The Cost of Capital Master Tools

You have recently been hired by Master Tools (MT) in its relatively new treasury management department. MT was founded eight years ago by Martha Masters. Martha found a method to streamline the manufacturing process, resulting in a cheaper tool. The tools manufactured by MT are designed for the mass market and sold primarily through retail. The company is privately owned by Martha and her family, and it had sales of $97 million last year. 

MT primarily sells to do-it-yourself (DIY) customers who use the tools for personal projects, although it does sell through various online marketplaces. As a result, the company’s sales are price sensitive. When the company had sufficient capital, it would expand production. Relatively little formal analysis has been used in its capital budgeting process. Martha has just read about capital budgeting techniques and has come to you for help. For starters, the company has never attempted to determine its cost of capital, and Martha would like you to perform the analysis. Because the company is privately owned, it is difficult to determine the cost of equity for the company.  

Martha wants you to use the pure play approach to estimate the cost of capital for MT, and she has chosen Snap-On Incorporated as a representative company. The following questions will lead you through the steps to calculate this estimate.   

Directions:

Assistance in writing a case analysis of no more than 1,500 words (4 to 5 pages), content, introduction, and conclusion (title page and reference page not included) in proper APA format, covering the following requirements: 

1. Most publicly traded corporations are required to submit 10-Q (quarterly) and 10-K (annual) reports to the SEC detailing their financial operations over the previous quarter or year, respectively. These corporate filings are available on the SEC website [webpage]. Go to the SEC website and enter “SNA” for Snap-On in the “Search for Company Filings” link. Find the most recent 10-Q or 10-K and download the form. Look on the balance sheet to find the book value of debt and the book value of equity. If you look further down the report, you should find a section titled either “Long-Term Debt” or “Long-Term Debt and Interest Rate Risk Management” that will list a breakdown of Snap-On’s long-term debt. Discuss and analyze the items that you would find under long-term debt. 
2. To estimate the cost of equity for Snap-On, go to finance.yahoo.com and enter the ticker symbol SNA. Follow the various links to find answers to the following questions: What is the most recent stock price listed for Snap-On? What is the market value of equity, or market capitalization? How many shares of stock does Snap-On have outstanding? What is the beta for Snap-On? Now go back to finance.yahoo.com and follow the “Bonds” link. What is the yield on three-month Treasury bills? Using a 7 percent market risk premium, what is the cost of equity for Snap-On using the CAPM? Discuss and analyze your answer. 
3. Go to Reuters [webpage] and find the list of competitors in the industry. Find the beta for each of these competitors, and then calculate the industry average beta. Using the industry average beta, what is the cost of equity? Discuss and analyze whether you use the beta for Snap-On or the beta for the industry in this case? 
4. You now need to calculate the cost of debt for Snap-On. Go to FINRA [webpage], enter Snap-On as the company, and find the yield to maturity for each of Snap-On’s bonds. What is the weighted average cost of debt for Snap-On using the book value weights and the market value weights? Discuss and analyze if it makes a difference in this case if you use book value weights or market value weights? 
5. You now have all the necessary information to calculate the weighted average cost of capital for Snap-On. Calculate the weighted average cost of capital for Snap-On using book value weights and market value weights, assuming Snap-On has a 21 percent tax rate. Discuss and analyze which cost of capital number is more relevant and why? 
6. You used Snap-On as a representative company to estimate the cost of capital for MT. What are some of the potential problems with this approach in this situation? Discuss and analyze what improvements you might suggest. 

 

****Reference Page must include 3-4 credible outside resources. NO plagiarism or AI. Provide Plagiarism report****

Define cultural competence. Explain the importance of Cultural competence in our profession. Provide examples 

Rubric:-  

-5 pages maximum including references and introduction page

-APA format including references

-At Leat 3 references not older than 5 years

Due date: Saturday  9/06/2025 at 11:59 pm

General Structure of an APA Essay

An APA-formatted essay typically includes the following sections:

1. Title Page
2. Abstract (optional)
3. Main Body
   • Introduction
   • Method (if applicable)
   • Results (if applicable)
   • Discussion
   • Conclusion
4. References not older than 5 years
5. Turnitin no more than 20%
6. AI no more than 20 %

Writing Assignment Week 1

The CMS considers patient engagement a quality metric for a learning healthcare system.

●   Patient engagement is a major focal point of stage 2 MU of HER.

●   Patient Engagement in Health and Health Care Framework by Carman et al. presents different forms and levels of patient engagement across the healthcare system.

●   Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care recognizes the vital role families play by providing emotional, social, and developmental support, ensuring the health and well-being of all family members

●   The Level of Engagement with Health Care framework considers the engagement, quality, and safety of mobile apps. Clinicians can identify trustworthy apps that serve the engagement of high-need, high-cost populations.

 

Consider content covered in chapter 5 concerning policy changes in the United States and the strategic plan needed to improve care and drive down cost through health information technology. Give at least 3 examples of an information technology policy change that has supported patient engagement.

