ESPN group work

Guidelines for Final Team Project

_____________________________________________________________________ Team final project (200 pts) Oral Presentation (100 pts) The length of the presentation should be approximately 15 minutes, followed by a 5 minute question and answer time. The presentation will be graded on three criteria:

• Quality of the analysis (50%) The presentation should reflect an extensive analysis of a selected company's current situation, including its external environment, industry, primary competitors, and internal conditions. The material presented in the presentation should map closely onto that featured in your written analysis but does not need to be identical. This analysis will be at least partly based on information you will gather from various external, published sources.

Your presentation should focus on the most important aspects of your analysis and should be focused more heavily on your recommendations and justification. The team should offer a set of suggested strategies (both corporate and business level), along with a convincing and comprehensive justification as to why the recommendations would solve the firm’s major issue(s) and enhance the performance of the firm. Your recommendations should be supported with current financial data.

• Team image/energy/enthusiasm (25%) The presentation should be interesting and capture the attention of the audience. Also, team members should show enthusiasm for their subject and dress in professional attire.

• Presentation effectiveness (25%) The presentation should be properly paced with smooth transitions between segments and/or speakers. Speakers should maintain eye contact with the audience while discussing key points as well as handling visual aids. All visual aids should be uniform and readable. All team members must speak during the presentation. Teams should be within reasonable time frames (not too short or too long presentations).

Written Analysis (100 pts) The final written analysis should adhere to the following structure: Page Number Content 1 2

Executive summary of issue and recommendation Background to company and issues

3 SWOT analysis 4 Value Chain AND/OR RBV analysis (as appropriate for the

strategic issue under analysis) 5 Porter’s 5 Forces AND/OR General environment analysis

(as appropriate for the strategic issue under analysis) 6 Business-level strategy 7 Corporate AND/OR International strategy (as appropriate for

the strategic issue under analysis) 8 Entrepreneurial Strategy AND/OR Innovation Strategy (as

appropriate for the strategic issue under analysis) 9+ Major issues/Recommendations Please include the name of each team member on the front page of the analysis.

• Think of this as a written report to your client. Therefore, the written analysis should be in report form, and your writing style and use of language should be professional.

• The executive summary is the summary of the full report, including the specific major issue and a short summary of the recommendation. This will be similar to the ½ page proposal you submitted

• The page numbers are guidelines but can be modified based on your belief of the subject’s relevance to your case and issue. For example, you may spend two pages on company background. And business-level strategy may be less important for your issue and will be discussed briefly.

• The paper is due the last day of presentations for all teams.

• You should include references and exhibits at the end of your analysis. The report should

be no longer than 15 pages maximum.

• For cases we have done in class, everyone has read the same case information and has the same background. For these reports, the background of the company in general is not well known and the details leading up to the strategic issue needs to be covered well.

• You absolutely must cite every source from which you obtain any information, analysis,

opinions, quotes, etc. I have no tolerance whatsoever for any level of plagiarism, so when in doubt, cite your work in accordance with any citation standards with which you are familiar (APA, MLA, etc.).

• The format for this paper is strict: 12 point font, Times New Roman, single-spaced, 1” margins.

• The written analysis will be judged on the same criteria as the presentation, assuming a higher level of rigor and depth in the internal, external, and strategic issue analyses. High grades (90% and up) require selection of a company with clear strategic issue(s) or question(s) for future growth, and a very convincing, creative, and concise approach that is more than just a dull restatement of the chapters on internal and external analysis applied to a company. Pictures, charts, thorough research, and engaging professional writing are highly encouraged. Pick companies that you are interested in and really invest yourself in this assignment. There are valuable skills and tools to be gained from completion of this paper that will be beneficial in your future career.

• Refer to the syllabus for any further information regarding my expectations for this assignment.

Some Helpful Thoughts for Analyses: Internal analysis • What are the main issues (i.e., what problems and concerns does the company have)? • Does the company have any resources (both tangible and intangible) or capabilities?

What makes you think so? • Does the company have a competitive advantage? Is it sustainable? Why or why not? • What is the company’s business-level strategy? What makes you think so? • How is the firm performing? • What are your recommendations for how this firm can address its problems/concerns?

Why?

External analysis • What are the main issues (i.e., what problems and concerns does the company have)? • What is going on in each segment of the firm’s general environment? • Is the firm in an attractive industry(ies)? Why or why not?

- Examine each of the five forces (i.e., threat of new entrants, power of suppliers, power of buyers, threat of substitute products, and degree of rivalry)

• What information do you have about the firm’s competitors? Are there different strategic groups in this industry? Along what dimensions?

• How is the industry performing? • What are your recommendations for how this firm can address its problems/concerns?

Why? Full analysis • What are the main issues (i.e., what problems and concerns does the company have)? • Does the company have any resources (both tangible and intangible) or capabilities?

What makes you think so? • Does the company have a competitive advantage? Is it sustainable? Why or why not? • What is the company’s business-level strategy? What makes you think so? • How is the firm performing? • What is going on in each segment of the firm’s general environment? • Is the firm in an attractive industry (ies)? Why or why not?

- Examine each of the five forces (i.e., threat of new entrants, power of suppliers, power of buyers, threat of substitute products, and degree of rivalry)

• What information do you have about the firm’s competitors? Are there different strategic groups in this industry? Along what dimensions?

• How is the industry performing? • What are your recommendations for how this firm can address its problems/concerns?

Why?