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to make an informed decision. Reviewing this list may help you identify a business-related
problem you have encountered that you would like to investigate; evaluate possible
alternative solutions, and make a recommendation.
a. Recommend a digital camera for your regional quality assurance inspectors of a national
convenience store chain. The inspectors will use the camera to enhance the quality of
periodic reports documenting each store’s adherence to company policies (e.g., visibility
of company signage, friendliness of staff, cleanliness of restrooms).
b. Recommend one of three laptop computers for use by the company’s sales staff. The
computer must have wireless capability for transmitting and retrieving data from the
central office.
c. After suffering catastrophic losses following Super Storm Sandy, an insurance company
is seeking your advice on its plan to withdraw coverage from counties within the
devastated areas. Provide the insurance company with an analysis of the significant
issues and any ethical and legal implications of the decision.
d. As director of human resources, investigate the merits of adopting a corporate policy
banning cell phone usage by employees driving company vehicles. The legislature of your
state has not banned cell phone usage while driving.
e. A local orchard has sold its line of jellies and jams only to specialty retailers. Consider
the feasibility of launching a website with online ordering capability for individual
consumers.
f. A national study suggests that employees who participate regularly in formal fitness
programs file fewer health insurance claims than those who do not. As a member of the
board of directors, weigh alternatives and present a plan that would provide employees
an incentive to participate actively in a fitness program.
g. As vice president of operations in a major hotel chain, investigate whether providing
housekeeping staff with wireless headphones would improve productivity and employee
morale.
h. Recommend how you would invest $2 billion of excess cash that your company will not
need until the plant expands in two more years.
i. Your government agency has always purchased the automobiles used by its social
workers. The cars are typically driven approximately 30,000 miles a year and are sold
for about 20 percent of their purchase value at the end of three years. Consider the cost
effectiveness of the current policy and a car dealer’s offer to lease the cars and
recommend appropriate action.
j. One of your sales staff has provided literature that cites health problems related to the
use of cellular telephones. Study the issue and make a recommendation to the company
as to how to respond to this issue.
SUGESSTED SOLUTIONS:
10. Considering Adoption of Linux Operating System: Read the scenario then complete the
exercise below.
Your company, Support, Inc., is considering the possibility of adopting Linux as your network
operating system. You have been asked by the owner and president of your organization to
research the possibility of converting from Windows 7 to Linux. You have surveyed 66
companies that are using the Linux operating system and have obtained the following results:
1. What operating system were you using prior to Linux? (Check one)
2. In general, how would you rate the quality of Linux as compared to your previous
operating system? (Check one)
3. What, if anything, do you like about Linux? (Check all that apply)
4. What, if any, complaints do you have about Linux? (Check all that apply)
5. Where have you used Linux? (Check one)
6. How did you obtain your Linux operating system? (Check one)
7. What is your advice to a company considering converting to the Linux operating system?
(Circle one)
(9) (4) (15) (19) (9) (10)
1 2 3 4 5 6
Exercise:
11. Studying the Merits of Mentoring: Read the scenario below, then complete the related
exercise.
Your company, Ultron Oil, is considering implementing a formal mentoring program as a means
for developing managerial talent. Your supervisor, the division director, has commissioned you to
prepare a report on the effectiveness of mentoring. As a part of the study, you have surveyed 70
managers representing a variety of businesses: 44 were male, and 26 were female. They ranged in
age from 22 to 69, with the median age being 45. Their responses follow:
1. In your career development, have you ever had a mentor?
2. Which of the following describes your mentoring relationship(s)?
3. How long did the typical mentoring relationship last?
4. Did you perceive that you benefited from the mentoring relationship?
5. Did you perceive that your mentor benefited from the relationship?
6. Have you ever been a mentor to another person?
7. Does your company have a mentoring program in place?
Exercise:
12. Assessing Attitudes Toward Software Piracy: Read the scenario, then complete the related
exercise.
You are conducting a study of college seniors concerning their awareness of and attitudes toward
software piracy. You have surveyed 100 students as a part of your project. The first category of
questions dealt with their knowledge of software piracy. The correct answer to each of these
questions is “true.” Their responses are as follows:
1. Purchased software is covered by copyright law and generally allows for only a backup
copy to be made by the purchaser.
84 True
16 False
2. Making copies of copyrighted software for distribution to others (software piracy) is a
federal crime.
94 True
6 False
3. Making a copy of a software program owned by my company for use at home, unless
expressly allowed, is a violation of copyright law.
82 True
18 False
4. Software piracy is punishable by both fine and imprisonment.
92 True
8 False
The second category of questions dealt with specific situations. To each, students were instructed
to give their honest responses. Their responses are as follows:
1. Your employer has purchased Visual Communicator for use on your computer at work.
You have a computer at home and would like to have a copy of the program for you and your
family’s personal use. You would:
38 Make a copy of the disk for use at home and buy a manual from Amazon
Prime.
