Best Writer

This week, you are responsible for submitting two (2) portions of your project: the Assessment Phase (assigned in Module 4.3) and the Gap Analysis.

Your Gap Analysis should be a comparison of the actual performance of your risk assessment plan to the desired performance of your plan. Your analysis will determine what issues prevent you from completing a risk assessment in a particular area and help you to plan and address these concerns in the future.

Refer to the Risk Assessment and Business Continuity Plan page for complete requirements of this phase:

Assessment Phase 2 pages
 Provide a list of deliverables and details on the tools needed
 Provide details on who is responsible for the assessment
 Provide a list of items that will be assessed
Assessment Phase
In this phase, your team will determine who and what is needed to complete a full risk assessment. Consider the players that will be involved. What tools will you use to complete your assessment?

Gap Analysis 1 page
 Analyze and report on areas where current risk assessment cannot be completed, but will be
added to the plan in a future assessment
 Address any gaps of technical resources for the organization to address risk and business
continuity
 Examine laws and standards and determine where gaps in policy, processes and procedures
exist

Please add a graph.

Discussion Post: Challenges and Benefits of Environmentally Conscious Companies

One element of a proactive business model includes strategies of continuous improvement and a laser focus on quality initiatives to align with their overall strategies. Both internal and external stakeholders have put pressures on companies to morph into more environmentally conscious business practices. With this shift, there are positives or benefits to these changes as well as negatives or challenges that must be evaluated.

Benefits

There are a number of benefits for companies who are focusing on environmentally conscious operations and decisions. Financial resources are at the top of this list. To operate any business, you need a revenue source. “Numerous initiatives have provided incentives for organizations to become more environmentally benign” (Sarkis, 2003, pp. 397-409). With these financial resources, companies have the ability to receive additional revenues to supplement expenses associated with their transition into a more environmentally focused business model. Additionally, the company has the ability to market their endeavors, which may provide a more positive position for the company and highlight their efforts to preserve and protect the environment.

In doing so, the company may receive a new audience or market share and provide a competitive advantage against other competitors in their space due to the fact that are marketing their environmentally conscious efforts to their customer base. For instance, international regulations impact business exports in various ways. Research shows that manufactures with a green focus have a competitive advantage and performance advantage to those who are not green focused (Leonidou et al., 2015, pp. 798-811).

Challenges

There are a number of challenges as a result of companies being more environmentally conscious. With a focus on managing the environment, there are byproducts of this management such as waste management that must be accounted for. Specifically, companies are looking at ways to dispose of their byproducts in such as fashion that has the least amount of impact on the environment and these practices and policies are making “managing the industrial waste remains a primary challenge” (Peng et al., 2018, pp. 181-189).

Furthermore, the integration of stakeholders and the overall company strategy of environmental focused operations may result in obstacles. The company has a purpose and it must make its decisions in the best interest of its consumers, stakeholders and shareholders. From the executive level, the leadership and purpose driven decision-making process can add complexity to the situation. For instance, in 2007 Tony Hayward became the CEO of BP and “the company made less effort to portray itself as environmentally conscious” (Lawrence et al., 2022, p. 478). When these parties are not aligned in a uniformed fashion, situations occur which can be extremely difficult to manage. “complexity has a negative moderating influence on the relationship between a firm’s stakeholder integration capability and its environmental strategy” (Rueda-Manzanares et al., 2007, pp. 185-203).

Summary

Companies are under many pressures and face many obstacles in regards to being environmentally conscious. This requires balancing the positives and negatives of the endeavors. In the book of Proverbs, we are reminded of our integrity, our intentions, pride and humility. “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weigh is his delight” (English Standard Version Bible, 2016). When evaluating the benefits and challenges of anything in life, we should look to the Lord and allow Him to speak to us through the Holy Spirit and ensure we are being wise, making sound decisions to glorify His name.

References
English Standard Version Bible (2016). (original work published 2001).

Lawrence et al. (2022). Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy. Penn Plaza, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education .

Leonidou et al. (2015). Environmentally friendly export business strategy: Its determinants and effects on competitive advantage and performance. International Business Review, 798-811. .

Peng et al. (2018). Extended Producer Responsibility and corporate performance: Effects of environmental regulation and environmental strategy. Journal of Environmental Management, 181-189. .

