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3 Reasons Why Creative, Talented People Think Your Company Is Too Boring To Work For

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We have all had boring jobs. Boring jobs are draining us of energy. Energy is the most important currency there is. Companies only want the best hires out there. The most creative, the most talented people. The problem with creative, talented people is that they don’t need to work at your company. They can work everywhere. So, why are they not choosing you? What is it that makes your company too boring to work for? In this post I give 3 reasons why this happens. You only talk about money Another meeting is taking place. It’s friday morning. That means meeting day. Nobody really wants to be here, people hate meaningless meetings. “How many deals have you scored?” “Man, I am crushing it. I made 40% margin on that costumer. Ha! Got him gooodd!” Perhaps from sales person to sales person this is fun stuff to talk about. Not for creative people. Money is important. The bottom line is the bottom line and the bills have to be paid. Understandable. But why do we only need to talk about money? Why are we talking about getting one up on a customer screwing him for a 40% margin, and with pride? Why are we not talking about how we can mean more to our customers? Why are we talking about support like it’s something we have to give, like it’s a burden? For managers who are sick and tired of this, and I am sure there are plenty out there, let everybody read: Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose It’s a story about bringing the most value to customers. It’s also a story about passion and purpose. Which brings me to reason 2. You have no (real) mission For this article I looked up some of the most boring mission statements out there. I came across several. Mission statements with grammatical errors, mission statements that can not be understood even if you are the smartest person on earth, long mission statements, and the list goes on and on. So what are some examples of good mission statements, and, how does it relate to this post? Tesla’s mission statement is pretty clear: “ To accelerate the advent of sustainable transport by bringing compelling mass market electric cars to market as soon as possible.” Nike’s too: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.” The * ? “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” And lastly, AmericanExpress: “ At American Express, we have a mission to be the world’s most respected service brand. To do this, we have established a culture that supports our team members, so they can provide exceptional service to our customers”. If you have nothing to stand for, how will your employees stand beside you? The environment is toxic In Daniel Pink’s wonderful book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us Daniel described what’s most imporant for people to be motivated. In summary: Autonomy: This means having real control and influence in certain tasks at the job. This means not being micro-managed. This means managing your own time. Mastery: Easier said than done. People want to feel and experience growth. They want to get good at stuff. Move ahead. Purpose: Purpose for me, but also for the organisation, for the department, for everybody involved. That’s why a good mission statement is so important. A good mission statement is good because it’s real to the organisation. It’s not some marketing gimmick to lure people into becoming customers or employees. You want to build uppon something real. You want to have created something that will improve the world, in the way you are able to improve it. For some people, like me, it’s writing (I feel ten times prouder delivering an article than any bonus could ever achieve), for others it’s a big contract that will change the way a company works (by working with other software, hardware or maybe even by being acquired by another company). If people have the feeling they are on the right path, they feel like they are growing in their skillset and they have autonomy, people tend to be happier. And when they are happier, they tend to be happier people to be around. This means a healthy environment for others to be in. Conclusion In this blog post I wrote about the 3 ways in which companies can improve from the inside out to attract the most creative and talented people. By creating a purpose for your company, and making sure that it is clearly articulated to the outside world companies can attract employees that fit their current mission.
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The Pros And Cons Of Twitter Automation

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jQuery(document).ready(function($) { var cat_head_params = {"sponsor":"The State of Facebook Advertising","sponsor_logo":"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/abm-sej\/includes\/sponsored-category-images\/marinsoft\/2015\/march\/marinsoft_logo.png","sponsor_text":"Social media has become the pillar of the online experience. With over 1.55 billion monthly active users, hundreds of millions of people are interacting and engaging on Facebook. For Facebook advertisers, this represents a huge pool of potential customers. Read our report to understand current Facebook trends based on the Marin Global Online Advertising Index.Get the report today.","logo_url":"http:\/\/sejr.nl\/marin-software-social-media","ga_labels":["Social Media","SEO PowerSuite"]} $('#sponsored-category-header').append(''); $('#sponsored-category-header .sponsored-category-logo').append(''); $('#sponsored-category-header').append(''); $('#sponsored-category-header .sponsored-category-details').append(''+cat_head_params.sponsor+''); $('#sponsored-category-header .sponsored-category-details').append(cat_head_params.sponsor_text); }); Automation has a strong role to play in lessening the burden on social media managers and entrepreneurs while enhancing their presence on Twitter and other social platforms. There are a number of tools that help us be omnipresent on Twitter. Automation is cool and convenient. It helps you meet your stipulated quota of posts each day without taking up too much time or you having to worry about that question which never goes away — Automation is cool and convenient. It helps you meet your stipulated quota of posts each day without taking up too much time or you having to worry about that question which never goes away — What do I post about today? However, as with any kind of automation, a human touch is still required.  I’m all for automation, but it should be but a small part of your overall strategy. Businesses that put their social media presence on auto-pilot can land into some trouble with their audience. Here are just a few of the issues with automation that could hurt your campaign: Appearing Robot-Like Personality is what drives social engagement. That imperfect grammar, those occasional typos – they look like they were made by a human who composed the tweet on the go through his or her iPhone. With too many automated tweets, you risk sounding like a robot, especially if your tweets were written at leisure – followers can usually tell what’s spontaneous or not. There is something disconnected and formulaic about tweets that were composed earlier and set to appear at certain times. Too many automated tweets could make you seem dry and robotic. Not recommended if your aim is to generate user engagement. What to do about it: Don’t automate all your tweets. Use the platform for real-time engagement with people as well. Bring your real self to the party whenever possible! PR Disasters You schedule a tweet for a particular time and you obviously don’t know what’s going to be trending at that hour. If there happens to be a tragic story trending, your tweet run the danger of looking out-of-place and insensitive.  ISIS bombed yet another city in Europe. People are horrified. There is widespread outrage on Twitter. There is precious else that people want to talk about since everyone is (rightly) worried about our collective future. And then appear a series of your tweets within the space of a few hours. Something to the effect of “Check out my new ebook!” or an image of your team having fun in Hawaii. Obviously, this is poor timing and may make you seem insensitive or oblivious to the world, which is not a good thing in this era of cultural connectivity, unprecedented awareness, and instant access to information from around the world. Of course, it wasn’t intentional on your part, but perception is everything. What to do about it: The moment there is a big development like the one mentioned above, hold off on the automated tweets for a bit. But that is only possible when you are already aware of the breaking news and time differences across zones might make this tricky. One of the good things about Twitter automation is your tweets can appear when you are sleeping. If your target audience is global, this is helpful as it keeps your name or the name of your brand visible. If an automated tweet does appear before you are able to catch up on the news in your part of the world, follow up with a live one to express your condolences. Twitter is a global platform and it’s often here that people discover breaking news. (One study found that Twitter users tend to be highly interested in news.) Few of us can afford to remain ignorant or live in our little bubbles. While it is great to be absorbed in the day-to-day running of your business, it is also helpful to know what is going on in the world and participate in the greater conversation that is Twitter. A Lack of Response Someone responds to your automated tweet – congratulates you, asks a question, or points out a broken link in the tweet, and there is no response from you – because, of course, it’s a program posting for you, not you yourself. Awkward. Say this happens early in the AM. You have another tweet scheduled to appear in another hour. The person who pointed out your broken link sees the new tweet and wonders – did you even read my comment, Mr. I-Know-Everything-About-Social-Media? What to do about it: Catch up on the comments when you get online and respond to them. Delayed response is better than none. People understand not all of us are glued to our Twitter all the time. Harm to Your Company’s Reputation Now this is different from merely acknowledging a comment or starting a conversation with a stranger. Many brands use Twitter as part of their customer service. Customers expect quick responses to their queries on social. People tend to get impatient on social, since it’s a live platform where delays in addressing queries are taken as a lack of professionalism. With automated tweets, however, businesses give people the impression they are online all the time, encouraging customers to engage with them. If there is no response, customers might feel they are being ignored. Worse would be for a customer query that has not only not been acknowledged to be followed by yet another automated tweet – completely oblivious to the customer’s grievance. What to do about it: Post the hours you will be available for addressing customer queries, preferably every day at the time of signing off.  Critical Remarks Left Unaddressed When someone criticizes you, your business, or merely a tweet of yours, you don’t want to leave those negative vibes floating around for long. Leaving criticism unaddressed (we are not talking about trolls, but criticism which people feel justified in making) can potentially harm the reputation of your brand. What to do about it: With automated tweets you might not be around to address the remarks in real time, but you want to do that soon as you are back online to contain the damage. People are usually forgiving when businesses not only apologize for the inconvenience caused to their customers but also for delayed responses. Automatic Favoriting, Follow-backs, and DMs can be Detrimental With the help of certain IFTTT Twitter recipes, individuals and businesses can auto favorite tweets, auto follow back new followers, as well as set-up automated DMs, among many other things. Unfortunately, automation exercises no discretion. Merely selecting certain keywords and setting up a recipe to favorite tweets that contain those words, or even posts made by certain people, can lead to embarrassing stuff given the uncertain nature of what others might post. Auto following back spammy businesses or individuals with dodgy records doesn’t serve you either. Also, Twitter limits the amount of accounts you can follow. You don’t want to waste those follows on spammy or useless Twitter users! What to do about it: You need to know what is being favorited in your name. Immediately unfollow people or businesses that do not inspire confidence in you. We are a bit ambivalent towards auto-DMs, though they could work with personalization and humor. Don’t cram it with information people can easily find on your profile – I love Internet Marketing and chasing rabbits in my spare time. For whatever reasons, it’s just not the same as sending people a welcome email. They haven’t subscribed to your blog; they have simply followed you on Twitter. Act accordingly! Use Automation Wisely for Maximum Benefits Twitter automation is a great help for small businesses and busy individuals. Scheduling tweets takes a load off your shoulders. But at the end of the day, it’s just a tool, programmed to function a certain way. Don’t let it lull you into a false sense of security. The ultimate goal of a social platform is engagement. Automation cannot be a substitute for that. Automation or not, you still have to be alert to know what’s going on with your Twitter profile and be quick to act. Image Credits Featured Image: Image by Imaginovation. Used with permission.In-post Image: Image by Imaginovation. Used with permission
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Playing By ‘startup Rules’ Almost Killed My Digital Health startup

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Image Credit: iQoncept/Shutterstock In the digital world, the three startup growth mantras we hear are, “move fast and break things,” “release products early and often,” and “sales overcome all problems.” They’ve become accepted truths. They’ve scaled massive innovation, created an abundance of wealth, and made significant contributions to society across various venture-funded tech sectors. But living by these mantras nearly killed my digital health startup, ProofPilot, and I fear it may threaten the entire digital health industry. We were lucky. ProofPilot had some strong early traction. This helped us raise a healthy seed round after graduating from Blueprint Health in the spring of 2014. After a year of the startup playbook rules not working, we still had runway left. We were able to course-correct without explaining what we were doing or why. Others aren’t so lucky. Theranos, Zenefits, and 23andMe have made mistakes under significant media scrutiny. No one wants to make errors or overlook important regulation. Many more digital health startups will fail only because they use a strategic growth model incompatible with the industry they serve. Healthcare and life sciences are slow-moving industries, by necessity. In gaming, e-commerce, and social media, you can push out products and learn from what works and what doesn’t. In medicine, errors mean lawsuits. Treatments can have serious unintended consequences. Moving fast and breaking things is unfathomable. So the industry designs complex studies to ensure safety and efficacy. Today everyone uses consumer-focused apps. It doesn’t matter that digital health entrepreneurs are solving more complex issues than banking or e-commerce. Digital health users expect tools that solve problems as easily as Gmail sends a message. When digital health tools aren’t that easy to use, one of two things happen. If it’s a consumer app, adherence plummets. If it’s an app for medical personnel or institutions, the app vendor gets sucked into a consulting role. That second scenario is exactly what happened to us at ProofPilot. Like so many other early stage digital health startups, our first customers needed training and help with every component of the product. They found bugs and made suggestions. As we responded, customers felt like we were building ProofPilot just for them. It’s what they were used to. Healthcare is full of IT consultants, and they treated us like consultants too. They became more and more demanding. The people who paid the bills were often in completely different cities from the staff using our app, completely unaware of the extensive additional work we were being asked to do. They just pointed to the contract. We wanted to make customers happy, so we often did the work unfunded. Our team didn’t join ProofPilot to be consultants or developers for hire. They began to burn out. The sales staff became afraid to sell. Adding another customer would just make things worse. Tech industry experts told us to focus on a more narrowly defined problem, get it perfect, and get some traction. It’s a lesson that’s worked outside healthcare. Our customers were telling us the opposite. They wanted a complete solution. Not another disconnected feature. Doctors were already complaining about too many apps they didn’t have time to use. And that was before adding ProofPilot to their portfolio. Ultimately, as a company, we decided to stop and regroup. We’d made no huge errors. I just wasn’t willing to disappoint another customer. We had the luxury of stopping sales for nearly a year. During that time, we reviewed everything slowly, methodically, and strategically. We redesigned and re-architected our entire product and associated marketing and support services. We didn’t release anything for nearly eight months. This is the complete opposite of the typical startup playbook. During those eight months, we fixed the product for the small number of customers who tried our first iteration and weren’t thrilled. And we made headway in winning back the VCs and employees who lost their initial excitement in our vision. To other digital health companies looking to the Silicon Valley startup playbook as their growth strategy: be careful. There will be big successes in digital health. But those successes are going to come from customers who are thrilled with your product. They won’t come because you follow growth strategy that’s incompatible with the customers you serve. Matthew Amsden is CEO of ProofPilot.
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This Founder Just Raised $50 Million To Put An End To Bad Wi-Fi

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Nick Weaver built his startup based on a problem his parents faced on a daily basis. Now he has $90 million in funding to solve that problem for them — and for millions of paying customers, he hopes. Growing up outside of Chicago, Weaver was the resident handyman in his home, fixing everything from computers to gadgets to leaky pipes. The one thing he couldn’t fix consistently, however, was the internet connection. He eventually left home to attend Stanford to study management science and engineering, but the persistent problem of a bad internet connection followed him everywhere he went. Fast forward six years after graduation and Weaver thinks he has finally come up with a solution. His startup eero is the maker of a smart wireless routing system that aims to put an end to weak internet connections. By placing several devices in separate corners of the home, eero creates a Wi-Fi signal that he says — and many tech writers back up — is stronger than any single router. Last week, Weaver announced $50 million in new funding as well as a contract with Best Buy to get eero in the hands of customers all over the country. While eero is now flush with capital to realize that goal, it took some time to find investors who understood the problem. A eero system costs $499 — more than 10 times the cost of many internet routers on the market today. So Weaver needed to convince backers not only that this was a problem, but a problem that millions would pay top-dollar to solve. “A lot of investors questioned whether people really care enough about their internet connection for this,” he said. “They said they weren’t having any problems at home with their connections.” In an interview, we discussed just how big the market for a $499 wireless internet system really is, how he raised capital in a down market and his vision for eero moving forward. Edited excerpts: Caroline Fairchild: What made you want to build eero? Nick Weaver: When I was growing up, our internet connections were important, but they weren’t as important as they are today. I can’t do work today or talk on the phone or stream video or listen to music or download files if my internet is down. It all comes to this grinding halt. The only way to fix this is to build a better system. As our internet connection has gotten faster and the bandwidth of our devices increases, you have to move beyond the alien-like spaceship router that sits in everyone’s home. You have to have a system with multiple units to get the connectivity that you really need. CF: Why do you think no one tried to tackle this problem before you? NW: What our system resembles is an enterprise networking system that costs tens of thousands of dollars. It’s a crazy high price point because the underlying tech is super complex and challenging. On the other end of the spectrum, you have a Netgear or a Belkin or a Linksys router. They go to low-cost manufacturers and ask they what they can build. They have no controls over any of the hardware, software or user experience. The problem that we identified is that status quo was going to end very quickly because more people are connected to the internet than ever before. When you look at it connectivity needs within your home, they will continue to increase more and more over time. CF: What makes you so sure that mass amounts of people will pay the high price point for an eero system? NW: The biggest education point you have to do is make sure people are comparing the right things. We are selling you three units versus the one unit you’ll get from others.. So really the comparison people need to do in their heads is three Linksys routers that you will never be able to configure or $499 for a eero system. To have great coverage in your home, you need more units. Wi-Fi is a radio wave just like light and sound. The thing that kills speed and reliability is distance. CF: Apple is working on a similar product. There is also Luma. What makes yours different? NW: We have engineered the product from the ground up. We have fantastic reviews. We are the only product available on the market. This funding round is really important because we are committed to improving the product and that is what the team is focused on. CF: Theranos and uBeam are both startups right now with technology that is now being questioned. Did you experience any of that when going out to raise money? NW: One distinction here is that the core technology has been available for 20 years now. We didn't have to go convince people of the physics of Wi-Fi. People didn’t have to take a leap of faith on the wireless tech. Where our investors did have to take a leap of faith is that we could really strip away all the complexity to have these networks set up and configure automatically. We started this company with me and my two co-founders in my living room in North Beach with an idea and a poorly designed pitch deck. It was less of a core fundamental technology risk and more of a leap of faith that we could make the product simple to use. CF: It’s a difficult time to be fundraising. What did it feel like on the ground? NW: Investors are always looking for startups with great team, product and momentum. A lot of the art as a startup CEO is you are trying to have all three of those when you are entering fundraising. The process for this round went almost identically to our last round and the round before that. It is a bigger check, so it is a slightly longer period to make sure the details are there and the deal closes.  That said, the market has absolutely turned and we were really fortunate. Things have absolutely slowed down. You can see how much capital has been deployed in the last quarter, but for companies with great teams, products and momentum, there is always a really strong set of investors who are interested. CF: Do you have plans on building anything other than a wireless routing system under eero? NW: We are excited about taking the most complicated tech in our homes and making it simpler. Today, my house is getting more and more connected and more and more complicated. Our Wi-Fi system is just a first step in simplifying technology and making sure that it is foundational. We have a great and motivated team and we are working on a lot of things.
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POLITICO Playbook: PARANOIA IN TRUMPVILLE: Staffers Fear Bugging – ‘DEBATE OF THE CENTURY’ Is Off

