e-books of Joseph Ho

To test the features of onlywire. A test
http://josephho33.blogspot.hk/2014/09/list-of-ebooks-of-jkk-ho.html

Microeconomics - sample assignment June 2014

Assignment Details

Task 1: The supply and demand model

Conduct an Internet search to find some statistics so as to gauge the dynamics of supply and demand for housing in Hong Kong from 2005 to 2011 so as to explain the housing price movement over the period of 2005-2011.                                                              

50%

Task 2: On monopoly

Visit the company website of Hong Kong Electric Company and evaluate the annual reports of the company from 2005 to 2011, mainly using the Monopoly theory in Microeconomics.  In your discussion, you need to examine how the market structure of Monopoly affects the business behaviour of Hong Kong Electric Company.

50%

Assignment Requirement

1500 words plus calculations, figures and tables [around 750 words for task 1 and 750 words for task 2]

Answer all questions on separate piece(s) of A4 paper with your name and student ID.

You are reminded of the necessity for clear and orderly presentation in your answers.

Marking Criteria

The following criteria are used in assessment:

Criteria	Weighting
Skills in conducting Internet and library search for relevant facts:	35%
Ability to evaluate the facts with microeconomic theories	35%
Writing skills and report  format	30%

Macroeconomics - sample assignment June 2014

Task 1

Visit the website of Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong (re: http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/bbs.jsp), and do some additional Internet research; then conduct an analysis on data related to inflation rates and unemployment rates from 2008-2012 using the model of Phillips Curve in Macroeconomics as the main theory of analysis.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  40%

Task 2

Similar to task 2, now gather data on money supply and inflation rates of Hong Kong from 2008-2012 (5 years), and conduct an analysis on the data using Quantity theory of money as the main theory of analysis.

                                                                                                            40%

Task 3

Based on your discussion in Tasks 1 and 2, you are required to discuss how the inflation rate situation in Hong Kong affects unemployment rate in Hong Kong   20%

Assignment Requirement

1500 words plus calculations, figures and tables [600 words for task 1 and task 2 each; 300 words for task 3]

Answer all questions on separate piece(s) of A4 paper with your name and student ID.

You are reminded of the necessity for clear and orderly presentation in your answers.

Marking Criteria

The following criteria are used in assessment:

Criteria	Weighting
Skills in conducting Internet and library search for relevant facts:	35%
Ability to evaluate the facts with macroeconomic theories	35%
Writing skills and report  format	30%

International Marketing Management - sample assignment June 2014

Coursework Assignment (1): individual assignment (60% of final module grade)

You are required to study the brief marketing management case “Marketing Microwave Ovens to a New Market Segment” (re: Graham, C. (2005) International Marketing, McGraw-Hill, pp. 616-617) and carry out the following task:  to develop a strategy to market White Appliance’s microwave ovens in India for the coming 2 years. Include target market(s), microwave oven features, price(s), promotion and distribution in your program. You should also consider both short-term as well long-term marketing programs. Some of the issues you may want to consider are:

• Indian food preparation versus Western food preparation
• Values and customs might affect opinions about microwave ovens.
• The effects of competition in the market.

Format: A4, Typed single spacing

Individual Project

Word Limit: Circa 2000 words

Assessment Criteria (100%)

（1）   To demonstrate ability to apply and critically evaluate concepts and theories of international marketing through the suggested textbook, and assigned readings as well as classroom discussion. (45%)

（2）   To show independent and analytical thinking in the case study (35%)

（3）   To show ability to write an organized and appropriately formatted report (20%)

（4）   Assessment Criteria will mainly cover Learning Outcomes 1 & 2

Report structure

The report should have an introduction section as well as a section on conclusions, e.g.

1. Introduction
2. ...
3. ....
4. etc
5. Conclusions and lessons learned from the application of international marketing management concepts in the case study

References

Appendix

Students are encouraged to develop their own subsections of the report as long as the content explicitly addresses the assignment requirements.

Coursework Assignment (II): group assignment (40% of final module grade)

Your group is to study the case study of “Cultural Norms, Fair & Lovely, and Advertising” (re: Graham, C. (2005) International Marketing, McGraw-Hill, pp. 624-626) and address the following questions:

Q1: Is it ethical to sell a product that is, at best, only mildly effective? Discuss.

Q2: Is the advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women or is it portraying a product not too dissimilar to cosmetics in general?

