By now you have learned that decision science applies math and technology to solve business problems, involving analysis, visualization, and algorithmic/mathematical computations to extract insights in response to clearly defined business problems. For this discussion question, you will serve as a new decision scientist. 

Select a field (i.e., advertising and marketing, human resources, insurance and supply chain management, logistics) and imagine that you are equipping yourself with the tools you will need to help companies make decisions within that field. 

• Pull an internet search for the many tools available. 
• Find at least three tools that you would seriously consider using as a new decision scientist. 
• List these and include hyperlinks to each. 

Respond to the following prompts:

• What is it about these tools that intrigued you? 
• How would they support your quest to help companies make the most informed decisions in the fields you have selected?

Weekly assignment: conduct an assessment on the following body systems:

• Peripheral vascular, musculoskeletal and neurological

You may conduct the assessment on a fellow student, friend, or family member. Remember to secure their permission.

Collect both subjective and objective data using the process described in the textbook.

Write a summary of the assessment (subjective & objective data in narrative note) and the skills utilized. Answer the following 3 questions in the summary. Do not disclose any patient identifiers.

1. What skills (assessment techniques) were utilized during the assessment?
2. What subjective data did you collect? (list your findings)
3. What objective data did you collect? (list your findings)

How I Built This is a Podcast about innovators and entrepreneurs who built very successful businesses. Listen to  and comment on:

1. The personalities of Adam and Eric,

2. Luck as a factor in their success, and

3. What did you learn from the podcast? List two things that would help another entrepreneur. .  

About 250 words. 

Written personal bibliography. This document should be 10 pages (not including references). The personal bibliography should follow the outline/formate below:

– about the person

– the work they did

– the issue(s) they addressed

– why that issue is important

– theories/predictions of why the person isn’t so well known or a household name

1. Research and then describe your company’s primary business activities. Include:
   
   1. A brief historical summary,
   2. A list of competitors,
   3. The company’s position within the industry,
   4. Recent developments within the company/industry,
   5. Future direction, and
   6. Other items of significance to your corporation.
2. Include information from a variety of resources. For example:
   1. Consult the Form 10-K filed with the SEC.
   2. Review the Annual Report and especially the Letter to Shareholders
   3. Explore the corporate website.
   4. Select at least two significant news items from recent business periodicals

      Only the point 2, list of competitors has to be completed. 1 page excluding reference.
      Company Name: PACCAR
      Symbol of company: PCAR

Write a research paper on the following:

Select a publicly-traded company that is traded on U.S. exchange. Locate the annual report for at least the last three fiscal years.
Analyze the financial statements for the company and review for large movements in specific accounts from one year to the next. In addition, review the notes to the financial statements as these are an integral part of the financial reporting package. Evaluate the balance sheet to determine if there are large changes in the company’s assets, liabilities, or equity accounts. In addition, analyze the income statement and statement of cash flows.
At a minimum, calculate the following ratios for two years, the debt-to-equity ratio, current ratio, quick ratio, return on equity, and net profit margin. For each ratio, explain what the ratio tells you about the company.

Write a research paper on the following:

Select a publicly-traded company that is traded on U.S. exchange. Locate the annual report for at least the last three fiscal years.
Analyze the financial statements for the company and review for large movements in specific accounts from one year to the next. In addition, review the notes to the financial statements as these are an integral part of the financial reporting package. Evaluate the balance sheet to determine if there are large changes in the company’s assets, liabilities, or equity accounts. In addition, analyze the income statement and statement of cash flows.
At a minimum, calculate the following ratios for two years, the debt-to-equity ratio, current ratio, quick ratio, return on equity, and net profit margin. For each ratio, explain what the ratio tells you about the company.

How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography

Throughout your studies, you will read many texts and journal articles. In many courses, you will be asked to prepare an annotated bibliography to assist you in preparing key assignments. An annotated bibliography is a writing and research tool that you want to master because it allows you to record important information in a concise and scholarly way quickly.

Begin this process by reading about annotated bibliographies in the Conducting Research and Forms of Writing sections in the Northcentral Academic Success Center (click the links in the left side navigation area of the ASC screen).

You may also find the following links helpful to you in understanding how to compile an annotated bibliography, located under your weekly resources.

• Annotated Bibliographies. Purdue Online Writing Lab
• How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography. Cornell University

Assignment
For this assignment, you will research assessment options for the offender population that you are writing about in your Signature Assignment.

