Strategic Opportunity Mgmt Week 9 Assignment

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MBA 699 Project Guidelines and Rubric

MBA-699-Q2927 Strategic Opportunity Mgmt 22TW2 TM

1/8/23, 1:49 PM MBA 699 Project Guidelines and Rubric - MBA-699-Q2927 Strategic Opportunity Mgmt 22TW2

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Competencies

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competencies:

Manage stakeholder rela�onships to sustain a compe��ve advantage

Align and integrate a short-term goal with a strategic plan

Create a change management strategy

Scenario

You are a business development manager repor�ng to the vice president (VP) of business development at one of the largest life

sciences organiza�ons in the Midwest. While the organiza�on has shown constant growth and profitability since its incep�on in

1999, the owners have decided that it is �me to sell. Given the current uncertainty in global markets, the organiza�on’s board of

directors is not convinced that this is the right approach.

While work was underway to find a poten�al buyer, the VP called on you to join the strategic planning team to assess the

organiza�on’s exit strategy and make recommenda�ons to its board of directors. You have been working closely with your strategic

planning team to make some ini�al analyses and recommenda�ons to help plan for the sale of the organiza�on.

As part of the planning team, your first task was to select people from your organiza�on to build a guiding coali�on to help the

organiza�on transi�on during and a�er the acquisi�on.

Then, you were asked to analyze one of the organiza�on’s core strengths, its talented pool of employees. This included analyzing the

a�ri�on data to understand why employees have le� the organiza�on and recommending ways to ensure employee stability in the

future. This essen�al informa�on will be provided to poten�al acquirers to assure them of the organiza�on’s ability to retain talent.

While planning was underway, your first poten�al buyer started to get cold feet. So, you were asked to research an alterna�ve buyer

and build a con�ngency plan. This con�ngency plan is an important part of your exit strategy and your report to the board of

directors. You and your team were also asked to formulate an acquisi�on road map that lays out the ac�on steps and �melines for

the plan.

Now that the ini�al analysis and plans are complete, your VP is ready to make the presenta�on to the board of directors. The VP has

asked you to prepare a formal report that you will send to the board prior to the presenta�on. This report will include the analyses

and plans you have developed over the last few weeks. It is important to note that your report will provide a first impression to the

board about the upcoming presenta�on and mee�ng. You need to cra� a compelling message that provides insights based on all the

work your team has done and substan�ates your posi�on with data. In addi�on, as a part of your report, you will also outline a

change management strategy that will help ensure a smoother transi�on a�er the sale of the organiza�on.

Direc�ons

Write a merger integra�on report that includes your analyses and insights and provides a change management strategy for moving

forward toward a sale of the organiza�on in the course scenario. Compile your work from Milestones One, Two, and Three in your

report. Remember to address and incorporate any feedback you may have received from your instructor on your milestone

assignments.

Guiding coali�on: Use the organiza�onal chart and the employee personas provided to guide your selec�on of the guiding coali�on

for the organiza�on in the scenario.

Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:

1. Recommenda�on: Use the organiza�onal chart and the personas to iden�fy people who should be part of the guiding

coali�on. Review the personas to iden�fy the individuals who have the influence and commitment to make a posi�ve impact

while providing guidance for the change ini�a�ve.

2. Ra�onale: Jus�fy your choice of guiding coali�on team members. Your responses should address the following for each

individual you recommend for the coali�on:

a. What is the person’s �tle and how many people do they manage?

b. How long has each person been with the organiza�on?

c. What area(s) of the organiza�on does this person influence?

d. What is your ra�onale for choosing the person? Consider the person’s characteris�cs for your ra�onale.

e. What role will each person fulfill as a member of the guiding coali�on?

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3. Team-building strategies: Describe ac�vi�es and strategies you will introduce to build a well-func�oning team. Your

response should address the following:

a. What strategies will help the members align with the change ini�a�ve of the organiza�on in the scenario?

b. What steps or ac�ons will you take to establish a sense of urgency within the team?

c. How do these ac�vi�es and strategies help build trust?

Employee a�ri�on analysis report: First, use the employee a�ri�on data to create visuals in Tableau that capture the trends and

possible reasons for reten�on and a�ri�on in the organiza�on. Then, write a report about the current state of human resources and

a�ri�on. Include screenshots from your visualiza�ons to support your report. Remember to consider the employee’s employment

status when visualizing and analyzing the data. The Status column in the spreadsheet indicates whether the employee is a current or

former employee of the organiza�on.

