Title: PMC2

• Compare and contrast functional organization and matrix organization that are associated with project organizations. Next, examine one (1) advantage and disadvantage of each type that you have chosen. Support your response with real-world examples of such advantages and disadvantages.

• The project office is an organization developed to support the project manager in carrying out his duties. Determine the type of project office that exists in your current or past organization and analyze how closely it resembles the model project offices described in the Kerzner text. If a project office does not exist in your current or past organization, provide a rationale for or against establishing a project office and describe its type.

Title: PMC3

• Assume you are a functional manager tasked with assembling a project team. However, 2 people have conflicts and they were not able to come up with their part to start the project.  For each conflict identified, propose a resolution. Support your response with real-world examples of such conflicts and corresponding resolutions.

• Explain the assertion that one (1) disadvantage of the pure project organization is the project professionals’ tendency to fall behind in areas of technical expertise that they do not use on projects. Demonstrate two (2) strategies which a project manager might use in order to avoid the stated disadvantage. Support your response with examples of the use of the identified strategies.

Title: PMC4

• Select one (1) common source of conflict in the project environment. Next, suggest one (1) possible solution or preventive measure the project manager can take to avoid or minimize the conflict. Support your response with one (1) real-world example of related solutions or measures.

Title: BP2

• Research on the Internet and provide the mission and vision statements for the company you chose. Explain why you feel they are not well written.

• Provide a new mission statement and mission statement that you believe would be better for the company. Explain why your proposed mission and vision statements are better than the current versions.

• Create a mission statement and vision statement for JetBlue.

• Explain how you would convince the Board of Directors to adopt your proposed mission and vision statement.

Title: BP3

• Choose an industry that has businesses in your city, for example, restaurants, automobile dealerships, or hotels. Research on the Internet each of the five broad categories of external forces that apply to this industry in your city. Explain in detail how each of these forces influences this industry, and propose how the business should respond or react to each force. (The five external forces are: Economic force; Social, cultural, demographic, environment and natural forces; Political, legal and government forces; Technological forces; and Competitive forces)

• Businesses not only respond and react to external forces, but can also attempt to influence them. Discuss in detail one step that a local business in this industry can take to influence each of these external forces.

• Determine in detail how each of Porter’s five forces influences that company you chose. (The five Porter’s forces are: Potential development of substitute products; Bargaining power of suppliers; Rivalry among competing firms; Bargaining power of consumers; and Potential entry of new competitors)

• Assume you are a senior manager at the company you discussed in the previous discussion topic. Clarify in detail how these forces you identified would influence the strategic plans you develop.

Title: `BP4

• Research on the Internet the published financial statements for a public corporation for the most recent two fiscal years. Identify and calculate the four financial ratios you think are most important for this company.

• Recommend the strategies you would develop to help improve the financial ratios you identified in the previous topic and state why you feel the strategies will help.

7 pages