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Happy holiday weekend. HOLLYWOOD DUMPS ON TRUMP -- "Trump: A star is scorned: In Hollywood, the billionaire's spot on the Walk of Fame is regularly defaced," by Henry C. "C.J." Jackson: "It started with dog feces. ... The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which operates the Walk of Fame and determines who gets a star, says ... there is no chance Trump's star will be removed. ... The star sits just off the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, a particularly zany area ... People are ... just prone to shouting here ... about their jobs, a celebrity sighting or something only they understand." http://politi.co/1NUrx2m INSIDE THE CAMPAIGNS - N.Y. Times, A1, top of col. 2, "CHANGES RATTLE TRUMP CAMPAIGN FROM THE INSIDE: TOP POSITIONS UNFILLED -- Concern Grows Among Staff, and Confusion Among Backers," by Ashley Parker and Maggie Haberman in Bismarck, N.D.: "A sense of paranoia is growing among his campaign staff members, including some who have told associates they believe that their Trump Tower offices may be bugged. ... 'Candidate Trump needs to better understand that he is now the titular head of the G.O.P.,' said Scott W. Reed, senior political strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 'His words and actions will have an impact on the over 6,000 G.O.P. candidates running for office - from federal races down to the courthouse.' ... "Asked for comment, ... Trump declined, criticizing the reporters ... 'You two wouldn't know how to write a good story about me if you tried - dream on,' Mr. Trump said in [a comment] relayed by his spokeswoman, Hope Hicks. ... Ms. Hicks is still the sole communications staff member; the Clinton campaign, by contrast, has a press team of more than a dozen. ... 'The drama in Trumpville this week,' Mr. Reed said, totally overtook the 'devastating' [Clinton email] report." With Sam Nunberg cameo http://nyti.ms/1XDcPyg By Mike Allen (@mikeallen; mallen@politico.com) and Daniel Lippman (@dlippman; dlippman@politico.com) **SUBSCRIBE to Playbook: http://politi.co/1M75UbX  --WSJ A1, middle of page, "Romney's Lonely Challenge to Trump," by Monica Langley in San Diego:"Romney's advisers begged him not to go to war with Donald Trump. ... Romney ... has become a rare figure in American history-a former presidential nominee openly defying the man succeeding him as his party's standard-bearer. ... His motivation: 'I wanted my grandkids to see that I simply couldn't ignore what Mr. Trump was saying and doing.'" http://on.wsj.com/1WqLRep --"Trump statement on debating Bernie Sanders" : "Based on the fact that the Democratic nominating process is totally rigged and Crooked Hillary Clinton and Deborah Wasserman Schultz will not allow Bernie Sanders to win, and now that I am the presumptive Republican nominee, it seems inappropriate that I would debate the second place finisher. ... I will wait to debate the first place finisher in the Democratic Party, probably Crooked Hillary Clinton." PRESIDENT OBAMA at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in Hiroshima, Japan: "The World War that reached its brutal end in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was fought among the wealthiest and most powerful of nations. Their civilizations had given the world great cities and magnificent art. Their thinkers had advanced ideas of justice and harmony and truth. And yet, the war grew out of the same base instinct for domination or conquest that had caused conflicts among the simplest tribes; an old pattern amplified by new capabilities and without new constraints.  "In the span of a few years, some 60 million people would die -- men, women, children no different than us, shot, beaten, marched, bombed, jailed, starved, gassed to death. ...  "The scientific revolution that led to the splitting of an atom requires a moral revolution, as well. ... [A]mong those nations like my own that hold nuclear stockpiles, we must have the courage to escape the logic of fear, and pursue a world without them. We may not realize this goal in my lifetime. But persistent effort can roll back the possibility of catastrophe. ... That is the future we can choose -- a future in which Hiroshima and Nagasaki are known not as the dawn of atomic warfare, but as the start of our own moral awakening." http://1.usa.gov/1P6n6Sn WHITE HOUSE pool reports by L.A. Times' Christi Parsons: "From WH staff, here is what POTUS wrote in the guest book at the peace center: 'We have known the agony of war. Let us now find the courage, together, to spread peace, and pursue a world without nuclear weapons.'"  --"Print pool final -- POTUS return": "After an early arrival at Andrews, the president deplaned at 8:32 pm and boarded Marine One. He is now en route to the White House." AFTER THE SPEECH -- "Atomic bomb survivors feel wonder, doubt after Obama visit," by AP's Foster Klug and Kaori Hitomi in Hiroshima: "Long after Obama left for Washington, people here were loath to let go of his whirlwind trip. Into the night, a line at Peace Memorial Park stretched from an arched stone monument that honors the 140,000 who died from the Aug. 6, 1945, bombing to a museum that tells the stories of some of those dead, about 200 meters (yards) away. People stood patiently, inching forward and waiting for their chance to take pictures of the wreath Obama had left behind. "People around Hiroshima were still talking about their glimpses of Obama as they lined the streets to watch his motorcade speed by or watched the media coverage that documented nearly every single moment of the two hours he spent in Hiroshima in a carefully choreographed political performance meant to close old wounds without inflaming new passions. ...  "Some anti-nuclear activists worry that Obama's Hiroshima speech could turn out like his 2009 speech in Prague that helped secure him a Nobel Peace Prize: After the buzz dies down, there will be a return to business as usual." http://apne.ws/1X3aYEI ** A message from BP: Our wind farms are monitored 24/7 at our Remote Operations Center - so onsite teams can count on early warning of approaching storms. Take a look at our Wind ROC and latest safety monitoring technologies: on.bp.com/wind ** SPOTTED: Michelle Obama at Le Diplomate last night ... Sen. Rand Paul yesterday at BWI, reading POLITICO. Michael Schwab, Politico senior video producer, emails: "Introduced myself with my daughter. He said my 1½-year-old daughter was very cute." ... Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Bob Corker chatting it up near Gate 43 at DCA yesterday: "The chat seems to be pretty robust, with only the occasional interruption from fellow fliers."  SEND YOUR SPOTTINGS to dlippman@politico.com PIC DU JOUR -- @JoeNBC: "A great night at PROHIBITION! The room was packed and Mayor @BilldeBlasio was in attendance." http://bit.ly/1sCJBUt SUNDAY WASHPOST - "The man who swindled the U.S. Navy: 'Fat Leonard' bribed officers with sex and cash ... The man who seduced the 7th Fleet: He tempted his targets with the high life: whiskey, cigars, prostitutes and cash. His moles fed him bundles of military secrets and law enforcement files. All so he could rip off the Navy on an industrial scale for years and years. Now, the depth of the corruption is being exposed as the investigation reaches into the highest ranks of the Navy," by Craig Whitlock:  "In perhaps the worst national-security breach of its kind to hit the Navy since the end of the Cold War, [Singapore-based businessman "Fat Leonard" Glenn] Francis doled out sex and money to a shocking number of people in uniform who fed him classified material about U.S. warship and submarine movements. ... He exploited the intelligence for illicit profit, brazenly ordering his moles to redirect aircraft carriers to ports he controlled in Southeast Asia so he could more easily bilk the Navy for fuel, tugboats, barges, food, water and sewage removal.  "Over at least a decade, according to documents filed by prosecutors, [his company] Glenn Defense ripped off the Navy with little fear of getting caught because Francis had so thoroughly infiltrated the ranks. ... He is awaiting sentencing and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. When he pleaded guilty last year, ... he promised to cooperate ... Authorities have identified only a few of the 30 admirals under investigation." http://wapo.st/1Z64kuv TRUMP OUT WEST - L.A. Times A1, at fold, "Trump chooses sides in water war [farmers over environmentalists]: He meets with farmers in the Central Valley and decries the state's environmental moves," by Michael Finnegan and Kurtis Lee: "After a private half-hour meeting with farmers [in Fresno], Trump said the group told him there was no drought in California, but rather a failure to preserve and wisely use the water the state has on tap. 'You have a water problem that is so insane ... It is so ridiculous, where they're taking the water and shoving it out to sea.'" http://lat.ms/22rOJrh --L.A. Times A1 tease, with story on A8, "Asian immigrants for Trump: Some Chinese Americans, chiefly new arrivals, back him," by Kate Linthicum: "[W]hile their numbers are slight, they represent significant trends in some parts of the Chinese immigrant population ... relatively recent arrivals from mainland China with strong nationalistic leanings, a certain reverence for wealth and a firm belief that U.S. immigration laws should be followed." http://lat.ms/22rOMDj --San Francisco Chronicle p. A1, at fold, "Trump aims to make play in California," by Joe Garofoli in Fresno: "Trump said Friday he's going to try to do something no Republican has done in decades-put deep blue California on the map in the general election. 'No other Republican would come here for dinner," Trump said Friday at a rally during which he spoke for 68 minutes in the 9,200-capacity Selland Arena-there were hundreds of empty seats. He also promised to get more water for Central Valley farmers." Paywall http://bit.ly/1UjYtjV 2016 PLAYERS -- "Trump ally Stuart Jolly joins super PAC," by Alex Isenstadt and Ken Vogel: "Stuart Jolly, who resigned his post as Donald Trump's national field director last month, is joining a pro-Trump super PAC. Jolly, an Oklahoma-based operative, will serve as political director for Great America PAC, one of the main super PACs that have emerged to boost Trump's candidacy. Jolly, who is a loyalist of Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, quit the campaign in April in frustration after its newly hired strategist Paul Manafort began reorganizing the campaign hierarchy." http://politi.co/22rLrEl MIKE MURPHY's 1989 encounter with Trump-world -- "Trump's airline went from opulence in the air to crash landing," by Boston Globe's Matt Viser: "Less than three months after Trump took over the airline [which he renamed Trump Shuttle], he was sitting in his office one August morning. ... 'They came in and said, "We have good news and bad news,"' Trump recalled ... 'I said, "Give me the good news.""We have a great pilot in the plane.""Give me the bad news.""The front wheels won't come down." ... One of the passengers on that flight - who recalls sliding out the aircraft and into a pile of foam - was Mike Murphy ... 'Afterward,' he said, 'all I got was a form letter and a drink coupon.'" http://bit.ly/1XWBDBW WELD BOMBS WITH LIBERTARIANS: "Dream ticket" in peril -- Shane Goldmacher in Orlando: "It was supposed to be a stroke of genius: Gary Johnson, the 2012 Libertarian nominee for president and the party's leading contender in 2016, announced that William Weld, the two-term former Republican governor of Massachusetts, would serve as his running mate. ... But here in the corridors of ... the Libertarian National Convention, ... it could all fall apart as anti-authoritarian Libertarian Party activists, loath to be defined as 'Republican-lite,' are increasingly and loudly critical of Weld, who joined their party only weeks ago."http://politi.co/22rLGPH CLICKER - "The nation's cartoonists on the week in politics," edited by Matt Wuerker - 10 keepers http://politi.co/1Z5MUy8 ... Politico's news quiz, "Under what condition will Trump debate Sanders? And 11 other questions from the news."  http://politi.co/1TNCl2A HAPPENING TONIGHT: Garrison Keillor, in his final season of "A Prairie Home Companion," hosts tonight from Wolf Trap's Filene Center in Vienna, Va. - the last time for this Memorial-Day-weekend tradition. Garrison always calls out to "all the wolves out on the lawn," and they all howl back. And the Guy Noir sketch inevitably has to do with politics. Keillor has more shows this summer in his last season. Tickets http://bit.ly/20LyJPh GREAT HOLIDAY WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman: --"To Break The Story, You Must Break the Status Quo" - Rebecca Solnit in LitHub.com on "why journalists need to cause trouble," adapted from the 2016 commencement address for the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley, Solnit's alma mater." http://bit.ly/1X1ueCl (h/t Longreads.com) --"The Citizen-Soldier: Moral Risk and the Modern Military," by Phil Klay, author of the National Book award winning "Redeployment," and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, in a Brookings essay: "Today, we're still mobilized for war, though in a manner perfectly designed to ensure we don't think about it too much. Since we have an all-volunteer force, participation in war is a matter of choice, not a requirement of citizenship, and those in the military represent only a tiny fraction of the country-what historian Andrew Bacevich calls 'the 1 percent army.' So the average civilian's chance of knowing any member of the service is correspondingly small." http://brook.gs/25qEg4E ... $18.69 on Amazon http://amzn.to/16cWGbM (h/t TheBrowser.com) --"How John Hinckley Lives Now," by Eddie Dean in Washingtonian: "He drives a Toyota. He eats fro-yo. He shops at PetSmart. You just might run into him." http://bit.ly/1sTdqB4 --"The enduring whiteness of the American media," by Howard W. French in The Guardian: "What three decades in journalism has taught me about the persistence of racism in the US." http://bit.ly/1XWvntV --"No Death, No Taxes," by George Packer in the Nov. 28, 2011 New Yorker: "The libertarian futurism of a Silicon Valley billionaire [Peter Thiel]." http://bit.ly/22rj3SV --"The Business of Too Much TV," by Josef Adalian and Maria Elena Fernandez in Vulture: "There are more great shows in production now than ever before - but it's never been harder to make one." http://bit.ly/25n3aOX --"13, right now," by WashPost's Jessica Contrera: "This is what it's like to grow up in the age of likes, lols and longing." http://wapo.st/1U1bxIl (h/t Longform.org) --"How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke," by Pablo S. Torre in the March 23, 2009 Sports Illustrated: "Recession or no recession, many NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball players have a penchant for losing most or all of their money. It doesn't matter how much they make. And the ways they blow it are strikingly similar." http://on.si.com/1TJPmck --"Nothing But The Truth," by Robert Kolker in The Marshall Project: "A radical new interrogation technique is transforming the art of detective work: Shut up and let the suspect do the talking." http://bit.ly/25qEGYL --"The Curse of the Ramones," by Mikal Gilmore in Rolling Stone: "40 years later: The feuds, failures and breakdowns of the band that launched punk rock." http://rol.st/1TFkzej MEDIAWATCH - "WSJ chief reminds editors to be 'fair' to Trump," by Joe Pompeo: "During one of The Wall Street Journal's recent morning news meetings, editor in chief Gerry Baker took a couple minutes to remind editors to be 'fair' to Trump ... because, Baker said, no matter what people think of him, Trump's a serious candidate and lots of serious people are going to get behind his White House bid. The source described Baker's Trump talk as a 'surreal tangent' in a meeting normally reserved for ironing out the logistics of covering the day's top stories. ... [T]he comments were widely discussed among Journal editors and bureau chiefs, some of whom took them as an insult or admonition." http://politi.co/1OSdwx1 ... Sign up for Joe's new free Politico Morning Media newsletter http://politi.co/1Ua2DYN PETER ALEXANDER on the cover of June's Washington Family magazine, "Family first. The rest is details":Q: "If you weren't a reporter, what job do you think you'd have?": A: "Play-by-play for the Cubs or [acting as] Hamilton (I wish)." ... Q: "Especially with the 'unique' campaign season that's unfolding, do you have any humorous on-the-job anecdotes?" A: "At the news conference following Trump's Michigan primary win, I asked him about an ad highlighting the profanity that sometimes punctuates his rallies and how parents should explain it to their kids. His reply: 'Oh, look at you! You're so politically correct. You're so beautiful. You're so perfect. Aren't you just a perfect young man? Give me a break.' My wife [Alison Starling] had that quote put on a pillow." http://bit.ly/25oq8W2 ... The cover http://bit.ly/20NwJWH WEST WING ARRIVAL LOUNGE - "Meet The White House's New Muslim American Community Liaison," by HuffPost's Antonia Blumberg: "Zaki Barzinji, former Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-Va.), recently assumed the new role as liaison to the Muslim American community under the Office of Public Engagement ... Barzinji will plan outreach to Muslim Americans, as well as Sikhs, Buddhists, and Hindus, working to ensure that these communities are represented at the federal level." http://huff.to/20Lzkk0 TRANSITIONS -- Kenny Wassus, one of Independent Journal Review's video gurus, heads to New York City to join New York mag's growing team as a video producer. He wrapped up at IJR last week and will move to NYC this weekend to start Wednesday. OUT AND ABOUT: Benny Johnson, Independent Journal Review's creative director, had a birthday party last night on the Hill for friends to celebrate his 30th ; the shindig was held on a spacious, 5th floor roof-deck of a home owned by Jordan Gehrke, which formerly served as Rand Paul 2016 HQ. People noshed on smoked brisket, ribs, bacon wrapped pork lion, andouille sausage and a mac 'n cheese bar while swilling a large assortment of craft bourbon. Framed photos of Hulk Hogan (including one with Donald Trump) adorned the expanse of the roof-deck. Funny pic of Benny wearing American flag-adorned clothes http://bit.ly/24dhSFX SPOTTED : Katelyn Rieley, Ryan Williams, John McCarthy, Hadas Gold, Robbie Myers, Christopher Bedford, Katie Frates (who brought a mini golden doodle she's dog-sitting this weekend), Teri Galvez, Michael Cleary, Melissa Brown, Will Upton, Lachlan Markey, Emil Caillaux, Lauren Ehrsam, Matthew Dybwad, Zach Graves, Charlie Spiering, Christopher Scalia (son of the late Antonin Scalia), Jason and Sarah Fowler, Terry Schilling, Jordan Gehrke, Lauren Duvoll, Micah Spangler, Josh Fischer, Michelle Johnson, Josh Chase Harris, Brad Ingwell, Ben Droz, Jacob Wood, Evangeline Johnson and Martin Avila, Bre Payton. THE PRESIDENT'S WEEK AHEAD: "Monday, the President will host a Memorial Day breakfast reception at the White House honoring military service organizations, Gold Star Mothers, Gold Star Wives, veterans service organizations, and senior military leadership. ... Later in the morning, the President will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and deliver remarks to honor members of the US armed services ... On Tuesday, the President will visit the FEMA headquarters to receive the annual hurricane season outlook and preparedness briefing. In the afternoon, the President will welcome the NCAA Champion Villanova University Men's Basketball team to honor the team and their 2016 NCAA Championship. ... "On Wednesday, the President will return to Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana - the site of his first trip as President. More than seven years after that visit, the President will highlight the economic progress that Elkhart and America have made, the economic challenges that remain, and the decisions that face Americans in communities like Elkhart. While in Elkhart, the President will take part in a town hall hosted by PBS, where he'll have the opportunity to hear directly from Elkhart residents. In the evening, the President will travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he will remain overnight.  "On Thursday, the President will address the 2016 graduates at the United States Air Force Academy commencement ceremony. In the evening, the President will return to Washington ... On Friday, the President will travel to Miami, ... where he will attend DSCC and DNC events. In the evening, the President will travel to Palm City, Florida, where he will remain through Sunday. On Sunday, the President will return to Washington." THE VICE PRESIDENT'S HOLIDAY WEEKEND: "On Saturday and Sunday, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will be in Wilmington, Delaware. There are no public events scheduled. On Monday, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will attend the Delaware National Guard Headquarters naming ceremony. This event at the Delaware National Guard Headquarters in New Castle, Delaware will be open press." BIRTHWEEK (was Thursday): Ryan Graham ... Andrew Ciafardini ... Joe Cupka, the pride of Minnesota and an Obama Iowa caucus vet, now director of data and comms. strategy at Eastman Music Company BIRTHDAYS: Sen. Marco Rubio is 45 ... Katharine Weymouth, former Washington Post publisher and CEO ... Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) is 56, celebrating in Charleston with his sons Landon and Blake (h/t Martha Morris) ... Rudy Giuliani is 72 ... Al From, founder and former CEO of the DLC ... Pelosi alum Diane Dewhirst ... Andy Stone, policy comms. manager at Facebook and alum of Boxer, DCCC and Kerry 2004 ... Elisabeth Hasselbeck is 39 ... BBC's Tim Willcox is 53 ... noted grumpus Dan Janison of Newsday ... WSJ editor Carrie Melago ... Ry Triplette of Franklin Square Group, a Specter alum ... Uber's Josh Gold ... former Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) is 35 ... Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is 67 ... Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) and Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) are both 56 ... Lauren Mandelker (sorry we jumped the gun yesterday) ... Graham Miller (Gaucho tip: Courto) ... Natalie Yezbick, press assistant for Sen. John Cornyn, who celebrated yesterday with excellent ice cream cake with Team Cornyn and spending the weekend in the Big Apple with friends (h/ts Kristen East and Sorelle Wyckoff) ...  ... David Lobl in Gov. Cuomo's office (h/t Jewish Insider) ... Dorothy Gaumer, celebrating her 90+ years in Iowa with her dear family and million friends ... Alan Khazei is 55 ... Adam Collins (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) ... Jessica Anderson, grassroots director for Heritage Action for America (hubby tip: Brandt Anderson, a great Chinook pilot) ... Bloomberg alum Jim Snyder, now news editor at Argus Media ... Andrea Wuebker, senior director for corporate comms. at David's Bridal in Minneapolis and an alum of Ogilvy, Sens. Gregg and Coleman ...Texas Tribune editor-in-chief Emily Ramshaw ... Jon Black ... Harry Weinstein ... Marty Kramer, former CNN producer now comms. director for the Health Resources and Services Administration ... Joe Paulsen ... Ryan Graham ... Christy Harvey Felling, director of strategic comms. of No Kid Hungry and a CAP alum ... Omid Memarian ...  ... Adelle Nazarian, politics and national security reporter at Breitbart and a Fox News alum ... Tim Dowling is 31 ... Ron Jacobi of Bryan Cave ... Peter Cobus ... Robert Walter Harleston is 57 ... rockabilly singer-musician Sonny Burgess is 87 ... Basketball Hall-of-Famer Jerry West is 78 ... Gladys Knight is 72 ... John Fogerty is 71 ... Olympic gold medal figure skater Ekaterina Gordeeva is 45 ... actor Joseph Cross is 30 (h/ts AP) THE SHOWS, from @MattMackowiak, filing from Austin:  -- NBC's "Meet the Press" (at a different time in many markets because of NBC Sports programming): Bernie Sanders; Arnold Schwarzenegger; roundtable: Kellyanne Conway, Robert Costa, Gerald Seib and Neera Tanden --ABC's "This Week," with Jon Karl anchoring: Paul Manafort; John Barrasso; Dianne Feinstein; Gary Sinise; roundtable: Bill Bennett, Maria Cardona, Kevin Madden and Heidi Przybyla --CBS's "Face the Nation": Bernie Sanders; Ron Johnson; John Hickenlooper; roundtable: Jeffrey Goldberg, Peggy Noonan, Mark Leibovich, Ruth Marcus and Ron Brownstein --"Fox News Sunday" : Corey Lewandowski; James Lankford and Adam Schiff; roundtable: Brit Hume, Susan Page, George Will and Ron Fournier; "Power Player of the Week" with Bugles Across America's Tom Day --CNN's "State of the Union" (9am ET / 12pm ET): Marco Rubio --Fox News'"Sunday Morning Futures" (10am ET / 9am CT): Jeff Sessions; Roger Wicker; author Peter Schweizer ("Clinton Cash"); Peter King; roundtable: Ed Rollins and Joe Trippi --Fox News'"MediaBuzz" (SUN 11am ET / 10am CT): Susan Ferrechio; Washington Examiner's Lisa Boothe; Penny Lee; Katrina Pierson; NYT's Farhad Manjoo --CNN's "Inside Politics" with John King (SUN 8am ET): Roundtable: Julie Pace, Manu Raju, Jackie Kucinich; Margaret Talev --CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS": (SUN 10am, 1pm ET): Roundtable: Peter Beinart, Vali Nasr, Anne-Marie Slaughter and Bret Stephens; LinkedIn executive chairman and cofounder Reid Hoffman --CNN's "Reliable Sources": (SUN 11am ET): Roundtable: Julie Pace, Jonathan Martin and NPR's Michael Oreskes; Dan Pfeiffer; W. Kamau Bell and Tim Wise; The Weekly Standard associate editor and Politico Magazine's Ethan Epstein --Univision's "Al Punto" (SUN 10am ET / 1pm PT) Bernie Sanders; GIEI members Claudia Paz y Paz and Francisco Cox; advocates for the expansion of end-of-life options Miguel Carrasquillo and Nilsa Centeno; soccer roundtable with former goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, Univision Deportes' Enrique "El Perro" Bermudez and Univision Deportes' Jose Luis Lopez; Manà vocalist and guitar player Fher Olvera --C-SPAN: "The Communicators" (SAT 6:30pm ET): FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel (D), FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai (R), FCC Commissioner Michael O'Reilly (R) and FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn (D), questioned by Bloomberg BNA's Lydia Beyoud ... "Newsmakers" (SUN 10am ET): Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, questioned by WSJ's Gordon Lubold and WaPo's Craig Whitlock ... "Q&A" (SUN 8pm & 11pm ET): Senate historian Betty Koed --MSNBC's "PoliticsNation with Rev. Al Sharpton": (SUN 8-9am ET): "Roots" executive producer LeVar Burton; Jim Messina; Amy Holmes; WaPo's Philip Bump; Demos VP Tamara Braut ... "MSNBC Live": (SUN 9-10am ET): Democratic strategist Morris Reid; Howard Dean; MSNBC contributor Robert Traynham; Northwestern University's Dan McAdams (hosted by MSNBC's Frances Rivera live from New York) ...  ... MSNBC's "AM Joy" : (SUN 10am-12pm ET): NBC News' Perry Bacon; Bendixen & Amandi International executive vice president and principal Fernand Amandi; VoteVets.org chairman Jon Solz; National Review's David French; MSNBC political analyst Rick Tyler; literacy advocate and Reading Rainbow's LeVar Burton ... MSNBC's "The Place for Politics": (SUN 12-2pm ET): The Hill's Molly Hooper; "Restrepo" co-director and author Sebastian Junger ("The Perfect Storm", "War", "Tribe"); John Garamendi (hosted by MSNBC's Alex Witt live from New York) --PBS's "To the Contrary" with Bonnie Erbé : Roundtable: Eleanor Holmes Norton, conservative commentator Dana White, Reproaction cofounder Erin Matson and Independent Women's Forum's Julie Gunlock --SiriusXM's "No Labels Radio" (SAT 6pm ET, SUN 1PM ET): Special best-of segments with Joe Donnelly on opioid addiction, Garrett Graves giving a U.S. House update, Michael Barone on the 2016 Election, and Michael Froman on U.S. Trade Policy.  --Sinclair's "Full Measure" with Sharyl Attkisson (SUN 10am ET on WJLA and airing on Sinclair stations nationwide): A whistleblower, a former employee of Switzerland's largest bank, imprisoned by one federal government agency, but later rewarded with a $100m+ settlement by another. New Yorker story on him: http://bit.ly/20rUxzc ** A message from BP: Safety is never being satisfied - and always working to be better. That's why at BP, we're working every day to improve our training, our technology, our culture. See real examples of our progress: on.bp.com/safety ** SUBSCRIBE to the Playbook family: POLITICO Playbook http://politi.co/1M75UbX ... New York Playbook http://politi.co/1ON8bqW ... Florida Playbook http://politi.co/1JDm23W ... New Jersey Playbook http://politi.co/1HLKltF ... Massachusetts Playbook http://politi.co/1Nhtq5v ... Illinois Playbook http://politi.co/1N7u5sb ... California Playbook http://politi.co/1N8zdJU ... Brussels Playbook http://politi.co/1FZeLcw ... All our political and policy tipsheets http://politi.co/1M75UbX To view online:http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/playbook/2016/05/164-days-to-election-51-days-to-cleveland-58-days-to-philly-paranoia-in-trumpville-staffers-fear-bugging-debate-of-the-century-is-off-bdays-rudy-giuliani-marco-rubio-andy-stone-katharine-weymouth-214540 To change your alert settings, please go to https://secure.politico.com/settings
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Full Metal Scrubs: IT Security For Surgical Robots Could Save Your life

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Above: January 11, 2016: Robot for minimally invasive operations controlled by the surgeon. Medical robot da vinci. Image Credit: Master Video / Shutterstock.com Big news this month on the medical front when a surgical robot called STAR — Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot — succeeded, in both a lab setting and using live animal tissue, to stitch together pieces of pig intestinal tubing with very little guidance from humans. Not only that, but it managed to do so with the same if not better accuracy and safety than doctors, according to the researchers behind the experiment. This is a momentous advancement for medical robots and telesurgery alike, and with sales of such robots expected to double to $6.4 billion (a yearly increase of 10.2%) by 2020, according to an Allied Market Research report published in January, we’re only going to hear about more and more progress in the near future. Which is beyond fantastic. Ever since the first telesurgery was performed in 2001, when a surgeon in New York successfully took out the gall bladder of a patient in Strasbourg, there has been increasing hope of one day providing excellent medical care to people who would otherwise be thousands of miles away from any surgical help. People in remote areas with no access to proper medical care, people in underprivileged nations, people in war zones, people who wouldn’t be able to survive the air transport to where the surgeon they need is located or who don’t have enough time to wait for that surgeon to be flown out to their respective location. I have no doubt that telesurgery is the future and that medical robots (not only surgical ones) are not far from becoming ubiquitous, if not the norm in hospital care and possibly out-patient care as well. But there’s a problem. One that we need to start fixing now, before medical robots become ubiquitous and the norm. All these surgical robots will operate over public networks and poor connections, sometimes even wireless ones, which leaves them exposed to hacking and other types of malicious attacks. And even though it might seem that these privacy and security concerns are better suited for a sci-fi horror movie in the SAW vein than real life, a surgical robot has already been hacked. Luckily, it happened in a controlled environment and by a team of researchers, but given that we have yet to see an Internet-connected device that can’t be hacked, this does not bode well for a future of “Paging Doctor Robot to OR 1.” A year ago, in May 2015, University of Washington researchers led by Tamara Bonaci tested Raven II, a telesurgery robot designed to operate in extreme conditions, namely poor connections over public networks, by submitting it to cyber attacks that modified its behavior: They delayed, deleted, or changed the order of the commands sent to the robot They modified the distance the Raven II’s arm was supposed to move, as well as the rotation degree They performed a complete takeover of the robot. Worried yet? Well, add this to your list of worries then: Once hacked, a surgical robot can become the victim of a denial of service attack if the hacker decides to flood the system with commands. And while a denial of service attack can mean significant monetary loss for a company, be it in the form of clients/business lost or ransom payment made to hackers, where a surgical robot is concerned, an attack of this nature can mean loss of human life. Terrifying, isn’t it? Or maybe not. Maybe you’re thinking that this was just an experiment and since no real-life incidents have been reported to date (which is a fact), there’s no need to panic. But let’s not forget that these surgical and non-surgical robots operate and will continue to do so within the boundaries and the privacy and security means of the healthcare industry — an industry that is so plagued by breaches, data theft, and ransomware that IBM named 2015 “The Year of the Healthcare Breach” in its Cyber Security Intelligence Index. And if the past months are any indication, 2016 could very well turn out to be “The Year of the Healthcare Breach – The Sequel.” Since February, over a dozen hospitals and even more healthcare institutions have been the victim of ransomware, their systems rendered unusable, their staff forced to resort to pen, paper, and fax machines (remember those?), their urgent surgeries postponed, their patients transferred, and ultimately, their money shelled out to hackers. After the highly publicized case of Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, which was forced to declare a state of emergency and pay 40 bitcoin (approx. $17,000) to regain access to its files and equipment, reports of similar attacks kept pouring in. In March, the same ransomware — named Locky — hit Methodist Hospital in Henderson, Kentucky and left personnel unable to access patient files. Soon after that, it was reported that MedStar Health, a healthcare organization operating over 120 entities including 10 hospitals in the Baltimore–Washington area, had been attacked by some type of ransomware as well. Add this to the fact that, as research carried out by Sergey Lozhkin at Kaspersky Lab brought to light, there are a lot of cases where medical equipment is not separated from the local office network, and all that bright future of telesurgery and medical robots looks riddled with potential breaches. And ensuing malpractice lawsuits. So as I said, it’s high time we started thinking of a solution. It’s high time hospitals and other healthcare institutions started thinking more seriously about IT security and taking important steps towards protecting not only their patients’ data from hackers, but their patients’ robot-doctors and all other medical devices too. The info is all out there. The regulations are too, albeit maybe not all of them at this time, but they’re definitely in the making. For example, the National Institute of Standards and Technology is set to release best practices aimed at helping hospitals deal with cyber threats in the near future. The issue is implementation. HIPAA has been around since the late ’90s, and even though it clearly states that healthcare institutions should take all measures necessary to protect the confidentiality of patient data from known threats, breaches have been a dime a dozen in the past two years, with nearly 90% of healthcare organizations having suffered at least one such incident. The same goes for encryption. Not only is it out there, but it’s never been more available (ever since the Snowden revelations in 2013). Despite this, as a Sophos survey found, the healthcare industry has one of the lowest rates of data encryption: Only 31% of organizations reported using extensive encryption, while a whopping 20% said they didn’t use it at all. To make a bad situation worse, it appears that the healthcare budgets for security have either remained the same or even dropped in the past year, as the Ponemon Institute shows in its Sixth Annual Benchmark Study on Privacy and Security of Healthcare. This needs to change and fast. Medical devices, especially telesurgery ones, need to have their own networks, separated from the corporate network. In turn, these networks need to be encrypted. They need to have bespoke VPNs and the authenticity of the parties involved in the communication needs to be mutually verified so that man-in-the-middle attacks don’t happen. Hospitals and healthcare organizations need to hire full-time system admins and IT security professionals to train their entire staff and then test them on operational security until no one clicks on a suspicious link in an email, no matter who the sender is (or at least appears to be). Because when it comes to surgical robots, hospitals, and the healthcare system as a whole, well-implemented and adhered to IT security best practices could mean the difference between a 1-inch incision and a 10-inch one. Between perfectly spaced out stitches and surgical complications with a long recovery time. Sometimes even between life and death. Aike Müller is founder of Keezel. His career in information management and IT security began as an M&A IT expert at PwC. He went on to cofound a government-contract consulting firm specializing in automated assurance. As a freelance consultant, he worked on process and supply chain assurance for national and international clients in logistics, retail, and sustainable agriculture. He developed Keezel as a solution to security issues he encountered while working at client locations. You can follow him on Twitter: @themuli.
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The Life-Changing Power Of Small Things

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On May 21, I delivered the Wesleyan University Phi Beta Kappa Commencement Address. This post has been adapted and condensed from that speech. For those of you who grew up in the United States, you probably know that Cooperstown New York is famous for one thing: the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is the pinnacle of success in the sport and being inducted to The Hall is the dream of every kid playing little league and every major leaguer as well. But, of course, it is extraordinarily difficult to get in. There are only 312 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. To be inducted, as a hitter, you have to bat an average of .302. That means for every at bat, over the course of a season, you will get a hit 30% of the time. But here’s the thing: The average major leaguer bats .271, which means that for every at bat, they will get a hit 27% of the time. Over the course of a season of 162 games, the difference between being in the middle of the pack and the best of the best is just 18 hits per year, or one more hit every 17 games! The hall of famers studied, practiced, and worked over time to get that smallest of advantages to get just one extra hit every 17 games. And the results are immortality.  The key therefore is to find the small but significant ways to achieve incremental improvements in your life. I’ve come to discover that small things, when applied consistently and over long periods of time, have the ability to change your life. Small things, applied consistently and over long periods of time, also lead to massive success. In addition, they can help you achieve health and happiness. And indeed, they can help you change the world. Saving and compound interest Let’s start with a topic that is not particularly polite to talk about. Money. It seems crass to talk about money in this august setting, when we are here to celebrate your intellectual and academic achievements. Money isn’t only delicate to talk about here and now. Even in a job interview, it’s tricky to talk honestly about it, because most employers want to hire people who are driven to be a part of their organization for more noble reasons. And that’s fine. But let’s face it. Money is important, to one degree or another. If you have student loans to repay, if you would like to travel internationally, live in a good home in a nice community with good schools, it’s important. If you want to support causes that you care about, it’s important. And, of course, if you want to make big donations to Wesleyan one day, it’s very important! Money is also an example where it pays to understand the power of small things. The first small thing is an insight, so obvious, that it can be easy to overlook. That is, if you want to make a lot of money, the single best way to do that, is to go into a field that pays well. To quote New York Times columnist Ben Stein, “Over the years, I have seen it. Smart men and women in finance and corporate law always grow rich, or at least well-to-do. Incredibly smart men and women in short-story writing, or anthropology, or acting rarely do.” This is effective advice, especially if your interests, skills, and values align with those areas of business - like finance, banking, engineering, consulting, or biotech - that generate high profitability and therefore enable organizations in those fields to pay well. But what if you are drawn to other, more creative or mission-driven work, like short-story writing, anthropology, or acting, not to mention public service, international development, or academia? Here is where the power of small things can come to the rescue again. That is the arithmetic of saving, investing and compounding, over time. And there is no time to waste. If you save just a few percentage points of what you earn every month and invest it, even with single digit returns, over time, that will grow to become a lot of money, thanks to the power of compounding. Let’s say you develop the discipline of saving $300 per month (foregoing restaurants and bars for a while perhaps). That’s 6% of your salary if you’re earning $60,000 a year. And let’s say you invest it at a 5% rate of return. Over 25 years this will grow to become $175,000. Nice. But if you can find a way to invest at a 10% return and wait just another 10 years, then that is your easiest and most surefire way to become a millionaire. That $300 a month becomes $1,028,000. So money is an area where there is life-changing power of small things. Let’s take a look at another. Fitness. Fitness About 18 months ago I was in Istanbul, Turkey, for the November Board meeting of my firm, Spencer Stuart. Our job is to recruit leaders to many of the most important organizations in the world, which, by the way, is how I’ve done so much research around careers and success. Over the past 22 years, I’ve recruited over 600 executives and board directors, including the CEOs of such companies as Twitter, Intel, Yahoo, Hulu, New York Times Company, and MetLife, as well as not-for-profit CEOs to such organizations as Sesame Workshop, PBS, NPR, New York Public Library, The MIT Media Lab, and Radio Free Europe. In Istanbul, we were hosted by the head of our business in Turkey, a great guy named Kaan Okurer, of course, a Wesleyan alum, class of 1997. Well, upon seeing Kaan at the opening dinner, I was struck by how great he looked. He was clearly ripped and in incredible shape, noticeably fitter than the last time I had seen him. “Kaan, you look amazing, what have you been doing?” I asked him. “You won’t believe it if I tell you,” he replied. I implored him and he finally told me about his new regime. “I walk wherever and whenever I can,” he said, “but the real secret is a remarkable app I found and have been following religiously. It’s called, ‘The 7 Minute Workout.’” He was right, I was incredulous. The 7 Minute Workout? Come on. I grew up in the era of “No pain, no gain;” of running 40+ miles a week to train for a marathon; the more the better. How could something that takes only 7 minutes possibly be worth anything? Well the answer, once again, is the power of small things. The 7 Minute Workout has gone viral and many of you may know it and even do it. But if you don’t, trust me, you should. It works, and it only takes 7 minutes. Seven minutes is so short that it rounds down to 5 minutes, and 5 minutes rounds down to nothing. There is almost no excuse to not be able to fit this in every single day. If you’re traveling and have an early flight, you can still do 7 minutes before you head to the airport. If you’re on a crunch deadline, you can take a 7 minute break and do it. If you’re exhausted and it’s time for bed, you can still fit in one last 7 minute block. I do it essentially every single day. I took two days off recently -- on the day of and the day after the London Marathon in April. Don’t be fooled, though. The actual exercises are difficult, especially at first. It’s made up of 12 exercises that were selected based on scientific research to complement and build upon one another. You do them at high intensity for 30 seconds each, with only 10 seconds of rest in between. Jumping jacks, wall sit, squats, lunges, pushups, crunches, plank. You can do them in a small dorm room or apartment, hotel, even in an office. No equipment is needed. The regimen achieves the equivalent of an hour’s workout in only 7 minutes. And the app is incredibly well designed, with a female or male narrator capable of giving the verbal directions and encouragement in 17 languages, as well as Pavlovian rewards such as bells, countdowns, and an automatic activity calendar. I’ve done 13 marathons, including three since doing the 7MW over the last 18 months, and have stayed healthy, averaging only 12 miles of running a week leading up to each race! Let’s move onto the next example — a dedication to making one single improvement each week. Weekly Improvements When I graduated from business school, I had a lot of potential directions that I could pursue. Thanks to being supported by and then challenged by my great Vassar professors, especially my freshman English professor, who saw some inkling of academic and literary potential in the midst of a quite immature 18 year old, and the empowering culture of the liberal arts, more broadly speaking - inquiry, writing, thinking, and examining - I was able to thrive and get a good job upon graduation. After three years as a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley I was accepted to Harvard Business School. As I headed toward graduation in 1986, I was intent on getting the best job I could. I took an analytical approach to the process, identifying the criteria that I thought were the most important in a job. I created a spread sheet and then rated each opportunity against the criteria. For me at that time, I boiled it down to: Prestige, lifestyle, and money. I wanted to work for a company and in a role that I was proud of. I wanted to make a lot of money. And loving my freedom and sports, I didn’t want to work 80 hours a week. Against these criteria, there was one job that scored head-and-shoulders above the rest. So I joined Goldman Sachs as an associate in private wealth management. Great prestige - an associate at Goldman; great money; and based in New York with much better hours than investment banking or many other high-paying jobs. Well, the analysis was great, but it turned out to be fundamentally flawed leading to a horrendous career mistake. Happily, however, I learned some valuable lessons and took away two additional concrete examples of how to apply and benefit from the life-changing power of small things. The first lesson was the singularly powerful role of people and purpose in what you choose to do. My three criteria – prestige, money, and lifestyle – are simply the wrong way to make a career decision. It quickly became obvious that I made a mistake, as I was miserable after only four months on the job. It turns out that there are two things that central to happiness and satisfaction in your work – people and purpose. Extensive research shows that the single biggest explanatory factor as to how engaged and satisfied people are in their jobs is how much they like and respect the people they work with on a daily basis. So if you want to be happy in your career, whatever you do, default to choosing to work with people that you like and respect. It wasn’t just that I didn’t become friends with most of the other members of the Goldman private wealth management team, they were fine enough; it was more that I didn’t aspire to be like most of them. What they cared about was the stock market; investing; landing big new “pools of capital;” talking to clients and each other about money and markets. Not only did I find no deep purpose in what I was doing there, I also realized that I was lousy as an investor and investment advisor. Here’s another key career management principle - do something that you are fundamentally interested in and that you are good at. I know, obvious stuff, but you’d be surprised by how many people make bad decisions based on missing the key things. People, purpose, and playing to your strengths and interests. Without that error, I never would have found my way next to McKinsey, which was a wonderful fit for five years, and then on to Spencer Stuart for the past 22 years. And I never would have been able to write The Career Playbook which shares all the lessons from my wayward mistakes. There was another silver lining to my Goldman debacle, however. I learned another life-changing small thing. One of the legends of Wall Street was named Richard Menschel, who was on the management committee of Goldman. One day he sat me down in his glass-walled office and shared what he said was his single best piece of advice. “At the end of each week,” he said, “spend a few minutes reviewing the things you did that went well, and the things that did not work. Then commit, each week, to make one concrete change to improve the things that didn’t work. Develop this as a habit, and you will be amazed at its power and impact.” What he was saying was that through the power of small things – making single improvements each week, they will build upon one another and over time have an extraordinary impact on your performance and results. This brings us to another powerful discipline to build. Goal setting. Goal Setting For years, I thought that having the desire to be the best was hardwired into everyone. But I learned a number of years ago, and have been reminded many times since, that this simply is not the case. I do believe, however, that it is here with you today. Indeed, if you have that burning desire to achieve and accomplish important things, then one of the most powerful ways to do that is through another small thing. Goal setting. Setting measurable goals, committing them in writing, and monitoring your progress is a powerful way to point yourself in the right direction and track your advancement. Some people avoid being specific because they don’t want to expose themselves to the risk of failing. But it is essential to be specific and hold yourself accountable. I had the privilege of interviewing one of the greatest Olympic champions ever, Australia’s Grant Hackett, the fastest middle distance swimmer of all time. When he became a teenager, Hackett had the simple idea to pin up a chart on his bedroom wall in his Queensland, Australia, home. The chart showed the best times that his idols had achieved when they were 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 years old. The chart gave Hackett a concrete way to set his goals and track progress. He would just try to do the same times that they did when they were at his age. He said it was singularly motivating in focusing his training and racing efforts. For those of us who aren’t Olympic athletes, it’s similarly important to set quantifiable goals. It’s important to set short-term goals – developing an important new skill, completing a high-priority project, reading a particular book. But it’s also essential to focus on longer-term goals as well. An effective technique for doing this is to complete the assignment that my Vassar English professor gave to our expository writing seminar in 1979. The assignment was “Twenty Years from Now”. With only that as a direction, we each had to write an essay about what our life would look like in 1999! Trust me, it is both impactful and hilarious to do that and look back later at what you wrote. So I urge you to have some fun after graduation by writing a vision of what your life will be like in 2036. Print it out and refer to it from time to time. I believe it will truly help you achieve important things. I have one last major example of the power of small things. Leadership. Leadership Leadership is so widely discussed and written about that it’s easy to forget why it’s important in the first place. Psychologists are convinced that over the long-term, people act only in their self-interest. But leadership and success, it turns out, go hand in hand -- if you apply the power of small things. And one of those small things is a fail-safe notion -- that if you want to be successful in life, worry less about your own success, especially in the short-term. Dedicate yourself, instead, to making those around you successful. I’ve worked with some of the most extraordinary leaders in the world – Bono, Sheryl Sandberg, Howard Schultz, Colin Powell, John Chambers – and I’ve have done extensive research on professional success. The vast majority of the most successful leaders are described by those who work with and for them, as caring as much about the success of others as their own success.” By contrast, only a small percentage of the most successful are described as putting their own success ahead of that of their peers and subordinates. Think about the power of this small, but fundamental concept. By focusing on the success of those around you, you attract the best people to work with you. And people become invested in your success. This helps you land the most important assignments and mentors and helps you achieve the best results on those assignments, through the strength of collaboration and mutual support. There is a deep-seated principle that governs much of human interaction – the principle of reciprocity. All the energy and commitment that you dedicate to the success of others, therefore comes back to you as those others in turn become committed to your success. Simply put, the best leaders don’t climb their way to the top over the backs of others, they are carried to the top. While this may not seem to be the quickest path to success, it is a guaranteed success strategy. And it works exponentially. As you develop this habit, your reputation will soar over time, which will lead in turn to the best internal and external opportunities flowing your way. A timeless question about leadership is whether leaders are born or bred. My belief is that leadership can, in fact, be learned. Of course, certain people are born with the natural charisma gene, the magnetism that attracts people from the earliest days on the playground and often runs all the way to elected office or the boardroom. But some of the most charismatic, attractive people go awry and self-destruct, while many of the quieter individuals end up having the greatest impact on others through their leadership. That is because there are as many different styles of leadership as there are people. Mark Zuckerberg, for example, is naturally introverted but he ranks at the top of the most admired leaders lists around the world. What are the key elements of Zuckerberg’s leadership? He had a superior vision of what a social network could be, he built an exceptional management team, he motivated them and the organization with a higher purpose - to build a more open, connected and better world, he and the team innovated and adapted to the dramatic changes in technology, consumer tastes, and the competitive environment. He created a winning business model and a culture of excellence, transparency, dedication, and relentless questioning. That’s leadership. Let me close with one final bit. Letters to My Kids When my first son was born in May 1990, little did I know that he would grow up one day to attend and graduate from Wesleyan in 2012. Nor when my second son was born did I know that he would grow up to graduate from here in 2014. Like most new parents, friends and family told me, “It goes so fast. You’ll blink, and your kids will be grown up.” I’m sure many of your parents sitting here heard the same thing when you were small. But I’m equally sure that while they were staying up all night, before you slept through the night as babies, or when they stayed up all night while you were learning to drive as teenagers, the idea that it goes so fast seemed far-fetched. But sitting here today, I’m sure that most of your parents would agree that it has gone fast! Well, when my kids were little, it was in the era of young parents capturing every moment of their precious ones’ activities on a video camera. At birthday parties, school plays, and soccer games, all the parents would be watching the action through the small window of their cameras. Sure, they would watch the home videos from time to time, but as the kids grew and technology changed, the videos became less and less a part of their lives. I decided to do something a little different. And this is the very last small thing that I will share with you. I started writing letters to each of my kids when they were born. And I did it regularly, at each birthday; on New Year’s Day; and at random times over the course of each year. I did it without telling them. It was actually quite easy, almost like a diary, noting what they were up to, who their friends were, what they were experiencing, what they had achieved. I included my own reflections on important world events like 9/11 and insights that I wanted them to know about at some point in the future. I decided that college graduation was the right time to give it to them. So sitting over lunch at a restaurant down the hill on Main Street, four years ago today, I showed my son his book. He was blown away. I had it self-published and gave it to him, 330 pages strong of memories. It actually said just as much about me as a dad and how the world around us felt over time, as it did about him. This is the kind of thing that you cannot go back and do later. You have to do it in the moment. But if you do, it’s another one of those small things, which applied over time, can have a dramatic effect. I gave my second son his book of letters after he graduated from Wesleyan in 2014. And I have my daughter’s to finish and give her when she graduates from college next year. Conclusion So, in conclusion, as you sit here on the cusp of your own Wesleyan graduation, with your Phi Beta Kappa keys about to be in hand, your families and friends surrounding you with love and support, and the world unfolding in front of you, remember the life-changing power of small things. Remember to save a few dollars each month and invest wisely. Remember to download the 7 Minute Workout app, and do it every day. Remember to get into the habit of assessing what went well and what you could have done better each week. Remember to set concrete short-term goals and write a vision of what you want your life to look like in 20 years. Remember to focus on the success of others as much as your own success. And be on the lookout for other things that will be meaningful and impactful to you if you do them consistently and over long periods of time.            * * *
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Streaming In The Extreme

