A sale is a sale, and a profit is a profit, right? Not always. While an organization’s financial statements should fully and transparently reflect the organization’s actual financial situation, sometimes they do not. Sometimes there is intentional deception or fraud. Yet, even when an organization uses legal and accepted accounting practices, financial statements may fail to present risks or explain unusual costs, profits, or assumptions. To prepare for this Discussion, think about a time in your professional experience when a decision was made based on inaccurate financial information or unethical behavior resulting in fraudulent financial information. If you do not have professional experience directly related to accounting and decision making, research a situation where inaccurate or fraudulent financial information was provided by a company. Consider the outcomes of utilizing fraudulent financial information for decision making and research how to avoid such situations. By Day 3 Post the following: Describe the situation from either your professional experience or your research. Explain the steps you would take to address unethical behavior and remedy the situation of utilizing the inaccurate or fraudulent financial information you described and why you would take these steps. Explain the steps that you, as a manager, might take to ensure that all financial information you review accurately reflects the organization’s true financial situation and why this is important to prevent unethical behavior and the use of inaccurate or fraudulent financial information.

Assessment 2 Instructions: Industry Gaps in PracticeCreate an executive brief presentation in which you define the gaps in practice within a selected industry scenario.For this assessment, you will conduct a gap analysis to determine available opportunities within a particular industry to gain competitive advantage in areas such as operational excellence, product development, and customer segmentation.Gaps in practice can come from multiple sources such as legal or regulatory concerns, disruptive technology, convergence of trends, entry of nontraditional competitors, customer or market shifts, and a pandemic such as Covid-19. You will choose among three different industry scenarios: the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing), and Connected Autonomous Vehicles (Self-Driving Cars).To determine the gaps in practice, you will research the current state of the industry and define a desired future state for the industry. Having identified the gaps in practice, you will articulate strategic decisions to be made within the industry. Sample areas of strategic decisions include operational excellence, customer intimacy, and product leadership. Examples of strategic decision options are existing products marketed historically, products marketed in new sectors, and new product development in new markets.This assessment will help you become a consumer of data from multiple sources such as IBISWorld, a global industry database. Each IBISWorld Industry Research Report offers actionable insights, comprehensive data, and in-depth analysis.To present your findings, you will create an executive brief in the form of a PowerPoint presentation for C-suite executives.PreparationChoose one of the following scenarios to focus on for your executive brief:Internet of Things (IoT) for the Smart Home Appliance Industry [DOCX].Disruptions to Supplier-Dominated Firms From 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing [DOCX].Connected Autonomous Vehicles Implications for the Automobile Insurance Industry [DOCX].You are advised to begin this assessment by ensuring that you have reviewed the available information related to your chosen scenario.InstructionsPrepare the brief as a PowerPoint presentation using the Executive Brief Template [PPTX], including a title slide, slides as needed to accommodate Parts 1–4 of the executive brief and reflection, and a reference slide. All work should be supported with citations, including infographics. You have been provided an initial set of relevant readings for each scenario; you are expected to provide additional industry research including sources from appropriate databases. Refer to the DB8415 Library Guide to learn more about using the Capella library. Complete the following, addressing all prompts:Part 1: Executive Summary. Present the key points of your findings from Parts 2 and 3 in no more than two slides.Part 2: Industry Context. Include research you conducted on the industry presented in your chosen scenario. What is the current industry state? Provide specific details on market size, growth rates, industry drivers (including technology), and industry trends. An infographic is required for this portion.Part 3: Industry Gaps in Practice Analysis. As you construct Part 2, identify industry challenges and gaps in practice. Some gaps in practice have already been provided in the scenarios to provide a starting point. For Part 3, address three gaps in industry practices, prepare an infographic, and include the table provided in the Executive Brief Template, completing the following for each gap:Current State of Practice. From the scenario and your independent research, what is the current state of practice? How does it work today? Identify the library databases you used to support your independent research. Why are these databases appropriate?Desired State of Practice. Based upon your independent research, what is the targeted or desired state of practice?Industry Gap in