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For this discussion, choose one of the following two readings. Then, answer the three questions that follow in a separate paragraph for each response.

• Option 1 – Elbow, P. (2014). Freewriting. In G.H. Muller (Ed.), The McGraw-Hill reader: Issues across the disciplines pp. 105-108. McGraw-Hill.
  • p. 108, “Writing,” Question 4: Writing an Argument: Write [a response] in which you support or discourage the act of freewriting.
  • Be sure to quote and cite Elbow when writing your response.
• Option 2 – Martin, S. (2014) Writing is easy. In G.H. Muller (Ed.), The McGraw-Hill reader: Issues across the disciplines pp. 114-117. McGraw-Hill.
  • p. 117, “Writing,” Question 3: Writing an Argument: Argue for or against the proposition that one must find the ideal place (“Location, Location, Location,” as Martin calls it) in order to write effectively.
  • Be sure to quote and cite Martin when writing your response.

First, read the article carefully. Answer the question associated with the reading you selected, either p. 108 – Question 4 or p. 117 – Question 3. (100+ words)

Second, identify what rhetorical mode the author is using. For instance, is the author using cause & effect or process? Narration or problem solution? How do you know? Identify which rhetorical mode is being used, and support your ideas with the reading. Recall that direct support means using a quote. The quote should be integrated into your own ideas. An example can be found here. Make sure that you provide a proper citation. (100+ words)

Third, think about what the author is suggesting you do in your writing. How will you apply this author’s ideas to your own writing process? Give concrete and specific examples. (100+ words)

TIP: Respond to the questions above using a separate paragraph for each question.

PEER REPLIES

• Respond to two peers’ main posts with replies of 100-150 words each. Examine whether the post clearly supports the peer’s ideas about what the chosen prompts are asking, if the chosen rhetorical modes are correct, and if the ideas presented are properly supported. Offer suggestions as to how the author of the main post can implement the author’s ideas into his or her writing.
• Take a moment to check into your own thread. Reply to your instructor and some peers who offer insights into your writing.

From the Goldsmith & Carter textbook, select either the Bank of America (Chapter 2) or McDonald’s (Chapter 9) case study for this assignment.Write a five to seven (5-7) page paper in which you:

1. This Assignment is for an ORIGINAL, NOT PREVIOUSLY SOLD, AUTHENIC, PAPER.

2. Must have less than 10% PLAGARISM AS IT GOES THROUGH A CHECKER!!

3 Outline the talent management program that led to success for the company.

4 Identify strengths of the program and how they led to goal accomplishment.

5 Describe opportunities for improvement in the talent management planning process.

6 Create at least two (2) more effective approaches to meet the talent management challenges in the future.

7 Use at least five (5) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

· 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:

· Examine the process of linking talent management to organizational goals to gain a competitive advantage.

· Analyze the process for crafting a talent brand and accessing talent channels.

· Use technology and information resources to research issues in talent management.

· Write clearly and concisely about talent management using proper writing mechanics.

Now that you’ve analyzed the environmental situation and established who is in the target market, it is time for product development. Product design is crucial because new products are being introduced every day. So, while other people focus on that aspect of development, you turn your attention to branding.

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.

This morning, walking into the office, you greet Michelle who says, “I’d like to meet with you tomorrow to develop the branding strategy for the new product. Let’s meet for a working lunch and brainstorming session.”

“That sounds great,” you reply. “I’ll schedule the meeting and order in lunch.”

Entering your office, you begin to think about the items that you will be discussing during tomorrow’s meeting with Michelle.

We haven’t even come up with a product name yet, you think. We also need to work on an advertising slogan or tag line. You know that Michelle has an extensive background in marketing, but you really want to make a good impression and bring a sound branding strategy to the meeting. How are we going to distinguish our product from our competitors? What are the benefits that we are going to highlight in our brand that will meet the needs or wants of our target customers?

You create the following list of items that you need to address:

Identify in one sentence your overall branding strategy or brand image you want to achieve in the mind of your target segment.

• Product name
• Advertising slo gan or tag line
• Product attributes
• Product benefits

Now that the product and promotional decisions have been made for the new product, Michelle is concerned about the pricing of the new product and the distribution channels that will be used to make the product available to customers. She has asked you to write a 2-3 page memo outlining two different pricing strategies that MM should consider. Her voice mail message goes on to say,

I want you to recommend which strategy you think should be used for the target market and why. The second part of the memo should outline a distribution plan that will make the product available to the target customers.

You are ready for Michelle’s request and begin drafting the memo to her that same day.

Now that Michelle has all of the pieces of her marketing plan in place, the board is ready to see the final plan. She is apprehensive about this because the board needs to approve the plan for it to move forward. It is imperative that the plan addresses all of the marketing issues discussed to this point, and that it also includes a discussion of how MM will measure the success of the plan after it has been implemented.

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.

Michelle is happy with how the plan is being put into place. The date and time for the final board meeting has been set when she calls you.

“How will we know if the new product launch is a success?” she asks. “How will we know if what you have suggested really worked? Since I started this company as an entrepreneur years ago, I feel like everything that happens here is my fault or my responsibility. Does that make sense?”

“You’ve been so supportive to me during this whole process,” you say. “Leave it to me. I’ll think about what you’ve said over the long weekend and I’ll be ready to sit down and discuss the details as I prepare the final draft of the plan.”

Based on your original goals and the plan you are putting into place, what will you tell Michelle?

• What will you measure to determine whether or not your new product plan for MM is a success?
• What about a contingency plan?
• Do you need to make recommendations for MM if things do not go the way you hope and expect them to?

Speaking Assignment 6: Beginning, ending, and making transitions in a speech (video and peer critique) No unread replies. No replies.

PHYSICAL AUDIENCE REQUIREMENT WAIVED DUE TO COVID19.

YOU WILL NEED TO UPLOAD YOUR OUTLINE WITH THIS ASSIGNMENT IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE GRADED. ASSIGNMENTS WITHOUT AN OUTLINE WILL RECEIVE A ZERO GRADE.

For this assignment, you will post a 4-5 minute extemporaneous speech that further builds on the topic you utilized in the previous speaking assignment. Your speech should show significant improvement from the previous speech in its beginning, ending, and transitions. In addition, you may need to do further research to provide better source material, and you may choose to change the organizational pattern of the speech, given what you learned from your classmates’ comments. Make sure to utilize your visual aid appropriately, as we learned in last weeks lesson. Your speech still should be extemporaneous and still should demonstrate rehearsal and attention to both the verbal and nonverbal messages you send.

1. Create an appropriate visual aid for your final speech. Make sure to utilize the visual aid appropriately during your speech, as discussed in Chapter 13: Visual Aids. Your use of a visual aid is scored inside of the assignment rubric.
2. Add your outline into the written portion of the textbox where you upload your speech. You will lose 10 points (after the final score is calculated) if you are missing an outline.
3. Submit your video by uploading it to this assignment or by embedding a YouTube video. Videos that have been edited or that employ avatars will earn a grade of zero. If you are using YouTube, please make sure your video is not set to private. We cannot see videos that are set to private to grade them; therefore, any videos that are set to private will be given a zero grade.
4. After you have posted your speech, watch the speeches of at least three of your classmates. In your responses, discuss the degree to which the beginning and end of the speech met their respective goals. Also discuss how the speaker moved between main points. Were the transitions choppy or fully developed? Was it hard to tell when the speaker moved from one main point to another? Did the transitions effectively bridge the gap between ideas? Were you able to recognize the elements of a successful speech in the final product?

Late Assignments Will Not Be Accepted. Upload early to avoid posting a late video due to long upload times that occur at the assignment deadline when multiple videos are being submitted.

Return to Module 2: Elements of Public Speaking

Advice for this assignment:

• Start with a strong attention-getting device. Do not start with an formal introductions.
• Use a credibility/ethos statement such as “I have done extensive research on…” or “I have x amount of experience with”…
• Conduct research and cite all of your sources.
• Create a strong thesis statement and include that statement in your introduction and conclusion.
• Use transition statements such as “now that I have discussed…. I will inform you about….”.
• Pan your three audience members to show that they are there, and then have one of them film you so that you are able to stand during your speech. Use strong nonverbal communication and gestures.
• Dress in formal attire and practice your speech several times before you present to your audience.
• Include a call-to-action and/or a strong closing statement.

