• Create an 8-10 page report in which you examine a major public company and provide a recommendation on how shareholder value could be enhanced, with resulting impact on the firm’s capital structure and stock value.
  

  Introduction

  This portfolio work project will illustrate what potential financial strategies can be employed by firms to impact company valuation and how they should be financed. This is a relevant concept for both large and small companies. You will have a chance to apply the skills expected of an MBA graduate; from the financial management perspective, you should be able to:

  • Utilize financial strategies that will increase the price of stock.
  • Calculate WACC and capital structure.
  • Evaluate how financial strategies impact the capital structure.

  This assessment requires you to examine a major public company and provide recommendations on how shareholder value could be enhanced, with resulting impact on the firm’s capital structure and stock value. You will estimate the firm’s current WACC.

  Scenario

  Fast forward to when you have successfully completed the MBA program. You are now a Chief Financial Officer of a large, publicly traded company at (go ahead and insert your dream company here). Using your dream company, conduct extensive research on the current situation of the company using resources like the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, GuruFocus, Yahoo Finance, EDGAR, and the Capella library. As the CFO, you have been given a project by the CEO and Board of Directors to prepare a report on ways to financially engineer the company to increase stock price. From the company’s website, go to the financial section and examine the financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows) and 10K and 10Q reports, and conduct a financial ratio analysis including the following: current ratio, debt to equity ratio, return on equity (ROE) ratio, dividend yield, earnings per share (EPS or the last 4 quarters), price to earnings ratio (P/E), and market to book ratio. Compare these ratios to those of the company’s nearest competitor.Assume that the objective of upper management is to maximize shareholder value by increasing the price of the stock. Describe the subjective impacts (threats, opportunities, competitive edge) that are unique to the firm and its industry that you found in your research.Based on the ratio results and research, from the following list of ways to financially engineer an increase in stock price, evaluate each method, examine its pros and cons, and then select the best ways for the firm to increase the stock price. Be as specific as you can by using qualitative assessments without proprietary company information:

  1. Capital expenditures—new equipment, plant, machinery, marketing/advertising campaign, computer infrastructure (only choose if your research of the firm has discovered some specific opportunity here).
  2. Merger/acquisition of a competitor.
  3. Stock repurchases.
  4. Dividend policy change—increase, decrease, stock split, stock dividend.
  5. Reduction of debt.
  6. Expansion into a new geographic market.
  7. Introduction of new products/services.

  Your Role

  You are the Chief Financial Officer of your selected company.

  Requirements

  The report you submit to the CEO should meet these expectations:

  • Evaluate strategies used to increase stock prices and shareholder value.
    • Analyze strategies to employ cash to potentially increase shareholder value and the impact on financial risk of the entity, such as capital expenditures, mergers/acquisitions, stock buybacks, dividend increases, reduction of debt, expansion into a new geographic area, and introduction of new projects.
  • Analyze financial statements and ratio analysis to determine the optimal strategies.
    • Describe the subjective impacts that are unique to the firm and its industry through ratio analysis of the financial statements and qualitative research.
    • Relate the analysis to the strategies.
    • Identify the pros and cons regarding each strategy. Use behavioral models and theories to support your analysis and evaluation. Determine the best strategies, and describe how earnings and stock price can be increased by these choices. Comment on how the efficient market hypothesis may impact stock price with the recommendations.
  • Recommend the best strategies to gain the most optimal performance.
    • Provide justification and rationale for your recommendation.
    • Align your recommendation with analysis and data.
    • Provide examples and analysis to defend recommended strategies.
    • Connect the recommendation to methods and models of financing and investing.
  • Evaluate how the recommendation will be financed and how it will impact the capital structure and the risk of the company and the WACC.
    • Calculate the firm’s current WACC and capital structure (percentage of assets financed by liabilities versus percentage of assets financed by shareholder equity).
    • Determine whether the firm has sufficient finances to fund your recommendation internally (with cash) or if it needs to raise funds externally.
    • If external financing is required, decide between common stock and debt (bonds) and explain the rationale for your decision.
    • Examine how your strategy recommendation will potentially impact WACC, capital structure, the overall risk of the company stock, and the effect on the stock price.

