Case 2 requires analyzing the internal environment as well as the external environment, as covered in Case 1 and in Chapter 3. The internal environment analysis is covered in Chapter 4. You should draw heavily from the material in Chapter 4 in preparing your case. You may choose to analyze the internal environment using Michael Porter’s Value Chain approach or Jay Barney’s Resource Based View of the Firm (RBV). Porter’s approach sees the firm as a collection of activities; Barney sees the firm as a collection of resources. Both believe that the firm uses either activities or resources to build competitive advantage. Hence, the internal focus.

For the case study, you will write a report to the CEO Alan Johnson about your analysis of the industry, the macro-environment and the strengths and weaknesses of Potbelly. The problem statement is about the most significant problem facing the company; that problem could be based on external factors or internal factors – or both.

The analysis section is about the external and the internal environment. External factors are termed Opportunities and Threats, such as the Threat of Substitutes. (Yes, something can be both an opportunity and a threat – much as the growth of Internet retail is both an opportunity and a threat for a retailer.) Opportunities and Threats are factors that affect the entire industry, maybe even the entire marketplace. If an Opportunity or a Threat is company-specific, then it is not an external factor; it is an internal factor.

Internal factors are Strengths and Weaknesses. Be sure to read Chapter 4 to learn more about internal analysis, using either a resource based view, a value chain view or a competence perspective – or all three. Although you should include some reference to key financial aspects of the firm, no significant analysis of the financial aspects of the firm are needed until Case 3.

Based on your analysis, you recommend to the CEO what Potbelly should do strategically. And support your strategic recommendation. Why is it the best solution to the significant problem you have identified? You might also consider: Does the new strategy make sense? Does the focus seem correct? Is the CEO zeroing in on the right issues, in your judgment? Why or why not?

Your recommendation should have as foundation at least 1-5 internal factors and at least 1 -5 external factors. You can mix and match – what strengths should the company use to take advantage of an opportunity; or what opportunity should the company take to solve one of its weaknesses. What strengths could the company use to mitigate a threat; or what weaknesses must the company address so they do not fall victim to the treats facing the industry. Yes – this is a SWOT analysis. And the true payoff of SWOT analysis is learning enough to develop a strong strategic approach to gaining competitive advantage.

Please see the three files for instructions regarding Case Studies in this class. Remember: your report is based on where the company and the industry are now! 2018! The fourth file, ” New Potbelly CEO Wants to Make Sandwiches More Interesting ” is the basis for your case about the company. At the end of the article is the link to the online version that also includes many charts, graphs and further information.

You will be delving into the exciting world of the fast-casual restaurant industry (or the fast-casual sandwich industry – you choose). For your quantitative analysis draw on as many current sources as you can to get the material for some quantitative analysis of the industry and the current company. The company is publically traded; its annual report and 10-K will be most helpful.
New Potbelly CEO Wants to Make Sandwiches More Interesting.docxPreview the document

https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-potbelly-ceo-wants-to-make-sandwiches-more-interesting-1531911600

short story on any topic you choose. This is the guideline I was given. This is for a creative writing class and I am overloaded with AP classes. I just don’t have time to write papers for a creative writing class that I am only taking because I needed a fine arts credit.
Are you showing rather than telling?
Is your setting clear?
Is the point of view established?
Have you developed a believable character who grows or changes because of the conflict or events in your story?
Is your dialogue effective and correctly formatted?
Does your story have an inviting beginning, rising action leading to a climax and a satisfying end?
Have you created the appropriate mood?
Does a theme come through?

Boundaries are an important feature of any organization. The nature of these boundaries has undergone considerable change over time. For many organizations today, what is inside or outside the boundaries is less clear and the ease of flow of information across boundaries has greatly increased. Boundaries can exist between individuals, between teams, between organizations, or even between an organization and its social environment (e.g., city, community, etc.).
• Discuss your current organization or a previous organization in terms of boundaries. How did these boundaries affect you as an employee? Reflect on your mental construct of boundaries.
• Explain what roles boundaries play and why these are important to organizations.
• How permeable are your boundaries both personally and for your team?
• Examine what determines how much rigidity and permeability is required by an organization and the teams in an organization.
• Assess the benefits for many organizations to be less rigid and more permeable than previously.
The final paragraph of your post (3 to 4 sentences) should summarize the one or two main points that you are attempting to make in your post.
Provide a substantive discussion post addressing each of the components as prompted. Justify your answers with examples, reasoning, and research.

