Module 1 discussion
Examine the five mission statements by completing Learning
Exercise B on p. 59 in your text. Using the “Characteristics of a Mission
Statement” identified in Table 3, identify (1) what you believe is the
best of the five mission statements and (2) the one you find most inspiring and
why. Post your response to the Discussion Board no later than Thursday 11:59 PM
EST/EDT.
By Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT, find two fellow students’ posts
that selected different “best” mission statements and discuss why you
agree or disagree using David’s assessment criteria.
Module 2 discussion
Prepare EFE and CPM matrixes for Disney’s Parks and Resorts
division. Use Universal Studios and Six Flags for competitors in the CPM.
Using the EFE and CPM data, as well as your own analysis,
describe how Disney is responding to its external environment, including its
direct competitors. Make sure to use important details of from your EFE and CPM
results and your critical reflections to draw conclusions. Post your analysis
and conclusions in narrative form no later than Thursday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Find at least two students whose conclusions bring new
levels of understanding to your view on Disney’s external responsiveness or
conclusions where you might disagree. Post a response to two students including
an explanation of the value of their contribution to your understanding or
where you would “respectfully” disagree no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Module 3 discussion
Prepare IFE and Financial Ratios for Disney’s Parks and
Resorts division. For the Financial Ratios make sure to use the revenue
statement and balance sheet in the exercise portion of the chapter.
Using the IFE and Financial Ratios, as well as your own
analysis, describe how Disney is performing internally. Make sure to use
important details from your IFE and Financial Ratio results and your critical
reflections to draw conclusions. Post your analysis and conclusions in
narrative form no later than Thursday 11:59 PM EST/EDT. Make sure to include key
data from your exercises.
Find at least two students whose conclusions bring new
levels of understanding to your view on Disney’s internal performance or
conclusions where you might disagree. Post a response to two students including
an explanation of the value of their contribution to your understanding or
where you would “respectfully” disagree no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Module 4 discussion
Complete Learning Exercise E on p. 177.
Post your results no later than Thursday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Review your classmates’ answers and find two answers that
differ from yours on any of the company examples. Post a response to those
classmates as to why their or your answer is more accurate or may need to be
reconsidered no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Module 5 discussion
You will begin by creating a SWOT and BCG matrix. For the
SWOT, follow Steps 1-2 of Learning Exercise A on pp. 215-216 in your text.
Then, prepare a SWOT matrix for Disney’s Parks and Resorts Division. For the
BCG, use the information in exercise E on p. 217 in your text to prepare a BCG
matrix for Disney locating each division where you believe it represents its
position relative to market share and growth.
When complete with both exercises, write a short narrative
(one page or less, single space) of your key conclusions from (1) your SWOT
analysis of Disney, (2) your BCG work on Disney. In addition, include your
conclusions on the Parks and Resorts division of Disney as a result of its
position in the BCG and the results of SWOT. Make clear recommendations for
Disney’s Parks and Resorts based on integrating the work from the above models.
Post your analysis and conclusions in narrative form to the
Discussion Board no later than Thursday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Review your classmates’ posts and find two whose conclusions
bring new levels of understanding to your view on Disney’s external
responsiveness, or conclusions where you might disagree. Post a response to
those classmates including an explanation of the value of their contribution to
your understanding or where you would “respectfully” disagree no later than
Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Module 6 discussion
Complete Learning Exercise D on p. 349 in your textbook.
When complete, select the one ethical choice/example (from the list) that you
struggled with in terms of determining whether it is ethical or not. Write a
short narrative stating which scenario was the most difficult to decide, how
you made you final decision.
Post your narrative to the Discussion Board no later than
Thursday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Review your classmates’ answers and find two with which you
do not agree. Explain how these classmates might revisit their ethical
determination based on your perspective no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Monitor their responses to see if (a) they changed your mind or (b) you still
respectfully disagree.
Module 7 discussion
Complete Exercise A, Steps 1-3, on pp. 297-298 of your text.
