Category: Business and management

Bi-Weekly Learning Insights Report (L.I.R.)

The bi-weekly L.I.R. is designed to be a critical and analytical activity integrating insights from your personal experiences alongside academic reading and discussions. These reports account for the majority of your grade, as they exhibit your synthesis of the information and progress toward academic objectives. In each report, please organize your report with the sections below:

Section 1: Reading Summary (Minimum 4 pages)

• Summarize assigned textbook readings, see the class sessions under assignments, and other materials such as news articles.
• Write Section 1 on top of this Section.
• The reading summary will be a minimum of 4 pages. Feel free to write a very long summary as this is for your future use.

Section 2: Discussion Reflection (1-3 pages)

• Summarize your class notes.
• Reflect on the relevance and applicability of the topics discussed in your personal and professional life.
• Include any questions, clarifications, or suggestions for the Instructor.
• Write Section 2 on top of this Section

Section 3: Negotiation Simulation Assessment, Analysis (N/A for this one)

• For each negotiation, provide:
• Names and roles of all students involved in the negotiation.
• Preparation details, including research.
• Outcomes of the negotiation, including copies of worksheets and agreements.
• Reflection on the negotiation process:
• What did you and your counterpart do correctly?
• What could have been improved?
• Comment on the strengths, and weaknesses demonstrated by both you and your counterpart.
• How would you approach a similar situation differently in the future to achieve a better outcome?
• Reference specific concepts learned during the course and cite various tactics, and strategies used.
• Write Section 3 on top of this Section

For a personal touch, this person plays college football and has been to 4 different universities. (Cal. Berkely (present), Houston, Louisville, and Virginia Tech.

———————————————————————————–

• Class Session 1
• Session Theme:
• Introductions
• Definitions
• Prepare before class:
• Get Textbook
• Familiarize yourself with Canvas
• Class Session 2
• Session Theme:
• Negotiation Overview
• Textbook reading: Chapter 1. The Nature of Negotiation

In this assignment, you analyze a business scenario to summarize the principles of agency law, recommend steps to limit liability and determine the circumstances under which a business might be liable for employee conduct. Ride-sharing companies are largely hailed as the advent of the gig economy, which is the idea that people do not work as permanent employees for one employer but instead work in a labor market characterized by short-term contracts or freelance work. While creating a new type of entrepreneurship for individuals, a gig economy raises a host of new legal questions about the law of agency for companies utilizing gig workers. Scenario Widgets operates a ride-sharing business with over 100 drivers. Your boss has asked you to evaluate Widgets’ legal exposure for the conduct of its drivers. Several drivers have had accidents, and one driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated when providing a ride for a company client. Widgets has no policy for hiring or checking backgrounds and, for some drivers, allows the use of four company vehicles for transporting large groups. Consider the above scenario and complete a 34 page memo in which you do the following: Summarize the main principles of agency law relevant to the scenario. Identify and accurately explain the liability to the business in the scenario by considering each of the following factors: The scope of employment. Agents acting as an employee versus an independent contractor. When agents commit an intentional tort versus negligence. Recommend 23 significant steps that the business should take to limit its legal exposure related to driver conduct. Support your recommendation

Complete on-line discussion # 6 Organizational structure in MNCs: Post on the discussion board and respond to at least one of your fellow learners by Sunday 11:59 PM

• Initial post: 300 words, thoughtful response (50%), due by or before Thursday
• Peer reply: 150 words, substantive engagement (50%), due Sunday midnight
• Post initial responses early in the week to enable peer discussion

Research a large multinational firm in a country other than your own.

1. Research the organizational structure of the selected firm and discuss the reasons why you believe the firm pursues this given structure.
2. Can you find any substantive differences in the organizational structure that may be due to culture?

Sales Plan Components

1. Executive Summary 5 points (Approximately 12 a page or less)

Summary of the plans main goals and recommended actions/initiatives. This section helps top management to find the plan’s major points quickly. *Note – section should actually be written last.

