This week is all about metrics!Metrics are merely measurements that are expressed in percentages ornumerals that can be used to evaluate or give information about thesuccess of our actions or programs. The course module, self assessment,and reading material for the week provide excellent foundationalmaterial that I urge you to review prior to applying your knowledge in the following questions and your next presentation.

Note the following:

• We do not use the term matrix or metrics system when referring to metrics for this assignment
• We can use the term metric (singular)and the term metrics (plural) but we need to use their respectiveappropriate verbs (a metric is or metrics are).

Many Chief Executive Officers (CEO’s)and Chief Financial Officers (CFO’s) complain that their Human Resourceprofessionals do not report metrics about Total Rewards or otherwise that matterto the organization or share relevant information. We want you to beable to provide metrics that are relevant to the organization – metricsthat matter.

After selecting a metric for thisdiscussion, ask yourself what does the metric that I am proposing tellme about the effectiveness of the Total Rewards program? It must relateto Total Rewards to be a relevant metric for this discussion and foryour next presentation. Revenue, profit, customer satisfaction are gooddata to know, but they are not good metrics for this assignment.

Further, the percentage of turnover is not important by itself as a metric,but the metric of the percentage of the highly valued employees who areleaving the organization and why they are leaving is helpful to knowsince the data should tell us if the rewards currently offered are afactor in those valuable employees leaving. Whether employees are happy is not a helpful metric(nothing against having happy employees but the organization would bebetter informed if it knew whether the employees are engaged in theirwork because of the total rewards). A metric that reports the percentageof the employees who are satisfied with the organization is not as helpful as knowing by individual segment of employee which benefit is of most value, through a forced ranking of the benefits.

Please keep this information in mindas you answer the following questions and design your secondpresentation, due this Sunday by midnight. The second presentation andyour final assignments will continue to use the organization you used inyour first PowerPoint presentation.

1. Give an academic definition of the term metric (with an in-text citation and full reference)

2. Discuss why, in general, metricsare important for HR professionals to report. For example, they canassist the HR professional in achieving their goals and objectives whilealso assisting the whole organization. For example if innovation is acore capability of the organization, tracking the level of turnover ofthe individuals who have had the most success innovating would beimportant along with knowing why these individuals are leaving. Thismetric would allow the organization to change incentives or otherrewards, if needed, or look for other ways to retain the needed talent.

3. Share an example of one metric youare considering for your second MS PowerPoint presentation when you willpresent three metrics to evaluate the success of the total rewardsprogram. Assignment 2 is due at the end of this week.

State or describe:

• A metric you are considering for thenext assignment (typically a metric is an outcome and is presented as apercentage or index).
• What the metric tells the organization about the effectiveness of the total rewards program
• How the metric aligns with the organizational capabilities (what it does best)
• How the metric aligns with the employee competencies (the knowledge, skills, and abilities)
• How the data for the metric will becollected (for example, through an electronic survey, exit interviews,data from the Human Resource Information System (HRIS), focus groups orsomething else)

Respond to all four questions below on a new, blank word processing document (such as MS Word).

Develop each answer to the fullest extent possible, discussing the nuances of each topic and presenting your arguments logically. In addition, include citations from outside resources to support your arguments.

Each answer should be robust and developed in-depth.

You are expected to demonstrate critical thinking skills, as well as an understanding of the issues identified. Some questions may also require personal reflection and practical application. Your responses will be evaluated for content as well as grammar and punctuation.

All writing must be your original work. PLEASE do not copy or quote anything.Sources are just that, a reference. Once you locate the information, read and interpret the data. What does it mean to you? Type your own thoughts and own words. Then, include in-text citations to support your ideas. This is not a research paper.

FORMAT:

Do not include the original question, only the question number.

Each response should be written in complete sentences, double-spaced and spell-checked. Use 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins on all sides. Include page numbers according to APA formatting guidelines.

In addition, you will want to include citations in APA format at the end of the writing assignment (Reference Page). Include a minimum of three (3) references for each answer. References should not be older than five (5) years.

Question 1:

G.Discuss the evolution of the HR role from administrative to strategic. What factors were involved in this transition? Why is it important for HR to be involved in the organizational strategic planning process? What types of skills are needed by HR professionals today and why are they important (name at least 3)? How are they different from the skills needed 20 or 30 years ago?

H.Reflect on the HR function in your current organization or an organization you have worked for. Evaluate the HR role in the organization and discuss the alignment between HR priorities and the organizational strategy (do not name the organization). In other words, did you see evidence of a strategic focus? Why or why not?

Question 2:

A) Discuss how an organization’s diversity strategy can support the business strategy. Provide at least three specific examples and explain why and how they support organizational success.

B) Consider the organization you work at or one you have worked at in the past and evaluate the diversity program. How was it effective and how did support the strategic goals of the organization? If it was not effective, explain what factors made it ineffective.

