Read the “Midas” case study in Chapter 2 of your text and respond to the guided response below in a three- to four-page paper in accordance with APA guidelines. In this paper you must:

• Discuss the anticipated impacts (both positive and negative) upon operating efficiencies, and recommend solutions to minimize the negative impacts.
• Discuss whether or not operating practices should be changed to accommodate the tune-ups. Be sure to explain your reasoning.
• Examine the reasons why input should be gathered from the shop owners.
• Discuss the type of input that should be gathered.
• Describe the processes and steps needed to launch this new program.

Your paper should be in paragraph form (avoid the use of bullet points) and supported with the concepts outlined in your text and additional scholarly sources.

Submit your three- to four-page paper (not including the title and reference pages). Your paper must be formatted according to APA style as outlined and must cite at least three scholarly sources in addition to the textbook. Vonderembse, M. A., & White, G. P. (2013). Operations management. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Case study:

Assume that Midas is deciding whether it should add engine tune-ups to its existing product line. Top management has called you in as a consultant to help it to analyze this opportunity. The first thing the consultant asks you to do is read the Midas and Genoa Ford Feature in this chapter.

Management is concerned about the impact that this new service will have on existing operations. Presently, the company has a policy that customers will not wait longer than 30 minutes for muffler service. How can Midas maintain that pledge? What methods for scheduling tune-up service might make it easier for Midas to keep its pledge? If reaction to the new service is great, the shops may not have the capacity to satisfy demand. Should the company add capacity to existing shops to take the extra load, or should it add more shops? How will the shop owners react to the new proposal? Assume that most of the shops are very profitable. Will the owners want higher profits?

Midas’s management is looking for help in organizing its thinking and has asked you to respond to the following questions in a two-page report. Your responses should include the critical issues raised in the previous paragraph.

1. What are the anticipated impacts upon operating efficiency? How would you attempt to minimize the negative impacts?
2. Should some operating practices be changed to accommodate the tune-ups?
3. Should input be gathered from the shop owners? If so, what?
4. If Midas decides to launch this new program, how should it begin?

Natalie was growing concerned about her daughter Brandi’s school performance. Brandi’s grades had dropped since the beginning of the school year, and she seemed reluctant to go to school. On some days, she complained of vague symptoms, such as a stomachache or a headache. On other days, she simply did not get out of bed. Natalie took her to the doctor, but there was no definitive diagnosis. She questioned Brandi about any problems at school, but Brandi was uncommonly quiet. Natalie then looked at Brandi’s Facebook page and saw a series of comments from Brandi’s friends about a school bully. When Natalie confronted Brandi, the child broke down crying and told the whole story. Another girl, who was two years ahead of her in school, was bullying her. She would tease Brandi in school and leave nasty messages on her Facebook page and had even threatened her on several occasions. Natalie was furious and immediately arranged a meeting with the teacher and the school principal. The school officials attempted to address the problem by speaking to the girl and her parents. The parents placed their daughter in treatment; she was diagnosed with a behavior disorder and put on medication, which seemed to work. Both the girl’s parents and the school officials explained to Natalie that the girl had an underlying medical condition that caused her to become angry and lack impulse control. The school officials were reluctant to suspend the girl because it was “not her fault” but rather a “biological factor” causing the behavior. Natalie was still upset. She did not understand why her own daughter should suffer. She had a nagging suspicion that the bully’s parents were using the biological cause as an excuse for their daughter’s bad behavior.

Research the biological, learning, and sociological factors discussed in this module using your textbook, online library resources, and the Internet.

On the basis of the scenario and drawing on your readings and research, respond to the following:

• What are some theories that would best explain the bully’s behavior? Do you think it is mostly biological, or would you hypothesize that perhaps the bully has learned the behavior? Support your response using cited sources.
• According to your analysis, what are some interventions you would recommend that the school utilize in dealing with the bully?

Post your responses in a minimum of 400 words.

Read the two background articles in Pages and then read some of the more recent information produced by some creative Internet searches (“older fathers” would be a good place to start) and then 1) post your findings and 2) answers to the following questions below in bold letters. Please write one to two pages.I will upload the Articles Phase one and Phase two.

In keeping with one of the major themes of your text, “making choices,” we will be sharing ideas this week on the choice to have or refrain from having children, based on the ages of the prospective parents. In the past, women have supposedly had a “ticking clock” time frame when it came to having babies, but men could father children with impunity (and not infrequently with great bravado) for as long as they wanted.

For several years, however, some legitimate research has been emerging that strongly indicates a significant link between the children of older fathers (perhaps the result of sperm having been produced by an aging reproductive system) and the development of schizophrenia (and perhaps some other psychological deficiencies as well).

Phase One: To get us started and provide a brief historical perspective, I have posted a couple of the earlier studies in Pages.They should be read prior to moving to the next phase of this topic.

Phase Two: Recently there have been published reports of research linking the age of the father to increased chance of autism (with even the potential influence of grandfathers being subjected to scrutiny!) and some derivative maladies as well.

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Were you aware of any of this research? If so, what was the source? Do you think the general public is aware? If not, why not? Do you think that men and women will have different reactions to these studies? Would you be inclined to take this research into account in your own reproductive decisions, or to share it with pertinent friends and relatives? Overall, what are your thoughts on this issue?

Grant writing in criminal justice and related agencies is an acquired skill that is greatly underutilized today. Indeed, it is common for agencies to hire an outside consultant to write grant proposals or to have an officer with no formal grant-writing training improvise, often with very little success.

With regard to the neglected skill of grant writing in criminal justice, please research and then answer the following questions:

Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 400–600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas:

• Why do you think grant writing is an essential skill for criminal justice and related agencies? Explain.
• Why do you think that this skill is underutilized today in criminal justice and related fields? Explain.
• What are the potential benefits of having a skilled grant writer in a criminal justice or related agency? Explain.

How might the position of grant writer differ depending on the size of the agency?

Responses to Other Students: Respond to at least 2 of your fellow classmates with at least a 100-word reply about their Primary Task Response regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your discussion, please consider the following questions:

• What did you learn from your classmate’s posting?
• What additional questions do you have after reading the posting?
• What clarification do you need regarding the posting?
• What differences or similarities do you see between your posting and other classmates’ postings?

In preparation for this discussion, read Align Pay With Business Priorities to Reap Rewards.

Compensation is an important element of a high-performance workplace. It is critical to ensure that the compensation philosophy is aligned with the overall organizational strategy. Discuss how a compensation strategy might be different if a company uses an innovation strategy compared to a cost leadership strategy. Include market position, pay mix, and benefit strategies in your discussion.

In your responses, discuss the business strategy implemented at your place of employment and how well the compensation strategy is aligned to support it. If you are not currently employed, you may use an example from your previous employer or interview an acquaintance about his or her employer.