OL 501 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview The final project for this course is the creation of a strategy and change management plan. This course provides a broad survey of topics that together contribute to an overall business acumen that managers need to possess in order to be successful in today’s business environment. Organizations are looking for managers with a broad base of understanding that includes accounting, business environment analysis, employee motivation, sustainability, and how all these factors blend together with the organization’s values to influence its strategic direction and the means in which it chooses to pursue it goals. In your final project, you will choose one of the provided case studies and assume the role of a consultant hired by the executive management of the company described in your chosen case study to construct a high-level strategy for success based on the various economic, competitive, and management challenges faced by the company. The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three, Four, and Seven. The final product will be submitted in Module Nine. In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

 Assess current performance of an organization through analysis of financial statements for informing a strategic plan

 Analyze the internal and external environment of an organization for determining its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

 Develop a basic strategy to promote an organization’s goals based on the analysis of the internal and external environment

 Determine appropriate key performance indicators for effectively measuring the success of a proposed strategy

 Determine the impact of proposed strategic decisions across departments in an organization for identifying potential internal challenges

Prompt Assume you are a consultant who is tasked with advising a company facing a strategic challenge. To determine the best approach, you will assess the organization’s current business situation and make recommendations on how the company should change its approach to doing business in order to maintain profitability and sustainability. You will choose one of the following cases from the HBR Coursepack for your analysis:

 Long-Term Orientation in the Benedictine Monastery of Admont

 American Apparel: Drowning in Debt? Your presentation must address the following prompt: Select a case study and construct a high-level strategy for success based on the various economic, competitive, and management challenges faced by the organization. To accomplish this task, you will describe the organization’s mission, vision, and values;

perform a TOWS analysis on the organization; and recommend a strategy that uses the organization’s strengths to capitalize on available market opportunities, identifies its organizational weaknesses, and prescribes appropriate actions to address the threats that it faces. Additionally, you will identify metrics that will serve as key performance indicators to track the success of your recommended strategy, and develop a risk mitigation plan to minimize any adverse consequences. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Introduction: In this section, characterize the organization you have chosen for your final project. A. Identify the organization’s mission, vision, and values. B. Explain the challenge(s) facing the organization. Support with specifics from the case.

II. Business Environment: Analyze the internal and external setting of your chosen organization. A. Perform a TOWS analysis to determine a strategic approach to threats, opportunities, weaknesses, and strengths for your chosen organization. B. Based on the TOWS analysis, ascertain strategic areas for improvement in the organization’s approach to doing business. Support with specifics

from the case. C. Prioritize the areas to address by how well they align with the organization mission and values.

III. Financials: Examine the company’s financial statements to assess organizational health. A. Explain what the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement reveal about how the company is functioning. B. Calculate financial ratios and interpret what those say about the organization’s financial health. Support with specifics. C. Identify the potential problem areas in the company as reflected in the financials.

IV. Strategy: What does the company need to do to change direction? A. Devise a basic strategy to move the organization in a new direction based on the environmental analysis. B. Identify the key players in implementing the strategy (marketing, operations, accounting, sales, HR, etc.) and describe how it affects them. C. Develop a basic (high-level) plan to improve organizational performance.

1. Define goals for profitability based on specifics from analyses. 2. Explain in detail how the goals are in alignment with the company mission, vision, and values.

D. Describe in detail how this plan affects the organization’s departments (marketing, operations, HR functions, etc.).

V. Key Performance Indicators: What does success look like?

A. Determine the specific KPIs you will use to effectively measure the success of the strategy and explain how/why these KPIs align with the identified strategy and with the organization’s mission, vision, and values.

B. Identify at least one KPI for each profitability goal identified previously.

VI. Summary A. Explain why your basic strategy is the most appropriate for meeting the organization’s goals. Support with specific details from the case.

B. Identify departmental risks associated with your strategy and develop a risk mitigation plan. C. Predict what other factors may affect your ability to implement the mitigation plan (costs, regulations, unions, etc.).