Question 3:

I.How are motivation and engagement related to employee retention? Do you see a difference between the concepts of job satisfaction and employee engagement? What factors might contribute to job satisfaction and engagement? Explain your answer.

J.Think about a job where you have been employed for many years. What factorsinfluenced your job satisfaction? What factors influenced your decision to stay and why? Consider a job where you had a short tenure. What factors influenced your job dissatisfaction? What factors contributed to your resignation and what factors could have made you stay? Which were within the organization’s control?

Question 4:

K.Assume you are the HR manager of a large organization tasked with evaluating employee retention. What type of metrics would you want to look at? How would you use the HRIS to obtain these metrics?

L.Discuss the relationship between an organization’s total rewards strategy and retention. As a human resource manager, how would you evaluate your total rewards program to make sure it was having a positive impact on employee retention?

GUIDELINE:

Tip 1. Contextualize the case. There is a method to my madness. Cases generally correspond to a particular set of concepts and theories. Keep this in mind as you prepare your analysis.

Tip 2. Read the case actively. The goal is not for you to grab your highlighter and speed through the case. Instead, ask yourself questions, wrestle with the core decisions, and think through multiple scenarios.

Tip 3+. William Ellet argues that there are “four types of situations” that you will often see in cases, for each here are some tips: – Problems o Define the problem in the case. This may not be obvious. o Then, be able to diagnosis the problem using the various tools you’ve acquired throughout your business training. – Decisions o Identify the decision options. o Determine the criteria by which to evaluate the decision options. o Accumulate as much evidence as possible to support your decision. – Evaluations o Again, determine the appropriate evaluative criteria. o Make the evaluation that is most consistent with the evidence provided by the case and the key criteria. o Be sure to be holistic in your evaluations – think about positive and negative aspects. – Rules (This is particularly critical for quantitative analyses) o Know the information you need to apply a rule (For example, what data is necessary for a break-even or NPV analysis) o Know how to obtain this information. o Know how to apply the rule. o Make sure your data is accurate.

Tools Ellet provides a nice model for analyzing cases. There are five key phases of the process.
1. Situation a. Figure out the big picture first; ask yourself, “What is the situation in the case? What is going on here? 2. Questions a. Develop questions about the problem, namely: i. What do you need to know about the situation? b. Think through issues related to the decision, namely: i. What are the decision options? Any seem particularly strong or weak? What is at stake here? What are the key criteria to base your decision?
c. Questions about the evaluation, in particular: i. Who or what is being evaluated? Who is responsible for the evaluation? 3. Hypothesis a. Here is where your analytical work gains momentum. Develop your perspective on the case. b. Review the aforementioned questions – now begin to develop your answers for each set of questions. 4. Proof and Action a. Ask yourself, what evidence is provided by the case that supports my hypothesis? What additional evidence do I need to collect? b. Equally important for our course, also consider how would I implement my recommendations? 5. Alternatives a. Spend some time critiquing yourself, ask the following: i. How else could this problem be defined? If defined differently, would I have the same hypothesis? ii. Where are the weak links in my analysis? iii. What is the potential downside to my recommended decision? What is the strongest counterevidence? iv. How thorough have I been in my analysis? How might a different course of action be proved?

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QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED WITHIN CASE:

1. Would you categorize the Kindle Fire as a Tablet? Why or why not?

2. Who should Amazon target with the Kindle Fire? Which target segments and use cases are the most promising?

3. How should Amazon position the Kindle Fire relative to the iPad and other tablets in the market? Relative to eReaders?

4. If you were Apple’s CEO, what would you do to the respond to the Kindle Fire?

DO IN A COMPETITOR ANALYSIS PERSPECTIVE.

Please complete the following: Excel Spreadsheet and 3 page essay with APA citations.

Required

• Chapter 1, Section 1.1, 1.14; Chapter 11 in Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling
• Part 1: Chapters 1, 3, & 5 in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)

Recommended

• Chapters 3 & 7 in Fundamentals of Project Management (5th ed.)
• Andersen, E. A. (2016). Do project managers have different perspectives on project management? International Journal of Project Management, 34(1), 58-65.
• Maqbool, R., Ye, S., Manzoor, N., & Rashid, Y. (2017). Theimpact of emotional intelligence, project managers’ competencies, andtransformational leadership on project success: An empiricalperspective. Project Management Journal, 48(3), 58-75.
• Project Management Institute. (2018). Ready for tomorrow? Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/careers/ready-for-tomorrow
• Tesfaye, E., Lemma, T., Berhan, E., & Beshah, B. (2017). Key project planning processes affecting project success. International Journal for Quality Research, 11(1), 159-172. Retrieved from http://www.ijqr.net/journal/v11-n1/10.pdf

• References

  Chandoo.d. (2009, Nov.). Gantt chart planned vs. actual [Image file]. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0Project Management Institute [PMI]. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: PMI Publications

Module 2: Critical Thinking

• Points90
• Submittinga file upload

Critical Thinking Assignment (90 Points)

Important! Read First

Choose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Donot do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the titleof your submission.