Simon Howe, the marketing manager of Long Beach Plastics, wants to increase sales by adding sales reps rather than “playing with price.” That’s how Simon describes what Judy Howe, his mother and Long Beach Plastics’ president, is suggesting. Judy is not sure what to do, either. But she does want to increase sales, so something new is needed. Long Beach Plastics—of Long Beach, California—is a leading producer in the plastic forming machinery industry. It has patents covering over 200 variations, but Long Beach Plastics’ customers seldom buy more than 30 different types in a year. The machines are sold to plastic forming manufacturers to increase production capacity or replace old equipment. Established in 1970, the company has enjoyed a steady growth to its present position with annual sales of $50 million. Judy took over as president 15 years ago, after her husband Charles, the founder of the company, died of a sudden heart attack. The first few years were tough, but Judy emerged as a strong executive who has steered the company well. She is well respected in the industry. Twelve U.S. firms compete in the U.S. plastic forming machinery market. Several Japanese, German, and Swedish firms compete in the global market, but the Howes have not seen much of them on the West Coast. Apparently the foreign firms rely on manufacturers’ agents who have not provided an ongoing presence. They are not good about following up on inquiries, and their record for service on the few sales they have made on the East Coast is not satisfactory. So the Howes are not worried about them right now. Each of the 12 U.S. competitors is about the same size and manufactures basically similar machinery. Each has tended to specialize in its own geographic region. Six of the competitors are located in the East, four in the Midwest, and two—including Long Beach Plastics—on the West Coast. The other West Coast firm is in Tacoma, Washington. All of the competitors offer similar prices and sell F.O.B. from their factories. Demand has been fairly strong in recent years. As a result, all of the competitors have been satisfied to sell in their geographic areas and avoid price-cutting. In fact, price-cutting is not a popular idea in this industry. About 15 years ago, one firm tried to win more business and found that others immediately met the price cut—but industry sales (in units) did not increase at all. Within a few years, prices returned to their earlier level, and since then competition has tended to focus on promotion and avoid price. Long Beach Plastics’ promotion depends mainly on six company sales reps, who cover the West Coast. In total, these reps cost about $880,000 per year including salary, bonuses, supervision, travel, and entertaining. When the sales reps are close to making a sale, they are supported by two sales engineers—at a cost of about $130,000 per year per engineer. Long Beach Plastics does some advertising in trade journals—less than $100,000—and occasionally uses direct mailings and trade show exhibits. It also has a simple website on the Internet—the main Page 632content on the site consists of PDF files of all the company’s sales brochures. But the main promotion emphasis is on personal selling. Any personal contact outside the West Coast market is handled by manufacturers’ agents who are paid 4 percent on sales—but sales are very infrequent. Judy is not satisfied with the present situation. Industry sales have leveled off and so have Long Beach Plastics’ sales—although the firm continues to hold its share of the market. Judy would like to find a way to compete more effectively in the other regions because she sees great potential outside the West Coast. Competitors and buyers agree that Long Beach Plastics is the top-quality producer in the industry. Its machines have generally been somewhat superior to others in terms of reliability, durability, and production capacity. The difference, however, usually has not been great enough to justify a higher price—because the others are able to do the necessary job—unless a Long Beach Plastics sales rep convinces the customer that the extra quality will improve the customer’s product and lead to fewer production line breakdowns. The sales rep also tries to sell the advantages of Long Beach Plastics’ better sales engineers and technical service people—and sometimes is successful. But if a buyer is mainly interested in comparing delivered prices for basic machines—the usual case—Long Beach Plastics’ price must be competitive to get the business. In short, if such a buyer has a choice between Long Beach Plastics’ and another machine at the same price, Long Beach Plastics will usually win the business in its part of the West Coast market. But it’s clear that Long Beach Plastics’ price has to be at least competitive in such cases. The average plastic forming machine sells for about $220,000, F.O.B. shipping point. Shipping costs within any of the three major regions average about $4,000—but another $3,000 must be added on shipments between the West Coast and the Midwest (either way) and another $3,000 between the Midwest and the East. Judy is thinking about expanding sales by absorbing the extra $3,000 to $6,000 in freight cost that occurs if a Midwestern or eastern customer buys from her West Coast location. By doing this, she would not actually be cutting price in those markets but rather reducing her net return. She thinks that her competitors would not see this as price competition and therefore would not resort to cutting prices themselves. Simon disagrees. Simon thinks that the proposed freight absorption plan would stimulate price competition in the Midwest and East and perhaps on the West Coast. He proposes instead that Long Beach Plastics hire some sales reps to work the Midwest and Eastern regions—selling quality—rather than relying on the manufacturers’ agents. He argues that two additional sales reps in each of these regions would not increase costs too much and might greatly increase the sales from these markets over that brought in by the agents. With this plan, there would be no need to absorb the freight and risk disrupting the status quo. Adding more of Long Beach Plastics’ own sales reps is especially important, he argues, because competition in the Midwest and East is somewhat hotter than on the West Coast—due to the number of competitors (including foreign competitors) in those regions. A lot of expensive entertaining, for example, seems to be required just to be considered as a potential supplier. In contrast, the situation has been rather quiet in the West—because only two firms are sharing this market and each is working harder near its home base. The eastern and Midwestern competitors don’t send any sales reps to the West Coast—and if they have any manufacturers’ agents, they haven’t gotten any business in recent years. Judy agrees that her son has a point, but industry sales are leveling off and Judy wants to increase sales. Further, she thinks the competitive situation may change drastically in the near future anyway, as global competitors get more aggressive and some possible new production methods and machines become more competitive with existing ones. She would rather be a leader in anything that is likely to happen rather than a follower. But she is impressed with Simon’s comments about the greater competitiveness in the other markets and therefore is unsure about what to do.

Question: Evaluate Long Beach Plastics’ current strategies. Given Judy Howe’s sales objective, what should Long Beach Plastics Mfg. do? Explain.