, lesser meal cooking time at home and an increasing number of working women also add to the favorability of our product in the market. (Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA))

The top five countries who consume the most eggs, including China, Japan, adds up to 2.9 million tones (Euromonitor International). On an international level we would promote to these markets of consumers.

Omelette in a cup would also bode well with consumers if it promoted nutritional statistics. According to market research done by Canadean Ltd convenience in preparation and portability remain especially important selling chips in the breakfast foods market.

Additional Resources:

http://www.strategyr.com/Instant_Noodles_Market_Report.asp

http://www.prweb.com/releases/instant_noodles/instant_ramen/prweb9359054.htm

http://www.marketresearch.com/Food-Beverage-c84/Food-c167/Breakfast-Foods-c480/

Marketing Interview Within the Greek System

Background:  

Researchers sometimes ask consumers to draw pictures of how they are feeling or how they perceive an object or brand.  These consumer drawings can unlock feelings or perceptions that might not surface in traditional interviews.

Problem:  

University fraternities and sororities are experiencing declining enrollment.  In the last three years, persons wishing to “rush” fraternal organizations has decreased an average of 10% per year.

Assignment: 

 Identify a fellow student who is not enrolled in this class.  Provide the student a clean, white, 8.5 x 11” sheet of paper and ask him/her to draw a picture of a fraternity (if a male) or sorority (if a female) member.  You are not to provide them any additional instructions or comments and the person is free to draw any picture they like.  The pictures may include color, writing, or anything the person feels is necessary to best describe a fraternity/sorority member.  Once the picture is completed, ask the person to turn the paper over and complete the following sentences in their own words:

1. Louisiana Tech Fraternities and Sororities are ______________________.

 Places to party and meet people in the university and local area__  Nationally recognized__  Where popular and sociable gather__  

1. People who join fraternities and sororities at Louisiana Tech are ________.

Looking for friends and to fit it__  Have money__  Have family ties or friends__ 

1. I believe fraternities and sororities should __________________________.
   
   Do more volunteer work/ give back to the community__  Avoid deaths/hazing__  ultimately be responsible___  Help in academics

Be sure that you complete the assignment in the order given above (the picture MUST be first, followed by the sentence completion test).

Turn In For Individual Assignment Grade:

Write a short memo summarizing your respondent’s feelings and perceptions about fraternities and sororities on campus (*Must be typed).  You may draw conclusions from their pictures, written comments, or any other body language or verbal comments made to you during your test.  Turn in your summary memo and the test paper (picture with written comments on back).

The respondent had a fairly knowledgeable understanding of the Greek system because he had once been a member of a fraternity and is an upperclassman.

The respondent emphasized fraternities and sororities  need to be responsible and avoid hazing as much as possible, while critics need to understand the importance of each individual frats history and 

-- 

Outdoor Exercise Survey Questionnaire

    
This is a survey being done by your student government association.  Please answer each question.

 1.    Do you exercise regularly?

____ Yes (1)    ____ No (2) (If no, please skip to question #9)

 2.    About how many hours do you exercise in an average week?  _______

3.    About how many days per week do you typically exercise?  _______

 4.    On a typical Saturday, do you exercise mainly . . . (check only one).
___ In the morning    (1)
___ In the afternoon    (2)
___ In the evening    (3)
___ Throughout the day    (4)
___ Usually don't exercise (5)


 5.    According to your preferences, please rate the following types of activities on a scale of 1 to 7; with 7 being "Like Very Much" and 1 being "Do Not Like At All."
   Do Not Like         Like Very
       At All            Much
a.    Playing golf    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
b.    Walking    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
c.    Dancing    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
d.    Skating    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
e.    Swimming    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
f.    Playing basketball    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
g.    Playing tennis    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
h.    Playing volleyball    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
k.    Running / Jogging    1    2    3    4    5    6    7


 6.    Using the following scale, please indicate to what extent you typically exercise at the following locations.
           Not                Quite
At All    Occasionally    Often    Often    Always
(1)    (2)    (3)    (4)    (5)
a.    Intramural center    ___    ___    ___    ___    ___
b.    Home    ___    ___    ___    ___    ___
c.    Health club     ___    ___    ___    ___    ___



7.    Select the one reason below which best describes why you exercise (check only one).
___ I enjoy it. It makes me feel good.        (1)
___ I want to lose weight.            (2)
___ I exercise with friends.               (3)
___ I have to exercise.  I don’t have a choice.        (4)

8.    What is your classification?
___ Freshman    (1)
___ Sophomore    (2)
___ Junior    (3)
___ Senior    (4)
___ Other    (5)

9.    For how many hours are you currently enrolled at the university? _______

10.    For approximately how many hours a week do you work?
___ Do not work    (1)
___ Less than 10    (2)
___ 10-15    (3)
___ 16-25    (4)
___ 26-40    (5)
___ More than 40    (6)

11.    Do you belong to a social fraternity or sorority?
___ Yes    (1)
___ No     (2)

12.    What is your GPA? _____

13.    What is your gender?
___ Male    (1)
___ Female    (2)

14.    What is your age? _____

15.    Where do you live?  (Check only one)
___ At home with parents        (1)
___ In a rented apartment or house    (2)
___ In a dorm        (3)
___ In a fraternity/sorority house    (4)   
___ Somewhere else        (5)

Thanks for your help in the survey.

