MGMT3004 Strategic Audit Project Instructions

This semester, all students will participate in a Strategic Audit Project. The project is a semester-long,
team-based industry and competitive analysis exercise. Deliverables for this project are detailed in this
document and include, by order of completion:


Part I: Your teams approved company selection and initial organizing documents 3 points x 2
Misc. Exercise category
Part II: A team paper (#1) your internal/external analysis of the firm 10 % of grade
Part III: A team paper (#2) your recommendations for this organization 15 % of grade
Part IV: A team poster (for a trade-show type exhibit) and an exhibit brochure 10 % of grade
Part V: A set of peer reviews 5 % of grade


Part I: Approved Company Selection & Team Organization Documents

Students will be assigned to cross-functional (instructor-selected) teams. This project phase marks the
official launch of your work together. It requires your team to finalize a company selection, record team
objectives, formalize processes/expectations, and set an initial calendar for this semester-long project.

Company Selection

Each team will choose a publicly-held corporation to study, preferably from the pre-approved list
provided on Moodle. **

Take time to select your organizations carefully, examining their investor relations webpages.
o Look for industry conferences/presentations, news releases, and financial statements.
o Use your favorite search engine to find industry articles, trade group publications, etc.
o Your teams success will rely on its ability to access/analyze detailed company and industry
information. Make sure you are comfortable with how the organizations website and
other industry info are laid out.
Email your top five selections to your TA after the waiting period described in class.
o The emails subject line should read MGMT3004_Sec#_Team#_Company Selections
o In the body of your email, provide a ranked listing and the rationale for your selections.
o Assignments are mostly made first come, first served based on the timestamp of your
email, however, compelling requests for specific choices are also carefully considered.
o Duplicate companies per course section will not be permitted.
o Emails received before the waiting period has expired will be ignored.
Once youve received approval via email of your selections, save it and print it for up to 3 points
of credit. Be sure to submit a copy of your entire email thread with the TA (showing the entire
conversation with your initial request/rationale).

** Exceptions to the pre-approved company list are allowable only if your preferred firm is global or has clear global
potential, is diversified, and you have unfettered access to analyze and report on its financial information.
(Publicly-held corporations or larger family firms can meet these criteria.) Please contact us if you would like to
prepare a petition for such an exception.



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Team Organization Documents

Each team will be expected to organize and set up structures/policies for self-management. A set of
worksheets (available on Moodle) are provided to help with this effort. Be sure to complete items 1-4 below
and submit hard copies for up to another 3 points of credit:

1. The team roles worksheet is designed to stimulate discussion around individual strengths that
each member can contribute to the team. It asks each member to commit to roles that are
necessary for project team operations. Please type and print a completed copy for submission.
2. The team contract worksheet is designed to help your team define shared expectations,
commitments, goals, decision-making mechanisms, conflict resolution methods, and agreed-
upon consequences** for non-compliance. This worksheet must be typed, printed, signed and dated by
all team members prior to submitting it for grading.
3. The project schedule worksheet provides you with a blank calendar for this semester. To
complete this worksheet, your team will fill in its weekly meeting time/place and its milestones
for each team assignment. Milestones should include specific dates/times when drafts of each
project component will be due, when final editing will take place, when posters/brochures will be
assembled, etc. Please type and print a hard copy of your teams calendar for submission.
4. The meeting minutes template provides you with a list of key points that should be recorded
each time that your team meets. Regular use of this template will provide your team with an
organizational advantage and will help your team improve its meeting effectiveness over time.
Please submit a hard copy of your first meetings minutes based on this template.
5. The excused absence request and team member warning templates are provided for your use, if
needed as the semester progresses.

PLEASE NOTE: Dismissals or resignations are allowable based upon persistent and well-documented
performance issues. Proactive management practices meeting minutes which record attendance and
commitments, formalized absence processes, hard draft deadlines can all pay off in the long run.


Part I Grading

This part provides points for two minor assignments company selection and team organization.
Please refer to our Course Schedule for a detailed explanation of our 3-point grading system.
Late or missing submissions will not receive credit (0).

Submission
Details
Hard copies of work products detailed in the above section should be compiled
and submitted by the deadline indicated on your course schedule.




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Parts II & III: The Team Papers

The Strategic Audit Papers are a critical component of this course. These assignments ask you to gather,
sift through and integrate information into coherent written analyses similar to those produced in the
workplace. Such strategic analyses are often prepared in business settings as part of planning or
consulting projects.


