Case Study – Hal’s Woodworking

Hal Donovan started an ordinary hardware store, named Hal’s Hardware in Sandusky, Ohio, in 1988. He had been working during his summer vacations from college for a long-established hardware store and decided he liked the business. Hal’s Hardware developed an excellent reputation as a friendly neighborhood store. The store managers are all active in the community and the store regularly sponsors youth sports teams and supports local charities. When hired, salespeople go through a comprehensive training program that includes skill training in the areas of the store in which they will work (plumbing, electrical, power tools, flooring, garden, and so on), and they are trained in customer service skills. As a result of this focus on service, Hal’s Hardware became a community gathering place.

Hal offers classes and workshops for the homeowner and hobbyist three evenings each month and regularly schedules seminars for professional customers on weekday mornings. Many of these workshops and seminars are underwritten and taught by manufacturers to promote their products, but an increasing number are being created by Hal’s Hardware staff members.

In recent years, Hal has become concerned that the business is no longer growing. The store is facing increasing competition from hardware chains such as Home Depot and Lowe’s. These national chains have opened many new stores, and they are larger, carry more items, and offer lower prices on some items. The competition is fierce; for example, Hal’s Hardware closed its lumber department because of this competition. The national chains buy lumber in such large quantities that they can offer far lower prices. Hal matched his larger competitors’ prices, but found he was unable to earn a profit on lumber sales and that department consumed a large amount of floor space in the store.

Hal was worried that this sort of problem could develop in other departments, so he began looking for ways to add value to the customer experience, especially in ways that the national chains were not willing or able to do. For example, Hal has found that many people want to try out a new power tool in person before they spend hundreds of dollars on a purchase. Thus, Hal’s Hardware created a tool demonstration area staffed with salespeople who are experts in power tool operation. For each major type of power tool (drills, power saws, joiners, grinding tools, and so on), Hal created a small booklet of hints for using that type of tool. Hal’s salespeople give these booklets to customers as free handouts. They also sell Hal’s own low-cost instructional DVDs.

Hal’s Hardware currently has a Web site that includes general information about the company, directions to the store, and hours of operation. Hal is thinking about expanding the Web site to include online shopping. He is hoping that customers might find the Web site to be a useful way to order items, see whether items are in stock at the store, and comparison shop among different brands of a particular item. Hal also hopes that the Web site might reach customers who are not located near the store, but he realizes that some of his products do not have ideal shipping profiles.

Hal has been talking with Sarah Johnson, his most senior store manager, about his idea for adding online sales to the Web site. Sarah has been with the company for 20 years and has organized a number of the classes held on Saturday afternoons in the tool demonstration area. After hearing Hal’s ideas, she expressed some concerns. Sarah explained that going online with their entire product line might not make any sense because the competition for common tools is likely to be just as fierce online as it is in the store now. She has noticed that there seems to be a solid core of customers who are interested in serious woodworking and who show up for a lot of the classes. These customers buy some of the best, and most expensive, tools that the store sells. Many times, she finds that she has to specially order tools for these customers when they are working on a specific project.

Sarah suggests to Hal that they might want to take the business in a different direction online and sell only the high-end specialty tools to dedicated woodworkers and cabinetmakers. These items yield much higher margins than the regular tools and the salespeople who Hal has hired are eager to develop videos and instruction sheets that would appeal to this more skilled and specialized audience. Sarah suggests that they call the new online business Hal’s Woodworking to distinguish it from the general hardware store business. She suggested that Hal take a look at Web sites such as Highland Woodworking and Woodworker’s Supply to get a better idea of the online store she has in mind. This week’s assignment is to;

1. Conduct a SWOT analysis for the existing Hal’s Hardware store. You can use the information in the case narrative, your personal knowledge of the retail hardware and tool industry, and information you obtain by following the Web Links or doing independent searches of the Web as you conduct your analysis. Create a diagram similar to Figure 1-12 on page 38 of your eBook to summarize your SWOT analysis results.
2. Conduct a SWOT analysis for Sarah’s proposed Hal’s Woodworking online business. You can use the information in the case narrative, your personal knowledge of the retail hardware and tool industry, and information you obtain by following the Web Links or doing independent searches of the Web as you conduct your analysis. Create a diagram similar to to summarize your SWOT analysis results.
3. Based on your SWOT analysis of the proposed online business, write a report that includes a summary of your assumptions and a list of specific recommendations for Hal’s Woodworking. These recommendations should specify the types of content that should appear on the Website, the features that Hal should make available on the site, and how the site might overcome any of the weaknesses or threats you identified in the SWOT analysis. Be sure to include an outline any costs or benefits that the company might experience by operating both businesses at the same time. Online businesses can find it difficult to establish trust with its customers; so how will Hal’s Woodworking Website attempt to overcome this challenge? How might Hal leverage its reputation as a friendly neighborhood store and its community involvement in an online environment? What factors of the “Second and Third Wave of Electronic Commerce” will you incorporate into Hal’s new website?

