Organizational Management

1. Executive Summary (250 words)
   This is a one page summary. It should be self-contained, providing a busy reader with the most important information from the report. This is NOT a preface that merely introduces the report. Write this section after completing the rest of your report.
2. Introduction (250 words)
   Strategies and Performance: Identify or infer the company’s current mission, major business objectives, and strategies (especially corporate-level and competitive strategies). Evaluate the effectiveness or appropriateness of these strategies, including the company’s portfolio of businesses (for diversiSied companies) and competitive strategy – don’t just describe them. Evaluate its performance (refer to its ROIC, growth rate, proSit margins, etc.). BrieSly summarize how well the company has been performing against their objectives and in general.
3. Analysis of the External Environment (400 words)
   Scan and analyze important factors, trends, and probable future conditions to identify key opportunities and threats for the organization.
   • General Environment: What is the most important general and signiSicant trend in the environment of the Sirm? Use the PESTEL framework). Pick only ONE. How will it affect the Sirm?
   • Business Environment: Industry structure and competitive environment (use Porter’s 5-force model, the extended version if appropriate, and the industry opportunities framework). Include industry growth trends and key success factors.
   • Is the industry attractive?
   • What is the most important threat in the Sirm’s industry? Pick only ONE.
   • What is the the most important opportunity in the Sirm’s industry? Pick only ONE.
4. Internal Analysis (400 words)
   Your report must include an analysis of the company’s most important resource/capability. To Sind it, scan and analyze each of the major functional areas, particularly to identify the organization’s strengths and weaknesses. What is the most important resource and/or capability that the Sirm has? Is it valuable/ relevant, rare/scarce, inimitable/durable/transferable/non-substitutable/costly to imitate? Analyze several candidates but pick only ONE. Look for distinctive competencies, sources of competitive advantage, and major ways the organization creates value through its operations.
5. Major Strategic Issue (400 words)
   In this section, integrate the major Sindings from your analysis in the previous sections. State clearly the most important critical issue that you have identiSied, and summarize the reasons that led you to choose it as the major critical issue. What is the issue? And why is it the most critical? A critical issue may include problems, threats, weaknesses, and opportunities, but will more likely involve the interactions of several of them (e.g., a Sirm’s current strong market position being challenged by an innovative competitor). Consider both short- and long-term issues.
6. Available Alternative Strategies (400 words)
   Present TWO strategic alternatives both of which the company can consider reasonable in the context of your analysis/diagnosis. This does not mean listing every textbook strategy but does require identifying a range of alternatives for this particular business situation and showing deep understanding of the company’s current strategies. Consider corporate level strategy, competitive strategy, and (possibly) other functional strategies. In addition to identifying two alternative strategies, provide a balanced critique of them (e.g.: issues and problems they address and create, and how they relate to the strengths, weaknesses,
7. opportunities, and threats of this business situation). Be sure to consider implementation/execution implications.
8. Recommendations (400 words)
   Present a strategy recommendation. Choose your recommendation from the two alternatives you have presented and evaluated in the previous section. Make speciSic recommendations for corporate and competitive level strategies that address the critical issues you have identiSied (with a subsection for each). Be sure to include the rationale for your choices and that you have considered the availability of resources to carry out your proposed strategies. Your decisions and rationale can reafSirm, replace, or change the Sirm’s current objectives and strategy. Ensure that your recommendations have addressed all of the critical issues you have identiSied.
   A. Corporate Strategy Recommendations (if there is one)
   B. Competitive Strategy Recommendations
9. Appendices
   Include copies of key research material you used, including industry Sinancial data (with sources cited); details on Sinancial analysis; and anything else that would clutter the main text (e.g., you can put your Porter 5-force and VRIO details here). Be sure that you reference in the main body of your report all of the appendices that you used.

** IMPORTANT NOTES **

Things you need to keep in mind as you prepare your report:
• Assume the reader (your top management client) is at least as familiar as you are with the company (therefore, don’t waste time describing details without adding value).
• Avoid the common trap of exhausting yourself with too much analysis and consequently short- changing your conclusions and recommendations. Instead, keep in mind the whole report and balance your effort among the sections.
• Use quantitative data. Support your analyses with numbers whenever possible. For example, if you believe that the Sirm has a competitive advantage, include in your analyses at least some of the following: the Sirm’s net margins, ROI, ROA, ROIC over the last several years. Compare such ratios and measures to the ratios and measures of the Sirm’s competitors.
• Distinguish among facts, opinions, and assumptions.
• Check your work for completeness (are all issues identified and addressed?), justification (do you support with evidence what you claim?), logical Slow (is it clear how you moved from analysis to critical issues to alternatives to recommendations?).
• Organization is important. As you write and edit, think of the reader; make your report easy for the reader to follow and understand. Check spelling and grammar. Carefully edit and proofread your report.
• Use lists, tables, and Figures to summarize information and to communicate effectively.
• Write your term paper as if it is a business report. Don’t turn in anything you would not be willing to deliver to the president of your most important client company.

• The length of the report should be less than 2500 words (excluding Appendices). It is about 10 pages.

• Margins: 1 inch all around; Font: Times New Roman; Font Size: 12; Double Spaced; APA style. If you ask me about margins and font size, I will know that you haven’t read my syllabus, and as a result, you will lose 1% of your grade.