Specifically, you must address the following criteria:

1. Current employee demographics: Summarize the current employee demographics for the organiza�on from the course

scenario.

a. Use Tableau to visualize the demographic data such as age, sex, marital status, and experience and include the

corresponding screenshots in your summary. Choose the graphs or charts that that are best suited to represent the

demographic data.

b. Choose at least two different graph or chart types to represent the demographic data and include the corresponding

screenshots in your wri�en summary. Explain why you have selected the specific chart types to represent your data.

2. A�ri�on analysis : Analyze the given employee data to answer the following ques�ons about a�ri�on in the organiza�on,

including its causes and the rela�onship between a�ri�on and various employment factors. Use Tableau to create a visual

summary of the data and include the corresponding screenshots in your analysis. Choose the graphs or charts you believe

are best suited to represent the required data.

a. Iden�fy the five top reasons for a�ri�on.

b. For those who le� the organiza�on, how many years had it been since their last promo�on?

c. At what age does an employee typically exit the organiza�on?

d. A�er how many years of employment does someone typically leave the company?

e. What is the connec�on between how many �mes a year a person was trained, how long they stayed at the

organiza�on, and whether they have le�?

3. Reten�on: Compare the a�ri�on analysis data with your current employee details to evaluate and prevent future a�ri�on.

Your response should address the following:

a. Using the trends from the a�ri�on data iden�fy if more current employees are likely to leave. Explain your findings.

b. What does your a�ri�on analysis tell you about employee stability in the organiza�on? How is it likely to affect your

organiza�on’s evalua�on by a poten�al buyer?

4. Ac�onable steps: Based on finding from your reten�on analysis, provide three specific ac�ons that the organiza�on can take

to prevent employees from leaving. Provide ra�onale.

Alterna�ve buyer research report: Recommend one poten�al buyer from the alterna�ve buyer op�ons list provided and jus�fy your

choice. Visit the poten�al buyer’s website and research the company's market and financial situa�on. Include this recommenda�on

as an appendix in your report.

Explain your recommenda�on based on the following selec�on (and rubric) criteria:

1. Current market: Describe the current market of the selected poten�al buyer.

a. What types of products does this organiza�on manufacture?

b. Who are their customers?

c. In which industry do they compete?

2. Financial situa�on: Analyze the organiza�on’s (poten�al buyer) financial situa�on, including revenue, expenses, and

profitability.

3. Recent developments: Visit your selected organiza�on’s (poten�al buyer) website and review their news and announcements

over the past year. What notable recent events has the organiza�on experienced that might make them more or less

a�rac�ve to your organiza�on as a buyer? Explain your reasoning.

4. Buyer ra�onale: Jus�fy why this poten�al buyer is the best op�on for the life sciences organiza�on. Use data from your

research to support your ra�onale.

Acquisi�on road map: Develop an acquisi�on road map as a tool for sharing the project with the strategic planning team and the

guiding coali�on.

Task: View this topic

Activity Details

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guiding coali�on.

Specifically, you must address the following criteria:

1. Acquisi�on-related tasks :

a. Describe the tasks and steps that have already been taken toward an acquisi�on since you were appointed to the

strategic planning team.

b. Recommend the tasks and steps that would need to happen over the next one to two years to evaluate and complete

an acquisi�on. For each task and step, provide es�mates for how long it will take to accomplish them, the responsible

par�es, and any dependencies.

2. Gan� chart: Using the provided template, create a Gan� chart that visually illustrates the tasks and steps that you’ve

indicated above (Note:You can copy the chart to include it in the road map document). Your chart should include the

following:

a. Indicate tasks and steps that have already been completed since you were appointed to the strategic planning team.

For example, be sure to include guiding coali�on, industry, and compe��ve research aspects.

b. Indicate "in process" tasks and steps that are currently being performed.

Exit strategy recommenda�ons and plan: Outline your change management strategy for transi�on a�er the acquisi�on.

Specifically, you must address the following criteria:

1. Change management strategy: Using Ko�er’s change model as a guide, explain each step of the change management

strategy that you recommend. Your response should address the following:

a. How will you create a sense of urgency?

b. How will the guiding coali�on con�nue to guide the change? Who will they impact? Iden�fy which cri�cal tasks from

the acquisi�on road map the guiding coali�on should complete. Also, determine the expected �melines for these

tasks to be completed.

c. What is your strategic vision for the company, its opera�ons, and its employees a�er the acquisi�on?

d. What is the plan for enlis�ng a group of employees to get other employees united around the common vision?

e. What barriers to change do you foresee? How do you plan to remove them?

f. How will you track progress?

g. How will you communicate short-term wins?

2. Summary: Summarize your strategy and assessment of risks.

a. Describe the overall strategy that you recommend for the organiza�on’s acquisi�on goals.

b. Explain how the strategy will fit in the business environment of the oncology market segment in the pharmaceu�cal

industry. Consider using an external business environment analysis to inform your conclusions.

3. Risks: Iden�fy three poten�al risks that may be associated with your recommenda�on and explain steps the organiza�on can

take to mi�gate those risks.

What to Submit

A 16- to 20-page Word document with 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, and one-inch margins. Sources should be

cited according to APA style. Consult the Shapiro Library APA Style Guide for more informa�on on cita�ons. This report should

include the following sec�ons:

Guiding Coali�on Recommenda�ons

Employee A�ri�on Analysis Report

Alterna�ve Buyer Research Report

Acquisi�on Road Map

Exit Strategy Recommenda�ons and Plan

Suppor�ng Materials

The following resources support your work on the project:

Resource: HR Employee A�ri�on Survey

This spreadsheet contains employee details such as a�ri�on, demographics, and so on.

Resource: Employee Personas

Use these personas to recommend individuals for your guiding coali�on.

Resource: Organiza�onal Chart

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Use this chart as a reference in order to see where in the organiza�on each of the persons sits rela�ve to other leaders of the

organiza�on. The chart will also provide you with a visual of their sphere of direct influence. (There is also a text-only version.)

Resource: Alterna�ve Buyer Op�ons

Use this list of global biomedical companies to select one company to research as a poten�al alterna�ve buyer.

Resource: Gan� Chart Template

Use this template to create a Gan� chart to support your acquisi�on road map.

Resource: Footnotes and Appendices

Use the Appendices sec�on of this resource for help with adding an appendix to your report.

Project Rubric

Criteria Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs

Improvement (70%)

Not Evident (0%) Value

Guiding Coali�on: Recommenda�on

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Iden�fies individuals who should be part of the guiding coali�on; iden�fies the individuals who have the influence and commitment to make a posi�ve impact while providing guidance for the change ini�a�ve

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include iden�fying appropriate individuals who will have the most influence and commitment to make a posi�ve impact while providing guidance for the change ini�a�ve

Does not a�empt criterion.

5

Guiding Coali�on: Ra�onale

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Jus�fies choice of guiding coali�on team members using details about each individual in the guiding coali�on including their �tle, experience in the organiza�on, their area of influence, the ra�onale for choosing them, and the role the person will perform in the guiding coali�on

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include providing sufficient and accurate details about each chosen individual, such as their persona details, a logical and well-thought- out ra�onale for choosing them, or the roles and responsibili�es they will perform in the guiding coali�on

Does not a�empt criterion

5

Guiding Coali�on: Team-Building

Strategies

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Describes ac�vi�es and strategies that help build a well- func�oning team, including strategies to help members align with the change ini�a�ve of the organiza�on in the scenario and steps or ac�ons to establish a sense of urgency within the

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include describing appropriate strategies to ensure alignment of the team to the change ini�a�ve in the course scenario, describing how to

Does not a�empt criterion

5

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urgency within the team; explaining how these ac�vi�es and strategies will help build trust in the team

describing how to establish a sense of urgency, and explaining how these strategies can build trust in the team selected for the guiding coali�on

Employee A�ri�on Analysis Report:

Current Employee Demographics

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Summarizes the current employee demographics for the organiza�on from the course scenario; includes visualiza�on of the demographic data such as age, sex, marital status, and experience from Tableau; chooses two graph and chart types that best suit the data; explains the choice

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include summarizing the demographics of the current employees correctly; including all relevant and accurate visuals from Tableau; choosing and explaining at least two different graph and chart types that best reflect the data

Does not a�empt criterion

5

Employee A�ri�on Analysis Report:

Analysis

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Analyzes the given employee data to answer all ques�ons about a�ri�on, including its causes and the rela�onship between a�ri�on and various employment factors; includes screenshots of the visual summary of a�ri�on data from Tableau

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include consistency between narra�ve and visuals; including all relevant visuals; answering all ques�ons about employee a�ri�on and its rela�onship to different factors

Does not a�empt criterion

5

Employee A�ri�on Analysis Report:

Reten�on

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Explains whether more employees are likely to leave the company and why and evaluates employee stability in the company; explains how that may affect the organiza�on’s evalua�on by a poten�al buyer

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include providing a clear reason why employees may or may not leave the company or evalua�ng employee stability correctly; providing a logical explana�on of how this can affect the organiza�on’s evalua�on by a poten�al buyer