  Deliverable Format

  Report requirements:

  • Ensure written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message and quality.
  • Use at least three scholarly resources.
  • Your report should be between 8 and 10 pages.
  • Use 12 point, Times New Roman.

  Related company standards:

  • This report is a professional document and should therefore follow the corresponding MBA Academic and Professional Document Guidelines (located in the MBA Program Resources), including single-spaced paragraphs.
  • Use APA-formatted references.

  Evaluation

  By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies through corresponding scoring guide criteria:

  • Competency 2: Analyze financing strategies to maximize stakeholder value.
    • Evaluate strategies used to increase stock prices and shareholder value.
  • Competency 3: Apply financial analyses to business planning and decision making.
    • Recommend the best strategies to gain the most optimal performance.
  • Competency 4: Use data to support evidence-based financial decisions.
    • Analyze financial statements and ratio analysis to determine the optimal use of cash.
    • Evaluate how the recommendation impacts the capital structure and the risk of the company and the WACC.

  Faculty will use the scoring guide to review your deliverable as if they were your CEO. Review the scoring guide prior to developing and submitting your assessment.

  ePortfolio

  This portfolio work project demonstrates your competency in applying knowledge and skills required of an MBA learner in the workplace. Include this in your personal ePortfolio.Note: Your faculty may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for helpful writing information.

Week 2 Assignment – Creating an Effective Speech

Learning Objectives Covered

• LO 02.02 – Explain and apply the functions, factors of credibility, and strategies for catching audience attention in an introduction
• LO 02.03 – Identify and use a variety of transition words to create effective transitions within a speech
• LO 02.05 – Explain and apply the three steps of an effective conclusion

Career Relevancy

The art of persuasion can be used in many different aspects of your life. You don’t necessarily have to be having a full debate with someone, you just simply have to have an opinion about a particular matter and try to express why your idea is the best. You use persuasion when it comes to jobs or where to live. Persuasion can be used with something as simple as a vacation day outfit choice to where to have lunch catered from at your next work event. Knowing how to effectively express your views to an audience, convince others of the productiveness of your plan, and carrying through a persuasive speech can be excellent skills to know when it comes to your future career.

Background

Author Justin Chase writes,

Presentation skills are important at some level in every career. Think of it this way. Every job requires you to create value, and you need to be able to present that value in some meaningful fashion. Of course, if you’re a financial analyst you will be expected to provide a formal presentation at some point, whether to your boss or a prospective client. But other jobs also require presentations. Teachers need to present and communicate ideas effectively, artists must showcase their work with some form of presentation, and so on. To even get a job you must be able to present well, by answering formal questions or highlighting your credentials through your resume.

Brett Fox, CEO of Touchstone Semiconductor, also writes about this issue:

Presentation skills are critical to your career growth. Do you want to get a job? Then you better have good presentation skills because a job interview is a presentation. Okay, great. You have a job…

Do you want to get to a higher level? You’d better have good presentation skills because you’re likely going to be presenting your ideas to your peers. Let’s back up…

Do you want to graduate from college? You’re going to have to present your projects regardless of the major you select. Okay, you’re out of college doing really well…

Do you want to start a business? How are going to raise money without good presentation skills? The answer is you will not. You’re the CEO…

Do you want to keep your business growing? Presentation skills again are key here. You’re going to be presenting to your board, your team, and your customers.

In short, whether you are delivering a keynote speech or trying to convince your boss you deserve a raise, presentation skills will help you succeed in your career. To present a successful speech, you must first engage and “hook” your audience from the beginning. Knowing strategies like opening with a controversial statement, starting with a question, or opening with a quote can give you confidence and grab your audience from the start. Another important element in giving a speech is to establish credibility with your audience. People are more likely to listen to what you have to say if they believe your information and trust your character. One way that you can build credibility is to align yourself with the same values your audience holds and explain how you both are similar. You can also display confidence by your stance and expressions which will also build confidence from your audience. When your audience is confident in you, they are more likely to find you credible. While giving your speech, it’s important to know transition words and when and how to use them. You want to make your audience comfortable and engaged while listening to your speech and the best way to do that is to eliminate awkward pauses or mismatched topics. Transitioning between main points and using phrases like “for my next example”, “furthermore”, or “however” can be effective. Last but not least comes the conclusion where you can apply three steps to ensure your conclusion is effective: (1) Wrap up all the thoughts you’ve expressed, (2) restate your stance, and (3) explain why the information you’ve presented is important. Of course, before you can give an excellent presentation, you need to write what you plan to say.

