Paper | Management homework help

The purpose of this project is for you to demonstrate an understanding between entrepreneurs and small business owners.  You will also be relating how a business contributed to the economy in the 1990’s.

Outcomes Met With This Project:

• discuss the financial, economic, regulatory, sociopolitical, and technological factors as they relate to a dynamic business environment
• identify the critical business functions and how they interact in order to position the organization to be effective in the current business environment
• explain the importance of the integration of individuals and systems to organizational effectiveness

Skill Building:

You are also completing this project to help you develop the skills of critical thinking, writing and developing a personal brand.  Writing is a critical skill because in business it is important to convey information clearly and concisely and to develop a personal brand.  Developing a personal brand is important because it is the ongoing process of establishing an image or impression in the minds of others especially those in positions above you.  Having a strong personal brand can lead to opportunities that include promotions.

Case Scenario:

Read the following case scenario and answer the questions that follow: 

In 1994, Leslie Blodgett became CEO of a small bath and body retailer of mineral-based powder makeup, Bare Escentuals, located in a town in California.  Although Bare Escentuals was the first company to offer mineral-based products, the colors of the products did not fit well with the skin tones of women.  Having worked for Neutrogena and Max Factor, Blodgett set out to formulate beauty products that worked harmoniously together.  The new line of makeup was known as BareMinerals and consisted of six blushes, six eye shadows, five powder foundations and brushes.  The mineral-based foundation product was unconventional and provided light to maximum coverage for all skin types, which appealed to men and women of all ages.  Products did not contain chemical additives, preservatives, oil, fragrances, waxes or binders that could lead to skin irritation.  

Two years passed and Blodgett was losing hope that the product line was going to be successful.  After watching the TV shopping network, QVC, Blodgett devised a plan to go on QVC to sell BareMinerals.  The first airing resulted in sales of $45,000 of products.  Blodgett had her in and continued to sell on QVC selling $1.4 million of product an hour.  She further expanded the business by doing Infomercials, which allowed more time to explain the products and application process.   Widening the distribution channel, Blodgett offered events at boutiques and specialty cosmetic stores, and solicited input from customers for product and marketing ideas.  Blodgett learned that the business required taking care of customers and hiring people who loved people because the business was about helping women feel good about themselves.

Business at Bare Escentuals was booming and the company was growing at a fast pace.  In 2006, the company went public.  Headquarters was moved to New York.  In 2010, after 16 years at the helm, Blodgett sold the company to Shiseido, a Japanese-based cosmetic company, for almost $1.7 billion. To Blodgett, the deal made sense because Shiseido had distribution channels in 87 countries and had the knowledge to expand further into Asia.  Blodgett wanted to be more involved in the creative side of the business so she stepped down as CEO and took a position reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Global Business at Shiseido.

Instructions:

You will use the following steps to complete this project.  Make sure to complete each step to ensure the highest possible grade. 

Step 1: Course Material

For this project, you are required to use the case scenario facts and the course material.   External sources are not permitted.  You are not researching on the Internet or using resources from outside the course.  You are expected to answer the requirements identified below showing the connection between the case scenario facts and the course material.   Using course material goes beyond defining terms and are used to explain the ‘why and how’ of a situation.  Avoid merely making statements but close the loop of the discussion by explaining how something happens or why something happens, which focuses on importance and impact.  In closing the loop, you will demonstrate the ability to think clearly and rationally showing an understanding of the logical connections between the ideas presented in a case scenario, the course material and the question(s) being asked.  Using one or two in-text citations from the course material throughout the entire paper will not earn many points on an assignment.  The use of a variety of course material is expected consistently supporting what is presented.  The support must be relevant and applicable to the topic being discussed.  Points are not earned for mentioning a term or concept but by clearly and thoroughly explaining or discussing the question at hand.

NOTE:  If external sources are used, what is presented will not count and a penalty for following instruction will apply.

Step 2:  Create Headings

You will use the following headings for this project.  Make sure that each heading is in place and use the headings as a guide to write each section of the project.