Rueda-Manzanares et al. (2007). The Influence of Stakeholders on the Environmental Strategy of Service Firms: The Moderating Effects of Complexity, Uncertainty and Munificence. BRITISH JOURNAL of MANAGEMENT, 185-203. .

Sarkis, J. (2003). A strategic decision framework for green supply chain management. Journal of Cleaner Production, 397-409. .

Discussion Instructions:Instructions:For your thread: You will contribute meaningful, lively discussion posts in answers to one of the assigned questions in each forum Every initial thread should be between 500–700 words and must contain real business examples from reputable business sources, include research from: 2 sch olarly sources, Incorporate major ideas from the chapter of the textbook and videos, in which the question was taken, and Integrate biblical ideas into the analysis To focus on specific points of application for corporate responsibility. You should not speak in vague terms while answering the questions. Please refer to the Read: Guidelines for Use of Sources & Citations document found with the Learn section of Module 1: Week 1 and the Discussion Grading Rubric to make sure you understand how to recognize a scholarly source

ANOVA

Bob, a resident of a small town in Minnesota, is a data scientist who works remotely. He often performs most of his work at a number of local Starbucks near his house. Recently, Bob noticed that the download speed varied depending on the location of the café. As a curious data scientist, Bob wanted to test his hunch by downloading one gigabyte of data for two weeks in Starbucks located in three towns near his house—Walnut Grove, Mayberry, and Smallville. Use the attached data (“Starbucks and Download Speed”) to analyze the Bob’s findings. (Note: Download speed is measured in the number of seconds it took to download one gig of data. The population is the overall download speed for the three Starbucks. The sample is the number of download times in the three Starbucks for the two weeks.)

What is the research question? (Be sure to mention the three Starbucks locations specifically here along with what you are measuring them in.)
What is the null hypothesis?
What is the research hypothesis? (Non-Directional)
Basic descriiptive analysis of the variables used (e.g., mean, median, SD, range, etc.) in a paragraph form along with the SPSS output showing the descriiptive numbers. Be sure to analyze the three Starbucks separately as an aggregate analysis would not be of much use here.
State the rationale for using analysis of variance (ANOVA) in this investigation using appropriate readings and resources in Module 7. (Please cite specific references.)
Write out the results in an APA format. (Example here: Model ANOVA Write Up_V2.pdf)
Please include appropriate tables (as seen in the example above) from the SPSS output used in your analyses.
*** Post your discussion post by 11:59 pm Thursday and give critical feedback to at least two peers by noon Sunday. After you have received your comment, upload a revised discussion post (if you feel that it is warranted based on your peer feedback and other information you have gathered since the initial post) by 11:59 pm Sunday. Please keep the old version(s) in the discussion post so that revisions and progress can be documented.

Starbucks and Download Speed.sav

1. Do some research:
Read the following article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/science-behind-floridas-sinkhole-epidemic-180969158/ (Links to an external site.)
Explore Florida’s interactive sinkhole map: https://ca.dep.state.fl.us/mapdirect/?focus=fgssinkholes (Links to an external site.)
(Links to an external site.)Use the information at this link to get some context as to what the map shows and how to use it: https://floridadep.gov/fgs/sinkholes/content/subsidence-incident-reports (Links to an external site.)
2. Write discussion paragraphs:
Tell us what you discovered! Use the interactive map and the information provided in the article to make an initial post that includes:

A paragraph that summarizes where in Florida sinkholes are most likely to form and why, and addresses why is it so hard to make a prediction map for sinkholes.
Take a screenshot of an area of interest on the sinkhole map (your choice) and tell us what you see in terms of sinkhole risk. You can select a city or county or part of the state and talk about patterns or trends, or any other interesting patterns or insights. Pay attention to what the colored zones indicate – it can help you with your interpretation of sinkhole risk.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask! Please do not use any other sources than the three provided at the top!

Question based

The government of Taskovia, a newly formed independent country, is keen to increase its global status and develop its economy by attracting the setup of new branches of international businesses in the country. The government appreciates that with the potential increase in business operations they will have a responsibility to ensure that there is a robust regulatory system in place.

As a regulatory consultant, you have been contracted by the government of Taskovia to provide information which will help them decide the regulatory model/structure they will put in place.