Marketing 482 - Final Take Home Exam            Name:________________________

Using the data set provided and the Exercise survey (exercise.sav), answer the following questions using SPSS.  For each question, submit the following:
A statement identifying the statistical analysis technique used
A reason why you chose the particular analysis (Hint:  reason for test and measurement)
An interpretation of the findings
Printouts of the SPSS output
For the purposes of this exam, use a 95% confidence interval for all statistical tests and computations.  You may want to begin by familiarizing yourself with the questionnaire and by identifying the level of measurement (i.e., type of scale) used for each question.  Keep in mind that the type of measurement will determine the type of analysis that is appropriate.

What is the demographic profile of the sample?  Include sex, age, student classification, enrollment status, job status, and type of residence.
Estimate the population parameters for the following:
How many hours per week do students exercise?
How many days per week do students exercise?
Among those students who exercise, what types of activities are preferred?
Test these hypotheses.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of students exercise regularly
Students will “like very much” to play golf, dance and skate.
Is there a difference between the various reasons students choose to exercise in:
How many hours he/she exercises in an average week?
How many days per week he/she exercises?
Is there a difference in the frequency of where students choose to exercise? (i.e., is there a difference between students choosing to exercise at the Intramural center compared to Home?  Is there a difference between Home and a Health Club? Is there a difference between the Intramural center and a Health club?)
Is students’ reason for exercising related to:
Gender?
Greek Status?
Location of Residence?

Is there a difference between males and females in the number of hours they exercise in an average week? Is there a difference between greeks and non-greeks in the number of days per week that they exercise?
Are students’ preferences for various activities related?
Can you predict how many hours per week a student exercises based on their preference for enjoying to run or jog?  What is the confidence interval for students who “like very much” to run or jog?
Can you predict how many days per week students will exercise based on how many hours in an average week that they exercise? What is the confidence interval for students who exercise 3 hours per week?

Retail Organization Chapter definitions, test, answers study

End of Chapter Definitions

Test Review

Retail Organization – How a firm structures and assigns tasks, policies, resources, authority,

responsibilities, and rewards so as to efficiently and effectively satisfy the needs of its target market,

employees, and management.

Hierarchy of Authority – Outlines the job interactions within a company by describing the reporting

relationships among employees. Coordination and control are provided.

Organization Chart – Graphically displays the hierarchical relationships within a firm.

Mazur Plan – Divides all retail activities into four functional areas: merchandising, publicity, store

management, and accounting and control.

Equal Store Organization – Centralizes the buying function. Branch stores become sales units with

equal operational status.

Diversified Retailer – Multiline firm with central ownership. It is also known as a retail conglomerate.

Human Resource Management – Recruiting, selecting, training, compensating, and supervising

personnel in a manner consistent with the retailer's organization structure and strategy mix.

Human Resource Management Process – Consists of these interrelated activities: recruitment,

selection, training, compensation, and supervision. The goals are to obtain, develop, and retain

employees.

Recruitment – Activity whereby a retailer generates a list of job applicants.

Job Analysis – Consists of gathering information about each job's functions and requirements: duties,

responsibilities, aptitude, interest, education, experience, and physical tasks.

Traditional Job Description – Contains each position's title, supervisory relationships (superior and

subordinate), committee assignments, and the specific ongoing roles and tasks.

Goal-Oriented Job Description – Enumerates a position's basic functions, the relationship of each job

to overall goals, the interdependence of positions, and information flows.

Application Blank – Usually the first tool used to screen applicants. It provides data on education,

experience, health, reasons for leaving prior jobs, outside activities, hobbies, and references.

Weighted Application Blank – Form whereby criteria best correlating with job success get more

weight than others. A minimum total score becomes a cutoff point for hiring.

Pre-Training – Indoctrination on the history and policies of the retailer and a job orientation on hours,

compensation, the chain of command, and job duties.

Training Programs – Used to teach new (and existing) personnel how best to perform their jobs or

how to improve themselves.

Compensation – Includes direct monetary payments to employees (such as salaries, commissions, and

bonuses) and indirect payments (such as paid vacations, health and life insurance benefits, and

retirement plans).

Supervision – Manner of providing a job environment that encourages employee accomplishment.

Job Motivation – Drive within people to attain work-related goals.

Practice Test

Question 1. Which of the following is not a job classification method?

Functional

Product

Associated

Combination

Question 2. The job classification method that divides jobs on a goods or service basis is

functional.

product.

associated.

combination.

Question 3. Which job classification method is usually used by large retailers?

