Archive for category: Business

Typically, department managers have control over spending within the limits of their departmental budgets. There are signing limits set however, as to expense amounts a manager can approve; expenses over that approval limit have to be authorized by a more senior manager in the reporting line (i.e., “up the food chain”). Suppose for instance, a department manager has a budget limit for total supplies expense set at $20,000 for the year, and a signing limit of $1,000 on any given purchase. That manager will therefore be able to approve an individual requisition for $300 (since it is less than $1,000), as long as the total spending is within the overall budget limit of $20,000. If a requisition is worth $1,500 however, then the managers boss, or someone more senior up the reporting line would have to approve the requisition before the requisition could be passed on to the Purchasing department for further processing.

Some have suggested that the Purchasing department should be involved in the approval process, such that if a department is over-spending, the Purchasing department should be able to refuse to act on the requisition. Explain why this approach is not a good idea. Note that the answer is not in the textbook — you’ll have to think your way through this one.

To receive credit, your posting must be at least 75 words, in clear, well-written English, and must effectively address the question asked.

In the procure to pay process, the responsibility for creating a requisition and the responsibility for creating a purchase orders are separated so that typically, one person is not permitted to do both. Why is this separation a good business practice?

For this assessment, consider that you work for a company that develops and sells case studies and case study analyses. Your company’s primary customers are colleges and universities wanting to use them within their courses, but your company also has customers using them for management training and development. Your manager asked you to conduct research and develop a case study analysis. She’s specifically interested in you doing the analysis on one of the companies from this list:

L. L. Bean.
Amazon.com.
Starbucks.
Intel.
Johnson and Johnson.
Research and write about the company that you have selected from the above list.

You and your manager discussed the high-level outline of your analysis and agreed you should address the following items. As the basis for your research, you can use any of the resources noted in this course, in the Capella library, and on the Internet:

Describe the organization’s business model (particularly related to their supply chain strategy) and provide a diagram or visual to explicitly describe that same business model.
Compare and contrast the organization’s supply chain strategy with another organization’s strategy.
Analyze the global challenges the organization faces in its supply chain and discuss strategies to minimize the challenges.
Explain and validate the importance of aggregate planning to the organization’s supply chain and its partners.
Analyze the role demand forecasting plays in the organization’s supply chain strategy.
Analyze how pricing promotions are used to change demand.
Based on the intended audience, your report should be well organized and written in clear, succinct language. Target 800–1000 words. Attributing sources in your professional and academic work supports your analysis and conclusions and demonstrates ethical behavior and academic honesty. Following APA rules for attributing sources provides consistency and ensures that readers can locate original sources if desired.

For this assessment, consider that you work as a business analyst for a consulting firm that specializes in helping clients improve their operations and associated processes. Your manager asked you to write a white paper that they will use to demonstrate how your firm can help clients implement best practices in their supply chains and distribution channels, and you and your manager selected Dell as the subject of the white paper.

Dell has been selling computers for over 25 years with its unique, direct build-to-order sales model.

As part of your research into Dell’s supply chain and distribution strategy, you identified related articles in the Capella library (linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading) that you decided to use to help you write your white paper. You and your manager decided your white paper should address the following points:

Analyze why Dell’s supply chain strategy is successful.
Describe the main supply chain challenges that Dell is now facing and provide strategies to effectively overcome the challenges.
Analyze how Dell has changed its supply chain to satisfy its customers. As an example, was Dell’s decision to sell its products via retail outlets a viable solution? Do you agree with this distribution strategy? Why or why not?

Demonstrate your knowledge of Organizational Behavior concepts, and practice analytical skills you will be able to apply to real contexts you find yourself in.

1. Choose an organization that you have worked for or choose one that you like or that interests you from the list of companies that will be provided to you by your Course Leaders. If you choose a company not on the list, you will need to clear it with your Course Leaders to ensure that you have enough material to work with.
2. Choose two theories you have studied in BUSI 2101, which you will apply to the organization you have chosen. (Note: do not confuse a general topic such as Motivation with a specific theory such as Expectancy Theory).
3. Analyze areas in which the organization is doing poorly and areas in which it is doing well with regard to the theories you have chosen in step #2. This may include the following:
   1. Workplace interactions you observed (if you have chosen an organization you have worked for)
   2. Organization policies
   3. An organizational crisis and how it was handled
   4. Any other aspect of the organization or its functioning that are relevant to the theories you have chosen.
4. Make recommendations grounded in the theories you have chosen that you think would improve the organization’s effectiveness.

In a document, provide responses to the following questions:
1. What is your understanding of a value chain and its relationship with the supply chain? Select a big-box retailer and explain/depict its supply chain, value chain, and extended value chain.
2. Explain electronic procurement and just-in-time purchasing. Also, briefly explain how electronic procurement tools can benefit just-in-time purchasing.
3. Discuss the differences and key objectives for the following:
1. involving purchasing after completion of the new product development process
2. involving purchasing throughout the new product development process