Q3: In light if AIDWa’s charges, how would you suggest Fair & Lovely promote their product? Discuss. Would your response be different if Fairever continues to use “fairness: as a theme of their promotion? Discuss.

Q4: Propose a promotion/ marketing program that will counter all the arguments and charges against Fair & Lovely and be an effective program.

Format: A4, Typed single spacing

Group Project: 2-3 people per group

Word Limit: 2500 words

Report structure

The report should have an introduction section as well as a section on conclusions, e.g.

6. Introduction
7. ...
8. ....
9. etc
10. Conclusions

References

Appendix

Peer evaluation form

Students are encouraged to develop their own subsections of the report as long as the content explicitly addresses the assignment tasks posed.

Assessment Criteria (100%)

（1）   To demonstrate understanding of the concepts and theories of international marketing through the suggested textbook, and assigned readings as well as classroom discussion. (30%)

（2）   To show independent and analytical thinking in the case study (50%)

（3）   To show ability to write an organized and appropriately formatted report (20%)

（4）   Assessment Criteria will mainly cover Learning Outcomes 2 & 3

- end -

International Human Resource Management - sample assignment June 2014

Assignment 1 – Team presentation (weighting 25% of the whole subject)

• Learning outcomes being assessed: 1 and 2
• Group size: 3 students per group (3 is the maximum group size; if there are 4 students left after the class grouping; the 4 students will form two groups with group size of 2)
• Using examples from international hotel corporations, such as Hilton Hotel and Sheraton Hotel, assess (a) the cultural contingencies and individual differences shaping employee behavior (b) human resource management strategies and practices utilized by multicultural organizations.
• Your group needs to make a 15-20 minute presentation and need to submit a set of hardcopy of your presentation slides.

Assessment criteria and respective weighting for assignment 1

Quality of presentation: 40%

Knowledge of relevant management theories: 25%

Organized reasoning and relevance of examples used: 20%

Quality of presentation slides: 15%

Assignment 2 – Case analysis (Weighting 75% of the whole subject)

• Learning outcomes being assessed: all
• Individual assignment with a report in 3,000 words (+/- 5%)
• Study the case of Wolfgang’s balancing act (re: Dowling PJ, Festing, M, and Engle,Sr. A.D., 2008, International Human Resource Management, Thomson, Case 5) and tackle the following 3 tasks:

Task 1:      Assess the cultural contingencies that shape employee behavior in Healthcare

Task 2:      Appraise the human resource management strategy of Healthcare

Task 3:      Address the following questions from Question Block A of the case, name, (a) Should Wolfgang move some of the existing pay elements across the T account in Figure 2, shifting them from globally standardized to locally customized? (b) should he add or delete some existing practices from the T accounts? (c) Should he change the weights or emphases (%) of existing elements of the pay system? For answers to (a), (b) and (c), you are required to support your answers with clear justifications.

Assessment criteria and respective weighting for assignment 2

Knowledge of the case: 30%

Knowledge of relevant management theories applied: 28%

Organized reasoning: 27%

Writing style and presentation: 15%

Administrative systems in organization - sample exam paper

Duration: 3 hours

Answer 4 questions

One question must be attempted from each section

Section A: Problem-solving and analysis

1.     Creativity is much valued in problem-solving exercises. Evaluate brainstorming as a technique to promote creativity in problem-solving. (10 marks) In general, what guidelines would you consider as effective to promote creative problem-solving in business settings. You are required to justify your line of reasoning and provide examples for illustration in your discussion. (15 marks)

(25 marks)

2.     Metaphors allow us to understand something by a name or description that is not literally applicable to it. Evaluate in detail how the following 3 system metaphors can be employed to diagnose problems in an organization that you are familiar with: (a) machines (b) organisms and (c) brains. (Discussion of each metaphor: 6 marks; total 18 marks). Discuss the benefits of using multiple system metaphors to diagnose problems and to formulate solutions for an organization. (7 marks)

(25 marks)

Section B: Designing effective systems

3.     The notion of quality is a key one in Total Quality Management. However, it is a complicated concept and can be defined in various ways. Explain 4 of the following definitions of quality: (a) Transcendent, (b) Product-based, (c) User-based, (d) Manufacturing-based, and (e) Value-based. (Each answer: 4 marks; total 16 marks). What are the benefits and problems for an organization to consider all these definitions of quality at the same time when evaluating quality problems that exist in the organization (Answers on benefits: 4 marks; on problems 5 marks; total 9 marks)

(25 marks)

4.     Discuss the following six ingredients of process management: (a) ownership, (b) planning, (c) control, (d) measurement, (e) improvement, and (f) optimization. (Each point 2 marks; total 12 marks).