Functional

Product

Associated

Combination

Question 4. An organization with several levels of managers that is characterized by close

supervision and with fewer workers reporting to each manager is called a

tall organization.

flat organization.

geographic classification.

span of control.

Question 5. Which of the following statements about organizational arrangements used by small

independent retailers is false?

Small retailers generally have little specialization.

Small independent retailers have fewer activities to perform than other types of retailers.

The owner-manager personally runs the business and oversees employees.

Small independent retailers have no branch units.

Question 6. Which is not a functional area included in the Mazur plan?

Merchandising

Strategic planning

Publicity

Accounting and control

Question 7. Under the Mazur plan, the individual with complete accountability for controlling

expenses and reaching profit goals within his or her department is the

general manager.

merchandising manager.

divisional manager.

buyer.

Question 8. The department store organizational plan in which most authority remains at the

headquarters location is the

Mazur plan.

main store control.

separate store.

equal store.

Question 9. The department store organizational plan which tries to achieve the benefits of both

centralization and decentralization is the

Mazur plan.

main store control.

separate store.

equal store.

Question 10. Which is not generally a characteristic of the organizational pattern of a chain store?

Many functional divisions

Centralized authority and responsibility

The use of a simple control system

Standardization of many operations

Question 11. Which is not part of the special human resource environment faced by retailers?

Inexperienced workers

Few part-time workers

Long hours

Variable customer demand

Question 12. Job analysis is used in which of the following personnel activities?

Personnel selection

Recruitment

Training

Supervision

Question 13. Which selection tool enumerates basic functions, the relationship of each job to overall

goals, the interdependence of positions, and information flows?

Application blank

Weighted application blank

Goal-oriented job description

Traditional job description

Question 14. Usually, the first tool used by a retailer to screen applicants is the

personal interview.

application blank.

psychological test.

pre-training session.

Question 15. The training method that places trainees into real-life situations and has them act out

conflicts is

lecture.

case study.

competency-based instruction.

role playing.

Question 16. The training method that uses extensive interaction and is good for supervisors as a tool

for understanding employees is

sensitivity training.

conference.

behavior modeling.

demonstration.

Question 17. Which form of compensation is an indirect payment?

Salary

Straight commission

Retirement plans

Bonus

Question 18. In which form of compensation are earnings directly tied to productivity?

Salary

Straight commission

Salary plus commission

Compensation cafeteria

Question 19. Executives choose their own combination of salary, bonus, fringe benefits, stock

options, and retirement benefits through which system?

Salary

Straight commission

Salary plus commission

Compensation cafeteria

Question 20. Which of the following is an example of a desired goal?

A safe work environment

Employee empowerment in his/her area of work

Fair compensation

Basic fringe benefits

Question 21. The retailer must perform all the tasks of retailing.

True || False

Question 22. The product classification method of categorizing jobs recognizes that differences exist

in the personnel requirements for different products.

True || False

Question 23. A firm with a large number of subordinates reporting to one supervisor has a tall

organization. True || False

Question 24. A firm with a tall organization structure can handle problems quicker than one with a

flat organization.bTrue || False

Question 25. An independent retailer has a much simpler organization than a chain retailer.

True || False

Question 26. Many small retailers use organizational arrangements that are a modification of the

Mazur plan. True || False

Question 27. The basic Mazur plan groups all retail activities into one functional area. True || False

Question 28. The equal-store organization is a popular arrangement today for chain retailers.

True || False

Question 29. Human resource management is required of all retailers. True || False

Question 30. Labor costs can amount to over 50 percent or more of a retailer's operating expenses.

True || False

Question 31. The special human resource environment complicate employee hiring, staffing, and

supervision. True || False

Question 32. Retailers often rely on employee recommendations or advertisements to recruit entry-

level personnel.

True || False

Question 33. During recruitment, a retailer's major goal is to generate a list of three to five qualified

applicants.

True || False

Question 34. Job analysis is used for selecting personnel, establishing performance standards, and

assigning salaries.

True || False

Question 35. A traditional job description enumerates the relationship of each job to overall goals.

True || False

Question 36. An application blank should be used in conjunction with a job description.

True || False

Question 37. The training programs used by retailers should be geared only to new employees.

True || False

Question 38. The training method characterized by no active participation by trainees is the case study

method.

True || False

Question 39. With a straight commission plan, employee earnings are directly tied to productivity.

True || False

Question 40. A motivated employee requires fulfillment of both minimum expectations

("dissatisfiers") and desired goals ("satisfiers").

