Showing 469–477 of 728 results
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BONUS CASE 8-4 SAG/AFTRA/WGA: United We Stand (Video Case)
$7.50After reading this chapter, you are familiar with the history of labor unions. You have learned the tactics that labor uses to get new benefits from management, and you have learned the tactics that management uses to respond to labor demands. You are also familiar with the various laws that are involved in labor/management disputes. You may get the impression from the media that labor unions are in decline and don’t have much clout any more. In fact, the number of people in labor unions has declined dramatically, but that doesn’t mean that labor unions are not very important today or that they have lost their passion for seeking fair treatment by companies.
We are so accustomed to thinking about labor unions in the auto and steel and related industries that we tend to overlook some truly key industries where labor unions are very important. No doubt you have heard in passing of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the American Federation of TV and Radio Artists, and the Writers Guild of America. But do you have any idea what issues the membership faces in such unions? Are they the same issues as unions have always had: seniority, pay, benefits, and such? Or are they different somehow?
Many young people dream of becoming a “movie star.” They see the glamour, the excitement, the adulation of the fans, and the huge paychecks. What they don’t see behind the scenes is the constant fight going on to win and keep certain privileges that past actors have won. Back in the 1930s, actors worked unrestricted hours, had no required meal breaks, and had unbreakable seven-year contracts. The producers tried to control who you could marry, what political views to express, and what your morals should be. The Screen Actors Guild won some concessions for the actors in 1937, but the studios pretty much still “owned” their stars. Eventually the stars won the right to better contracts—to the point where independent studios were formed and actors could control their own careers, even demanding a percentage of gross for their pay (Jimmy Stewart in 1950).
Today’s contracts deal with issues like diversity, salary and work conditions, financial assurances, safety considerations, and more. Other issues concern residuals for films shown on TV and reruns. Other contracts have to do with commercials and how the actors will be paid for them. Things are constantly changing for actors. For example, independent film producers in the United States and around the world have different rules and requirements. TV commercials now appear on cell phones. The Screen Actors Guild keeps up with such changes to assure fair treatment of its members.
While SAG is for movie actors, The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a performer’s union for actors, radio and TV announcers and newspersons, singers, and others who perform on radio and TV. It negotiates wages and working conditions much like SAG, including health care and pensions. You can imagine negotiating an issue like equal pay for equal work when dealing with highly paid actors and actresses with huge egos.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) represents writers in the motion picture, broadcast and new media industries. Like actors, writers have issues dealing with pay, benefits, retirement, and so forth. In November 2007, the members of Writers Guild went on strike. The key issue was how new media revenues, such as Internet playbacks, would be distributed. Under previous contracts, the writers received no compensation when one of their shows was watched online.
The more you think about it, the more it will become clear to you that actors and others in the entertainment industry need unions or some other kind of organization to protect them from unfair practices. You can only imagine what treatment actors and others get from independent companies in other countries if they don’t have representation.
Unions today are gathering momentum in industries where the pay is traditionally relatively low and the work hard. That includes nursing, teaching (including college teachers), and other professions (profit, nonprofit, and government).
Discussion questions for BONUS case 8-4
- You can imagine what it would be like to try to get a job as an actor in Hollywood. What role might a union play in helping you find a job, negotiate a contract, and otherwise look out for your interests? You might look on the SAG/AFTRA and WGA websites for more information.
- What issues might actors, performers, and writers have that other workers may not have?
- What is the general attitude in your class toward labor unions? Are there many union workers in your town? Where do you see labor unions gaining strength in the future?
2 pages
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What unethical research behavior was involved
$5.00Business Research Ethics: Ethical research
Resources: The University Library or the Electronic Reserve Readings
Find an article using the University Library or in the Electronic Reserve Readings that discusses unethical business research conduct that has resulted in individuals or a firm being convicted, or at least tried for, this conduct. Some examples include the following:
- Asking inappropriate questions
- Skewing research results
- Failing to maintain participants’ confidential information
- Using participant information for unintended purposes such as selling goods or services
Summarize the article you researched.
