[SOLVED] The Written Report

The Written Report Requirements
Your team is required to turn in the written report demonstrating your analysis of your chosen firm.  Your Final Project grade will include your team’s assessment of your individual contribution to the project. The paper should be no less than 15 pages and no more than 25 pages (single-spaced), using 1 inch margins and 12-point font.  The paper is due to be turned in at the beginning of class of the final class meeting.

This report is your final opportunity to demonstrate your ability to produce professional-quality analysis and offer appropriate strategic recommendations. You are expected to analyze your chosen firm by effectively applying select cognitive frameworks discussed throughout the semester. You are nearing the completion of your business degree from an excellent university, have confidence in your abilities! The following are expectations for the written report:

Assess the most important environmental factors that influence your firm’s ability to compete. Do these factors make this an attractive or unattractive industry?
Link your firm’s Vision and Mission Statement to your chosen business-level strategy.
Evaluate your firm’s relative strengths and weaknesses. You should identify at least 4 strengths and weaknesses that influenced your performance in the competition.
Explicitly articulate the answers to these 4 questions: Where do we compete? How do we create unique value? What resources and capabilities do we utilize? How do we sustain value?
Identify and explain your firm’s current core capabilities, as well as any additional capabilities your team views as being most crucial to success of your firm.
Make 3-4 recommendations for your firm as it plans to compete for the next 20 years, based on your analysis. These recommendations need to be directly driven by your analysis, must be practical in nature and have the potential for major long-term influence on the firm’s health.
It is essential that all of the sections of your report be integrated and seamless. The report also needs to exhibit a high level of polish. DO NOT turn in a report that reads like it has been written by multiple people and assembled at the last moment. A few other notes to keep in mind as you prepare the report:
Effective application of key analytical frameworks will have a positive impact on your team’s grade. Misapplication of key analytical frameworks will have a very negative impact.
DO NOT use bullet points without also providing explanatory descriptions.
Use tables, charts & graphs sparingly. Do not include any unless they are specifically discussed in the text of the report.
A 1-page Executive Summary is highly encouraged.
Include a brief conclusion at the end of your report.
Your paper will be graded based upon the thoroughness of your analysis (as demonstrated by the ability to critically evaluate and assess your chosen firm), your ability to correctly apply insights gained in this course, a logical development of your recommendations, and level of professionalism.

NOTE: See Strategic Analysis Outline for more detailed instructions.