Case: Mendel Paper Company

Mendel Paper Company produces four basic paper product lines at one of its plants: computer paper, napkins, place mats, and poster board. Materials and operations vary according to the line of product. The market has been relatively good. The demand for napkins and place mats has increased with more people eating out, and the demand for the other lines has been growing steadily.

The plant superintendent, Marlene Herbert, while pleased with the prospects for increased sales, is concerned about costs:

“We hear talk about a paperless office, but I haven’t seen it yet. The computers, if anything, have increased the market for paper. Our big problem now is the high fixed cost of production. As we have automated our operation, we have experienced increases in fixed overhead and even variable overhead. And, we will have to add more equipment since it appears that we need even more plant capacity. We are operating over our normal capacity as it is.

The place mat market concerns me. We may have to discontinue printing the mats. Our specialty printing is driving up the variable overhead to the point where we may not find it profitable to continue with that line at all.”

Cost and price data for the next fiscal quarter are as follows:

Variable overhead includes the cost of hourly labor and the variable cost of equipment operation. The fixed plant overhead is estimated at $420,000 for the quarter. Direct labor, to a large extent, is salaried; the cost is included as a part of fixed plant overhead. The superintendent’s concern about the eventual need for more capacity is based on increases in production that may reach and exceed the practical capacity of 60,000 machine hours.

In addition to the fixed plant overhead, the plant incurs fixed selling and administrative expenses per quarter of $118,000.

“I share your concern about increasing fixed costs,” the supervisor of plant operations replies. “We are still operating with about the same number of people we had when we didn’t have this sophisticated equipment. In reviewing our needs and costs, it appears to me that we could cut fixed plant overhead to $378,000 a quarter without doing any violence to our operation. This would be a big help.”

“You may be right,” Herbert responds. “We forget that we have more productive power than we once had, and we may as well take advantage of it. Suppose we get some hard figures that show where the cost reductions will be made.”

Data with respect to production per machine hour and the variable cost per hour of producing each of the products are given as follows:

“I hate to spoil things,” the vice-president of purchasing announces. “But the cost of our materials for computer stock is now up to $7. Just got a call about that this morning. Also, place mat materials will be up to $4 a unit.”

“On the bright side,” the vice-president of sales reports, “we have firm orders for 35,000 cartons of computer paper, not 30,000 as we originally figured.”

Questions:

1. From all original estimates given, prepare estimated contribution margins by product line for the next fiscal quarter. Also, show the contribution margins per unit.
2. Prepare contribution margins as in part (1) with all revisions included.
3. For the original estimates, compute each of the following:

A manager who understands the concepts for developing and managing teams and can apply those concepts to improve team performance is likely to be successful in managing a high-performing team. In this assignment, you will apply these concepts to a given situation. You will examine issues within a team, uncover root causes, and develop a plan to improve team performance.

Research concepts to improve team performance using your textbook, the  University online library resources, and the Internet. Select at least three authoritative resources, one of which may be your text, to use in this assignment.

Assume, you are the supervisor of a product development team that creates designs for widgets for your company’s ABC product line. After they are approved, the designs are sent to manufacturing. The last set of designs your team submitted to manufacturing were altered to reduce manufacturing costs as mandated by senior management. The widgets were then manufactured using the altered design. Unfortunately, the sales of the widgets are not making the target numbers as published in the sales marketing plan. Your team believes the poor sales results are because of the changes in design.

Additionally, there have been some performance issues with the widgets produced so far. Each time one is found, it is brought to the attention of top management and your team. Your team provides a fix to the design, which is then sent to manufacturing. Management is concerned about the number of performance issues that keep arising week after week. Your team has regular, weekly meetings to discuss risks, issues, product improvement ideas, and the status of any project work currently underway. These meetings have become unproductive and a waste of time because team members continue to rehash old issues. They believe senior management is to blame for the market failure of your teams’ product. As a result, you are unable to get anything accomplished. One team member is particularly outspoken and has become belligerent in your team meetings.

The team seems unfocused and unwilling to look at root causes for the poor development of designs that do not perform well. Several of the team members are even looking for new jobs because they are afraid they will soon be laid off. Both motivation and morale continue to decline each week.

Download and review the Team Performance Report template from the Doc Sharing area. Analyze the case information and fill in the template.

Write a detailed report for senior management addressing the issues you described in the Team Performance Report. Use the filled in template to support your assertions.

