“The Manifesto of the Communist Party” by itself ? If you are writing about ONLY about “The Manifesto of the Communist Party:” Do you think the U.S. would benefit or suffer from following Marx’s ideas? 4.) Your essay needs to have an introduction, body, and conclusion ? You do NOT have to do any research for this essay. However, if you do, you must include the correct MLA citation. ? You do NOT need to write a five-paragraph essay; however, your essay needs to be AT LEAST FOUR PARAGRAPHS LONG. ? A four-paragraph essay should have TWO points of support for the thesis you picked (one point of support per body paragraph). ? A five-paragraph essay should have THREE points of support for the thesis you picked (one point of support per body paragraph). 3.) You need to follow the essay guidelines for our class, listed below (please also refer to the class syllabus for these guidelines). 3.) YOUR ESSAY MUST BE ABOUT THE ASSIGNED READINGS. 5.) Font should be Times New Roman, 12 point (or similar – please make sure it is readable!) Margins should be 1 inch on top, bottom, left, and right. 7.) ESSAYS are written works that discuss events and people in the real word (non-fiction). STORIES are made up (fiction). They may be based on real people and events but they are not true. Use the correct designation when writing about any text. 8.) Titles of short things like stories, poems, and essays go in quotation marks. Capitalize every word in the title except for small words like a, an, the, or, of, etc. unless they are the first word in the title. For example: “The Lottery,” “The Manifesto of the Communist Party.” 9.) Titles of long things like books, novels, and plays go in italics. Titles of websites also go in italics. For example: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Wikipedia 10.) Use an author’s full name (first and last name) the first time you mention it in your essay. For example: Shirley Jackson. From then on, use only the author’s last name. For example: Jackson. DO NOT ever only use an author’s first name. 11.) When using quotations (exact words from the story or essay you read) in your essay, you need to introduce the quote, use quotation marks, and give the page on which they appear in the book in parenthesis at the end of the quote. Put final punctuation outside the parentheses. For example: In the story “The Lottery,” Jackson writes, “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny” (196). 12.) If you are quoting from an outside source, you need to introduce the quote by giving the source, use quotation marks, and put the page on which the words appear in parentheses at the end of the quote (if applicable – websites do not have page numbers). For example: According to The National Organization for Women website, “The proposed Comcast-NBC merger and the new deal between Google and Verizon is a feminist issue.”
19 November, 2015
EMC Takeover Marks Return of Michael Dell Read the attached article and conduct additional research to answer the following questions. Use the APA format outlined in the syllabus. Note, answer only the assigned questions. This is not a case write-up so you need not follow the guidelines for case analysis(Guidelines for Case Analysis The following guidelines may apply to any of the case assignments. However if we have not yet covered a particular topic, you will not be graded on that specific content in the case assignment. You must use the APA writing style in completing the write-up. Note that this is not a memo, but rather a short paper addressing the assigned questions in the case. Use the following section headings (highlighted in bold) to ensure that your case write-up adequately addresses each section of the required analysis. If you are unclear on what you must do to fulfill the requirements of any case assignment, please do not hesitate to seek clarification from Professor James. Introduction Statement of the question(s), issues, or problems facing the firm/industry and how you will address them in the case write-up. Analysis of Industry and the Macro Environment Assess conditions in the macro environment (economic, technological, social/cultural, demographic, political and legal) that influence strategic positioning within the industry. Apply the Porter’s competitive forces model to analyze industry structure and performance. Summarize your analysis by stating how industry structure explains whether the industry has low, moderate or high profitability. Discuss how the stage of the industry life cycle (embryonic, growth, stabilization or shakeout, maturity, and decline) influences industry competition. Firm Analysis Evaluate corporate and business strategies using SWOT analysis and by addressing the following: Is the firm in a strong competitive position relative to other firms in the industry? Identify sources of competitive advantage using the VRIO framework. Evaluate the value chain to identify valuable resources and capabilities. Identify the firm’s core competencies and the