• Introduction
• Entrepreneur Versus Small Business Owner
• Entrepreneurial Traits Demonstrated by Blodgett
• Entrepreneurial Categories
• Bare Escentuals’ Contribution to the Economy in the 1990’s
• Factors of Production
• Conclusion

Step 3:  Write an Introduction paragraph 

The Introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper and will be used to describe to the reader the intent of the paper explaining the main points covered in the paper.  This intent should be understood prior to reading the remainder of the paper so the reader knows exactly what is being covered in the paper. 

Write the introduction last to ensure all of the main points are covered.

Step 4:  Entrepreneurial Traits

You learned about entrepreneurs and small business owners.  Although these terms may appear synonymous, they are not.  As CEO of Bare Escentuals, Leslie Blodgett could be depicted as an entrepreneur.  Using the course material to support your ideas and reasoning:

• Differentiate between an entrepreneur and a small business owner.
• Discuss how Blodgett demonstrated entrepreneurial traits.
• Discuss the different categories of entrepreneurs and identify which category best fits Blodgett.

Step 5:  Economics

Early in the course you learned that there is a relationship between business and economics.  Bare Escentuals was started as a small business.  Using the case scenario facts and the course material:

• Discuss how Bare Escentuals most likely contributed to the economy in the 1990’s;
• What factors of production affected the demand for Bare Escentuals products?

Step 6: Conclusion 

Write a concluding paragraph that is brief and summarizes the main points.  Provide specific information related to the major topics discussed in the paper.   

Step 7:  Review the Paper 

Read the paper to ensure all required elements are present.  In conjunction with these instructions, use the grading rubric to ensure that you gain the most points possible for this assignment. 

Proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical issues, and third person writing. 

• Read the paper aloud as a first measure;
• Use the spell and grammar check in Word as a second measure;
• Consider submitting the paper to the Effective Writing Center (EWC).  The EWC will provide 4-6 areas that may need improvement.

Step 8:  Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder (The assignment submitted to the Assignment Folder will be considered the student’s final product and therefore ready for grading by the instructor.  It is incumbent upon the student to verify the assignment is the correct submission.  No exceptions will be considered by the instructor). 

How to Set Up the Paper

Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is double-spaced, 12-point font.  The final product will be 3 -4 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page.  Write clearly and concisely.

Completing the Paper 

In order to complete this project, you will want to first read the module, Learn How to Support What You Write, as this assignment requires you to use the course readings and research to support what you write.  Also,

• Read and use the grading rubric while completing the exercise to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible grade.  
• Third person writing is required.  Third person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing).  If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link:  http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person. 
• Contractions are not used in business writing, so do not use them.  
• Paraphrase and do not use direct quotation marks.  Paraphrase means you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source document.  Instead put a passage from a source document into your own words and attribute the passage to the source document.  Not using direct quotation marks means that there should be no passages with quotation marks and instead the source material is paraphrased as stated above.  Note that a reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa.   You may not use more than four consecutive words from a source document, as doing so would require direct quotation marks.  Changing words from a passage does not exclude the passage from having quotation marks.   If more than four consecutive words are used from source documents, this material will not be included in the grade and could lead to allegations of academic dishonesty.
• You are expected to use the case scenarios and weekly course material to develop the analysis and support the reasoning.   There should be a robust use of the course material along with thorough analysis of potential location information.  Material used from a source document must be cited and referenced.  A reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa.  Changing words from a passage does not exclude the passage from having quotation marks.   If more than four consecutive words are used from source documents, this material will not be included in the grade and could lead to allegations of academic dishonesty.
• Use in-text citations and provide a reference list that contains the reference associated with each in-text citation.
• The only book you may use is the course eBook.  This project only allows you to use the course material.  You may not use any external sources including a dictionary or Wikipedia.
• Provide the page or paragraph number in every in-text citation presented.  If the eBook does not have pages, provide the chapter title and topic heading.