 

Please note the grading rubric. The submission should be minimally 4 pages not counting the cover page and references.

4 references

 Applied Single-Subject Project  

Instructions:

Design and present a single-subject research study based on a case study. Students will define the dependent variable (based on the target problem behaviors) in measurable and observable terms, utilize an appropriate measurement system, and evaluate the effects of a treatment through graphing the data in an appropriate single-subject research design. Students will then assess the generalization of the treatment effects and evaluate the effectiveness of a strategy for promoting treatment generalization.

Please read the following case study and use it to answer the questions below.

John is a 12-year-old boy who has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Sometimes when in class at school, John engages in disruptive behavior, particularly when the teacher is asking questions that John does not know how to answer. This can happen several times during the day (typically 4-5 times on average), and occurs in three of his classes (math, language arts, and science).

 

John’s disruptive behaviors specifically include yelling profanities, kicking over his desk or the desk of another student, and tipping over his chair such that it falls to the floor with him in it. All of his classes are general education classes, and other students complain when John has one of his outbursts. At times he has injured himself or another student as well.

 

After John engages in a disruptive behavior (as described above), his teachers typically tell him to go sit in the “calm corner” where there are books to read. He is allowed to stay there for 5-10 minutes before he is required to resume working on his tasks. 

 

A behavior analyst conducts a functional behavior assessment and determines that the function of the disruptive behavior is escape from task demands. She collects baseline data on the dependent variable and then implements an intervention that involves John being given access to the calm corner based on requesting a break from his schoolwork (and NOT based on engaging in disruptive behavior). At first, John is allowed to ask for a break up to 5 times a day in the class where the intervention is introduced (Classroom 1). (Later this will be faded down to one time per day.)

 

After collecting data for several sessions while the intervention is in place, the intervention is removed such that John does not get access to the calm corner based on requesting a break, but instead gains access as a result of his disruptive behavior (as in baseline). In the fourth phase of the study, the intervention is reinstated and the effect on disruptive behavior is again measured.

 

Part I: Treatment Effectiveness

1.  Identify the dependent variable being addressed in the case study. To do this, you should specify at least three specific target behaviors that are considered part of the overall response class (i.e., the set of responses that achieve the same function). 

2.  Define each of the target behaviors in specific, observable, and measurable terms.

3.  Identify what measurement dimension of the overall dependent variable will be assessed (i.e., frequency, duration, latency, etc.) with what type of recording system (e.g., permanent product recording, event recording, interval recording, etc.). (Please refer to Table 7.2 on page 152 in your textbook by Mayer et al. (2022) for a chart of possible methods and reasons to use them.)

4.  Identify what single-subject design is being used to evaluate the effects of the intervention.

5.  Create a graph of the data during the four phases (see table below). (You can refer to Exercise 2 from Course ABA504 to learn how to graph this type of single-subject design using Excel.)

6.  Examine your graph and state whether the intervention was effective.  

7.  Explain your conclusion based on principles of visual analysis. Refer to the magnitude/level of performance, the trend in performance, and the variability in performance for the data in each phase.

Part II: Treatment Generalization

 

After the behavior analyst evaluated the effectiveness of the treatment, she wanted to fade the number of times John asked for breaks so that he would not miss as much classwork. She continued to collect data on the dependent variable while fading the number of allowed requests from 5 to 1. 

She was also interested in knowing if the effects would generalize to the other two classrooms where John displayed disruptive behavior. She had asked the teachers of those classrooms to collect data on John’s disruptive behavior throughout the baseline and intervention implemented in Classroom 1. 

 

The figure below shows additional data on the disruptive behavior across all three Classrooms at the end of the second intervention phase of classroom 1, and during the phase when the number of break requests were faded down to only one. 

                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1)     When the behavior analyst had teachers collect data in all three classrooms throughout the study such that the data could be plotted on three graphs aligned vertically, what type of single-subject design was the behavior analyst using?

 

2)     The behavior analyst was interested in analyzing the presence or absence of change in the dependent variable in Classrooms 2 and 3 in order to evaluate what type of generalization?

 

3)     Based on the data in Classrooms 2 and 3 when the initial intervention and fading procedures were implemented in Classroom 1, did the treatment effects generalize to the other classrooms? How do you know? 

 

The behavior analyst remembered that there are several suggested methods for planning ahead for generalization. One method relies on the use of “mediated stimuli” (stimuli that can be used for the response in both the training and generalization settings). (See the section entitled “Contrive a Mediating Stimulus,” pp. 743-744 in Cooper et al. (2020).) 

The behavior analyst decided to create a mediating stimulus in the form of a “Break Card” that

John would use to request his break during the intervention (instead of simply raising his hand).

