Discussion Thread_ Cost Concepts, Budgeting, and Control REPLIES

This discussion is associated with the Navigate 2 Scenario - Episode 4: How are we doing? It’s time for a marketing audit! The Health Care System wants to see how responsive they are to market needs and preferences, and if their marketing strategies are showing a good return on investment. You have been brought in as an objective party to perform this audit. During this episode, you need to identify the right people to be in the interviews and choose the best questions to ask from the following categories. Identify who the stakeholders are in the interview and who are the best people to ask questions regarding the following categories (choose 3 categories). What are the questions you will ask? Market and market segments The organization Competitors Products and services Price Promotion Channels of distribution

You are the IT director at Attaway Airlines, a small regional air carrier. You chair the company’s systems review committee, and you currently are dealing with strong disagreements about two key projects. The marketing manager says it is vital to have a new computerized reservation system that can provide better customer service and reduce operational costs. The vice president of finance is equally adamant that a new accounting system is needed immediately because it will be very expensive to adjust the current system to new federal reporting requirements. The VP outranks the marketing manager, and the VP is your boss. The next meeting, which promises to be a real showdown, is set for 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. How will you prepare for the meeting? What questions and issues should be discussed?

Ezzee solutions, a business consulting company, is embarking on implementing an Information System to integrate accounting, finance, marketing, production and human resource management within the organization. It provides the information an organization needs for efficient operations, effective managerial decision-making and a competitive advantage. You have been appointed to conduct training to the staff at Ezzee solutions on the details of the information system. Your presentation would include the following aspects. Discuss in detail any five benefits an Information System offers to the organization like Ezzee solutions.

Suppose you are faced with the following problems as a sales manager: a) Salespeople are not spending adequate time to develop new set of customers. b) Salespeople are selling profitable products less than non-profitable and easy to sell products to achieve their sales volume quotas. Suggest a compensation plan that can be used to solve above problems.

Sales Managers sometimes design compensation plans that fluctuate   with changes in sales revenue. Explain for what kind of products/services this strategy might be useful and why?

Bradley and company have employed you since April 2022 to be their new marketing and Sales Director. At the interview you were informed, that if successful, it’s an expectation that a marketing plan be prepared as the company is losing marketing share and wants to regain this loss and position in the marketplace. You are required to prepare a marketing plan to address the status of the company.

Suppose you are faced with the following problems as a sales manager Salespeople are not spending adequate time to develop new customers and Salespeople are selling profitable products less than non-profitable and easy to sell products to achieve their sales volume quotas. Suggest a compensation plan to solve these problems.

You are a Benefits Manager at a privately held, retail organization.  In January, you were notified that health insurance premiums have increased, and as a result, changes need to be made to the existing benefit package for the next year. The owners of the company want to keep the employee contribution to health insurance the same and therefore cuts will need to come from other voluntary benefits offerings.  Current voluntary benefits include Paid Time Off, Holiday Pay, Life Insurance, Long Term Disability, Dental Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement, and an Employee Assistance Program.    what information and data would be good togather make an informed decision regarding the benefits that should be eliminated or reduced for the next benefit year?  , assume  both the Employee Assistance Program and Tuition Reimbursement benefits were eliminated.  What qualitative and quantitative metrics would you recommend tracking to evaluate these actions

"How can a company effectively utilize CRM software to improve customer satisfaction and retention, and what are some key features and best practices that should be considered during implementation?"

What can accurately be said about projecting operating expenses (OPEX)? Select an answer: there are fewer surprises in OPEX than in other P&L elements you have less control over OPEX than other P&L elements OPEX are more difficult to project than gross margin projections OPEX are more difficult to project than revenue expenses

Why are an increasing number of firms focusing on retirement planning? A) changes in ADA requirements B) concerns about future labor shortages C) surveys of current employee attitudes D) modifications to the promotion process E) increases in health insurance premiums

List what resources are currently available and what resources will be needed to make the smoking cessation program a success. Be detailed and specific. Make sure you include all physical space, labor, equipment, and supplies. Will any resources from outside the organization be necessary? If so, list these as well.

As a Tactical Accounts Manager, errors in the allocation of deductions to policy premiums are a serious concern that could have far-reaching consequences for the department and the company as a whole. There could be a number of reasons why deductions are too small. One reason could be that employees are unaware of the true cost of their insurance premiums and thus fail to deduct the appropriate amount from their pay. This could be due to a lack of communication or education about the true cost of insurance, or to changes in premium amounts that are not effectively communicated to employees. Errors in deduction allocation can have a significant impact on the department and the company as a whole. It can result in client complaints, decreased customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, lost revenue. It can also result in higher administrative costs as employees work to correct errors and resolve client complaints.   Information Technology Manager - Nadiya Bryan: A claim's insurance…

As a Tactical Accounts Manager, errors in the allocation of deductions to policy premiums are a serious concern that could have far-reaching consequences for the department and the company as a whole. There could be a number of reasons why deductions are too small. One reason could be that employees are unaware of the true cost of their insurance premiums and thus fail to deduct the appropriate amount from their pay. This could be due to a lack of communication or education about the true cost of insurance, or to changes in premium amounts that are not effectively communicated to employees. Errors in deduction allocation can have a significant impact on the department and the company as a whole. It can result in client complaints, decreased customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, lost revenue. It can also result in higher administrative costs as employees work to correct errors and resolve client complaints. Operational Customer Service Manager When clients update their policies in the…

Your employees have been incurring a lot of overtime lately for staffing special events. You cannot afford to pay time-and-a-half for overtime, so you make a deal with your employees: if they work fifty hours this week, you will let them work thirty hours the next week and take a long weekend. They are happy and you are happy.   Discussion Questions 1.      Is this legally acceptable? Why? What can happen if you get caught doing this? Which agency monitors businesses and what might happen if you are reported? What legislation are you violating? 2.      What is the best way to handle this staffing challenge?