The following requirements must be met:

• Write between 1,000 – 1,500 words using Microsoft Word in APA 6th edition style.
• Use an appropriate number of references to support your position, and defend your arguments. The following are examples of primary and secondary sources that may be used, and non-credible and opinion based sources that may not be used.
  1. Primary sources such as government websites (United States Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Census Bureau, The World Bank), peer reviewed and scholarly journals in EBSCOhost (Grantham University Online Library) and Google Scholar.
  2. Secondary and credible sources such as CNN Money, The Wall Street Journal, trade journals, and publications in EBSCOhost (Grantham University Online Library).
  3. Non-credible and opinion based sources such as, Wikis, Yahoo Answers, eHow, blogs, etc. should not be used.
• Cite all reference material (data, dates, graphs, quotes, paraphrased statements, information, etc.) in the paper and list each source on a reference page using APA style. An overview of APA 6th edition in-text citations, formatting, reference list, and style is provided here.

• Describe the importance of ERM usage in organizations. Did you learn something new or was your thinking challenged based on articles and the textbook ?
• What are critical factors to consider in organizations prior to implementing an ERM?
• How often should ERM strategies and processes be modified after implementation?
• What was your favorite case study reviewed on ERM? Which one was your least favorite and why?
• Do you plan to go into a career involving ERM? If so what is your ideal job role. If not what would you like to do in the future over the next 5 years?

In your paper include:

• Title Page
• Content
• Reference Page with 2-4 references

Comprehensive Career Program

For this discussion, provide an outline for a comprehensive career program that includes program planning, organizational needs, implementation, administrative needs, and criteria for evaluation.

As a mental health counselor, imagine that you have several clients in need of this service; therefore, you are setting up a program to meet their needs. For any context, be sure to include the materials needed.

Alvet discussed key points in regards to the use of manipulation in experimental research as oppose to researchers having no control over the manipulation of variables in non experimental research.

Class, careful selection of the subjects or population is critical. Sampling bias can occur by the researcher. How can one avoid sampling bias?

Assignment: Evidence-Based Project

Is there a difference between “common practice” and “best practice”?

When you first went to work for your current organization, experienced colleagues may have shared with you details about processes and procedures. Perhaps you even attended an orientation session to brief you on these matters. As a “rookie,” you likely kept the nature of your questions to those with answers that would best help you perform your new role.

Over time and with experience, perhaps you recognized aspects of these processes and procedures that you wanted to question further. This is the realm of clinical inquiry.

Clinical inquiry is the practice of asking questions about clinical practice. To continuously improve patient care, all nurses should consistently use clinical inquiry to question why they are doing something the way they are doing it. Do they know why it is done this way, or is it just because we have always done it this way? Is it a common practice or a best practice?

In this Assignment, you will identify clinical areas of interest and inquiry and practice searching for research in support of maintaining or changing these practices. You will also analyze this research to compare research methodologies employed.

To Prepare:

• Review the Resources and identify a clinical issue of interest that can form the basis of a clinical inquiry.
• Based on the clinical issue of interest and using keywords related to the clinical issue of interest, search at least four different databases in the Walden Library to identify at least four relevant peer-reviewed articles related to your clinical issue of interest. You should not be using systematic reviews for this assignment, select original research articles.
• Review the results of your peer-reviewed research and reflect on the process of using an unfiltered database to search for peer-reviewed research.
• Reflect on the types of research methodologies contained in the four relevant peer-reviewed articles you selected.

