...Must Read: The Underlying Principle behind the Proposal and Presentation A proposal serves the purpose of selling an audience on something. It attempts to sway a group of people to your way of thinking. A proposal is not a term paper or a study strict. It’s supported by studies but isn’t a study in itself. It has to be structured in such a way that the reader can easily read and quickly process the information. Oftentimes the proposal is accompanied with a presentation. So, the reader will have to do double-time when it comes to information processing. Let me share with you a recent presentation horror story: A company salesperson came to my organization trying to persuade us to buy the product they were pitching. The product was a fairly good product but the pitch was horrible. The proposal was written like a study. The font was much too small and the line spacing was much too close. Additionally, the slide presentation had no pictures to set the mood and the presenter read from the slides… boring! This happens much too often. The "A" Paper example is a good proposal structure that has been used in business by me and other instructors that are business veterans. Please print out the example and follow its basic format. If you have problems creating text boxes or proper alignments please get assistance from the library staff or a friend. Changes here and there are OK. The presentation should contain between 8 to 12 slides and to be accompanied by a one-page executive briefing...
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...To explain the value of his relationship with outsourcing and offshoring firm Cognizant, Kimberly-Clark chief information officer Ramon Baez recalls a conversation he had with one of its on-site consultants who rattled off such an impressive string of business metrics that he had to stop her to ask how she knew his business so well. "I remember asking the young lady presenting to me how much she knew about what goes on inside Kimberly-Clark," Baez says. "Because I was thinking, 'Wow, she's really knowledgeable.' And she told me, 'Oh, I've been on the project from the beginning. Yeah, that's how we do things.'" Baez had joined Kimberly-Clark in early 2007, shortly after the engagement with Cognizant started, so he hadn't initially realized the extent to which members of the project team were the same people who had come in to study Kimberly-Clark's operations and put together the vendor's initial proposal. That struck him as remarkable partly because of his experience with other outsourcers at prior jobs. "I've seen these vendors have a fantastic proposal team, and the reason the company wins the proposal is because of the people on that team. But then as soon as they've got it, those people move off to another contract, and you get someone you have no relationship with to run the actual project," he says. Because Cognizant has proven willing to make a serious investment in understanding Kimberly-Clark's business as well as its information technology needs, the $18.3 billion...
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...Secret Shoppers Proposal Call to Action and Conclusion Powerpoint Content: Call to Action: What needs to be done? --- Hiring in-house secret shoppers When? --- As soon as possible after assigning duties By whom? --- Nate, Denise, Catherine How? --- Hiring at least 12 secret shoppers, 2 for each city, each goes to at least five stores every day Conclusion: …… Presentation Content: Call to Action: ( What needs to be done? When? By Whom? How? ) Now that we have identified the problems and have the solutions, there are actions that need to be done. We need to hire the in-house secret shoppers. Because there are so many Maverik convenience stores in the Salt Lake Valley, we need to employ at least two secret shoppers for each city. Because it contains six cities (Salt Lake City, Murray, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan and West Valley), we will need at least 12 secret shoppers in total. Take Salt Lake City for example, we can hire two secret shoppers and each one of them go to two sides of the city: one goes to southern and western, another goes to northern and eastern. We need to assign each secret shopper to go to at least five stores every day. Their duties included talking to the store managers, cashiers, greeters and even some of the customers for getting the information of overall service quality. They also need to take times to observe how the store employees interact with the customers and check the cleanliness of the whole store environment. The secret shoppers need...
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...Managing your Major Sales - 7 Steps that could change your Business Mike Wilkinson of Axia Value Solutions looks at ways of improving performance, lowering costs and building profitability Ever lost a sale you thought was in the bag? Not an unfamiliar feeling for many businesses large and small. No matter how good you think your product or service is, everything finally boils down to your ability to convince others that it is good for them. It is all about getting the decision makers who matter to say "Yes". In major sales the whole approach is fundamentally different to small scale selling and requires a very different set of skills and techniques. Being competent in the small, simple sale is no guarantee of success in larger scale selling. The traditional techniques and "tricks of the trade" such as closing don't seem to work in quite the same way in the more complex large scale sale. They are replaced by precise planning, information gathering and behavioural skills that build trust in the minds of the decision makers. Fundamental to this is the development of a detailed understanding of how decisions are made in your target customer and who the key players are. So what constitutes a major sale? For most businesses they have a number of characteristics: 1. A lengthy sales cycle. This can vary from a few days to a few months or more depending on the industry. 2. Multiple decision makers. Any decision becomes complex as soon as more than one person is involved in making it...
