**There are 2 responses. Write a 100 word response for each response.

RESPONSE 1:

Mintz & Morris (2014) go into a lot of detail (in chapter 8, our reading this week) about the difficulties of enforcement for international laws (it had rarely happened by the time this book was published), also highlighting the cultural differences we have with China: They refuse to share financial audits and do not have any interest in transparency. Independence is also often not encouraged in this culture, as the place prime importance of family and community relationships.

Given these facts, I’m not sure that we can ever have a global ethical standard or even achieve total comparability of financial statements. Sadly, if a rule is not enforceable most people will not follow it, it is human nature. I think the only hope is if the global market demands it, but I do not know that most Americans, at least, are even aware of when they are spending their money how it impacts China.

Even the countries that do accept IFRS have different interpretations of it. On page 478 Mintz & Morris (2014) list a few of the issues that can vary in cultures:

1) “Uncertainty avoidance” – this is what level of uncertainty and risk a culture is comfortable with

2) “Individualism” – for example, this is low in China but high in America

3) “Power distance” – this is about how much power is distributed unequally

As Mintz & Morris (2014) explain, over 100 countries have “adopted international standards [IFRS} or some variant of them.” They go on to say that some countries accept it but with certain exceptions. (p 462). The more this is true, the less comparability of financial statements can occur.

Still, to have global comparability, I do think having a global ethical standard would be the best we can.

RESPONSE 2:

Our book discussed the debate about the need for principle-based GAAP verse the present rules-based GAAP. I think for the purposes of comparability (which is key to transparency, because what is the point of being transparent if a stakeholder misinterprets the financial statements?) both are really needed. There are things that are right or wrong in accounting, and there are other things that are more open to interpretation. And for those things that are interpretation principles need to be established. But then you run into the problem of enforceability because one person will interpret a principle one way and another, another way.

I think of the principles-based way like the ethics of the rules. But teaching ethics does not solve all the problems, because even when some are well versed in ethics, they choose fraud. Rules-based GAAP cannot prevent all fraud either because people find ways around it and will always look for them. It is no wonder educated people have different viewpoints about this.

The best possible situation for accounting is for every accountant to be perfectly ethical and knowledgeable about accounting rules and regulations. Neither of these situations will ever be true, unfortunately. So, I think the best America can do is teach ethics, hoping it takes hold of the student, and teach accounting rules and regulations well. And those in management must model good behavior and mentor. Nothing will be 100% effective, but I think this is a good start.

If everyone were a Christian, we would still have sin, but God would enable all of us to be ethical. But since we are a minority, it is our privilege and responsibility to live out our engrained ethical principles amongst those with whom we work, that they might be encouraged by our behavior and glorify God (Matthew 5:16, New American Standard).

***Attached is the first assignment that was completed before. The product is TESLA. Please read the previous assignment that I have attached to this before you begin!

MRKT 310 Principles of Marketing

Week 4 Writing Assignment

Part 1 – Consumer Behavior: How People Make Buying Decisions

Learning Outcomes

Model of Consumer Behavior: Environmental factors. Student can use the model of consumer behavior to identify those environmental factors most likely to affect the consumer decision making for a specific product or service.

Model of Consumer Behavior: Consumer factors. Student can reference the model of consumer behavior to identify the consumer factors most likely to affect the decision making for a specific product or service.

Role of Involvement in purchase decisions. Student can identify the role of consumer involvement applicable to a specific product or service offering and how that level of involvement affects the type of decision making.

Consumer decision-making process. Student can identify how marketing strategy can influence each of the steps in the consumer decision-making process.

Directions

• Refer to the product or service you selected at the beginning of the semester. This week, you want to take a closer look at what consumer factors may be relevant for customers who are considering buying your product or service offering. This will require some critical thinking on your part based on your own behavior if you are a customer yourself, or you may want to talk to others who have purchased the product. Sometimes you can find clues when looking at the marketing messages that may be addressing some of these factors.

• Prepare your assignment beginning with a title page with your name and the name of your product or service. Then answer each of the following eight questions (four in part 1 and four in part 2) in order and number the beginning of your response to each question. Although you do not need to repeat the question, there should be a heading to separate the sections. The paper should contain approximately 5+ pages of analysis for the responses to the eight questions.