Create a product positioning map only for the “Parks and Resorts”
division of Disney. Using information from the case, the PPM, and your
research, write a brief narrative to state your strategic recommendations for
Disney relative to the competitors in this segment of Disney’s business. Post
your narrative to the Discussion Board no later than Thursday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Examine fellow student’s posts and find two that added to
your insight on Disney’s position or included conclusions you may not agree
with. Respond to those posts no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Module 8 discussion
Complete the executive overview for your case. This should
be limited to no more than two double-spaced pages. Post to the Discussion
Board no later than Thursday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Read your classmates’ executive overviews. Find one for
which you completely understood the challenges for that company and the
recommended strategy. Post what you saw valuable in terms of that student’s
work. For your second post, find an executive overview for which you did not
entirely understand the conclusions or strategic direction for the company. Ask
a question or make a suggestion to your classmate on how to improve his or her
overview. Post both responses no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Note to students: While Thursday and Sunday are deadlines
for this work, the earlier in the module you participate the more you have to
gain from learning from each other.
Module 3 project
phase
In this module, prepare a Financial Ratio Analysis and IFE
for the company you selected for your Strategic Management Case. Prepare a written
analysis of the company’s internal capabilities and implications for your
strategic decisions to follow. Integrate this with your work from Modules 1-2
(see below) and submit to the Phase 1 Dropbox by Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT. (This
Dropbox basket is linked to Turnitin.
In addition to the work required for this module, the Phase
I report should include the following from Modules 1 and 2:
From Module 1
Outline for Strategic Management Case
Company history
Vision and mission statement
Strategic elements of the history
Assessment of mission and vision
Module 6 project
phase
In this module, describe the core values you would use to
create the desired culture in your organization. Evaluate your organization’s
current structure and, if needed, recommend changes to the structure, processes, rewards, or
technology. Integrate the work from Modules 1-5; polish, edit, and improve your
writing and illustrations. Be sure to include the changes suggested from Phase
1. Turnitin.com will be used by faculty to review student work for academic
honesty.
Add this to your Strategic Management Case and submit the
Phase 2 components to the Dropbox no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT. (This
Dropbox is linked to Turnitin.)
(An outline of what should be included as part of the Phase
2 submission is included on the following page.)
In addition to the work required for this module, the Phase
2 report should include the following from previous modules:
(From Module 3)
•Your entire Phase I report with modifications based on the instructor’s
feedback
(From Module 4)
•Current strategy (including current use of technology)
•Possible alternatives
(From Module 5)
•SWOT matrix
•BCG matrix
•SPACE or other matrices
Module 8 project phase 3
MBA 599 – Strategic Management Case Project
This capstone course requires each student to construct a
detailed and well-thought-out analysis of a business employing all the relevant
strategic analysis tools studied in the course. This project will take the full
term to complete. It is our sincere hope that you will find this project to be
the most rewarding effort in your educational career.
Project Overview This course is designed to help you develop
strategic skills that can be used in management. The process of strategic
planning is an iterative cycle of research and analysis, ending with a series
of choices about what will be attempted and how it will be approached. The most
tangible output is the strategic planning document. The most important output
is the increased understanding that the participants acquire. Accordingly, the
assessment of the final project will be heavily dependent on the quality of the
strategic thinking inside that polished report. Students that focus on the
expeditious completion of the steps may find that they have shortchanged the
important and time-consuming exploration and thinking that is necessary to
create a quality strategic case. Since not all tools can tell the planner which
factors and alternatives are important to consider, the planner should pull in
as much diverse information and perspectives as possible. Additionally, you
should put yourselves in the competitor’s shoes and consider how the “game”
will play out. Your homework and subsequent improvements are intended to become
a primary basis for the exploration and questioning that drives your strategic
understanding and creative ideas. In addition, it is important to test your
strategic thinking and your use of analytical tools in preparation for your
final project.