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...Case Study: Elektra Products, Inc. The Case: Problem: Once leading manufacturer/retailer of electrical products/supplies has declining market share, low employee morale, inter-departmental communication gaps (sales and manufacturing not talking), slow innovation (i.e. new products few and far between) One of the solutions: employee empowerment but with a buy-in problem from the department heads during the proposal by B. Russel. Important characters in the case: Barbara Russel (VP for manufacturing; team leader manufacturing team) – working on ideas to improve how retail stores got the merchandise they needed it by: * Manager follow a product from design through sales to customers * Allow salespeople to refund up to $500 worth of merchandise on the spot * Make information available to salespeople about future products * Swap Sales and manufacturing personnel for short periods for job awareness Martin Griffin (New CEO) – excused himself during presentation Department heads – had concerns with Russel’s proposal. Some Employees – not buying the idea Case Discussion 1. How might top management have done a better job changing Elektra Products into a new kind of organization? What might they do now to get the empowerment process back on track? The role of the top management in employee empowerment or in any change management is to exhibit commitment to the change, provide leadership which involves influencing employees to excellence, molding...
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...RFP Response RFP Response Willie Ramey Winning Government Business BUS505 Dr. Fail Strayer University November 24, 2013 RFP Response The HUBZone Business will have an organizational structure consisting of the Capture Team Leader at the top of the hierarchy. Directly reporting to the leader will be a Program Manager, a Proposal Manager, and a Marketing Manager. The third level of the organizational structure consists of a Cost Volume Manager, a Contracts Manager, and a Technical Volume Manager. |CAPTURE TEAM LEADER | |PROPOSAL MANAGER |PROGRAM MANAGER |MARKETING MANAGER | |COST VOLUME MANAGER |CONTRACTS MANAGER |TECHNICAL VOLUME MANAGER | RFP Response |Proposal Manager…Responsible for planning and preparing the entire proposal. Builds the proposal schedule, prepares the proposal directive. | |Ensures that the proposal complies with all RFP requirements, integrates bid strategies into the proposal | |Program Manager…..Responsible for executing the program at contract award. Participates in the development of bid...
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...Case 7-The Forgotten Group Member MGMT591 Leadership and Organizational Behavior 2012 The Forgotten Group Member In the case of The Forgotten Group Member the information is spotty but it is clear that Christine is dealing with situations in a very passive manor and she will get more out of her team if she understood the staged of group/team development which would assist her Leadership role. When the team was formed by the teacher and the group got together it would have been in Christine’s and the group’s best interest to assess the others and see the reaction. When Mike keeps making excuses of why he can’t make the meetings Christine could put it in his hands by asking him when he would like him to meet, making it more his responsibility (idea). By giving it to him then he is more likely to show up and participate. Understanding everyone’s strengths in the group you can gear what each person does to their own strength making it easier to get the end results you want or need. When the group is being formed in the beginning the group should come up with what the consequences will be and stick to it, maintain the groups integrity even if you have to report a student to the teacher for not participating, the group can easily pick up Mike’s role and will be more efficient. Christine needs to look more at the actions and personality of the group’s members and what stage they are in to help overcome the issues that Mike brings to the group. Maybe with the right direction...
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...1.- WHAT ARE DE MAJOR BUSINESS PROPOSITION FOR WOODMERE AND HOMEHELP TO CONSIDER IN EVALUATING THIS PROPOSAL? The major business proposition for Woodmere and Homehelp to consider within the proposal is the advancement of their company through an advanced and smarter form of managing supplies and customers’ needs. With Homehelp as a major home decorating retailer that’s looking for new ways to improve and Woodmere has the reputation a cliental already in place and are looking to further advance the logistical time based capability. Homehelp major focus has been to deal only with manufacturers and keep cost low and service high. Homehelp also looks to keep a lock on everyday low price and having premium service for the customers. Woodmere has been moving towards looking to invest in information technology to further push their business to a wider audience and even more timely deliveries The case revolves around a sales representative for a top furniture manufacturer, named John Smith. John has had a chance to interact with Nan Peterson, the leader of a product team at a furniture decorating company called Home Help. Home help is concerned by the fact that furniture industry as a whole seems to be lagging behind in terms of logistics operations. Nan believes that John’s company, Woodmere, could collaborate with Home Help to create a logistical capability that is time-based. The collaboration would also result to adoption of a customized delivery system. To make the plan effective...
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...Class: Seminar in Organizational Theory & Behavior Professor :Dr. Dyck's Bio Name: Zhihui Dai Change Management Simulation: Power and Influence Abstract Within this program Change Management Simulation: Power and Influence, I am a Director Product Innovation manager in Spectrum Sunglass Company, which is a private company that designs, manufactures, and sells sunglasses. What I need do is convince people adapt my proposal. I should choose method from 18 change levers that attempt to convince workers to adapt my new proposal that will change their attitude from awareness, interest, trial, to adoption. I must decide the proper method and use the time wisely. Be able to increase credibility and achieve the greatest percentage of adopters. Key words: Convince percentage of adoption credibility limited time This Management Simulation Project from Harvard provides students a virtual experience to convince people in start-up companies. When I started the first test run of the simulation there are various decisions, However, if an administrator make the wrong move, then I lose credibility and set the proposal is a backwards. On the other hand, if I decide on a correct decision, then not only will I get the workers are more interested in my proposal, but it also increases the credibility of the workers. When I was implementing change behavior, building a coalition of support is a important tool to get satisfied from people. When I simulate this behavior, I can have more...
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...Charles E. Robinson IV Business Strategies and Proposals Bid Strategy Dr. Tressa R. Shavers Business 505 May 13, 2012 Provide a summary of the RFP you have selected. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company employs 30,000 people around the globe. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company has nine locations across the United States and several international offices around the world. Fort Worth, Texas, Marietta, Georgia, Palmdale, California, San Antonio, Texas, Greenville, South Carolina, Pinellas Park, Florida, Meridian, Mississippi, Johnstown, Pennsylvania and Clarksburg, West Virginia are the nine locations across the United States. The solicitation number for this bid is NNA12435005Q-AMD. According to FEDBIZOPPS.GOV, the solicitation says, “NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) has a requirement for 60 square yards of Rayon Felt. The rayon felt must be 7-inches thick, so that NASA ARC may carbonize it, which will result in a 3-inch thick carbon felt. For TPS applications, NASA requires thicknesses of greater than 3-inches for the thermal protection of flight vehicles. Carbon felt is the precursor for conformable ablators, currently under investigation at NASA ARC, which offer many advantages over rigid ablators for large heat shields. Commercially available carbon felts are currently manufactured in thicknesses of 1-inchor less. NASA intends to procure the rayon felt on a sole source basis from American Felt & Filter Company, Inc. (AFFCO) of New Windsor, NY, under the authority...
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...Proposal Guidelines Using the Writing Activity on page 538 of The Business Writer as a guide, write a proposal. Your proposal must have a specific, identifiable, and namable audience who can (at least in theory) act on your ideas. Your proposal should be at least 2000 words long (approximately 6-8 pages in memo format). Your proposal should include the following: Topic Your subject stated in a few concise sentences indicating exactly what your report will cover and the angle that you are taking. (This section does not need a heading, although it will serve as an introduction and will frontload an overview of the entire report.) This section should include background/context: the need to be met, problem to be solved, benefits to be gained. Problem Statement or Needs Analysis A problem statement or needs analysis tells: • What the problem is / What is needed • When and where the problem takes place / When and where it is needed • Why the problem happens / Why it is needed • Who is affected by the problem / Who needs it • Why the problem is significant—for example, the short-term and long-term costs or ramifications of not solving it or the benefits of pursuing a solution. Solution or Recommendation • List criteria a solution. What should a solution accomplish? • Compare and contrast alternative solutions (if appropriate). • Promote the best solution—your essential proposal—by stressing how it best meets the needs or solves the problem. Refer to the solution...