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Are you ready to start streaming all the events in your business? What happens to your streaming solution when you outgrow your single data center? What happens when you are at a company that is already running multiple data centers and you need to implement streaming across data centers? What about when you need to scale to a trillion events per day? Last September I gave an informative presentation at Strata+Hadoop World, where I answered these questions and discussed technologies that can be used to accomplish real-time, lossless messaging that work in both single and multiple globally dispersed data centers. I also described how to handle the data coming in through these streams in batch processes as well as real-time processes. What Does “Streaming to the Extreme” Really Mean? You’re able to support a trillion events every day. Let’s say that I want a streaming system that can handle a trillion events per day. Now, you might think that that sounds like a lot, but in actuality, when you start looking at different use cases and different types of logs and different instrumentation data that may come out of your data center or your given use case, these numbers add up very quickly. From my personal experience in digital advertising, we supported 60 billion transactions a day. Sixty billion is quite a ways off from a trillion, but when you start looking at all the servers that we had and all of the instrumentation data that we had coming out of all the different points of those servers, we had probably a good 100 different points that we measured data coming out of those servers. We were sampling that on the scale of one to five seconds depending on the server. On a 24 hour operation, it adds up really fast. We have to be able to support a trillion events per day to get to this model that really gets to where I consider streaming to be extreme. Your use case involves millions of producers. With enterprise use cases, where you want to cover everybody’s use cases with the platform, you’ll want easy administration, and you’ll need to be able to handle potentially millions of producers; this does equate out to billions of events per second. You have multiple consumers. These multiple consumers may actually all consume the same events. If you have a trillion events coming in, this is going to fan out into however many potential consumers you’re going to have for each data stream. When you start seeing complicated use cases in web-driven companies, it’s not really unexpected. This is something that you have to plan for. You want to be able to have multiple data centers. What happens when you build this and it works? You’re going to need to scale it. If you can’t handle multiple data centers for a web-driven company, you’re probably going to have to go back to the drawing board and re-architect your solution. Also, in a streaming model where you have trillions of events and multiple data centers, you have to be able to have a plan in case you encounter failures. You need to have a completely secure system. This is an important factor in order to have a safe environment where streaming systems can be used easily in regulatory environments. What’s Under the Hood of a Streaming System? Messaging persistence/messaging platform. A streaming system includes a messaging platform. Underneath that messaging platform, you have storage. There are different platforms available for this, some of which are very popular these days, like Kafka. I don’t include Flume in the messaging category, as it really is for log shipping. ZeroMQ, RabbitMQ, and Qpid are some other options, but none of them really scale the same way that a solution like Kafka or MapR Streams does. [Editor’s note: A new event streaming system, MapR Streams, was announced in December. It’s the first big data-scale streaming system built into a converged data platform, and the only big data streaming system to support global event replication reliably at IoT scale.] Streaming engine. On the streaming engine side, there are a lot of streaming engines available, such as Flink, Samza, Spark Streaming, and Storm. It’s important to keep in mind that Spark is not real time; it is micro-batch and is not event-based. Logical Dataflow As we start looking at this use case, we’ve got a lot of data coming in from a lot of potential sources through a messaging system that’s going to go out to different types of consumers. Conceptually, stream processing is what people think about when they think about a messaging platform. Ideally, you should be able to have any application you want out there working with this messaging platform, as it’s something that’s going to help you build scalable components in your platform. Putting Goals in Perspective This is an “as-it-happens” world. I’ve worked on too many systems in the past, where we get started and everybody thinks it’s going to be good enough. Within a month after productionizing it, the response is, “This is great. This is 10X faster than it ever was before. We need it even faster now that we know what’s capable.” This type of scenario happens all the time, so you have to prepare for it. On-demand TV, taxi, everything. When we start looking at services that are out there, really everything is “on-demand” and rightfully so. We’ve built technology to be able to support this. What’s important to understand is that if you don’t start moving in the right direction, you’re going to get left behind; it only takes little steps to get moving in this direction. You don’t have to tackle the biggest initiative in your company to start using a messaging system, but you don’t just get to a trillion events a day by installing a streaming and messaging platform tomorrow and crossing your fingers that it works. Get started sooner than later. Take something easy that you can tackle and have success with. It’s the best way to move forward with these new technologies. IoT will bury you. If you’re doing anything in IoT and you’re not preparing for this, it will bury you, as the volume of data IoT generates is ridiculous. Of course, you may choose to have down-sampled streams, where you might not be capturing everything that’s generated — that’s okay. However, if you’re picking up sensor readings every 100 milliseconds or every second every day, it adds up very fast. You’ll need to choose the right platform in order to properly ingest this data. Messaging Platforms The weakest link in a chain is what causes failures. A messaging platform is the most important link in the chain. If you don’t choose right, it’s going to be the bottleneck of the whole platform. Your messaging platform needs to have certain key capabilities in order for a stream processing engine to meet business needs of your organization. What happens, however, is that people often get bogged down with message delivery semantics; a lot of people think, “The only thing that’s acceptable is exactly once.” Don’t Get Bogged Down with Message Delivery Semantics At-most-once. First, there’s at-most-once, which most people that I know say, “This will never work. You can never do at-most-once.” However, when you’re dealing with sensor data, that’s perhaps not life threatening sensor data, or life administering sensor data, it doesn’t matter if you handle every sensor reading that comes through every 10 milliseconds. You can miss some. Not a big deal. Reprocessing it, not a big deal. There’s a big difference between receiving none and receiving almost all. That’s the main point of at-most-once. This is usually the least desirable outcome. At-least-once. Additionally, at-least-once is the one that actually can deliver the best performance and the best guarantee in your system for most use cases. Logically, it is a considerable better way to go than exactly-once because of the overhead that is required to implement exactly-once. Exactly-once. Exactly-once requires extra write-ahead logs at different tiers of your system to ensure that no data is lost, each datum is processed exactly one time, and you must have some context around a transaction that can occur to make sure it happens one time and one time only. If you’re looking at these models, you should be thinking if at all possible, follow an at-least-once model and make sure that the code handling your data are idempotent because you can replay the message a million times if your function is idempotent and you don’t have to worry about the result changing. If you take time series data as an example, by inserting a metric with a time-stamp into my database a million times and that time-stamp and metric ID can never change, my result in the database will never change if I continue inserting that time-stamped value. Considerably different than running it through a function where you say, “Add two values together” or “Add the last two values together,” and if you don’t add exactly the last two items together, you may end up with different sums than you anticipated. These message delivery semantics apply to both the messaging platform and the streaming platform. I can’t encourage enough that you need to make “idempotent” part of your vocabulary when you’re dealing in this space. If it is at all possible for you to make sure your functions are idempotent, you should go that route. The performance difference between at-least-once and exactly-once is drastic. Platform Options Qpid. Six years ago, I used Apache Qpid, and we used to get 60,000 events per second through the system. We were ecstatic. That was so awesome. It’s really nothing now. The volume just isn’t even competitive with the other technologies, but exactly-once is the sweet spot of those queues. Flume. I architected a solution for Flume and the team put it in place. Flume was handing 50 to 60 billion log lines per day getting shipped across the network. Now, the problem is that means it’s basically doing little batches of data, and it takes longer to get things moved around appropriately. You have to set up a lot of special configuration for your environment. While Flume is very capable, it does not come close to meeting an expectation that I have to get to extreme messaging. It can do high volumes, but as you start to scale it, administration will kill you. Kafka. Kafka’s really become one of the most dominant in the space, as it scales so easily. It’s got a decent API to work with and it’s not ridiculously complicated from a programmatic standpoint. Opportunities for Improvement Disaster recovery. Disaster recovery is a big area for improvement. You don’t want to worry about losing an entire data center. Distributed queues. You want to make sure that your data coming into your messaging platform is resilient, and that you have distributed queues and topics. Security. Security is probably one of the biggest holes that exists in Kafka. It’s a really big opportunity for the open source space or for any platform provider to deliver security on that model. We need authentication, wire-level encryption, and granular user access controls. Administration. From an administration standpoint, if it takes too long for people to set up something like a general record definition store, it will be difficult to get more people to use the technology. If you start thinking about the use cases here, there’s a huge opportunity in delivering more benefits from a streaming platform and a messaging platform than what we’re currently seeing. One of the things that, again, all too often I hear is that people confuse pure streaming processing engines with everything else. All of these other applications out there, they could still benefit from a messaging platform without being what we would typically define as a streaming application. There are really big opportunities when you ask yourself, “I need to inspect what’s going on. I need to see the data that’s coming through the topic. What happened yesterday? I have a bad result in my output from my stream processing engine. What were the events that went into it? I want to go back and replay it. I want to query it and I want to build analytic tools around it.” Here’s one more scenario: if you want to add more capacity to your application stack and if you start thinking about micro services or other types of services, this is a great example of being able to pass things through a messaging system. If it’s not capable of handling extremely large volumes of messages, you’re going to have a problem scaling these services out. Stream Processing Engines Stream processing engines seem to be garnering the most attention these days. In general, streaming is simple, fundamentally. Optimizations are the real killer when it comes to stream processing. Just like I mentioned with the messaging platform, getting it configured properly, and managing it within your environment can be a challenge. Apache Flink. Apache Flink has a streaming first approach. They built a stream processing engine and wrapped APIs around the stream processing to create batch processing capabilities. The thing that I personally like about Flink is that it has pretty simple APIs and it’s built around event-based streaming. Event by event, it can process it and move on. Apache Samza. Samza is a distributed stream processing system built on Kafka and YARN. The general consensus is that it’s not as easy to get started with Samza as it is to get started with others such as Flink or Spark streaming.   Spark Streaming. Spark came out of UC Berkeley. It is a batch-first model with streaming added on later. It’s very easy to get started with. However, it’s not a perfect fit for every use case. If you want to do event-based streaming, don’t use it, as it’s not built for that. Spark Streaming isn’t real-time; it’s near-time. Apache Storm. Storm has been the dominant choice for productionization of stream processing up until recently. Twitter announced early in 2015 that they have migrated off Storm, and they’re now on their own engine called Heron. There are things about it that people like. It is event-based. I think the best way that I’ve heard it said is, “It scales up pretty easily, but scaling down is a little bit of a pain.” It’s got decent documentation, and a lot of people have used it in production environments. Why It Doesn’t Make Sense to Compare Streaming Performance It’s just not fair to do the comparisons between the different streaming engines that are out there for the most part. It’s not to say that there can’t be some nice comparisons drawn between them, but it’s really tough. You’ll probably see Flink is about the fastest for event processing streaming engines. There are a good number of people who have started using Flink who have gotten some great results for event-based performance. Samza and Storm will follow very closely behind in most of those cases. Please note that when it comes to stream processing engine comparisons, payload size is going to vary drastically. If the payload size is not reasonably close to what you care about, you can probably throw the performance comparison out the window, as it’s going to have a big impact on your use case and how you’re handling events and the type of business logic you’re running. Also, keep in mind that you can’t make a comparison for something that was running through an at-least-once model and compare it to the performance of an exactly-once model. There’s a lot of extra infrastructure to support the exactly-once model, and if anyone ever shows you that exactly-once is faster than at-least-once, they probably cheated somewhere and didn’t show you everything. For me to say that X, Y, or Z is better would be kind of like comparing a Tesla in Ludicrous Mode with a VW car undergoing an emissions test. The bottom line? Be skeptical of streaming performance comparisons. In this blog post, you learned about real-time messaging technologies that I referenced at Strata+Hadoop World. Please note that in the following month after the conference, MapR announced MapR Streams, the first big data-scale event streaming system built into a converged data platform. Want to learn more? Check out these resources: Streaming in the Extreme presentation slides MapR Streams: Global Event Streaming Getting Started with Apache Spark ebook Free on-demand Hadoop training Originally published at www.mapr.com.
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Review: Yuneec Typhoon H

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At the top of the bustling consumer drone marketplace, two big names have been battling (sometimes litigiously) for dominance. DJI popularized drone flying as a hobby with its Phantom line, but lately, Yuneec has been whittling into DJI’s marketshare with its competing Typhoon line. Both company’s flagship quadcopters are equipped with excellent video cameras, both are accessibly priced, and both have autonomous and safety-minded features that make flying easy for inexperienced pilots. Yuneec Typhoon H 7/10 Learn How We Rate Wired Hexacopter design offers added stability in flight. 360-degree camera with optional Team mode makes possible shots you just can't get with quadcopters. Automated flight modes and integrated camera/flight controls mean a single pilot can still do everything themselves. Folds down into a neat backpack case, sold separately. Tired Battery recharge time is significantly slower than the competition. Construction feels less sturdy than other drones like the Phantom. Buy It Now   |  Yuneec How We Rate 1/10A complete failure in every way 2/10Barely functional; don’t buy it 3/10Serious flaws; proceed with caution 4/10Downsides outweigh upsides 5/10Recommended with reservations 6/10A solid product with some issues 7/10Very good, but not quite great 8/10Excellent, with room to kvetch 9/10Nearly flawless, buy it now 10/10Metaphysical product perfection So far, DJI remains the market leader. But Yuneec’s latest offering, the Typhoon H, may well change that. The company’s newest drone isn’t just different or stacked with unique features (which it very much is). It’s also far more powerful than any other drone in its price range: it costs $1,300, putting nearly head-to-head with the $1,400 DJI Phantom 4. The first thing that sets the Typhoon H apart: it’s a hexacopter, with six rotors instead of the four found on the popular quadcopter design. What’s more, the Typhoon H only needs five of those rotors to stay in the air, so if one motor konks out mid-flight, you don’t crash or splash. The H also features retractable rotor arms, which cuts down on the size of the transport case and makes it roughly the same size as a typical quadcopter when stowed. Most drones that come with more than four rotors, such as DJI’s Matrice 600, are aimed at professional filmmakers. These hexacopters typically lack an integrated camera flight system, the feature on a consumer drone that lets the pilot use the same camera to both navigate and to capture aerial footage. Instead, these filmmakers’ drones have a gimbal where a separate pro movie camera is attached to capture footage. This also means you need two operators—one to fly and one to film. YuneecThe Typhoon H is much more consumer-friendly. It bundles a very nice 4K video camera (shooting 30fps or 60fps in 1080p, and featuring 12-megapixel stills) and flies just fine with only one person at the controls. It can also be paired with a second controller though, which opens up the possibility of separate pilot and camera, something not easily done with any other similarly-priced drone on the market. This alone puts the Typhoon H well above and beyond what you’ll find in DJI’s Phantom line. There are other impressive features, too. The camera is mounted on a 3-axis gimbal, which allows for 360 degree pans. It has retractable landing gear, sonar-based object avoidance and, like the recent Phantom 4, plenty of autonomous flight modes. The result is a very impressive, rock-solid aerial photography platform. We’re Doing Six Blades The Typhoon H is the first hexacopter I’ve flown, so I can’t compare it to the professional models out there, but I can say its significantly more stable and much, much faster than the older four-rotor Typhoon Q500 4K. It felt every bit as snappy as the Phantom 4, and was capable of holding steady in similarly windy test conditions. The camera is likewise an entirely different beast than you’re accustomed to if you’ve primarily flown fixed-landing-gear quadcopters like the Phantom or older Typhoons. With the H, you can retract the landing gear with the touch of a button, leaving the camera free to rotate a full 360 degrees without any obstructions in the frame. You can turn the drone to pan if you want, just like with a quadcopter. But the retractable landing gear lets you experiment with new types of dramatic shots. For example: lift off, then start panning the camera in a sweeping arc as you fly off in a completely different direction. It’s a lot to control at once, and I suggest getting comfortable with flying the Typhoon H before you try it. Fortunately there are some automated modes for both the camera and the drone that help you get the shots you want even if you aren’t the best pilot. You can, for example, set the camera to pan around while you continue flying forward, or you can put the Typhoon H in one of its autonomous flight modes and just focus on panning the camera. The Typhoon H has five auto flight modes, including Journey mode, which automatically takes off and then fires off a selfie. Orbit Me mode tracks the location of the controller and steadily orbits you in a wide circle, even if you’re sitting in the back of a moving pickup truck. Point of Interest mode orbits any subject (well, GPS point) you select. The confusingly named Curve Cable Cam flies along a route drawn by pre-set coordinates. By far the most unique is Team mode. This mode allows the Typhoon H to “bind” to an additional (included, for a limited time) smaller remote called a Wizard. The person holding the Wizard controls the drone’s flight, while the person holding the main controller is free to just operate the camera. The Typhoon H can be instructed to just follow the Wizard. If the person with the Wizard is windsurfing, scrambling up a mountain ridge, or riding a motorcycle across a salt flat, this makes for some pretty dramatic footage opportunities. And about that main controller. The ST16 transmitter which (also included) is a step or two up from the controller that comes with older Typhoons. There’s still the same Android-based display, but it now runs 720p resolution and is much brighter and easier to use in direct sunlight. There’s also a helpful sun shade in the box. Mild Turbulence There are two downsides to the Typhoon H. The first is the construction, which while sturdy enough to withstand a rough landing, is still a bit flimsy. I managed to pop off the gimbal just trying to get it out of the box (to be fair, the gimbals on older DJI models were also prone to popping off. A small twist tie can solve this issue). The other drawback is the battery recharge time—a full charge takes well over two hours. That’s twice as long as the Phantom 4 takes to fuel up. The flight time itself is on par with quadcopters however. Yuneec claims 24 minutes, but I averaged 22 in my testing. Of course, yours will depend on what you do and what the conditions are on any given day. More wind means less flight time, as the drone has to work harder to stay stable. Still, with a two-hour recharge time, you’re definitely going to want an extra a battery or three. The Typhoon H can be a lot of drone to control at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s clearly far more sophisticated than anything else on the market at this price. Spend the time to master its full capabilities and you’ll never want to go back to quadcopters again.
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Diane Greene Wants To Put The Enterprise Front And Center Of Google Cloud Strategy

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When Google bought bebop Technologies last fall for $348 million, it got more than a stealthy startup. It also landed Diane Greene as executive vice president of Google Cloud Enterprise and that perhaps was the bigger prize. Greene brought with her years of industry experience having co-founded and been CEO at VMware for a decade, building it into a virtualization powerhouse. In fact, under Greene’s watch, EMC bought VMware in 2003 for $635 million. She stuck around for 5 years seeing the company spun off in an IPO in 2007, before departing in 2008 a wealthy woman. She spent the next several years helping other companies as a board member. One of those companies was Alphabet, and it was through this relationship that she was lured back to the big corporation where she was charged with taking Google’s struggling cloud business and turning it into an enterprise powerhouse, many suspected it always could be. Way back in the pack In a world with three or four big players, by just about any measure AWS is light years ahead of everyone with a market share lead that, as of last year, was 10 x bigger than its closest 14 competitors combined. Google is fourth in that mix behind Microsoft in second and IBM in third, according to numbers from Synergy Research . The bad news for Google is that it has under five percent marketshare as of Q4 2015. The good news is that it grew at a brisk 108 percent for the quarter, second only behind Microsoft’s 124 percent growth rate. That means Greene has her work cut out for her, but she doesn’t seem all that worried. She says AWS has a big lead simply because it got a head start on everyone else including Google. “They were there in the public cloud long before Google. We didn’t decide to do public cloud for about four years after AWS,” Greene told TechCrunch. She says that AWS has a big chunk of what essentially is a very small piece of the potential market, and she believes her company has plenty of time to catch up and grab a substantial share of the remainder. While that’s all true, it’s worth pointing out that Google has had 6 years to work at this and in spite of all its resources, has managed to garner less than five percent of market share. The right woman for the job After having so much success, why did Greene want to go back to high-level executive job at a big company and take on this challenge to improve Google’s cloud position? She says she just sort of fell into it, but given her background and experience in the enterprise, she certainly appears to be the right person for the job. One thing led to another and we were having trouble finding someone, and I eventually said I would do it. As she tells it, she had a lot of conversations with the folks at Google as part of her job as an Alphabet board member, and she began to see a role for herself there. It all started when she became friendly with Urs Hölzle, senior VP of technical infrastructure at Google Cloud while walking their dogs together. She knew they were ramping Google Cloud pretty aggressively and as their friendship grew, they were discussing possible candidates for the role to run the overall cloud business. “He is a totally brilliant and wonderful person. We started taking our dog for walks and became pretty good friends,” she explained. Eventually they focused on her. “One thing led to another and we were having trouble finding someone, and I eventually said OK I would do it — and here I am,” she said. With Greene, Google scored someone with a tremendous enterprise pedigree. At the time of her hiring in November, Steve Herrod, who was CTO at VMware under Greene, and who is currently managing partner at venture capital firm General Catalyst spoke of her in glowing terms. “She is awesome and immediately changes the game for Google’s cloud efforts. The engineering team at bebop was outstanding as well and they’ll bring a ton of enterprise DNA to Google,” he told TechCrunch at the time. Taking care of business When Greene came on board, the cloud business was fragmented and one of the first things she did was unify all of the pieces under a single umbrella with her at the top of the unit. Sundar Pichai outlined the new organization in a company blog post when he announced Greene’s hiring. As he stated at the time, Greene would be in charge of a newly integrated enterprise cloud businesses, that brought together Google for Work, Google Cloud Platform, and Google Apps under a consolidated product, engineering, marketing and sales team. Related Articles Now the cloud wars (really) begin Google Opens Its Cloud Vision API To All Developers Google Buys Bebop And Names Diane Greene To Lead Enterprise Cloud Effort Google for Work and Google Cloud Platform get new security and privacy certifications She said one of the reasons for this single Google Cloud view was her experience at VMware where they valued integrated execution across the company. She felt that, in order for this to work well, all of these cloud pieces had to be working in sync with a consistent message up and down the entire cloud stack. The other thing she emphasized at VMware that she brought to Google was the importance of building a broad partnership network. “We were super friendly to partners at VMware and I brought that in here. There are huge opportunities to partner with companies and we’ve been accelerating that very quickly. Google is committed to open source and open APIs and part of that is creating a partner-friendly place,” she explained. While she wasn’t ready to name names yet because the ink was still drying on some of the agreements, Google did let me know that they have 13,000 partners in the network, so it’s not something they just started after Greene came to the company, but she is attempting to build on that existing effort. The enterprise heats up As Greene applies her enterprise chops to the Google Cloud platform, she rightly sees a market that’s heating up and one that Google should by all rights be well-positioned to grab a big piece of. Photo Credit: Google   “The enterprise has become a super interesting and exciting place,” she said. “Everybody is realizing they have to digitally transform themselves.” She sees that cloud having a big role in that as it allows companies to communicate better, flatten hierarchies and move much more quickly than they could running equipment inside a data center. The enterprise has become a super interesting and exciting place. — Diane Greene, Google One of the big difference makers Greene is seeing is the power of data and the role the cloud plays in that. “It’s all about data and getting insights out of data. This is all fairly recent, that everybody is like ‘whoa, if I don’t do this and my competitor does, I’m going to be left behind,'” she said. As you might expect, she sees Google as a strong contender for these transforming businesses because it has had to do this itself as a company, building data centers, processing huge amounts of data and applying analytics to it to understand what it has. She sees that experience as a big differentiator for her company. “It is Google’s time for enterprise. Google has a lot to offer the world and it all came together in a nice way. There was just a lot of effort going on around the enterprise that has set things up really well,” she explained. That could be true, but Google needs to win the hearts and minds of enterprise IT staff, who might mistakenly see Google as merely Google Apps and not the entire cloud stack it has become. Having a spokesperson like Greene should help in that regard and she says a big part of her job is talking to customers and finding out what they need and how Google can help. There’s plenty of time AWS is clearly the big dawg at the moment, but Greene doesn’t seem all that worried. In spite of AWS existing for a decade, she sees Google as a worthy competitor in a market that’s just getting started. “I don’t feel like we both started off building cloud at the same time. We came from different places. The place where we are behind and that’s changing quickly is in workloads. Every customer wants to run on all the clouds. Pilots have been deployed and are up and running  and growing incredibly fast right now,” she said. She gets the current landscape, but with her in charge, she sees a market that’s wide open for competition and a company that’s ready to seize that opportunity. “They have more workloads and features and more partners, but those are very straight forward things to change.” she said. Featured Image: Courtesy of Google
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Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield: “It Sucks To Be The CEO Of A Startup That’s Doing Super Well”