Milestones Milestone One: Introduction and Analysis of Business Environment In Module Three, you will submit the Introduction and Analysis of Business Environment. You will characterize the organization you have chosen for your final project and analyze the internal and external setting of your chosen organization. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric. Milestone Two: Analysis of Financial Situation In Module Four, you will submit your Analysis of Financial Situation. In this milestone, you will examine the company’s financial statements to assess organizational health. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric. Milestone Three: Strategy and Key Performance Indicators In Module Seven, you will submit the Strategy and Key Performance Indicators. In this milestone, you will discuss what the company needs to do to change direction and what success will look like. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Three Rubric. Final Submission: Strategy and Change Management Plan In Module Nine, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final project prompt. It should reflect the incorporation of knowledge gained throughout the course and feedback from each of your milestone worksheets. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric.

Deliverables

Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading

One Introduction and Analysis of Business Environment

Three Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric

Two Analysis of Financial Situation Four Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric

Three Strategy and Key Performance Indicators Seven Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric

Final Submission: Strategy and Change Management Plan

Nine Graded separately; Final Project Rubric

Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your strategy and change management plan must be 9–12 pages in length (plus a cover page and references section) and must be written in APA format. Use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. All references must be cited in APA format.

Critical Elements Exemplary Proficient Needs Improvement Not Evident Value

Introduction: Mission, Vision, and

Values

Identifies the company mission, vision, and values (100%)

Identifies the company mission, vision, or values, but not all three, or misidentifies one or two (70%)

Does not identify the company mission, vision, and values (0%)

5

Introduction: Challenges

Explains the challenges facing the organization with ample supporting details from the case (100%)

Explains the challenges facing the organization with some supporting details from the case (90%)

Explains the challenges facing the organization, but explanation contains inaccuracies or lacks supporting detail (70%)

Does not explain the challenges facing the organization (0%)

5

Business Environment: TOWS

Analysis

Performs a comprehensive TOWS analysis, displaying a nuanced understanding of the quadrants (100%)

Performs a TOWS analysis to determine a strategic approach to strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the chosen company (90%)

Performs a TOWS analysis, but the analysis is not complete or contains inaccuracies regarding content or strategic implications (70%)

Does not perform a TOWS analysis (0%)

5

Business Environment: Areas

for Improvement

Based on the TOWS analysis, ascertains possible areas for improvement with ample supporting details from the case (100%)

Based on the TOWS analysis, ascertains possible areas for improvement with some supporting information (90%)

Ascertains possible areas for improvement, but lacks support, contains inaccuracies, or misses direct correlation to TOWS (70%)

Does not ascertain possible areas for improvement based on the TOWS analysis (0%)

5

Business Environment:

Prioritize Areas

Prioritizes areas to address and shows keen insight into alignment with the company mission and values (100%)

Prioritizes the areas to address by how well they align with the company mission and values (90%)

Prioritizes the areas to address, but they are misaligned with company mission and values (70%)

Does not prioritize the areas to address by how well they align with the company mission and values (0%)

5

Financials: Statement

Examines and reports on what the statements reveal, making cogent connections between the statements and how the company is functioning (100%)

Examines and reports on what the statements reveal about how the company is functioning (90%)

Examines and reports on what the statements reveal about how the company is functioning, but the report is not complete or contains inaccuracies (70%)

Does not examine and report on what the statements reveal about how the company is functioning (0%)

5

Financials: Calculate and Interpret

Correctly calculates the financial ratios, and interpretation displays complex grasp of the role of financial ratios in determining financial health (100%)

Correctly calculates the financial ratios and interprets what those say about the company’s financial health (90%)

Calculates the financial ratios, but the calculation contains some numerical and/or interpretation inaccuracies of what those say about the company’s financial health (70%)

Does not correctly calculate the financial ratios and interpret what those say about the company’s financial health (0%)

5

Financials: Problem Areas

Correctly identifies the potential problem areas in the company as reflected in the financials (100%)

Identifies some potential problem areas in the company as reflected in the financials, but the identification is not complete or contains inaccuracies (70%)

Does not identify the potential problem areas in the company as reflected in the financials (0%)

5

Strategy: Basic Strategy

Devises a basic strategy to move the company in a new direction, presenting keen insight into connections with TOWS (100%)

Devises a basic strategy to move the company in a new direction based on environmental analysis (90%)

Devises a basic strategy to move the company in a new direction, but the strategy is not entirely based on environmental analysis (70%)