Part 1: An Introduction to Clinical Inquiry

Create a 4- to 5-slide PowerPoint presentation in which you do the following:

• Identify and briefly describe your chosen clinical issue of interest.
• Describe how you used keywords to search on your chosen clinical issue of interest.
• Identify the four research databases that you used to conduct your search for the peer-reviewed articles you selected.
• Provide APA citations of the four peer-reviewed articles you selected.

Part 2: Identifying Research Methodologies

After reading each of the four peer-reviewed articles you selected, use the Matrix Worksheet template to analyze the methodologies applied in each of the four peer-reviewed articles. Your analysis should include the following:

• The full citation of each peer-reviewed article in APA format.
• A brief (1-paragraph) statement explaining why you chose this peer-reviewed article and/or how it relates to your clinical issue of interest, including a brief explanation of the ethics of research related to your clinical issue of interest.
• A brief (1-2 paragraph) description of the aims of the research of each peer-reviewed article.
• A brief (1-2 paragraph) description of the research methodology used. Be sure to identify if the methodology used was qualitative, quantitative, or a mixed-methods approach. Be specific.
• A brief (1- to 2-paragraph) description of the strengths of each of the research methodologies used, including reliability and validity of how the methodology was applied in each of the peer-reviewed articles you selected.

By Day 7 of Week 3

Submit Part 1 and Part 2 of your Evidence-Based Project.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK#Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click the Weeks 2 and 3 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click the Weeks 2 and 3 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK3Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Weeks 2 and 3 Assignment Rubric

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:

Submit your Weeks 2 and 3 Assignment drafts and review the originality report.

Submit Part 1 and Part 2 of Your Assignment by Day 7 of Week 3

To submit your Assignment:

Weeks 2 and 3 Assignment

To go to the next week:

Matrix

Worksheet Template

Matrix Worksheet Template

Use

this document to complete Part 2 of the

Module 2 Assessment, Evidence-Based Project, Part 1: An

Introduction to Clinical Inquiry and Part 2: Research Methodologies

Full

citation

of selected article

Article

#1

Article

#2

Article

#3

Article

#4

Why you chose this article and/or how

it relates to the clinical issue of interest (include a brief explanation

of the ethics of research related to your clinical issue of interest)

Brief

description

of the aims of the research of each peer-reviewed article

Brief description of the research methodology

used Be sure to identify if the methodology used was qualitative, quantitative,

or a mixed-methods approach. Be specific.

A brief description of the strengths

of each of the research methodologies used, including reliability and validity

of how the methodology was applied in each of the peer-reviewed articles you

selected.

