STEP ONE: Company selection and analysis
• The student should select a company for analysis and write up a profile of the company selected. My selection is facebook. The profile should include:
• Discussion of firm Mission/Vision
• Presentation and discussion of the firm's current strategic plans and/or direction
• Discussion of the firm's culture
• A brief discussion of the firm's structure and organization
• The above subject areas could be presented in a "strengths/weaknesses" format as part of an overall SWOT-style analysis
• Approximately 5-7 pages, double-spaced, typed
STEP TWO: Article selection and analysis
• Write a report on an article that was written within the past year that deals with a topic directly affecting the competitiveness of the student's chosen firm.
The article chosen should have something important to say about an element of organizational effectiveness - it can profile a dramatic social trend, give an industry prediction, address a strategic competency like leadership or HR, highlight a current environmental issue (for instance, the social responsibility component of sustainability), or comment on financial or market failures, etc.
• Students should give a brief summary of the article, identifying the issue that attracted them to the article, explain why this issue is important, and what they learned from the article.
• Students should discuss how the subject of the article will affect their firm from a competitive perspective, highlighting any relevant changes necessary to the management structure, culture, or strategic direction of the firm.
• Approximately 5-7 pages, double-spaced, typed.
• All citations and references must be in MLA format