2. Current Market Situation 15 points (1-2 pages) Include some statistics and citations

Market Analysis & Description:1. Analyze the market, then define the major segment(s) you will target (age ranges, income levels, etc.). 2. State why they are an attractive segment to target. 3. Review target customers psychographics (needs, interests, unique characteristics, etc.).

Product Overview: a brief description of the product and its characteristics. *Cite firms website

Competition Overview:1. Identify and offer a brief overview of at least 3 competing products, as well as their prices and market share. *Note – substitutes from other firms or existing offerings from your own firm can be listed as possible competitors. 2. State how your product will compete with them (i.e., what will your product do to set itself apart from its competitors?).

3. SWOT Analysis 10 points (Approximately 12 to 1 page In the form of a table)

Assess major strengths and weaknesses of your product and company, as well as external threats and opportunities. Identify at least 3 considerations for each letter/area of the SWOT.

4. Objectives and Issues 10 points (Approximately 12 to 1 page)

Objectives: The 3 specific, measurable, and timebound (i.e., include metrics) goals of your sales plan (e.g., sales, market share, social media, brand awareness, etc.) that you want to achieve.

Issues: Discuss any potential issues that may inhibit achieving your stated objectives/goals.

5. Translate Features Info Benefits 10 points (12 to 1 page – In the form of a table)

Features: List some (at least 5) technical specifications/features of your product.

Benefits: Translate each of the technical features you mentioned into a specific benefit for the customer (i.e., How does this feature help solve a problem, fill a need, and/or add value?).

6. Unique Selling Points 15 points (1-2 pages)

Positioning:1. What will you emphasize in order to create a distinct brand image in consumers minds? 2. What 2-3 keywords do you want consumers to think of when they hear of this product?

Differentiation: What unique features will you emphasize in order to stand out from competitors?

Value Proposition:1. State what space you plan to compete in from the Value Proposition Matrix and why. 2. The 3 benefits your product will promise to deliver. 3. Directly answer the question of Why should a customer buy your product rather than a competitors?.

7. Channels and Promotions 10 points (1-2 pages)

Sales Channels: Identify the best sales channel(s) for your product (online, in-store retail, dealer, company owned stores, etc.).

Promotions: Identify at least 3 advertising and promotional tools that should be used.

8. Conclusion 5 points (1-2 sentences)

Provide a brief 1-2 sentence conclusion to wrap up the paper

VERY IMPORTANT 1. Use the above chart as a way to organize your paper, using the main part titles (the ones in Bold) as Headings and the bullet points (the ones in Italics) as Subheadings.

*VERY IMPORTANT 2. The paper must be written in the format of a modified bullet point write-up (see page 6 of these instructions for an example), rather than a traditional paragraph style paper. This is an economical format of writing that allows key information to stand out and be easily reviewed by businesspeople in a clear concise manner.

Use this to expound upon:

V. Strategic Recommendations and Conclusion

Coachs recent financial performance underscores the formidable strength of its renewed brand positioning. A remarkable 25% revenue growth in Q2 FY26, the acquisition of 2.9 million new customers, and a 390-basis-point increase in operating margin all validate the global appeal of “Expressive Luxury” (Rivers, 2026). To sustain this momentum and reach the ambitious milestone of becoming a $10 billion brand within the Tapestry portfolio, the following strategic recommendations are proposed (Tapestry, Inc., n.d.):

Recommendation 1: Deepen the “Enrichment Narrative” in Sales Training

The “enrichment economy” framework (Dion et al., 2024, 96-118) provides a sophisticated lens through which to elevate sales dialogues. By formally educating the sales force on this concept, Coach can empower associates to position products not merely as seasonal fashion, but as strategic investments with enduring emotional and monetary value. Providing the specific vocabulary to discuss heritage and longevity will elevate the brand’s perceived status.

