Case Analysis: Bank of America’s Acquisition of Merrill Lynch

Read the case, “Bank of America’s Acquisition of Merrill Lynch” on page 702-718. Use the case analysis format provided below to address to identify the problems and provide several suggested solutions that the Bank of America executive team can review for possible implementation.

Be sure to identify “identify 2 to 3 problems” and “develop 2 to 3 possible solutions to the problems identified”, and use this as the focus for making your case in the case format. Note: The case questions provided at the end of each case can be used as an insight to what the problems might be; so be sure to investigate the case carefully.

Case Format

I. Write the Executive Summary

• One to two paragraphs in length
• On cover page of the report
• Briefly identify the major problems facing the manager/key person
• Summarize the recommended plan of action and include a brief justification of the recommended plan

II. Statement of the Problem

• State the problems facing the manager/key person
• Identify and link the symptoms and root causes of the problems
• Differentiate short term from long term problems
• Conclude with the decision facing the manager/key person

III. Causes of the Problem

• Provide a detailed analysis of the problems; identify in the Statement of the Problem
• In the analysis, apply theories and models from the text and/or readings
• Support conclusions and /or assumptions with specific references to the case and/or the readings

IV. Decision Criteria and Alternative Solutions

• Identify criteria against which you evaluate alternative solutions (i.e. time for implementation, tangible costs, acceptability to management)
• Include two or three possible alternative solutions
• Evaluate the pros and cons of each alternative against the criteria listed
• Suggest additional pros/cons if appropriate

V. Recommended Solution, Implementation and Justification

• Identify who, what, when, and how in your recommended plan of action
• Solution and implementation should address the problems and causes identified in the previous section
• The recommended plan should include a contingency plan(s) to back up the ‘ideal’ course of action
• Using models and theories, identify why you chose the recommended plan of action – why it’s the best and why it would work

VI. External Sourcing

• 2 to 3 external sources (in addition to your textbook) should be referenced to back up your recommendations or to identify issues. This information would be ideally sourced in current journals, magazines and newspapers and should reflect current management thought or practice with respect to the issues Identify.

The requirements below must be met for your paper to be accepted and graded:

• Write between 750 – 1,250 words (approximately 3 – 5 pages) using Microsoft Word in APA style, see example below.
• Use font size 12 and 1” margins.
• Include cover page and reference page.
• At least 80% of your paper must be original content/writing.
• No more than 20% of your content/information may come from references.
• Use at least three references from outside the course material, one reference must be from EBSCOhost. Text book, lectures, and other materials in the course may be used, but are not counted toward the three reference requirement.
• Cite all reference material (data, dates, graphs, quotes, paraphrased words, values, etc.) in the paper and list on a reference page in APA style.

References must come from sources such as, scholarly journals found in EBSCOhost, CNN, online newspapers such as, The Wall Street Journal, government websites, etc. Sources such as, Wikis, Yahoo Answers, eHow, blogs, etc. are not acceptable for academic writing.

A detailed explanation of how to cite a source using APA can be found here (link).

Within the Discussion Board area, write 400–600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

Compare and contrast two of the following: USA Patriot Act, Homeland Security Act, Intelligence Reform Act, Implementing Recommendations of the 9-11 Commission Act, and the Transportation Security Act. Address areas that are complementary, contradictory, and that overlap. Pay particular attention to the following areas:

• Areas of differences in intent and content of the acts being examined
• Conflicts of law
• Jurisdictional overlap

Purpose of Assignment

The theory of market economies emphasizes freedom of choice and limited government intervention. The classic argument for government intervention is market failure – the inability of the market economy to correct itself from a dysfunctional state (such as the Great Depression). Students will examine articles from the University library to analyze real-world examples of U.S. government intervention programs and apply current week readings to make intelligent conclusions about the economic policies.

Assignment Steps

Resources: Tutorial help on Excel® and Word functions can be found on the Microsoft® Office website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products.

