Integrative Project Homework Assignment

Integrative Project Homework Assignment

Module 3 – Background

BUS599 – MBA Integrative Project

Module 3 – SLP

Case: Inputs Diagnosis, SLP: Time Warp 2

IntroductionBackground InformationCase assignmentSession Long ProjectObjectives

BACKGROUND

In Module 3, you will continue with the scenario and simulation you worked on in the Module 1 and Module 2 SLPs.

REQUIRED READING

SCENARIO CONTINUATION:

It’s New Year’s Day, 2016. You just had a great New Year’s Eve celebration, having finished analyzing the performance of Clipboard Tablet Company, and are ready to charge ahead into the future. You turn on the TV and notice something strange (again). The TV commentator is saying something about New Year’s Day, 2012, and you realize that you are in Time Warp 2.

Your decision-making process will be different this time, as you will be using CVP analysis, a technique with which you recently became familiar.

You analyze the results of the first set of decisions you made in Time Warp 1, from 2012 to 2015. You use CVP analysis to help determine a new strategy, employing the CVP Calculator.

You analyze the results using CVP and develop your complete four-year strategy, making notes about your analysis and your reasoning process, just in case you have to do this again.

You finish the report that shows your strategy for the next four years during Time Warp 2.

Do not run the simulation yet; just turn in the report.

ASSIGNMENT

Write a 4- to 6-page paper, not including cover and reference page, in which, after again reviewing and analyzing the results that you got in SLP2 (Time Warp 1 decisions), you develop a revised strategy and make a case for this new strategy using analysis and relevant theories.

KEYS TO THE ASSIGNMENT

The key aspects of this assignment that should be covered and taken into account in preparing your paper include:

· The revised strategy consists of the Prices, R&D Allocation %, and any product discontinuations for the X5, X6, and X7 tablets for each of the four years: 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

· You must present a rational justification for this strategy. In other words, you must make a case for your proposed strategy using financial analysis and relevant theories.

· Use the CVP Calculator and review the PowerPoint that explains CVP and provides some examples.

· You need to crunch some numbers (CVP Analysis) to help you determine your prices and R&D allocations.

· Make sure your proposed changes in strategy are firmly based in this analysis of financial and market data and sound business principles.

· Present your analysis professionally making strategic use of tables, charts and graphs.

· Time Line Summary:

SLP1

· 2015: Hired on December 15.

· Turned in first report to Sally a few days early on December 30.

· Celebrated on December 31.

SLP2

· Time Warp 1 begins: January 1, 2016 warps into January 1, 2012.

· You realize you have to make decisions for 2012 – 2015, which you do.

· December 31, 2015 – You have gone through all four years, and you write your report to summarize how you did. You are hoping that you will wake up tomorrow and it will be 2016.

SLP3

· Time Warp 2 begins: January 1, 2016 warps into January 1, 2012. (Again)

· Now it is January 1, 2012: You decide to use CVP analysis and develop a four-year plan for your strategy. You analyze the results of your first decisions in Time Warp 1 and make notes. You use the CVP Calculator to help develop a strategy, and make more notes explaining your logic and analysis.

ASSIGNMENT EXPECTATIONS

Your paper will be evaluated on the following seven points:

· Breadth – Is the full breadth of the subject, that is, the Keys to the Assignment, addressed?

· Depth – Does the paper address the topic in sufficient depth and include the background reading and other background resources as references?

· Critical thinking – Is the subject thought about critically, that is, accurately, logically, relevantly, and precisely?

· Clarity – Is the writing clear and are the concepts articulated properly? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding to the questions or are points conveyed through excessive use of quotations?

· Organization – Is the paper well written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work? Are headings included in all papers longer than two pages?

· Referencing (citations and references) – Does the paper include citations and quotation marks where appropriate? Are the references from the background reading and assignment present and properly cited? Are all the references listed in the bibliography present and referred to via citation?

· Application – Are the concepts of the module appropriately applied to the subject?

TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS

Note the following tips and suggestions:

· YOU MIGHT FIND THESE DOWNLOADS USEFUL:

Decision Matrix Table – Download this Word doc with a blank table you can use to show your proposed strategy decisions.

PowerPoint discussing CVP – Provides a good overview of Cost Volume Profit analysis, the various equations that you can use, and how to use it. Some examples are provided showing how to use the CVP Calculator.

CVP Calculator – This an Excel-based calculator that you can use to determine prices, volumes, and profits. Keep in mind that it will tell you what need, but the market determines what you actually get.

· Include a cover page and reference page, in addition to the 4-6 pages of analysis described above.

· Include headings for all papers greater than two pages (basically all papers), but do not use headings as “space fillers.”

· Cite and reference all sources that you use in your work, including those that you paraphrase. This means include citations and quotation marks for direct quotes of more than five words, and citations for that information which you have “borrowed” or paraphrased from other sources.

Follow TUI Guidelines for well-written papers.

BUS599 – MBA Integrative Project

Module 4 – Background

Case: Outputs Diagnosis, SLP: Time Warp 3

IntroductionBackground InformationCase assignmentSession Long ProjectObjectives

Background Reading for Case 4

In Case 4, you will continue with the Nadler-Tushman Congruence Model to assess an organization’s outputs. Nadler and Tushman identify outputs as existing at the individual, group, and organizational level. They also emphasize the importance of identifying the outputs that the organization desires vs. what is actually achieved.

Read:

Nadler, D. A. & Tushman, M. L. (1980) A Model for Diagnosing Organizational Behavior. Organizational Dynamics, 9 (2), 35-51. Retrieved on November 7, 2012 from EBSCO.

For Case 4, focus on the Outputs aspect of this model. Read pages 43 to 51.

Outputs are not complicated to understand. At the Organization level, they are the products and services that are provided to its customers. (It can also be the value provided to its owners, but we are not going to consider this here.) The primary way that a company measures its performance is financially: Sales, Profit, Return on Sales (ROS), Return on Assets; and also via market share.

The organization is made up of various groups. One way to look at groups is by functional area: marketing, operations, purchasing, etc. Another way, if the company is large, is by its various divisions or by its product groupings. Here it becomes a little more complicated to measure performance, but it is possible by defining the goals and objectives of each group.

The bottom level of the organization is the individual. Each person has a job description and is responsible for specific outputs for that job. The main method of performance measurement here is individual productivity: Outputs/Inputs (e.g., widgets/hour, or reports/day). This is more difficult to quantify and for a specific company is difficult to obtain, since this data is not generally reported. Sometimes you can infer some individual measures, for example, by dividing Profit by the number of total employees, to get a measure of overall profitability per person.

There are no reading assignments for SLP 4

However, if you need a refresher on various theories (product life cycle, pricing, price elasticity, market saturation, product development, etc.) there are a multitude on the Internet.

Optional Review Materials – Once again, here is the link to the sample Internet resource list for the course. Click here.