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Startup Grind Global 2016“The stakes just get higher and higher” for Stewart Butterfield, Slack CEO and Founder. “It sucks to be the CEO of a startup that’s doing super well.” And it makes sense, the attention that it has got from Silicon Valley is notorious. Almost every tech company uses Slack to communicate online. Stewart has to keep exceeding expectations with the community and with investors. The pressure gets turned up” and your project evolves far beyond you: Stewart now looks at Slack as an Operating System. With over 350 employees sending 30,000 total messages a day, the team isn’t far from it. But with the combined tools — 80 in total — the company uses and pays for besides the Slack chat it developed, the company has reached over 100,000 distinct messages per day — many from machines or software. That includes task management, bug reporting, continuous integration — and eventually, all opportunities for Slack’s workplace domination plan. Butterfield’s Ambitious Project Stewart’s team, decorated with English Literature and Philosophy graduates, looks deeply into the future. The most ambitious projection Stewart Butterfield shared with interviewer Andrew Braccia of Accel Partners is making sense of these countless pings: with the rise of artificial intelligence, big data, and affective computing, posits Stewart, we’re moving towards making more sense — automagically — of the world’s increasing noise, and Slack stands to be at the center. The three stages of world computing according to Stewart: Application specific computing, meant for a specific use cases. Think the Apollo moon landings, nuclear power plants, missile guidance, or aviation. Document centric computing, build around documents, files, and folders. These would open apps specifically designed to handle all these file types. But now, with Friendster and continuing to Facebook, we entered the era of relationship based computing, says Stewart Butterfield, adding “more CPU cycles are now spent on people interacting and relating to each other than any other application.” Turing’s early work in general computing resulted in this meta-world brain on the back of communication. Trends that will make Slack win: People are a lot more used to chat from the younger generation that started on smartphones to the older business generation that was used to chat on Blackberries. There’s been an explosion in software solutions that growing companies are paying for. Staying abreast of all the developments in a growing company requires a high degree of communication that human interactions (asking those around you) is just becoming too inefficient for. We live in a world of information overload and increasing amounts of context switching. At Slack, employees stay up to date on all parts of the company — with channels. If they want to know about task progress, they go to the task channel; send a receipt to the @ExpenseBot for expenses; and ping the project management bot, integrated with other apps, to find out what people are working on, what the blocks are, and what the latest update is. There’s a lot of work to be done in AI and Machine Learning to allow these bots to better understand the context of an organization, to sift through the hundreds of service integration data feeds, and to succeed at allowing the employees of the modern company to always be informed while interacting and relating in the most natural way: chat. It’s like the movie Her, Stewart analogized, when the protagonist asks his AI friend, how many people she’s talking to at the same time. The answer: 694. Could AI powered Slack bots fed by numerous integration data feeds be the Hers inside an organization? Stewart sees the inevitable, and the day of the Slack Operating System should be soon to follow. Watch full video of Stewart Butterfield (Slack) and Andrew Braccia (Accel Partners) at Startup Grind Global Conference 2016. Originally written by Christian Turlica to Startup Grind, the global entrepreneurship community. Follow our Medium for powerful stories of founders and entrepreneurship: The Startup GrindThe life, work, and tactics of founders around the world. Curated by @StartupGrindmedium.com
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Com 537 Cart Teaching Effectvely /com537cartdotcom — Medium

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com 537 cart teaching effectvely /com537cartdotcom COM 537 Entire Course FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com COM 537 Week 1 Individual Assignment Integrated Diffusion Paper COM 537 Week 1 DQ 1 COM 537 Week 1 DQ 2 COM 537 Week 2 Individual Assignment Communication Styles and the Business Communication Process COM 537 Week 2 Team Assignment Weekly Reflection COM 537 Week 2 DQ 1 COM 537 Week 2 DQ 2 COM 537 Week 3 Individual Assignment Internal and External Stakeholders COM 537 Week 3 Team Assignment Weekly Reflection COM 537 Week 3 DQ 1 COM 537 Week 3 DQ 2 COM 537 Week 4 Team Assignment Communication Plan Initial Proposal COM 537 Week 4 DQ 1 COM 537 Week 4 DQ 2 COM 537 Week 5 Individual Assignment Internal and External Persuasive Communication COM 537 Week 5 Team Assignment Weekly Reflection COM 537 Week 5 DQ 1 COM 537 Week 5 DQ 2 COM 537 Week 6 Team Assignment Power Point Presentation COM 537 Week 6 Individual Assignment Communication Plan Final Proposal COM 537 Week 6 DQ 1 COM 537 Week 6 DQ 2 **************************************************** COM 537 Final Exam Guide FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com What communication type avoids conflict and focuses on facts and details rather than the big picture? They may be perceived by others as unemotional and nonchalant. Argumentatives Sympathetics Systematics Directs A criticism of social media is that it is only available to the media savvy. contributes to the decline in writing and language skills. leads to separation of the haves and have-nots. leads to information overload In Korean culture, a business deal is dependent on contractual information as well as how the parties perceive each other’s values and ethics. According to Edmund Hall, this behavior exhibits the theory of proxemics low-context cultures Ethno-centricism high-context cultures Your supervisor sends you an e-mail requesting an article for the employee newsletter about company loyalty. You write the article featuring customers who are brand loyal. Later, your supervisor criticizes you for not writing about the topic that he requested. After a face-to-face meeting, you realize that he wanted you to write about employee loyalty. This is an example of what type of noise? Unwanted External Semantic Internal The head of the holiday party committee at your office is trying to set a location for the event. The committee chairperson announces three choices for members to vote on. When Erin hears that the Boar’s Tavern is one of the choices, her mind is made up. After all, the restaurant is only a few blocks from her house. How would you describe her listening behavior? Active Passive Agenda-setting Obtuse Your supervisor has the habit of coming into your office and leaning over your desk to talk to you. This situation is uncomfortable for you because you cannot move away from him. According to Edmund Hall, this behavior exhibits the theory of high-context cultures low-context cultures ethnocentricism proxemics Which statement is true concerning the role of publics in business communication? Publics, in general, remain constant despite changes in the environment. Internal publics are usually not concerned with the communication style used by management. External publics are not concerned with an organization’s public performance. Publics can dispel rumors and build positive brand image. A break-in at your company has resulted in the theft of various pharmaceutical products. The head chemist, slated as the company’s designated spokesperson, is scheduled to appear at a media conference. This course of action illustrates one of the steps in crisis communication planning. Select the appropriate step: Assessing the possible risk to the organization Evaluating the effectiveness of your action plan Identifying levels of vulnerability in your company Implementing the action plan In the management journal article about persuading customers that your boss recommended, you read that your style of hard selling is not effective with young professionals. You begin to question if you need to take a sales training seminar. This is an example of cognitive dissonance agenda-setting selective attention selective exposure Building strong coalitions among individuals or groups that have separate interests is called facilitation negotiation diversification mediation When Joseph Kline, a U.S. citizen working for a bakery in Pakistan, is surprised that he will have to work on December 25, Christmas Day, he is dealing with which component of the transactional communication model? Internal noise External noise Cultural relativism Context Which of the following statements is true? Semantics is the study of the meaning of words, phrases, and texts Semantics is the study of how words affect the decision-making process Semantics is the study of dictionary definitions Semantics is the study of the use of words in persuasive communication What affects how others perceive us and can adjust according to the situation? Feedback Channel Communication style Personality What describes the occasion, time, and place of communication in the transactional communication model? Cognitive dissonance Context Channel Noise A beer commercial shows young people laughing while enjoying bottles of Mountain Beer in a busy bar scene. According to Maslow’s hierarchy, which consumer need is targeted? physiological needs self-esteem belonging self-actualization With the overload of information today, what does Smith (2010) state communication must be to be noticed? Familiar and consistent Timely and thorough Innovative and creative Informative and detailed “To provide the best health care for our patients at a reasonable cost” is an example of a mission statement a vision statement a corporate objective a strategic plan In the process of behavior change, after people have detected the presence of a problem and they see this problem as important, to what phase do they belong? Diversification Decision Detection Implementation In the transactional communication model, who or what is responsible for composing a message embedded with meaning from his or her world while considering the interpretative resources that will be used to decode the message? Effective message area Receiver Channel Sender What is a tactic described by Lencioni (2010) to disarm clients and allow them to trust a consultant? Prove detailed information Provide references Be comfortable and naked with weaknesses Promote strengths and past successes In 2006, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts launched a new theme for its integrated global marketing efforts. Which of the following was identified as an integrated marketing strategy element? Disney used the theme “Year of a Million Dreams” in its publicity and promotional materials. Disney avoided the use of ads, contests, and sweepstakes. Disney sent out several messages over a broad a spectrum of media to appeal to the largest Disney positioned itself as a “transformational experience” to one specific age group. What factor must be considered in designing an effective communication system? The costs involved The needs of the customer The message delivery The optimal combination of a message, source, channel, and an operating variable You have been charged with writing a report on the progress of the integration of a database between organizational units. Your supervisor says that she wants the report as soon as possible. *************************************************** COM 537 Week 1 DQ 1 FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Reflect on an experience when you misunderstood a set of directions, a procedure, or an assigned task. What element in the transactional communication model went wrong? *************************************************** COM 537 Week 1 DQ 2 FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Think of a message you recently communicated. How does framing a message affect the communication process? *************************************************** COM 537 Week 1 Individual Assignment Integrated Diffusion Paper FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Individual Integrated Diffusion Paper Resources: In the Action Plan section at the end of Chapter one in the Integrated Business Communication text, there is a discussion that revolves around the significance of innovation versus ideas from an article by Michael Schrage titled “Innovation Diffusion”. The article can be found at the website below. http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/13987/ Review the article. Write a paper of no more than 700 words that discusses the difference between ideas and innovation and specifically answers the question; Is the “diffusion of innovation” or the “spread of ideas” the dynamic driving today’s world? Defend your answer. Provide examples and cite at leastone reference that supports your answer. Format yourpaper accordingtoAPA guidelines. Post your paper to the assignment link in the Gradebook. *************************************************** COM 537 Week 2 DQ 1 FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com How do culture and the audience members’ listening agenda or motives affect how a message is framed? Provide specific examples. Select an organization with which you are familiar. If you were a consultant for this organization, how would you identify the internal and external stakeholders? *************************************************** COM 537 Week 2 DQ 2 FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Individual Internal and External Stakeholders Resource: Best Game Productions: Company Background and Business Scenario Analyzethe information provided to you in the Best Game Productions: Company Background and Business Scenario document. Write a paper of no more than 1,450 words in which you complete the following: Explain the business scenario faced by Best Game Productions. · Identify the organization’s internal and external stakeholders. · Explain how the business scenario at Best Game Productions affects multiple internal and external stakeholders. · Identify the needs, motivations, and perceptions of each stakeholder. Cite at least two references in your paper. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. *************************************************** COM 537 Week 2 Individual Assignment Communication Styles and the Business Communication Process FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Individual Communication Styles and the Business Communication Process Consider a recent interpersonal conversation you had in a business setting. Write a paper of no more than 1,050 words in which you complete the following: · Discuss the content of the conversation. What was communicated in the conversation, and who were the communicators? · Which style best describes the method of communication you and the other person used throughout the conversation? Explain why you selected those styles. · How would the conversation have been different if you had used each of the different styles of communication? Explain each style and how the conversation would have been affected due to the differences. · How did the business setting affect your style of communication? · Explain each element of the transactional communication process and then describe each element as it relates to your conversation. For example, who was the sender? What was the context of your conversation? · In what ways did the business setting affect the transactional communication process? Cite at least two references in your paper. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Post your paper to the assignment link in the Gradebook. Post your paper to the assignment link in the Gradebook. *************************************************** COM 537 Week 2 Team Assignment Weekly Reflection FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Learning Team Weekly Reflection Discuss the previous week’s objectives with your team. Your discussion should include the topics you feel comfortable with, any topics you struggled with, and how the weekly topics relate to application in your field. Collaborate to prepare a summary of no more than 350 words detailing the findings of your team’s discussion. Your summary does not have to be inAPA format. Have one team member post your paper to the assignment link in the Gradebook. *************************************************** COM 537 Week 3 DQ 1 FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Consider a proposal recommending the implementation of a new system affecting multiple departments, such as a new accounting software system. What might be some of the interests of individual departments such as finance, IT, accounting, and the end-users in the project? *************************************************** COM 537 Week 3 DQ 2 FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com A manufacturing company is faced with a financial and human resources dilemma. It is losing market share and can no longer compete by selling its products at the same price points as overseas manufacturers. In viewing the best long-range goals for the organization, company leaders consider lowering employee wages, layoffs and increased automation, or outsourcing all manufacturing operations overseas. Company executives have requested a proposal from you to solve the problem. What factors must be considered? *************************************************** COM 537 Week 3 Individual Assignment Internal and External Stakeholders FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Individual Internal and External Stakeholders Resource: Best Game Productions: Company Background and Business Scenario Analyzethe information provided to you in the Best Game Productions: Company Background and Business Scenario document. Write a paper of no more than 1,450 words in which you complete the following: Explain the business scenario faced by Best Game Productions. · Identify the organization’s internal and external stakeholders. · Explain how the business scenario at Best Game Productions affects multiple internal and external stakeholders. · Identify the needs, motivations, and perceptions of each stakeholder. Cite at least two references in your paper. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Post your paper to the assignment link in the Gradebook ************************************************** COM 537 Week 3 Team Assignment Weekly Reflection FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Learning Team Weekly Reflection Discuss the previous week’s objectives with your team. Your discussion should include the topics you feel comfortable with, any topics you struggled with, and how the weekly topics relate to application in your field. Collaborate to prepare a summary of no more than 350 words detailing the findings of your team’s discussion. Your summary does not have to be inAPA format. Have one team member post your paper to the assignment link in the Gradebook. *************************************************** COM 537 Week 4 DQ 1 FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com What are some forms of external persuasive communication seen on a regular basis? What makes them persuasive? ***************************************** COM 537 Week 4 DQ 2 FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Select a commercial or advertisement with which you are familiar. Why is it effective or persuasive? *************************************************** COM 537 Week 4 Team Assignment Communication Plan Initial Proposal FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Learning Team Communication Plan Initial Proposal Now that you have individually analyzed the business scenario at Best Game Productions and have identified the internal and external stakeholders and their concerns, your task is to work as a consulting team to analyze the culture, values, and ethics for the company as well as cultural differences and perspectives for each department. To determine the culture, values, and ethics, consider the company and department information you determined in Week Three. Analyzing the culture, values, and ethics of the company will allow your team to better determine the necessary communications and appropriate channels for your communication plan. Resource: Best Game Productions: Environment Descriptions Assume the role of a consulting team. Discuss your responses to the Week Three individual assignment with your Learning Team. Analyze the culture, values, and ethics at Best Game Productions. Analyze the culture and perspective for each department within Best Game Productions. Determine the solution that you think is best for the company based on all of the information provided to you. Use that solution and your reason for selecting it to create your Communication Plan Initial Proposal. Note. A significant part of your job is to eventually persuade the CEO and each stakeholder that your solution is the best for the company, so you must construct your communications accordingly. Create an initial proposal of no more than 1,450 words in which you complete the following: · Detail an initial plan to outline all necessary communications. · Discuss the audience for each communication; your analysis of the culture, values, and ethics of the company and the culture and perspectives of the individual departments; the purpose of each communication; and the basic message that you will use in each communication. · Select the appropriate channel for each piece of communication. Cite at least two references in your paper. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Have one team member post your paper to the assignment link in the Gradebook. *************************************************** COM 537 Week 5 DQ 1 FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com In evaluating your consultant communications, how would you determine your own effectiveness after completing your communications? *************************************************** COM 537 Week 5 DQ 2 FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com In evaluating your consultant communications, how would you determine your own effectiveness after completing your communications? *************************************************** COM 537 Week 5 Individual Assignment Internal and External Persuasive Communication FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Individual Internal and External Persuasive Communication Now that you have detailed all necessary communications and have determined the best channel for the communications in your plan, you can begin writing these communications. In this assignment, you must write a persuasive memo to internal stakeholders and a press release to external stakeholders. In these communications, describe the scenario at Best Game Productions and explain the solution that you think is best for the company based on all of the information provided. Use that solution and your reason for selecting it throughout the assignment. Be sure to consider the perceptions and needs of each stakeholder, and determine the most appropriate style of communication when addressing the internal and external stakeholders. Choose one internal and one external stakeholder in Best Game Productions. Write a persuasive memo of no more than 1,000 words to an internal stakeholder describing Best Game Productions’ dilemma. Include the benefits and rationale. Write a press release of no more than 1,000 words describing the same situation to an external stakeholder. Consider the noise that will detract internal and external stakeholders from fully receiving your message, and construct your communications to address or avoid that noise for each stakeholder. Write a synopsis of no more than 500 words that describes the strategies you employed in creating the press release and memo. Be sure to identify how you eliminated various types of noise from your communications. Include your synopsis and press release in one document. Cite at least two references in your paper. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Post your paper to the assignment link in the Gradebook. *************************************************** COM 537 Week 5 Team Assignment Weekly Reflection FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Learning Team Weekly Reflection Discuss the previous week’s objectives with your team. Your discussion should include the topics you feel comfortable with, any topics you struggled with, and how the weekly topics relate to application in your field. Collaborate to prepare a summary of no more than 350 words detailing the findings of your team’s discussion. Your summary does not have to be inAPA format. Have one team member post your paper to the assignment link in the Gradebook. *************************************************** COM 537 Week 6 DQ 1 FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com What makes a piece of communication persuasive? *************************************************** COM 537 Week 6 DQ 2 FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com How has the electronic age affected business communication channels? *************************************************** COM 537 Week 6 Individual Assignment Communication Plan Final Proposal FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com COM 537 Week 6 Individual Assignment Communication Plan Final Proposal. *************************************************** COM 537 Week 6 Team Assignment Power Point Presentation FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT www.com537cart.com Learning Team Power Point Presentation Create a 20slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation, with speaker notes, for the decision makers at Best Game Productions. Address the following in your presentation: • The project background • The deliverables (what you are going to do for them) • The methodology (how you are going to accomplish it) • The outcome (what you will achieve for them) • The metrics used for evaluation (how you will measure success) Have one team member post your Power Point presentation and your paper to the assignment link in the Gradebook.
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Diversity In Business: A Hockey Mom’s Point Of View

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These days, most business owners understand that diversity is important. Some people are analytical, while others thrive on creative work. Some are meticulous planners, and others love spontaneity. Different people bring different personalities and cultures to the table — and those backgrounds shape how they think. By deliberately building a diverse workplace, companies can stimulate creativity, spur insight, and increase efficiency. Yet, so many companies struggle to build a diverse workforce. I’m Jody, a proud mom, with two great kids. My son Lexi plays hockey, and I’d like to brag about him for a few minutes. I’ll bring it back to diversity…trust me :) At an early age, Lexi wanted to play hockey with his older brother. But despite being competitive, he didn’t look anything like the other boys on the ice. He was…much smaller. And in the sport of hockey, particularly at the youth level, size matters! But to my husband and I, that didn’t matter. Lexi wanted to play hockey. We didn’t set our expectations any differently and did our best to give him every chance to succeed. From one year to the next, from one team to the next, Lexi kept proving everyone wrong. Soon, he began traveling all over the U.S. and in Europe to compete. But in high school, things changed. Freshman year, his new coach wasn’t giving him nearly the same amount of ice time as his teammates. It was the first time he had been treated differently. Without getting into details, it was pretty obvious at the time that the coach was discriminating based on size. It was heart-breaking. Lexi’s dream was to play hockey in college, but because he was being benched, that dream was becoming impossible to achieve. So, Lexi moved to another state to attend another high school. Ultimately, while it was tough on our family, Lexi was the happiest we had ever seen him. He had an opportunity to play, and we wanted to support him. Fast-forward a few years, and Lexi was a senior in high school. Not only had he had gotten a scholarship to play hockey in college, but he moved back to our home state of Indiana, enrolled in his original high school, and ended up winning the high school hockey state championship. Now here’s the fun part. Lexi isn’t my son. She’s my DAUGHTER. And I’m not her mother…I’m her FATHER. Bet you didn’t expect that! I’ve owned my business for more than 15 years. Two of our highest-paid team members are women, and we do our best to deliberately hire a diverse workforce. Why? Because according to our friend, diversity champion and owner of Pixo, Lori Patterson, diversity leads to a stronger company culture and higher employee performance: Studies have shown that companies in the top quartile for gender or racial diversity are more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians. In a recent survey of millennials, 86% of female and 74% of male millennials consider employers’ policies on diversity, equality and inclusion when deciding which company to work for. And for years studies have shown that diverse views make for better decisions, and thus drive a high-performance culture. So next time you’re watching a hockey game…I mean growing your team or deciding whether to join another company as a new employee, consider diversity. Jody Grunden is a nice guy who likes hockey, golf, and his family. He also meets with businesses on a weekly basis as a Founder and Managing Partner over at Summit CPA Group, a Virtual CFO firm that helps growing companies manage (and improve) their finances.
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HCA 375 Course Real Knowledge / Hca375dotcom — Medium

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HCA 375 Course Real Knowledge / hca375dotcom HCA 375 Entire Course (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 1 DQ 1 Management versus Leadership HCA 375 Week 1 DQ 2 Implementation and Barriers HCA 375 Week 2 DQ 1 Measurement HCA 375 Week 2 DQ 2 Quality and Outcomes HCA 375 Week 2 Assignment Customer Satisfaction and Quality Care HCA 375 Week 3 DQ 1 Teamwork in Health Care HCA 375 Week 3 DQ 2 The Impact of Nursing HCA 375 Week 3 Assignment High-Performance Teams HCA 375 Week 4 DQ 1 Medical Errors HCA 375 Week 4 DQ 2 Disclosure and Litigation HCA 375 Week 5 DQ 1 Quality Improvement Organizations HCA 375 Week 5 DQ 2 Accreditation HCA 375 Week 5 Assignment Research Paper (Value-Based Purchasing) — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 1 DQ 1 Management versus Leadership (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 1 DQ 1Management versus Leadership Management versus Leadership After completing this week’s reading answer the following questions: a. What role does management play in continuous quality improvement? b. How is managing different from leading? c. In your opinion, which role is more effective in implementing changes that improve quality outcomes: managing or leading? Why? Your initial post should be 250–300 words and utilize a minimum of two scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library, cited in APA format. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 1 DQ 2 Implementation and Barriers (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 1 DQ 2Implementation and Barriers Implementation and Barriers Select one of the following organizations and the associated quality improvement initiative: a. The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals b. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Never Events Describe the overarching goal of the initiative. Describe key strategies this organization has recommended to improve quality in the healthcare setting. In your opinion, what are the potential barriers associated with implementing this strategy in the healthcare setting? Your initial post should be 250–300 words and utilize a minimum of two scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library, cited in APA format. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 2 Assignment Customer Satisfaction and Quality Care (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 2 Assignment Customer Satisfaction and Quality Care Customer Satisfaction and Quality Care In this competitive health care environment, consumers want and expect better health care services and hospital systems are concerned about maintaining their overall image. There is also attention to ways in which patient satisfaction measurement can be integrated into an overall measure of clinical quality. To begin, review the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey H.C.A.H.P.S. available at http://tinyurl.com/4272s7l. Next, visit the Hospital Compare website http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov, and follow these steps: 1. Type in your zip code 2. Ensure that “general search” is selected for the search type 3. Click on the “Find Hospitals” button 4. Select one of the hospitals by checking the box next to the hospital name and click on “Compare” 5. Review the survey of patients’ hospital experiences For the selected hospital, identify one satisfaction measurement criteria that you recommend for improvement. In your opinion, how might this customer satisfaction factor relate to quality outcomes? Provide a concrete example that supports your opinion. Additionally, use the definitions of structural and process aspects of care from p.156 of your textbook to identify at least three barriers that exist in the health care setting that could have an impact on the customer satisfaction score you selected. Be sure to state at least one structural barrier and one process barrier and describe the barriers you identified. Finally, review the quality improvement tools presented in Chapter 3 of your textbook. Select a tool that a health care organization might use to study a process barrier related to the customer-satisfaction factor you identified. Explain why you selected the tool and how it could be used.  Your paper should be two- to three-pages excluding title and reference pages and must contain at least two scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library. It should be formatted according to APA guidelines — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 2 DQ 1 Measurement (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 2 DQ 1Measurement Measurement According to Berwick 1996, “measurement is only a handmaiden to improvement but improvement cannot act without it” Sollecito& Johnson, p.78. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not? Provide at least three specific reasons to support your position. Your initial post should be 250–300 words and utilize a minimum of two scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library, cited in APA format. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 2 DQ 2 Quality and Outcomes (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 2 DQ 2Quality and Outcomes Quality and Outcomes According to Sollecito& Johnson it is more meaningful to analyze outcomes data, as opposed to structures and processes, because improving outcomes is the end goal of health care services. After viewing the “Defining Quality”: Aiming For a Better Health Care System video, develop a description of quality as it relates to health care; then answer the following questions: a. How would one go about measuring outcomes based on your definition of quality? Provide at least three specific reasons to support your position. b. What role does customer satisfaction play in your definition and outcomes measurement? Your initial post should be 250–300 words and utilize a minimum of two scholarly sources — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 3 Assignment High-Performance Teams (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 3 AssignmentHigh-Performance Teams High-Performance Teams The health care team is at the “sharp end” of service delivery. Members of the health care team are most qualified to analyze problems, generate solutions, and implement and evaluate change. Teamwork is vital to the success of the health care system. Health care administrators must know how to form highly functioning health care teams. Consider the following scenario: Mr. Smith was admitted to the hospital for surgery on his left knee. When Mr. Smith woke up from the anesthesia, he realized that his right knee had been operated on. You have been asked to form a team to analyze this wrong-site surgery. In light of this situation, write a two-to three-page paper excluding title and reference pages in which you address the questions below. You must include a minimum of two scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library and format your paper according to APA guidelines as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. 1. Who would you have on your team? Why did you select these individuals? 2. What steps would you take to foster open communication? What team dynamics might exist that could interfere with open communication? 3. Identify two quality improvement tools/strategies you could use to address the wrong-site surgery? Explain why you selected these tools/strategies. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 3 DQ 1 Teamwork in Health Care (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 3 DQ 1Teamwork in Health Care Teamwork in Health Care According to Sollecito& Johnson 2013, healthcare organizations have moved away from focusing on technical expertise to focusing on clinical teams that focus on patients’ needs and organizational systems thinking. After completing this week’s reading, answer the following questions: a. Why are organizations focusing on teamwork as opposed to skill acquisition? b. How are new health care professionals being trained on systems thinking and teamwork/collaboration? Do you think this will make a difference in quality outcomes? Why or why not? Your initial post should be 250–300 words and utilize a minimum of two scholarly sources, cited in APA format. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 3 DQ 2 The Impact of Nursing (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 3 DQ 2 The Impact of Nursing The Impact of Nursing After completing this week’s reading, consider the following statement: Never before has nursing been so important to a health care organization. Nurses are responsible for upholding the public’s trust as well as their health care organization’s reputation and its financial viability. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not? Provide at least three specific reasons to support your position. Your initial post should be 250–300 words and utilize a minimum of two scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library, cited in APA format as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 4 DQ 1 Medical Errors (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 4 DQ 1Medical Errors Medical Errors According to Sollecito& Johnson 2013, “Organizations do not suddenly start making mistakes. They tend to slide imperceptibly into a set of conditions that produce medical errors” p. 327. After completing this week’s reading discuss this concept as it relates to quality patient outcomes. Answer the following questions: a. In your opinion, do you believe that errors in the hospital setting are inevitable? Why or why not? b. If the most frequent type of error is omitting a step in delivering care Sollecito& Johnson, 2013, p. 312, would it be better to focus on the individual who omitted the step or the system in which they work? Explain your answer. c. What role could being a “learning organization” play in reducing errors? Your initial post should be 250–300 words and utilize a minimum of two scholarly sources, cited in APA format. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 4 DQ 2 Disclosure and Litigation (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 4 DQ 2 Disclosure and Litigation Disclosure and Litigation Complete the week’s reading and view the Safe Patient Project video about Linda: Katy,TX, then answer the following questions: a. What was the errors in the case presented in the video? b. Why do you think the errors happened? What might the contributing factors be in this situation? c. Imagine you are this patient’s physician and are meeting with the family member to describe what happened. How would you communicate the error? d. Do you believe there is a link between how the error was disclosed and the actions the family member took afterward? Explain your answer. Your initial post should be 250–300 words and utilize a minimum of one scholarly source from the Ashford University Library, cited in APA format. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 5 Assignment Research Paper (Value-Based Purchasing) (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 5 AssignmentResearch Paper Value-Based Purchasing  The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services C.M.S. began phasing in its value-based purchasing program in 2007.Value based purchasing links payment directly to the quality of care provided. It is one strategy being used by C.M.S. to transform the current payment system by rewarding providers for delivering high quality, efficient clinical care.  There are three aspects to the program: patient experience, hospital-acquired conditions and achievement of expected treatment for specific clinical diagnoses.   Select one of the following hospital-acquired conditions: 1. Surgical site infection   2. Pressure Ulcers   3. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections   4. Harm related to falls For your Final Paper: 1. Include a brief discussion of the chosen hospital-acquired condition and why it is considered preventable.  2. Explain the legal implications related to a patient developing the condition and the role that disclosure plays.  3. Describe accreditation expectations related to this condition.  4. Analyze the outcomes of continuous quality monitoring consider cost as it relates to quality. The following questions and/or topics should be utilized in the development of your Final Paper:   Hospital acquired conditions: 1. What is meant by the term “hospital acquired condition”?  2. Is the condition you selected always preventable? Why or why not?  3. How does reducing or preventing this condition indicate quality healthcare practices? Legal implications: 1. What role does communication between the healthcare team and the patient/family play in preventing this condition?  2. Why might a healthcare provider be reluctant to discuss the development of this condition with the patient and family?  3. What are the potential ramifications of not discussing the development of this condition with the patient and family?  4. How might members of the healthcare team present this information to the patient and family?   5. What, if any, is the link between disclosure and litigation? Accreditation expectations: 1. The Joint Commission accredits 82% of the hospitals in the United States. Sollecito& Johnson, 2013, p. 516.   2. What expectations does the Joint Commission have with regards to the condition you selected?   3. How is it assessed by surveyors during an accreditation survey? Outcomes related to cost and quality: 1. What continuous quality improvement strategies might you use to involve members of the healthcare team in planning and implementing improvements related to this issue?  2. Provide examples for each of the following performance improvement levels: localized improvement, organizational learning, process reengineering, and evidence-based medicine. Refer to page 5 in your text if needed.  3. What role does education, research, collaboration, information technology, leadership, and teamwork play in addressing this issue?  4. Of the strategies listed which one do you believe would generate the best outcomes and cost the least to implement? Explain your opinion. The Final Paper must be eight-to ten-pages excluding title and references pages and should demonstrate understanding of the reading assignments, class discussions, your own research and the application of new knowledge. Your paper must use a minimum of six scholarly, peer-reviewed sources from the Ashford University Library that were published within the past five years and that are referenced according to APA guidelines as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.  Writing the Final Paper  The Final Paper: 1. Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length excluding title and reference pages, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. 2. Must include a title page with the following: a. Title of paper b. Student’s name c. Course name and number d. Instructor’s name e. Date submitted 3. Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement. 4. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought. 5. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis. 6. Must use at least six scholarly, peer-reviewed sources that were published within the past five years from the Ashford University Library. 7. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. 8. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 5 DQ 1 Quality Improvement Organizations (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 5 DQ 1 Quality Improvement Organizations Quality Improvement Organizations Q.I.O.s After completing this week’s reading, answer the following questions: a. What is the role and function of the Quality Improvement Organization program? b. In your opinion, has the quality of health care received by Medicare beneficiaries improved or declined over time as a result of the QIO program? Explain your answers and provide concrete examples. Your initial post should be 250–300 words and utilize a minimum of two scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library, cited in APA format. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — HCA 375 Week 5 DQ 2 Accreditation (Ash) For more course tutorials visit www.hca375.com HCA 375 Week 5 DQ 2 Accreditation Accreditation Accreditation is a formal process wherein a health care organization is deemed credible by an external organization. Standards of practice are used to assess the credibility. According to Sollecito& Johnson 2013, health care professionals, “have been known to be skeptical about the purpose, value, and benefits [of accreditation]”. After completing the week’s reading, answer the following questions: a. In your opinion, why are some health care professionals skeptical about the accreditation process? Explain your answer. b. What role, if any, does professional certification play in the accreditation of an organization? c. How could you describe the role that accreditation plays in continuous quality improvement to increase buy-in for the process from members of the health care team? Your initial post should be 250–300 words and utilize a minimum of two scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library, cited in APA format. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
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Lead From The Heart #YOLO

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LOL is one of the most widely used internet slang these days, and I get it frequently from friends and even colleagues. I had always thought it meant “Lots of Love” until I found out it actually stood for “Laugh Out Loud.”  I was disappointed to discover this, as I mistakenly thought it was now OK to show more emotion when communicating with colleagues.  JTOL: is there such a thing as “Love Leadership”? We all know that love takes courage and it makes one vulnerable.  Courage is never easy and being vulnerable, in particular, is a trait no leader wants to be associated with. Yet, when you lead from the heart and make people-based decisions that are thoughtful and empathetic, putting your employees’ interests’ first, the ability to connect with others heart to heart is a most powerful thing.  It builds lasting loyalty and inspires others to do the same. I left the corporate world because it felt cold and empty.  Because my heart often wins over my head when making personal and professional decisions, I decided to start my own company in 1995 to do what I do best and most naturally – to lead from the heart. During the 1997 Asian Crisis and 2009 Financial Crisis the company lost money, but we did not lay off any employees and continued to pay all bonuses even though bonuses were variable and contingent on the company’s profitability. Everyone was invited to join our company regional conferences regardless of their rank and job nature, as everyone is important and every detail counts. Families were welcome to join our company functions and employees could bring their children to the office whenever necessary. I have visited numerous baby wards to personally share in the joy of my colleagues in welcoming their newborns as if they were my own.  Tearful conversations were never frowned upon and even encouraged when the situation called for it, as we discovered that venting and crying one’s heart out are often necessary to manage the immense stress that comes with our jobs. In building the company, my heart also took the lead in making many critical hiring decisions over the years.  One of my very first consultants was my ex-secretary at Russell Reynolds.  Another one I met at the hotel I frequented in China during business trips.  He worked as a hotel concierge and one evening at the lobby he struck up a conversation with me and, out of sheer curiosity, asked me a load of questions.  I was impressed by his passion, his natural curiosity, and most of all his guts.  So I asked him right there and then, “Do you want to be a headhunter?”  These two consultants turned out to be among the biggest billers in the company. I often hired employees knowing they did not have sufficient qualifications for the job, but because they needed the job, and showed a strong heart, commitment and devotion to succeed, I gave them the opportunity they would otherwise not get in another organization.  Firing employees was also the hardest thing for me. I would not ask others to do things that I would not do myself. Loyalty built through "Love Leadership" is based on the long-term belief that helping others become successful, or at least be better versions of themselves, creates lasting value that outweighs any setback or disappointment encountered along the way. Sometime in 1999 I interviewed a young, idealistic man from the Philippines for a new but important role in my team.  He was very, very green and even wore unkempt jeans to the interview, prompting one of my staff to remark: "Are you sure you want to hire this guy?" During the interview, I asked him where he imagined himself to be in 5 years' time.  His answers ranged from "writing a book" to "teaching" to "joining politics" in his hometown.  He came across as someone who wasn't very sure what he wanted to do, but was very passionate about why he wanted to do what he thought he wanted to do: to use his talents to help others.  I hired him on the spot.  In the 15 years that we worked together, he's always stayed loyal to me and as his mentor I've always stayed loyal to his why. I am proud to say that 9 out of 10 employees I hired 20 years ago are still with the company, and more than 50 employees, out of the total of 600, had worked for the company for more than 15 years when I sold the company. Three years after the sale, only a few have left.  My decision to sell the company was based on the strong belief that the sale would provide better career opportunities for all.  “Love Leadership” is contagious and it lasts, as the culture I helped build is still very much alive today. As a leader, showing your emotions makes you vulnerable and some people will take advantage of this vulnerability. Leaders who show emotions are often perceived as weak.  Most leaders are motivated by power and influence. “Love Leadership” tells us that real power comes from giving it away – to your followers – and is best achieved when you touch their hearts in the process. “Love Leadership” is a two-way street: it goes from heart to heart, and employees must be touched and reciprocate through their emotions and commitment to create something that is bigger than the sum of all individuals put together.  A more traditional “maternal” or “fraternal” leader is more a one-way, top-down process. Today’s workforce is diverse and fraught with individual differences that often divide. On the other hand, the desire to be touched with genuine emotions, authenticity and devotion unite. For leaders today, nothing should hold them back in leading from the heart.  It is the path I chose, and I know now that it is the right path.  Whatever comes out of the heart, it comes back tenfold and more.  You Only Live Once.  YOLO! P.S.FOMO? Don’t fret -- just keep following my blog and join me on my journey. LOL! Lots of Love! These stunning landscape photos were taken by:RJ LaMendola1-815-243-9679Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LamendolaPhotography/  LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rj-lamendola-4196312b  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rj_lamendola/  Website: http://rjlamendola.com/  To view more or purchase photoshttp://www.rjlamendola.com/proofing/login.php?gid=1 
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5 Workplace Safety Tips For Small Businesses

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Safety is important, but it can often take a back seat for small business owners who are working hard every day to make their businesses successful. The U.S. Department of Labor provides a small business safety handbook through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as helpful answers to frequently asked questions. All of this can sometimes take more time than you have, so consider being proactive about employee and customer safety with the following five simple tips so that you protect yourself and your business from expensive personal injury lawsuits. 1. Prevent slips, trips and falls As the second leading cause of occupational injuries, slips, trips and falls can happen even in the most safety-conscious environments. Protect everyone by keeping aisles, passageways and exits clear of clutter, quickly cleaning up spills and leaks. Replace worn or damaged flooring, and install mirrors or warning signs to help with blind spots. Of course, ensuring that sturdy railings are easily accessible next to stairways is also a must for fall prevention. 2. Provide appropriate safety gear While typical office employees rarely need to worry about safety gear, some employees may need to be in the field constantly. Whatever the job requires especially if you work in the construction industry, make sure you provide adequate and appropriate safety gear as well as enforce the wearing of it. This could include hard hats, safety goggles, earplugs, and gloves, all of which can greatly reduce the risk of workplace injury. Invest in the right safety gear that will last and protect your employees. 3. Eliminate fire hazards Exits and stairwells should be kept clear in case of fire. Check to make sure all materials are kept 18 inches from automatic sprinklers, fire extinguishers and sprinkler controls. For items stacked close to the ceiling, there should be a three-foot clearance so that in case of fire, water can reach all areas. 4. Consider starting a workplace safety training program Safety training is very important for new employees who need to know what to do, how to their jobs safety. Get policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety and health of employees within your work premises. OSHA provides lots of help for creating a personalized workplace safety training program. Valued team members can offer creative insights as well as you work to create a safe, productive environment. 5. Encourage personal housekeeping Set some basic, written standards that each employee is responsible for. Keeping the work environment clean and tidy is healthy and beneficial for everyone. Whether that’s tidying a cubicle once a week, wiping up one’s own mess in the breakroom, or cleaning out the work vehicle daily, responsibilities should be clearly delegated and communicated. As a business owner, workplace safety is your business. If you don’t do it right by providing a safe environment, encouraging safety in the workplace and enforcing it when needed, your business may suffer. If this does occur, it would be best to consult an Appleton personal injury lawyer; however, everyone wins when your place of business is known for putting the safety of employees and customers first.
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Operating Handbook — A Quick Summary

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Recently I spoke to a large audience at Disruptive Innovation Summit in Schengen, China on topics of product, technology and running the team from prospective of an engineering executive. I may have surprised an audience with an assertion that the execution (and the engineering function) is (A) is not nearly as important to the overall success of the company as the product function and (B) is not particularly difficult to get right. Let me perhaps rehabilitate myself by pointing out that: Execution does matter. While a poor execution would rarely kill a company if the idea was great — it could certainly mean the difference between a 10B or a 20B company and a 300B company. Imagine you have to stop and re-engineer your systems just as your product takes off? It is a lot simpler said then done — in part because of the culture of the organization and our natural human biases. Over the years I have adopted an operating framework that has worked for me so far. In brief it is about: Outcomes Bottlenecks Transparency Flexibility Culture Outcomes As the old saying goes — if you don’t know where you are going — any road will do. It is particularly true within large, complex organizations where goals, successes and failures may look differently depending on a vantage point. It is therefore even more important to spend some quality time with your staff to develop and refine the strategy for your function and your team. Surprisingly it is nearly always about just one project or one particular outcome — as long as catastrophic lapses are avoided everywhere else. Stack rank your projects linearly without cheating and staff them in that order with your best people. Learn to live with inefficiencies. The last one is particularly hard to do. Bottlenecks The #1 book I recommend to all my reports to read is a business novel by Eliayahu Goldratt “The Goal”. It was first recommended to me by a boss of mine some years ago. Read it tonight if you haven’t! Focus on your bottlenecks, ignore everything else. Those could be yourself, your direct reports, a specific engineer or specific organizational function or inefficiency. A tip: Scaling the organization There’s no difference between a first line manager passionate about his or her teammates and a VP passionate about his or her reports. Treat your executive team as a good first line manager would treat his or her team. Transparency I’ve found over the years that it is important to tell people what your priorities are honestly and frequently, at least once a week. Don’t be afraid to tell people (and especially your direct staff) what you think is important to you right now and what you expect — as directly as possible and as often as possible. Don’t be shy! A tip: Ruslan’s Top 5 In full disclosure I learned it from Dick Costolo (then CEO of Twitter) who had his Dick’s Top 10 list. Obviously that was in addition to quarterly OKRs :-) These were 10 things important to Dick and those could be as big as a priority project (i.e. around growth) or a bug that Marc Andreessen emailed him about. I have shortened my list to 5 to be able to practically discuss it at every staff meeting and like Dick’s — those were 5 top things important to me. A tip: How do I run my staff meeting? I have sat in many executive meetings — I am sure you have to. Think back and see what you liked and didn’t like about them? Flexibility Organizational structure is not US Constitution. It is simply a tool for the job and there is no perfect org structure — but there’s an appropriate one for the timeframe and the objective. Evaluate yours often. Is it still working for you? Do a retrospective on it once you change it. A tip: how do you decide whether to go vertical or horizontal? Culture Everyone loves self-running organizations — isn’t it nice to be able to go on a vacation and not worry about stuff? But how do you get there? Understanding who would replace you in case you were hit by a bus is one. Building a learning organization is the second part of the puzzle. Embed retrospectives (also called post-mortems when bad stuff happens) into everything you do: Site outages 2. Unexpected growth or other good things 3. Re-organizations 4. Termination decisions (I would do that one with myself everytime I had to part ways with an employee) 5. Process changes 6. Milestones 7. End of period Run them exactly as you would run a post-mortem — objectively focusing on the timeline (draw it on a whiteboard), the impact (good or bad), the root cause (of good or bad) and the next steps (corrective or enhancing). A tip: a role of chance Why some people succeed at one job and fail at another? Surely all of us either experienced it or have seen it frequently enough. Natural human biases tend to attribute successes to our genius and failures to circumstances beyond our control. Is this always truly the case? Is your star employee really a star employee or just experienced a fortuitous sequence of events? Is your “underperforming” employee is truly underperforming — or was it just an impossibly bad setup? Should you worry about it at all? I found the basic idea of retrospectives to be particularly applicable to above scenarios, especially when evaluating performance and when considering organizational changes. Fail to do so and a chain of poor decisions will follow — usually accompanied by a hit to moral of your staff. There is always more to cover — hiring, managing remote teams, working with different functions across the company — product, sales, marketing and more. I hope however that you have found some connection or a way to relate to the prospectives in this note — and if you did — I would love to hear your thoughts!
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Finding My ‘Why’ In The USA

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The muru-D USA trip couldn’t have come at a better time for me, personally. We had just achieved our midpoint milestone, along with all other teams in our cohort (yay!), but getting there was tough. My team was stressed, we were under a lot of pressure, and everyone was feeling it, especially me as the CEO. I got on the plane with no expectations other than that I wanted the trip to give me the confidence to move the Our Little Foxes business to the US. It’s a much bigger market but similar to ours culturally, so it would make sense for us to try and make a dent in it. To say that my expectations were exceeded, and then some, is an understatement. I’d like to share some of the many highlights of the trip for me, as well as the uncovery of my ‘Why’. 1. The people are awesome In both Austin and San Francisco, we were greeted by incredibly friendly, welcoming and intelligent people. They gave us time, energy, suggestions, validation, ideas and support. I made friends and met mentors, who I believe will be with me for a very long time, and who genuinely wanted to help us succeed. 2. The scale of the ecosystems Austin is a smaller City than San Francisco in terms of its startup scene, but it is considerably larger than Sydney and appears to be a lot better connected. They are actively fostering a strong and vibrant entrepreneurial community, along with slightly more affordable housing than SF! San Francisco however is like being on another planet. You go for a coffee and hear people talking about their startups; you go for a walk and hear people talking about their startups; you get in an uber and chat to the driver about their startup. You get the idea. It’s huge and it’s accessible if you’re open to getting involved and building a network. 3. There is money and an appetite for investment A small seed round in Australia is $200k. A small seed round in the US is more like $750k. You actually can’t compare the two. It’s more competitive, for sure, but the money is there if you have a good idea, good team and good demonstration of traction or potential. Palo Alto train station — let’s do this!4. Building a team can be tough Because of the competitive nature of goliaths like Facebook and Google, incentivising staff can be difficult. Big companies load their staff up with food, beer on tap, and other great benefits to attract and retain the best talent. Small startups could find it tough building a team in that kind of environment, so it may be better to keep some staff in locations like Sydney to ensure the team’s skill levels are high and the cost of retaining staff isn’t too significant. The Foxy team in SF (Phoebe, Donna and Sean)5. You need to get out of the day-to-day One of the biggest realisations for me was that I spend too much time ‘in’ and not enough time ‘on’ the business. It’s tough to make that distinction but it was very apparent to me while I was away that I’m not doing enough of this. I had time and clarity, while listening to and meeting incredible people, to really think about what the impact of the discussions could be for my business and me. As a result, I’m committed to taking more time to network, attend conferences and events, and schedule strategic time to allow me to focus on the big vision. Visiting Montessori Bowman International School — so inspiring!6. Go hard, or go home American companies have an incredible work ethic. They work hard, they work smart, and they get results. It was really valuable for me to see personally how much I can dial up the efforts of me and my team, and what outcome we can achieve as a result. It’s not about longer hours, but it’s about being more efficient and focused in everything we do. 7. We have an amazing cohort and muru-D team One of my biggest highlights was definitely the strengthening of the bonds I was able to establish with my peers, the muru-D team and the mentors. What an amazing group of people! We were prompted at the start of the trip to not sit with our team but to mix ourselves up and talk to everyone, and I’m so grateful that all teams jumped on this advice. I chatted in depth to each and every person on the trip and feel more connected and supported than I thought possible. I believe that this will lead to a really positive outcome for our next two months in the program, and beyond. Awesome muru-D SYD3 cohort in Salt Lick, Austin Texas (first night of the trip!)8. Finding balance and uncover my ‘Why’ Being in a startup, particularly as the CEO, can lead to a very unbalanced lifestyle. You work around the clock and have little time for anything else, outside of your immediate family (especially if you’re a parent!). Having some time out to focus on myself, to network and to engage, helped me remember that balance is critical. I’m running this business, Our Little Foxes, because I’m passionate about the impact we are making on children, the legacy we will leave behind, and the amazing team of people that I work with. But it won’t be a success if I am not doing it for the right reasons and I’m not fulfilled. I found balance between work and life on this trip and came back enlightened, illuminated and focused on why I’m doing this. I know that as a result, every aspect of my life and work will benefit. My gorgeous co-founder and friend, DonnaIt was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to share my learnings with my team, friends and family! A huge thanks to muru-D for this experience. Phoebe x
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Homeworkmade.com DeVry Tutorials