Direction: Do what is instructed below. Write your answers in your notebook. One of the goals of business is to cater the needs and wants of the customers and make them satisfied of the goods & services that a business provides in order for them to share their experiences for the growth and sustainability of the business operation. Now, I want you to create your own product or services that best suits to the needs of our present situation which we are in the midst of the global pandemic. Requirement: Create your own product using the Five (5) Product Levels by Kotler. Use the table below: Product levels Question Product or services you Draw the product you want Drawing here: Answer can create and offer to to offer your customers bas Core benefit of the State the fundamental product benefit that you can offer to satisfy them Generic product State the basic version of the product the features necessary for it to function State the product set of Expected product features that the…

Please answer in short and ASAP, thanks

The company hires independent contractors to perform a variety of customer-focused tasks, such as complaint resolution, for its client, the financial services industry. We get to know all of our contractors because, as the chief of staff puts it, "vetting of such contractors is very important because of the nature of our client's business. We've even watched contractors develop. We have one contractor with us today who started at 16 and is now a manager at 26." The contractors are introduced to more than just the chief. Some of the contractors have been working with a customer for so long that if they leave, the crew must continue. This company has 4,000 contractors and 226 full-time employees, so succession planning must take both into consideration. When working with a contractor, it usually recommends to its financial services clients that they add the contractor to their at-risk registry. The client will hire a full-time employee, and the contractor will learn new skills. Select…

Can I receive assistance with the below two questions, please PART A: Several years ago, Hurricane Gilbert destroyed thousands of acres of banana in Jamaica. Farmers whose crops were destroyed by the hurricane were much worse off, but farmers whose crops were not destroyed benefited from the hurricane. Why did this occur? What information would you need about the market for bananas in order to assess whether farmers as a group were hurt or helped by the floods? PART B: Explain why the following might be true: A drought in the Caribbean raises the total revenue that producers receive from the sale of coffee, but a drought only in Grenada reduces the total revenue that Grenadian producers receive. Ensure that you define any key terms used in your discussion.

You have been asked to reduce healthcare costs at your organization. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and overall healthcare costs on the rise, senior management has asked for you to develop a strategy to find the best health insurance in the competitive markets. A key focus for you is to decrease healthcare expenditures for the organization without foregoing quality for the employees. Senior managers in your organization recently participated in a national survey on “Purchasing Value in Health Care,” conducted by Towers Watson. Here are some of the results: Employers’ Top Challenges in Maintaining Affordable Benefit Coverage:     Employees’ poor health habits    Under use of preventative services    High-cost catastrophic cases and end-of-life care    Poor employee understanding of how to use the plan    Overuse of care through employees seeking inappropriate care    Poor quality or misuse of care because primary, specialty, and facility care are not integrated. You…

Ayesha, a fundraising manager at a non-profit organization, her responsibility is to: approach businesses, local authorities, trusts and individuals to secure funding. Moreover, organizing and helping with fundraising activities such as sponsored or promotional events. She has a Conscientiousness personality and had experienced a bad incident last year with the public relations manager of a banking company who had committed to sponsor a charity event and then backed out at the last minute. This year, when a renowned international bank’s manager showed interest in sponsoring the Organization’s upcoming annual event, Ayesha rejected their participation. She felt that banks have a casual approach toward charity events and it is risky to involve them in the event. What changed Ayesha’s attitude? Support your answer with a theory or an example. Does personality have any influence on Ayesha’s decision? Relate it to Big Five Model of Personality Dimension and explain how it predicts…

Ayesha, a fundraising manager at a non-profit organization, her responsibility is to: approach businesses, local authorities, trusts and individuals to secure funding. Moreover, organizing and helping with fundraising activities such as sponsored or promotional events. She has a Conscientiousness personality and had experienced a bad incident last year with the public relations manager of a banking company who had committed to sponsor a charity event and then backed out at the last minute. This year, when a renowned international bank’s manager showed interest in sponsoring the Organization’s upcoming annual event, Ayesha rejected their participation. She felt that banks have a casual approach toward charity events and it is risky to involve them in the event.a. Do you think Ayesha’s attitude and behavior will or will not change over time? Explainb. Does personality have any influence on Ayesha’s decision? Relate it to Big Five Model of Personality Dimension and explain how it predicts…

Compensation and Benefits Administration You just finished analyzing information for the current compensation and benefits program information. You find that some changes should be made, as the majority of employees (you have 120 employees) are unhappy with what is being offered. In fact, the plan had not been revised in over fifteen years, making it dated and definitely ready for some changes. Here is the current PTO offering 1+ year 7 days 5+years 10 days 10+ years 14 days. Please assist with the following questions. Definition of the compensation What four cost considerations would you take into account when revising the PTO section of your compensation plan? What four other considerations you would you take into account when developing a new PTO plan?

Compensation and Benefits Administration You just finished analyzing information for the current compensation and benefits program information. You find that some changes should be made, as the majority of employees (you have 120 employees) are unhappy with what is being offered. In fact, the plan had not been revised in over fifteen years, making it dated and definitely ready for some changes. Here is the current PTO offering 1+ year 7 days 5+years 10 days 10+ years 14 days. Please assist with the following questions. Propose a new plan for the board of directors. The plan should be in the form of a table (spreadsheet), including PTO and other employees.