You will interview a yoga instructor and/or attend a yoga class (actual participation in the class is optional). Yoga classes are free at Clayton State. Based on your findings and additional research on yoga, write a one-page essay using your original thought using APA format. You do not need to include an abstract, but all other guidelines of APA apply (including reference page and cover page). Please organize your paper to include a New Times Roman 12- font, and double spaced format.
This short essay must be your original thought. Be aware that if your work is a copy from another source, it is considered plagiarism and you will receive a zero.
*References will not be counted as part of the “one-page report” and will be listed on a separate page. You are required to write references in APA style. *Do not use “Google” type references, but find references based on valid websites and/or the Clayton State Online Library.
Additional instructions on APA Style Writing under content.

Grading Criteria Maximum
Points
Describes the therapy, its history, and the therapist’s qualifications 15
Explains the therapy’s importance to overall health/ integration with Western medicine 10
Describes the benefits and risks of therapy, financial costs 15
Describes 4-5 sentences how this subject made impact on you personally 10
Detailed description about yoga instructor interview or class attended. 10
*3 Referenced “acceptable “website sources (at least one of these articles should be a research article to be used for your literature review-see below) 10
Literature review (short summary of one scholarly research article about this topic from your reference list). 15
No spelling or grammar errors. 5
Sentences are complete, clear and concise. 10
Total 100

Using 30 Days as your inspiration, you will have the opportunity to participate in 24 hours of intercultural participation and write about your experiences, through a daylong ethnographic experiment. When I use the word “inspiration” I mean just that. You’re not obligated to recreate the “Binge-Drinking Mom” (S1, Ep. 6) episode, for example. But you may find yourself intrigued by the “Animal Rights” episode (S3, Ep. 3) and eat as a Vegan for a day. Coming from the Greek ethnos meaning “nations” and graphia meaning “writing”, ethnography is a course of study where one learns about other cultures, by observation and, often, participation. The goal of your ethnographic experience is to engage in embodied learning. As you’ve seen in 30 Days, the participants learn the most through their embodied, lived experiences with others from another culture.
Choose a 30 Days episode we’ve not previously used or will use in our class discussions, and use that episode as the basis for your ethnographic research. Participate in a culture that you do not identify with, for a 24-hour period. In an 8-10 page paper, describe your experience, relate it to the episode, and link it to our study of intercultural communication through a well-versed discussion of class concepts. You are required to use five (5) outside sources in this paper. To engage ethnographically and write your paper, you will need to ensure that you allow yourself plenty of time to reflect and engage with the culture you’re exploring. The goal of this assignment is to have you ‘dive in’ to the material we’re studying, not ‘swim around’ it.
Please note: The goal of the assignment is for you to be a participant-observer in your research. To that end, your role is not to create disturbances or to stay in an environment where you feel unsafe.

View the graph in the website at http://www.antarcticglaciers.org/glaciers-and-climate/ice-cores/ice-core-basics/, the current CO2 concentration at http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu, and the carbon cycle at http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/CarbonCycle/. Also, read the section on climate change in Chapter 11 of your textbook.

Compare current CO2 levels to the concentrations from the past 450,000 years. Based on these websites and the textbook, answer the following questions:
•Explain how the carbon cycle works.
•What is the current CO2 concentration in parts per million (ppm)?
•How does this compare to the highs or lows over the past 450,000 years?
•What are the three most abundant sources from which humans add CO2 to the atmosphere?
•Explain the two main natural carbon sinks that remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
•Explain in detail two ways deforestation contributes to the increase in CO2 levels.
•What are some other greenhouse gases, and how do their concentrations compare to the past 450,000 years?
•Based on the data, are humans contributing to climate change, or is it strictly a natural part of the cycle? Defend your answer. You must weigh all of the data, and use them to formulate your conclusion.

Your paper should meet the following requirements:
•3-4 pages in length (does not include title and reference page)
•1-2 outside sources
•Formatted according to the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements.

Each student is required to complete the term project, which is a 15-20 page (not counting the cover, abstract and reference page) research paper in APA format. Once you have submitted this assignment it is automatically run through Turnitin.com (plagiarism checker).