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...Name: |Period: | | |Date: | | SCIENCE FAIR: PROPOSAL OUTLINE This outline will help you organize your science fair proposal. Use the attached report as an example. You will use this outline to write your proposal in paragraph form. |1. |TITLE: Write a sentence that connects the independent and dependent variables of the investigation. Example: The effect of (independent variable) | | |on the (dependent variable). | | | | |2. |INTRODUCTION: Give a brief summary of the investigation and describe the rationale, problem, and hypothesis. | |a. |Summary. Briefly describe the project in 2-4 sentences. | | | | |b. |Why do you want to conduct the experiment? (Rationale) | | |...
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...SE571 Course Project: Security Assessment and Recommendations Overview This course does involve a lot of technical information and theory but, what really matters is how this knowledge can be used to identify and remediate real-world security issues. What you learn in this course should be directly applicable to your work environment. The course project that you will complete is designed to further this goal. In the first part of the project you will choose an organization from one of two given scenarios (below), identify potential security weaknesses, and in the second part of the project, you will recommend solutions. The first part of the project is due in week 3, and the second part of the project, along with the first part (presumably revised based on instructor feedback) is due in week 7. This project constitutes a significant portion of your overall grade. This is an individual assignment and may not be completed in teams. ------------------------------------------------- Phase I In this phase you will choose either Aircraft Solutions or Quality Web Design as the company you will work with. You will then identify potential security weaknesses. Security weaknesses – You must choose two from the following three areas: * hardware * software * policy (excluding password policies) and identify an item that requires improved security. To clarify: you must identify ...
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...APMP EXAM 1) Which of the following is NOT a best practice for using lists? a) Name each list b) Create interest by varying each entry by beginning with a different kind of word (noun, verb, adjective, or adverb) c) Minimize or eliminate confusing nested lists d) Capitalize the first word in each item. End all items with a period only if at least one item is a complete sentence. 2) Recommended ways to explain how your proposal is organized include a Table of Contents, section introductions, and what? a) Compliance Matrix b) Theme statement c) Endnotes in an appendix d) List of graphics 3) How should opportunities be qualified? a) By analyzing customer, competition and capability b) By analyzing competition c) By value only d) By solution only 4) Unless the RFP specifies otherwise, numbered subheadings should be limited to how many levels? a) 2 b) 3 c) 4 d) 5 5) When estimating the required expert resources for writing detailed technical proposal sections for which no boilerplate exists, which of the following metrics is typical? a) 1 page/person day b) 4 pages/ person day c) 10 to 15 pages/person day d) More than 25 pages/person day 6) Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding Price and Value? a) Price is what you charge for a product or service b) The customer will always attribute value to additional features that have not been requested c) Value and price are the...
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...Violations of Marcos Regime There were numerous cases of human rights violations against civilians during the Martial Law period. The hardest hit were the critics of his dictatorial government such as the progressive writers, commentators, organizers, professors, students and artists. They were arrested and detained along with some delegates of the Constitutional Convention (ConCon) who belonged to the political opposition. While in detention, they experienced various forms of tortures, harassment, intimidation, inhumane treatment and summary execution. The human rights violations during the Marcos regime were believed to be committed by the Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP), Philippines Constabulary (now Philippines National Police or PNP) and the Civilian Home Defense Force (CHDF). According to the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), there were an estimated 22,287 detained civilians and 2,491 victims of salvaging. According to Amnesty International (AI), an international organization which promotes human rights, there were about 759 document cases desaparecidos. They were believed to be salvaged but their bodies were never recovered. The suspension of the writ of habeas corpus gave President Marcos undue power to arrest and detains suspected rebels and political opposition. Without the political opposition, President Marcos was able to easily maneuver the rewriting of the Philippine Constitution. The Marcos-sponsored Constitution served as a legal foundation...
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