Reference

Quora (2017) How important is presentation skills for my career? Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/How-important-is-presentatio…

Prompt

For this assignment, you will be writing a persuasive speech. The topic will be a new idea that you would need to present at work, either in your present job or in the career you will enter after you graduate. Choose carefully, because what you write this week is what you will be presenting for your final project.

Step 1: Think about something you persuade others to do when you are at work. You can use what you wrote about last week, or you can choose a new topic.

Step 2: The introduction to your speech must have these components:

• Attention-getter (also known as the “hook”)
• Link to your topic
• Reasons to listen (the “why should I care?” section)
• Thesis statement

Step 3: The body of your speech must have these components:

• At least three main points. This is a good place to have the problem, cause, and solution. Alternatively, you could give three comparisons.
• Research to support the main points. You need to use information from at least two sources. Make sure to include appropriate citations.
• Transitions that connect your main points.

Step 4: The conclusion of your speech must have these components:

• Restatement of the thesis
• Review of the main points
• Concluding device

The length is determined by your speaking speed. Read your speech out loud and time yourself. The speech needs to be 3-5 minutes long. You will need to write a minimum of 400 words of text for your speech. When you are finished, submit your paper below.

Major Assessment

Due Date: 8 weeks from enrolment in the unit in Learn, or commencement of class

Introduction

On 5 May 2017, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) were convicted and fined $105,000 and ordered to pay $15,000 to the victim after pleading guilty to a breach of the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA).

The details of this prosecution are contained in the Major Assessment Case Study below. Down load and read the Case Study.

Using the facts in the case study and your own reading and research, provide a written response for each of the Activities listed below. Your submissions should be in Word and/or on the templates provided in Learn as detailed below. On completion you must upload your submissions at the ‘Major Assessment’ topic in Learn.

NOTE: References to relevant sections of the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA); Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA); and any relevant Codes of Practice MUST be included in your submissions. Failure to do so may result in a ‘Fail’ grading for the unit.

Use the Harvard Referencing Guide in the ‘Introduction’ topic in this unit on Learn as a resource if required.

Activities

1. The KFC case study uses the terms ‘Persons Conducting Businesses or Undertakings’ (PCBU) and ‘Worker’. As well, WHS laws specify duties for ‘Officers’ of a PCBU.

• Write a brief description of who may be a PCBU, an Officer, and a Worker under the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA).
• Outline the legal responsibilities and duties of Persons Conducting Businesses or Undertakings (PCBUs); Officers; and Workers in relation to WHS risk management, and their ‘duties of care’. Your discussion must include an explanation of ‘reasonably practicable’.

2. Read the Work Health and Safety Consultation, Co-operation and Co-ordination Code of Practice and the Example Consultation Procedure (available in the ‘Consultation & Participation’ topic on Learn). Then:

• Write a brief explain of the legal requirements for a business (PCBU) to consult with workers on WHS matters,
• List the benefits of effective consultation on WHS matters
• List the recommended content that records of consultation should include; and
• Using the Example Consultation Procedure as a guide, explain the consultation mechanisms that KFC should have had in place to consult with workers about the WHS risks in the workplace.

3. Identify the ‘hazards’ that led to the incident at KFC (there are at least 3). Then:

• Using the Example Risk Management Procedureand the Risk Assessment Template from the ‘Hazard Management’ topic in this unit on Learn, conduct and document a risk assessment for each of the hazards identified. Your documented risk assessment must be submitted with your Major Assessment as an attachment and include the initial risk ratings, recommended controls, and residual risk ratings for each hazard.
• Identify the category (type) of control that each of your recommended controls is according to the ‘hierarchy of controls’ (elimination, substitution, isolation, engineering, administration or PPE).
• Using the Example Risk Management Procedure,your completed Risk Assessment, and the WHS Risk Control Action Plan Template from the ‘Hazard Management’ topic in this unit on Learn, complete a WHS Risk Control Action Plan. Your documented WHS risk control action plan must also be submitted with your Major Assessment.