50 Make a copy of the disk and photocopy the manual for home use.
12 Wait until you could afford to purchase a copy yourself.
2. You visit a local computer software store and see Visual Communicator with a price of
$149. You would:
100 Buy it now or if money is short, come back later to buy.
0 Shoplift the software.
3. You obtain a copy of Visual Communicator. A friend asks you for a copy of it. You
would:
58 Give your friend a copy of the program.
22 Trade your friend a copy of Visual Communicator for a copy of Adobe
PhotoShop.
6 Sell your friend a copy for $25.
14 Tell your friend that he/she must purchase a copy.
Exercise:
Present your findings, conclusions, and recommendations in a formal report to your college
13. Solving a Business Problem: Select one of the following problems to solve. Provide the
necessary assumptions and background data. Then write a formal report of your analysis,
conclusions, and recommendations. Include preliminary and ending parts you believe
appropriate. You may need to design a questionnaire and administer it to an appropriate
sample. Reviewing this list may help you identify a business-related problem you have
encountered during your employment or cooperative education and intern experiences. If you
choose to solve your own problem, provide the necessary assumptions and background data.
a. Investigate the feasibility of your company becoming the corporate sponsor of a
professional athletic team that is located in the same city as the company’s corporate
headquarters. The stadium name would be named for the company and the company
would control all advertising rights within the stadium.
b. You have read articles about the advantages of having Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)
c. Your human resources department is considering the implementation of a full criminal
background check in the selection of employees. Study the advisability of this practice.
f. Investigate the possibility of enlisting senior citizen volunteers to staff a city welcome
center scheduled to open next year.
g. A committee of employees has recommended that the company establish a hazardous
waste depository where employees can discard items not accepted in the landfill (e.g.,
h. You have received reports that several of your major competitors have installed
electronic auditing procedures to monitor employees’ computer usage. The president
wants your immediate attention on this issue. Investigate the implications of using
technology to monitor employees’ computer activities. Will employees consider this
procedure an invasion of privacy? Anticipate all possible problems and present
and 4. Investigate alternatives and prepare a proposal for her consideration.
Students answers will vary. Evaluate based on, among other criteria, the thoroughness of their
analysis and inclusion of appropriate parts.
Optionally, you may require students to
a. Conduct a questionnaire survey to gather research data. If so, consider developing the
14. Bidding for a Convention Site: Read the following scenario and complete the activity below.
The National Insurance Appraisers Association is planning an upcoming convention. This
association of 500 members conducts a three-day conference during late October that
includes at least one general session and as many as five breakout groups of 50–75
participants. The chair of this group’s convention site committee has invited your city
(instructor will assign) to submit a proposal bidding for the convention’s 2020 national
convention.
Activity:
As executive director of the Economic Development Council, write a proposal including specific
information to convince the group that your city (choose a location) can provide the needed
15. Applying for a Franchise to Open a Coffee Shop: Read the following scenario and complete
the activity below.
Interested in opening a gourmet coffee shop, Leigh Holland wrote Oasis, Inc., a popular
franchiser of gourmet coffee shops, to solicit franchise information. In answer to his request,
Holland received an extremely receptive letter requesting standard information designed to
help Oasis determine the economic viability of the proposed location. After analyzing this
preliminary information, Oasis will decide whether to accept Holland’s franchise application.
Oasis has requested preliminary information regarding the economic and social environment
of the proposed site. Specifically, Holland must provide valid, objective data concerning the
population of the service area, the economic status of the population, the traffic flow in front
of the proposed site, the nature and extent of competing specialty franchises that offer patrons
a place to socialize, and any other information that would support the economic success of
the proposed franchise.
Activity:
As Leigh Holland, prepare a letter report to the franchiser. Address it to Oasis Fantasy, 9700
Gulfside Drive, Pensacola, FL 32501-9700.
16. Proposing Additional Employee Benefit to Management: Read the following scenario and
complete the activity below.
As human resources manager at Innovative Solutions, you are preparing a proposal to be
submitted to company management that would institute a tuition reimbursement program for
employees who complete work-related college courses.
Activity:
Write a proposal that includes the following information: (1) an explanation of how the tuition
17. Responding to Problem of Computer Virus Hoaxes: Prepare an oral report on computer
virus hoaxes and the appropriate response to them. Include the following parts in your report
outline: (1) Why are virus hoaxes problematic for individuals and organizations? (2) What
are some common virus hoaxes? (3) How can virus hoaxes be “checked out”? Prepare
appropriate visuals for your presentation. End your report with a recommendation as to how
to best respond to virus hoaxes. Submit your report outline and a copy of your visuals to your
instructor after delivering your presentation.