General

Notes/Comments

ame: NURS_6052_Module02_Week03_Assignment_Rubric
Grid View
List View
ExcellentGoodFairPoorPart 1: An Introduction to Clinical InquiryCreate a 4- to 5-slide PowerPoint presentation in which you do the following:· Identify and briefly describe your chosen clinical issue of interest.· Describe how you used keywords to search on your chosen clinical issue of interest.· Identify the four research databases that you used to conduct your search for the peer-reviewed articles you selected.· Provide APA citations of the four-peer reviewed articles you selected.
36 (36%) – 40 (40%)
The presentation clearly and accurately identifies and describes in detail the chosen clinical issue of interest.The presentation accurately and thoroughly describes in detail how keywords were used to search on the chosen clinical issue of interest.The presentation accurately and clearly identifies in detail four or more research databases that were used to conduct a search for selected peer-reviewed articles.The presentation accurately provides APA citations of four or more peer-reviewed articles selected.
32 (32%) – 35 (35%)
The presentation accurately identifies and describes the chosen clinical issue of interest.The presentation accurately describes how keywords were used to search on the chosen clinical issue of interest.The presentation accurately identifies at least four research databases that were used to conduct a search for selected peer-reviewed articles.The presentation accurately provides APA citations of at least four peer-reviewed articles selected.
28 (28%) – 31 (31%)
The presentation inaccurately or vaguely identifies and describes the chosen clinical issue of interest.The presentation inaccurately or vaguely describes how keywords were used to search on the chosen clinical issue of interest.The presentation inaccurately or vaguely identifies at least four research databases that were used to conduct a search for selected peer-reviewed articles.The presentation inaccurately provides APA citations of the peer-reviewed articles selected.
0 (0%) – 27 (27%)
The presentation inaccurately and vaguely identifies and describes the chosen clinical issue of interest or is missing.The presentation inaccurately and vaguely describes how keywords were used to search on the chosen clinical issue of interest or is missing.The presentation inaccurately and vaguely identifies less than four research databases that were used to conduct a search for selected peer-reviewed articles or is missing.The presentation inaccurately provides APA citations of the peer-reviewed articles selected.
Part 2: Identifying Research MethodologiesAfter reading each of the four peer-reviewed articles you selected, use the Matrix Worksheet template to analyze the methodologies applied in each of the four peer-reviewed articles. Your analysis should include the following:· The full citation of each peer-reviewed article in APA format.· A brief statement explaining why you chose this peer-reviewed article and/or how it relates to your clinical issue of interest, including a brief explanation of the ethics of research related to your clinical issue of interest.· A brief description of the aims of the research of each peer-reviewed article.· A brief description of the research methodology used. Be sure to identify if the methodology used was qualitative, quantitative, or a mixed-methods approach. Be specific.
45 (45%) – 50 (50%)
The response accurately and clearly provides a full citation of each article in APA format.The responses accurately and thoroughly explain the selection of these articles and/or how they relate to a clinical issue of interest, including a detailed explanation of the ethics of research.The responses accurately and clearly describe the aims of the research.The responses accurately and clearly describe the research methodology used, and clearly identify the type of methodology used with specific and relevant examples.The responses accurately and clearly describe the strengths of each of the research methodologies used, including a detailed explanation of the reliability and validity of how the methodology was applied in each of the articles selected.The responses provide a complete, detailed, and specific synthesis of two outside resources related to the selection of articles and two or three course-specific resources.
40 (40%) – 44 (44%)
The response accurately provides a citation of each peer-reviewed article in APA format.The responses accurately explain the selection of these peer-reviewed articles and/or how they relate to a clinical issue of interest, including an accurate explanation of ethics.The responses accurately describe the aims of the research of each peer-reviewed article.The responses accurately describe the research methodology used and type of methodology used with some examples.The responses accurately describe the strengths of each of the research methodologies used, including an explanation of the reliability and validity of how the methodology was applied in each of the peer-reviewed articles selected.The responses provide an accurate synthesis of at least one outside resource related to the selection of the peer-reviewed articles. The response integrates at least one outside resource and two or three course-specific resources.
35 (35%) – 39 (39%)
The response inaccurately or vaguely provides a citation of each peer-reviewed article in APA format.The responses inaccurately or vaguely explain the selection of these articles and/or how they relate to a clinical issue of interest, including the explanation of the ethics.The responses inaccurately or vaguely describe the aims of the research of each article.The responses inaccurately or vaguely describe the research methodology used and the type of methodology used, with only some examples.The responses inaccurately or vaguely describe the strengths of each of the research methodologies used, including the explanation of the reliability and validity of how the methodology was applied in each of the articles selected.The responses provided vaguely or inaccurately synthesize outside resources related to the selection of the articles. The response minimally integrates resources that may support the responses provided.
0 (0%) – 34 (34%)
The response inaccurately and vaguely provides a citation of each peer-reviewed article in APA format or is missing.The responses inaccurately and vaguely explain the selection of these articles and/or how they relate to a clinical issue, including the explanation of ethics of research, or they are missing.The responses inaccurately and vaguely describe the aims of the research, or they are missing.The responses inaccurately and vaguely describe the research methodology used, the type of methodology used with no examples present, or they are missing.The responses inaccurately and vaguely describe the strengths of each of the methodologies used, including the explanation of the reliability and validity of the methodology, or they are missing.The responses provide a vague and inaccurate synthesis of outside resources related to the selection of the articles and fail to integrate any resources to support the responses provided, or is missing.
Written Expression and Formatting—Paragraph Development and Organization:Paragraphs make clear points that support well-developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused—neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided, which delineates all required criteria.
5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity.A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion are provided, which delineates all required criteria.
4 (4%) – 4 (4%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time.Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment are stated but are brief and not descriptive.
3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60–79% of the time.Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is vague or off topic.
0 (0%) – 3 (3%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity less than 60% of the time.No purpose statement, introduction, or conclusion is provided.
Written Expression and Formatting—English Writing Standards:Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation.
5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors.
4 (4%) – 4 (4%)
Contains a few (one or two) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)
Contains several (three or four) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
0 (0%) – 3 (3%)

Contains many (five or more) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding.