Capstone Project

READ AND STUDY THESE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE YOU BEGIN. READ THEM AGAIN.

This individual case assignment assesses your ability to use the concepts, perspectives, and analytical tools taught in the course to recommend strategic change to improve a firm’s performance.

Your final output will be a professional quality executive report* addressing all aspects of analysis and strategy formulation. You will apply the analytical concepts and tools provided in the course to analyze the assigned firm, diagnose and prioritize strategic issues, and recommend a course of action to address what you believe is the most important issue affecting the firm’s performance over the next five years.

*Avoid writing too much. Strive to communicate clearly and fully, but with concise, well-formatted text. For example, be sure you have clear organization and flow of topics using section headers, tables, lists, bullet points, graphics, etc. Get to the point. Keep the report focused on giving and supporting your conclusions, taking the reader through your chain of analysis that leads to your final recommendation.

You will need to conduct adequate research to gather data for your analysis. Certainly, you should start with the firm’s most recent Annual Report/10-K (available in Sakai). To understand and account for the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, you should also compare the current 10-K information with the results prior to COVID found in the firm’s 2019 1-K report (also found in Sakai). Initial information about the external environment can be gathered through the Ubalt library website from IBISWorld industry reports on the industry (chocolate production – report 31135, and chocolate retailing – report OD5339). Be sure to log into MyUB and then access this database through the library. You will also need to research further into RMCF’s website, industry journals, trade associations, popular business press, etc. It is expected that you will have a minimum of 6 additional different sources beyond the firm’s SEC reports and the IBIS resources mentioned above. Use credible sources and properly cite (in-line citation style) your sources and provide a reference list as an attachment to your report. Note that citing me or materials from this course is not necessary or appropriate. Lack of citations/references and or inappropriate citations will cost points. Research sources are for research data – you are to demonstrate the ability to pull important data from these sources, analyze and synthesize it, and develop your own conclusions as described in the course and the analysis templates that will be covered. Reporting the conclusions and findings of others’ analysis is 100% unacceptable. Repeat -

*DO NOT report other people’s analysis and conclusions. You are to use data to work through the templates and other analysis tools in your own brain. Be an analyst, not a reporter.

Once you have completed each of the analytical and diagnostic steps as we have covered in this course you will write up short interim reports for feedback and ultimately a final report of your conclusions and recommendations. This final report builds from – and must be consistent with – your analytical efforts. Below is the recommended outline to follow to help

you see and include all that is expected (you should also reference the grading rubric for this assignment as a checklist/guide for assembling your report). Use section headings, as suggested by this outline or otherwise as you deem appropriate, to organize your paper.

Think about what you are doing. Be strategic, not tactical. Be an analyst, not a reporter. Use evidence to arrive at and argue your conclusions. Be consistent and coherent. Everything should tie together; i.e. don’t go off in a new direction at the end. Explicitly use the concept terms and analytical processes from this course.

You need to (1) understand the current situation of the firm ….(2) identify and prioritize strategic issues that are or will soon negatively affect performance… (3) select and frame the one single issue you think is most critical to address… (4) identify optional ways to address that issue….(5) formulate a plan of action to implement what you conclude is the one best way to address the issue….and (6) provide a summary plan on how to execute your recommendation.

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND. This is the outline for your Final report:

I. Introduction A very brief executive summary of your key conclusions, recommendation, and expected outcome if your expectation is implemented

II. Firm Strategy (Strategy template/reading) Describe the firm’s competitive strategy and business model

III. Current Performance (Performance template/reading) Assess the firm’s current status with regard to creating and capturing value and give an overall assessment of their performance status and outlook for the next five years (Show your analytical work either in this section or in an Appendix)

IV. Resources and Capabilities (Internal analysis template/reading) Identify, describe, and appropriately prioritize the firm’s most important resources and capabilities (Show your prioritization analysis table either in this section or in an Appendix)

V. Key Success Factors and Drivers of Change (External analysis template/reading) Describe the key success factors for firms in this industry, the drivers of change that will affect this industry over the next five years, and how, if at all, key success factors are expected to change over time. (Show your five forces analysis either in this section or in an Appendix)

VI. Diagnosis of Strategic Alignment (Diagnosis, Formulation, and Implementation reading)

Describe your conclusions about the alignment of the firm’s strategy to the environment and their current resources and capabilities to their strategy. What linkages are not well aligned? What are the implications for performance of each misalignment? And finally, what do you conclude is the one misalignment issue that should be addressed in order to have the greatest positive impact on performance over the next five years?