True || False

Question 41. A retailer should carry out a task only if it is desired by the __________.

retailer's management

target market

current customers

retailer's board

Question 42. In a _____ classification, jobs are divided among areas such as sales promotion, buying,

classification is useful for chains operating in different areas.and store operations; a _____ classification divides jobs on a goods or service basis; and a ______

product, functional, geographic

structural, functional, geographic

functional, product, geographic

functional, tall, diversified

Question 43. The ________________ outlines the job interactions within a company by describing

the reporting relationships among employees.

informational organization structure

mother hen organization

division of labor

hierarchy of authority

Question 44. The basic Mazur plan divides all retail activities into four functional areas: _____,

_____, __________, and ____________.

merchandising, publicity, store management, accounting/control

merchandising, buying, store management, accounting/control

buying, selling, store operations, accounting/control

buying, merchandising, store operations, financial/accounting

Question 45. The buying organization in which department stores try to achieve the benefits of both

centralization and decentralization is the _______________.

main store control

diversified store organization

separate store organization

equal store organization

Question 46. A _________ is a multi-line firm operating under central ownership.

department store

chain retailer

diversified retailer

public retailer

Question 47. _______________ involves recruiting, selecting, training, compensating, and

supervising personnel in a manner consistent with the retailer's organization structure and strategy mix.

Retail labor relations

Human resource management

Retail management recruitment

Retail personnel motivation

Question 48. While a _______________ contains each position's title, relationships, and the specific

roles and tasks to be performed on an ongoing basis, a(n) _____________________ enumerates basic

functions, the relationship of each job to overall goals, the interdependence of positions, and

information flows.

formal job description, informal-based job description

traditional job description, goal-oriented job description

structured job description, unstructured-based job description

concurrent job description, static-type job description

Question 49. __________ is an indoctrination on the history and policies of the retailer and a job

orientation on the hours, compensation, chain of command and job duties.

Pre-training

Skill training

Human relations

Corporate culture

Question 50. The training method which entails presenting an actual or hypothetical problem and

learning by doing is __________.

live demonstration

sensitivity training

case study

programmed instruction

Question 51. Compensation includes both __________ payments (such as salaries, commissions, and

bonuses) and _____ payments (such as paid vacations, health and life insurance benefits, and

retirement plans).

straight salary, incentive

straight salary, fringe

direct salary, bonus

direct monetary, indirect

Question 52. With a _________ plan, a worker is paid a fixed amount per hour, week, month, or year.

combination compensation

collective bargaining

straight salary

straight commission

Question 53. _____ is the manner of providing a job environment that encourages employee

accomplishment.

Supervision

Motivation

Compensation

Satisfaction

Question 54. __________ is the drive within people to attain work-related goals.

Job enrichment

Job compensation

Job satisfaction

Job motivation

Question 55. ________ relate(s) more to the job environment.

Minimum expectations

Desired goals

Job compensation

Job motivation

Answer Score

Now for the following answers for the questions #1-#55. Question 1. Associated

Question 2. product.

Question 3. Combination

Question 4. tall organization.

Question 5. Small independent retailers have fewer activities to perform than other types of retailers.

Question 6. Strategic planning

Question 7. buyer.

Question 8. main store control.

Question 9. equal store.

Question 10. The use of a simple control system

Question 11. Which is not part of the special human resource environment faced by retailers?

Few part-time workers

Question 12. Personnel selection

Question 13. Goal-oriented job description

Usually, the first tool used by a retailer to screen applicants is the application blank.

The training method that places trainees into real-life situations and has them act out conflicts is

role playing.

The training method that uses extensive interaction and is good for supervisors as a tool for

understanding employees is sensitivity training.

Which form of compensation is an indirect payment? Retirement plans

In which form of compensation are earnings directly tied to productivity? Straight commission

Executives choose their own combination of salary, bonus, fringe benefits, stock options, and

retirement benefits through which system? Compensation cafeteria

Which of the following is an example of a desired goal? Employee empowerment in his/her

area of work

The retailer must perform all the tasks of retailing.  False

The product classification method of categorizing jobs recognizes that differences exist in the

personnel requirements for different products.  True

A firm with a large number of subordinates reporting to one supervisor has a tall organization.  False

A firm with a tall organization structure can handle problems quicker than one with a flat

organization. False

An independent retailer has a much simpler organization than a chain retailer.  True

Many small retailers use organizational arrangements that are a modification of the Mazur plan.

False

The basic Mazur plan groups all retail activities into one functional area. False

The equal-store organization is a popular arrangement today for chain retailers.

True

Human resource management is required of all retailers. True

Labor costs can amount to over 50 percent or more of a retailer's operating expenses. True

The special human resource environment complicate employee hiring, staffing, and

supervision. True

Retailers often rely on employee recommendations or advertisements to recruit

entry-level personnel.

True

During recruitment, a retailer's major goal is to generate a list of three to five qualified

applicants.

False

Job analysis is used for selecting personnel, establishing performance standards, and

assigning salaries.

True

A traditional job description enumerates the relationship of each job to overall goals.

False

An application blank should be used in conjunction with a job description.

True

The training programs used by retailers should be geared only to new employees.

False

The training method characterized by no active participation by trainees is the case study

method. False

With a straight commission plan, employee earnings are directly tied to productivity.

True

A motivated employee requires fulfillment of both minimum expectations ("dissatisfiers") and

desired goals ("satisfiers"). True

A retailer should carry out a task only if it is desired by the target market.