Using the University Library, EBSCOhost, or ProQuest data bases, locate up to three different articles/publications and/or use The Economist Online from the University Library to examine one case of significant government intervention as it relates to your current industry of employment or an industry in which you are interested in working. You may access EBSCOhost, ProQuest or The Economist Online through the University Library homepage:

1. Click on the Library tab.
2. Click on University Library.
3. Click on the tab to Databases A-Z.
4. Click on “E”.
5. Scroll down to Economist.com.

Examples of intervention programs you may select, but are not limited to:

• US agriculture support programs
• Low income support programs (Food Stamps, Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families)
• Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
• Low-income rent controls and housing vouchers
• Government promotion of renewable energy sources to discourage use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil
• Unemployment Insurance
• Bailout of U.S. banks and other financial institutions during the Great Recession
• Bailout of U.S. auto makers during the Great Recession
• Social Security retirement benefits

Develop a minimum 10-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation including detailed speaker notes or voiceover including the following:

• Describe the intervention and detail its history.
• Analyze the arguments for government intervention as opposed to arguments for market-based solutions. Hint: See the information in our course textbook on market failures.
• Examine who may be helped and who may be hurt by the selected government intervention.
• Examine externalities and/or unintended consequences of such intervention.
• Determine the cost trend of the intervention program since its implementation including whether costs are increasing, decreasing, or vary with the state of the economy.
• Evaluate the success or failure of the intervention in achieving its objectives and develop conclusions.
• Recommend whether the program should be continued as is, discontinued, or modified and defend your recommendation.

Note: The use of tables and/or charts to display economic data over the time period discussed is highly encouraged. However, if your source includes the copyright symbol, which looks like this: ©, then you should not copy any table and/or charts from that source. You could use, but are not required to use, charts/graphs retrieved from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED web site as long as the data sources used by FRED to create those charts are government sources such as the Bureau of Economic Analysis or the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Cite a minimum of three scholarly, peer-reviewed references.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

Physician and Hospital Reimbursement

This assignment represents the first component of your course project. In this written paper you will complete the following:

• Provide a historical overview of the evolution of how health care has been reimbursed.
• Differentiate between fee for service versus managed care models of reimbursement.
• Discuss how fee for service and managed care models have contributed to the high cost of insurance premiums to employers and individuals.
• Differentiate between how hospitals and physicians are reimbursed. Include government entitlements such as Medicare and Medicaid.
• Recommend potential reform on how hospitals and physicians can be reimbursed. Include how you might reform government entitlements such as Medicare and Medicaid. Base your recommendations on the reading and research you have conducted.

The paper must be formatted as follows:

• 3–5 pages of text, double spaced.
• A minimum of 6–8 outside references required.
• Citations must appear within the body of your paper to correspond with the references listed at the end of the paper (i.e., if the resource is included in your Reference List, the resource must be cited in your paper).
• Use Times New Roman 12-point font.

• The length should be between 10-12 pages plus Title page and reference section. Do not cut and paste any charts etc. from the web. If you need to put a chart into the body, then it will not count towards your paper page count.

All work will be done in APA Style format.

papers will be submitted through Safe Assign for plagiarism checking. I will not grade any paper with over 20% SafeAssign plagiarism score.

Here is a list of possible topics for you to choose from;

.

1.How does the Family Life Cycle Affect the way firms market to their customers?

2.How have the developments in social media and digital analytics affected the way firms have marketed?

4.What has been the effect of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and how has it impacted the ability of American firms to compete internationally?

5.How has the use of Google Analytics impacted the world of marketing research?

6.How would you design curriculum that prepares you for the kind of jobs we saw in the Marketing Jobs Discussion?

8.Has social media helped make word-of-mouth the best form of marketing?

9.How effective is personal branding?

11.With minorities expected to become the majority in the US is now the time to stop multicultural marketing?

12.Can marketing be used to change the outcomes of poverty?