Analysis of Mission and Vision Statements and the Company’s Strategic Direction
BMGT 495
Analysis of Mission and Vision Statements and the Company’s Strategic Direction (20%)
The Analysis of Mission and Vision Statements and the Company’s Strategic Direction paper is an individual assignment that focuses on the analysis of the mission and vision statement and strategic direction of a fairly well known company. Students should select from the list of companies below.
List of Company Selection:
· Arena Pharmaceuticals
· Office Depot
· Monster Worldwide
· The Washington Post
· Blackberry
· Education Management (EDMC)
· Eastman Kodak
· Sears
· JCPenney
· Best Buy
· Netflix
· Hewlett Packard
There are two parts to this assignment. Part 1 focuses on the mission statement of the selected organization. Part 2 focuses on the strategic direction of the selected organization.
Part 1:
· Select an organization from the list above;
· Research the organization’s website and identify the mission statement and vision statement;
· Research the challenges the organization is facing consider the objectives the organization has established for revitalization;
· Evaluate the mission and vision statements to determine whether these statements align with the objectives of the organization (this requires research to identify new objectives);
· Using the Characteristics of the Mission Statement website http://www.zainbooks.com/books/management/strategic-management_6_characteristics-of-a-mission-statement.html
· Create a three-column table in which you (1) list the salient characteristics of the mission statement; (2) identify those elements of the mission statement that comport with the characteristic from the article, and (3) provide any comments, recommendations, or criticism of the company’s mission statement.
· The table should be no more than one page.
Part 2:
Students will identify strategies presented in this course that are currently being used by the company. The strategies should be identified and discussed at the corporate, business, and functional levels.
Required Elements to include in Strategic Analysis:
· Identify strategies
· Discuss strategies used at the corporate, business and function levels using the concepts learned in the course.
Required Formatting of Paper:
· This report should be double spaced, 12-point font, and four to five pages in length excluding the title page and reference page;
· Title page with your name, the course name, the date, and instructor’s name;
· Use headings;
· Write in the third person.
· Include references with at least one reference other than the course material;
· Use APA formatting for in-text citations and reference page. You are expected to paraphrase and not use quotes. Deductions will be taken when quotes are used and found to be unnecessary;
· Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder.
Financial Analysis Assignment (18%)
This assignment focuses on Dun and Bradstreet’s key business ratio analysis, a current financial situation analysis, and strategy development.
Fourteen Key Business Ratios Used by D&B https://www.dnb.com/product/contract/ratiosP.htm
The Seven Key Ratios Used in Key Ratio Analysis
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Seven-Key-Ratios-Used-in-Key-Ratio-Analysis&id=5873597
Required Elements to include in Financial Analysis:
· There are numerous qualitative and quantitative issues to address. Develop a strategic plan addressing both qualitative and quantitative issues;
· Review the financial data provided at the end of the case study and calculate the key financial ratios important to Sheldon, potentially to his bank or other investors, and apply them to your analysis;
Required Formatting of Paper:
· This report should be double spaced, 12-point font, and five to six page written analysis excluding the title page, reference page and .spreadsheets;
· Provide projections of the company’s financial position.
· Title page with your name, the course name, the date, and instructor’s name;
· This paper should be written in the third person.
· Use APA formatting for in-text citations and reference page. You are expected to paraphrase and not use quotes. Deductions will be taken when quotes are used and found to be unnecessary;
· Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder.
Final (Group) Project: Final Paper, Presentation, and Peer Assessment
This assignment is a group project. Students will be placed into groups consisting of four or five students each. Groups will be assigned early, and the expectation is that the groups will work on the various parts of the assignment as relevant material is covered throughout the course. The group will act as a self-directed team, and will therefore determine its own timetable, task list, guidelines for communication, goals, and so forth. As an individual member of the team, you are expected to participate fully in the project. Everyone in your group will receive the same grade for the project. However, if a student fails to contribute to the project, the student will earn a zero for the assignment and/or PowerPoint presentation.
Your group will create a strategic plan and present the plan in a professional manner. The plan requires a paper turned in to the Assignment Folder and a PowerPoint presentation that is presented in the last week of class.
Required Elements to include in Applied Final Project:
· The strategic plan should include:
Ø vision and mission
Ø background organization
Ø industry analysis
Ø competitive analysis
Ø financial analysis
Ø technique analysis (using one technique from week 4)
Ø alternative strategy generation
Ø SWOT analysis
Ø strategy and prioritization selection
Ø action plan
Ø evaluative plan
· Identify strategies
· Discuss strategies used at the corporate, business and functional levels using the concepts learned in the course.
Required Formatting of Paper (Due in Assignment Folder –Week 8):
· This report should be double spaced, 12-point font, and no more than 15 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page;
· Title page with your name, the course name, the date, and instructor’s name;
· Include a reference page;
· This paper should be written in the third person.
· Use APA formatting for in-text citations and reference page. You are expected to paraphrase and not use quotes. Deductions will be taken when quotes are used and found to be unnecessary;
· Submit in Assignment Folder
