Strategy Selection, Implementation and Evaluation

Project 4: Strategy Selection, Implementation and Evaluation

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Instructions

BMGT 495 - Project 4: Strategy Selection, Implementation and   Evaluation 

NOTE:  All submitted work is   to be your original work. You may not use any work from another student, the   Internet or an online clearinghouse.  You are expected to understand the   Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy, and know that it is your responsibility   to learn about instructor and general academic expectations with regard to   proper citation of sources as specified in the APA Publication Manual,   7th Ed. (Students are held accountable for in-text citations and an   associated reference list only). 

Purpose: 

This project is the last of four projects.  You will   generate a pool of alternative strategies, evaluate these alternative   strategies, and select the best strategy using the tools and concepts learned   throughout the course.  You will develop implementation plans,   evaluative plans to control the implementation process, and plan for   post-evaluation measures. You will also draw from previous business courses   to develop an understanding of how organizations develop and manage   strategies to establish, safeguard and sustain its position in a competitive   market.  

Skill Building: 

In this project, you are building many different skills   including research, critical thinking, writing and developing analytical   skills related to various financial analysis tools and strategy tools used in   business.   You will select optimal strategies, design how to   implement and evaluate the implementation process of the optimal strategies.

Outcomes Met With This Project:

· Examine   the impact of ethical decision making, social responsibility, stakeholder   analysis, and corporate governance on organizations and society

· Utilize   a set of useful analytical skills, tools, and techniques for analyzing a   company strategically;

· Integrate   ideas, concepts, and theories from previously taken functional courses   including, accounting, finance, market, business and human resource   management;

· Analyze   and synthesize strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) to   generate, prioritize, and implement alternative strategies in order to revise   a current plan or write a new plan and present a strategic plan;

· Evaluate   the outcomes of identified strategies to determine their success and impact   on short-term and long-term objectives. 

Instructions: 

Step 1  Course Material and Research

· You   are required to research information about the focal company and the internal   environment for this project, You are accountable for using the course   materials to support the ideas, reasoning and conclusions made.  Course   materials use goes beyond defining terms but is used to explain the 'why and   how' of a situation.  Using one or two in-text citations from the course   materials and then relying on Internet source material will not earn many   points on the assignment.  A variety of source material is expected and   what is presented must be relevant and applicable to the topic being   discussed.   Avoid merely making statements but close the loop of   the discussion by explaining how something happens or   why something happens, which focuses on importance and   impact.  In closing the loop, you will demonstrate the ability to think   clearly and rationally showing an understanding of the logical connections   between the ideas presented from the research, the course material and the   question(s) being asked.

· Note:  Your report is based on the results of the   research performed and not on any prepared documentation.  What this   means is that you will research and draw your own conclusions that are   supported by the research and the course material rather than the use any   source material that puts together any of the tools or techniques whether   from the Internet, for-pay websites or any pre-prepared document, video or   source material.  A zero will be earned for not doing your own analysis.

· Success:  The analysis is based on research and not opinion.    You are not making recommendations and you will not attempt to position the   focal company in a better or worse light than other companies within the   industry merely because you are completing an analysis on this particular   company.  The analysis must be based on factual information.  Any   conclusions drawn have to be based on factual information rather than leaps   of faith.  To ensure success, as stated above, you are expected to   use the course materials and research on the focal company's global industry   and the focal company.  Opinion does not earn credit nor does using   external sources when course materials can be used.  It is necessary to   provide explanations (the why and how) rather than making statements.     Avoid stringing one citation after another as doing so does not show detailed   explanations.

Step 2  Research 

In completing the report, you will use the chapters in the eBook as a guide and   perform research on the same company as in Projects 1 and 2, answer   the required elements below in narrative form following the steps. 

Note:  Your report is based on the results of the research performed   and not on any prepared documentation.  What this means is that you will   research and draw your own conclusions that are supported by the research and   the course material rather than the use any source material that puts   together any of the tools or techniques whether from the Internet, for-pay   websites or any document, video or source material.  A zero will be   earned for not doing your own analysis.

Library Resources

On the main navigation bar in the classroom select, Resources   and then select Library.  Select Databases by Title (A - Z).    Select M from the alphabet list, and then select Mergent Online.     You may also use Market Line and should be looking at the focal company's   Annual Report or 10K report.  You are not depending on any one resource   to complete the analysis.  It is impossible to complete a Porter’s Five   Forces, competitive analysis or OT by using only course material.

You should not be using obscure articles, GlassDoor, or Chron or   similar articles.  