During the “Break Card” phase, he was given a card with the word “Break” to put on his desk. He was also provided with instructions to raise it up when he needed a 5-minute break to visit the calm corner, and he was allowed to do that one time during the class. A similar “Break Card” was placed on his desk in Classrooms 2 and 3 as a mediating stimulus, but John was not provided with any instructions on how he could use the card to ask for a break. 

 

4)     What (if any) effect did the break card and instructions in Classroom 1 (plus the presence of a break card in Classrooms 2 and 3 without instructions) have on the dependent variable in Classroom 2 and 3? Was generalization shown in Classrooms 2 and/or 3?

 

Next the behavior analyst decided to implement the Break Card treatment in Classroom 2. This meant that she provided specific instructions to John that he could use the break card on his desk in that classroom to ask for a break one time during the class.

 

5)     What (if any) effect did the introduction of the break card phase (break card + instructions) in Classroom 2 have on the dependent variable in Classrooms 2 and 3? Was generalization shown in Classroom 3? 

 

6)     Why do you think the behavior analyst did not implement the break card intervention (break card + instructions) in Classroom 3? 

 

7)     Write a summary statement to explain under what conditions generalization did and did not occur in this study.

 

8)     Make a suggestion for future treatment based on what was learned about generalization in this study.

 

 

Please note: Your assignment should be submitted in a Word Document format using Times New Roman 12. The assignment must use APA format (See link to APA publication style in the course site resources.)  Please include an appropriate heading on your paper and references to support methods or procedures used.

 

Please be sure to save your work using the naming convention: Student last name, first name, ABA 504 Assignment 1

Significant portion of your grade will be the Term Paper and Presentation. In Week 1 you will develop an outline for this project that will be submitted in Week 8. 
As you progress through the class, please keep in mind that you will be working on this project in Week 8. Thus, make sure you take notes, and develop your ideas as you progress through the class.
Complete and submit the class Project Paper and Presentation Outline – see details below (post them under Week 1 Assignment Area) as a Microsoft Word document and a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation. You must include at least ten references.

Details of the Project:

Research and select a current trend in the area of telecommunications. Prepare a 1-2 page outline of the final paper in Microsoft Word. AMU approved APA format (see Writing@APUS in the Resources Center) (350 words per page). At a minimum include the following: 

• Detailed description of the area to be researched
• Technology you will research that is involved in the area
• Predicted future trends in the area
• Example companies involved in the area
• Regulatory issues surrounding the area
• Global implications for the area
• References (minimum of 10)

i. Prepare an outline (skeleton of presentation) of 10-12 Microsoft PowerPoint slides highlighting the content from the paper.

ii. You are only required to submit an outline for the paper and the presentation. However, during the next six weeks, you will be assembling the research paper and presentation. Feel free to post questions or portions of the paper for review at any time as an email to your professor.

iii. As part of your presentation you will be required to record voice overs in your presentation. Each slide should have a voice narration explaining the slide and adding any additional content you feel is appropriate. You can find out how to do voice overs from this web site. 

iii. You may use resources from the APUS Online Library, any library, government library, or any peer-reviewed reference (Wikipedia and any other publicly-reviewed source is not accepted). The paper must by at least 10 pages double-spaced, 1" margin all around, black 12 point fonts (Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier) with correct citations of all utilized references/sources, (pictures, graphics, etc are extra – allowed but extra for the minimum page count). The title page and references are also required but don't count in the minimum page count. The PowerPoint of 10-12 slides is a summary of this paper. No new topics, ideas or concepts are introduced in the PowerPoint that is not included in the paper. A minimum of 10 references are needed. The paper will be subjected to checking against plagiarism.

iv. The required number of pages do not include title or references pages – although these must be included with the paper.

V. Course paper will be submitted to Turnitin.com to check for plagiarism. Turnitin is built into the Sakai classroom. The paper must follow acceptable originality criteria (no more than 15% max originality index, and 2% per individual source match are allowed). Students are permitted to submit their paper multiple times to get their originality score down. If paper exceeds the 15% max on originality on final submission during grading instructor reserves the right to report the student for plagiarism.

Unit 2 Case Study Directions

Review the following case study. Consider the big picture ideas and the specific concerns. Make use of the key terms and concepts from the readings in your written responses to the questions. The case study paper should be approximately five (5) pages with 10 or 12 point font, 1-inch margins, 1.5 spacing, and citations according to either APA or MLA style. A table of contents should also be included.

Incident Details

ABC Corporation is a prominent e-commerce and healthcare company that handles vast amounts of customer data, including personal, healthcare and financial information. An unfortunate unauthorized data breach occurred when a disgruntled employe decided to provide access to consumer advocates. The resulting data breach compromised over 5 million customer accounts and exposed their personally identifiable information.

Sensing that it may be both the moral and legal responsibility to notify affected customers, ABC Corporation sought guidance for responding to this incident.

To conclude the case study, kindly respond to the following questions:

1. What breach notification laws exist on the federal level to notify affected individuals, regulatory authorities and, in some cases, the public about data breaches? For example, how would the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) affect ABC Corporation’s compliance?
2. Explain how breach notification laws share common objectives such as ensuring transparency, empowering affected individuals and enabling regulatory oversight.
3. What steps should ABC take to detect and assess security breaches, determine the scope of the incident, and then initiate the breach notification process within the specified timeframe?
4. How would ABC craft clear and comprehensive breach notifications that fulfill legal requirements while effectively communicating the impact of the breach to affected individuals?
5. How can ABC establish effective channels of communication with relevant regulatory authorities, understanding the reporting requirements of those authorities and complying with their guidance and directives?
6. How would ABC conduct periodic mock-breach exercises to test the effectiveness of the incident response plan, identify areas for improvement, and train employees on breach notification procedures?

Instructions

• When constructing your responses, remember to critically analyze the topic and add substantial thought to the subject area. Utilizing the resources provided in your course materials will enhance your understanding and response to the question.
• Use concrete examples, drawn from current events, historical instances, or personal experiences, to illustrate your points.

Posting Guidelines

One key point to consider is your Audience. Another useful resource is t Academic Integrity Tutorial. In particular, you might want to visit Module 3: Writing Well With Sources and Module 4: Giving Credit Where Credit is Due – Attribution and Citation. Finally, before submitting, make sure you go through the Editing and Revising process.

 

Rubric to follow

 

 

 

 

 

 

M22319 / M33098 Numerical Skills & Economics

M22319 / M33098 Assessment Coursework

School of Civil Engineering and Surveying				Date Set:	22/10/25
				Date Due:	2/12/25
Module Name and Code	M22319 NUMERICAL SKILLS & ECONOMICS M33098 NUMERICAL SKILLS AND ECONOMICS
Lecturer	Rebecca Lodwick
Artefact Number	1	Artefact Title	Coursework

Task 

Use Minitab to analyse the coursework dataset, completing all analysis tasks and writing up your results and conclusions for each task (word limit: 2000 words). The Minitab dataset that you are required to analyse is available under the ‘Assessments & Support Materials’ section on Moodle.

Learning outcomes 

LO1 Summarise and present data using the mean, median, standard deviation, histograms, box plots, and bar charts.LO2 Analyse and interpret data using t-tests, ANOVA, non-parametric tests, Chi-squared tests, correlation, and linear regression.

Submission Instructions 

Your work must be submitted to the submission box by 4pm on 2nd December 2025.You must submit your work as a PDF.The filename should be your student ID number, e.g. UP1234567.Your name should not appear anywhere on or within your submission.You should also upload your Minitab Project File with your submission.

Coursework Dataset 

Note that there are several versions of the coursework dataset, but only one dataset will be visible on your Moodle: you must analyse your dataset. Using a dataset from another student’s Moodle may result in a plagiarism investigation.

DATA

The dataset contains observations from a sample of soil blocks. Each block has been reinforced with a type of organic fibre. A water absorption test has been performed on each block.There are four variables: Fibre typeWater absorption (%)Soil typeFibre content (% by volume)

Part 1

(a) Present appropriate numerical and graphical summaries for each of the variables. Comment on their distributions, and (where appropriate) the presence or absence of any outliers.(b) Report the 95% confidence interval for the mean water absorption, then use an appropriate hypothesis test to determine whether there is any evidence that the mean water absorption is not equal to 20%. You may assume that the underlying distribution of water absorption is Normal.(c) Evaluate whether the data is consistent with the claim that the median fibre content is 1.0%. Justify your choice of method.

Part 2

Use appropriate analyses to investigate the relationships between each of the following pairs of variables.(a) Water absorption and fibre type.
You may assume that the underlying distribution of water absorption is Normal.(b) Fibre type and soil type.(c) Water absorption and soil type.You may assume that the underlying distribution of water absorption is Normal.(d) Water absorption and fibre content.

Part 3

(a) Determine whether the relationship between water absorption and fibre content varies by fibre type.(b) Develop a multivariable linear regression model for water absorption, with fibre type, soil type and fibre content as potential predictors. Include all steps of your modelling process and fully justify your choice of final model.(c) For your final model, explain the effect of each predictor on the outcome variable by interpreting each of the regression coefficients and their p-values.

M22319/M33098 Categorical Marking Descriptor

Classification	Categorical Marking Scale	Detailed Assessment Description
First Classification (Publishable/ professional standard)	100 Upper 95 Middle 92 Lower	Learning Outcomes: Exceptional in all aspects, substantially exceeding expectations for this level. Assessment Criteria: Inclusion of multiple elements beyond those required, demonstrating a mastery of the subject and an ability to engage with advanced concepts in an innovative way. Work that is typically characterised by evidence of the following: Exceptional level of knowledge and understanding of complex, cutting-edge issues, theories, and principles Extensive and original independent thought, demonstrating deep and innovative critical engagement with the subject matter. Exceptional synthesis of ideas, critically challenging conventional views or existing knowledge with fresh perspectives or approaches. Novel insights or well-substantiated propositions that have the potential for publication. Exceptionally well-structured and coherent argumentation, clearly demonstrating a deep understanding of the complexity of the topic and presenting it in a highly accessible manner. Extensive use of a wide range of sources, incorporating both foundational and highly specialized materials to support arguments, accurately referenced and deeply integrated into the work. The work’s quality is at a level that is publishable or could meet professional standards for dissemination or implementation, potentially pushing the boundaries of the field. Excellent communication with clear, concise, and accurate expression that enhances the understanding of complex ideas.
First Classification (Outstanding)	88 Upper 85 Middle 82 Lower	Learning Outcomes: Outstanding in most/all aspects, substantially exceeding expectations for this level. Assessment Criteria: Underpinned by originality and/or novel ideas in thinking and a strong critical appreciation of the topic. No improvement could reasonably be expected. Work that is typically characterised by evidence of the following: An outstanding level of knowledge and understanding of complex issues, key concepts and principles at the forefront of the discipline Outstanding awareness of subject and/or practice Outstanding evidence of original, independent and critical thought A strong, well-structured argument that is convincing and well supported by an outstanding range of sources and/or evidence Pushes the boundaries of existing knowledge Evidence of extensive and discriminating reading/use of source material, accurately used in support of the work Clearly structured, robust and persuasive arguments, lucidly written, uses clear and accurate expression
First Classification (Meets criteria)	78 Upper 75 Middle 72 Lower	Learning Outcomes: Excellent quality, exceeding expectations for this level in many aspects. Assessment Criteria: Inclusion of elements beyond those required. Work that is typically characterised by evidence of the following: A very good to excellent level of knowledge and understanding of complex issues, key concepts and principles at the forefront of the discipline A very good to excellent awareness of subject and/or practice Evidence of original, independent, and critical thought A strong, well-structured argument that is convincing and well-supported by a wide range of sources and/or evidence Explores the boundaries of existing knowledge Evidence of extensive and discriminating reading/use of source material, accurately used in support of the work Clearly structured, robust and persuasive arguments, lucidly written, uses clear and accurate expression
2.1 Classification	68 Upper 65 Middle 62 Lower	Learning Outcomes: Meets all the intended learning outcomes and exceeds the threshold expectations for this level in several of them. Assessment Criteria: Complete with no important omissions. Work that is typically characterised by evidence of the following: A good or very good level of knowledge and understanding of key concepts and principles Good or very good awareness of subject and/or practice Able to describe and use a range of major concepts, theories and methodologies in a good or very good level of detail Strong arguments which offer good analysis of key issues Use of a broad/wide range of sources and/or evidence to support work May contain some minor errors and/or minor areas for improvement Clearly structured, robust and persuasive arguments, lucidly written, uses clear and accurate expression
2.2 Classification	58 Upper 55 Middle 52 Lower	Learning Outcomes: Meets all the intended learning outcomes for this level and exceeds the threshold expectations for this level in some of them. Assessment Criteria: Addresses the question/assignment. Some omissions. Work that is typically characterised by evidence of the following: A satisfactory level of knowledge and understanding of key concepts and principles Sufficient awareness of the subject and/or practice Able to describe and use a range of major concepts, theories and methodologies Some critical judgement offered Arguments offer some analysis of key issues, but they may lack coherence and/or supporting evidence Evidence of familiarity with the key sources and/or evidence but may contain questionable interpretation of critical materials May contain some errors and/or areas for improvement Organisation and clarity of writing are of sufficient standard for the reader to engage easily Needs some improvement in one or more areas
3rd Classification	48 Upper 45 Middle 42 Lower	Learning Outcome: Meets all of the intended learning outcomes but rarely exceeds the threshold expectations for this level. Assessment Criteria: Addresses some aspects of question/assignment, but with some important omissions. Work that is typically characterised by evidence of the following: A minimum threshold level of knowledge and understanding of a more restricted range of issues. Demonstrates awareness of the subject but may not fully engage with all aspects of the task. Demonstrates limited ability to critically evaluate key concepts or theories, with arguments that may be underdeveloped or simplistic. Organisation and clarity are sufficient for the reader to follow most aspects of the work. Some familiarity with basic reading material but little evidence of the use of sources and/or evidence, or overreliance on very basic resources
Fail	38 35 32 28 25 22 15 10	Learning Outcome: Fails to meet the majority or all of the intended learning outcomes and is inadequate for this level. Assessment Criteria: Fails to address much of the question/assignment. Lots of omissions. Unsatisfactory work e.g. lacks coherent argument, contains major errors, and fails to engage with key concepts; that is typically characterised by evidence of the following: Varying degrees of limited level of knowledge and understanding of a restricted range of issues. Poorly conceived and poorly directed to the question/task Limited understanding of empirical or theoretical issues but is not able to develop them further Limited evidence of argument and/or contains irrelevant or unrelated elements. Limited familiarity with basic reading materials and little evidence of the use of sources and/or evidence, or overreliance on very basic resources Likely to contain repetition, inconsistencies and/or some major errors Organisation and clarity of writing may be limited but will be sufficient for the reader to engage with most aspects of the work Needs significant improvement to meet pass threshold at undergraduate level
Nonsubmission or no adequate attempt		No submission, token submission (e.g