Write a 500-750 word paper in which you address the following questions:
- What unethical research behavior was involved?
- Who were the injured parties?
- How has the unethical behavior affected the organization, the individual, and society?
- How could the unethical behavior be avoided or resolved?
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.
2 pages,
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Supply and demand for Mrs. Acres Homemade Pies
$10.00Supply and demand for Mrs. Acres Homemade Pies
Shelly Acres, whose grandmother gave her a family recipe for making pies, loved to cook, and she decided to start a business she called Mrs. Acres Homemade Pies. The company produces specialty pies and sells them in local supermarkets and select family restaurants. In each of the first six months, Shelly and three part-time employees sold 2,000 pies for $4.50 each, netting $1.50 profit per pie. The pies were quite successful and Shelly could not keep up with demand. The company’s success results from a quality product and productive employees who are motivated by incentives and who enjoy being part of a successful new business.
To meet demand, Shelly expanded operations, borrowing money and increasing staff to four full-time employees. Production and sales increased to 8,000 pies per month, and profits soared to $12,000 per month. However, demand for Mrs. Acres Homemade Pies continues to accelerate beyond what Shelly can supply. She has several options:- (1) maintain current production levels and raise prices;
- (2) expand the facility and staff while maintaining the current price; or
- (3) contract the production of the pies to a national restaurant chain, giving Shelly a percentage of profits with minimal involvement.
Discussion Questions
Explain and demonstrate the relationship between supply and demand for Mrs. Acres Homemade Pies.What challenges does Shelly face as she considers the three options?
What would you do in Shelly’s position?3 pages
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Case Presentation: Gingerich vs. Protein Blenders
$5.00Protein Blenders, Inc., made a contract with Gingerich to buy from him the shares of stock of a small corporation. When the buyer refused to take and pay for the stock, Gingerich sued for specific performance of the contract on the ground that the value of the stock was unknown and could not be readily ascertained because it was not sold on the general market. Was he entitled to specific performance? [Gingerich v Protein Blenders, Inc., 95 NW2d 522 (Iowa)]
Protection Alarm Co. made a contract to provide burglar alarm security for Fretwel’s home. The contract stated that the maximum liability of the alarm company was the actual loss sustained or $50, whichever was the lesser, and that this provision was agreed to liquidated damages and not as a penalty. When Fretwell’shome was burglarized, he sued for the loss of approximately $12,000, claiming that the alarm company had been negligent. The alarm company asserted that its maximum liability was $50. Fretwell claimed that this was invalid because it bore no relationship to the loss that could have been foreseen when the contract was made or that in fact Chad been sustained. Decide.
2 pages
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The Ongoing Struggle
$12.50Reservation Blues, Sherman Alexie (1995) Themes in this novel include what it means to be Indian with life on the reservation, oppression, racism, music, spirituality, finding voice and self-realization. Dreams, music and magic realism make interesting studies as well.
Requirements:Chapter 10
1. Why did Junior commit suicide?
3 Pages
Study Tips 101:Set Time Limits
Before you start your study session, have a look at your to-do list and give yourself a set time to spend on each task. If you don’t get something done in the set time, consider whether it’s the best use of your time to keep going with it, or to start working on something else. -
Bread Making Master Schedule and Producing Automobiles Leaner
$25.00The final assignment for the course is a Final Paper on two cases. The Final Paper should demonstrate understanding of the reading as well as the implications of new knowledge. The eight- to ten-page paper should integrate readings and course discussions into work and life experiences. It may include an explanation and examples from previous experiences as well as implications for future applications.
Read the case study at the end of Chapter 15 and the case study at the end of Chapter 16, and thoroughly answer all the following questions. Supplement your answers with scholarly research using the Ashford Online Library. Each case study should be addressed in four to five pages, resulting in a combined Final Paper of eight to ten pages.Chapter 15 Case Study: The Realco Breadmaster- Develop a master production schedule for the breadmaker. What do the projected ending inventory and available-to-promise numbers look like? Has Realco “overpromised”? In your view, should Realco update either the forecast or the production numbers?
