BA 101B Using Quantitative Data to Manage an Organization (100 points)

Due Sunday March 23

In this course you are studying managerial accounting strategies and techniques used to capture and report quantitative data to run an organization.  In this paper, I would like for you to extend beyond the theoretical nature of your studies and investigate applying this knowledge to a practical organizational situation, which can be real or imagined.  For example, you could use your family as an organization that makes decisions based on data.  Or you could imagine yourself as the president of General Motors (or the place you now work) and describe how you envision using data.  The Deming book will inform your writing.

 
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1. In the opening section of your paper, I would like for you to discuss in general terms how quantitative data is used to help manage an organization.  1. What are the benefits and pitfalls of data usage?  2. Can data be used for everything? 3. How does one decide what information to used to run the organization?  4. How is cost vs. benefit used to decide what information to capture and report? This section of the paper must be at least two pages and I want for you to provide and evidence to support your conclusions and assertions. The textbook and Deming book could both be cited in this section.  Hint… answer all of the questions…

2. Describe the organization you are studying.  1. What are its goals?  2. How is it structured?  3. How is it currently managed? This section must be at least one page.

3. In the final section of the paper, please describe how you would use data to improve the organization’s performance.  Please discuss the use of statistics, benchmarking and trend analysis.  Describe how data will be procured.  This section of the paper must be at least two pages and I want for you to provide evidence to support your conclusions and assertions. 

Grading:

This paper is worth 100 points, or more importantly, 10% of your final grade.  My goal is for this to be a fun exercise applying your knowledge to something relevant and meaningful in your life.  Don’t get caught up in minimums… 5 pages APA Style (double spaced) is not very much to write.  If you have never used APA before, look it up online (http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm) or go to the Ohlone Writing Lab for assistance.  I expect you to cite your authoritative sources properly.  The paper is due via Blackboard email by Sunday March 23.  Feel free to turn in a hard copy to me in class.

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