extent to which they facilitate sustainable competitive advantage. Can the firm continue to pursue current corporate and business level strategies profitably? What can the firm do to turn weaknesses and threats into strengths and opportunities? Recommendations Recommendations should directly address the assigned questions in the case and follow logically from findings in the strategic analysis phase. Identify specific actions for changing the firm’s corporate or business strategy to improve business performance. Quantify the financial impact of your recommendations (i.e., costs, timing, and ultimate impact on profitability). Do not simply state that the firm should explore or consider taking an action or making a change, but support your recommendations with a critical evaluation of the risks and challenges to implementation as well as an explanation of why the company should implement your suggested changes despite the potential pitfalls. References Provide a list of sources used in writing the paper or preparing exhibits, including online sources. Cite the case itself to ensure that you get in the habit of always citing the source of ideas and facts. If you do not cite your sources, you are practicing plagiarism) QUESTIONS: Identify and explain which of Porter’s competitive forces pose the greatest challenges to Dell? To what extent does the acquisition of EMC by Dell address these competitive challenges? What type (s) of diversification does the EMC acquisition represent? Identify and explain the potential benefits and costs of the EMC acquisition. How great a challenge do you think that post-merger integration will be? Do you think that the benefits outweigh the costs? Explain your answer. EMC Takeover Marks Return of Michael Dell Dell founder vows to play a more central role in technology aimed at corporations ENLARGE Michael Dell said his company had been able to pay down its debts quickly and predicted repeating that feat in 18 to 24 months once the EMC transaction closes. PHOTO: MANDEL NGAN/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES By DON CLARK, DANA CIMILLUCA and ROBERT MCMILLAN Updated Oct. 13, 2015 7:08 a.m. ET Michael Dell, founder of what once was the leading PC maker, stepped out of the limelight when he took Dell Inc. private two years ago. Now he is back with what promises to be the biggest tech deal in history, a $67 billion acquisition of EMC Corp. Mr. Dell, in announcing the cash-and-stock deal to buy EMC, vowed to play a more central role in technology used by corporations. EMC would add the broadest line of data-storage hardware as well as data-center software from VMware Inc. and other high-profile businesses to Dell’s offerings. The buyout of Mr. Dell’s company in 2013 enabled him to maneuver outside the public eye, and by some accounts he has revitalized Dell’s core business. The stakes held by Mr. Dell, his investment vehicle and private-equity firm Silver Lake—which is teaming up on the deal—have roughly doubled in value to about $11 billion since then, according to people familiar with the matter. Still, Dell’s business—and that of EMC—are under relentless assault. Growth has stalled in mature categories of computer servers, data storage, networking gear and other equipment that keeps corporations running. Mobile devices have eaten into PC sales, and cloud computing gives companies what can be a cost-effective alternative to purchasing and maintaining their own hardware and software. ENLARGE Competition increasingly comes from deep-pocketed rivals such as Amazon.com Inc.,Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc., the corporate parent of Google, as well as a host of aggressive startups and cut-rate Chinese manufacturers. Consolidation is a common response to shifting markets, but the history of such tie-ups isn’t always encouraging, especially in the realm of technology. For instance, Hewlett-Packard Co. took years to extract profits from its $25 billion acquisition of Compaq in 2002, and the deal shoehorned H-P more tightly in what became a commodity business. The company now plans to split in two. Silicon Valley veterans were quick to point to the perils ahead as Dell tries to integrate EMC. “Integrations like this are extremely distracting and confusing and can take a lot of time,” said Steve Herrod, VMware’s former chief technology officer and managing director with the investment firm, General Catalyst Partners. MARKET TALK EMC’s agreed-upon $67 billion sale to Dell would be a big deal in activism. The deal would rank second by value to Allergan’s $73 billion sale, completed in March, as the biggest deal since 2009 to follow activism, according to WSJ’s Activism Report Card. Elliott last year took a 2% stake in EMC and urged it to review breaking up, which immediately raised possibility of a sale. Elliott has had lots of success pushing sales of tech companies, but EMC’s size is a new trophy. In the WSJ study, there were seven successful deals pushed by activists in a survey