Discuss how the following process improvement tools can be employed to improve business processes. (a) cause-and-effect analysis and (b) control charts. You are required to provide diagrams for illustration in your answers. (Answer for each tool: 5 marks; total 10 marks)

Provide some examples of measures of business performance on social impact as a measure dimension. (3 marks)

(25 marks)

Section C: Performance improvement and monitoring

5.     The balanced scorecard is a very popular performance management tool. Explain the 4 key perspectives of this technique (16 marks) and how it is used (5 marks). Discuss one major difficulty of using this technique in an organization (4 marks)

(25 marks)

6.     Explain the notion of the re-engineering spectrum, as well as the various approaches identified in the spectrum, using real-life examples for illustration. (Each approach (5 approaches): 3 marks; answer on the spectrum per se: 3 marks; total 18 marks). Discuss the role of Information Technology in Business Process Re-engineering. (7 marks)

(25 marks)

Section D: Systems approaches and models

7.     The notion of complexity is fundamental in systems thinking. Explain the attributes of complexity in terms of (a) systems (i.e. number of parts and number of relations) and (b) people (i.e. interests, capabilities and perceptions). You are required to provide real-life examples for illustration. (Answer on each category: 6 marks; total 12 marks)

Briefly explain the differences between these terms in systems thinking: (a) holist vs reductionist, (b) systemic vs systematic. (Each answer 4 marks; total 8 marks)

Briefly explain the main steps involved in hard systems-based problem-solving approach (5 marks)

(25 marks)

8.     Discuss the main differences between machine age thinking and the systems age thinking of R.L Ackoff. (8 marks). Which mode of thinking do you think is more effective in dealing with problems that can arise when an organization is conducting a major organizational restructuring project. You are required to provide clear justification of your viewpoints. (5 marks)

Explain the following operating principles underlying the interactive planning approach of R.L. Ackoff: (a) the participative principle, (b) the principle of continuity, and (c) the holistic principle. (Answer on each principle: 4 marks; total 12 marks)

(25 marks)

-       End -

Information Systems - sample exam paper June 2014

Section A – All seven questions in [A] are compulsory and must be attempted (60%)

Two case studies are provided for analysis:

Case 1 – ABC Ltd.

ABC Ltd is a large pharmaceutical company. It has a proactive attitude toward new technologies. It began exploring the potential of the Internet in 1993. Managers soon realized that, by using intranets, they could reduce many of the problems associated with developing applications on a wide variety of hardware platforms and network configurations. Because the benefits were so obvious, the regular financial justification process was waived for intranet application development projects. The Information Systems group that helps user departments develop and maintain intranet applications increased its staff from 3 to 10 employees in 15 months

Case 2 – XYZ Ltd.

XYZ Ltd., an advertising agency, has offices in various parts of the country. The company discovered that, in developing presentations for bids on new accounts, employees found it helpful to use materials from other employees’ presentations on similar projects. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to locate and then transfer relevant material in different locations and different formats. After doing research on alternatives, the company identified intranet technology as the best potential solution.

XYZ Ltd. hired ACAS Consulting Firm to help develop the system. It started with one office in 2006 as a pilot site. Now the company has a sophisticated corporate-wide intranet and extranet in place. XYZ Ltd. did not do a detailed financial analysis before starting the project. David Li, the  Chief Information Officer, explained, “The system will start paying for itself the first time an employee wins a new account because he had easy access to a co-worker’s information.”

[Question A]

Required:

Based on the cases of ABC Ltd. and XYZ Ltd, answer the following questions:

1)      Briefly describe the following terms:

a.       Intranet

b.      Extranet

(6 marks)

2)      Briefly describe one method of financial analysis for IT project evaluation

(4 marks)

3)      Briefly explain the main advantage(s) of implementing an IT project with a pilot site

(6 marks)

4)      Briefly describe the following components in the benefits-dependency network of Peppard, Ward and Daniel, using examples from the ABC Ltd and XYZ Ltd cases:

a.       IT Enablers                              (4 marks)

b.      Enabling changes                   (4 marks)

c.       Business Changes                  (4 marks)

d.      Benefits                                    (4 marks)

e.       Investment objectives           (4 marks)

5)      Under what circumstances is the “invest first, analyze later” approach appropriate? And under what circumstances is the approach inappropriate?