Does not a�empt criterion

5

Employee A�ri�on Analysis Report:

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally

Provides three specific ac�ons

Shows progress toward proficiency,

Does not a�empt criterion

5

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y p Ac�onable Steps

p y clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

p that the organiza�on can take to prevent employees from leaving and provides ra�onale

p y but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include providing three specific and relevant ac�ons that the organiza�on can take to prevent employees from leaving; providing clear, adequate ra�onale for each ac�on

Alterna�ve Buyer Research Report: Current Market

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Recommends one poten�al buyer from the list provided and includes its current market, such as its products, customers, and the industry in which it competes

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include providing accurate and relevant informa�on about the poten�al buyer such as details about its products, customers, and industry

Does not a�empt criterion

5

Alterna�ve Buyer Research Report:

Financial Situa�on

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Analyzes the organiza�on’s financial situa�on, including revenue, expenses, and profitability

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include correctly analyzing and clearly describing the organiza�on’s financial situa�on, including revenue, expenses, and profitability

Does not a�empt criterion

5

Alterna�ve Buyer Research Report:

Recent Developments

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Iden�fies notable recent events the organiza�on has experienced that might make it more or less a�rac�ve as a buyer; explains ra�onale

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include iden�fying relevant notable events, correctly determining their impact on its assessment as a buyer; providing clear and logical ra�onale

Does not a�empt criterion

5

Alterna�ve Buyer Research Report: Buyer Ra�onale

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Jus�fies why this poten�al buyer is the best op�on for the life sciences organiza�on and uses data from research to support the ra�onale

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include providing reasonable jus�fica�on for choosing the lt � b

Does not a�empt criterion

5

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alterna�ve buyer or suppor�ng the jus�fica�on with relevant data from research

Acquisi�on Road Map: Acquisi�on-

Related Tasks

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Describe the tasks and steps that have already been taken toward an acquisi�on and recommends the tasks and steps that would need to happen over the next one to two years to evaluate and complete an acquisi�on and provides es�mates for how long it will take to accomplish them, the responsible par�es, and any dependencies

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explaining the work done so far clearly or recommending specific ac�ons for the next one to two years or no�ng details such as �melines to be achieved, responsible par�es, and dependencies

Does not a�empt criterion

5

Acquisi�on Road Map: Gan� Chart

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Creates a Gan� chart that visually illustrates the tasks and steps; indicates tasks and steps that have already been completed and indicates "in process" tasks and steps that are currently being performed

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include crea�ng a complete Gan� chart or ensuring the Gan� chart is updated correctly with ac�vi�es that have been completed or are in progress

Does not a�empt criterion

5

Exit Strategy Recommenda�ons and Plan: Change

Management Strategy

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Explains each step of the change management strategy, including how they will create a sense of urgency, how the guiding coali�on will con�nue to guide the change, what the strategic vision for the company a�er acquisi�on is, how to unite other employees to support the common vision, what poten�al barriers to change are and how to remove them, how to track progress, and how to communicate small wins

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explaining each step of the change management process clearly with respect to the exit strategy

Does not a�empt criterion

15

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Exit Strategy Recommenda�ons and Plan: Summary

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Describes the overall strategy recommended for the organiza�on’s acquisi�on goals and explains how the strategy will fit in the business environment of the oncology market segment in the pharmaceu�cal industry

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include providing a clear summary of the overall strategy or sharing the results of the business environment analysis of the oncology market segment in the pharmaceu�cal industry

Does not a�empt criterion

10

Exit Strategy Recommenda�ons

and Plan: Risks

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Iden�fies three poten�al risks that may be associated with the recommenda�ons and explains steps the organiza�on can take to mi�gate those risks

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include iden�fying at least three poten�al risks or appropriately explaining steps to be taken for mi�ga�ng these risks

Does not a�empt criterion

5

Ar�cula�on of Response

Exceeds proficiency in an excep�onally clear, insigh�ul, sophis�cated, or crea�ve manner

Clearly conveys meaning with correct grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, demonstra�ng an understanding of audience and purpose

Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, nega�vely impac�ng readability

Submission has cri�cal errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, preven�ng understanding of ideas

3

Cita�ons and A�ribu�ons

Uses cita�ons for ideas requiring a�ribu�on, with few or no minor errors

Uses cita�ons for ideas requiring a�ribu�on, with consistent minor errors

Uses cita�ons for ideas requiring a�ribu�on, with major errors

Does not use cita�ons for ideas requiring a�ribu�on

2

Total: 100%

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