The first paper should include the following sections.

1. Introduction: Begin with a short section that briefly describes the company and industry that
youve chosen to study.
2. External/industry analysis: This section should analyze the external environment in which the
company is operating using the tools and frameworks that weve discussed in class. Examine how the
key players are positioned in the industry. Look at the most significant forces and trends that are
expected to impact the industry that you are studying. Explain why these matter strategically.
(Do external factors help or hurt your company and/or its rivals?) Be as specific as possible here
It is not sufficient to say that technology will impact the companies that you are studying your
team needs to detail the kinds of technologies and the types of impacts expected.
3. Internal/strategy analysis: Explain the strategies of your company in the context of its past
strategic and financial performance vs. its rivals and its industry. Characterize your companys
business-level, international and corporate-level strategies. As you explain these strategies,
discuss the specific resources and capabilities the company possesses, and identify the firms
offensive and defensive tactics as they relate to its strengths and weaknesses. Use these analyses
to explain the firms performance relative to one of its key rivals and the industry as a whole.
4. Key issues/Challenges/Conclusion: This section should offer a brief recap outlining what your
team feels should be the strategic priorities of the organization. What issues should be tackled
first? Why? These priorities should be clearly tied to the analysis that youve completed thus far.

The second paper should include the following sections:

1. Executive Summary/Introduction: Provide a summary of the corporations major strategic issues
and an overview of the two recommendations that you will be detailing in the rest of the paper.
2. Recommendations Detail: In this section, your team will provide its two recommendations about
what the firm should do going forward to maximize its performance. The recommendations may
be designed to make the firm more competitive against its rival, or to refocus the firms business
so it competes less directly against its rival.
The recommendations should be plausible and should build upon:
i. The key strategic issues that youve identified via your internal and external
analyses of the corporation.
ii. Any additional research that youve conducted since your first submissions
regarding how the courses of action that you are recommending would be
implemented.
3. Conclusion/Wrap-Up: This section should offer both a brief recap of the paths that you are
recommending for your organization, and a short reflection on your teams learning this term.
What challenges has your team overcome along the way? What skills do you hope to continue
developing as you complete your course of studies at CSOM?


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Please observe the following guidelines when constructing your written submissions:

Style & Content When writing each paper, imagine that you have been hired to be an impartial
analyst for people who have jobs or money on the line. Use professional, clear
and precise language. Avoid praising or trashing people or companies with
drama or hyperbole.
Layout Use paragraph form with logical section headings and sub-headings to guide the
reader through the body of your analysis. Bullet points should be reserved for
your executive summary (see paper #2 specs below). All illustrations/diagrams
should be located in the appendices. Creative cover sheets can be a nice way to cap off
your submission, but please be sure that all critical information can be easily spotted on
the cover: company name, date of submission, course#, section#, team#, and team
member names.
Length
Limits/Max for
Paper#1:

Internal/External
Analysis

Introduction: page
Body of Paper: 4 pages
containing your internal/external/strategic analyses
Key Issues/Priorities: page
Total Length MAX (without addl works cited pages, appendices): 5 pages

Appendices should be included as needed to support analyses and recommendations
(i.e. financial/ratio analyses, SGM, detailed competitor profiles, 9-cell, maps, etc.).
Do not include exhibits that are not tightly tied or integrated into the text in some way.
Length
Limits/Max for
Paper#2:

Recommendations
Executive Summary: 1 page
Recommendations: 3-3 pages
to be distributed between your two recommendations
Conclusion/Wrap-Up: - 1 page
Total Paper Length MAX (without addl works cited pages, appendices): 5 pages

Any appendices included with this paper must be relevant and clearly tied to the
recommendations offered (timelines, maps, market statistics, diagrams of proposed
processes, cost/benefit analyses, performance forecasts, etc.).
Format/Layout Font: Palatino, Arial or other professional type
Font Size: 10-11 point
Spacing: 1.5
Margins: Top = .7, Bottom = .5, Sides = 1
Page Numbers (Body): ## of (Total Pages).
Page Numbers (Appendices): EA-1,2,3; IA-1,2,3; Recs-1,2,3; etc.