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ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Chapter 11 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-305-acct-305-acct305-chapter-11-quiz/ ACCT 305 Chapter 11 Quiz 1. Enter the letter corresponding to the response that best completes each of the following statements or questions. The method that does not necessarily produce a declining pattern of depreciation over an asset’s service life is: 2. A delivery van that cost $40,000 has an expected service life of eight years and a residual value of $4,000. Depreciation for the second year of the asset’s life using the sum-of-the-years’-digits method is: 3. In question 2, depreciation for the second year of the asset’s life using the DDB method is: 4. On January 1, 2013, the Holloran Corporation purchased a machine at a cost of $55,000. The machine was expected to have a service life of 10 years and a $5,000 residual value. The straight-line depreciation method was used. In 2015 the estimate of residual value was revised from $5,000 to zero. Depreciation for 2015 should be: 5. In question 4, assume that instead of revising residual value, in 2015 the company switched to the SYD depreciation method. Depreciation for 2015 should be: 6. Felix Mining acquired a copper mine at a total cost of $3,000,000. The mine is expected to produce 6,000,000 tons of copper over its five-year useful life. During the first year of operations, 750,000 tons of copper was extracted. Depletion for the first year should be: 7. In 2014, the controller of the Green Company discovered that 2013 depreciation expense was overstated by $50,000, a material amount. Assuming an income tax rate of 40%, the prior period adjustment to 2014 beginning retained earnings would be: 8. A machine is purchased on September 30, 2013, for $60,000. Useful life is estimated at four years and no residual value is anticipated. The SYD depreciation method is used. The acquiring company’s fiscal year ends on December 31. Depreciation for 2014 should be: 9. In question 8, assume that the company instead used the DDB depreciation method. Depreciation for 2014 should be: 10. Which of the following approaches cannot be used to determine the fair value of an impaired asset? 11. Which of the following types of subsequent expenditures is not normally capitalized: 12. In January of 2013, the Phillips Company purchased a patent at a cost of $100,000. In addition, $10,000 in legal fees were paid to acquire the patent. The company estimated a 10-year useful life for the patent and uses the straight-line amortization method for intangible assets. In 2015, Phillips spent $25,000 in legal fees for an unsuccessful defense of the patent. The amount charged to income (expense and loss) in 2015 related to the patent should be: 13. The Cromwell Company sold equipment for $35,000. The equipment, which originally cost $100,000 and had an estimated useful life of 10 years and no residual value, was depreciated for five years using the straight-line method. Cromwell should report the following on its income statement in the year of sale: 14. Jasper Inc. prepares its financial statements according to International Financial Reporting Standards. At the end of its 2013 fiscal year, the company chooses to revalue its equipment. The equipment cost $810,000, had accumulated depreciation of $360,000 at the end of the year after recording annual depreciation, and had a fair value of $495,000. After the revaluation, the equipment account will have a balance of 15. Declarmen Corporation owns factory in the United Kingdom. A change in business climate indicates that Declarmen should investigate for possible impairment. Below are date related to the factory’s assets ($ in millions): The amount of impairment loss that Declarmen should recognize according to U.S. GAAP is: 16. In question 15, the amount of impairment loss that Declarmen should recognize according to International Financial Reporting Standards is: 17. In 2011, Cordova Inc. acquired Cordant Corporation and $140 million in goodwill was recorded. At the end of its 2013 fiscal year, management has provided the following information for its annual goodwill impairment test ($ in millions): Assuming that Cordant is considered a reporting unit, the amount of goodwill impairment loss that Cordova should recognize according to U.S. GAAP is: 18. Assuming that Cordant is considered a cash-generating unit, the amount of goodwill impairment loss that Cordova should recognize according to International Financial Reporting Standards is: 19. MACRS depreciation is equivalent to: ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Chapter 12 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-305-acct-305-acct305-chapter-12-quiz/ ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Chapter 12 Quiz 1. On January 1, 2013, Normal Plastics bought 15% of Model, Inc.’s common stock for $900,000. Model’s net income for the years ended December 31, 2013, and December 31, 2014, were $600,000 and $1,500,000, respectively. During 2014, Model declared a dividend of $420,000. No dividends were declared in 2013. How much should Normal show on its 2014 income statement from this investment? 2. Fair value is used as the basis for valuation of a firm’s investment securities when: 3. Unrecognized holding gains and losses are included in an investor’s earnings for: 4. Investment securities are reported on a balance sheet at fair value for: 5. Which of the following statements is untrue regarding investments in equity securities? 6. Unrecognized holding gains and losses for securities to be held-to-maturity are: 7. Unrecognized holding gains and losses for securities available-for-sale are: 8. Unrecognized holding gains and losses for trading securities are: 9. On January 12, Henderson Corporation purchased 4 million shares of Honeycutt Corporation common stock for $73 million and classified the securities as available-for-sale. At the close of the same year, the fair value of the securities is $81 million. Henderson Corporation should report: 10. Evans Company owns 4.5 million shares of stock of Frazier Company classified as available-for-sale. During 2013, the fair value of those shares increased by $9 million. What effect did this increase have on Evans’ 2013 financial statements? 11. Level Company owns bonds of Leader Company classified as held-to-maturity. During 2013, the fair value of those bonds increased by $4 million. Interest was received of $3 million. What effect did the investment have on Level’s 2013 financial statements? 12. If the investment described in the previous question had been classified as available-for-sale, what effect would the investment have on Level’s 2013 financial statements? 13. On January 2, 2013, Garner, Inc. bought 10% of the outstanding common stock of Moody, Inc. for $60 million cash. At the date of acquisition of the stock, Moody’s net assets had a book value and fair value of $180 million. Moody’s net income for the year ended December 31, 2013, was $30 million. During 2013, Moody declared and paid cash dividends of $6 million. On December 31, 2013, Garner’s investment should be reported at: 14. An OTT impairment for an equity investment is recognized if fair value declines below amortized cost and 15. Under IFRS No. 9, equity investments can be classified as: 16. On January 2, 2013, Garner, Inc. bought 30% of the outstanding common stock of Moody, Inc. for $60 million cash. At the date of acquisition of the stock, Moody’s net assets had a book value and fair value of $180 million. Moody’s net income for the year ended December 31, 2013, was $30 million. During 2013, Moody declared and paid cash dividends of $6 million. On December 31, 2013, Garner’s investment account should be reported at: 17. The equity method is used when an investor can’t control, but can exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of the investee. We presume, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that this is so if: 18. On January 2, 2013, Germane, Inc. bought 30% of the outstanding common stock of Quality, Inc. for $56 million cash. At the date of acquisition of the stock, Quality’s net assets had a book value and fair value of $120 million. Quality’s net income for the year ended December 31, 2013, was $30 million. During 2013, Quality declared and paid cash dividends of $10 million. On December 31, 2013, Germane’s should report investment revenue of: 19. When applying the equity method, an investor should report dividends from the investee as: 20. Western Manufacturing Company owns 40% of the outstanding common stock of Eastern Supply Company. During 2013, Western received a $50 million cash dividend from Eastern. What effect did this dividend have on Western’s 2013 financial statements? 21. The accounting for unrealized holding gains and losses will be different if the fair value option is elected for all of the following types of investments except: 22. The fair value option described by SFAS No. 159 23. Credit losses are calculated as the difference between the amortized cost of debt and: 24. Which of the following is NOT a reason why an investor might view a debt impairment as “other than temporary”? 25. Which of the following is NOT true about recognizing unrealized gains and losses on equity investments? 26. LB, Inc. holds a loan under which the borrower cannot settle the loan and provide a loss to the lender, unless the lender allows it. The loan was made for the purposes of providing customer financing. How would that loan be accounted for? 27. Which of the following is NOT a criterion for a debt instrument to be viewed as having a lending or customer financing business purpose? 28. Which of the following is a characteristic of a debt investment that is viewed as simple (i.e., not complex) with respect to the characteristics test? 29. Which of the following is NOT a business purpose that determines the accounting approach used to account for “simple” debt? 30. Under the “3 bucket approach” to impairment recognition, which of the following investments could NOT qualify for impairment recognition in “bucket 3: Individual debt investments suffering credit losses”? 31. Which of the following is NOT true about how the proposed ASU accounts for impairments? ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Chapter 13 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-305-acct-305-acct305-chapter-13-quiz/ ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Chapter 13 Quiz 1. The essential characteristics of a liability do not include: 2. Of the following, which usually would not be classified as a current liability 3. Which of the following results in an accrued liability? 4. On November 1, Epic Distributors borrowed $24 million cash to fund an expansion of its facilities. The loan was made by WW BancCorp under a short-term line of credit. Epic issued a 9-month, 12% promissory note. Interest was payable at maturity. Epic’s fiscal period is the calendar year. In Epic’s adjusting entry for the note on December 31, interest expense will be: 5. On October 1, 2011, Parton Industries borrowed $12 million cash to provide working capital. The loan was made by Second Bank under a short-term line of credit. Parton issued an 8-month, “noninterest-bearing note.” 8% is the bank’s stated “discount rate.” Parton’s fiscal period is the calendar year. In Parton’s 2011 income statement interest expense for the note will be: 6. Commercial paper has become an increasingly popular way for companies to raise funds. Which of the following is not true regarding commercial paper? 7. On November 1, Shearer Shoes borrowed $18 million cash and issued a 6-month, “noninterest-bearing note.” The loan was made by Third Commercial Bank whose stated “discount rate” is 9%. Shearer’s effective interest rate on this loan is: 8. Under U.S. GAAP, liabilities payable within one year can be excluded from current liabilities only if: 9. Under IFRS, a company can demonstrate their ability to refinance long-term debt for purposes of excluding the debt from current liabilities by: 10. Reunion BBQ has $4,000,000 of notes payable due on March 11, 2012, which Reunion intends to refinance. On January 5, 2012, Reunion signed a line of credit agreement to borrow up to $3,500,000 cash on a two-year renewable basis. On the December 31, 2011, balance sheet, Reunion should classify: 11. Which of the following statements concerning lines of credit is untrue? 12. On January 1, 2011, Yukon Company agreed to grant its employees two weeks vacation each year, with the provision that vacations earned in a particular year could be taken the following year. For the year ended December 31, 2011, all twelve of Yukon’s employees earned $1,200 per week each. Eight of these vacation weeks were not taken during 2011. In Yukon’s 2011 income statement, how much expense should be reported for compensated absences? 13. An enterprise should accrue a liability for compensation of employees’ unpaid vacations if certain conditions exist. Each of the following is a condition for accrual except: 14. In its 2011 financial statements, an enterprise should accrue a liability for a loss contingency involving a possible cash payment if certain conditions exist. Each of the following is a condition for accrual except: 15. Which of the following loss contingencies generally do not require accrual? 16. Warren Advertising becomes aware of a lawsuit after the end of the fiscal year, but prior to the issuance of financial statements. A loss should be accrued and a liability should be reported if the amount can be reasonably estimated and: 17. A loss contingency should be accrued when the amount of loss is known and the occurrence of the loss is: 18. During 2011 Green Thumb Company introduced a new line of garden shears that carry a two-year warranty against defects. Experience indicates that warranty costs should be 2% of net sales in the year of sale and 3% in the year after sale. Net sales and actual warranty expenditures were as follows: At December 31, 2012, Green Thumb should report as a warranty liability of: 19. There is a possibility of a safety hazard for a manufactured product. As yet, no claim has been made for damages, though there is a reasonable possibility that a claim will be made. If a claim is made, it is probable that damages will be paid and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. This possible loss must be: 20. Gain contingencies usually are recognized in the income statement when: 21. Under IFRS, if every amount in a range of contingent losses is equally likely, the amount accrued is the: ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Chapter 14 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-305-acct-305-acct305-chapter-14-quiz/ ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Chapter 14 Quiz 1. The price of a corporate bond is the present value of its face amount at the market or effective rate of interest: 2. When a bond issue sells for less than its face value, the market rate of interest is: 3. On June 30, 2013, Mabry Corporation issued $5 million of its 8% bonds for $4.6 million. The bonds were priced to yield 10%. The bonds are dated June 30, 2013. Interest is payable semiannually on December 31 and July 1. If the effective interest method is used, by how much should the bond discount be reduced for the 6 months ended December 31, 2013? 4. A discount on bonds should be reported on the balance sheet: 5. If bonds are issued between interest dates the entry to record the issuance of the bonds will: 6. On January 1, 2013, Blair Company sold $800,000 of 10% ten-year bonds. Interest is payable semiannually on June 30 and December 31. The bonds were sold for $708,000, priced to yield 12%. Blair records interest at the effective rate. Blair should report bond interest expense for the six months ended June 30, 2013 in the amount of: 7. In a bond amortization table for bonds issued at a discount: 8. Bonds will sell at: 9. When bonds are issued at a discount and interest expense is recorded at the effective interest rate, interest expense in the earlier years of the term to maturity will be: 10. AMC Corporation issued bonds at a discount. The long-term liability reported on AMC’s balance sheet will: 11. When a firm records bond interest at the effective rate for bonds issued at a discount, its net income in the bond’s first year will be: 12. Douglas-Roberts has bonds outstanding during a year in which the market rate of interest has risen. Douglas-Roberts has elected the fair value option for the bonds. What will the company report for the bonds in its income statement for the year? 13. Brubaker Company issued 11% bonds, dated January 1, with a face amount of $400,000 on January 1, 2013. The bonds sold for $369,908 and mature in 2032 (20 years). For bonds of similar risk and maturity the market yield was 12%. Interest is paid semiannually on June 30 and December 31. Brubaker determines interest at the effective rate and elected the option to report these bonds at their fair value. On December 31, 2013, the fair value of the bonds was $365,000 as determined by their market value on the NYSE. Brubaker’s earnings for the year will include: 14. BVA Corporation exchanged a $96,000, noninterest-bearing, 3-year note for land with fair value of $60,000. The $36,000 difference represents 15. When a note is issued in exchange for a machine, and interest on the note is not stated: 16. Brown Corporation exercised its call option to retire long-term notes. The excess of the cash paid over the carrying amount of the notes should be reported as a(an) 17. National Storage issued $90 million of its 10% bonds on April 1, 2013, at 99 plus accrued interest. The bonds are dated January 1, 2013, and mature on December 31, 2032. Interest is payable semiannually on June 30 and December 31. What amount did National receive from the bond issuance? 18. On March 1, 2013, Big Brands Corporation issued $600,000 of 10% bonds at 105. Each $1,000 bond was sold with 50 detachable stock warrants, each permitting the investor to purchase one share of common stock for $35. On that date, the market value of the common stock was $30 per share and the market value of each warrant was $4. Big Brands should record what amount of the proceeds from the bond issue as an increase in liabilities? 19. On June 30, 2013, Kerr Industries had outstanding $40 million of 8%, convertible bonds that mature on June 30, 2014. Interest is payable each year on June 30 and December 31. The bonds are convertible into 2 million shares of $10 par common stock. At June 30, 2013, the unamortized balance in the discount on bonds payable account was $2 million. On June 30, 2013, half the bonds were converted when Kerr’s common stock had a market price of $25 per share. When recording the conversion using the book value method, Kerr should credit paid-in capital — excess of par: 20. On September 1, 2013, Expert Materials, issued at 98 plus accrued interest, $800,000 of its 10% bonds. The bonds are dated June 1, 2013, and mature on May 30, 2020. Interest is payable semiannually on June 1 and December 1. At the time of issuance, Expert would receive cash of: 21. On September 1, 2013, Contemporary Products, issued $16 million of its 10% bonds at face value. The bonds are dated June 1, 2013, and mature on May 30, 2022. Interest is payable semiannually on June 1 and December 1. At the time of issuance, Contemporary Products would receive cash proceeds that would include accrued interest of: 22. During 2013 Belair Company was encountering financial difficulties and seemed likely to default on a $600,000, 10%, four-year note dated January 1, 2011, payable to Second Bank. Interest was last paid on December 31, 2012. On December 31, 2013, Second Bank accepted $500,000 in settlement of the note. Ignoring income taxes, what amount should Belair report as a gain from the debt restructuring in its 2013 income statement? 23. On January 1, 2013, Ventrini International issued $10 million of 9%, 10-year convertible bonds at 101. The bonds pay interest on June 30 and December 31. Each $1,000 bond is convertible into 40 shares of Ventrini’s no par common stock. Bonds that are similar in all respects, except that they are nonconvertible, currently are selling at 99. Ventrini applies International Financial Reporting 24. Preston Laird Company issued 5% bonds convertible into shares of the company’s common stock. Preston Laird Company applies International Financial Reporting Standards. Upon issuance, Preston Laird Company should record 25. Costs incurred in connection with the issuance of bonds and other debt, such as legal costs, printing costs, and underwriting fees, are referred to as debt issuance costs (called transaction costs under IFRS). Using IFRS: ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Chapter 15 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-305-acct-305-acct305-chapter-15-quiz/ ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Chapter 15 Quiz 1. Which of the following leases would least likely be classified as an operating lease by the lessee? 2. Which of the following is not a sufficient criterion for a lessee to classify a lease as a capital lease? 3. For a lessor to consider a leasing arrangement to be a capital lease, collectibility of the lease payments must be reasonably assured and: 4. In an operating lease in which the asset’s economic life and lease term are different: 5. If a capital lease contains a bargain purchase option, the lessee should depreciate the leased asset: 6. A necessary condition for a sales-type lease is: 7. The inception of a six-year capital lease is December 31, 2011. The agreement specifies equal annual lease payments on December 31 of each year. For the lessee, the first payment on December 31, 2011, includes: 8. Universal Leasing Corp. leases farm equipment to its customers under direct-financing leases. Typically the equipment has no residual value at the end of leases and the contracts call for payments at the beginning of each year. Universal’s target rate of return is 10%. On a five-year lease of equipment with a fair value of $485,100, Universal will earn interest revenue over the life of the lease of: 9. In a ten-year capital lease, the portion of the annual lease payment in the lease’s third year that represents interest is: 10. On January 1, 2011, Walter Scott Co. leased machinery under a 6-year lease. The machinery has a 9-year economic life. The present value of the monthly lease payments is determined to be 85% of the machinery’s fair value. The lease contract includes neither a transfer of title to Scott nor a bargain purchase option. What amount should Scott report in its 2011 income statement? 11. Pyramid Properties entered a lease that contains a bargain purchase option. When calculating the amount to capitalize as a leased asset at the inception of the lease term, the payment called for by the bargain purchase option should be: 12. Tucson Fruits leased farm equipment from Barr Machinery on July 1, 2011. The lease was recorded as a sales-type lease. The present value of the lease payments discounted at 10% was $40.5 million. Ten annual lease payments of $6 million are due at the beginning of each year beginning July 1, 2011. Barr had purchased the equipment for $33 million. What amount of interest revenue from the lease should Barr report in its 2011 income statement? 13. On January 1, 2011, Jackson Properties leased a warehouse to Jensen Distributors. The operating lease provided for a nonrefundable bonus paid by Jensen. Jackson should recognize the bonus in earnings: 14. Grant Industries leased exercise equipment to Silver Gyms on July 1, 2011. Grant recorded the lease as a sales-type lease at $810,000, the present value of minimum lease payments discounted at 10%. The lease called for ten annual lease payments of $120,000 due at the beginning of each year. The first payment was received on July 1, 2011. Grant had manufactured the equipment at a cost of $750,000. The total increase in earnings (pretax) on Grant’s 2011 income statement would be: 15. Brown Properties entered into a sale-leaseback transaction. Brown retains the right to substantially all of the remaining use of the property. A gain resulting from the sale should be: 16. A lease is a capital lease (called a finance lease under IFRS) if substantially all risks and rewards of ownership are transferred whether using US GAAP or IFRS. When making this determination, less judgment, more specificity is applied using 17. When the leaseback in a sale-leaseback transaction is an operating lease, a company that prepares its financial statements using IFRS: 18. When recording a capital lease (called a finance lease under IFRS) Blue Company is aware that the implicit interest rate used by the Gray Company, the lessor, to calculate lease payments is 7%. Blue’s incremental borrowing rate is 6%. Blue should record the leased asset and lease liability at the present value of the lease payments discounted at: 19. Which of the following would a lessee not record in connection with a lease? 20. Which of the following would a lessor not record in connection with a lease? 21. If a lease contains a purchase option, the exercise price is considered to be an additional cash payment if: 22. The commencement of a five-year lease is December 31, 2013. The agreement specifies equal annual lease payments on December 31 of each year. In its 2014 income statement: 23. Adonis Co. recorded a right-of-use asset of $400,000 in a ten-year lease under which no profit was recorded at commencement by the lessor. The interest rate charged the lessee was 10%. The balance in the right-of-use asset after two years will be: 24. Simpson Co. recorded a residual asset of $400,000 in a ten-year lease under which no profit was recorded at commencement by the lessor. The interest rate charged the lessee was 10%. The balance in the residual asset after two years will be: 25. Farrakhan Fruits leased farm equipment from Hall Machinery on January 1, 2013. The present value of the lease payments discounted at 10% was $40 million. Ten annual lease payments of $6 million are due at the beginning of each year beginning January 1, 2013. Hall had constructed the equipment recently for $33 million and its retail fair value was $50 million. What amount of interest revenue from the lease should Hall report in its 2013 income statement? 26. Farrakhan Fruits leased farm equipment from Hall Machinery on January 1, 2013. The present value of the lease payments discounted at 10% was $40 million. Ten annual lease payments of $6 million are due at the beginning of each year beginning January 1, 2013. Hall had constructed the equipment recently for $33 million and its retail fair value was $50 million. What amount did Hall record as a residual asset? 27. Farrakhan Fruits leased farm equipment from Hall Machinery on January 1, 2013. The present value of the lease payments discounted at 10% was $40 million. Ten annual lease payments of $6 million are due at the beginning of each year beginning January 1, 2013. Hall had constructed the equipment recently for $33 million and its retail fair value was $50 million. Its estimated useful life was 15 years. What amount of profit did Hall record at the commencement of the lease? 28. Farrakhan Fruits leased farm equipment from Hall Machinery on January 1, 2013. The present value of the lease payments discounted at 10% was $40 million. Ten annual lease payments of $6 million are due at the beginning of each year beginning January 1, 2013. Hall had constructed the equipment recently for $33 million and its retail fair value was $50 million. Its estimated useful life was 15 years. The total increase in earnings (pretax) in Hall’s 2013 income statement would be: 29. Farrakhan Fruits leased farm equipment from Hall Machinery on January 1, 2013. The present value of the lease payments discounted at 10% was $40 million. Ten annual lease payments of $6 million are due at the beginning of each year beginning January 1, 2013. Hall had constructed the equipment recently for $33 million and its retail fair value was $50 million. Its estimated useful life was 15 years. The total decrease in earnings (pretax) in Farrakhan’s 2013 income statement would be: 30. Barton Industries leased exercise equipment to Witherspoon Gyms on July 1, 2013. Grant recorded the lease receivable at $810,000, the present value of lease payments discounted at 10% and fair value of the equipment. The lease called for ten annual lease payments of $120,000 due at the beginning of each year. The first payment was received on July 1, 2013. Barton had manufactured the equipment at a cost of $750,000. The total increase in earnings (pretax) on Barton’s December 31, 2013, income statement would be: ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Week 1 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-305-acct-305-acct305-week-1-quiz/ ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Week 1 Quiz 1. (TCO 1) Property, plant, and equipment and intangible assets are (Points : 4) 2. (TCO 1) On July 1, 2011, our company purchased a $400,000 tract of land that is intended to be the site of a new office complex. Larkin incurred additional costs and realized salvage proceeds during 2011 as follows. Demolition of existing building onsite $ 75,000 Legal and other fees to close escrow 12,000 Proceeds from sale of demolition scrap 10,000 Which would be the balance in the land account as of December 31, 2011? (Points : 4) 3. (TCO 3) In a nonmonetary exchange of equipment, if the exchange has commercial substance, a gain is recognized if (Points : 4) 4. (TCO 1) Interest may be capitalized (Points : 4) 5. TCO 3) Our company exchanged land and cash of $5,000 for similar land. The book value and the fair value of the land were $90,000 and $100,000, respectively. Assuming that the exchange has commercial substance, our company would record land-new at and record a gain (loss) of which of these? ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Week 2 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-305-acct-305-acct305-week-2-quiz/ ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Week 2 Quiz 1. TCO 2) An exclusive 20-year right to manufacture a product or use a process is a (Points : 4) 2. (TCO 2) Our company purchased all of the outstanding stock of another company, paying $2,700,000 cash. Our company assumed all of the liabilities of other company. Book values and fair values of acquired assets and liabilities were as follows. Book Value Fair Value Current assets, net $ 420,000 $ 450,000 Property, plant and equpment, net $ 1,600,000 $ 2,250,000 Liabilities $ 500,000 $ 600,000 3. (TCO 2) Software development costs are capitalized if they are incurred (Points : 4) 4. (TCO 2) Under U.S. GAAP, research expenditures are (Points : 4) 5. (TCO 2) Goodwill has (Points : 4) ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Week 3 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-305-acct-305-acct305-week-3-quiz/ ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Week 3 Quiz 1. (TCO 4) In the first year of an asset’s life, which of the following methods has the smallest depreciation?(Points : 4) 2. (TCO 4) Amortization refers to the cost allocation for (Points : 4) 3. (TCO 4) The factors that need to be determined to compute depreciation are an asset’s (Points : 4) 4. (TCO 4) Cutter Enterprises purchased equipment for $72,000 on January 1, 2011. The equipment is expected to have a 5-year life and a residual value of $6,000. Using the straight-line method, depreciation for 2012 and the equipment’s book value at December 31, 2012 would be (Points : 4) 5. (TCO 4) A change from the straight-line method to the sum-of-years’-digits method of depreciation is handled as (Points : 4) ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Week 5 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-305-acct-305-acct305-week-5-quiz/ ACCT 305 ACCT/305 ACCT305 Week 5 Quiz Question 1. 1. (TCO 6) Which of the following is not a current liability? (Points : 4) Question 2. 2. (TCO 6) At times, businesses require advance payments from customers that will be applied to the purchase price when goods are delivered or services provided. These customer advances represent(Points : 4) Question 3. 3. (TCO 6) Which of the following is not a liability? (Points : 4) Question 4. 4. (TCO 6) A contingent loss should be reported in a footnote to the financial statements rather than being accrued if (Points : 4) Question 5. 5. (TCO 6) Our company had a warranty liability of $350,000 at the beginning of 2012 and $310,000 at the end of 2012. Warranty expense is based on 4% of sales, which were $50 million for the year. Which were the warranty expenditures for 2012? (Points : 4) ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 1 Homework BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-312-acct-312-acct312-week-1-homework/ ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 1 Homework E 16–3: Taxable income given; calculate deferred tax liability E 16–5: Temporary difference; future deductible amounts; taxable income given E 16–10: Deferred tax asset; taxable income given; valuation allowance E 16–22: Operating loss carryback and carryforward ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 1 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-312-acct-312-acct312-week-1-quiz/ ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 1 Quiz 1. (TCO 1) Which causes a temporary difference between taxable and pretax accounting income? (Points : 10) 2. (TCO 1) Which difference between financial accounting and tax accounting ordinarily creates a deferred tax liability? (Points : 10) 3. (TCO 1) Which temporary difference ordinarily creates a deferred tax asset? (Points : 10) 4. (TCO 1) The tax effect of a net operating loss (NOL) carryback usually (Points : 10) 5. (TCO 1) Which causes a permanent difference between taxable income and pretax accounting income? (Points : 10) ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 2 Homework BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-312-acct-312-acct312-week-2-homework/ ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 2 Homework E 17–5: Determine pension plan assets E 17–7: Changes in plan assets; determine cash contributions E 17–10: Determine pension expense E 17–12: PBO calculations; ABO calculations; present value concepts E 17–15: Pension spreadsheet ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 2 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-312-acct-312-acct312-week-2-quiz/ ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 2 Quiz Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits 1. (TCO 2) Which is not a requirement for a qualified pension plan? (Points : 10) 2. TCO 2) Defined contribution pension plans that link the amount of contributions to company performance are often called (Points : 10) 3. (TCO 2) The portion of the obligation that plan participants are entitled to receive regardless of their continued employment is called the (Points : 10) 4. TCO 2) Payment of retirement benefits (Points : 10) 5. (TCO 3) Our company’s defined benefit pension plan had a PBO of $530,000 on January 1, 2013. During 2013, pension benefits paid were $80,000. The discount rate for the plan for this year was 10%. Service cost for 2013 was $160,000. Plan assets (fair value) increased during the year by $90,000. The amount of the PBO at December 31, 2013, was ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 3 Homework BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-312-acct-312-acct312-week-3-homework/ ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 3 Homework E 18–5: Issuance of shares; noncash consideration E 18–11: Retirement of shares E 18–13: Treasury stock E 18–19: Stock dividend ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 3 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-312-acct-312-acct312-week-3-quiz/ ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 3 Quiz Shareholders Equity 1. (TCO 4) Common shareholders usually have all of the following rights, except (Points : 10) 2. (TCO 4) Authorized common stock refers to the total number of shares (Points : 10) 3. (TCO 4) When a property dividend is declared, the property to be distributed should be revalued to fair value as of the (Points : 10) 4. (TCO 4) When treasury shares are resold at a price below cost, (Points : 10) 5. (TCO 4) Our company has outstanding 400 million shares, $2 par common shares, selling for $8 per share. After a 1 for 4 reverse stock split, (Points : 10) ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 4 Homework BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-312-acct-312-acct312-week-4-homework/ ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 4 Homework E 19–2: Restricted stock award plan E 19–5: Stock options E 19–10: EPS; shares issued; stock dividend E 19–17: EPS; stock dividend; nonconvertible preferred stock; treasury shares; shares sold; stock options; convertible bonds ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 4 Midterm BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-312-acct-312-acct312-week-4-midterm/ ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 4 Midterm 1. (TCO 1) Which event will result in a deferred tax liability? 2. (TCO 1) Which of the following differences between financial accounting and tax accounting ordinarily creates a deferred tax asset? 3. (TCO 2) Interest cost is calculated by multiplying the 4. (TCO 3) Accounting for postretirement healthcare benefits is similar, in most respects, to accounting for 5. (TCO 4) Retained earnings represents a company’s 6. (TCO 4) Any dividend that is considered to be a liquidating dividend will 7. (TCO 5) Executive stock options should be reported as compensation expense 8. (TCO 5) Our company granted options for 2 million shares of its $1 par common stock at the beginning of the current year. The exercise price is $35 per share, which was also the market value of the stock on the grant date. The fair value of the options was estimated at $9 per option. If the options have a vesting period of 5 years, which would be the balance in Paid-in Capital — Stock Options 3 years after the grant date? 9. (TCO 6) Our company declared and paid cash dividends to its common shareholders in February of the current year. The dividend 10. (TCO 6) Basic earnings per share is computed using ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 5 Homework BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-312-acct-312-acct312-week-5-homework/ ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 5 Homework E 20–1: Change in principle; change in inventory methods E 20–10: Change in depreciation methods E 20–17: Change in estimate; useful life and residual value of equipment E 20–24: Inventory errors ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 6 Homework BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-312-acct-312-acct312-week-6-homework/ ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 6 Homework E 21–14: Identifying cash flows from investing activities and financing activities E 21–21: Cash flows from operating activities (direct method) derived from an income statement and cash flows from operating activities indirect method) P 21–4: Statement of cash flows; direct method ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 7 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-312-acct-312-acct312-week-7-quiz/ ACCT 312 ACCT/312 ACCT312 Week 7 Quiz 1. TCO 8) Which is reported as an operating activity in the statement of cash flows? (Points : 10) 2. (TCO 8) Using the direct method, cash received from customers is calculated as sales (Points : 10) 3. (TCO 8) Which is not reported as an adjustment to net income when using the indirect method of computing net cash flows from operating activities? (Points : 10) 4. (TCO 8) A loss on the sale of machinery should be reported in the statement of cash flows as (Points : 10) 5. (TCO 8) Each year, our company prepares a reconciliation schedule that compares its income statement with its statement of cash flows on both the direct and indirect method bases. In its 2013 income statement, our company reported $29,000 for insurance expense. It paid $36,000 in insurance premiums during 2013. In its reconciliation schedule, our company should (Points : 10) ACCT 349 ACCT/349 ACCT349 Week 1 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-349-acct-349-acct349-week-1-quiz/ ACCT 349 ACCT/349 ACCT349 Week 1 Quiz Flexible Budgets, Overhead Cost 1. (TCO 10) Which of the following pertains primarily to the planning of fixed overhead costs? (Points : 6) 2. (TCO 10) Sebastian Company, which manufactures electrical switches, uses a standard cost system and carries all inventories at standard. The standard manufacturing overhead costs per switch are based on direct labor hours and are shown below: Variable overhead (5 hours at $12 per direct manufacturing labor hour) $ 60 Fixed overhead (5 hours at $15 per direct manufacturing labor hour, based on capacity of 200,000 direct manufacturing labor hours per month) 75 Total overhead per switch $ 135 The following information is available for the month of December: • 46,000 switches were produced, although 40,000 switches were scheduled to be produced. • 225,000 direct manufacturing labor hours were worked at a total cost of $5,625,000. • Variable manufacturing overhead costs were $2,750,000. • Fixed manufacturing overhead costs were $3,050,000. The total variable manufacturing overhead variance was (Points : 6) 3. 4. (TCO 10) Sebastian Company, which manufactures electrical switches, uses a standard cost system and carries all inventories at standard. The standard manufacturing overhead costs per switch are based on direct labor hours and are shown below: Variable overhead (5 hours at $12 per direct manufacturing labor hour) $ 60 Fixed overhead (5 hours at $15 per direct manufacturing labor hour, based on capacity of 200,000 direct manufacturing labor hours per month) 75 Total overhead per switch $ 135 The following information is available for the month of December: • 46,000 switches were produced, although 40,000 switches were scheduled to be produced. • 225,000 direct manufacturing labor hours were worked at a total cost of $5,625,000. • Variable manufacturing overhead costs were $2,750,000. • Fixed manufacturing overhead costs were $3,050,000. The fixed overhead production volume variance for December was (Points : 6) 5. 6. TCO 10) Sebastian Company, which manufactures electrical switches, uses a standard cost system and carries all inventories at standard. The standard manufacturing overhead costs per switch are based on direct labor hours and are shown below: Variable overhead (5 hours at $12 per direct manufacturing labor hour) $ 60 Fixed overhead (5 hours at $15 per direct manufacturing labor hour, based on capacity of 200,000 direct manufacturing labor hours per month) 75 Total overhead per switch $ 135 The following information is available for the month of December: • 46,000 switches were produced, although 40,000 switches were scheduled to be produced. • 225,000 direct manufacturing labor hours were worked at a total cost of $5,625,000. • Variable manufacturing overhead costs were $2,750,000. • Fixed manufacturing overhead costs were $3,050,000. Under the 3-variance method, the spending variance for December was (Points : 6) 7. (TCO 10) Budgeted overhead costs rates can be expressed as an amount per unit of output or per unit of input. (Points : 6) ACCT 349 ACCT/349 ACCT349 Week 2 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-349-acct-349-acct349-week-2-quiz/ ACCT 349 ACCT/349 ACCT349 Week 2 Quiz 1. (TCO 6) Which of the following is not a primary purpose given in the text for allocating costs? (Points : 6) 2. (TCO 6) In a customer cost hierarchy, the costs of a sales visit made to a customer is (Points : 6) 3. TCO 5) Natural Nutrients Bakery of Southfield produces three flavors of cat morsels that have budgeted and actual sales data for a bag of a dozen of its cat morsels as follows for December 20XX. Budgeted Data Actual Data Tuna ChikBits ChezNips Tuna ChikBits ChezNips Bags 7,200 4,800 4,000 10,800 3,600 7,200 CM per bag $2.50 $4.00 $5.00 $2.00 $3.00 $7.50 Cont. Margin $18,000 $19,200 $20,000 $21,600 $10,800 $54,000 Total Contribution Margin $57,200 $86,400 According to company forecasts, it was budgeting to earn a 25% market share in total units (bags) of specialty prepared cat treats sold in December 20XX in Southfield. Reliable industry sources indicate that the total number of bags of cat treats sold for December 200X in Southfield was 72,000.  The sales-mix variance for December 20XX for Natural Nutrients Bakery is (Points : 6) 4. 5. (TCO 6) Natural Nutrients Bakery of Southfield produces three flavors of cat morsels that have budgeted and actual sales data for a bag of a dozen of its cat morsels as follows for December 20XX. Budgeted Data Actual Data Tuna ChikBits ChezNips Tuna ChikBits ChezNips Bags 7,200 4,800 4,000 10,800 3,600 7,200 CM per bag $2.50 $4.00 $5.00 $2.00 $3.00 $7.50 Cont. Margin $18,000 $19,200 $20,000 $21,600 $10,800 $54,000 Total Contribution Margin $57,200 $86,400 According to company forecasts, it was budgeting to earn a 25% market share in total units (bags) of specialty prepared cat treats sold in December 20XX in Southfield. Reliable industry sources indicate that the total number of bags of cat treats sold for December 200X in Southfield was 72,000.  Natural Nutrients Bakery experienced a market-size variance for December 20XX of (Points : 6) 6. 7. (TCO 6) Fulbrite Fashions sells a line of women’s dresses. Fulbrite’s performance report for November is shown below. The company uses a flexible budget to analyze its performance and to measure the effect on operating income of the various factors affecting the difference between budgeted and actual operating income. Actual Budget Dresses sold 5,000 6,000 Sales $235,000 $300,000 Variable costs (145,000) (180,000) Contribution margin $ 90,000 $120,000 Fixed costs (84,000) (80,000) Operating income $ 6,000 $ 40,000 The effect of the sales quantity variance on Fulbrite’s contribution margin for November is (Points : 6) ACCT 349 ACCT/349 ACCT349 Week 3 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-349-acct-349-acct349-week-3-quiz/ ACCT 349 ACCT/349 ACCT349 Week 3 Quiz TCO 1) Troy Company derived the following costs relationship from a regression analysis of its monthly manufacturing overhead cost. Y = $80,000 + $12X where: Y = monthly manufacturing overhead cost and X = machine hours. The standard time required to manufacture one 6-unit case of Troy’s single product is 4 machine hours. Troy applies manufacturing overhead to production on the basis of machine-hours, and its normal annual production is 50,000 cases. Troy’s predetermined fixed manufacturing overhead rate would be (Points : 6) (TCO 1) Three criteria to use in identifying cost drivers from the potentially large set of independent variables that can be included in a regression model are (Points : 6) (TCO 3) The best opportunity for cost reduction is (Points : 6) (TCO 3) Each month, Haddock Company has $275,000 total manufacturing costs (20% fixed) and $125,000 distribution and marketing costs (36% fixed). Haddock’s monthly sales are $500,000. The markup percentage on full costs to arrive at the target (existing) selling price is (Points : 6) (TCO 3) The price of movie tickets for opening day and the few days following compared to the price 6 months later is an example of (Points : 6) ACCT 349 ACCT/349 ACCT349 Week 4 Midterm BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-349-acct-349-acct349-week-4-midterm/ ACCT 349 ACCT/349 ACCT349 Week 4 Midterm TCO 5) The following information is available from the Taylor Company. Actual factory overhead $15,000 Fixed overhead expenses, actual $7,200 Fixed overhead expenses, budgeted $7,000 Actual hours 3,500 Standard hours 3,800 Variable overhead rate per direct labor hour $2.50 Assuming that Taylor uses a three-way analysis of overhead variances, what is the spending variance? (Points : 11) (TCO 5) In an activity-based costing system, what should be used to assign a department’s manufacturing overhead costs to products produced in varying lot sizes? (Points : 11) (TCO 1) An examination of Boener Company’s past maintenance records disclosed the following costs and volume measures the following. Highest Lowest Cost per month $39,200 $32,000 Machine hours 24,000 15,000 Using the high-low technique, estimate the annual fixed cost for maintenance expenditures. (Points : 11) TCO 1) Serendipity Co. uses regression analysis to develop a model for prediction overhead costs. Two different cost drivers (machine hours and direct materials weight) are under consideration as the independent variable. Relevant data were run on a computer using one of the standard regression programs, with the following results. Machine hours Coefficient Y intercept 2,500 B 5.0 r-squared = .70 Direct materials weight Y intercept 4,600 B 2.6 r-squared = .50 Which regression equation should be used? (Points : 11) (TCO 2) Relevant or differential cost analysis (Points : 11) (TCO 2) McConnell is a manufacturer of industrial components. One of its products that is used as a subcomponent in auto manufacturing is JC-46. This product has the following financial structure per unit. Selling price $150 Direct materials 20 Direct labor 15 Variable manufacturing overhead 12 Fixed manufacturing overhead 30 Shipping and handling 3 Fixed selling and administrative 10 Total costs $ 90 McConnell has received a special, one-time order for 1,000 JC-46 parts. Assuming McConnell has excess capacity, the minimum price that is acceptable for this one-time special order must be greater than (Points : 11) (TCO 5) Janice Foeld Company manufactures part Z for use in its production cycle. The costs per unit for 10,000 units of part Z are as follows. Direct materials $3 Direct labor 15 Variable overhead 6 Fixed overhead 8 TOTAL $32 Baloney Company has offered to sell Janice Foeld 10,000 units of part Z for $30 per unit. If Janice Foeld accepts Baloney’s offer, the released facilities can be used to save $45,000 in relevant costs in the manufacture of part A. In addition, $5 per unit of the fixed overhead applied to part Z would be totally eliminated.  The total relevant costs to buy part Z are (Points : 11) (TCO 2) Bieber Company has excess capacity on two machines, 24 hours on Machine 105 and 16 hours on Machine 107. To use this excess capacity, the company has two products, known as Product D and Product F, that must use both machines in manufacturing. Both have excess product demand, and the company can sell as many units as it can manufacture. The company’s objective is to maximize profits. Product D has an incremental profit of $6 per unit, and each unit utilizes 2 hours of time on Machine 105 and then 2 hours of time on Machine 107. Product F has an incremental profit of $7 per unit, and each unit utilizes 3 hours of time on Machine 105 and then 1 hour of time on machine 107. Let D be the number of units for Product D, F be the number of units for product F, and P be the company’s profit. A feasible solution for Bieber Company is (Points : 11) TCO 4) Which of the following criteria would be most useful to a sales department manager in evaluating the performance of the manager’s customer service group? (Points : 11) (TCO 6) The sales quantity variance equals (Points : 11) (TCO 6) The following are relevant data for calculating sales variances for Lumber Co., which sells its sole product in two countries. John Quincy Total Budgeted selling price per unit $6.00 $10.00 NA Budgeted variable cost per unit 3.00 7.50 NA Budgeted contribution margin per unit $3.00 $ 2.50 NA Budgeted unit sales 300 200 500 Budgeted mix percentage 60% 40% 100% Actual units sold 260 260 520 Actual selling price per unit $6.00 $9.50 NA The sales volume variance for John and Quincy is (Points : 11) (TCO 4) Nonfinancial performance measures are important to engineering and operations managers in assessing the quality levels of their products. Which of the following indicators can be used to measure product quality? I. Returns and allowances II. Number and types of customer complaints III. Production cycle time (Points : 11) (TCO 6) For a single-product company, the sales volume variance is (Points : 11) (TCO 5) Variable factory overhead is applied on the basis of standard direct labor hours. If, for a given period, the direct labor efficiency variance is unfavorable, the variable factory overhead efficiency variance will be (Points : 11) (TCO 1) Bubba company has developed a learning (improvement) curve for one of its newer processes from its accounting and production records. Management asked for an internal audit to review the curve. Which of the following events tend to mitigate the effects of the learning curve? (Points : 11) 1. (TCO 3) How do companies determine target costs? (Points : 15) 2. (TCO 2) How and why are capacity constraints relevant when trying to decide which products to produce?(Points : 35) 3. (TCO 1) Outline the six steps involved in estimating a cost function using quantitative analysis. (Points : 35) ACCT 444 ACCT/444 ACCT444 Week 1 Quiz NEW BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-444-acct-444-acct444-week-1-quiz-new/ ACCT 444 Week 1 Quiz NEW Chpt 1,2,4,26 1. (TCO 3) The organization that is responsible for providing oversight for auditors of public companies is called the _____ 2. (TCO 1) Which one of the following is not a field work standard? 3. (TCO 1) Which of the following is not an example of the application of professional skepticism? 4. (TCO 1) An operational audit has as one of its objectives to 5. (TCO 1) Which of the following services do not need to be preapproved by the audit committee of an issuer? 6. (TCO 3) The concept of materiality would be least important to an auditor when considering the 7. (TCO 3) Independence in auditing means 8. (TCO 3) The financial interests of which of the following parties would not be included as a direct financial interest of the CPA? 9. (TCO 1) The phrase U.S. generally accepted accounting principles is an accounting term that 10. (TCO 1) Which of the following items impairs independence under U.S. ethics standards but does not necessarily impair independence under the IFAC Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants? 11. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act applies to which of the following companies? 12. Which one of the following is not a field work standard? 13. Which of the following is not an example of the application of professional skepticism? 14. Any service that requires a CPA firm to issue a report about the reliability of an assertion that is made by another party is a(n) _____ 15. Which of the following statements is incorrect regarding the SEC’s partner rotation rules? 16. The concept of materiality would be least important to an auditor when considering the 17. Interpretations of Rule 101 prohibit covered members from owning any stock or other direct investment in audit clients. Covered members include all but which of the following? 18. In some situations, the interpretations of the rules of conduct permit former partners to have relationships with a client of the firm without affecting the firm’s independence. Which of the following situations would not cause a loss of independence? 19. Which of the following terms identifies a requirement for audit evidence? 20. Which of the following statements best describes the ethical standard of the profession pertaining to advertising and solicitation? ACCT 444 ACCT/444 ACCT444 Week 2 Quiz NEW BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-444-acct-444-acct444-week-2-quiz-new/ ACCT 444 Week 2 Quiz NEW Chpt 5,6,11 1. (TCO 4) In connection with the audit of financial statements, an independent auditor could be responsible for failure to detect a material fraud if 2. (TCO 4) “Absence of reasonable care that can be expected of a person is a set of circumstances” defines 3. (TCO 4) While performing services for their clients, professionals have a duty to provide a level of care that is 4. (TCO 4) The objective of the ordinary audit of financial statements is the expression of an opinion on 5. (TCO 4) The auditor’s best defense when material misstatements are not uncovered is to have conducted the audit 6. (TCO 3) Which of the following is not one of the reasons that auditors provide only reasonable assurance on the financial statements? 7. (TCO 3) In the fraud triangle, fraudulent financial reporting and misappropriation of assets 8. (TCO 3) After fraud risks are identified and documented, the auditor should evaluate factors that _____ fraud risk, before developing an appropriate response to the risk of fraud. 9. (TCO 3) Which of the following statements describes circumstances that underlie employee incentives to misappropriate assets? 