They have asked you to produce a report that describes and critically evaluates the four main regulatory models/structures employed across the world, making clear which of these you would recommend, providing clear reasoning for your selection. In doing so, you should set out the particular strengths and weaknesses of each and include a range of illustrative examples to support your views.

Note: This is a question of 5 questions I have and this one is to be done in report form. Tables can be used for SWOT. Please ensure appropriate footnotes/references are made. This question would be supported from Module 1 – Unit 1 to 3 which I have attached. Any amount of resources relevant to the question.

L‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‌isten to a 4-minute NPR podcast (Links to an external site.) https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1323675 that describes an event which led to ~29,000 rubber ducks being released into the Pacific Ocean. After listening to the p‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‌odcast submit a paragraph describing how this event was able to be used by oceanographers to monitor the environment. In your paragraph also describe what surprised you, and what did not, about the path of the ducks in the ocean using your knowledg‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‌e

Topic: “Southern Defense of Slavery”. What were the arguments for the defense of slavery by Southerners? Were those arguments valid?

W‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‌rite a paper of 1,000-1,500 words that addresses the following: Discuss two or three historical shifts in leadership that eventually led to the creation of the human resources position. Discuss various leadership theories and concepts that led to the evolution of the human resources position. Describe how at least one theory influences the duties and organization of the human resources position. Select three different departments or teams in a health care‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‌ setting and explain what leadership type best serves the department or team most frequently. Select one of the following health care settings: hospital, community care, transitional care, home care, and primary care. Describe organizational management principles that should be incorporated within this setting and justify those selections with specific supporting examples. Consider the health care setting characteristics that would inform your decision making‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‌‌.

Competitive Approach, Competitive Scope, and Decision Models

Deciding on a competitive approach for the company is critical to the process of developing a company’s strategy. Careful consideration must also be given to the company’s competitive scope. Decision models continue to impact strategy development and should continuously be evaluated, and others considered.

Minimum of 500 words in the body
Minimum of 2 sources from the literature in addition to course texts
Current APA format must be used.

Use the following outline:
• Introduction
• Process: Deciding on a Competitive Approach ‐ What is the process in no less than 200 words
• Strategic Thinking: Deciding on Competitive Scope ‐ What is it and why is it important in no less than 200 words
• Geographic Scope
• Production / Distribution Scope
• Decision Model: no less than 100 words
• How do my decision models aid / hinder this and why
• What decision models are being considered and why
• Conclusion
• Support your factual assertions with citations.
Include an Annotated Bibliography, in current APA format, of the 2 additional Sources:
Minimum of 250 words in each annotation
Summary of Key Points
Evaluation of the Quality of the Publication Evaluation of the Quality of the Author(s) Where this fits into the discussion

***course sources***

Gamble, Peteraf, & Thompson: Essentials of Strategic Management
Keller: Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work
Page
Keller: Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work
Rumelt: Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters
Page
Rumelt: Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters
Krogerus & Tschäppeler: The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking
Page
Krogerus & Tschäppeler: The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking

Please answer one of the following questions in an essay of five pages. You should utilize course readings and lectures to your advantage in answering the question but focus your paper on the book. Be sure that you answer each segment of the prompt. The essay should be constructed using formal essay guidelines (12 pt Times New Roman font or standard equivalent and one inch margins) and part of your grade will depend on grammar, spelling, and mechanics. Please consult the General Essay Guidelines or email me with any questions about format or content. Please use Chicago Manual of Style footnotes for all citations. Be sure to use citations whenever you include information that is neither common knowledge nor your own and be aware that improper citations will be penalized. You do not need a Works Cited page unless you use outside sources (websites, other articles or books, textbooks that we have not used in class).

Choose ONE of the following:

Catherine McNeur argues that “this is a story about the inextricable ties between social control and environmental control.”[1] What does she mean? How is this idea of control central to the book and why does it help us understand this history of antebellum America?

Catherine McNeur writes often about contested space and battles between various groups of New Yorkers. Why did these battles occur? Who was involved in them and why? Pick at least two examples and explain why they are important. What do these contests over space tell us about the United States during this period?

[1] Catherine McNeur, Taming Manhattan: Environmental Battles in the Antebellum City (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2014), 5.