Find three peer-reviewed journal articles that address common conditions and assessment measurements used with this population. Prepare an annotation for each article.

After you have completed the annotations, prepare a 1-page summary that includes the following:

• An overview of the population and the condition that is being assessed
• A listing and brief description of assessment instruments or methods utilized with this population
• A description of any validity reliability concerns with the instruments
• Recommendations regarding the assessment practices and tools one might utilize when assessing this population

Length: Three annotations; 1-page summary

it should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University’s Academic Integrity Policy

https://guides.library.cornell.edu/annotatedbibliography

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5868429/

The normal distribution is a continuous probability distribution that is symmetrical on both sides of the mean, so the right side of the center is a mirror image of the left side. (Mcleod, 2019) The area under the normal distribution curve represents probability and the total area under the curve sums to one. (Mcleod, 2019) The normal distribution has two parameters, the mean () and the standard deviation (). Meaning that if there is a change in the standard deviation, it can cause a change in the shape of the normal curve and it can become fatter and wider or skinnier and taller depending on the change in standard deviation. Normal distribution is symmetrical and shaped a bit like a bell (Bell Curve). (Holmes, Illowsky & Dean, 2017)

The normal blood pressure for a healthy person is less than 120/80. (Heart.org, 2022) The systolic blood pressure in healthy adults has a normal distribution with mean 112 mmHg and standard deviation 10 mmHg. About 68.3% of healthy adults have systolic blood pressure between 102 and 122 mmHg. (Ane, 2006) However, blood pressure readings are affected by a variety of factors including stress levels, diet, duration and frequency of exercise. Some people will either have elevated blood pressures while others could have low blood pressures.

Height is another example of a variable that follows a normal distribution. The heights of adult men in the United States are approximately normally distributed with a mean of 70 inches and a standard deviation of 3 inches. Heights of adult women are approximately normally distributed with a mean of 64.5 inches and a standard deviation of 2.5 inches. (Illustrative Mathematics, 2016)

The variable of blood pressure is likely to have a higher standard deviation since the range of blood pressure among the population can be large. Also, the normal distribution for systolic blood pressures has mean of 112 mmHg and standard deviation of 10 while the average normal distribution and standard deviation in both men and women is a lot lower.

References:

An, Ccile. The Famous Bell Curve the Standard Normal 0 1 – University of Wisconsin … The Normal Distribution, 2006, https://pages.stat.wisc.edu/~ane/st371/notes/chap4_by4.pdf.

Heart.org, Heart Association. Understanding Blood Pressure Readings. Www.heart.org, 5 Jan. 2022, https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings.

Holmes, A., Illowsky, B., & Dean, S. (2017). Introductory business statistics. OpenStax.

https://openstax.org/details/books/introductory-business-statistics

1. Challenges in the Business Environment
   Overview
   Changing, or even stating, a companys values can be a long and arduous process, but it often pales in comparison to the effort it takes to make sure they are honored, implemented and projected. In this assignment, you evaluate how well your chosen company from the first assignment has done in walking the talk and responding to a social issue.
   Preparation
   Review your chosen companys mission and values statements as well as other sources that provide insight into the companys values with regard to social responsibility. Pick two of their primary values and research how the company manifests those values. Simple examples might be the commitment to workplace diversity or ecological sustainability. 
   Instructions
   Create a 35-minute (approximately 68 slides) PowerPoint presentation that evaluates how well the company embodies its issue-related values. Your presentation should contain detailed speakers notes that flesh out and support main points, ideas, or conclusions and have supporting citations.
   
   1. Summarize your chosen company’s Supplier Responsibility information.
   2. In your own words, explain how each aspect of your Supplier Code of Conduct is committed to ethical business practices and social responsibility.
   3. Discuss your company’s stance on each of the following areas:
      • Empowering Workers.
      • Labor and Human Rights.
      • Health and Safety.
      • The Environment.
      • Accountability.
   4. Identify the key ways that your company’s Code of Conduct has changed since last year.
   5. Examine the manner in which your company’s Supplier Code of Conduct helps the organization operate as a socially responsible organization.
   6. In this week’s discussion, you consider assembling a team to write a supplier code of conduct. Recommend the stakeholders roles (45) needed on the team and how each supports the project.
   7. Integrate at least three supporting resources from the or other reputable sources.
      This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
      The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:
      Create a presentation about the key areas, changes, and progress in a company’s supplier responsibilities and code of conduct.

The company is The Kroger Company