Option #1: Cost Duration Analysis

Download and examine the cost-duration table from the link provided in the module. Usingthe critical path method (CPM), first identify the critical path. Giventhe critical path, then find three tasks that should be crashed byinserting an X mark in the “Tasks to Crash” column. You need to identifythese three tasks by accounting for the critical activities, and basedon the low “Cost for Each Day Crashed” values. This value has alreadybeen calculated in the attached table for three tasks. You will need todetermine this value for the remaining tasks for your analysis.

Use the following outline for section headings:

• Identified Tasks
• Steps Taken to Identify Tasks
• Other Recommendations for Shortening Schedule Duration

You will have two files to submit for your assignment. First, youmust submit your completed table with all values filled in and markingwhich tasks you are going to crash. Second, you will submit a1-to-2-page paper discussing the items in the bulleted list above in awell-written format and in conformity with the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA (Links to an external site.)for style and writing expectations. Include a title page and areference page that includes at least two outside references (inaddition to your textbook) to support your analysis.

Option #2: Schedule Chart Analysis

Download and examine the project task list from thelink provided in the module. Based on this task list, you will create aPERT chart and write a paper that discusses the following:

• Identify which set of tasks create the critical path.
• Determine which task would be best to crash to reduce the critical path.
• Determine if there is a change to the critical path by crashing the task. Is there a new critical path?
• What other information would be beneficial to know to see if the selected task was the best option for crashing?

Your paper should be 2-to-3-pages, well written and in conformity with the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA (Links to an external site.)

for style and writing expectations. Your PERT chart is part of your

page requirements. Include a title page and a reference page that

includes at least two outside references (in addition to your textbook)

to support your analysi

GUIDELINE:

Tip 1. Contextualize the case. There is a method to my madness. Cases generally correspond to a particular set of concepts and theories. Keep this in mind as you prepare your analysis.

Tip 2. Read the case actively. The goal is not for you to grab your highlighter and speed through the case. Instead, ask yourself questions, wrestle with the core decisions, and think through multiple scenarios.

Tip 3+. William Ellet argues that there are “four types of situations” that you will often see in cases, for each here are some tips: – Problems o Define the problem in the case. This may not be obvious. o Then, be able to diagnosis the problem using the various tools you’ve acquired throughout your business training. – Decisions o Identify the decision options. o Determine the criteria by which to evaluate the decision options. o Accumulate as much evidence as possible to support your decision. – Evaluations o Again, determine the appropriate evaluative criteria. o Make the evaluation that is most consistent with the evidence provided by the case and the key criteria. o Be sure to be holistic in your evaluations – think about positive and negative aspects. – Rules (This is particularly critical for quantitative analyses) o Know the information you need to apply a rule (For example, what data is necessary for a break-even or NPV analysis) o Know how to obtain this information. o Know how to apply the rule. o Make sure your data is accurate.

Tools Ellet provides a nice model for analyzing cases. There are five key phases of the process.
1. Situation a. Figure out the big picture first; ask yourself, “What is the situation in the case? What is going on here? 2. Questions a. Develop questions about the problem, namely: i. What do you need to know about the situation? b. Think through issues related to the decision, namely: i. What are the decision options? Any seem particularly strong or weak? What is at stake here? What are the key criteria to base your decision?
c. Questions about the evaluation, in particular: i. Who or what is being evaluated? Who is responsible for the evaluation? 3. Hypothesis a. Here is where your analytical work gains momentum. Develop your perspective on the case. b. Review the aforementioned questions – now begin to develop your answers for each set of questions. 4. Proof and Action a. Ask yourself, what evidence is provided by the case that supports my hypothesis? What additional evidence do I need to collect? b. Equally important for our course, also consider how would I implement my recommendations? 5. Alternatives a. Spend some time critiquing yourself, ask the following: i. How else could this problem be defined? If defined differently, would I have the same hypothesis? ii. Where are the weak links in my analysis? iii. What is the potential downside to my recommended decision? What is the strongest counterevidence? iv. How thorough have I been in my analysis? How might a different course of action be proved?

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COMPETITOR ANALYSIS PERSPECTIVE

QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED:

1. Why, historically, has the soft drink industry been so profitable?

2. Compare the economics of the concentrate business to that of the bottling business? Why is the profitability so different?

3. How has the competition between Coke and Pepsi affected the industry’s profits?

4. How can Coke and Pepsi sustain their profits in the wake of flattening demand and the growing popularity of non-CSDs?