Finance

ACC 660 Final Project Milestone Two: Recommendations Guidelines and Rubric

Prompt: You will use the financial analysis interpretations and calculations from Milestone One, including feedback from your instructor, to complete Milestone Two. In this assignment, you will analyze Starbucks’s annual report to identify investment patterns and comment on the company’s financial position. You will then analyze the U.S. market to determine if it is a good decision to open an additional two locations in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida area. This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:

 Appraise decisions relating to investments, portfolio management, and acquisitions for improving the financial position of the company Case Study 1: Starbucks

II. Recommendations A. Review the past three years of Starbucks’s annual reports and compare the investments, changes in portfolio management, and acquisitions and

disposal of assets. What patterns do you see emerging from your review? B. Based on the review of the annual reports, are the investments improving the company’s financial position? Why or why not? C. Management is interested in determining whether it is feasible to expand U.S. operations by 50 stores. Review the current U.S. market store

locations in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area and determine if two additional stores can be opened. What issues will need to be addressed (including but not limited to competition, population, and pricing) regarding a decision to open the additional stores?

D. Assume it is not feasible to open additional stores in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. What other Florida metropolitan area would you recommend to management? Why?

Guidelines for Submission: Your paper must be submitted as a 2- to 4-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format.

Critical Element Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Case Study 1: Recommendations:

Annual Reports

Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses concrete examples to substantiate claims

Compares the investments, changes in portfolio management, and acquisitions and disposal of assets and discusses emerging patterns

Compares the investments, changes in portfolio management, and acquisitions and disposal of assets but does not discuss emerging patterns

Does not compare the investments, changes in portfolio management, and acquisitions and disposal of assets

25

Case Study 1: Recommendations:

Improving

Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses concrete examples to substantiate claims

Assesses whether or not the investments are improving the company’s financial position based on the review of the annual reports

Assesses whether or not the investments are improving the company’s financial position but does not base this on the review of the annual reports

Does not assess whether or not the investments are improving the company’s financial position

25

Case Study 1:

Recommendations: Expand

Meets “Proficient” criteria and offers possible solutions for the issues identified

Determines if two stores can be opened and describes issues regarding decision to open additional stores

Determines if two stores can be opened but does not describe issues regarding decision to open additional stores

Does not determine if two stores can be opened

20

Case Study 1: Recommendations:

Recommend

Meets “Proficient” criteria and recommendation is well supported with concrete evidence

Recommends an alternative Florida metropolitan area in which to open additional stores and defends decision

Recommends an alternative Florida metropolitan area in which to open additional stores but does not defend decision

Does not recommend an alternative Florida metropolitan area to open additional stores

20

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

10

Total 100%