In a functional classification, jobs are divided among areas such as sales promotion, buying, and

store operations; a product classification divides jobs on a goods or service basis; and a geographic

classification is useful for chains operating in different areas.

The hierarchy of authority outlines the job interactions within a company by describing the

reporting relationships among employees.

The basic Mazur plan divides all retail activities into four functional areas: merchandising, publicity,

store management, and accounting/control.

The buying organization in which department stores try to achieve the benefits of both

centralization and decentralization is the equal store organization.

A diversified retailer is a multi-line firm operating under central ownership.

Human resource management involves recruiting, selecting, training, compensating, and supervising personnel in a manner consistent with the retailer's organization structure and strategy mix.

While a traditional job description contains each position's title, relationships, and the specific roles and tasks to be performed on an ongoing basis, a(n) goal-oriented job description enumerates basic functions, the relationship of each job to overall goals, the interdependence of positions, and

information flows. 

Pre-training is an indoctrination on the history and policies of the retailer and a job orientation

on the hours, compensation, chain of command and job duties.

The training method which entails presenting an actual or hypothetical problem and learning by

doing is case study.

Compensation includes both direct monetary payments (such as salaries, commissions, and

bonuses) and indirect payments (such as paid vacations, health and life insurance benefits, and

retirement plans).

With a straight salary plan, a worker is paid a fixed amount per hour, week, month, or year.

Supervision is the manner of providing a job environment that encourages employee

accomplishment.

Job motivation is the drive within people to attain work-related goals.

Desired goals relate(s) more to the job environment. 

Memo to the President of a local business

Old Oak Furniture has recently been under new management and she does not fully understand the company’s policy yet. As the grandson of founder of the great company I will do everything in my power to make sure this does not happen again. At Old Oak Furniture will appreciate your business and would like to continue to do business with your company. Will do hope you understand the difficulties we are facing at this time and hope you all will continue to do business with us. I do understand the unfair treat that was given on our part and plan to make up for that.

 We do want you to understand that it was a mistake that you were asked to bid on a specific quantity by a set date. That dates are not the most important part of a deal when working with supplier. That the relationship with your company is far more important that saving $75 dollars. We do understand that just going with the lowest bid will hurt the company in the long run. I hope that this mistake has not ruined our good business relationship.

Petula’s memo to the president should explain the new way of purchasing and dealing with buyers. She should ask the president if he wants her to continue to enforce the company policy of taking the lowest bid from suppliers no matter who the supplier or if forming and keeping good supplier relationships is more important. Petula as the manager should show the president that her new aggressive approach is working for the company and helping with sales.

Expenditures for purchased materials had remained constant while production and sales had risen by 6 percent. This shows that the way Petula has decided to conduct business is paying off. The president needs to make it plain in the company policy for the future if he wants supplier relationship to be important when making a purchase. He needs to explain in detail what steps should be taken to discuss bids with suppliers instead of just taken the lowest at the time because that may not pay off in the long run.

Petula should ensure the president that she has been doing this job for years and she knows what she is doing. She should make the president feel at ease with her decision making and assure him that she is capable of doing her job.

2 Special Marketing Events

The 1st Event

My marketing event deals with a car dealership that I was at in Texas a while back. I was helping my cousin find a car with no luck. One of the car salesman finally walked up and began telling us about all the cars. We got to a car that my cousin was particularly fond of, but she did not like the price. The salesman performed a trick that he had planned before we even got there. The car was originally 16,999, but before we got there he flipped the 6 to look like a 9, so it read 19,999. When she was deciding on whether she wanted to pay the price, the salesman flipped over the 9 back to a 6. The deal supposedly looked really good, but he didn’t change the price at all. She ended purchasing the car due to the magic trick that the salesman pulled.

The 2nd Marketing Event

My marketing event entails a concert that will be going on tomorrow night, Friday, September 28, 2012. I was listening to 104.1, a popular country radio station around here, one morning and they were talking about Chris Young, a famous country singer, was going to be playing at Rabb’s Steakhouse on Friday. I actually had forgotten about it the first time that I heard about it, but almost every local country radio station was discussing this concert. So after Chris Young’s band manager’s marketing strategy of letting everyone in the local area know about the concert, I will be attending the event and it will probably be sold out.

Percent Worksheet

The Facts about Percents

Huascar goes to the store to buy a new i-pod. The original price is $250.00 but they are 13% off. How much is the same price?	What is 30% of 120?
Stephanie paid $48.00 for a jacket that was on sale for 20% off. What was the original price?	What percent of 60 is 25?

Personal Evaluation for Computer Information Systems Online

Tell us why you decided to go into your chosen field of study, and how your education reinforced your desire to be a systems analysis for Caterpillar. How do these factors translate into benefits for us should we desire to hire you?