Proofread final paper carefully for spelling, punctuation, missing or duplicated words. Make the effort to ensure that your final paper is clean, tidy, neat, and attractive and is in proper APA format. Be sure to have your final paper ready a day or two before the deadline. This gives you peace of mind and a chance to triple check. Before handing in your assignment for marking, ask yourself: “Is this the VERY BEST that I can do?”
Proof read your paper.

All work should be submitted in APA 6th Edition style, which includes (if sources are used) in-text citations and sources listed on a References page.

The assignment is to develop a mediation plan for managing the US-North Korea conflict.

You will need to answer the following questions:

Conflict Management Plan

Given what you know about conflict, its escalation, communication and the various strategies people use to manage them, and the articles, videos and power points in this course,

draft a conflict management plan in a narrative format to address the rising tensions and ongoing dispute the US and the world have with North Korea that includes (at a minimum) these points:

1. Parties – Which parties are involved? Explain.

2. Neutral/Mediator – Which country or body could serve as a neutral or mediator? Explain.

3. Process – Is mediation useful? Explain.

4. Scope – Explain the scope of mediation as you see it.

5. Pre-mediation rules/agreements – Explain the rules that are appropriate and the agreements that you would seek.

6. Location – Explain where mediation (possibly more than one session) should take place.

7. Supporting the people – Explain how you would support the parties to encourage them to engage fully.

8. Facilitating the process – Explain how you would most effectively facilitate the process to maximize the opportunity.

9. Problem-solving – Explain your actions to work toward solutions.

10. Do these considerations apply to other disputes? Explain.

Write in complete sentences using proper grammar, punctuation, capitalization and spelling.

You can do additional research with the following links:

• https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-u-s-and-north-korea-on-the-brink-a-timeline/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
• https://www.dw.com/en/russia-ready-to-mediate-between-north-korea-and-us/a-41938317 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
• https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-a-war-with-north-korea-might-look-like-1504700428 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
• https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-north-korea-relationship (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.Links to an external site.

We don’t know how many words but each point above should be explained in detail.

Carefully address each of the following prompts. As always, be sure to provide sufficient supporting detail to demonstrate your understanding.
1.Describe at least three effective methods for improving the reliability of a classroom test.
2.What does interrater reliability measure? In what types of cases or assessments is it important?
3.Describe the factors that influence reliability. Provide an example of each.
4.A reliability coefficient (r) and a standard error of measurement (SEM) were computed on a test with 10 items. What would happen to those statistics if the test were increased to forty items?

Explain your response, citing specific examples or research-based rationale for support.

CRITICAL THINKING

Some of you moved to Texas from out of state while others graduated from high schools long ago. Experiencing the “Real Thing” is worthwhile. This assignment is designed to give you a first-hand experience of the most current standardized tests in Texas.

The current set of tests, STAAR, was first implemented in Spring 2012 to gradually replace TAKS, which many of you may remember taking. This link Released STAAR Tests will provide access to released forms for the STAAR test.

Your task:
1.Take one released test that is most in line with the K-12 textbook of your choice in Module One.
2.If you cannot find any released test for your subject and grade level (such as music), use your judgment to choose a closest one. For instance, you may take third grade reading tests in place of early childhood or bilingual.
3.In a properly formatted 1-2 page reflection, address each of the following:
◦Tell which test you took.
◦Tell how you did in the test.
◦How is the difficulty level of the test? Is the test too hard? Is it too easy?
◦Other critiques. Too long? Too much reading?
◦Is it different from the tests you took when in school?
◦In your opinion, how is the validity of the test? Use the vocabulary from Chapter 4 in your discussion.
◦In your opinion, how is the reliability of the test? Use the vocabulary from Chapter 5 in your discussion.

In this assignment, you will research and summarize two articles on media violence: one that you think your opponent would find most convincing; and another that you personally find most convincing. You’ll also get to explore whether you have an easier time being neutral when you agree or disagree with what you are summarizing.
You will get a chance to respond to both articles, but it is important that you separate your summary from your response: In other words, you need to represent both articles fairly and neutrally before you respond to them.
Finally, for this assignment you will practice in-text citations, signal phrases, and create Works Cited page entries.

Suggested length: three paragraphs of approximately 600 words total.