Recommendation 2: Leverage CRM for Hyper-Personalized Engagement

Coach should utilize its CRM infrastructure more strategically to craft hyper-personalized customer journeys. By synthesizing data from purchase histories, digital browsing patterns, and past engagement, associates can transition from reactive selling to proactive, high-value outreach. This ensures that every customer touchpoint feels bespoke, increasing the likelihood of conversion and long-term loyalty.

Recommendation 3: Reinforce Ethical Rigor Amid Rapid Growth

As Coach continues its aggressive global expansion, maintaining the corporate mandate to “Hold to High Standards” is paramount (Rivers, 2026); (Zwieglinska, 2025). Management must proactively foster a culture that prioritizes customer needs over short-term quotas. Ensuring that ethical rigor remains a non-negotiable pillar of the sales organization will protect long-term brand equity and prevent the reputational risks associated with high-pressure sales environments.

Recommendation 4: Maintain and Reinforce Ethical Rigor as the Brand Grows

Since Coach is in an ever-expanding phase, and the need to adhere to high ethical principles and the philosophy to Hold to High Standards (AInvest, 2026; Glossy, 2025) may represent a bottleneck, management should take on the initiative and instill a culture where associates are encouraged to focus on the needs of customers rather than on short-term achievements.Conclusion

Coach is exceptionally well-positioned to remain a dominant force in the global luxury market. By executing this comprehensive sales strategy, anchored in the Strategic/Consultative-Selling Model, Coach will deepen its emotional resonance with consumers, expand its base of loyal advocates, and continue to define the future of “Expressive Luxury” in an increasingly competitive landscape.

References

Ahearne, M., & Manning, G. L. (2023). Selling Today: Partnering to Create Value. Pearson.

Coach New York. (n.d.). coach-story-sfcc. COACH. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from

comGateway. (2026, February 08). US Coach Retailers vs South Korean Boutiques: The urgent logistical logic for acquiring the Coach Brooklyn Shoulder Bag 39 in 2026. comGateway. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from

Dion, D., Pavlyuchenko, R., & Prokopec, S. (2024, August 9). The Enrichment Economy: Market Dynamics, Brand Strategy, and Ethics. Journal of Marketing, 89(2), 96-118. American Marketing Association.

Rivers, H. (2026, February 5). Coach’s $10B Ambition: Can 25% Growth Penetrate an $89B Market? AInvest.

Singsit, J. (2026, January 8). Gen Z proves most resilient as US apparel spending dips in 2025. Just Style.

Tapestry, Inc. (n.d.). Tapestry. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from

Zacks Equity Research. (2025, December 23). Can Coach’s Luxury Strategy Sustain TPR’s Competitive Edge in FY26? Zacks. Retrieved February 23, 2026, from .

Zwieglinska, Z. (2025, September 11). Tapestry’s $10 billion balancing act. Glossy.

Prompt To complete this assignment: Review the resources you will be using in Project Two: Assessing Financial Performance. Marketing and sales executive summary Vision, mission, and values of your company Consolidated balance sheet of your company Consolidated cash flow statement of your company Consolidated income statement of your company Balance sheet of your chosen company from Module One Cash flow statement of your chosen company from Module One Income statement of your chosen company from Module One Review information related to Patagonias corporate social responsibility and activism, as well as their mission, vision, and values. Use the following resources to help guide your research: WileyPlus: Patagonia Case Analysis Patagonias Corporate Social Responsibility and Activism PatagoniaOur Footprint PatagoniaMission, Vision, Values Based on your review of the financial records of the health and beauty company as well as the company you chose in Module One, identify common financial KPIs and explain how these could also align with Patagonias CSR initiatives and its mission, vision, and values. Based on your review of Patagonias information, describe how CSR activism can lead to a better brand image and financial results. Is Patagonia doing anything that stands out from competitors? Explain what the health and beauty company could do to incorporate CSR activism strategies to meet its own KPIs. What to Submit In a Word document, use double-spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. This consulting report should be 2 pages in length and include references cited in APA format. Consult the Shapiro Library APA Style Guide for more information on citations.