Binding: Use cover page and staple submissions for grading.
Clear, flat protective covers OK but no three-ring binders, folders, or paper clips please.
References Reference all data sources using inline citations and standard works cited pages.
Be sure to include specific page numbers that you used in your research. For
websites, include the URLs (and page number if URL points to large pdf
document). If you quote directly from other sources, be sure to use quotation
marks. See: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/ for more info.
Need even more specifics? Please just exercise professional common sense. Honestly,
99.9% of bosses will not know the difference between MLA, APA, etc.

Just remember, at the end of the day Glaring editing errors will be noticed,
but great content will always trump minor formatting hiccups!

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Data Sources You may use any sources of data as long as you are not restricted from doing so
by confidentiality issues.
Submission
Details
Post electronic copies of Paper #1 and #2 to Moodle BEFORE their respective class
deadlines (as specified on your course schedule). We will collect hard copies of
your papers in class. Early submissions are always welcomed and encouraged.


Written Submission Grading

Paper #1 will be graded along the following criteria:
External Analysis: How well have you addressed the required components (as detailed on Page
3 of this document)? Have you taken the time to analyze your findings, and determine the most
relevant strategic issues?
Internal Analysis: Again, are the required elements present? Is it obvious that you understand
the companys current situation and the rationale for the strategies that it pursues at the business,
global and corporate levels?
Course Frameworks & Illustrations: Are illustrations clear and relevant to your written analysis?
Have course frameworks been utilized and utilized correctly?
Clarity & Professionalism, Including Intro and Recap: Does your written submission have a clear
thesis and reflect the highest standards of professionalism? Or, does it appear to be hastily
assembled lacking consistent formatting, editing, clarity, organization, etc.?

Paper #2 will be graded along the following criteria
Executive summary: How well have you encapsulated the key strategic issues facing your
company? Is your call for action both logical and convincing given the research and analysis that
youve completed this term?
Recommendations & Conclusion: Do your plans of action appear to be well-researched, well-
developed, well-supported, coherent and feasible? Does your conclusion provide an effective
closing to your semester project?
Course Frameworks & Illustrations Pertinent to Recommendations: Are illustrations clear and
relevant? Again, have course frameworks been utilized correctly?
Clarity & Professionalism: Does your written submission reflect the highest standards of
professionalism, or does a lack of formatting, editing, clarity, organization, etc. detract from your
teams effort?




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Part IV: The Strategic Audit Poster Sessions

The purpose of this assignment is multi-fold. It provides multiple opportunities to 1) practice presenting
your ideas to your peers in a trade-show type environment, 2) learn about a broad range of current issues
related to the strategic management of a variety of top organizations, 3) bring you together with others in
the class, and 4) to have a bit of fun.

Heres how it works:
We will set aside two class periods for the Poster Sessions (see course schedule for exact dates)
During these sessions, teams will simultaneously share their discoveries and perspectives in a
trade-show format. (Picture a career fair Everyone mills around, looks at exhibits, questions
presenters, picks up brochures, etc. Our poster sessions will resemble that type of environment.)
o Teams will be responsible for scheduling their own exhibit attendant shifts. The role of an
exhibit attendant is to stand by your teams poster, provide an introduction to your materials, and
interact with visitors about the key points that you want to convey. This may involve explaining
aspects of the exhibit, or asking/answering questions of the people who come by.
o Team members, when they are not scheduled as exhibit attendants, will also have the
opportunity to visit other teams.
All students are also responsible for peer reviewing other teams deliverables throughout the
durations of our poster sessions. (Specifics about course peer reviews are provided in Part V.)
More logistical specifics for the poster sessions will be determined as the semester progresses.


Poster Session Deliverables

Our sessions will feature professional, interactive exhibits anchored by well-designed posters. You may
use your imagination, but also exercise common sense (excessive noises and distractions are not
permissible).

Your poster must be able to be placed on a desk and viewed easily by other students.
The exhibit itself should include a combination of text and visual information which you think
could also help other students learn about your organization, its strategies and industry context,
and the challenges that it currently faces issues that need attention.
Some pictures, diagrams (frameworks, trend lines, timeline, etc.) or other visuals will be essential
in order to avoid tiny text overload. For example, consider using several large/bold headlines
on a poster interspersed with graphics, and some detailed information in text-boxes or tables.
A visitor to your exhibit should be able to get the overall gist of your poster in five minutes or
less. They should not have to squint to read the text/diagrams, have to guess about your main points,
or work too hard to see the connections between the contents of your display and our course.
o Focus on sharing just the main ideas and a few interesting morsels from the breadth of
your analysis Key external factors + Internal resources and financial assessment +
Strategies at each level + Major issues identified. It is more effective to share a smaller
number of interesting points in a compelling manner.
Supplemental materials (e.g., product samples or other physical objects) are allowed, provided
they play a supporting role and do not interfere with other groups presentations.




