BUS 400 Project Guidelines and Rubric

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.

Project Rubric

CriteriaExceeds Expectations (100%)Meets Expectations (85%)Partially Meets Expectations (55%)Does Not Meet Expectations (0%)ValueValue Proposition: Main Product or ServiceExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerDescribes the selected company’s main product or serviceShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include descriptions that are lacking in detail or inaccurateDoes not attempt criterion3Value Proposition: Overall Strategic PlanExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerDiscusses the company’s overall strategic planShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include incomplete or inaccurate descriptions of strategic planDoes not attempt criterion5Competitive Advantage: Opportunity DiscoveryExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerDescribes how you discovered an opportunity to do something better than someone elseShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include descriptions that are cursory or incompleteDoes not attempt criterion4Competitive Advantage: Value Proposition ShiftExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerDetermines how the new product or service shifts the value proposition of the companyShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include inaccurate or cursory explanationsDoes not attempt criterion5Risks and Opportunities: Industry DisruptionExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerDetermines if the new product or service could disrupt the industry nowShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include discussion that is incomplete or inaccurateDoes not attempt criterion4Risks and Opportunities: Risks Associated With DevelopmentExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerIdentifies the risks associated with the development of this new product or serviceShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include risks that are inaccurate or lacking in detailDoes not attempt criterion4Growth Opportunities: Company Growth OpportunitiesExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerIdentifies the growth opportunities within the companyShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include growth opportunities that are inaccurate or lacking in detailDoes not attempt criterion5Growth Opportunities: Competitive AdvantageExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerExplains how the competitive advantage allows for growthShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explanations that are lacking in detail or inaccurateDoes not attempt criterion5Distinguish as a New Product or Innovation: Fit Within the Capabilities of the CompanyExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerDetermines if the product or service suggested fits within the capabilities of the companyShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include discussion that is inaccurate or cursoryDoes not attempt criterion4Distinguish as a New Product or Innovation: Overall Portfolio AdditionExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerExplains how the new product or service adds to the portfolio of the companyShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explanations that are fragmentary or incompleteDoes not attempt criterion4Target Segment: The CustomerExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerIdentifies the target customerShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include discussion of target customer that is lacking in detail or inaccurateDoes not attempt criterion5Target Segment: Blue Ocean StrategyExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerExplains blue ocean strategyShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explanations that are cursory or inaccurateDoes not attempt criterion5Speculate Sales: Projected Revenue GainExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerJustifies your product or service by the numbers: discusses your projected revenue gainShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include justifications that are incomplete or inaccurateDoes not attempt criterion4Speculate Sales: Risks Associated With SalesExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerExplains the risks associated with projected salesShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include explanations that are not associated with projected sales or fragmentaryDoes not attempt criterion5Speculate Profitability: Is the Project Profitable?Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerDetermines if the project is profitableShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include determinations that are incomplete or lacking in detailDoes not attempt criterion4Speculate Profitability: Impact on Functional AreasExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerDetermines the impact to the functional areas of the businessShows 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 businessDoes not attempt criterion5CSR Plan: The CSR DataExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerDiscusses 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 detailDoes not attempt criterion4CSR Plan: Community InvestmentExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerIdentifies what the company has invested in as it relates to the communities they serveShows 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 servedDoes not attempt criterion4CSR Plan: Increasing the Competitive Advantage of the CompanyExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerDiscusses how a good CSR plan helps the company gain competitive advantageShows 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 advantageDoes not attempt criterion3DEI Plan: The CultureExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerDetermines if the company has a corporate culture built on DEIShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include descriptions that are lacking in detail or cursoryDoes not attempt criterion3DEI Plan: Overall Strategic PlanExceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative mannerDiscusses how the project DEI plan fits into the company’s overall strategic planShows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include discussion that is missing key components or is inaccurateDoes not attempt criterion5Clear CommunicationExceeds expectations with an intentional use of language that promotes a thorough understandingConsistently and effectively communicates in an organized way to a specific audienceShows progress toward meeting expectations, but communication is inconsistent or ineffective in a way that negatively impacts understandingShows no evidence of consistent, effective, or organized communication5Citations and AttributionsUses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with few or no minor errorsUses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with consistent minor errorsUses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with major errorsDoes not use citations for ideas requiring attribution5Total:100%