Assingments % - 7-2 Project

BUS 400 Project Guidelines and Rubric

Competencies

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of 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

Scenario

It’s the moment of truth: your opportunity to demonstrate why your new product or service is worth funding. You have done the research and know that the funding you seek can be a game changer for the company. Not only will it produce revenue and profitability, but more importantly, it will strategically set the company apart from its competition.

You just have to convince senior management.

In preparation, you have created a checklist for yourself to use in compiling information that includes research, feasibility of the idea via the BMC, scope of project (timeline included), project risk mitigation, DEI, CSR, and 24-month pro forma.

You know that anything can happen in a funding pitch. With this in mind, you are prepared to answer questions that encompass all aspects of the project.

Directions

Create a pitch for funding. In this pitch, you will have to convince senior management to greenlight the new product or service. Aspects of the pitch that must be addressed:

Value proposition: Describe the company’s current value proposition in the market.
1. Describe the selected company’s main product or service.
2. Discuss the company’s overall strategic plan.
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.
Risks and opportunities: Establish the risks and growth opportunities of the company.
1. Determine if the new product or service could disrupt the current industry.
2. Identify the risks associated with the development of this new product or service.
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.
Distinguish as a new product or innovation: Distinguish the new product/service as an innovation or improvement on an existing product/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.
Target segment: Describe the targeted segment.
1. Identify the target customer.
2. Explain your blue ocean strategy.
  Note: The new market is identified here.
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/or senior management.
2. Explain the risks associated with projected sales.
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 has to know that the project, based on market research, is speculated to be profitable. Use the company’s current 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).
CSR plan: Outline the plan to service the community or customers that 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.
DEI plan: Summarize how the project will include a variety of perspectives to get 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

Funding pitch script
Your script should be written as if you were delivering the speech, submitted as a 7- to 8-page Word document. Sources should be cited according to APA style.

*If you need my other assignments for reference let me know ASAP

Project Rubric

Criteria	Exemplary (100%)	Proficient (85%)	Needs Improvement (55%)	Not Evident (0%)	Value
Value Proposition: Main Product or Service	Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Describes the selected company’s main product or service	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Discusses the company’s overall strategic plan	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency 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 proficiency, 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 proficiency 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 proficiency, 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 proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Determines if the new product or service could disrupt the current industry	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency 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 proficiency, 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 proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Identifies the growth opportunities within the company	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Explains how the competitive advantage allows for growth	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency 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 proficiency, 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 proficiency 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 proficiency, 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 proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Identifies the target customer	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Explains blue ocean strategy	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency 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 proficiency, 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 proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Explains the risks associated with projected sales	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Determines if the project is profitable	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Determines the impact to the functional areas of the business	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Discusses how the idea demonstrates corporate social responsibility (CSR)	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency 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 proficiency, 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 proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Discusses how a good CSR plan helps the company gain competitive advantage	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Determines if the company has a corporate culture built on DEI	Shows progress toward proficiency, 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 proficiency 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 proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include discussion that is missing key components or is inaccurate	Does not attempt criterion	5
Articulation of Response	Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner	Clearly conveys meaning with correct grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, demonstrating an understanding of audience and purpose	Shows progress toward proficiency, but with errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, negatively impacting readability	Submission has critical errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, preventing understanding of ideas	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%