Tips for Selecting an Organization As you select an
organization for your class project, it is important that you select one that
is interesting, possibly useful to you in your career, industry, or interests,
and allows you to explore strategic challenges in a meaningful way. If you
select the industry in which you currently work, you must address two critical
issues: (1) integrating and clearly citing existing information. (You will need
to delineate work you’ve contributed as opposed to pre-existing information),
and (2) succinctly presenting existing information while adding new insight,
analysis, and plans that substantially add to strategy development,
implementation, and/or assessment of the organization. An organization or
industry you are interested in should give you better access to information
although you need to pay careful attention to the points made above.
Do not underestimate the degree to which you will need to be
an expert in the selected industry and related areas. It is impossible to
create a strategy without understanding the terms, technologies, market
changes, and so forth in great depth. As soon as you select a topic, you should
establish (or monitor) news feeds from several major sources of business news
to keep abreast of actions in your industry.
Public companies are preferred for these plans as SEC
filings and investment analyses are available through research. Some of the
firm’s main competitors will likely be public so that you can research them as
well. Large, diversified, companies can be difficult for purposes of this
course (unless their diversification is relatively narrow, and largely in one
“solutions space”). Large organizations (e.g. GE) may file consolidated
reports, and you may not have access to dis-aggregated information on the
division that you are analyzing. Additionally, it’s better to select a
company/industry under “duress” or at least struggling. The reason is its very
difficult to add new strategic ideas for a company that is doing well.
You may select any form of organization including profit,
non-profit, and government organizations. However, please take into
consideration that within these various organizations, the strategic thinking
can be quite different and some can pose challenges for the planner. Most
organizations have some type of customer base and opportunities for
improvement. Charitable organizations compete against other nonprofits for time
and money. Educational organizations compete for students. Regulated utilities
compete for customers among themselves (e.g., gas versus electric) and in
conjunction with governments to attract new industry. Units of governmental
entities may be the most difficult, but even those organizations have customers
who can choose to live in a different locality or elect government officials
willing to change the status quo. If you are undecided,
medium or small-size competitive, profit-oriented organizations may provide the
best platform for applying course concepts.
Project Deliverables
Phase 1 – Modules 1-3 (Outline for Strategic Management Case)
? Introduction of the company (limit to a
maximum of three single-spaced pages). o
Description of the firm and its products o Company history (brief history,
critical events, competitors, leadership), including strategic elements of its
history o Vision and mission statement o Assessment of mission and
vision ? External assessment o EFE and CPM with
strategic implications o Analysis of competitive position, opportunities, and
threats ? Internal assessment o IFE with strategic implications o Financial
ratio analysis with key conclusions and implications for strategic choice o
Overall analysis of internal capabilities and implications for your strategic
decisions
Module 1: Select
company and secure instructor approval. Once approved, create plan outline,
insert current mission and vision.
Module 2: Complete an
EFE and CPM for your company (including analysis and conclusions) and insert in
your working draft which you will hold until you submit Phase 1 during Module
3. .
Module 3: Complete an
IFE and calculate financial ratios (including analysis and conclusions) for
your company and insert in your plan to submit at the end of Module 3.
Submit all of Phase 1 to the Dropbox no later than Sunday
11:59 PM EST/EST of Module 3. (This Dropbox basket is linked to Turnitin.)
Phase 2 – Modules 4-6 (includes revisions to Phase 1 based
on the instructor’s feedback)
? Internal assessment (continued from
Phase 1—include IFE and financial ratios) o Current strategy (brief description
of the firm’s current strategies), including current use of technology o SWOT
matrix with strategic implications for the company o BCG matrix with
strategic implications for the company o Space or other matrices with strategic
implications for the company o Possible strategic alternatives o Evaluation of
current organizational structure o Recommendation changes (if needed) to the
structure, culture (including values), processes, rewards, or technology
Module 4: Integrate
instructor feedback from Phase 1.
Module 5: Develop
SWOT, BCG, SPACE, and IE matrices with strategic implications for the
company.
Module 6: Develop
alternative strategies for your company with strengths and weaknesses of each.
