BUS 640 Managerial Economics (2 Discussions)

#1 Firm Objectives (300 words or more)

Read the articles Jessica Alba’s Triple Bottom startup raises $25 million https:// and The bottom line of corporate good https:// reference to the articles, discuss how firms incorporate the triple bottom line concept into traditional business concerns over profitability. In 300 words or more, please, provide your response to the above discussion question. Comment on how customers can influence firms to pay more attention to the preservation of the natural environment.

#2 Decision Making Under Uncertainty (300 words or more)

To save on gasoline expenses, Edith and Mathew agreed to carpool together for traveling to and from work. Edith preferred to travel on I-20 highway as it was usually the fastest, taking 25 minutes in the absence of traffic delays. Mathew pointed out that traffic jams on the highway can lead to long delays making the trip 45 minutes. He preferred to travel along Shea Boulevard, which was longer (35 minutes), but rarely had traffic jams. Edith agreed that in case of traffic jams, Shea Boulevard was a reasonable alternative. Neither of them knows the state of the highway ahead of time. After driving to work on the I-20 highway for 1 month (20 workdays), they found the highway to be jammed 3 times. Assuming that this month is a good representation of all months ahead, should Edith and Mathew continue to use the highway for traveling to work?How would you conclusion change for the winter months, if bad weather makes it likely for traffic jams on the highway to increase to 6 days per month?How would your conclusion change if Mathew purchased a new smart-phone app that could show the status of the highway traffic prior to their drive each morning, thus reducing the probability of them getting into a jam down to only 1day per month (where on this day, the app showed no traffic jam, but a jam developed in the meantime as they were driving along the highway).In 300 words or more, please, provide your response to the above discussion question. Please, show all your calculations and explain your answers. Further, comment on how the conclusions of this problem will change if there was no uncertainty and the highway always had traffic jams, whereas Shea Blvd was always traffic jam free? Is this scenario realistic and why?

Assignment 2: Leading and Managing the HR Project

Due Week 4 and worth 145 points

Continuing from the previous assignment, it is now important to consider your approach to leading and managing your HR project. Tightly structured projects tend to restrict cross-organizational communication. As such, objectives originate at the top of the project, and are subdivided as they are passed down, resulting in little opportunity for creative contributions. Effective leadership and managing of the project can greatly improve communication and team contributions.

Write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you:

1. Review and understand the types of project manager power listed and defined in the textbook and select and define any two (2) you feel would be relevant to your current project and explain why. Be specific.
2. Identify and briefly discuss a minimum of four (4) outcomes (possible issues) resulting from managing projects and address how you might resolve the issues. Be clear with your rationale.
3. Discuss some increased challenges a project manager may face when leading virtual or global project teams. Recommend a few strategies to deal with the challenges.
4. Identify and explain your overall plan for communication management during the project. The plan must be comprehensive and at a minimum address (1) structure, (2) purpose, (3) method, and (4) timing.
5. Go to http://research.strayer.edu to locate at least three (3) quality academic (peer-reviewed) resources in this assignment.

Your assignment must:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Assess organizational strategies that contribute to effective project management of human resources.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in managing human resource projects.
• Write clearly and concisely about managing human resource projects using proper writing mechanics.