- Comment on Jack’s approach to order promising. What are the advantages? The disadvantages? How would formal master scheduling improve this process? What organizational changes would be required?
- Following up on Question 2, which do you think is worse, refusing a customer’s order upfront because you don’t have the units available or accepting the order and then failing to deliver? What are the implications for master scheduling?
- Suppose Realco produces 20,000 breadmakers every week, rather than 40,000 every other week. According to the master schedule record, what impact would this have on average inventory levels?
Chapter 16 Case Study: A Bumpy Road for Toyota- Is Toyota’s focus on quality consistent with the Lean philosophy? Can a firm actually follow the Lean philosophy without having a strong quality focus? Explain.
- Who are the “coordinators” referred to in the article? What role have they played in educating Toyota’s workforce in promoting the TPS (Toyota Production System) philosophy? Why are they so hard to replicate?
- According to Hajime Oba, what is wrong with Detroit’s approach to Lean? Based on your understanding of American auto manufacturers, do you agree or disagree?
- There is an old saying “Haste makes Waste.” How does this apply to what is happening in the Georgetown plant? What is Toyota doing about it?
7 Pages, APA, 3 References -
Montgomery Bus Boycott and the story of Rosa
$5.00Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa’s story
Question:
How significant was the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa’s story in advancing the civil rights movement?
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What is strategic management and planning DQs
$5.00DQ #1: Select a small business that you may want to start. What is strategic management and planning? Why would a strategic plan be important to the success of this business? How are the four functions of management relative to creating and implementing a strategic plan?
DQ #2: What is the difference between mission and vision statements? What factors must be considered to produce an appropriate mission and vision statement for an organization?
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Discussion Questions Chapter 2
$15.00Discussion Questions Chapter 2 (Question 1)
A Competitive Coup in the In-Flight Magazine. When the manager for market intelligence of AutoCorp, a major automotive manufacturer, boarded the plane in Chicago, her mind was on shrinking market share and late product announcements. As she settled back to enjoy the remains of a hectic day, she reached for the in-flight magazine. It was jammed into the seat pocket in front of her. Crammed into this already tiny space was a report with a competitor’s logo, marked “Confidential—Restricted Circulation.” It contained a description of new product announcements for the next two years. Not only was it intended for a small circle of senior executives, but it also answered the questions she had recently proposed to an external research firm. The proposal for the solicited research could be canceled. Her research budget, already savaged, could be saved. She was home free, legally and career-wise. She foresaw only one problem. In the last few months, AutoCorp’s newly hired ethicist had revised the firm’s Business Conduct Guidelines. They now required company employees in possession of a competitor’s information to return it or face dismissal. But it was still a draft and not formally approved. She had the rest of the flight to decide whether to return the document to the airline or slip it into her briefcase.- What are the most prudent decisions she can make about her responsibilities to herself and others?
- What are the implications of those decisions even if there is no violation of law or regulation?
Chapter 6 (Terms in Review 1-6)
Distinguish between the following:
- Exploratory and formal studies.
- Experimental and ex post facto research designs.
- Descriptive and causal studies.
Establishing causality is difficult, whether conclusions have been derived inductively or deductively.
- Explain and elaborate on the implications of this statement.
- Why is ascribing causality more difficult when conclusions have been reached through induction?
- Correlation does not imply causation. Illustrate this point with examples from business.
Using yourself as the subject, give an example of each of the following asymmetrical relationships:
- Stimulus-response
- Property-disposition
- Disposition-behavior
- Property-behavior
Why not use more control variables rather than depend on randomization as the means of controlling extraneous variables?
Researchers seek causal relationships by either experimental or ex post facto research designs.
- In what ways are these two approaches similar?
- In what ways are they different?
Chapter 14 (Discussion Question 7)
Your large firm is about to change to a customer-centered organization structure, in which employees who have rarely had customer contact will now likely significantly influence customer satisfaction and retention. As part of the transition, your superior wants an accurate evaluation of the morale of the firm’s large number of computer technicians. What type of sample would you draw if it was to be an unrestricted sample?