For as long as I can remember, computers have been a pivotal part of my life. Growing up in the era that I did computers were widely used and even began to appear in homes when I was a child. I was immediately fascinated with not just the computer but how it functioned and what its capabilities were. So as you can imagine, this passion has been instilled in me from childhood and it became very clear that I wanted to work in the field with computers from a very early age. In high school, after basically teaching a web development class the administration built a team to have the website of the school established. The four of us were responsible for everything pertaining to the website including design, function, and maintenance year after year. Upon attending an online university for a degree program, I honestly was not sure of what I wanted to pursue as a career. Computers were always a part of my life and I just was not sure that they were my passion. My major from day one has been Computer Information Systems and has been very educational and informative but I just was not sure what I wanted to do. Then a very endowed professor recommended me to an Information Security class and that’s when it became very clear that this is what I was meant to do.

During my time here at Louisiana Tech University there have been many situations that have helped reassure my decision in becoming a systems analyst for a major company. One of which was the professors, I always knew I had a strong love and passion for computers but after immersing into my curriculum, I began to increase knowledge and broaden my perspective which allowed me to reinforce this passion.

While working at a local restaurant, 102 K Bistro, I began to hone my oral communication skills. I quickly became the head Sushi Chef which helped me become the man I am today. While rolling Sushi I was at an “action station” which means I have daily interactment with the customers. During the two years of working for the Bistro during my undergrad, they asked me for help maintaining the information system. I replaced the outdated system and replaced it with an existing system which is still running today. After replacing the system, I continued to test, maintain, and improve the system and it became something that I took pride in.

I am a Delti Chi Alumni and the experience within the fraternity taught me a lot of things. I was also a member of the Catholic Christian Ministry which was also very educational. Life within the fraternity taught me how to have courage and convictions to defend the opinions of myself and others. The two memberships also taught me how to work well on a team, how to assign and complete roles and tasks. The last four years in Computer Information Systems have been challenging and very rewarding. I have already been able to implement the skills that I learned while attending Online School University. Looking back to when I was an incoming freshman, I had no clue I would find something I was so passionate about for my future. After having one of the absolute best college experiences by being involved in campus organizations, I know that I am competent with leadership and communication skills. These same leadership and communication skills will assist me in the road to becoming a Systems Analyst in the near future.

Bryant, Mathew

Supply Chain Management Personal Evaluation for BUSN 420

Tell us, why you decided to go into your chosen field of study, and how your education reinforced your desire to be a Supply Chain Management Major. How do these factors translate into benefits for us should we desire to hire you?

Growing up as a kid I always prevailed in math. I enjoy using numbers and coming up with different equations to solve situations. Every new equation brought to my attention by my teachers was always a challenge. The butterflies I get in my stomach when I’m working a problem and I finally get the solution before any of my other classmates thrilled me. Once I got to high school, I just knew I was going to be a mathematics major in college, so I chose Finance as my goal major my freshmen year in high school. I joined a club, Future Manager Leaders of America the same year. My advisor, Mr. Connor, asked me did I want to compete in any categories that the club offered. I told him sure is there anything I can do involving math, and he said yes try accounting. I studied all year to prepare for the competition in March. All my studying paid off, I got first place at the district competition, and made it to state. However, I did not place in the state competition, but I realized that I really liked accounting. I took the dual enrollment Accounting class for college my junior year in high school and completed the course with an A. Upon graduating, I chose Accounting as my major in the Business College at Auburn.

My first year at Auburn, I took Managerial Accounting and I loved it, I just knew this is what I was going to do and I was not changing my major. My accounting advisor, Dr. Stevens the best! She made me so interested in my major, I looked forward to taking all the different levels of accounting, until I took intermediate accounting. We had a project called System Understanding Aid that gave you a real world experience as an accountant. This is when I realize being an accountant was not what I really wanted to do. Thus, I had to reevaluate my skills, and the things I was good at to figure out what major I wanted to change to. In high school I was always good at managing/being a leader. I was the captain of my basketball team from 6^th grade until 9^th grade. My junior year in high school, I was the leader of my Business Financial Plan in FBLA, and I became President my senior year. I was the basketball manager for our boys basketball team my junior and senior year. So, I was really good at being a leader and managing a team. Dr. Stevens advised me to look into the Supply Chain Management major and I did. I decided this is what I was destined to do.

I got a job at a book store called School Book Rentals, Inc. in Alabama right by Auburn. My uncle is the store manager so she hired me right off the back. She allowed me to apply my management skills to my job for her. I had to keep up with all the student records who rented books from us. Before each semester or quarter began, I had to do inventory on each book, order more books and different books needed for classes for that semester/quarter, and call people that still had not turned their books in from the previous quarter/semester. Some days, I had to open up the store and run the store for that day by myself, dealing with 20-50 students a day. It gave me a lot of experience and I appreciated her helping me with that.

I have grown to love being a supply chain major, and I know this is the career field I want to be in. Having the opportunity to actually run and manage a business for 2 different colleges is a very tactful job, but I appreciated every minute of it. It helped me better myself as a person and as a candidate for a job other than one with family. The combination of my skills and personality would make a great assets to the company, and I look forward to learning and creating new things with the company.