• Consumer Behavior Model: Environmental factors. Refer to the week’s readings and the model of consumer behavior and identify two of the most important environmental factors you think are relevant to the customers of your product or service offering. Explain your choices.
• Consumer Behavior Model: Consumer factors. Refer to this week’s readings and the model of consumer behavior and identify the three most important consumer factors you think are relevant to the customers of your product or service offering. Explain your choices.
• Role of involvement in consumer decision-making. Identify the level of involvement a customer of your product or service might use to make a purchase/no purchase decision. Then, discuss which type of buying behavior is most consistent with that level of involvement.
• Consumer decision-making process. Go through the six steps of the purchase process outlined in the readings and identify where marketing can influence each of the six steps. For example, if a consumer just identified a need for your product in step one, then the company can advertise how your product fills that need. Or, if a consumer purchased your product, the consumer can be called and asked about their satisfaction with the product and if there is any dissatisfaction steps can be taken to ensure the customer satisfaction. Be sure to be more specific with respect to your product or service than this example.

Part 2 – Market Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning

Learning Outcomes

• Segmentation. Students can use the segmentation characteristics to identify and describe market segments
• Target Market. Students can identify a usable market segment to be a target market
• Target-market strategy. Students can determine an appropriate target-market strategy.
• Positioning. Students can develop and interpret a perceptual map.

Directions

• So far, you have only been considering the customers of your product or service as one big group, or a mass market. More astute marketing breaks down this large group into smaller market segments of consumers who have similar characteristics. For any specific product or service, there could be numerous market segments. However, company resources may only allow a company to pursue one or two or these market segments, which then become target market(s). In this paper, you should divide the mass market for your product or service into at least two market segments and then pick one target market you think would have the most potential for future growth. This target market does not have to be the one the company would have actually picked, or is currently pursuing.

• Think outside your own box. Chances are good you picked a product with which you are familiar. That is a good starting point, and you may represent one target market. But you may represent a target market that is saturated and therefore not the best target market to pick for the remainder of the semester. So be sure your second target market is different enough and represents growth potential.

• If you did not do a thorough analysis of the competition in the prior writing assignment, you may need to go back and figure out the nature of the product’s or service’s competition. This will be important when you address the positioning of your product for your newly identified target market inasmuch as positioning is a competition-based concept.

• We understand you are not an employee of the company and do not have access to the data that you feel will allow you to discuss the questions to the degree you would like. Take your best educated and reasoned guesses whenever you need to do so.

• Your job will be to critically examine all of the segmentation bases and arrive at your own description of potential market segments for your product or service.

• You may want to visit http://www.segmentationstudyguide.com/understanding-perceptual-maps/a-step-by-step-guide-to-constructing-a-perceptual-map/ for a step-by-step guide on how to draw a perceptual or positioning map. Remember to label both axes of your perceptual map. Meanwhile, here is an example of a perceptual map for the beer market, an excellent example for a highly competitive product.

• Prepare your assignment by answering the following four areas of inquiry related to the learning outcomes noted above.
  • Segmentation. Using the various criteria of the segmentation bases described in the week’s readings and in Table 4.1, identify at least two distinct market segments for your product or service. Each market segment description must include at least three (more if needed) of the characteristics from amongst any of the four bases categories, e.g. one from demographic variables, one or two from psychographic variables, and one from behavioral variables, or a similar scheme. Be sure to explain your choices based on what customer need the product or service offering can fill for each segment.
  • Target market. Select one of the market segments you described in (1) above as the one you believe is or can be the most profitable for your product or service offering and explain why you feel they can represent growth for the company. Refer to the six criteria for an attractive market segment as described in course content under ‘Selecting Target Markets’. Name your target market so you can use this name throughout all of your remaining writing assignments. Your name should be descriptive of the segments’ characteristics like ‘savvy young shoppers’ or ‘educated baby boomers’, or ‘urban hipsters’, or the like. The goal is for your faculty member to get a mental image of your target market for the remainder of the semester.
  • Target market strategy. Should the company focus all their resources on this new target market (concentrated marketing) or should they continue to pursue both the new and the existing target market as well as other market segments (multi-segment marketing)? Alternatively, is the market so saturated might they be more successful by focusing solely on an even more narrow market segment, perhaps an even narrower version (niche marketing) of your selected target market, as their best chance for growth? What is your reasoning?
  • Positioning. Draw yourself a perceptual map as illustrated in the week’s readings or use the websites noted in the directions. Be sure to pick two criteria that are important to your new target market for your two axes, perhaps two of the criteria you used in Week 1 in your competitive analysis. Map at least the two major competitors you noted in the previous writing assignment and add any others that you may have discovered since then. Describe what the perceptual map is telling you regarding how each product is perceived in the minds of the new target market you described above. You may have to make a series of educated guesses for some of the data points. Ideally, you want to find uncontested space. If your product overlaps with a competing offering discuss whether or not your product or service should try for an ‘uncontested’ space on the map and ‘reposition’ itself; or if it should keep the same position and compete head on with the other product. (You will have a chance to make changes to the product, the pricing and the distribution to change the product’s positioning and find uncontested space in the coming weeks).