Research for Financial Analysis: Financial Research

Research for Industry Analysis CSI Market

UMGC library is available for providing resources and services.   Seek library support for excellence in your academic pursuit.  

Library Support

Extensive library resources and services are available online,   24 hours a day, seven days a week at https://www.umgc.edu/library/index.cfm to support you in your studies.  The UMGC Library   provides research assistance in creating search strategies, selecting   relevant databases, and evaluating and citing resources in a variety of   formats via its Ask a Librarian service at https://www.umgc.edu/library/libask/index.cfm.

Scholarly Research in OneSearch

To search for only scholarly resources, you are expected to   place a check mark in the space for “Scholarly journals only” before clicking   search.  

Step 3 Specific Company for All Three Projects 

For this project, each student in this course has been   specifically assigned by your instructor to write an independent report on   one focal company.  The assigned company must be used for all three   projects in this course.  You are not allowed to write the reports on   any other company different from the company specifically assigned by your   instructor.  Students who fail to use the specifically assigned   companies from the list or use an unapproved company will receive a zero for   the project. 

The company that your instructor has assigned to you will be   used for this project.

Step 4  Preparation for the Project

Before you begin writing the report, you will read the following   requirements that will help you meet the writing and APA   requirements.  

· You   will be doing an analysis on the selected company.  When doing an   analysis you are not merely making statements that may be cited.    Instead, you will be supporting the statements made.  “Support” is the   process of explaining, discussing and analyzing “why” and “how,” which is a   higher level critical analytical skill that is required for this class.    Support is needed to do well on this project.

·  Read   the grading rubric for the project.  Use the grading rubric while   writing the report to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the   highest possible grade.

Step 5   How to Set Up the Project 

· The   document has to be written in Word or rtf.  No other format is   acceptable.  No pdf files will be graded.  Use 12-point font for a   double-spaced report.  The final product cannot be longer than 10 pages   in length, excluding the title page and reference page.  Those items   identified in the implementation and action plans should appear under the   appropriate heading in the paper.  

· Do no use an Appendix.

·  

· Create   a title page with title, your name, the course number, the instructor's name.

Use the following template using the headings to separate   elements.  Do not use 

bullets in your paper as the required format is in narrative   format with indented paragraph and no extra space between paragraphs.

Introduction

(The Introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper   and will be used to describe to the reader the intent of the paper explaining   the main points covered in the paper.  This intent should be understood   prior to reading the remainder of the paper so the reader knows exactly what   is being covered in the paper.  Write the introduction last to ensure   all of the main points are covered.)

Alternative Strategy Generation

To generate a pool of strategies, you will look at the   organization’s business level strategy, corporate level strategy and global   strategy.   Using the information and data collected from your   research, and the analytical outcomes from (a) external factor analysis in   your Project 1 and (b) internal factor analysis in Project 2, you will   generate a pool of strategies.

· Generate   a minimum of three possible alternative strategies for the company.

· Identify   and discuss cultural and organizational factors that should be considered in   analyzing and choosing among the alternative strategies.

Strategy Prioritization

· Prioritize   strategies and explain using the course material to support the   reasoning – Use the tools learned in the course.

Strategy Selection

· Explain   how to select the best strategy or strategies

· Recommend   the best one or two strategies and long-term objectives among the alternative   strategies and explain why these strategies and objectives are best

· Identify   strategy recommendations using the following format for the formulation   of strategies. 

·  Make sure you are thorough in your   presentation.

o View Strategy Content Guidelines.

o Goal (The desired outcomes to be achieved)

o Objective (Measurable milestone toward   accomplishing the Goal)

o Strategy (The approach used to achieve the Goal)

o Tactic (A specific activity undertaken to implement   the Strategy)

o Review   this resource to differentiate between

o  Strategy Versus Operations and Strategy Versus Tactics

Strategy Implementation

· Recommend   procedures for strategy implementation.

· Discuss   who, what and how to implement the selected strategy or strategies at the   corporate level, business-unit level, and functional level.

Strategy Evaluation

Use frameworks and tools discussed throughout the course.    Support the reasoning and conclusions made.

· Discuss   procedures for strategy review and evaluation

· Discuss   the appropriate evaluative measures (including who, what, when and how at the   corporate level, business-unit level, and functional level)

· Discuss   a corrective action plan (including who, what, when and how) at the corporate   level, business-unit level, and functional level.)

Conclusion

· Create   a concluding paragraph.  The Conclusion is intended to emphasize the   purpose/significance of the analysis, emphasize the significance/consequence   of findings, and indicate the wider applications that are derived from the   main points of the project’s requirements.  You will draw conclusions   about the findings of the external environment analysis.

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