Practice. Specifically define the gap in practice with supporting evidence. What do industry participants need to address? What is causing the gap? What is the disruption?Strategic Decision to Be Made. Using the categories of strategic decisions, identify and describe the types of decisions that must be made by industry leaders to address the gap, then select one strategic decision based upon two or more alternatives under consideration.Part 4: Reflection. From a practitioner perspective, how do you see the utility, value, and application of strategic decisions relating to gaps in practices? What did you learn from this assessment?Reminder: Infographics are a requirement for Part 2, Industry Context and Part 3, Industry Gaps in Practice Analysis. Be sure to create infographics that illuminate the data and provide a clear overview of the topic.Review the assessment scoring guide before submitting your assessment to ensure that you meet all criteria.Competencies MeasuredBy successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:Competency 1: Use visualization tools and frameworks to present complex data clearly, professionally, and logically.Create a professional-quality presentation that accurately summarizes the main points and makes appropriate use of infographics.Convey purpose, in an appropriate tone and style, incorporating supporting evidence and adhering to organizational, professional, and scholarly writing standards.Competency 2: Critically analyze synthesized research findings of other scholars while comparing to personal knowledge to inform decisions.Prepare an executive summary including the current state of the industry and the gaps in practice.Competency 3: Identify the differences between a current state and desired state, and discuss the gap between the two.Describe the current state of an industry with supporting evidence and an infographic.Define three gaps in practice with supporting evidence and an infographic.Competency 4: Evaluate strategic decision making models and frameworks to assist in solving business financial problems.Evaluate the utility, value, and application of a gap analysis.Competency 5: Analyze the impact of changes to economic policy on business strategy decisions.Describe two or more decision alternatives to address the industry gaps in practice with supporting evidence.Resources: Scenario Research ResourcesThe following resources are provided to support each of the three research scenarios; reading and viewing the supplied articles and videos for your chosen scenario will give you a start on your research. If you are having difficulty making a choice, sampling one of the resources for each scenario may help you decide on a topic. It is not necessary to complete the readings and videos for all three scenarios.SCENARIO A: INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) FOR THE SMART HOME APPLIANCE INDUSTRYThe Internet of Things readings and videos provide you with a start on your research into the smart home appliance industry. Completing the following resources will give you an initial industry 2021 profile that you can build on to evaluate the smart home appliance industry challenges and gaps in practice. As you examine them, look for the types of challenges being faced, evolving industry practice, and what is working in particular.Alaa, M., Zaidan, A. A., Zaidan, B. B., Talal, M., & Kiah, M. L. M. (2017). A review of smart home applications based on Internet of Things. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 97, 48–65.Almusaylim, Z. A., & Zaman, N. (2019). A review on smart home present state and challenges: Linked to context-awareness Internet of Things (IoT). Wireless Networks, 25(6), 3193–3204.GrandViewResearch. (2020, August). Smart home appliances market size, share & trends analysis report by product (washing machines, refrigerators, TVs, air purifiers), by distribution channel (online, offline), by region, and segment forecasts, 2020 - 2027. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysi...Note: The overview for this report provides sufficient information for your research; there is no need to access the full report.Markets and Markets. (2020, June). Smart home market with COVID-19 impact analysis by product (lighting control, security & access control, HVAC control, entertainment, home healthcare), software & services (proactive, behavioural), and region - Global forecast to 2025. https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/s...Note: The overview for this report provides sufficient information for your research; there is no need to access the full report.PR Newswire. (2021, January 11). GE Appliances wins 3rd consecutive "Smart Appliance Company of the Year" award in annual IoT Breakthrough Awards program: Annual IoT Breakthrough Awards program recognize standout Internet-of-things companies and products.SimpliLearn. (2020, August 24). IoT - Internet of Things | What is IoT? | IoT explained in 6 minutes | How IoT works | Simplilearn [Video] | Transcript. YouTube. Run time: 5:51.SimpliLearn. (2020, October 28). Top IoT projects 2020 | Useful IoT devices | Smart IoT projects | IoT applications | Simplilearn [Video] | Transcript. YouTube. Run time: 7:11.SCENARIO B: DISRUPTIONS TO SUPPLIER-DOMINATED FIRMS FROM 3D PRINTING AND ADDITIVE MANUFACTURINGAdditive manufacturing is becoming mainstream in Industry 4.0. Completing the following resources will give you an initial industry 2021 profile that you can build on to evaluate the 3D printing and additive manufacturing challenges and gaps in practice. As you examine them, look for the types of challenges being faced, evolving industry practice, and what is working in particular.Agrawal, M., Eloot, K., Mancini, M., & Patel, A. (2020). Industry 4.0: Reimagining manufacturing operations after COVID-19. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operat...Beltagui, A., Rosli, A., & Candi, M. (2020). Exaptation in a digital innovation ecosystem: The disruptive impacts of 3D printing. Research Policy, 49(1), 1–16.GE Additive. (2018, May 7). How 3D printing is disrupting business models today | Industry in 3D [Video]. YouTube. Run time 20:25.Kapetaniou, C., Rieple, A., Pilkington, A., Frandsen, T., & Pisano, P. (2018). Building the layers of a new manufacturing taxonomy: How 3D printing is creating a new landscape of production eco-systems and competitive dynamics. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 128, 22–35.Kellner, T. (2018, November 30). The 3D-printed age: Why this futuristic Ohio factory is proving Mark Twain wrong. General Electric. https://www.ge.com/news/reports/3d-printed-age-fut...Kietzmann, J., Pitt, L., & Berthon, P. (2015). Disruptions, decisions, and destinations: Enter the age of 3-D printing and additive manufacturing. Business Horizons, 58(2), 209–215.Martens, R. (2020, June 26). The disruptive effects of 3D printing on supply chains & business models [Video] | Transcript. YouTube. Run time: 21:05.Nazir, A., Azhar, A., Nazir, U., Liu, Y. F., Qureshi, W. S., Chen, J. E., & Alanazi, E. (2020). The rise of 3D printing entangled with smart computer aided design during COVID-19 era. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 1–14.SCENARIO C: CONNECTED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IMPLICATIONS FOR THE AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE INDUSTRYHow does Industry 4.0 affect the insurance industry? Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs), also known as self-driving cars, represent a major market shift for the automobile insurance industry. Completing the following resources will give you an initial industry 2021 profile that you can build on to evaluate challenges and gaps in practice for CAVs. As you examine them, look for the types of challenges being faced, evolving industry practice, and what is working in particular.Atkinson, K. (2020). Autonomous cars: A driving force for change in motor liability and insurance. SCRIPTed, 17(1), 125–151.Catlin, T., Lorenz, J. T., Nandan, J., Sharma, S., & Waschto, A. (2018, January 10). Insurance beyond digital: The rise of ecosystems and platforms. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-serv...Geospatial World. (2020, June 23). Five emerging tech-trends in the insurance industry [Video] | Transcript. YouTube. Run time: 2:19.Ma, Y. L., Zhu, X., Hu, X., & Chiu, Y. C. (2018). The use of context-sensitive insurance telematics data in auto insurance rate making. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 113, 243–258.Pütz, F., Murphy, F., Mullins, M., & O'Malley, L. (2019). Connected automated vehicles and insurance: analyzing future market-structure from a business ecosystem perspective. Technology in Society, 59, 1–9.Tian, X., Prybutok, V., Mirzaei, F., & Dinulescu, C. C. (2020). Millennials acceptance of insurance telematics: An integrative empirical study. American Business Review, 23(1), 156–181. https://digitalcommons.newhaven.edu/americanbusine...Resources: Industry 4.0Industry 4.0 refers to the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies, including cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things, cloud computing and cognitive computing, and creating the smart factory. This short video will provide an orientation.Marr, B. (2019, July 11). What is industry 4.0? [Video]. YouTube. Run time: 4:56.Resources: InfographicsAn infographic uses striking visuals and minimal text to provide an easy-to-understand overview of a topic quickly and clearly. Infographics are a requirement for Part 2, Industry Context and Part 3, Industry Gaps in Practice Analysis of Assessment 2. Be sure to create an infographic that illuminates the data and provides a clear overview of the topic. The following Venngage videos will show you how.Venngage - Visualize your ideas. (2018, July 19). The 9 types of infographics [Tips and examples] [Video] | Transcript. YouTube. Run time: 9:21.Venngage - Visualize your ideas. (2018, November 29). How to make an infographic in 5 steps [Infographic design guide + examples] [Video]. YouTube. Run time: 17:35.Resources: PowerPointThe following Skillsoft tutorials are provided to help you with creating PowerPoint presentations using Windows or Mac:Skillsoft. (n.d.). PowerPoint Office 365 (Windows): Creating presentations [Tutorial].Run time: 55:00.Skillsoft. (n.d.). Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 for Mac: Building and structuring a presentation [Tutorial].Run time: 51:00.You may find this tutorial helpful when inserting your infographics or other media elements into a PowerPoint presentation:Skillsoft. (n.d.). Working with graphic, audio, and video content in PowerPoint 2016 [Tutorial].Run time: 58:00.Skillsoft provides many other tutorials for Microsoft Office tools. If you need assistance with a specific task, try searching in the Skillsoft repository; use search terms such as "using animation in PowerPoint."Note: If you require assistive technology or alternative communication methods to participate in this activity, please email DisabilityServices@Capella.edu to request accommodations.Activity: Types of Infographics