Submit all of Phase 2 to the Dropbox no later than Sunday
11:59 PM EST/EST of Module 6. (This Dropbox basket is linked to Turnitin.)
Phase 3 – Modules 7-8 (includes revisions to Phase 2 based
on the instructor’s feedback)
? Strategic analysis, choices, impact,
and measurement o Product-positioning map o Evaluation of strategies and
objectives to achieve most favorable market position o Description of how you
would implement your strategies o
Milestones (steps for each major initiative with their timelines o Specific
results you want to achieve including market, financial, and product or service
goals o Financial projection (minimum three years) o Presentation with audio – see below o
Executive summary – see below
Presentation with audio The final submission for your
project includes developing a PowerPoint presentation with embedded audio
files. Each slide must contain an audio file in which you offer insight to the
material in the slide and key points the professor should take away from the
visual information in the PowerPoint. You should minimize repeating points made
in the slide other than emphasizing important components. To put this simply,
please do not read the slides verbatim but make sure to add value to what is
presented on the slide to improve the understanding of your work. The
presentation with audio is a significant component of the final submission, so
please makes sure to offer your best work, speak clearly, emphasize the
strategic implications of your work, and engage the viewer.
Executive summary (compiled with concise and critical
elements from the detailed work) While done as a last step, this goes in front
of the report, after the index. A final and allencompassing analysis is
presented, along with the recommendations that you would make to the firm’s
board of directors. This includes identifying what you recommend, and briefly
outlining alternatives considered, key implementation steps, and the impact of
the implementation on the company’s performance and competitive position.
Module 7: Develop a
product-positioning map with strategic implications for the company. Conduct final evaluation of alternative
strategies and detailed description of selected strategy.
Module 8: Develop
detailed implementation and assessment plan.
Complete financial projections.
Create presentation with audio. Complete the executive summary and
insert into the plan. Complete all editing, verification, and citing of all sources,
and insert graphs and illustrations.
Submit all of Phase 3 to the Dropbox no later than Thursday
11:59 PM EST/EST of Module 8. (This Dropbox basket is linked to Turnitin.)
Project Submission Please do not jeopardize completing your
MBA! Before you begin, read the plagiarism policy in the syllabus and
catalogue. There is zero tolerance for plagiarism in this course. Any case of
plagiarism will be taken seriously. All assignments will be submitted to
Turnitin and be subject to additional validation by the professor. Work from
prior classes cannot be used in this course without prior, written permission
from the professor.
Project Evaluation All sections of the plan are evaluated
based on: 1. Correctness and completeness: models/matrices used in the case are
reasonably sound/accurate and thorough. 2. Strategic analysis and conclusions:
points made are insightful and clear with relative importance distinguished
(not just a “rehash” of the facts).
3. Logical sequence and continuity of writing: the reader
can seamlessly move from paragraph to paragraph or section without losing his
or her train of thought. 4. Grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure
are at the graduate level. 5. External sources: the ability to integrate and
interpret external sources of information. As a capstone class, the external
research is extensive, relevant, and informative to the company’s direction,
its competition, industry, and choices. 6. Language: the effective use of
standard business terms especially those emphasized in the David text and prior
business courses.
See the full grading rubric at the conclusion of this
document.
Tips for Completing the Project You should expect to build up a large mass of
analyses before you can put together a coherent case. In the end, a great case
will always look “simple” relative to the countless hours going down many
different paths in order to build understanding. The volume of material
generated can distract from the creative part of the process. The following
suggestions are designed to serve as a reminder for things not identified
distinctly in the assignments, the syllabus, or the textbook Plan preparation
guidelines.
1. Company and industry background Use your own judgment to
determine the amount of background to include. Over-detailed company history is
usually irrelevant and rarely improves the report. On the other hand, a history
of strategic moves and competitive reactions might be very illustrative. Decide
what to include based on whether that information is important to understanding
the future environment and strategic choices. Market share, financial strength,
brand image, and the like are always relevant strategically.