Overview

For this assignment, you will conclude your marketing plan by developing your hypothetical company’s integrated marketing communications strategy. The categories for the communications strategy include traditional promotion, social media promotion, digital promotion, and cause-related marketing. You will also create a video to advertise your product or service as a social media influencer.

Note: You should make all assumptions needed for the completion of this assignment.

Expand AllInstructions

Complete this assignment using the

[DOCX].

Step 1: Use the Marketing Plan Template Part C to complete Part C by developing 3 to 4 double-spaced pages, excluding the title page and sources page. Save it as Lastname_Firstname_MKT500_MarketingPlan_PartC_Assignment.

Step 2: For Part C of your Marketing Plan, you have the opportunity to update and improve the content in the Plan A and Plan B sections based on instructor feedback. This is only to help you develop Part C. Plan A and Plan B will not be regraded. Once an assignment has been graded, it cannot be regraded.

Step 3: Follow the instructions carefully as you complete each assignment.

Step 4: Review the assignment rubric to ensure you have met all requirements and submit the completed template using the assignment link in your course.

Section InstructionsMarketing Plan C Summary

1. Develop an introduction for Part C of the Marketing Plan that includes key components.

• Include the company name, type of business, the product it makes or the service it provides, and location.
• Include a short reflection on your experience of developing the Marketing Plan.

Your answer in this section should be 1-2 paragraphs.

Traditional Promotion

2. Explain the strategy for traditional promotion for the product or service and target market.

• Include: content/message, platform [advertising, public relations, sales promotion], and timing.

Your response in this section should be 2-3 paragraphs. Use complete sentences.

Social Media Promotion

3. Develop a strategy for social media promotion for the product or service and target market.

• Include content/message, platform, and timing.
• Refer to the Week 8 social media marketing activity and the Week 8 discussion.
• This is a good section to use references to speak to the validity and choice of your social media choices. That is, use an academic resource that shares their research on demographics and metrics of the use of your chosen platform(s). For example, TikTok has xxx followers who are between the ages of xxxx, have xx with an income level of xxxx, and like to share xxxx. Then cite/reference the source.
• You may want to research social media platform data by navigating to the social media profile and looking for analytics or insights.

4. Create a script for a 30-45 second video to advertise your product or service as a social media influencer.

5. Record a 30-45 second video to advertise your product or service as a social media influencer.

• The ad should reflect your social media strategy and should be focused on your target market (audience).

Refer to the instructions,

, to help you record your video advertisement. Dont worry! You can record the audio more than once before you submit it. Your video advertisement will be recorded directly on your Canvas assignment page and linked in this template.

Your response in this section will include a social media promotion (3-4 paragraphs) and a link to a 30-45 second video advertisement with the corresponding written script. Paste a link to your video file and your written script, with SWS citations.

Digital Promotion

6. Describe the strategy for digital promotion for the product or service and target market. Include: content/message, platform, and timing.

Your response in this section should be 3-4 paragraphs.

Social Responsibility or Cause-Related Marketing Strategy

7. Develop a social responsibility or cause-related marketing strategy most relevant to the product or service and target market.

• Refer to the Week 10 discussion.

Your response in this section should be 3-4 paragraphs.

Provide at least two current (within 5 years) academic resources from the Strayer Library and/or outside sources. Note: Wikipedia and Web-based blogs do not qualify as credible resources. In-text citations are required when paraphrasing or quoting another source. Cite each source listed on your source page at least one time within your assignment.

An Evaluation of the Dilemma at Benevento Foods

Marco Benevento, the owner of Benevento Foods, a manufacturer and distributor of food products to hotels and restaurants, has received a complaint from one of his customers that several pieces of rubber have been found in one of the baking mixes. The customer is placing all incoming orders on hold until the issue is resolved. Adding to the situation, the annual BRC Food Safety audit is scheduled for the end of the month. Mr. Benevento knows that you are working towards completing your MBA and wonders if there are any techniques you have learned that may help to identify the causes of the quality issue. As you begin to tell him about systems thinking and root cause analysis, he is impressed and asks you to take charge of finding the root cause(s) of the quality issue and to provide him with recommendations for improvements. After reviewing the case, you will compile a business report, using the template provided, with the following three sections, including specific examples from the case, as well as relevant citations from the Learning Activities, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate academic sources to support your evaluation.