4. The case study identifies ‘inadequate training and supervision’ as one of the contributing factors to the incident, and KFC has taken steps to improve training since.

• You have been asked to plan the training improvements as a result of the incident. Using the following information and the Training Plan Template in the ‘Training’ topic on Learn, document a training plan (dates may be made up), with the estimated costs (include pay for additional hours worked for training).
• There are a total of 20 casual workers employed at this KFC and on average each is paid $12 per hour. They will be paid for extra hours required to do all of their training.
• It has been decided to put all workers through training on the risk management and emergency procedures. The in-house course will run over a 3 hour period for 10 workers at a time in the KFC training room. A written assessment will be conducted at the end of the session.
• All workers will also be trained on-the-job in the procedures for food preparation and plant operation. This training is one-on-one with the in-house trainer, and will require each worker to work an additional 8 hours to undertake the course and assessment. As this is competency based training, a competency assessment is used by the trainer to guide and record the training.
• 4 of the workers will be trained in First Aid. The course is to be run off-site by St. John Ambulance over two days (14 hours) for a course fee of $229 per person. A certificate will be issued on completion of the course.
• Another 4 workers will be trained as Emergency Wardens to facilitate evacuation and emergency procedures if required in the future. This course will be run on-site in the KFC training room over a 4 hour period by Emergency Training SA at a fee of $100 per person. A certificate will be issued on completion of the course.
• Finally, 2 workers will be trained as Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) at Tafe SA. This is a Level 1 program and is a 35 hour course run over a 5 day period off-site. The course fee per person is $885. A certificate will be issued on completion of the course.

5. On the day of the incident (15 May 2015) you were asked to complete an Incident Report and Investigation Form on the KFC incident.

• Using the details in the case study, complete the Form available in the ‘WHS Incident and Injuries’ topic for this unit on Learn, and submit this with your assessment.
• Briefly explain the reasons for collecting and monitoring information from incident and injury reports and investigations (including ‘near misses’) in maintaining a safe workplace.

CO301 Intro to Communication Theory

Week 2,4,5, & 8 Assignments

(4 Assignments: one has to be done with a group.)

I need week 2 by Sep 22.

I need week 4 by Oct 5

I need week 5 by Oct 12

I need week 8 done by Nov 1st with all the group work completed as well.

Assignment: W2 Assignment

Nonverbal Communication

View the Amy Cuddy video “Your body language may shape who you are” and the Allan Pease video “Body Language, the power is in the palm of your hand.”

In no less than 1000 words, consider the impact of nonverbal communication on your ability to communicate effectively. Select one concept from each video which you can implement to overcome communication barriers. Give examples of how you could demonstrate the value of each concept, both in your own communication and as you have observed it in others.

Your paper should be in APA format, and include references to at least three professional sources (like those found in the Grantham Library) other than the videos (The text may be one of the three).

View your assignment rubric.

Assignment: W4 Assignment

Listening Presentation

Utilizing what you have learned about listening this week, prepare a Power Point presentation you could present to your coworkers to help improve listening on the job. You may use your current place of employment or one where you hope to work in the future as your target audience.

Be sure to include examples which apply specifically to your target audience addressing issues caused by poor listening, and ways to improve. Consider current issues in listening, and how improved listening skills could reduce levels of interpersonal conflict in the organization. Describe current issues and the specific ways your recommendations could reduce those issues.

Your presentation should include a title slide, at least eight content slides, and a references slide. Remember, the slides should only be an outline of what you would say. Remember the “Rule of Five”: No more than five points per slide, and no more than five words per point. Use the Notes section to fill in details of what you would actually say while speaking. You should cite at least two sources on the references slide, one of which may be the text.