2. Address uncertainty In your strategic analysis, make sure
to state any assumptions related to your business. If you believe there is
going to be high risk, describe contingency plans or alternate scenarios.
3. Discuss the things that create organizational culture and
behavior necessary to support the strategy a. What operational and motivational
processes create the culture (acting your way into a new way of thinking,
identity orientation, incentives, etc.)? b. What organizational structure fits
the mission/vision, the operational approach, and the need for adaptability or
stability? c. Make sure to delineate your ethics standards including values the
company lives by.
4. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and internal/external (IE)
matrices Some of you may think that the BCG and IE matrices are not relevant to
your project since your organization only reports one business segment. First,
these exhibits are important to think through and are required even if they
only have one product line. Second, there are often more segments in any organization
than meets the eye. The reason to break up the business into component parts is
to shed some light on the strategic positioning and future potential. Ask
yourself, are there segments that behave differently (different customers,
competitors, growth rates, success factors, etc.)? You can be sure that
Wal-Mart is looking at grocery, clothing, pharmacy, electronics, toys, garden,
and automotive all separately, and possibly even separating seasonal items. For
purposes of this class, approximations can be used whenever necessary to
separate a subunit. Pushing the analysis down to a more detailed level forces
you to recognize what you know and what you do not know. I am more concerned
with strategic thinking than with availability of detailed data. You can put
estimated numbers in your plans as long as a note is added explaining the
basis, reasoning, and level of uncertainty.
5. Implementation Your implementation strategy must show how
it is aligned with your strategic objectives. The strategic-level
implementation questions are mainly resource-related (where the money/people
come from) and timing issues (when are initiatives expected
to happen). In addition, if there is something specific mentioned in the
analysis (e.g., a trend, a weakness, concerns about the competitive response)
that affects implementation, then you need to include the relevant part of the
implementation approach mentioned as part of the strategy. If there is not
anything notable in these kinds of areas, then specific content is not required
in the report.
6. Overall assessment of the strategy As you prepare your
strategies, it will be helpful to review Rumelt’s four criteria: a. Consistency
i. Strategy should not present inconsistent goals and policies. ii. All of the
pieces of your overall strategic approach should be aligned. b. Consonance i.
Strategy should examine sets of trends. c. Feasibility d. Advantage i. Strategy
should include creation or maintenance of competitive advantage.
7. Sources Follow APA style guide to write the case. Cite
within the body of your case and include a reference list. This is particularly
true for any source data that will come from financial reports and corporate
websites.
Project Grading (See detailed grading rubric at end of these
instructions) Eighty percent (80%) of the course grade will be determined based
on the Strategic Management Case as distributed below:
1. Phase 1: Proposal and initial analysis (20% of course
grade) 2. Phase 2: Substantive draft (20% of course grade) 3. Phase 3: Final
Case (40% of course grade)
Example Outline and Structure for the Strategic Plan
(Headings) The outline below is an example and should be modified to adapt to
your company. The primary headings are good ways to organize your work into
logical sections (e.g., internal analysis, external analysis, etc.).
Cover Page
Index
Executive Overview
Introduction of the Company
Description of the firm Company history Vision and mission
statement Strategic elements of the
history Overall assessment
External Assessment EFE and CPM Analysis of competitive
position, opportunities, and threats
Internal Assessment Financial ratio analysis IFE Analysis of
internal capabilities and implications for your strategic decisions to follow
Current strategy, including current use of technology
Possible alternatives SWOT matrix BCG matrix Space or other
matrices Description of core values you would use to create the desired culture
Evaluation of current organizational structure Recommendation changes (if
needed) to the structure, processes, rewards, or technology
Strategic Analysis, Choices, Impact, and Measurement
Product-positioning map Evaluation of strategies and objectives to achieve most
favorable market position Description of how you would implement your
strategies Milestones (steps for each
major initiative with their timelines Specific results you want to achieve
including market, financial, and product or service goals, and how and when
they will be measured Financial projection (minimum three years) Presentation with audio