You will want to use marketing references for explaining the concepts and other references for the product or service

General Submission Requirements

• Prepare as a word processed document (such as Microsoft Word). Use a simple 12-point font such as Times New Roman. Use black ink for majority of your work and only use colors if it enhances your ability to communicate your thoughts.

Refer to the grading rubric associated with the assignments. Be sure to note that 20% of your grade on this assignment will be based on your grammar, composition, adherence to the submission requirements, and use of an appropriate college-level style guide for writing and referencing.

Following arguments are invalid. Please
identify and write down the argument form. Then, provide a
counterexample to show the argument’s (the argument form’s)
invalidity. (please submit here)

1. No genuine
   Americans are communist spies. Some Oregonians are not communist
   spies. Therefore, some Oregonians are genuine Americans.

2. All vegetarians
   who refuse to eat animal products are vegans. No vegetarians who
   refuse to eat animal products are cattle ranchers. Hence, no vegans
   are cattle ranchers.

3. All rock musicians
   are cool. No nerd is a rock musician. Hence, no nerd is cool.

4. All people who
   despise animals are neurotic. No veterinarian is a person who
   despises animals. Thus, no veterinarian is neurotic.

5. All destructive
   acts are evil. Some wars are evil. So, some wars are destructive
   acts.

6. No rock is
   sentient. Some mammals are sentient. No mammal is a rock.

7. Some intelligent
   people are highly immoral. All highly immoral people are unhappy.
   Therefore, some unhappy people are not intelligent.

8. If you want to
   ruin your life, you should take hard drugs. But you don’t want to
   ruin your life. So, you should not take hard drugs.

9. Sam is wealthy if
   he has more than a billion dollars. But Sam does not have more than
   a billion dollars. Therefore, Sam is not wealthy.

10. If Lewis is a
    famous author, then he knows how to write. But Lewis is not a famous
    author. So, he does not know how to write.

11. All planets are
    round. The earth is round. Therefore, the earth is a planet.

12. If my society
    approves of genetic engineering, then genetic engineering is right.
    But my society does not approve of genetic engineering. So, genetic
    engineering is not right.

13. Those who are
    responsible for 9/11 are terrorists and Muslims. Therefore, all
    Muslims are terrorists.

14. If Donald Trump
    wins the presidential election, then he will be the next president.
    If Donald Trump wins the presidential election, then the U.S.
    foreign policies will be a mess. Thus, if Donald Trump becomes the
    next president, then the U.S. foreign policies will be a mess.

15. Tomatoes are either fruit or vegetables.
    Tomatoes are fruit. So, they are not vegetables.

Im not looking for someone to do these for me,
im just looking for someone to explain it to me,
Give me an
example to go on.

“Zero To 60: What Business Owners Need To Know About Capital Gains,” describes useful ideas that will help you learn more about capital gains and how this tax regime can impact business decisions. After reading this article, determine which of the planning opportunities could be beneficial in a corporate and independent business setting. In detail, convey why or why not? Using the text for this class, describe the pros and cons in business law regarding capital gains. 

APA FORMAT

3 PARAGRAPHS

1 REFERENCE 

Article

• Parrish, S. (2014, March 24). Zero to 60: What business owners need to know about capital gains. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveparrish/2014/03/24/zero-to-60-what-business-owners-need-to-know-about-capital-gains/