PROJECT 2 STEP 1
For this project, you will be creating a situation audit of your own organization. You will prepare to conduct your audit over the next 12 steps of this project, during which you will review various aspects of your organization, including its mission, goals, and values. You will be given the opportunity to submit different parts of your audit for instructor feedback prior to submitting your final situation audit. Read the full description of the final deliverable and the steps to completion.
Begin your situation audit by going to Step 1: Organize Your Work.
When you submit your project, your work will be evaluated using the competencies listed below. You can use the list below to self-check your work before submission.
1.3: Provide sufficient, correctly cited support that substantiates the writer’s ideas.
1.6: Follow conventions of Standard Written English.
6.3: Analyze an organization’s internal strengths and weaknesses for strategic value.
6.4: Develop and recommend strategies for an organization’s sustainable competitive advantage.
8.1: Evaluate major business/organizational systems and processes and make recommendations for improvement.
8.3: Identify and distinguish among organizational structural types and their respective implications for performance.
9.1: Design organizational structures, systems, and processes that support the strategic goals of the organization.
9.2: Evaluate how human capital serves as a source of competitive advantage.
10.2: Analyze financial statements to evaluate and optimize organizational performance.
10.3: Determine optimal financial decisions in pursuit of an organization’s goals.
Step 1: Organize Your Work
Student Expectations
Students are expected to find the information required to address the specific questions they are required to answer at each step of the project. The primary purpose of Project 2 is for students to demonstrate they understand and can apply the key MBA concepts and course materials found throughout Project 2 to their particular organization. Project 2 is not complete until the key MBA concepts and course materials provided within each step have been applied, as applicable, to the student’s organization.
It is the student’s obligation to demonstrate (1) an understanding of the organization selected for analysis and (2) explain, apply, and integrate the key MBA concepts found in provided course materials to their organization. Examples of how the MBA concepts and course materials apply to an organization are expected. All sources used should be properly (APA) cited in-text and listed in a reference section.
Final Deliverable Instructions: A Situation Audit and Preliminary Analysis of Key Factors
Your boss has tasked you with preparing a situation audit that presents an overview of your organization (or an approved alternative). In this report, you’ll focus on analyzing several key internal factors that, taken together, provide a portrait of your organization. The information you will rely on for this report must be publicly available or available for review by faculty, as necessary.
Format Requirements
Use the Situation Audit Template provided below. Your Situation Audit report will be 18 to 22 double-spaced pages, excluding a required cover page, a brief executive summary, and a list of references. See Executive Summaries for guidance on writing this section. You may also use appendices for helpful supplementary information, but these will not be included in the page limit for this report. Use APA formatting for in-text citations and references.
Academic Integrity
As you proceed through the steps to completion, be sure to read the materials provided in the embedded links—all are related to your project work. Cite any ideas you use from these materials in all course work you submit. By giving credit to the ideas of others in your work, you will build credibility in the minds of your readers and make your original thoughts stand out.
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
—Sir Isaac Newton
Now that you have a better understanding of the project requirements, follow these guidelines:
Read over these brief guidelines about conducting research on your organization. Discuss with your instructor any limiting factors you may encounter as you write this report. After you’ve discussed these issues with your instructor, if you believe it’s best for you to research an organization other than your own, please read this information about using an outside organization.
If necessary, schedule any meetings in advance with your organization’s personnel to obtain the necessary information.
Use the step-by-step Situation Audit Template as your outline and guide for the entire report, start to finish.
Next, proceed to Step 2, where you will write an overview description of your organization.
conducting research on your organization= Conducting Research on Your Organization
If at any point in this project you find yourself wanting information about your organization that is not publicly available, it is important to discuss the situation and your proposed solution with your professor. Your professor will help you explore the best approach for your particular organization and situation. One possible outcome of this discussion may be an agreement to make some minor modifications to the project report. Modifications must be approved by your professor.
In most cases, you will want to discuss your project with your employer and explain that you are completing this organizational profile as one requirement for your MBA. You should explain that this assignment does not require you to disclose any proprietary or sensitive information about the organization. Our experience is that managers are generally happy to support their employees and also look forward to benefiting from the results of projects like this one.
You will likely want to begin by reviewing annual reports and other publicly available information. You will have other opportunities in this program to apply what you are learning to your organization, and it is therefore important that you take care in planning and implementing your research for this project and in communicating about it with others.
using an outside organization= Using an Outside Organization
Requirement: Consult with your instructor
If you are not currently employed or believe your employer is not an appropriate choice for this project, you must contact your professor immediately and book a time to discuss the possible alternatives. If either of these situations apply, you must receive approval from your professor before proceeding with any steps in this project.
If you are not currently employed, it will be important to consult with your professor and obtain prior approval to complete this project for a specific organization you believe may be appropriate. Here are some guidelines to help you prepare for your discussion with your professor:
After reviewing the project requirements, find and select a possible alternative organization. Briefly describe the organization and your relationship with it.
Explain your rationale for believing the organization is a good choice.
Identify and make note of specific challenges you envisage encountering if the professor supports your suggested choice of organization for this project. Explain your plan for addressing these challenges.
If you are employed but believe you may not be able to use your organization for this project here are some guidelines to help you prepare for your discussion with your professor:
Review the project deliverables carefully and make note of those for which you expect you will not be able to get the needed information.
Identify an alternative organization you believe would work for this project and jot down the key points that support your conclusion.
Consider both the advantages and possible disadvantages of doing this assignment on an alternative organization. Note that this project requires no gathering or sharing of confidential or sensitive information so it is usually easy to address and resolve concerns.
Situation Audit Template =Situation Audit Template
Your situation audit report should include the following elements:
cover page—not included in page limit
executive summary—1 page; not included in page limit
introduction—1 page
fact sheet—1 page; see Step 2
mission, vision, values and goals—1 page; see Step 3
stragegy and objectives—1 page; see Step 4
strategy types and competitive advantage—2 to 3 pages; see Step 5
organizational size and structure—2 to 3 pages; see Step 6
critical resources—2 to 3 pages; see Step 7
leadership, governance, and management—2 to 3 pages; see Step 8
strengths and weaknesses—1 to 2 pages; see Step 9
learning and change—1 to 2 pages; see Step 10
conclusions and recommendations—1 page; see Step 11
references—not included in page limit
addenda—if needed, is not included in page limit
submit—see Step 12
Note: The Situation Audit Report is expected to be 18 to 22 pages, excluding the cover page, executive summary, and references. The page ranges listed above are guidelines. The student can decide how many pages to allocate to a given topic so long as the report does not exceed the maximum number of pages allowed. However, where the suggested page ranges are longer, the intent is to highlight the areas of the report deemed to require more analysis. These particular areas of the report go beyond a statement of organizational facts. They require significant academic readings and a grasp of relevant concepts, which are expected to be integrated into the student’s analysis. Please carefully read the Student Expectations section in Step 1, Organize Your Work.
In developing the report, students should follow the exact order of the template using the same headings to separate sections of the report. Each step is to be included in the final submission. APA format must be followed throughout. See Writing Skills under Grading in the Syllabus for writing expectations. In Step 1, Organize Your Work, please read carefully the section entitled, Student Expectations.