10. (TCO 4) If a CPA firm is being sued for common law fraud by a third party based on materially false financial statements, which of the following is the best defense the accountants could assert? 11. (TCO 4) “Absence of reasonable care that can be expected of a person is a set of circumstances” defines 12. TCO 4) A third-party beneficiary is one that 13. (TCO 4) In the auditing environment, failure to meet auditing standards is often 14. (TCO 4) The responsibility for adopting sound accounting policies and maintaining adequate internal control rests with the 15. (TCO 3) The element that distinguishes an error from fraud is 16. (TCO 3) Which of the following is not one of the factors of the fraud triangle? 17. (TCO 3) After fraud risks are identified and documented, the auditor should evaluate factors that _____ fraud risk, before developing an appropriate response to the risk of fraud. 18. (TCO 3) Which of the following statements describes circumstances that underlie employee incentives to misappropriate assets? 19. (TCO 3) Which of the following characteristics is most likely to heighten an auditor’s concern about the risk of material misstatements, due to fraud in an entity’s financial statements? ACCT 444 ACCT/444 ACCT444 Week 3 Quiz NEW BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-444-acct-444-acct444-week-3-quiz-new/ ACCT 444 Week 3 Quiz NEW Chpt 7,8,9 1. (TCO 6) Which of the following statements regarding documentation is not correct? 2. (TCO 6) When analytical procedures reveal no unusual fluctuations, the implication is that 3. (TCO 6) The primary purpose of performing analytical procedures in the testing phase of an audit is to 4. (TCO 6) Three common types of confirmations used by auditors are (1) negative confirmations where only a response is requested if the debtor disagrees with the amount, (2) positive confirmations with a request for information where the debtor is requested to respond and to include their believed balance, and (3) positive confirmations with the information included where the debtor is requested to respond and to confirm the balance we give them. If they were placed in the order of their competence, from highest to lowest, the sequence would be 5. (TCO 7) Analytical procedures used in planning an audit should focus on identifying 6. (TCO 7) A measure of how willing the auditor is to accept that the financial statements may be materially misstated after the audit is completed and an unqualified opinion has been issued is the 7. (TCO 7) Which of the following is not correct regarding the communications between successor and predecessor auditors? 8. (TCO 8) The FASB definition of materiality emphasizes what class of financial statement users? 9. (TCO 8) Auditors are _____ to decide on the combined amount of misstatements in the financial statements that they would consider material early in the audit. 10. (TCO 8) Which of the following is not a correct statement regarding the allocation of the preliminary judgment about materiality to balance sheet accounts? 11. (TCO 6) Which of the following statements regarding documentation is not correct? 12. (TCO 6) Which of the following is not a purpose of analytical procedures? 13. (TCO 6) Which of the following statements regarding analytical procedures is not correct? 14. (TCO 6) Three common types of confirmations used by auditors are (1) negative confirmations where only a response is requested if the debtor disagrees with the amount, (2) positive confirmations with a request for information where the debtor is requested to respond and to include their believed balance, and (3) positive confirmations with the information included where the debtor is requested to respond and to confirm the balance we give them. If they were placed in the order of their competence, from highest to lowest, the sequence would be 15. (TCO 7) Analytical procedures used in planning an audit should focus on identifying 16. (TCO 7) A measure of the auditor’s assessment of the likelihood that there are material misstatements in an account before considering the effectiveness of the client’s internal control is 17. (TCO 7) A successor auditor may perform which of the following for a new audit client? 18. (TCO 8) Auditors are responsible for determining whether financial statements are materially misstated, so upon discovering a material misstatement, they must bring it to the attention of 19. (TCO 8) Auditors are _____ to decide on the combined amount of misstatements in the financial statements that they would consider material early in the audit. 20. (TCO 8) Which of the following is not a correct statement regarding the allocation of the preliminary judgment about materiality to balance sheet accounts? ACCT 444 ACCT/444 ACCT444 Week 4 Quiz NEW BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-444-acct-444-acct444-week-4-quiz-new/ ACCT 444 Week 4 Quiz NEW Chpt 10,12 1. (TCO 5) Which of the following parties provides an assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting for public companies? 2. (TCO 5) Internal control reports issued by public companies must identify the framework used to evaluate the effectiveness of internal control. Which of the following is the most common framework in the U.S.? 3. (TCO 5) Management’s tests of operating effectiveness might include which of the following types of procedures? 4. (TCO 5) Internal controls can never be regarded as completely effective. Even if company personnel could design an ideal system, its effectiveness depends on the 5. (TCO 5) Which of the following is not one of the levels of an absence of internal controls? 6. (TCO 10) Which of the following is not a benefit of using IT-based controls? 7. (TCO 10) Programmers should do all but which of the following? 8. (TCO 10) Which of the following is least likely to be used in obtaining an understanding of client general controls? 9. (TCO 10) A control that relates to all parts of the IT system is called a(n) 10. (TCO 10) Which of the following is not a category of an application control? 11. (TCO 5) Which of the following is responsible for establishing a private company’s internal control? 12. (TCO 5) Sarbanes-Oxley requires management to issue an internal control report that includes two specific items. Which of the following is one of these two requirements? 13. (TCO 5) Management’s tests of operating effectiveness might include which of the following types of procedures? 14. (TCO 5) The essence of an effectively controlled organization lies in the 15. (TCO 5) Which of the following is correct? 16. (TCO 10) Which of the following is not a benefit of using IT-based controls? 17. (TCO 10) Programmers should do all but which of the following? 18. (TCO 10) General controls include all of the following except 19. (TCO 10) Controls that apply to a specific element of the system are called 20. (TCO 10) Which of the following statements related to application controls is correct? ACCT 444 ACCT/444 ACCT444 Week 5 Quiz NEW BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-444-acct-444-acct444-week-5-quiz-new/ ACCT 444 Week 5 Quiz NEW Chpt 13,14 1. (TCO 6) For efficiency, tests of controls are frequently done at the same time as 2. (TCO 6) Which of the following is not a direct result of performing analytical procedures? 3. (TCO 6) Which of the following audit tests is usually the most costly to perform? 4. (TCO 6) Which of the following represents an incorrect pairing of a type of audit test and evidence? 5. (TCO 6) The sequence of steps in gathering evidence as the basis of the auditor’s opinion are 6. (TCO 9) It is important that sales be billed and recorded in the journal as soon as possible after 7. (TCO 9) At which point in an ordinary sales transaction would a lack of specific authorization be of least concern to the auditor? 8. (TCO 9) Proper separation of duties is useful to prevent various types of misstatements. Which of the following is not an essential separation of duties? 9. (TCO 9) Which one of the following would the auditor be concerned with when examining the client’s billing function? 10. (TCO 9) Smith Manufacturing Company’s accounts receivable clerk has a friend who is also a Smith’s customer. The accounts receivable clerk has issued fictitious credit memos to his friend for goods supposedly returned. The most effective procedure for preventing this activity is to 11. (TCO 6) For efficiency, tests of controls are frequently done at the same time as 12. (TCO 6) Analytical procedures are defined in the auditing standards as 13. (TCO 6) Ending account balances may be audited through the use of which of the following types of audit procedures? 14. (TCO 6) Which of the following represents an incorrect pairing of a type of audit test and evidence? 15. (TCO 6) The purpose of tests of controls is to provide reasonable assurance that the 16. (TCO 9) Prenumbered documents will only be useful for control purposes if 17. (TCO 9) At which point in an ordinary sales transaction would a lack of specific authorization be of least concern to the auditor? 18. (TCO 9) To achieve good internal control, which department should perform the activities of matching shipping documents with sales orders and preparing daily sales summaries? 19. (TCO 9) Which one of the following would the auditor be concerned with when examining the client’s billing function? 20. (TCO 9) A key internal control in the sales and collection cycle is the separation of duties between cash handling and record keeping. The objective most directly associated with this control is to verify that ACCT 444 ACCT/444 ACCT444 Week 6 Quiz NEW BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-444-acct-444-acct444-week-6-quiz-new/ ACCT 444 Week 6 Quiz NEW Chpt 15,16,17 1. (TCO 9) If the auditor decides to assess control risk at the maximum level in a private company audit, tests of controls are 2. (TCO 9) When auditors wish to evaluate a sample statistically, the only acceptable selection method is 3. (TCO 9) One of the ways to eliminate nonsampling risk is through 4. (TCO 9) A customer mails and records a check to a client for payment of an unpaid account on December 30. The client receives and records the amount on January 2. The records of the two organizations will be different on December 31. Which of the following applies? 5. (TCO 9) If the auditor decides not to confirm accounts receivable, the auditor should 6. (TCO 9) For most audits, inherent risk for accounts receivable is moderate or low except for which balance-related audit objectives? 7. (TCO 9) An auditor should perform alternative procedures to substantiate the existence of accounts receivable when 8. (TCO 9) Which of the following is not a term relevant to sampling for tests of details? 9. (TCO 9) The relationship between required sample size and the acceptable risk of incorrect acceptance is 10. (TCO 9) The acceptable risk of incorrect acceptance is most related to 11. (TCO 9) The exception rate the auditor will permit in the population and still be willing to reduce the assessed level of control risk is called the 12. (TCO 9) To determine if a sample is truly representative, an auditor must 13. (TCO 9) To determine if a sample is truly representative, an auditor must 14. (TCO 9) Cutoff misstatements can occur fo 15. (TCO 9) If the auditor decides not to confirm accounts receivable, the auditor should 16. (TCO 9) Which of the following types of receivables would not deserve the special attention of the auditor? 17. (TCO 9) An auditor should perform alternative procedures to substantiate the existence of accounts receivable when 18. (TCO 9) Which of the following does not have to be considered in determining the initial sample size of a test of details? 19. (TCO 9) Both sampling and nonsampling risks are associated with 20. (TCO 9) If an auditor desires a greater level of assurance in auditing a balance, the acceptable risk of incorrect acceptance ACCT 444 ACCT/444 ACCT444 Week 7 Quiz NEW BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-444-acct-444-acct444-week-7-quiz-new/ ACCT 444 Week 7 Quiz NEW Chpt 3,24,25 1. (TCO 2) If a misstatement is immaterial to the financial statements of the entity for the current period, but is expected to have a material effect in future periods, it is appropriate to issue a(n) 2. (TCO 2) When the auditor believes a company’s financial statements are misleading because they were not prepared in conformity with GAAP, the auditor must issue a(n) 3. (TCO 2) When qualifying an opinion because of an insufficiency of audit evidence, an auditor should refer to the situation in the: 4. (TCO 2) Jewel, CPA, audited Infinite Co.’s prior-year financial statements. These statements are presented with those of the current year for comparative purposes without Jewel’s auditor’s report, which expressed a qualified opinion. In drafting the current year’s auditor’s report, Crain, CPA, the successor auditor, should: 5. (TCO 11) Which of the following is not a purpose of the client letter of representation? 6. (TCO 2) Which of the following conditions or events most likely would cause an auditor to have substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern? 7. (TCO 2) In May, Year 4, an auditor reissues the auditor’s report on the Year 2 financial statements at a continuing client’s request. The Year 2 financial statements are not restated and the auditor does not revise the wording of the report. The auditor should: 8. (TCO 11) Which of the following items would ordinarily not be included in the standard letter of inquiry to the client’s attorney? 9. (TCO 2) In which type of report would you read the following statement: “We believe that our examination provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.”? 10. (TCO 2) In connection with a proposal to obtain a new client, an accountant in public practice is asked to prepare a written report on the application of the requirements of an applicable financial reporting framework to a specific transaction. The accountant’s report should include a statement that: ACCT 444 Week 7 Quiz NEW BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-444-week-7-quiz-new/ ACCT 444 Week 7 Quiz NEW 1. (TCO 2) When determining whether an exception is highly material the extent to which the exception affects different elements of the financial statements must be considered. This concept is called 2. (TCO 2) When a client has not applied GAAP consistently from the prior year to the current year, the auditor does not concur with the appropriateness of the change, and the change in GAAP has a material effect on the financial statements, the auditor should issue a(n) 3. (TCO 2) The only unqualified opinion which contains modified wording (excluding an explanatory paragraph) relates to 4. (TCO 2) A CPA will issue an adverse auditor’s opinion if 5. (TCO 11) A principal purpose of a letter of representation from management is to 6. (TCO 11) Refusal by a client to prepare and sign the representation letter would require a(n) 7. (TCO 11) Inquiries of management regarding the possibility of unrecorded contingencies will not be useful in uncovering 8. (TCO 11) Which of the following procedures might be useful in discovering a contingent liability for a lawsuit that management is intentionally neglecting to disclose? 9. (TCO 2) In which type of report would you read the following statement: “We believe that our examination provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.”? 10. TCO 2) Compilation reports may be of all but which of the following types? ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 1 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-451-acct-451-acct451-week-1-quiz/ ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 1 Quiz 1. (TCO 1) Facts that are collected, recorded, stored and processed by an information system are: (Points : 2) 2. (TCO 1) Which of the following is not one of the components of an AIS? (Points : 2) 3. (TCO 1) The transaction cycles relate to one another and interface with this to generate information for both management and external parties. (Points : 2) 4. (TCO 1) Callow Youth Clothing is a boutique retailer located in Estes Park, Colorado. During the peak tourist season, it has average daily cash and credit card sales in excess of $5,000. What is the best way for this business to ensure that sales data entry is efficient and accurate? (Points : 2) 5. (TCO 1) A graphical representation of the relationship among the input, processing and output in an information system is called (Points : 2) 6. (TCO 1) What is the purpose behind the five primary activities in the value chain? (Points: 5) 7. (TCO 1) How is a DFD different from a flowchart? (Points : 5) ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 2 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-451-acct-451-acct451-week-2-quiz/ ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 2 Quiz Fraud and Internal Controls 1. (TCO 7) The problem of inability to add new data without violating the basic integrity of the database is referred to as the (Points : 2) 2. (TCO 2) Why is computer fraud often more difficult to detect than other types of fraud? (Points : 2) 3. (TCO 7) Chelsana Washington is a medical equipment sales representative. Her company has provided her with a laptop computer that uses wireless connectivity to access the accounting information system from virtually anywhere in the country. She, and the other sales reps, have read access to customer and product information. They have write access that allows them to enter and cancel customer orders. These permissions define a(an) ______ in the company’s database management system. (Points : 2) 4. (TCO 2) This control framework’s intent includes helping the organization to provide reasonable assurance that objectives are achieved and problems are minimized, and to avoid adverse publicity and damage to the organization’s reputation. (Points : 2) 4. (TCO 2) This control framework defines internal controls and provides guidance for evaluating and enhancing internal control systems. (Points : 2) 5. (TCO 7) Which statement below is false regarding the basic requirements of the relational data model? (Points : 2) 5. (TCO 7) Identify the aspect of a normalized database that is incorrect: (Points : 2) 6. (TCO 2) What are the three common things that happen in a fraud? (Points : 5) 6. (TCO 2) Why is computer fraud on the rise? (Points : 5) 7. (TCO 2) What is a weakness of the internal control concept of the separation of duties? (Points : 5) 7. (TCO 2) What is the difference between general and specific authorization? (Points : 5) ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 3 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-451-acct-451-acct451-week-3-quiz/ ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 3 Quiz Securing and Auditing AIS 1. (TCO 3) Compatibility tests utilize a(n) ________, which is a list of authorized users, programs, and data files the users are authorized to access or manipulate. (Points : 2) 1. (TCO 3) This creates logs of network traffic that was permitted to pass the firewall 2. (TCO 3) Which of the following is not a requirement of effective passwords? 2. (TCO 3) Which of the following is not a requirement of effective passwords? 3. (TCO 3) Which of the following is not a useful control procedure to control access to system outputs? 3. (TCO 3) The Trust Services Framework reliability principle that states that users must be able to enter, update, and retrieve data during agreed-upon times is known as 4. (TCO 3) Which of the following is not one of the 10 internationally recognized best practices for protecting the privacy of customers’ personal information? 4. (TCO 3) Which of the following is not one of the 10 internationally recognized best practices for protecting the privacy of customers’ personal information? 5. (TCO 3) Practically all audits follow a similar sequence of activities that can be divided into four stages. Organizing the audit team and the physical examination of assets are components of which two separate audit stages? 5. (TCO 3) With which stage in the auditing process are the consideration of risk factors and materiality most associated? 6. (TCO 3) Explain social engineering.. 6. (TCO 3) Identify six physical access controls 7. (TCO 3) Why do all audits follow a sequence of events that can be divided into four stages? (Points : 5 7. (TCO 3) Why do all audits follow a sequence of events that can be divided into four stages? (Points : 5) ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 4 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-451-acct-451-acct451-week-4-quiz/ ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 4 Quiz 1. (TCO 4) What is the normal procedure for new customers or customers making a purchase that causes their credit limit to be exceeded? (Points : 2) 2. (TCO 4) A company uses an invoice method whereby customers typically pay according to each invoice. This is the __________ method. (Points : 2) 2. (TCO 4) With a(n) __________ system, customers pay according to the amount showing on their monthly statement and payments are simply applied against the total account balance. (Points : 2) 3. (TCO 4) Sad Clown Pajamas is an Internet-based wholesaler. Customers enter their orders online. The manager of Callow Youth Clothing was entering and order when the following error message popped up: Please enter your email address. This message is the result of a (Points : 2) 4. (TCO 4) There is a threat of paying an invoice twice. What is an applicable control that may help mitigate this threat? (Points : 2) 5. (TCO 4) The receiving clerk at Folding Squid Technologies examines incoming shipments and reconciles their contents with the relevant purchase orders. A receiving report is then sent to accounts payable and the vendor’s invoice is approved for payment. Which of the following would correct control weaknesses, if any, related to these activities? (Points : 2) 5. (TCO 4) The purchasing manager at Folding Squid Technologies has responsibility for reviewing and authorizing purchase orders. Receiving reports are prepared by shipping and receiving based on the relevant purchase order(s). Purchase orders, receiving reports, and vendor invoices are reconciled by accounts payable, which authorizes payment. Which of the following would correct control weaknesses, if any, related to these activities? (Points : 2) 6. (TCO 4) How does a company avoid overbilling customers for items not yet shipped? (Points : 5) 6. (TCO 4) In billing and accounts receivable, what documents are commonly used? (Points : 5) 7. (TCO 4) What are the possible problems associated with receiving goods ordered from a vendor? (Points : 5) 7. (TCO 4) How can information technology be used to improve the vendor invoice approval process? (Points : 5) ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 5 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-451-acct-451-acct451-week-5-quiz/ ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 5 Quiz Production, Payroll, HR and G/L Reporting 1. (TCO 5) A __________ authorizes the transfer of raw goods needed for production from the storeroom to the production facilities. (Points : 2) 1. (TCO 5) The document that authorizes the removal of the necessary quantity of raw materials from storeroom to factory is referred to as (Points : 2) 2. (TCO 5) Labor productivity is measured by the average product of labor; i.e., the quantity produced divided by the labor time required to produce it. All other things held constant, an increase in labor productivity will increase throughput by (Points : 2) 2. (TCO 5) Folding Squid Technologies has installed a new production monitoring system that is expected to reduce system breakdowns by 28%. This system will increase throughput by (Points : 2) 3. (TCO 5) The results of an internal audit finds that there is a problem with inaccurate time data being entered into the payroll system. What is an applicable control that can help prevent this event from occurring in the future? (Points : 2) 4. (TCO 6) The benefits of XBRL include: (Points : 2) 4. (TCO 6) Communications technology and the Internet can be used to reduce the time and costs involved in disseminating financial statement information. Users of such financial information still struggle in that many recipients have different information delivery requirements and may have to manually reenter the information into their own decision analysis tools. The ideal solution to solve these problems and efficiently transmit financial information via the Internet is to use (Points : 2) 5. (TCO 6) A reporting system which reports the performance of the organization on several financial and non-financial goals is called (Points : 2) 6. (TCO 5) Name some of the benefits of using electronic direct deposit to pay employees. (Points : 5) 6. (TCO 5) What are some of the benefits of using incentives and bonuses? What are some dangers? (Points : 5) 7. (TCO 6) How is an audit trail used in the general ledger and reporting system? (Points : 5) 7. (TCO 6) How is a balanced scorecard used to assess organizational performance? (Points : 5) ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 6 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-451-acct-451-acct451-week-6-quiz/ ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 6 Quiz The REA Data Model 1. (TCO 7) An example of an event is (Points : 2) 2. (TCO 7) Concerning the creation of tables from an REA diagram, which of the following is false? (Points : 2) 3. (TCO 7) A query that extracts, for a given time period, all sales events for which there is no corresponding receive cash event on the date of the sales event will yield (Points : 2) 4. (TCO 7) Supplier number is most likely to be a foreign key in: (Points : 2) 5. (TCO 7) The cardinality pair from the Order Goods event back to the Request Goods event also has a ___ minimum and ___ maximum. (Points : 2) 6. (TCO 7) Identify the three basic rules that apply to the REA model pattern. (Points : 5) 7. (TCO 7) What are the three steps to implementing an REA diagram in a relational database? (Points : 5) ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 7 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-451-acct-451-acct451-week-7-quiz/ ACCT 451 ACCT/451 ACCT451 Week 7 Quiz The System Development Process 1. (TCO 8) In which phase of the systems development life cycle are the new hardware and software for a system tested? (Points : 2) 1. (TCO 8) One step in the systems development life cycle (SDLC) identifies and evaluates design alternatives and to develop design specifications. This step is called (Points : 2) 2. (TCO 8) What is most difficult item to quantify when assessing economic feasibility? (Points : 2) 2. (TCO 8) What is the basic model used to create a framework for economic feasibility analysis? (Points : 2) 3. (TCO 8) When canned software is used for systems acquisition, the physical design phase of the SDLC (Points : 2) 3. (TCO 8) When canned software is used for systems acquisition, the conceptual design phase of the SDLC (Points : 2) 4. (TCO 8) Which statement below regarding prototyping is false? (Points : 2) 4. (TCO 8) What is an advantage of prototyping? (Points : 2) 5. (TCO 8) Test transaction processing involves (Points : 2) 5. (TCO 8) Acceptance tests involve (Points : 2) 6. (TCO 8) What are the different types of documentation that should be prepared for a new system? (Points : 5) 6. (TCO 8) What are the controls design considerations in a new AIS? (Points : 5) 7. (TCO 8) Explain the concept of an application service provider. (Points : 5) 7. (TCO 8) What are the key things an organization can do to enhance an RFP to be sent to vendors? (Points : 5) ACCT 562 ACCT/562 ACCT562 WEEK 8 Final Exam BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/acct-562-acct-562-acct562-week-8-final-exam/ ACCT 562 ACCT/562 ACCT562 WEEK 8 Final Exam 1. (TCO A) Identify the three “E’s” of operational auditing, and note three examples of each. Illustrate how these fit into the specific objectives of the operational audit. (25) 2. (TCO B) One of the most important arrears of the planning phase is to identify the critical problem areas. A good place to start in determining critical operational areas is to analyze the organization’s financial data and statements. Identify and explain the four analytical tools that can be used to effectively analyze financial statements. 3. (TCO C) There are four procedural steps in the work program development, identify these procedural steps and their purpose, then list no less than five work steps to help the reviewer meet the objectives during a review of purchasing department operations, as outlined in your notes. 4. (TCO D)Describe four factors that a reviewer must consider in reaching conclusions during the field work phase, explain why a reviewer should consider these factors. Then identify four specific field work techniques used to identify weaknesses in management and operational systems. 5. (TCO E) Criteria is one of the attributes of review findings. Identify no less than four of the six criteria standards and analyze their inclusion in your report. (20) 6. (TCO F) Identify and describe the four categories of corruption? What do they have in common? How do they differ? (20) BUSN 330 BUSN/330 BUSN330 Midterm BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/busn-330-busn-330-busn330-midterm/ BUSN 330 BUSN/330 BUSN330 Midterm (DEVRY) 1. (TCO 1) Which statement best describes the acronym EHR? 2. (TCO 2) Which record type includes data from multiple media? 3. (TCO 3) EDMS would enable which of the following change to occur in an HIM department: 4. (TCO 4) Which law called for the standards to support e-prescribing? 5. (TCO 5) Who is most responsible for ensuring physician adoption of an EHR in a hospital? 6. (TCO 6) An example of a mechanical system is: 7. (TCO 7) EHR steering committees are largely comprised of 8. (TCO 1) As discussed in the textbook, describe some of the consumer awareness and perceptions of the EHR? 9. (TCO 2) Describe how bridge technologies fit into the overall EHR migration path: 10. (TCO 3) What is a “Wet” signature, why is it required and what agency requires it? 11. (TCO 4) Describe the meaning of: Rules Engine and Smart Peripherals? FIN 560 FIN/560 FIN560 Week 8 Final Exam NEW BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/fin-560-fin-560-fin560-week-8-final-exam-new/ FIN 560 FIN/560 FIN560 Final EXAM NEW (DeVry) 1. (TCO D) Common Stock of Coquihalla Corporation will pay a dividend of $8.00 in the upcoming year, and dividends are expected to grow 5% per year in the future. Your required rate of annual return is 12% . Using the Constant Dividend Growth Model calculate the current price of the Common Stock. (Points : 20) 2. An investor is looking to buy a bond that currently pays $155 a year in interest (coupon rate). The current yield is 11% and the face value is $1,000. How much will the investor have to pay for this bond? (Points : 20) 3. TCO G) An investor purchases 300 shares of ABC stock for $15.00 a share and immediately sells 2 covered call contracts at a strike price of $20.00 a share. The premium is $2.00 a share. What is the maximum profit and the maximum loss? 4. (TCO E) Identify two limitations of technical analysis. (Points : 20) 5. (TCO A) Identify the three levels of subscribers to the NASDAQ. (Points : 20) 6. (TCO B) There are 3 versions of the Efficient Market Hypothesis. Briefly describe each. (Points : 20) 7. (TCO F) You are an analyst comparing the performance of two portfolio managers using the Sharpe Ratio measurement. Manager A shows a return of 20% with a standard deviation of 17%. Manager B shows a return of 13% with a standard deviation of 6%. If the risk free rate is 5% which manager has the better risk adjusted return? (Points : 20) 8. (TCO I) Look at the following Balance Sheet and calculate the following ratios: current ratio, quick ratio, and the debt ratio. 9. (TCO J) What are the two primary disadvantages of investing internationally? (Points : 20) 10. (TCO H) Why was “Limited-Time Shelf Registration” introduced as a regulation? (Points : 20) 11. (TCO D) Diversification in an investment portfolio is a significant concept for creating the highest return for the least amount of risk. To create this diversification portfolio managers consider the covariance and correlation of investments. Explain how covariance and correlation help to create this diversification. (Points : 25) HIS 405 HIS/405 HIS405 WEEK 8 FINAL EXAM BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/his-405-his-405-his405-week-8-final-exam/ HIS 405 WEEK 8 FINAL EXAM (DEVRY) Question 1.1. (TCO 4) The Spanish who settled in Florida and New Mexico were primarily (Points : 2) Question 2.2. (TCO 1) What made Rhode Island unique? (Points : 2) Question 3.3. (TCO 4) Slave traders from the colonies (Points : 2) Question 4.4. (TCO 4) The French and Indian War was also called (Points : 2) Question 5.5. (TCO 2) At the First Continental Congress, delegates, such as Patrick Henry and John Adams, encouraged colonists to think of themselves as (Points : 2) Question 6.6. (TCO 2) In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson refers to the natural rights due to every citizen as (Points : 2) Question 7.7. (TCO 2) Which is an advantage the British had over the Patriots at the beginning of the war? (Points : 2) Question 8.8. (TCO 1) Why was it difficult to make changes to the Articles of Confederation? (Points : 2) Question 9.9. (TCO 1) The Three-Fifths Compromise benefited _____ states. (Points : 2) Question 10.10. (TCO 3) The Corrupt Bargain of 1824 secured the presidency for (Points : 2) Question 11.11. (TCO 3) The creation of an integrated national economy became known as (Points : 2) Question 12.12. (TCO3) The bloodiest slave uprising in U.S. History was (Points : 2) Question 13.13. (TCO 3) Who led the Texans in drawing Santa Anna into a trap at the Battle of Jacinto? (Points : 2) Question 14.14. (TCO 2) Congress tried to resolve the dispute between the North and the South about slavery in the territories by (Points : 2) Question 15.15. (TCO 2) In 1856, Border Ruffians attacked (Points : 2) Question 16.16. (TCO 8) Lee’s smaller army defeated McClellan’s larger force and kept Union troops out of Richmond because (Points : 2) Question 17.17. (TCO 8) Which of the following characterizes Sherman’s march across Georgia? (Points : 2) Question 18.18. (TCO 10) Many immigrants came to the U.S. to avoid (Points : 2) Question 19.19. (TCO 10) How did the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire affect industrial reforms? (Points : 2) Question 20.20. (TCO 7) The invasion of Belgium turned American opinion against Germany because (Points : 2) Question 21.21. (TCO 7) What was the name of the agreement that ended World War I? (Points : 2) Question 22.22. (TCO 11) This trial became a symbol of the conflict within Protestantism between modernists and fundamentalists. (Points : 2) Question 23.23. (TCO 11) Prohibition was enforced by the (Points : 2) Question 24.24. (TCO 11) Which economic factors led to the Great Depression? (Points : 2) Question 25.25. (TCO 7) The three Allied leaders of World War II were (Points : 2) Question 1. 1. (TCOs 1 and 2) Identify and analyze at least two major actions taken by the English Parliament during the 1760s that angered the colonists, and discuss specifically at least one act that dealt with what the colonists viewed as unfair taxation. Then discuss the significance to the colonists of the Tea Act and the Coercive Acts and why these particularly galled the colonists. Make sure you use enough details to support your answer. (Points : 50) Question 2. 2. (TCO 2) Identify and analyze the Dred Scott decision. Be sure to discuss the political reaction to this decision. Then analyze the election of 1860 and how the controversy over slavery divided the party into northern and southern branches. Analyze the ascendency of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency. Be sure to use enough details to support your answer. (Points : 50) Question 3. 3. (TCOs 6 and 7) Identify and explain at least two causes of World War I. Then analyze the events that drew the United States into World War I. Evaluate America’s contribution to the war effort and to what extent America’s entry contributed to the end of the war. Make sure you use enough details to support your answer. (Points : 50) Question 4. 4. (TCOs 7 and 9) Identify and analyze the main events of the Korean War and Cuban Missile Crisis. Then assess how these events affected the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. Make sure you use enough details to support your answer. (Points : 50) HRM 430 HRM/430 HRM430 Final Exam BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/hrm-430-hrm-430-hrm430-final-exam/ HRM 430 final EXAM (DEVRY) 1. (TCO 1) Which of the following is not a part of core compensation? 2. (TCO 2) Medicare Part A is based on what type of healthcare option? 3. TCO 3) What would Yolanda’s salary of $165,000 be considered if the mean salary for Acme Inc. is $30,000 and the median salary is $32,000? 4. (TCO 4) Basing the share of profits on job performance is characteristic of which type of employee distribution system? 5. (TCO 5) The collective bargaining system was established by the passage of which federal act? 6. (TCO 6) Which term is used to describe the situation where the pay spread between newly hired employees and more qualified job incumbents is small? 7. (TCO 7) Acme Company pays a portion of company profits to its employees. What kind of companywide incentive plan does Acme Co. offer? 8. (TCO 8) Which type of compensation program is based, in part, on the human capital theory? 9. (TCO 9) This vesting requires employers to grant employees 100% vesting after no more than 3 years of service. 10. (TCO 10) After the recent merger of ABC and XYZ Airlines, the former CFO of XYZ Airlines lost his employment in the newly merged airline. Which compensation agreement extends pay and benefits for him? 11. (TCO 9) If the CEO of a new company asked you how much per employee she would be taxed by FUTA, what would you tell her? 12. (TCO 3) Which job evaluation method entails ordering jobs based on extremes? 13. (TCO 10) Discuss the three main types of bonuses common in executive compensation. Please discuss in detail and provide examples of each type of bonus. 14. (TCO 8) List and discuss four possible limitations of merit pay programs. Please discuss in detail and provide examples for each of the limitations. 15. (TCO 7) Merit pay is strengthened when you utilize the job analysis process. Discuss in detail how job analysis can be used to strengthen the legal standard of a company. Provide three examples. 16. (TCO 6) After completing the job analysis, your boss has asked you to conduct a job evaluation of the various positions in the company. Detail the steps you would take in accomplishing this task. Provide an example of a point factor evaluation system with at least two factors. 17. (TCO 5) List and discuss in detail why unions fail to support a company’s use of contingent workers. Provide examples. 18. (TCOs 1, 2, 3, and 6) Compare and contrast horizontal skills, vertical skills, and depth of skills. 19. (TCO 3) Distinguish between the arithmetic mean, the median, the standard deviation, quartiles, and percentiles. Provide examples of each. 20. (TCO 1) Compare and contrast employers’, employees’, and government’s goals in the compensation system. Provide at least three examples. HRM 430 HRM/430 HRM430 WEEK 4 Midterm BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/hrm-430-hrm-430-hrm430-week-4-midterm/ HRM 430 HRM/430 HRM430 WEEK 4 Midterm (Devry) 1. (TCO 1) Compensation represents both _____ rewards. 2. (TCO 1) Tuition reimbursement is considered which of the following? 3. (TCO 1) What is a systematic process for gathering, documenting, and analyzing information in order to describe jobs? 4. (TCO 1) What is a planned effort to facilitate employees’ learning of job-related knowledge, skills, or behaviors? 5. (TCO 5) The Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects employees from what age on? 6. (TCO 5) A policy that applies to all company employees, but unintentionally hurts a protected group disproportionately, would be what form of discrimination? 7. (TCO 7) Which of the following is an advantage of seniority pay systems? 8. (TCO 7) Gunther Rohn was rewarded for making a suggestion that saved Ewe and Eye Electronics thousands of dollars. Which type of incentive compensation approach might have worked best? 9. (TCO 7) According to the job characteristics theory, this core characteristic refers to the amount of freedom, independence, and discretion the employee enjoys in determining how to do the job. 10. (TCO 5) Discrimination based on which of the following is protected by the Civil Rights Act of 1964? 11. (TCO 5) Which federal government entity is responsible for the interpretation of employment laws? 12. (TCO 5) Compensation differentials between men and women performing substantially similar work fall under the purview of which piece of legislation? 13. (TCO 4) This term refers to a difference between the output of a human judgment process and that of an objective, accurate assessment uncolored by bias, prejudice, or other subjective and extraneous influences. 14. (TCO 4) This occurs when a rater generalizes good performance behavior in one aspect of the job to all aspects of the job. 15. (TCO 4) This performance appraisal system is highly defensible in court because it is based on actual observable job performance behaviors. 16. TCO 4) This type of behavioral performance appraisal system requires the employee and the supervisor to identify past performance behaviors and outcomes as either successful or unsuccessful. 17. (TCO 4) This model is geared to promoting staffing flexibility in a company, by training employees in one department with some of the critical skills that are needed to perform effectively in another department. 18. (TCO 4) These are four pay-for-knowledge programs. 19. (TCO 4) When a filing clerk is trained to maintain employee attendance records, it is an example of acquiring which type of skills? 20. (TCO 4) Employees would need to learn these types of skills in order to develop self-managed work teams 21. (TCO 8) Which type of individual incentive plan rewards employees based on their individual hourly production against an output standard? 22. (TCO 8) Which gain-sharing plan focuses on lowering the percentage of labor costs using a value-added formula? 23. (TCO 8) This formula for determining the amount available for profit sharing uses a specific percentage of annual profits contingent upon the successful attainment of a specified profit goal. 24. (TCO 2) These two are job evaluation techniques. 25. (TCO 2) Which of the following are critical components in the job analysis process? 26. (TCO 3) What does quartile 3 represent? 27. (TCO 3) These are reference points against which jobs within the company are judged. 28. (TCO 6) How are compa-ratios calculated? 29. (TCO 6) If the company adopts a market lag policy, how will that company’s pay range midpoint compare to the market average? 30. (TCO 8) Which type of individual incentive plan requires the achievement of multiple complex objectives without compromising the quality and quantity of output generated by employees? HSM 340 HSM/340 HSM340 Week 2 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/hsm-340-hsm-340-hsm340-week-2-quiz/ HSM 340 HSM/340 HSM340 Week 2 Quiz 1. (TCO 2) The heading of every financial statement should contain the: 2. (TCO 2) Two major methods of asset valuation are: 3. TCO 2) _____ is the most important financial metric to review to determine long-term financial viability. 4. (TCO 2) Which of the following is not one of the four critical questions that must be answered for dashboard reporting? 5. (TCO 2) How are revenues and expenses defined under accrual accounting? 6. (TCO 2) What is an accounting entity? 7. TCO 2) For restating financial statements to convert to constant dollars, what index is required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board? 8. (TCO 2) What is the basic accounting equation? HSM 340 HSM/340 HSM340 Week 3 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/hsm-340-hsm-340-hsm340-week-3-quiz/ HSM 340 HSM/340 HSM340 Week 3 Quiz 1. (TCO 3) From a hospital’s perspective, what is most likely to be the highest risk arrangement with a payer? 2. (TCO 3) SKF Primary Care Clinic is deciding whether to purchase MRI equipment that would enable it to perform MRI imaging services in-house rather than sending its patients to its competitor’s hospital three miles away. From a financial position, if SKF were to make its decision without using net present value analysis, the clinic would need to know (or at least reasonably estimate) which of the following information? 3. (TCO 3) Your controller has told you that the marginal profit of DRG 209 (major joint procedure) for a Medicare patient exceeds the marginal profit for an average charge patient. Why might this occur? 4. (TCO 3) Which of the following is the first step in any budgetary process? 5. (TCO 3) David Jones, the new administrator for a surgical clinic, was trying to determine how to allocate his indirect expenses. His staff was complaining that the current method of taking a percentage of revenues was unfair. He decided to try to allocate utilities based on square footage of each department, administration based on direct costs, and laboratory based on tests. Use the information in the chart below to answer the question. Square Footage Direct Expenses Lab Tests Utilities 200,000 Administration 2,000 500,000 Laboratory 2,000 625,000 Day-op Suite 3,000 1,400,000 4,000 Cystoscopy 1,500 350,000 500 Endoscopy 1,500 300,000 500 Total 10,000 3,625,000 5,000 Based on the scenario above, what are the Endoscopy Department’s total expenses? 6. 7. (TCO 3) Your hospital has been approached by a major HMO to perform all their MS-DRG 470 cases (major joint procedures). They have offered a flat price of $10,000 per case. You have reviewed your charges for MS-DRG 470 during the last year and found the following profile: Average Charge $15,000 Average LOS 5 Days Routine Charge $3,600 Cost/Charge 0.80 Variable Cost % 60 Operating Room 2,657 0.80 80 Anesthesiology 293 0.80 80 Lab 1,035 0.70 30 Radiology 345 0.75 50 Medical Supplies 4,524 0.50 90 Pharmacy 1,230 0.50 90 Other Ancillary 1,316 0.80 60 Total Ancillary $11,400 0.75 50 The HMO in the above example has indicated that their doctors use less expensive joint implants. If this less expensive implant were used, your medical supply charges would be reduced by $2,000. What is the estimated reduction in variable cost? 8. (TCO 3) What is the break-even equation and discuss the break-even equation? HSM 340 HSM/340 HSM340 Week 4 Midterm BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/hsm-340-hsm-340-hsm340-week-4-midterm/ HSM 340 HSM/340 HSM340 Week 4 Midterm 1. (TCO 4) Which of the following is part of a statistics budget? (Points : 5) 2. (TCO 4) Which budgetary issue causes the most strife in all areas of a health care organization? (Points : 5) 3. (TCO 4) Effectiveness is a relationship between: (Points : 5) 4. (TCO 3) Estimate the total variable cost (i.e., including both routine and ancillary) per MSDRG 505 using the departmental cost/charge ratios and variable cost percentages. (Your answer might be slightly different due to rounding. Pick the closest.) (Points : 5) 5. TCO 3) Your controller has told you that the marginal profit of DRG 209 (major joint procedure) for a Medicare patient exceeds the marginal profit for an average charge patient. Why might this occur? (Points : 5) 6. (TCO 2) A statement that reports the financial position (assets, liabilities, and stockholders’ equity) of an accounting entity at a point in time is called a(an): (Points : 5) 7. (TCO 2) Which of the following is the BEST example of a financial metric? (Points : 5) 8. (TCO 4) Based on the below information, what dollar effect did the increased admission rate have on cost? 9. TCO 4) Based on the information below, what rate must be set to generate the required $80,000 in profit in the preceding example? 10. (TCO 4) What is the amount of variance that is attributed to the change in labor productivity? 11. (TCO 2) How are revenues and expenses defined under accrual accounting? (Points : 5) 12. (TCO 2) What are the double-entry accounting system and the duality concept? How are they related? (Points : 5) HSM 340 HSM/340 HSM340 Week 7 Quiz BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/hsm-340-hsm-340-hsm340-week-7-quiz/ HSM 340 HSM/340 HSM340 Week 7 Quiz 1. (TCO 7) A High Deductible Health Plan with a Savings Option does not include the following? 2. (TCO 7) A withhold is a feature for payment to health care provider that: 3. (TCO 7) The James Clinic is an organization of 100 physicians in a variety of specialties. They recently contracted with Prudential Health Plan on a capitated basis to provide all medical services to Prudential’s members for the next three years. This HMO model would be defined as a: 4. (TCO 7) Suppose that AT&T had made an offer to acquire Merck Pharmaceuticals. Ignoring potential antitrust problems, this merger would be classified as a: 5. (TCO 7) A nursing home contracts with an HMO for skilled nursing care at $2.00 PMPM. If costs are expected to average $120 per day, what is the maximum utilization of days per 1,000 members that the nursing home can experience before it begins to lose money? 6. (TCO 7) An uninsured patient receives services with charges of $5,000 from a hospital. The hospital staff bills the patient $1,000 and records $4,000 as charity care. If the hospital’s ratio of cost to charges is 50%, what amount would the hospital recognize as charity care in Schedule H of IRS Form 990? 7. (TCO 7) How is charity care usually defined? HSM 340 HSM/340 HSM340 Week 8 Final Exam BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/hsm-340-hsm-340-hsm340-week-8-final-exam/ HSM 340 HSM/340 HSM340 Week 8 Final Exam 1. (TCO 4) When would it make sense to use a flexible budget as compared to a forecast budget? 2. (TCO 7) Explain the difference between acquisition of assets and acquisition of stock. 3. TCO 1) What is charge explosion? 4. (TCO 1) What is the primary provision of the EMTALA. 5. (TCO 3) Use the following data to calculate the variances in problem. 6. (TCO 2) What are the major reasons for accrual accounting? 7. (TCO 2) What is an audit (in the context of financial accounting)? 8. (TCO 5) Define an annuity due. 9. (TCO 5) What are the four sources of long-term debt financing? 10. (TCO 6) What is the working capital cycle and why must it be managed? 11. (TCO 6) Define working capital. What is the difference between working capital and net working capital? 12. (TCO 5) How should the interest rate and n periods of compounding be modified if compounding for less than one year? HSM 340 Week 1 Assignment Financial Laws and Regulations BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/hsm-340-week-1-assignment-financial-laws-and-regulations/ HSM 340 Week 1 Assignment Financial Laws and Regulations What are five elements pertaining to the establishment of a false claim under the False Claims Act? HIPAA privacy standards were designed to accomplish what three broad objectives? Explain each. Stark II laws prohibit physician referrals to entities in which the physician has a financial relationship. What are 10 specific designated health services (DHS) for which referrals by physicians who have financial relationships with the entity providing the DHS are prohibited? HSM 340 Week 5 Assignment Capital Budgeting Process BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/hsm-340-week-5-assignment-capital-budgeting-process/ HSM 340 Week 6 Assignment Cash and Working Capital BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/hsm-340-week-6-assignment-cash-and-working-capital/ SBE 310 Entrepreneur Reflection Paper BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/sbe-310-entrepreneur-reflection-paper/ SBE 310 Entrepreneur Reflection Paper Contents Introduction3 Donald Sandford Interview3 Being a Successful Entrepreneur3 Disadvantages of Entrepreneurship4 Conclusion5 References6 SBE 310 SBE/310 SBE310 WEEK 8 FINAL EXAM BUY HERE⬊ http://www.homeworkmade.com/sbe-310-sbe-310-sbe310-week-8-final-exam/ SBE 310 WEEK 8 FINAL EXAM (DEVRY) 1. (TCO 1) Approximately what percentage of businesses have a payroll with fewer than 500 people? 2. (TCO 1) You have a small business that offers printing services. One of the services you offer is a high-speed color copier. You are currently the only printing service in a tri-state area that offers such a service. You currently have _______. 3. (TCO 1) Your employees are your most valued assets due to their _______. (Points : 5) 4. (TCO 1) Entrepreneurship primarily involves which phase of business? (Points : 5) 5. (TCO 1) Which of the following is the most common form of business ownership? (Points : 5) 6. (TCO 4) Which of the following acts was written to prevent large businesses from forming trusts? (Points : 5 7. (TCO 4) Bankruptcy remains on a credit report for how many years? (Points : 5) 8. (TCO 4) Peter Drucker stated that businesses have _______ basic functions. (Points : 5) 9. (TCO 4) Managing inventory can be compared to which of the following? (Points : 5) 10. (TCO 4) What is the key word in evaluating a channel of distribution? (Points : 5) 11. (TCO 4) A long-term agreement to rent a building, equipment, or other assets is known as a: (Points : 5) 12. (TCO 4) Consumers typically do not want the cheapest product available; they want the: (Points : 5) 13. (TCO 4) The point at which total cost equals total revenue and the business is neither making or losing money is known as the _______. (Points : 5) 14. (TCO 2) Through the franchise agreement, the ________ gains the benefit of the parent company’s expertise, experience, management systems, marketing, and financial help. (Points : 5) 15. (TCO 2) The financial document that is used by startup businesses to show where capital comes from and for what it will be used is called: (Points : 5) 16. (TCO 2) Which of the following is not included in the marketing plan section of the business plan? (Points : 5) 17. (TCO 3) When analyzing financial statements, remember that profits can be increased and expenses can be decreased to make the records look better __________. 18. (TCO 3) In the chapter opener, what was the limitation that kept Philip Rosedale from creating Second Life when he first had the idea for it? (Points : 5) 19. (TCO 3) Most Inc. 500 companies receive more than half of their revenue from: (Points : 5 20. (TCO 3) Computers, office equipment, and furniture are all examples of ________ that have a life of more than one year. (Points : 5) 21. (TCO 5) Mintzberg suggested several important skills a manager needed in order to perform the four functions of management. The most important of these was listed as (Points : 5) 22. (TCO 5) Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory ranks the highest level of needs as what? (Points : 5) 23. (TCO 5) The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission _______ that the information from a job analysis be used to ensure equal employment opportunity. (Points : 5 24. (TCO 6) A production process that operates for long periods of time without interruption is known as? (Points : 5) 25. (TCO 6) Scheduling is necessary to maximize levels of: (Points : 5) 26. (TCO 7) An account number of 13 would represent which of the following accounts? (Points : 5 27. (TCO 7) Equity funds never need to: (Points : 5) 28. (TCO 8) About what percent of small businesses export goods and services? (Points : 5) 29. (TCO 9) The obligation of business to maximize the positive impact it has on society while minimizing the negative impact is called: (Points : 5) 30. (TCO 9) Threats and opportunities to a business can be found in which of the following environments? (Points : 5) 31. (TCO 1) Compare and contrast a sole proprietorship, a partnership and a corporation. Provide examples of where you would use each structure. (Points : 14) 32. (TCO 3) Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of buying an existing business. Under what circumstances would one be more advantageous? (Points : 14) 33. TCO 4) Compare and contrast Economic Order Quantity and Just-In-Time as inventory control methods. Evaluate how these control methods can improve the financial position of a small business. (Points : 14) 34. (TCO 6) Compare and contrast analytic manufacturing systems and synthetic manufacturing systems, giving an example of each. (Points : 14) 35. (TCO 9) Analyze the four levels depicted in the pyramid of social responsibility. (Points : 14)
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Startup Management 101