To do this assignment, complete the following steps:

1. Review the MLA Lesson offered earlier this week.
2. Identify a likely opponent.
To do that read the list of “imaginary friends”
 Marla is a 74 year-old woman, long divorced, who has been politically active in feminist and peace movements. A motivated self-learner, Marla did not attend college because she married young and was busy raising her children. She is an atheist, a breast cancer survivor, and an avid reader who does not own a television. She has three children and five grandchildren. Until her retirement, she worked as a secretary for a nonprofit organization that provides legal assistance to low-income renters.
 Juan is a 51 year-old, married father of two teenage sons. He owns a small but successful chain of local restaurants. He drives a Hummer and owns a large house in an upscale suburb, and he runs and works out at a gym several times a week. He is a veteran of Desert Storm, the 1991 U.S. invasion of Iraq. He used the GI bill to complete his AA degree in business. He is also an avid hiker and skier who loves the outdoors. In the last election, he voted Republican.
 Anna is a 19 year-old student at Montgomery College. She is a devout Christian and was homeschooled until she began college at MC. Prior to moving to Montgomery County, she lived in a rural area of Virginia where most people own guns to protect against wildlife, and she never visited a large city until she was fifteen. Her older brother graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Environmental Science and now works for the National Park Service. For the past three years, she has volunteered at a recreation center for at-risk inner-city youths.
 Bear is a 34 year-old single woman who was raised on a communal organic farm but who followed her love of technology into the computer industry after earning a B.S. in computer science. Because she entered the field before the dot-com boom, her stock options made her extremely wealthy, and she has invested wisely. She started as a video game programmer and rapidly went through a series of promotions until she began her current position as a lobbyist for her corporation. Lately, however, Bear has begun to question the materialism of her life and is considering leaving her job to become a high school math teacher near where she grew up.
 Lou is 24 years old, single, and a Peace Corps volunteer. After high school, he tried one semester of college, but, although he got fairly good grades, he decided it wasn’t for him. He means to go back eventually, but so far he hasn’t. His current philosophy of life is to have as much fun as possible and worry about the future as little as possible. He pays little attention to politics and has never voted, even though he is eligible. Through the Peace Corps, he has worked in several developing countries. He maintains long-distance friendships and family relationships through Facebook and Skype, and he enjoys playing video games.

Choose an imaginary friend who will likely have the position on violence in media that is opposite of yours. You may rely on the earlier Discussion assignment, or you may choose a different opponent.
3. Use a database to locate an article on violence in media that represents a position of your opponent.
Follow the Library Resources link on your course navigation panel. Use one of the databases or search engines recommended on the Research Help page, for example Opposing Viewpoints in Context, to locate the article.
4. Summarize the article.
Remember that a summary needs to be objective, so, even though the article you are summarizing disagrees with your own opinion, you still need to explain what it says in a neutral, unbiased way. Don’t forget to include signal phrases (“Miley writes that…” or “Macklin defends the view that…”) to make it clear to readers that you are giving an author’s opinion, not your own. You can download this worksheet
to get you started and then develop your summary to 7-10 sentences. For additional help with summary writing, see pages 329-331 in your textbook.
5. Find an article that represents your own point of view on media violence and summarize it in a second well-developed paragraph. Again, stay objective.
6. In the third paragraph, explain which of the two articles in your opinion has more effective argumentation and why.
Be wary of your bias – we tend to find the argument we agree with more convincing than an argument defending a position we disagree with. Is your opinion of the article effectiveness influenced by your bias, or do you find the argumentation (structure, evidence, appeals, etc) objectively stronger? You can also comment on the weaknesses of another article that explain why you did not find it effective. In the same paragraph, briefly explain which of the two articles you had a harder time writing objectively about.
7. Review your summaries for unintentional plagiarism.
Review videos on MLA in-text citations and Works Cited (MLA Lesson) and MLA pages in the textbook – Chapter 10. Look for missing signal phrases or citations, missing quotes, or a paraphrase that is too close to the original text. Also, compare your own in-text citations to the examples (in the videos, tutorials, and the textbook) to be sure the in-text formatting is correct.
8. For the two articles you summarized, create a Works Cited page that follows the guidelines in the MLA Works Cited video and in Chapter 10 of Practical Argument.