ESSAY : Vulnerable asset areas that pose risks to companies involve the facility at which an individual is employed.

Vulnerable asset areas that pose risks to companies involve the facility at which an individual is employed. This means that the company or industry one works for is in someway hazardous to their health. Examples: working with explosive material, working with chemicals, terrorist threats, large equipment/machinery, fire, electricity, and high crime areas just to name a few. Therefore, it totally matters where you work. Being exposed to chemicals could be janitorial, laboratories, factories/plants. Large equipment/machinery risks are found in construction(buildings, highway, etc), terrorist threats(White House, Pentagon, Stock Exchange, etc). Electricity(power plants), Explosives( nuclear plants, fire), Crime(Policing, and even cities or areas known for criminal activity could have huge bearing on safety). You just have to know and understand where you work and the risks associated with the job.

2. Re: Unit 5 – Discussion Board

1.Some examples of vulnerable asset areas that pose risks for companies are Operations and Maintenance Budgets (O&M) which involve fixed company expenses that are recurring, as well as the Capital budget that involve large dollar company expenses that are non-recurring. The items within each must be properly categorized as O&M or Capital on financial statements, otherwise the errors will be damaging to the company’s finances.
2. These areas vary by company and industry because each organization’s budget expenses differ from organization to organization and the budgets are not regulated but are set according to organizational needs.

3. Re: Unit 5 – Discussion Board
In a company there are assets which are more vulnerable thus pose risk for the companies if they are not properly taken care of . some of the assets which are vulnerable are assets and inventories of the organization. If cash is not closely monitored they can easily be misused thus leading to losses to the organization (Wilmot et al., 2007).
The vulnerable risks vary because different companies have different modes of operation. For example, a firm that deals in cash at hand policy is likely to be affected compared to the firm which operates on checks as their mode of payment. All firms should find suitable ways of reducing the risks (Woodard, 2001).

4. Re:Unit 5 – Discussion Board
Describe the four key elements of a good performance appraisal.

Linking of Assessment to Expectations
Effective appraisals link an employee\’s performance to her job description, expectations and goals. The appraisal should serve as a way to motivate the employee to improve her performance. This only works if the employee has clear goals.

Objectivity
A good performance appraisal is one that is fair, objective and easy to understand. Formal evaluations usually include specific evaluation criteria that connect to the job. Supervisors should be given guidance on how to score each employee\’s performance, whether it\’s on a scale of 1 to 10 or A to F. These criteria promote a fair assessment and allow the employee to more easily understand what each score means.

Consistent
Evaluation systems should be consistent. This means that each employee in a particular department gets the same basic evaluation criteria. In addition, all employees should be evaluated over the same time frame, whether it\’s once a quarter or once a year. Employees also shouldn\’t face any major positive or negative surprises if the manager has communicated well during the evaluation period.

Forward-Looking
Since appraisals should tell employees how to improve their performances, they must have a forward-looking focus. Supervisors should approach each assessment as an opportunity to motivate — not condemn or punish. With high performers, the evaluation is an opportunity for formal recognition and positive reinforcement. For low-performers, the appraisal is a chance to improve deficiencies inhibiting progress toward job and career goals.
Many factors can lead to a company failing. Discuss the external conditions that can occur that would hinder the success of a company.

Political
Political forces include regulatory requirements, legal concerns, and any impact from the current political climate of the country or region where the business operates

Economic
The financial crisis of 2007-2008 demonstrated the impact that economic forces can have on companies. Businesses that had nothing to do with banking or the housing industry saw their revenues drop, sometimes dramatically, as unemployment rose and disposable income dropped. Those companies that were in the financial and housing industries were fighting for survival every day – a battle that some 100-year old companies lost

Social
Social factors are those that reflect the preferences, fads, and trends in society. Media companies are very sensitive to social trends as their business model is to produce content that reflects society\’s interests. Reality TV, unheard of 20 years ago, is now some of the most watched productions in prime time. Social trends often follow technological trends
Discuss your understanding of the POWER SWOT. How can this method increase the effectiveness of a strategic plan?
A SWOT analysis is an integral part of a company\’s strategic planning process because it provides a good all-around view of the company\’s current and forward-looking situation. The strengths (S) and weaknesses (W) sections provide a look at the company\’s current position. The opportunities (O) and threats (T) sections help the company project possibilities and challenges going forward. Each of these four sections has specific advantages to the overall analysis.
5. Re:Unit 5 – Discussion Board
Brittany Bridges (1)Jun 28, 2018 12:07 PM

Describe the four key elements of a good performance appraisal.
Purpose- This explains why it is so important to the company for the appraisal to take place.
Outcomes – This is about working towards the intended goals which are geared towards the company goals on the desired purpose of the company.
Accountability –this is holding everyone accountable for their roles and contribution to the steps within the process.
Rewards- This is gaining benefits from being able to successfully meet the desired outcomes and goals as a result of the processes and steps taken.

Many factors can lead to a company failing. Discuss the external conditions that can occur that would hinder the success of a company.
There are many factors that could potentially easd to a company failing. Some of the reasons a company would fail could be poor advertisement and or marketing, poor employee participation. If the employees are not properly doing their jobs or lack the training to help them to do the best at their jobs this could hurt the company and also cause them to fail.

Discuss your understanding of the POWER SWOT. How can this method increase the effectiveness of a strategic plan?
I think of a POWER SWOT as being almost the same as a swot analysis but it is more intense and more of a direct focus on more specific and intense focus on the goals. From my understanding it more so focuses and used more in the marketing process of a business than any other areas.
6. Re:Unit 5 – Discussion Board
0LikeDonald Eckert (1)Jun 28, 2018 5:22 PM

Describe the four key elements of a good performance appraisal.
It serves to motivate employees toward company goals . The manager need to motivate the employee so they want to do better and work towards the goals and vision of the company. Motivation is the key!
It is understandable . The appraisal need to be clear and concise and put into terms the employee can understand. If the appraisal is not understood how can the employee improve if they don’t know what the company expects or wants from them.
It is viewed, in some way, as related to compensation. A key factor that motivates an employee is compensation. This should be done by offering better compensations based on the behavioral changes in their performance.
The system involves quantitative measurement of performance versus just subjective ratings. This system is not only telling the employee how they are doing based on observation but also using production metrics to track their performance.

Many factors can lead to a company failing. Discuss the external conditions that can occur that would hinder the success of a company. There are many external factors that can hinder the success of a company. The market declining, government regulations, taxes or tariffs, health and safety issues and environmental issues these things can cause a business to not succeed.
Discuss your understanding of the POWER SWOT. How can this method increase the effectiveness of a strategic plan? A power swat is a more in-depth look at the competitive environment. This will give you a better look at the company’s competitors. The power SWOT looks between the lines of a SWOT for a better analysis of where the company stands.

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Discussion Board Response to Peers

1. Re: Unit 5 – Discussion Board

Audrey makes a great post with regard to working in vulnerable areas. Again, the student offers a substantial example in explaining how vulnerable working areas look like. However, vulnerability should not be limited to human health and safety but should include environmental well-being, machinery used as well as ethics and safety measures expected of the company.

2. Re: Unit 5 – Discussion Board In this post, Stewart makes an informed choice of what entails vulnerable assets as far as business or organization are concerned. This choice is informed through a corporate approach and business-wise as opposed to being limited to the working environment alone.  However, the post emphasis more on capital assets forgetting that…