Does not devise a basic strategy to move the company in a new direction based on environmental analysis (0%)

5

Strategy: Key Players

Identifies the key players in implementing the strategy, with ample and cogent descriptions on how it affects them (100%)

Identifies the key players in implementing the strategy and briefly describes how it affects them (90%)

Identifies some of the key players in implementing the strategy, but the identification is incomplete or lacks detail on how they are affected (70%)

Does not identify the key players in implementing the strategy and describe how it affects them (0%)

5

Strategy: Basic Plan

Develops a basic (high-level) plan to improve performance, demonstrating in-depth knowledge of relevant plan elements and concepts (100%)

Develops a basic (high-level) plan to improve organizational performance (90%)

Develops a basic (high-level) plan, but it contains inaccuracies in relation to improving performance (70%)

Does not develop a basic (high-level) plan to improve organizational performance (0%)

5

Strategy: Basic Plan – Goals

Defines goals for profitability, making cogent connections between the analyses (100%)

Defines goals for profitability based on specifics from analyses (90%)

Defines goals for profitability, but goals contain inaccuracies in relation to analyses (70%)

Does not define goals for profitability (0%)

5

Strategy: Basic Plan –Alignment

Explains how the goals are in alignment with the company mission, vision, and values, including ample details to support explanation (100%)

Explains how the goals are in alignment with the company mission, vision, and values (90%)

Explains how the goals are in alignment with the company mission, vision, and values, but explanation is incomplete or lacks sufficient detail (70%)

Does not explain how the goals are in alignment with the company mission, vision, and values (0%)

5

Strategy: Basic Plan – Affects

Describes how the plan affects the organization’s other departments, including ample details to support description (100%)

Describes how the plan affects the organization’s other departments (90%)

Describes how the plan affects other departments, but the description is incomplete or lacks sufficient detail (70%)

Does not describe how the plan affects other departments (0%)

5

Key Performance Indicators: Specific

KPIs

Determines the specific KPIs to use to effectively measure the success of the strategy with complex or unique perspective on how they align with strategy and mission, vision, and values (100%)

Determines the specific KPIs to use to effectively measure the success of the strategy and explains how they align with strategy and mission, vision, and values (90%)

Determines KPIs to use to measure the success of the strategy, but some KPIs are incorrect, or explanation of how they align with strategy and mission, vision, values is missing or incorrect (70%)

Does not determine the specific KPIs to use to effectively measure the success of the strategy or explain how they align with strategy and mission, vision, and values (0%)

5

Key Performance Indicators: One for Each Profitability

Goal

Correctly identifies at least one KPI for each profitability goal (100%)

Identifies a KPI for most but not all goals, or KPIs are misaligned to goals (70%)

Does not identify at least one KPI for each goal (0%)

5

Summary: Most Appropriate

Provides detailed explanation of why developed strategy is the most appropriate for meeting the organization’s goals, and shows keen insight into issues and appropriate solutions (100%)

Explains why developed strategy is the most appropriate for meeting the organization’s goals and supports with details (90%)

Briefly explains why developed strategy is the most appropriate for meeting the organization’s goals, but explanation is cursory or somewhat illogical (70%)

Does not explain why developed strategy is the most appropriate for meeting the organization’s goals (0%)

5

Summary: Risk Mitigation

Identifies departmental risks associated with strategy and develops a risk mitigation plan that shows keen insight into issues and appropriate mitigation strategies (100%)

Identifies departmental risks associated with strategy and develops a risk mitigation plan (90%)

Identifies departmental risks and develops a risk mitigation plan, but plan is cursory, is somewhat illogical, or contains inaccuracies (70%)

Does not identify risks or develop a risk mitigation plan (0%)

5

Summary: Ability to Implement

Predicts what factors will affect the ability to implement the mitigation plan, including ample details to support the prediction (100%)

Predicts what factors will affect the ability to implement the mitigation plan (90%)

Predicts factors that will affect the ability to implement the mitigation plan, but response is cursory, lacking appropriate detail (70%)

Does not predict what factors will affect the ability to implement the mitigation plan (0%)

5

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format (100%)

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization (90%)

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas (70%)

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas (0%)

5

Total 100%