(8 marks)

6)      How long do you think the “invest first, analyze later” approach will be appropriate for intranet projects in the cases of ABC Ltd and XZ Ltd.? When (and why) should the emphasis shift to traditional project justification approaches for ABC Ltd. and XYZ Ltd.?

(8 marks)

7)      What are the risks of going into projects that have not received a thorough financial analysis in the cases of ABC Ltd. and XYZ Ltd.? How can ABC Ltd and XYZ Ltd. reduce these risks?

(8 marks)

Section B – Answer any two of the following three questions (40%)

[Question B1]

The increased popularity of ‘lightweight’ project methods, for example Agile, has led to some people questioning the need for well established structured methods. There is no method that is always best: each is more appropriate in certain circumstances.

1)      To what kind of project is an Agile approach most suited?

(4 marks)

2)      List 3 benefits of prototyping

(6 marks)

3)      What 3 essential things do you need to run a Joint Application Development (JAD) workshop?

(6 marks)

4)      What is meant by the expression ‘time-boxing’?

(4 marks)

[Question B2]

Your company has decided that it needs a new stock control system and that an off-the shelf package is the best solution. The main tasks have been identified and duration assessed as follows:

A	Draw up a functional requirements specification	4 weeks
B	Consider various relevant software packages and select one	3 weeks
C	Identify and specify the necessary hardware and communications equipment	2 weeks
D	Order the hardware and equipment	1 week
E	Identify the key package modifications needed to meet the functionality required	2 weeks
F	Modify the software package as necessary	8 weeks
G	Accept delivery and install all hardware and equipment needed for the package	10 weeks
H	Design a training plan	2 weeks
I	Set up a testing plan	3 weeks
J	Unit test all the amended package modules	3 weeks
K	Train the users	2 weeks
L	Full  integration and acceptance testing	3 weeks
M	Implement the new system	1 week

B cannot start until A is completed

C, E, H and I cannot start until B is completed

D cannot start until C is completed

F cannot start until E is completed

G cannot start until D is completed

J cannot start until F, G and I are completed

K cannot start until H is completed

L cannot start until J and K are completed

M cannot start until L is completed

1)      Draw an activity-on-node diagram for these 13 project tasks (A to M). Calculate and display on the diagram, with a node layout key, the earliest and latest start and finish times and float of each task.

(10 marks)

2)      Describe how each of the following changes to task duration (on their own) would affect the  critical path and project duration:

a.       Task A – reduced to 3 weeks

b.      Task E – increased to 5 weeks

(4 marks)

3)      List and explain briefly 3 advantages and 3 disadvantages of using an activity-on-node diagram for a project plan in comparison with using a Gantt chart.

(6 marks)

[Question B3]

You are an IT manager within a software house. You have been asked to draw up a plan to provide security within the system you are developing. Describe what measures you can take to ensure:

1)      The reliability and integrity of your data

2)      Physical security

(8  marks)

Write brief notes on the following:

3)      IT Outsourcing

4)      Business  process re-engineering

5)      IT governance

6)      Usability in software design

(12 marks)

-          End -

Research themes 2014

My research themes in 2014

1. Career planning
2. Homelessness
3. Work-life balance
4. Lobbying
5. Creative industry
6. Strategic Management Accounting and Competitive advantage

The MPSB Research: directed readings

The following publications are the main readings publicly accessible on the Multi-perspective, Systems-based (MPSB) Research:


Part 1: On the theoretical foundation of the MPSB Research
Reading 1: The MPSB Research thesis (1996)
Reading 2: On Enlightening Management Education
Part 2: Application on specific management topics
Reading 3: An MPSB Framework on IS/IT project appraisal
Reading 4: On double-hybrid Management Accountants
Part 3: On management learning and development
Reading 5: On managerial intellectual learning in systems thinking
Reading 6: The managerial intellectual learning capability-building mechanism
Reading 7: On e-learning support
Reading 8: On MPSB cognitive filter for management
Reading 9: On plagiarism-dissolving
Reading 10: On scholar-practitioner
Part 4: An updated view on the MPSB Research
Reading 11: On MPSB knowledge supply chain framework