COM6016 Distributed and Cloud Computing

COM6016 Assessment Brief

Module title	Distributed and Cloud Computing
Module code	COM6016
Assignment title	COM6016 Assessment
Assignment format	MS Word Report format Doc/PDF
Word/time limit	4000 Words
File type	Task 1: .mp4 or .docx/.pdf Task 2: .docx/.pdf

Useful terms:

Learning outcomes (LOs): The skills and knowledge that you should be able to show in your work

Rubric/Marking Matrix: A set of rules or guidelines used to grade or assess work

Task summary:

This assignment requires you to consider a scenario and:

Task 1: Design and demonstrate a cloud-based infrastructure solution that addresses the issues faced by the organisation

Task 2: Write a report in which you justify your design choice.

Scenario:

Nutriworld Ltd is a company that runs nutrition weight loss membership clubs in several cities across the UK and Europe such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Berlin. The clubs hold regular weekly meetings where members’ weight loss progress is measured and discussed. This is also an opportunity to have wider discussions about nutrition and healthy living and exchange recipe ideas.

They would like to set up an Internet discussion forum/bulletin board to help run their activities and create a sense of community among their customers who can then continue to discuss, support and encourage each other between the weekly meetings. The forum should contain sections that are only visible to members of the same club, as well as some general sections that all members can subscribe to. The discussions will be managed and moderated by employees of Nutriworld and should also be sections that are restricted to employees. There should also be a facility to store and download files which include company data (about employees and members) as well as resources for members such as recipes and instructional videos.

Nutriworld is a growing business, and they expect to significantly increase the number of members by starting new clubs all over the world within the next 2 years.

Nutriworld has asked you to help create the bulletin board. After an initial discussion with the company, you have agreed that the best option will be to deploy an open-source forum solution such as phpbb or any other open-source forum software on a cloud virtual server.
In the first instance, you are to design and demonstrate the basic infrastructure for such a solution and make recommendations to the company for the full solution.

Task 1 – Design a cloud-based infrastructure:

Your task is to investigate and design a cloud-based infrastructure that could be used by Nutriworld. You need to research the typical requirements of such systems and use your research to design the required infrastructure for the open-source bulletin board application to plan for implementing in an Azure cloud service provider platform.

You will need to draw an architecture design diagram of your overall infrastructure showing the different resources and components needed and how they interact within the cloud system, using an appropriate design tool.

Your architecture should include an appropriate virtual machine (VM), an appropriate operating system (OS), databases, data stores, virtual networking and the creation and configuration of any other cloud functional services such as load balancers, network security and firewalls needed for the solution.

Provide technical details of any configuration parameters, interface settings and resource allocations for all resources used. You may need additional diagrams to show how individual resources are set up in order to show the detail required.

For this task, you must submit

• either a 10 min video in MP4 format of a screen recording
• or a written document (Microsoft Word or PDF) containing screenshots

For your submission, use your infrastructure designs to clearly explain your cloud architecture, detailing how it has been implemented and how each component operates to meet the specified requirements. This should also detail connectivity, configuration settings and purpose of service or component.

You may submit your designs as their original file type, as well as including these in the narrated/written submission.

The word-count equivalent for this task is 2400 words, to reflect the fact that this is a practical task. Whether you submit a video or a document, your evidence will mostly be visual, and it is not expected that you use 2400 words.

(2400 words equivalent)
(60 marks)
(LOs: 3, & 4)

Task 2 – Report

Write a report which explains your selected cloud model to plan for implementation, justify any decisions made, evaluate the associated cloud cost, and benefits with suitable evidence and make any further recommendations to the company managers for committing the new business project.

The report should contain:

• An explanation of the cloud service model and the deployment model you are using.
• A justification of the configurations, setting and any other choices you made.
• A discussion of the scalability and reliability of your infrastructure and an estimate of the running cost.
• Any recommendations you have for the final future implementation.

(1600 words)
(40 marks)
(LOs: 1, & 2)

Essential assignment resources

• The design work for this assignment must use any appropriate architecture design tools that incorporate Azure cloud resource icons to accurately represent system components, ensuring correct connectivity and configuration settings in the design.
• Guidance on design architecture will be given by your lecturer and made available on ilearn.