20
CASE ASSIGNMENT 1
CYBERTHEFT: IT’S A BIG DEAL
One of the World Wide Web’s most attractive features, easy access to a universe of
information and data, is also one of its greatest vulnerabilities. Computer users can easily access,
download, copy, cut, paste, and publish any of the text, pictures, video, sound, program code, and
other data forms available on the Internet. An inherent conflict of interest prevails because of the
consumer’s appetite for data and the creator’s right to remuneration for original work.
Passage of the Patriot Act gave the FBI easier access to information about cyberspace
theft by allowing examination of Internet databases without search warrants. Internet service
providers have been compelled to turn over the names of subscribers traced by the music industry
to their IP addresses. The Recording Industry Association has also targeted college campuses in
its aggressive campaign to curtail unauthorized music downloading. In recent years, for example,
Cybertheft deprives musicians, artists, and other creative parties from the income that
would otherwise result from the sale and licensing of their artistic works. The World Intellectual
Property Organization, sponsored by the United Nations, is working to ensure copyright
21
theft.html#ixzz2McdZTaAJ; Jeff Stone,| September 12, 2012, How People Are Caught Illegally Downloading Music,
Movie Torrent, International Business Times.
Activities
1. Locate websites with articles about current international copyright issues or cases. Provide a
one-page written summary to your instructor that describes the issue and the country(ies)
involved.
2. Write a short, informative report describing how a company’s website can violate the
copyrights of others and giving advice to organizational web page developers for avoiding
possible copyright infringement.
3. “The nature of cyberspace defies copyright enforcement.” In a one- to two-page report,
justify or refute this statement, giving reasons and/or examples.
CASE ASSIGNMENT 2
AFLAC INCORPORATED: CAPITALIZING ON THE COMMUNICATION POWER OF
THE ANNUAL REPORT
Of all the documents corporations publish, none receives as much attention as the annual
report. Offering a valuable glimpse into the workings and financial performance of companies,
these annual scorecards guide investors’ decisions. Annual reports guide investor decisions by
offering a valuable glimpse into a company’s workings and financial performance as well as
articulating its personality and philosophy. Organizing the report’s information around a theme
and providing attractive visual elements assist in reading comprehension. Furthermore, annual
reports serve as an ideal public relations mechanism to influence various stakeholders, including
employees and the general public. Many managers are seizing the apparent opportunity to
articulate their company’s corporate personality and philosophy effectively.
One company that is successfully capitalizing on the communication power of its annual
report is Aflac Incorporated. A Fortune 500 company, Aflac insures more than 40 million people
worldwide and is the largest life insurer in Japan. It has made its marketing fame as a leading
underwriter of supplemental insurance. While the Aflac duck catapulted the company’s brand
recognition from 12 percent to nearly 90 percent following its introduction in 2000, research has
shown that consumers want to learn more about the company’s products and services.
The annual report is an important tool Aflac is using to convey its positive message.
Aflac’s annual reports have been honorably recognized every year since the inception of Chief
Executive magazines’ rating system of the best annual reports. Aflac’s reports have consistently
22
The annual report rating is based on a 135-point copyrighted evaluation system that
factors in elements ranging from extensive CEO involvement to more financial disclosure than is
required by the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to Sid Cato, contributing editor
and judge for Chief Executive’s annual report listing, Aflac’s exemplary reports include multiple-
year financial data, biographical information on company officers, and fully captioned graphs, all
of which helped place it as one of the best.
Careful design and organization of Aflac’s annual report have led to positive public
recognition and likely improved the company’s competitive edge. In speaking of the annual
report, Sid Cato says, “This is the No. 1 document a company can produce. It’s the key corporate
Important factors that Cato looks for in effective annual reports include clear financial
disclosures, biographical data on corporate officers and board members, a brief and forward-
looking letter from the company’s chair, and design continuity that suggests the company’s
accountants work well with its communication people. The use of understandable language with
average sentence length of 16 words or less is important and four-color artwork and photos are
also valued. These design factors helped propel Aflac to the top of the numeric scoring. Cato
says, “If a company doesn’t know enough to produce an annual report that says ‘Open me, read
me,’ you should toss it in the wastebasket.”
In addition to his annual report rating, Cato authors a monthly newsletter on annual
reports and provides report critiques at the request of companies that include tips for
improvement. While encouraging companies to develop a clear theme and to use their reports to
document their competitive advantages, Cato recognizes that the companies often fear revealing
Activities
1. Visit the Aflac website at http://www.aflac.com to identify the theme used in the award-
winning Aflac report and the strategies for reflecting company values throughout the report.
2. Following instructions given by your instructor, electronically post your response to this
question: While Cato recommends full explanation of financial information, how much is too
much?
3. How does an annual report reveal what a company feels about itself?
4. What additional communication options are possible when annual reports are delivered over
the Internet or by CD-ROM instead of in traditional paper form?
5. What would cause you to want to open and read an annual report?