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by Daniel J. Murphy (this was originally posted on astartupmarketer.com in May 2016) No matter what you complete, there will always be another task left to do. No matter how well you delegate, there will always be things left for you to do yourself. Startup management is a bottomless pit of hard work and focus only achievable by unmitigated determination (and possibly really great stock options). That’s slightly glamorized, but if you’ve worked at a startup where expectations are huge and headcount if low, you know what I mean. At my current startup I’ve been able to grow my career by growing my responsibilities. That’s one of the big perks of joining a small startup and sticking around while it grows. When I got here I said “I want to own that, and that, AND that.” I demonstrated that I was capable. So my career took off. With all this responsibility, I learned about management. Baptism by fire, as some call it. I’m not just talking about managing employees, but also projects, time, priorities and deadlines. I’ve found management as a whole an extremely fascinating area to study in the startup ecosystem. At my current startup we have many great managers… ranging from the executive level, to interns. Yes, interns can be great managers too. I’m not saying management is for everyone… in fact I’ve found some of the smartest people around me truly struggle with managing others, projects or time. But for those that are contemplating getting more involved in management… or want to sharpen their managerial skills… here’s my two cents. This is my startup management 101 playbook. Three areas of focus… managing projects, time and people. Managing projects The first hurdle in becoming a great manager is project management. In reality, everyone from individual contributors to CEO’s should learn how to be a great project manager. I have three suggestions: Set expectations/deadlines early. This is important for a few reasons. You want to have your priorities straight, and you want to have your stakeholder’s expectations set appropriately. Make sure to give yourself enough time for a few fuck ups along the way. Remain organized and keep communication open the entire length of the project. For instance, don’t let too much time go between updating your boss. Even if things are going great, keep everyone in the loop. Divide and conquer. Sounds simple, but so many people struggle with divvying up work and allotting time for each assignment. Managing time I can’t overstate this. Managing your time at a startup is crucial to success. Not just individual success, but also company success. Especially for software startups: most of a software startup’s overhead is the cost of talent. Yet there usually isn’t someone standing over your shoulder making sure you’re spending each second of the day wisely. The #1 asset your startup is burning cash on is you. There are many time hacks out there. But the overall things I’ll suggest: Manage your to-do list by priority. Keep your communication channels limited (the fewer the better). Use email, project management software and instant messaging, or email, instant messaging, and a pad of paper with daily to-dos. Whatever you pick, just don’t create too many ways your team communicates with you. The fewer, the easier it is to pay attention. Create routines that institute good time management. Meaning, you have time scheduled each morning to catch up on email or check your project’s backlog. Block off a few hours each week so you don’t get pulled into meetings. Huddle with your team for 10 minutes each morning to update each other on progress. You don’t have to do a lot. Just figure out what works for you. Don’t micromanage your time. Keep chunks of time open, don’t fill your schedule up with meetings, progress updates and hour-by-hour work tasks. Unexpected things that require your full attention will come up, they always do. Don’t accept every meeting request; don’t set up meetings for everything. So many things can be done with email, instant message, or a five minute sit down next to a colleague’s desk. When you set up a meeting for 30 minutes that ends up really taking 5 minutes… You’ve most likely ruined the other 25 minutes, because it’s not time back, it’s a 5 minute interruption that halted your rhythm. Managing people This is the tough one. There are so many things I recognize in the great managers I’ve had, that cannot be taught. But there’s one common denominator I want to address. The single greatest characteristic in a manager is empathy. Leaders that identify, communicate and become action oriented around the needs of their team are successful leaders. By “successful” I mean they get results: team productivity, meet their sales quotas, revenue growth, whatever. When I say “identify, communicate and become action oriented around the needs of their team” I mean this: 100% of the time an empathic manager will be able to: Identify or foresee a problem, a struggle or high performance in their employee Communicate or recognize the appropriate response to the employee Take action to correct an issue that resolves the situation or honor great work which motivates the employee Obtuse manager don’t make it very far. No one wants to work for a manager that doesn’t understand them, treat them well or recognize their successes. Other things: Regularly hold 1:1 meetings with your employee. Here’s a great resource on mastering the 1:1 meeting. TL;DR: A 1:1 is an agenda-free meeting with two-way communication between manager and employee. Don’t beat around the bush. Understand that realistic feedback is essential for your employee’s success and your own. Your employee is, after all, a reflection of you. Don’t be the coach on the sideline, but instead the captain of the team. You’ll garner more respect running around the field with your team than yelling from the sideline. You can’t always be out on the field as the manager, but try to be as much as you can. What suggestions do you have? What advice have you received about startup management? Comment below.
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