If you wish to use a technology other than Power Point, like Google Slides, Adobe Spark or Prezi, please be sure that you submit a script to accompany the slides separately.

This assignment is due at the end of Week 4.

View your assignment rubric.

Learning Objectives Covered

• LO 04.01 – Define and discuss six types of presentation aids and their purposes

Career Relevancy

Using visual aids to enhance a presentation is a good choice but knowing how to do so effectively can take some practice. As you sharpen your public speaking skills for your career, you will need to know how to incorporate visuals and other presentation aids in ways that enhance your presentation instead of taking away from it.

Background

As discussed earlier in this course, having compelling words to speak sometimes is not enough to be a truly effective speaker. Body language can send a message different from the words you are speaking, and so can failing to incorporate presentation aids appropriately. First, we should define what presentation aids are. A presentation aid is any type of device that helps you further drive home the point of your speech. Presentation aids can include PowerPoint slides, images, video clips, charts, graphs, sound bites, objects used as examples, and live demonstrations.

The purpose of your speech often determines which aids are used and how. For example, it is much more effective to show a graph that illustrates a decline in sales than to simply state that a company has lost profits for its last four consecutive fiscal years. Similarly, if speaking to persuade others positively about climate change, a visual that compares images of a shoreline in present day to what it looked like 10, 15, or even 25 years prior will leave your audience with a better grasp of the impact such a phenomenon can have (in this case, it also goes a long way in proving your credibility). If making a case about the dangers of not wearing protective gear while riding a motorcycle, a speaker might choose to share photos of the outcome other riders have been met with who were not wearing protective gear.

Using presentation aids effectively is a balancing act. As with any good infomercial or advertisement, any props used should serve a specific purpose and emphasize the points you are making to your listeners. It can be easy to miss the mark though, especially when trying to account for technical hurdles, limited resources, or other unforeseen circumstances. If sharing photos, be sure they are displayed in color and their resolution is high enough to show the detail you need. If using videos, cue them up before you begin speaking so that they are loaded and ready. Be sure to verify that all of the presentation aids you use are authentic; nothing hurts a presentation more than referencing outdated information or doctored imagery. It is also a good idea to preview the space you will be using before a speaking engagement comes up so that you can get a better sense of the tools at your disposal. If you want to incorporate a pamphlet or handout, verify the number of audience members you are expecting so that you can have enough materials prepared to share.

Be sure to avoid having your presentation aids overtake your presentation. Whether slides, a video clip, or a poster board, the presentation aid is not the presentation itself. First and foremost, you are the presentation, and the aids should merely assist you in making your points. Do not incorporate so many aids that listeners could lose focus on you. Do not allow aids to disrupt your message. Lastly, choose aids that are appropriate for the occasion. While it may sound excellent to wow a crowd with a visually appealing video, if you do not have a means for projecting the video to the room, you might consider leaving it out. Do not bring small objects to hold if you are presenting to a large group. You will risk losing the attention of your listeners if only some of them are able to get the full effect of your presentation aids.

Selecting presentation aids can be challenging, but this challenge should not deter you from using aids. As you consider what props might help you get your point across, keep in mind that practicing with your presentation aids can only help improve your speech and make you more comfortable when it comes time to execute.

Prompt

Identify three presentation aid types and discuss one advantage and one disadvantage to using each. Be sure to account for details such as audience size or speaking occasion as you explain your reasoning.

For your citation, you might use articles that show examples of presentation aid types. You can also find articles from experts that suggest advantages and disadvantages to using different types of presentation aids.

Your initial and reply posts should work to develop a group understanding of this topic. Challenge each other. Build on each other. Always be respectful but discuss this and figure it out together.

Reply Requirements

Per the Due Dates and Participation Requirements for this course, you must submit 1 main post of 150+ words, 1 IWG citation, and reference, as well as 2 follow-up posts of 50+ words. Responses can be addressed to both your initial thread and other threads but must be your own words (no copy and paste), each reply unique (no repeating something you already said), and substantial in nature. Remember that part of the discussion grade is submitting on time (20%) and using proper grammar, spelling, etc. (20% per post).