Instructions for Module 2 Final Team Project & Presentation

A significant part of the course is a strategy team project. The class will be divided into teams, and each team will choose a different company to analyze from the same industry. Data collection and analysis will span Module 2 of the semester. Portions of class sessions 19-22 will be used to work in teams on the class project.

The project will end with two deliverables: [1] a 5-page report, and [2] a 10-minute presentation and 20-minute discussion during sessions 24-26.

1. Paper Guidelines

Your team has been hired by the company you selected to help them decide what they should do about a strategic issue facing the company. Your task is to identify a core problem to be solved (or opportunity to be seized), perform the appropriate analysis, develop strategic options, choose the best one, and develop recommendations for implementation. Your deliverable is a 7-page report communicating your analysis and insights and persuading the CEO that your recommendations are worth adopting. The first page should be a memo to the CEO where you identify the strategic issues and the problem to be solved, and note your key insights and recommendations. The remaining six pages should justify the strategic issues and problem to be solved, describe the necessary analyses and conclusions, and present recommendations and implications. You are expected to gather all information needed for this report from outside sources.

Formatting Guidelines

• Margins must be at least 0.5 inch.• Font size must be at least 11 point. • Spacing: The cover memo can be single or double spaced; the remaining 4 pages must be at

least 1.5.• Exhibits and appendices do not count toward the 5 page limit

2. Presentation Guidelines

A complete set of team papers will be distributed to the class prior to the team presentations. Each student is responsible for reading the papers provided by the other teams before their presentation. During sessions 24-26, teams will present their analysis while the rest of the class plays the role of board of directors, asking courteous and thought-provoking questions of the presenting team. Because your audience has already read your report, presentations will be limited to 10 minutes. Discussion will be limited to 20 minutes.

Peer Evaluation

For this team project, there will be peer evaluation, resulting in an individual’s grade being adjusted from the team’s grade if he/she does not sufficiently contribute to the team’s work.