of 71 campaigns, not including EMC. —David Benoit. Market Talk is a service available from Dow Jones Newswires. Meg Whitman, CEO of Dell competitor H-P, predicted in a memo to H-P employees that the two companies and their customers will face “chaos” in combining product lines, workforces and sales channels. The pressures on EMC were evident in a projection Monday of its third-quarter revenue and profits that was slightly lower than Wall Street anticipated. But Mr. Dell and Joe Tucci, EMC’s longtime CEO, said the benefits outweighed the challenges. For one thing, the deal would allow Dell to exploit an arrangement pioneered by EMC, known as converged infrastructure, to sell computing, storage and networking equipment as an easy-to-install bundle. VMware, 80%-owned by EMC, has a head start in several categories of software that are growing quickly, the two men said. “You get an unbelievably strong position when you put Dell and EMC together in that very important, growing space,” Mr. Dell said in an interview. Mr. Tucci touted the ability to combine the two businesses away from the scrutiny of the public markets. ENLARGE EMC, based in Hopkinton, Mass., has been under pressure from investors to better exploit the value of VMware, which accounts for roughly half EMC’s market value but 35% of its revenue. Mr. Dell, 50 years old, won a bitter, yearlong fight against some prominent investors to take Dell private, expressing satisfaction at giving up quarterly conference calls and other trappings of managing a public company. Chris Bulger, managing partner with the Boston investment bank Bulger Partners, said combining the companies in a private structure would have better odds of success than those of public companies like International Business Machines Corp. that have been trying to change their business. “Public markets aren’t a good place for radical restructuring,” he said. Dell said funding for the EMC deal would come from EMC’s cash on hand and new common equity from Mr. Dell, Silver Lake and others. A new tracking stock linked to VMware shares will also be created. Dell will also likely need to absorb more than $40 billion in debt financing to help pay for the purchase, according to people familiar with that matter. Dell’s $67 billion acquisition of high-end storage vendor EMC is the biggest tech deal ever. Why does Dell want this deal? WSJ’s Jason Bellini has #TheShortAnswer. Such borrowing would entail big interest payments, siphoning away money that otherwise could be spent on developing new products, noted Toni Sacconaghi, analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein. Mr. Dell said his company had been able to pay down its debts quickly and predicted repeating that feat in 18 to 24 months once the EMC transaction closes. And the company’s ability to convince a group of banks to put up the debt financing is a sign of confidence in the transaction, the people familiar with the deal said. That would make it the biggest acquisition-debt financing package since Verizon Communications Inc. lined up roughly $50 billion to help it take complete ownership of its wireless arm in a $130 billion deal two years ago. Banks including J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Credit Suisse Group AG will initially put up funds with an aim of being paid back closer to the time of the deal’s closing with proceeds from investment-grade and junk-bond and loan sales, the people said. That represents a bold bet by Dell, and its lenders, on financial markets that have been volatile and credit investors who have balked at funding a number of risky takeovers in the past several weeks. To help pay for the equity portion of the deal, Mr. Dell, his investment arm, Silver Lake and Temasek—an investment firm based in Singapore—will contribute an additional $3.5 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. Excluding the tracking stock, Mr. Dell and affiliates would own about 70% of the combined company’s equity, similar to the current Dell ownership structure. The deal for EMC announced Monday was valued by Dell at $33.15 a share, a 28% premium over EMC’s closing price before The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the companies were in talks to merge. EMC holders will receive $24.05 a share in cash in addition to tracking stock linked to a portion of EMC’s interest in the VMware business. EMC shares rose nearly 2% to $28.36 Monday. VMware’s stock declined 8% to 72.28, despite reporting preliminary results above Wall Street expectations. Some analysts expressed concerns that issuing tracking stock would effectively create dilution for VMware shareholders. VMware will remain a publicly traded company with Dell as controlling shareholder. Though some analysts had speculated Dell might sell off some of its VMware shares to finance the transaction, Mr. Dell said it planned to keep the stock. “Over time we could increase our stake,” Mr. Dell said. —David Benoit and Lisa Beilfuss contributed to this article.