VII. Recommendation a. Describe three or more alternative ways the firm should address the alignment

issue you identified in VI and explain/argue for the one you believe should be selected over the others.

b. Note two or more of Kotter’s principles you believe will be important to successfully implementing your recommendation and why/how they apply for the firm.

c. Describe one or more managerial levers you recommend be used (and how) to influence and change thinking and behaviors at the firm as needed to execute your recommended change.

d. Summarize a forecast of the net performance benefit of implementing your recommendation.

VIII. APPENDICES You can put worksheets, tables, financial statements, etc. here as you prefer… rather than clutter up your main body in your report. Reference an appendix when you bring forward a portion of data in your body text. For example, you might include your list of all PEST issues and notes on how you prioritized them; your long list of identified resources and capabilities; the ratings chart you used to prioritize the firm’s source(s) of competitive advantage; your Five Forces worksheet, a detailed forecast of expected outcomes, etc.

IX. References Provide your references in alphabetical order.

You should work toward this final report in three phases:

PHASE 1 – Draft firm analysis notes: • Phase 1 Interim report/memo. Submit in the Assignments folder for this report. • Describe the firm’s competitive strategy • Summarize your assessment of their performance • Identify the sources of competitive advantage (most strategically valuable

resources or capabilities) – real and/or potential

Do not write or show detailed analysis for this memo. Just provide your conclusions to address each tasks above in a manner that demonstrates your understanding of the concepts and methods from the course and your ability to apply them to the firm. Use bullets, words, short phrases – keep it simple while complete and clear.

Shortly after you submit the Phase 1 Interim report, you will get any necessary corrective and/or directive feedback to improve the quality and completeness of your draft analysis. Use this to revise and improve the phase 1 work as needed. Note that if no interim report is submitted, or is submitted after the deadline, no individual feedback will be provided.

PHASE 2 – Draft external analysis and diagnosis of alignment • Phase 1 Interim report/memo due by 11pm Nov 22. Submit in the Assignments

folder for this report. • Provide a five forces worksheet and your conclusions about thee or more Key

Success Factors • Summarize your PEST analysis and your conclusions about the three most critical

Drivers of Change • Briefly describe the misalignments you identity and argue which one you conclude

is the primary one to be addressed.

Shortly after you submit the Phase 2 Interim report, you will get any necessary corrective and/or directive feedback to improve the quality and completeness of your draft analysis. Use this to revise and improve the phase 2 work as needed. Note that if no interim report is submitted, or is submitted after the deadline, no individual feedback will be provided.

PHASE 3 – now you must build on your phase 1 and 2 work to bring it all together for your complete analysis report and final recommendations. The output/submission will be your FINAL REPORT – see the above detailed outline and the grading rubric in Sakai. Submit in the Assignments folder for this report.

*All final reports will be processed through TurnItIn. See note below – do not plagiarize.

I would expect that a complete and sufficient report would be in the range of 12-15 pages PLUS the appendices.

Quality writing and a professional presentation are expected. Poor grammar, word choice, formatting, etc. will cost you points. Proofread, have others proofread, get free help from the UBalt writing lab, etc. Avoid turning in anything but your very best work!

All papers are subject to plagiarism review via TURNITIN. Do not copy others’ wording! Use quotes and proper citations if you use direct content. DO YOUR OWN WORK. Submission of plagiarized material may result in ZERO grade, an F grade for the course, and reporting to the University. Don’t take any chances – be deliberate in your citations and putting things in your own words.

FORMAT:

Neither a Cover Sheet nor a Table of Contents are desired/required At the top of the first page, include: Your Name Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory MGMT 790 Fa22 Pages: 1” margins all around 12 point type – Times New Roman or Calibri preferred Single spaced PAGE NUMBERS at bottom