Learning outcomes (LO)

By completing this assessment, you will have shown and be assessed on all
of the learning outcomes:

1. Understand the underlying concepts and engineering issues involved in the real-world implementation of distributed systems, such as replication, fault-tolerance, reliability, and scalability.
2. Explain and analyse the design, organization and operation of state-of- the-art technologies and systems used in distributed systems and cloud computing.
3. Design and implement a cloud-based infrastructure and perform basic operations.
   Graduate Attribute
4. Discipline Expertise: Knowledge and understanding of chosen field. Possess a range of skills to operate within this sector, have a keen awareness of current developments in working practice being well positioned to respond to change.

You will be graded based on how well you meet these learning outcomes. Your marker will use a rubric/marking matrix to grade your work, and you can find this on the “My Assessment” tab on the module iLearn page

COM6016 Distributed and Cloud Computing

COM6016 Assessment Brief

Module title	Distributed and Cloud Computing
Module code	COM6016
Assignment title	COM6016 Assessment
Assignment format	MS Word Report format Doc/PDF
Word/time limit	4000 Words
File type	Task 1: .mp4 or .docx/.pdf Task 2: .docx/.pdf

Useful terms:

Learning outcomes (LOs): The skills and knowledge that you should be able to show in your work

Rubric/Marking Matrix: A set of rules or guidelines used to grade or assess work

Task summary:

This assignment requires you to consider a scenario and:

Task 1: Design and demonstrate a cloud-based infrastructure solution that addresses the issues faced by the organisation

Task 2: Write a report in which you justify your design choice.

Scenario:

Nutriworld Ltd is a company that runs nutrition weight loss membership clubs in several cities across the UK and Europe such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Berlin. The clubs hold regular weekly meetings where members’ weight loss progress is measured and discussed. This is also an opportunity to have wider discussions about nutrition and healthy living and exchange recipe ideas.

They would like to set up an Internet discussion forum/bulletin board to help run their activities and create a sense of community among their customers who can then continue to discuss, support and encourage each other between the weekly meetings. The forum should contain sections that are only visible to members of the same club, as well as some general sections that all members can subscribe to. The discussions will be managed and moderated by employees of Nutriworld and should also be sections that are restricted to employees. There should also be a facility to store and download files which include company data (about employees and members) as well as resources for members such as recipes and instructional videos.

Nutriworld is a growing business, and they expect to significantly increase the number of members by starting new clubs all over the world within the next 2 years.

Nutriworld has asked you to help create the bulletin board. After an initial discussion with the company, you have agreed that the best option will be to deploy an open-source forum solution such as phpbb or any other open-source forum software on a cloud virtual server.
In the first instance, you are to design and demonstrate the basic infrastructure for such a solution and make recommendations to the company for the full solution.

Task 1 – Design a cloud-based infrastructure:

Your task is to investigate and design a cloud-based infrastructure that could be used by Nutriworld. You need to research the typical requirements of such systems and use your research to design the required infrastructure for the open-source bulletin board application to plan for implementing in an Azure cloud service provider platform.

You will need to draw an architecture design diagram of your overall infrastructure showing the different resources and components needed and how they interact within the cloud system, using an appropriate design tool.

Your architecture should include an appropriate virtual machine (VM), an appropriate operating system (OS), databases, data stores, virtual networking and the creation and configuration of any other cloud functional services such as load balancers, network security and firewalls needed for the solution.

Provide technical details of any configuration parameters, interface settings and resource allocations for all resources used. You may need additional diagrams to show how individual resources are set up in order to show the detail required.

For this task, you must submit

• either a 10 min video in MP4 format of a screen recording
• or a written document (Microsoft Word or PDF) containing screenshots

For your submission, use your infrastructure designs to clearly explain your cloud architecture, detailing how it has been implemented and how each component operates to meet the specified requirements. This should also detail connectivity, configuration settings and purpose of service or component.

You may submit your designs as their original file type, as well as including these in the narrated/written submission.

The word-count equivalent for this task is 2400 words, to reflect the fact that this is a practical task. Whether you submit a video or a document, your evidence will mostly be visual, and it is not expected that you use 2400 words.

(2400 words equivalent)
(60 marks)
(LOs: 3, & 4)

Task 2 – Report

Write a report which explains your selected cloud model to plan for implementation, justify any decisions made, evaluate the associated cloud cost, and benefits with suitable evidence and make any further recommendations to the company managers for committing the new business project.

The report should contain:

• An explanation of the cloud service model and the deployment model you are using.
• A justification of the configurations, setting and any other choices you made.
• A discussion of the scalability and reliability of your infrastructure and an estimate of the running cost.
• Any recommendations you have for the final future implementation.

(1600 words)
(40 marks)
(LOs: 1, & 2)

Essential assignment resources

• The design work for this assignment must use any appropriate architecture design tools that incorporate Azure cloud resource icons to accurately represent system components, ensuring correct connectivity and configuration settings in the design.
• Guidance on design architecture will be given by your lecturer and made available on ilearn.

