COMPANY: SOFTBANK GROUP
Step 1: Preparation for the Project
Before you begin writing the report, you will read the following requirements that will help you meet the writing and APA requirements.
- You will be doing an analysis on the selected company. When doing an analysis you are not merely making statements that may be cited. Instead, you will be supporting the statements made. “Support” is the process of explaining, discussing and analyzing “why” and “how,” which is a higher level critical analytical skill that is required for this class. Support is needed to do well on this project.
Step 2: How to Set Up the Project
Create a double-spaced, 12 point font Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document. The final product cannot be longer than 16 pages in length, excluding the title page and reference page. Those items identified in the implementation and action plans should appear under the appropriate heading in the paper. Do no use an Appendix.
Follow the following format using these topics as headings:
- Title page with title, your name, the course, the instructor’s name;
- Introduction
- Alternative strategy generation
- Strategy and prioritization selection
- Action plan for implementation
- Evaluative plan
- Conclusion
- Reference page
Step 3: Introduction
Create an introductory paragraph. The Introduction should clearly and concisely convey the main points of the project’s requirements. Review the following website to learn how to write an introductory paragraph: http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html.
Step 4: Develop, Select, Implement, and Evaluate the Project
- Generate a pool of strategies;
- Prioritize strategies;
- Explain how to select the best strategy (or strategies);
- Recommend specific optimal strategies and long-term objectives;
- Recommend procedures for strategy implementation, review and evaluation;
- Use frameworks and tools discussed throughout the course.
- Support the reasoning and conclusions made.
Step 5: Conclusion
Create a concluding paragraph. The Conclusion is intended to emphasize the purpose/significance of the analysis, emphasize the significance/consequence of findings, and indicate the wider applications that are derived from the main points of the project’s requirements. Review the following website to learn how to write a concluding paragraph: http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/concl.html.
Step 6: Guide on Strategy Recommendations
Identify strategy recommendations using the following format for the formulation of strategies.
- View Strategy Content Guidelines.
- Goal (The desired outcomes to be achieved)
- Objective (Measurable milestone toward accomplishing the Goal)
- Strategy (The approach used to achieve the Goal)
- Tactic (A specific activity undertaken to implement the Strategy)
- Review this resource to differentiate between strategic planning and operational planning: strategy versus tactics
Step 7: Required Elements for the Report
Under the appropriate heading listed above, include the following:
- Alternative Strategies
- Generate a minimum of three possible alternative strategies for the company;
- Identify and discuss cultural factors that should be considered in analyzing and choosing among the alternative strategies;
- Prioritize and explain the selection of alternative strategiess
- Recommendation
- Recommend the best one or two strategies among the alternative strategies and explain why these strategies are the best;
- Strategy Implementation
- Discuss who, what and how to implement the selected strategy (or strategies)
- Strategy Evaluation
- Discuss the appropriate evaluative measures (including who, what, when and how)
- Discuss the corrective action plans (including who, what, when and how)
Report Requirements to Follow
In writing the report:
- Use the grading rubric while completing the project to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible grade.
- Third person writing is required. Third person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing).
- Contractions are not used in business writing, so do not use them.
- No direct quotes except for mission statement and vision statement. For all other source material used in the analysis, you will not use direct quotation marks but will instead paraphrase. What this means is that you will put the ideas of an author or article into your own words rather than lifting directly from a source document. You may not use more than four consecutive words from a source document, as doing so would require direct quotation marks. Changing words from a passage does not exclude the passage from having quotation marks.
- Use in-text citations and provide a reference list that contains the reference associated with each in-text citation.
- You may not use books in completing this project.
- Provide the page or paragraph number in every in-text citation presented.
