BUS 400 Module 7

Project Guidelines and Rubric.html

BUS 400 Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview

A sustainable, competitive advantage aligns with an organization’s strengths and long-term strategy, which is where the Blue Ocean Strategy excels. By creating uncontested market spaces and delivering innovative value, organizations can minimize competition and uncover new opportunities for growth.

Through a comprehensive analysis of risks and opportunities, businesses identify gaps, address unmet customer needs, and align with emerging trends like sustainability or technology. Defending these decisions with clear evidence and measurable outcomes builds stakeholder confidence and drives strategic buy-in.

By leveraging the Blue Ocean Strategy, organizations can foster innovation, adapt to challenges, and achieve sustainable growth, ensuring continued success in evolving markets.

Scenario

This is your opportunity to prove why your new product or service deserves funding. You’ve done the research, and you understand that the investment you’re seeking could be a game-changer for the company—driving revenue and profitability and strategically setting the organization apart from its competitors.

Now, as you prepare to address questions from senior management, you’ve developed a comprehensive checklist with key talking points to cover all aspects of the project.

• Research and market analysis
• Feasibility of the idea using the Business Model Canvas (BMC)
• Project scope, including a timeline
• Risk mitigation strategies
• Alignment with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals
• A 24-month pro forma that outlines financial projections

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of driving business opportunities based on the following competencies:

• Determine how an organization gains a competitive advantage
• Determine organizational risk and growth opportunities in order to develop a strategic plan
• Defend business decisions in support of an organization’s strategic plan

Directions

Create a pitch for funding. In this pitch, you will have to convince senior management to greenlight the new product or service.

Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:

1. Value Proposition: Describe the company’s existing value proposition in the market.
   1. Describe the selected company’s main product or service.
   2. Discuss the company’s overall strategic plan.
2. Competitive Advantage: Describe the competitive advantage the company will gain by funding the project.
   1. Describe how you discovered an opportunity to do something better than your competitors.
   2. Determine how the new product or service shifts the value proposition of the company.
3. Risks and Opportunities: Establish the risks and growth opportunities of the company.
   1. Determine if the new product or service could disrupt the industry now.
   2. Identify the risks associated with the development of this new product or service.
4. Growth Opportunities: Describe the areas of potential growth for the company.
   1. Identify the growth opportunities within the company.
   2. Explain how the competitive advantage allows for growth.
5. Distinguish as a New Product or Innovation: Distinguish the new product or service as an innovation or improvement on an existing product or service.
   1. Determine if the product or service fits within the capabilities of the company. Note: A company’s SWOT analysis or 10-K is an indicator of whether the new product or service could be feasible.
   2. Explain how the new product or service adds to the portfolio of the company.
6. Target Segment: Describe the targeted segment.
   1. Identify the target customer.
   2. Explain your blue ocean strategy. Note: The new market is identified here.
7. Speculate Sales: Speculate on the projected sales.
   1. Justify your product or service by the numbers; discuss your projected revenue gain. Note: It MUST have an ROI that justifies the project for investors and senior management.
   2. Explain the risks associated with projected sales.
8. Speculate Profitability: Speculate on the profitability of your proposed product or service.
   1. Determine if the project is profitable. Note: In this pitch for funding, senior management must know that the project, based on market research, is speculated to be profitable. Use the company’s latest income statement to project how the company’s profitability will be affected. Look to other companies in the marketplace with products or services similar to the one you are proposing as a basis for your projections. Note: These numbers are purely speculative.
   2. Determine the impact on the functional areas of the business (accounting, marketing, sales, and so on).
9. CSR Plan: Outline the plan to service the community or customers who purchase the product or service.
   1. Discuss how the idea demonstrates corporate social responsibility (CSR).
   2. Identify what the company has invested in as it relates to the communities they serve.
   3. Discuss how a good CSR plan helps the company gain competitive advantage.
10. DEI Plan: Summarize how the project will include a variety of perspectives to gain a better unique value proposition.
    1. Determine if the company has a corporate culture built on DEI.
    2. Discuss how the project’s DEI plan fits into the company’s overall strategic plan.

What to Submit

To complete this project, you must submit your funding pitch script. Your script should be written as if you were delivering the speech. It must be a 7- to 8-page Microsoft Word document using double spacing, one-inch margins, and 12-point Times New Roman font. Sources should be cited according to APA style.

AI Usage

If you use gen AI tools to support your work on this assignment, be sure to follow these AI usage guidelines. You must acknowledge your use of these tools in your work. Guidelines on how to cite AI tools can be found in this Shapiro Library guide.

