Assignment 3 Part 1: Operation, Technology, and Management
Plan
Due Week 8 and worth 70 points
Use the “NAB Company Portfolio”.
Write a three to six (3-6) page paper in which you provide the
following information below.
Operations Plan (1 – 2 pages)
Note: Remember to assign a dollar amount to each operational
cost you find, as you will need these figures for your income statement and
cash flow in Week 8.
Create an operations plan for your NAB company using the
template in the text as a guide (p. 214 | Operations Plan Preparation Form –
Click here for help accessing a specific page number in your eBook). Extract
appropriate information from the NAB Company portfolio, where applicable. Other
required items in the template should be filled in using your personal
preferences.
Provide a rationale for the competitive advantages section
using appropriate functional-level and business-level strategies to explain the
competitive advantages.
Note: Much of the research pertaining to the hints provided
here can be found in the NAB company portfolio.
Hints: Consider whether you will rent or buy your facilities
or outsource production to an existing company.
Hints: One of your biggest expenses as a startup
non-alcoholic beverage company will be transitioning from a small batch
prototype of your beverage to production on a large scale. Research the
equipment you will need (vats, refrigerators, burners, ovens, bottling equipment,
and so on), whether you will rent or buy, how you will maintain and clean it,
and so forth. Consider how you will ensure quality control. What capacity do
you intend to reach?
Hints: Deliberate your inventory control. Where do your
supplies come from and what is your turnaround time to produce your beverage
once you have received an order?
Hints: Consider your distribution method. Refer back to your
notes for the SWOT analysis assignment in Week 2 of class.
Hints: How will you stay abreast of new developments in your
industry? What new products do you have in development now, in addition to your
flagship product?
Describe your research and development activities and
explain how they will contribute to the company.
Technology Plan (1 – 2 pages)
Create a technology plan for your NAB company using the
template in the text as a guide (p. 227 | Technology Plan Preparation Form ).
Extract appropriate information from the NAB Company portfolio, where
applicable. Other required items in the template should be filled in using your
personal preferences.
Provide a rationale for the personnel needs section by
incorporating appropriate functional-level strategies.
Hints: Consider the type of technology your company will use
to conduct the following activities: manage personnel; take, fulfill, and track
orders; manage inventory; communicate with customers and provide customer
service; and produce your beverage.
Management & Organization (1 – 2 pages)
Create a management plan for your NAB company using the
template in the text as a guide (p. 248 | Management Plan Preparation Form ).
Extract appropriate information from the NAB Company portfolio, where
applicable. Other required items in the template should be filled in using your
personal preferences.
Using the flow charts on p. 242 as a guide, outline your
company’s management hierarchy. Note: Charts or diagrams must be imported /
included in the MS Word document.
Provide a rationale for the management structure and style
section by incorporating appropriate functional-level strategies.
Format your assignment according to these formatting
requirements:
Cite the resources you have used to complete this exercise.
Note: There is no minimum requirement for the number of resources used in the
exercise.
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size
12), with one-inch margins on all sides; references must follow APA or
school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional
instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment,
the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The
cover page and the reference page are not included in the required page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this
assignment are:
Create a plan to implement a firm’s strategy and manage the
change from current operations.
Describe strategic planning techniques used to formulate
alternative strategies designed to achieve stated business goals.
Use technology and information resources to research issues
in strategic management.
Write clearly and concisely about strategic management using
proper writing mechanics.
Assignment 3 Part 2: Business Plan – Draft
Due Week 8 and worth 30 points
This assignment consists of two (2) sections: a draft of
your business plan and an income statement containing your business plan
financials (i.e. Week 7 Discussion “The Financials”). Note: You must
submit both sections as separate files for the completion of this assignment.
You must intend to raise money for your startup company. You
can start with money from friends and family but at some point you will need
funds from outside investors, either angels or venture capitalists, depending
on how much money you project you will need to raise. Another possible angle is
to develop money through crowdfunding, assuming your product meets the demand
of such audiences.
Before you can raise money, you must develop a business plan
that convinces an investor that your company will succeed.
Section 1: Business Plan (MS Word or equivalent)
Read Chapters 18 and 19 of the course text: Successful
Business Plan. Use the Plan Preparation Forms at the end of each chapter of
Successful Business Plan as a rough guide.
Write an approximately fifteen to twenty (15-20) page draft
of your business plan in which you:
Revise the components of the following previously submitted
sections based on the feedback you have received.
Company Description (Assignment 1)
Industry Analysis and Trends (Assignment 1)
Strategic Position & Risk Assessment (Assignment 1)
Target Market (Assignment 2)
Competition (Assignment 2)
Marketing Plan & Sales Strategy (Assignment 2)
Create an Ethics & Social Responsibility Plan.
Note: The Ethics & Social Responsibility plan should
account for approximately three to five (3-5) pages of the Business Plan Draft.
Describe the ways in which your company is committed to
being a good corporate citizen.
Hints: Consider the following areas:
Creating jobs
Following the laws of every jurisdiction in which your
company operates
Fair and honest treatment of employees
Non-discrimination of employees and increasing diversity of
your work force
Hints: If your company is designed as a social venture—in
which you have a primary purpose of achieving a social or environmental
goal—describe what that goal is and what aspects of your company are designed
to reach that goal. Provide a rationale for why you have or why you have not
chosen this to be a social venture.
Discuss how your company’s activities will affect the
environment and identify the steps you will take to mitigate any negative
impacts.
Hints: As a beverage company, consider such issues as your
choice of packaging, disposal of bottles / packages by consumers, and your use
of resources, such as water in areas where water may be scarce.
Determine any health issues / claims related to the product
you are making, whether negative or positive. Suggest the strategy your company
will use to mitigate any negative issues, and to ensure any positive claims are
true.
Many beverage products have negative health impacts on
certain segments of a population (e.g., children, pregnant mothers, etc.).
Suggest your company’s plan, through advertising, distribution, and / or other
methods, to target and reach only appropriate market segments.
Format your assignment according to these formatting
requirements:
Cite the resources you have used to complete the exercise.
Note: There is no minimum requirement for the number of resources used in the
exercise.
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size
12), with one-inch margins on all sides; references must follow APA or
school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional
instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment,
the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The
cover page and the reference page are not included in the required page length.
Section 2: Business Plan Financials (MS Excel worksheets template)
For year one, revise and submit the Income Statement, Cash
Flow Projections, and Balance Sheet sections from the “Business Plan
Financials” MS Excel template (see: Course Required Files in Week 1).
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this
assignment are:
Describe strategic planning techniques used to formulate
alternative strategies designed to achieve stated business goals.
Create a plan to implement a firm’s strategy and manage the
change from current operations.
Analyze strategies for exerting the internal leadership
needed to drive the implementation of strategic initiatives and improve
operating excellence.
Use technology and information resources to research issues
in strategic management.
Write clearly and concisely about strategic management using
proper writing mechanics.