In your report, include the following:

Read the Part IV Case Study beginning on page 567 after Chapter 14. Write a 250-500 word paper using APA format including the following:

• Identification and summary of the key organizational behavior issues evident in the case
• Reflection on the identified issues along with recommendations or potential solutions to identified issues

Your paper should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Please include citations to support your ideas.

Read the Part IV Case Study beginning on page 567 after Chapter 14. Write a 250-500 word paper using APA format including the following:

• Identification and summary of the key organizational behavior issues evident in the case
• Reflection on the identified issues along with recommendations or potential solutions to identified issues

Your paper should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Please include citations to support your ideas.

As we discussed.  This assignment is worth 200 points,  I need the majority of the grade.   I will need this by 10 PM sunday EST so that I can review before posting it. 

You have the articles that were needed for this assignment

Thanks a bunch

Dr. Bueller had recently overheard a few of his colleagues discussing possible investments in the international marketplace. Wanting to explore all of his potential investment options, he has asked you to explain the various aspects of investing in foreign markets.

Your job is to research the following concepts and present your explanations to Dr. Bueller as a formal research paper:

• Foreign investments and portfolio diversification
• Reasons to invest internationally
• International investment risks
• International investment mediums

You must provide examples of these concepts using at least 5 peer-reviewed articles from the Library’s full-text database. The articles selected must be appropriate, support your explanations, and be acknowledged.

The paper must include all necessary in-text citations as well as a complete reference list formatted in APA.

Assignment Guidelines:

• Research the four international investment concepts listed in the Assignment Description.
• Find at least 5 articles in the Library’s full-text database that provide examples for two of the concepts.
• Write a formal research paper for Dr. Bueller that answers the following questions:
  • What is portfolio diversification? Explain.
    • Why are foreign investments effective at diversifying a portfolio? Explain.
  • What are the main reasons to invest in international markets? Explain.
  • What are the major risks associated with investing internationally? Explain their potential impact on an investment portfolio.
  • What are the various methods for investing in an international market? Explain how these can be used to address portfolio risk.
• Compile your answers into a single Word document.
  • Provide in-text citations and a complete reference list in APA format.

Your submitted assignment must include the following:

• A 6–8-page (body), double-spaced research paper that explains the four concepts of international investments listed in the Assignment Description
  • At least 5 peer-reviewed articles from the Library’s full-text database must be used and properly acknowledged within your paper, supporting your explanations.
  • A complete reference list in APA format must be submitted along with your research paper

Grading:

You will be graded on your demonstrated understanding of the various motivations, risks, and methods of investing in the international securities markets.

 Differences Between The Way Small And Large Companies Conduct Capital Budgeting.

In a 750 to 1,000 word Microsoft Word document (APA format), respond to the following:

Identify the most important principles of managing operating exposure from the perspective of a financier. Provide examples not mentioned in the textbook of how companies employ these principles effectively.

Use APA format with at least one outside reference (in addition to the textbook). Organize the two questions into a single paper with two sections and a single References page. Demonstrate your mastery of these topics through examples including “the numbers” and formulas as appropriate. Turnitin required.

In a 750 to 1,000 word Microsoft Word document (APA format), respond to the following:

Identify the most important principles of managing operating exposure from the perspective of a financier. Provide examples not mentioned in the textbook of how companies employ these principles effectively.

Use APA format with at least one outside reference (in addition to the textbook). Organize the two questions into a single paper with two sections and a single References page. Demonstrate your mastery of these topics through examples including “the numbers” and formulas as appropriate. Turnitin required.

In a 750 to 1,000 word Microsoft Word document (APA format), respond to the following:

Identify the most important principles of managing operating exposure from the perspective of a financier. Provide examples not mentioned in the textbook of how companies employ these principles effectively.

Use APA format with at least one outside reference (in addition to the textbook). Organize the two questions into a single paper with two sections and a single References page. Demonstrate your mastery of these topics through examples including “the numbers” and formulas as appropriate. Turnitin required.

In a 750 to 1,000 word Microsoft Word document (APA format), respond to the following:

Identify the most important principles of managing operating exposure from the perspective of a financier. Provide examples not mentioned in the textbook of how companies employ these principles effectively.

Use APA format with at least one outside reference (in addition to the textbook). Organize the two questions into a single paper with two sections and a single References page. Demonstrate your mastery of these topics through examples including “the numbers” and formulas as appropriate. Turnitin required.