Introduction to the Planners Lab CIS510

               Successful financial planning is a core critical success factor for every organization. The Planners Lab (PL) is not solely for financial planning, but that is its primary focus. Example applications include strategic planning, financial planning, capital budgeting, balanced scorecards, project investment analysis, merger and acquisition analysis and sales forecasting. This document provides an introduction to the basic features of the Planners Lab and assumes no prior knowledge of this software.

The basic components of the Planners Lab (PL) are (1) an algebraically-oriented model-building language and (2) easy to use options for visualizing model output and answers to what-if and goal-seek questions; that is, to analyze results of changes in assumptions. The combination of these components allows business managers and analysts to build, review and manipulate the assumptions that underlie a decision making scenario.

To illustrate, let’s keep things simple and assume that the company is a small store that sells only one kind of notebook computer. Its price in 2007 was $1350.00 and 300 units were sold. We will build a PL model to make financial plans for this company through 2012.

When you launch the Planners Lab, you get a screen like that in Figure 1. Models are written in an algebraic-like language and may be written in the native language of the user. Models are arranged into hierarchically organized nodes shown in the left window. Node names are defined by the user and are initially blank. The model we will use will have three nodes: Revenue, Expenses and Profit. To create the Revenue node in the leftmost window, single click new node 1, then double click and type Revenue to name the node. To add a node, click Model Design so the node goes under its level (the same level as the Revenue node) and click the Add button at the bottom of the screen. Then name this node Expenses as before. Repeat to add the Profit node.

Figure 1. Initial screen for entering a new Planners Lab model.

Nodes are initially blank, like the cells in a new Excel spreadsheet would be. The user must define the equations in the model. The equations for Revenue are shown below and in the large window on the right, in the screen shot in Figure 2. These have been typed in by the user (although you can copy them from a word processing document and paste them into a PL node). The narrow window at the top right indicates that the columns are to cover years 2007 through 2012. The default is 2008 to 2010, but these have been changed by the user. Line 1 in the model indicates that Sales Price starts out at 1350 in 2007 and the phrase PREVIOUS * Inflation Rate means that prices in subsequent years will be the previous year’s price times the inflation rate.

1. Sales Price = 1350, PREVIOUS * (1.0 + Inflation Rate)
2. Units Sold = 300, PREVIOUS * (1.0 + Sales Growth Rate)
3. Total Revenue = Units Sold * Sales Price
4. Sales Growth Rate = TRIRAND(-0.05, 0.10, 0.15)
5. Inflation Rate = 0.05

Figure 2. Equations in the Revenue node.

The inflation rate is set to 0.05 in line 5. It is assumed to be that for all the years in the model. Similarly, Units Sold starts at 300 and increases by the Sales Growth Rate. In line 4, Sales Growth Rate is defined to be a random variable with a triangular distribution with values ranging from -5.0% to +15% with an expected value of 10%. Normally distributed variables are also supported.

Here are the equations in the Expense node (which is not shown):

1. Unit Sales Expense = 100, PREVIOUS * 1.10
2. Unit Cost = 1000, PREVIOUS * (1.0 + Inflation Rate IN Revenue)
3. Total Cost = (Unit Sales Expense + Unit Cost) * Units Sold IN Revenue

The only thing new here is use of the IN keyword in line 2 to indicate that the variable Inflation Rate is found IN the Revenue node. Planners Lab keywords are always in all capital letters. Variable names are case sensitive so, for example, Unit Cost is not the same as Unit cost. To complete the model here are the equations in the Profit node:

1. Net Profit = Total Revenue IN Revenue - Total Cost IN Expenses
2. Net Profit After Taxes = 0.80 * Net Profit

For visualizing model output, the PL provides a ready ability for managers to “play” with assumptions that reflect alternative views of the future in an engaging, visual manner. To view output and perform What If analysis, the user clicks on the Playground button in the bottom right of the screen. Output can be viewed in tabular form similar to that of spreadsheets (Figure 3). The table is originally blank and is populated by clicking on a node in the left window, a list of the variables in the node appears in a pop-up window and some or all of the variables may be selected and dragged onto the table. All the variables in the model have been dragged to the table in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Tabular display of all the variables in the model.

A more engaging, “imagistic“ view with trend lines for Net Profit After Taxes, Sales Growth Rate and Unit Sales Expense is shown in Figure 4. Net profit is a goal variable in this scenario and Sales Growth Rate and Unit Sales Expense are What If variables. Goal variables do NOT appear on the right hand side of any equation in the model, What If variablesl do. Notice that the expected value is used for the random variable Sales Growth Rate. Randomness is treated with risk analysis as described later.

Figure 4. Trend lines for Net Profit After Taxes, Sales Growth Rate and Unit Sales Expenses.