19 November, 2015
Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns Disease Select 2 diseases Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns Disease Compare and contrast these disorders-- similarities AND differences. In your answer please include: incidence, prevalence, etiologies, prognosis, manifestations and diagnostics that will differentiate between the two disorders. Also, please compare and contrast current evidence on treatments of the diseases. For full credit, all of the above areas must be discussed. You need to use at least 2 current journal articles to support your answers (1 for each disease). Please upload copies of your articles with assignment Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns Disease Select 2 diseases Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns Disease Compare and contrast these disorders-- similarities AND differences. In your answer please include: incidence, prevalence, etiologies, prognosis, manifestations and diagnostics that will differentiate between the two disorders. Also, please compare and contrast current evidence on treatments of the diseases. For full credit, all of the above areas must be discussed. You need to use at least 2 current journal articles to support your answers (1 for each disease). Please upload copies of your articles with assignment
19 November, 2015
Children (inequality in education) Overview you will be required to focus the discussion to include the causes of poverty specifically as it affects the United States. In this term paper you will need to select ONE population and select a topic related to that group that would be found under the poverty umbrella. Possible populations and sample topics for you to choose from: Children (inequality in education) Women (gender pay) Elderly (hardships of living solely on Social Security) Physical Disability (unemployment challenges) Mentally Ill (homelessness) Specific Ethnic Group, including immigrants (racism) Once you pick a population, think about an issue that affects this group within the realm of poverty. For example, if I picked women, I would brainstorm topics that relate to the feminization of poverty. One route you could go might be if the US did offer paid maternity leave. In general, you want to pick a population, think about how or why someone in this population might in poverty, and then select an issue you are going to target. You MUST include and label the following sections and subsections in your paper: DIRECTIONS: Summarize the issue your population faces. (15 points) Present a well-documented research-based description of your issue of interest and how it has impacted your population you have chosen. Provide a historical overview of the issue (how and when did it come to be a problem in the US?). You must include at least 4 important dates in your timeline of events. Describe the prevalence and seriousness of the issue. You must include current stats and data as reference. What are the outcomes as a result of this issue? How this issue is being addressed (20 points) Discuss and describe at least TWO efforts or programs or organizations that are targeting this issue. How are they working to address the issue? Evaluate the effectiveness of the 2 programs/organizations. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the programs/organizations. Describe 2 key players/organizations who are in opposition to the issue. What are their motivating factors that drive them to rebut the issue? Conclusions (10 points) Are there any current laws that have been passed in regards to the issue? Or are any congressmen/ women working to bring this issue up? If not, why not? What's the future hold for this issue? What’s your prediction of what will happen in 20 years from now in regards to your issue? What changes or improvements would you recommend for the direction of this issue? References (5 points) In your reference page you must include a minimum of 7 professional journal citations and respected sources in proper APA style (6th Edition). I will take off points for not correctly using APA. Remember to cite these sources in the body of your paper as well as in a complete reference page at the end of your paper. The paper must be 7-8 pages long, in 12pt font, 1 inch margins all around and double spaced (the reference page should also be double spaced, meaning each citation should be double not single spaced). Remember to use hanging indents in the Reference page. Avoid over use of "direct quotes" I prefer you paraphrase the information in your own words (but of course still giving credit to the author of the source). Check out these helpful links on citing APA: Citing sources from the web. Citing sources in your Reference page. APA crib sheets Make you sure you only refer to APA (not MLA) citations for writing term Papers, accepted style, for citations, and references.
19 November, 2015