Project Rubric

Criteria	Exceeds Expectations (100%)	Meets Expectations (85%)	Partially Meets Expectations (55%)	Does Not Meet Expectations (0%)	Value
Value Proposition: Main Product or Service	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Describes the selected company’s main product or service	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include descriptions that are lacking in detail or inaccurate	Does not attempt criterion	3
Value Proposition: Overall Strategic Plan	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Discusses the company’s overall strategic plan	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include incomplete or inaccurate descriptions of strategic plan	Does not attempt criterion	5
Competitive Advantage: Opportunity Discovery	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Describes how you discovered an opportunity to do something better than someone else	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include descriptions that are cursory or incomplete	Does not attempt criterion	4
Competitive Advantage: Value Proposition Shift	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Determines how the new product or service shifts the value proposition of the company	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include inaccurate or cursory explanations	Does not attempt criterion	5
Risks and Opportunities: Industry Disruption	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Determines if the new product or service could disrupt the industry now	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include discussion that is incomplete or inaccurate	Does not attempt criterion	4
Risks and Opportunities: Risks Associated With Development	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Identifies the risks associated with the development of this new product or service	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include risks that are inaccurate or lacking in detail	Does not attempt criterion	4
Growth Opportunities: Company Growth Opportunities	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Identifies the growth opportunities within the company	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include growth opportunities that are inaccurate or lacking in detail	Does not attempt criterion	5
Growth Opportunities: Competitive Advantage	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Explains how the competitive advantage allows for growth	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explanations that are lacking in detail or inaccurate	Does not attempt criterion	5
Distinguish as a New Product or Innovation: Fit Within the Capabilities of the Company	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Determines if the product or service suggested fits within the capabilities of the company	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include discussion that is inaccurate or cursory	Does not attempt criterion	4
Distinguish as a New Product or Innovation: Overall Portfolio Addition	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Explains how the new product or service adds to the portfolio of the company	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explanations that are fragmentary or incomplete	Does not attempt criterion	4
Target Segment: The Customer	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Identifies the target customer	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include discussion of target customer that is lacking in detail or inaccurate	Does not attempt criterion	5
Target Segment: Blue Ocean Strategy	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Explains blue ocean strategy	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explanations that are cursory or inaccurate	Does not attempt criterion	5
Speculate Sales: Projected Revenue Gain	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Justifies your product or service by the numbers: discusses your projected revenue gain	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include justifications that are incomplete or inaccurate	Does not attempt criterion	4
Speculate Sales: Risks Associated With Sales	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Explains the risks associated with projected sales	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explanations that are not associated with projected sales or fragmentary	Does not attempt criterion	5
Speculate Profitability: Is the Project Profitable?	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Determines if the project is profitable	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include determinations that are incomplete or lacking in detail	Does not attempt criterion	4
Speculate Profitability: Impact on Functional Areas	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Determines the impact to the functional areas of the business	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include discussion that lacks detail or does not assess the impact on functional areas of business	Does not attempt criterion	5
CSR Plan: The CSR Data	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Discusses how the idea demonstrates corporate social responsibility (CSR)	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include discussions that don’t address CSR or are lacking in detail	Does not attempt criterion	4
CSR Plan: Community Investment	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Identifies what the company has invested in as it relates to the communities they serve	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explanations that are lacking in detail or don’t relate to the community being served	Does not attempt criterion	4
CSR Plan: Increasing the Competitive Advantage of the Company	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Discusses how a good CSR plan helps the company gain competitive advantage	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include discussions that are lacking in detail or are not targeted toward helping to gain competitive advantage	Does not attempt criterion	3
DEI Plan: The Culture	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Determines if the company has a corporate culture built on DEI	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include descriptions that are lacking in detail or cursory	Does not attempt criterion	3
DEI Plan: Overall Strategic Plan	Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Discusses how the project DEI plan fits into the company’s overall strategic plan	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include discussion that is missing key components or is inaccurate	Does not attempt criterion	5
Clear Communication	Exceeds expectations with an intentional use of language that promotes a thorough understanding	Consistently and effectively communicates in an organized way to a specific audience	Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but communication is inconsistent or ineffective in a way that negatively impacts understanding	Shows no evidence of consistent, effective, or organized communication	5
Citations and Attributions	Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with few or no minor errors	Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with consistent minor errors	Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with major errors	Does not use citations for ideas requiring attribution	5
Total:	100%