It’s a trivial matter to create line charts and other graphs. The window above the line charts in Figure 4 shows icons for the various charts that are currently available in the Planners Lab. From left to right, the icons represent charts for goal variable trend lines, goal variable bar charts, tables (which may contain either goals or What If variables), then 3 icons with question marks (?) on them for What If trend lines, bar charts and tables, respectively.

To create a chart simply drag the icon onto the display window (stage) and a blank chart pops up. Then click the desired node on the Model Tree (which has been closed in Figures 4 to make room for the display), and a list of variables pops up from which you select the variables desired and drag them to the chart. The system automatically chooses scales for the charts.

To perform a sensitivity analysis, you may grab a What If trend line with the pointer and drag it to a desired point, and the lines for the Goal variables will change accordingly. In Figure 5, the user has moved the line for Sales Growth Rate to a point representing 15% growth and Unit Sales Expense levels off at 128 in 2008 and beyond. It may be difficult to see in the screen print in Figure 5, but the pointer has been placed on the point for 2010 on the Net Profit After Taxes line and the small pop-up window above indicates that the base value with the original assumptions was 120,818, and with the new assumptions is 165,005.

Figure 5. Effects on Net Profit After Taxes of expected Sales Growth Rate Increasing to 15% and lower Unit Sales Expenses.

The next three icons in the chart window list that have circular target-like rings on them are for goal-seeking charts. In goal seeking, one variable is chosen as the target and another as the What If variable that will change. The difference is that the line for the target variable is manipulated in goal seeking and the What If variable changes in response to it. In Figure 6, Total Revenue has been chosen as the target variable in the chart on the left. Sales Growth Rate is the What If variable on the right. This scenario assumes that we would like to achieve sales of about 1.1 million by 2012, and the What If chart shows that the Sales Growth Rate would have to be about 21% to achieve that goal. Only one What If variable may be active at any given time in goal seeking.

Figure 6. Goal seeking with Total Revenue as the Target and Sales Growth Rate as the What If variable.

The next icon in the Chart Menu is for an Impact Analyis, which shows the impact of proportional changes in several What If variables on one selected target variable. In an impact analysis, all variables change by the same perctange. Figure 7 shows an Impact Analysis of the effects of a 10% change in Sales Growth Rate, Inflation Rate and Unit Sales Expense on Net Profit After Taxes. The vertical slider bar on the right is used to select the percent change, and the horizontal slider bar at the bottom is used to select the time period. The pointer was over the bar for Unit Sales Expense when this screen shot was taken and the pop-up window above the bar indicates that a 10% increase in Unit Sales Expense results in Net Profit After Taxes dropping from 120,000 to 111,774 (5.64%) drop in Net Profit After Taxes in 2012.

Figure 7. An Impact Analysis of the effects of a 10% change in Sales Growth Rate, Inflation Rate and Unit Sales Expense on Net Profit After Taxes.

The next icon is the typical bell-shaped, normal curve which is used for a risk analysis, when a model contains random variables. Figure 8 illustrates a risk analysis with these assumptions using the random variable Sales Growth Rate.

To create a risk analysis chart, first its icon is dragged onto the stage. Then the desired variable to be viewed is chosen from the appropriate node in the model tree and dragged to the small window at the top of the chart. Here Net Profit After Taxes has been chosen. It is partially a function of Sales Growth Rate, a random variable. Next the Simulate button is clicked and the number of iterations desired is selected (500 is the default). Click ok and the chart is created as shown in Figure 8.

The bar chart on the right has been generated by clicking the Simulate button on the lower right portion of the chart. The slider bar below the chart is set on year 2012. The endpoints on the horizontal axis of the chart show that Net Profit may range from about 74,000 to 140,00 by 2012. This can be moved to any year we choose.

Figure 8. A Risk Analysis with Sales Growth Rate as a Random Variable.

The pointers on the horizontal axis of a risk analysis chart indicate the number of observations falling in that range. For example in Figure 9, the mouse has been used to move the left point to about 87,000 and the right point has been moved to about 122,000. By looking at the percentage above the highest bar, we can see that 90% of the observations lie in this interval, indicating that there is over a 90% chance that Net Profit After Taxes will be between 87,000 and 121,000

Figure 9. The Effects of Moving the Pointers on the Horizontal Axis of the Bar Chart

The final two icons that will be discussed in this tutorial are not for analysis but rather for debugging and documentation. The icon with the hierarchy chart is for a variable tree, such as the one for Net Profit After Taxes in Figure 10. This shows all the variables having a direct or indirect effect on the selected target variable. The final icon is for a Sticky Note which can be dragged onto the display to enter text describing a chart or table. Here the Sticky Note briefly describes what the Variable Tree does.

Figure 10. The Variable Tree for Net Profit After Taxes, with a Sticky Note attached to describe it.

Planners Lab models may be shared in a networked environment in which users are connected only occasionally, and it supports the use of mobile devices. Individuals may maintain their own personal versions of models, or may use a shared version, very useful features in current management era. It is also a simple matter to import and export appropriately formatted Excel™ spreadsheets, as will be explained later.

Persuasive Speech Topics

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