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Teams must also produce and provide to classmates a brochure which summarizes your presentation in a
way that makes it easy for your visitors to grasp and retain your essential points.
Ideally, other students will want to hang onto your handout as professional reference.
Both poster exhibit and brochure should be prepared in a way to spark the thinking of other
students in the class.


Poster Exhibit Grading & Feedback

The grading of exhibits will be based on my evaluation with the input/observations of course TAs/PAs.
Peer comments will also be compiled for each teams reference. (See peer review section on the next page.)

The criteria utilized for assessment are:
Key Findings: Have key internal and external findings (industry dynamics, strategic resources,
challenges and priorities) been clearly identified?
Key Strategic Issues: Do issues identified follow logically from your analysis?
Course Frameworks & Other Pertinent Illustrations: Are they utilized correctly?
Visual & Written Materials: Do these materials support or detract from the teams effort?
Quality of Representation: Are the exhibit attendants knowledgeable and helpful? Are they
prepared to discuss how your team will work to address the issues identified?

Points will be awarded according to the scale:
Wow!: This is blew me away and is way beyond anything I expected (+)
Better Than Average: So good that Ill be keeping notes/materials for future reference ()
Good Work: Meets more than basic expectations and is well developed overall, but might be a
bit cursory or light in some respects ()
Meets Basic Expectations: Follows instructions, squeaks by nothing more. (ok)
Needs Improvement: Problems exist Mistakes and/or lack of care are evident. (- or )


Submission
Details
Your poster and one copy of your teams brochure (taped to the back of the poster)
should be submitted immediately after the conclusion of our poster sessions.

All items should be clearly marked with your names, my name, your section
number, and a contact email for pickup after grading is complete.

Please deliver these items to my office in CSOM 3-380. If I am not in my office when you
arrive, please take these items to CSOM 3-365 for safe-keeping notifying someone in our
office that you are leaving your work there.




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Part V: Individual & Team Peer Reviews

Peer reviews are an important component of this project experience. Each reviewing assignment outlined
below will serve one or more of the following purposes:
1. To provide 360-degree feedback to class members,
2. To recognize notable contributions and contributors to our class,
3. To reward your team members for outstanding work (or to identify persistent deficiencies), and
4. To build/assess your own managerial assessment skills.
With this in mind, all students will be expected to submit feedback which displays their abilities to
distinguish between what they consider outstanding vs. average vs. poor work.

Poster Session Reviews

These poster reviews are to be individually-submitted. Each student is responsible for providing specific
and constructive feedback to three of the teams presenting over the course of our poster session week.
Before our poster session week begins, preview the format of the assessment form, taking note of the
types of observations that you should be recording throughout the week.

Submission
Details
When poster week has ended, enter your feedback on Moodle Some surveys
will be posted for this specific purpose. Important note: Although this poster
feedback process will not impact your fellow students grades, your impressions and ideas
are very important to your peers learning and development process. With this in mind,
any late, incomplete and/or missing submissions will impact your own participation grade.


Team-Internal Peer Reviews

Each student is responsible for submitting a retrospective, private evaluation of peer performance
throughout the course of the project and other team-related activities. This is an individually-submitted
exercise that will be referenced to determine 5% of your teammates final grades.

A good team member will continually ask himself/herself: Am I
consistently making valuable contributions to the production of team work products?
playing nicely in the sand box elevating the team, instead of dragging it down?
delivering quality contributions in a timely manner?
doing my fair share?

In preparation for completing evaluations for your peers, you will want to keep some basic team notes on
attendance, work progress, significant contributions, problems/resolutions, and other evaluation-specific
factors on a regular basis. You will also want to be proactive in dealing with any issues that may arise.
Dont wait until the end of the term to start recognizing outstanding efforts (or addressing problems). In
practice, managers are always jotting such notes to help them recall the specifics of their teams
performance for their companys review process. It really makes the evaluation process much easier.

Submission
Details
All peer evaluations must be completed and submitted via Moodle survey no later
than the date indicated on our Course Schedule.