********* PART 1

In Part 1 of your business report, you are to evaluate the workings of Benevento Foodsincluding production, quality control, and maintenance processesthrough the lens of systems thinking. Through your evaluation, you should address the following:

• Justify the value that systems thinking can bring to an organizations operations.
• Identify two to three areas where Benevento Foods applied key principles of systems thinking and where this thinking appears to be lacking. Explain why.
• By applying the concept of a learning organization, evaluate the core issues that you think led to the dilemma. Note: Be sure to consider the 11 laws of systems thinking as you perform your evaluation.
• Apply the concept of moral imagination to the scenario and explain how it could help bring positive change within the organization. Be sure to consider who the stakeholders are and explain how the framework would impact them.

*********** Part 2

For Part 2 of your business report to the company owner, you are to use a systems approach toward the dilemma at Benevento Foods and address the following:

• Develop a robust effect-cause-effect logic tree diagram using the 5-Whys tool to identify the root cause(s) of the quality issue. The diagram itself can be drawn by hand or with software. (Note: Tables are not appropriate; it must be in the form of a diagram.)
• In addition to the diagram, explain the effect-cause-effect flow leading to the root cause(s). (Reminder: The concept of systems thinking and its associated tools are new to the owner.)
• Create an appropriate causal loop diagram to capture the fundamental system behaviors, outcomes, and causes of the quality issue at Benevento Foods. The diagram itself can be drawn by hand or with software. (Note: Tables are not appropriate; it must be in the form of a diagram.)
• In addition to the diagram, explain the causal loop flow of the diagram. (Reminder: The concept of systems thinking and its associated tools are new to the owner.)
• There are both detailed and dynamic complexities at work at Benevento Foods. Through a systems thinking viewpoint, evaluate the complexities that have led to the identified dilemma.

*********** Part 3

In Part 3 of your business report, you are to provide the owner with a summary of your findings and your recommendations to include the following:

• Based on your evaluation, summarize the dilemma at Benevento Foods, including the identified root cause(s) of the quality issue and systemic issues that you discovered.
• Develop a set of at least three immediate recommendations, based on your evaluation, to improve the quality of the product.
• Develop a set of at least three recommendations for longer term improvements based on systems thinking.

Your written assignment will be evaluated for analytical reasoning, logical reasoning, organizational awareness, critical thinking, research skills, and written communication skills.

I want to pick option 4 – Delivering better service as it aligns with what I wrote in part A – presentation (accounting/audit-based)

Donella Meadows, the pioneer of Systems Thinking and author of Thinking in Systems: A Primer, defines a system as an interconnected set of elements that is coherently organized in a way that achieves something. If you look at that definition closely for a minute, you can see that a system must consist of three kinds of things: elements, interconnections, and a function or purpose (2008, p. 11). For this Discussion, using Meadowss definition of a system, consider an organization you are familiar with and post the following:

• Provide a brief description of the organization.
• Provide two examples of a system within the organization, and describe the elements, interconnections, and purpose for each. (Remember, to be an actual system all three features must be present.)
• Now that you have identified some examples of systems within an organization, consider your definition of what systems thinking may entail. Provide a 1-sentence definition.

I attached the rubric as well as my Clifton Strength Evaluation since that has to be included I did tried to do this paper clearly I’m not good with writing so read the rubric making sure everything they are asking for is included and the citations or resources I would like for you to use I provided 3 trusted references in that file properly cite anything.

Reference Page

1. Zaccaro, S. J. (2007). Trait-based perspectives of leadership. American Psychologist, 62(1), 616.
2. Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315338.
3. Doran, G. T. (1981). Theres a S.M.A.R.T. way to write managements goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), 3536.