Learning outcomes (LO)

By completing this assessment, you will have shown and be assessed on all
of the learning outcomes:

1. Understand the underlying concepts and engineering issues involved in the real-world implementation of distributed systems, such as replication, fault-tolerance, reliability, and scalability.
2. Explain and analyse the design, organization and operation of state-of- the-art technologies and systems used in distributed systems and cloud computing.
3. Design and implement a cloud-based infrastructure and perform basic operations.
   Graduate Attribute
4. Discipline Expertise: Knowledge and understanding of chosen field. Possess a range of skills to operate within this sector, have a keen awareness of current developments in working practice being well positioned to respond to change.

You will be graded based on how well you meet these learning outcomes. Your marker will use a rubric/marking matrix to grade your work, and you can find this on the “My Assessment” tab on the module iLearn page

MAN-40355 Achieving Excellence through Managing Operations

MAN-40355 Assessment Brief 2025-2026

Module Title	Achieving Excellence through Managing Operations
Module Code	MAN-40355
Assessment Type	Report
Assessment Title	Financial Strategy for Operational Excellence
Weighting (% of module mark)	50%
Assessment Length (word count or equivalent)	2,000 words (±10%)
Submission Deadline (date and time)	05/01/2026	1 pm
Format of Submission	Word or PDF format
Type of GenAI Use Permitted in Assessment	For surface-level support only
Feedback Release Date	26/01/2026

MAN40355 Assessment Details:

You are required to produce a 2,000-word report analysing how financial management contributes to achieving operational excellence within an organisation of your choice (or one agreed with your tutor). Your report should examine how financial decision-making, governance, and performance measurement influence the efficiency, agility, and sustainability of operations.

In your report, you should focus on the following key areas:

• Financial planning and resource allocation – How financial strategies enable operational success.
• Cost control and efficiency – The role of budgeting, cost management, and financial performance measures.
• Financial governance and risk management – The importance of compliance, financial controls, and strategic investment in maintaining operational excellence.
• Decision-making and integration – How financial insights inform operational improvements and align with broader organisational goals.

You should support your arguments with relevant theories, frameworks, case studies, and academic literature. Further detailed guidance will be provided during workshops and posted on the KLE.

Module Learning Outcomes: 

In this assessment, the following module learning outcomes will be assessed:

ILO1: Synthesise financial, marketing, and operational strategies in order to contribute to achieving excellence in an organisation.

ILO2: Evaluate financial management strategies, including financial governance, decision-making techniques, and regulatory requirements, within the broader context of achieving operational and strategic excellence.

Assessment Criteria:

This assessment will be marked using the University’s Generic Assessment Criteria. Link to the University’s Generic Assessment criteria with specific marking rubrics is as follows. Generic Assessment Criteria – Level 7 – June 2023.pdf (keele.ac.uk) 

Feedback to Students:

Feedback will be provided via Turnitin within 15 working days of submission. Written feedback will highlight strengths, areas for improvement, and feed-forward advice for future assessments.

Inclusive Practice:

This assessment has been designed to be inclusive by allowing you to select an organisation of your choice (or one relevant to your professional interests). You may also choose how you structure your report, as long as the required focus areas are addressed. Support will be provided through workshops, one-to-one tutorials, and access to a wide range of digital resources to ensure flexibility for diverse learning needs.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

All students can use assistive AI tools to check spelling, grammar and punctuation (i.e., use of in-built spell checkers) in all written assessments, excluding examinations and class tests, unless advised otherwise. Kindly refer to ‘Using GenAI in Assessment Scale’ annex within the Assessment and Feedback Code of Practice 

Academic Misconduct:

Academic misconduct is doing something that could give you an unfair advantage in an assessment.  It includes, but is not limited to, the following: plagiarism; collusion; contract cheating; cheating in an examination; falsification of data or sources; falsification of official documents or signatures. The University treats academic misconduct very seriously and penalties will be given for proven cases, including termination of studies in serious cases. It is therefore very important that you understand how to prepare and take assessments honestly. In order to assist you with this, there are various resources and help available both as part of your programme of study and also centrally. For more information, please visit: Keele University Academic and learning support 

Academic Skills Support: 

The Academic and Digital Skills team provides a range of additional online resources (e.g., study guides, Sways, Podcasts, workshops, etc) to help you with your academic work and assessments. You can find more information here. 

MAN40355 Assessment Additional information:

• The report should not exceed 2,000 words (excluding references, appendices, and tables).
• Use proper referencing style for all sources.
• The report must be submitted electronically via Turnitin on the KLE by the published deadline.
• You are encouraged to use real-world case examples and academic literature to strengthen your arguments.
• Drafting opportunities and formative feedback will be provided during workshops to support your progress.

https://www.keele.ac.uk/media/keeleuniversity/sas/qa/pgtprogrammespecifications/pgtprogspecs2025-26/Programme-Specification-Business-Administration-Taught-Masters-2025-26-v1-FINAL.pdf