MGT 489

Individual Case Assignment

The individual case is designed to test writing skills, critical thinking, and application of the text.

Format

The paper is to be an executive summary no longer than 5, single-spaced pages of text not including the references or any figures (matrices). Use 12-point font, portrait orientation, and one-inch margins. Every piece of information you collect from any source must be cited. Please use endnotes and a references page to cite the paper. This sentence ends with an endnote[i]. Figures need to be placed in the text.

Upload the paper in Canvas by midnight on the due date.

Note: If there are portions of the paper that are plagiarized, the paper will receive a failing grade, and you may fail the class and be expelled from the university.

You will need to do some research on the company and its competitors. The original case is based in 2015, so it is important to update to today. Use Hoover's, Lexis Nexus, and S & P 500 databases through our library. If you do not know how to use them, you can ask the librarian at either center. I find Hoover's to be the most user friendly, but it sometimes does not work from outside the university.

You have the rubrics for the case. Please check them before and during the writing process to guide what you write so that you can get the grade you want. Please write the paper using bullet points. There is no need for prose. Distill the information down to the essentials.

The case to be analyzed is Tesla starting on page 516 in the current textbook, and pasted below.

Note: This assignment is to be worked on alone as it will be used for accreditation purposes. Our accreditor, AACSB, requires data from individuals.

Content

• Provide the current mission and vision statements, and rewrite them to be better. Use the guidelines from the textbook.
• Complete a SWOT matrix for the company. This will include an IFE and an EFE. Be certain that the center quadrants from the SWOT are strategic alternatives (ideas) that the company may want to pursue.
• Complete a SPACE matrix.
• EPS/EBIT analysis.
• Worth of the business analysis.
• Provide a Competitive Profile Matrix showing the firm and their two closest competitors. You can find their two closest competitors by using Hoovers. For help using library databases, please contact the center librarians.
• Using Porter's five generic strategies, tell me what their generic strategy is. Note: This is NOT Porter's five forces.
• Based on the matrices, tell me the options for their strategy moving forward (Chapter 5 explains the alternative strategies).
• Complete a QSPM for the firm. The three strategic alternatives in the QSPM must come from the center quadrants of the SWOT matrix. They must be the same type as in the matching matrices.
• Provide a step-by-step action plan to implement your solution based on the outcome of the QSPM. Be specific.

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Mission Statement

All nine elements included

Over five elements included

Five or less elements included

Vision Statement

All components of a proper vision statement included

Half of the components of a vision statement included

Less than half of the components included

SWOT Matrix

Complete matrix based on complete IFE and EFE

Half of the factors included and/or incomplete

Less than half of the factors included and/or incomplete

SPACE Matrix

Complete and correct

Somewhat correct

Incorrect

EPS/EBIT Matrix

Complete and correct

Incomplete and/or somewhat incorrect

Incorrect or missing

Worth of the Business Analysis

Complete and correct

Incomplete and/or somewhat incorrect

Incorrect or missing

CPM

Complete, and based on two closest competitors

Incomplete and/or somewhat incorrect

Incorrect or missing

Generic Strategy

Accurate and complete

Somewhat accurate

Inaccurate or missing

Alternative Strategies

Accurate and complete

Somewhat accurate

Inaccurate or missing

QSPM

Accurate and complete, used three alternative strategies

Accurate, somewhat complete, used less than three alternative strategies

Inaccurate or missing

Action plan for implementation

Accurate, follows logically from QSPM, provides useful, actionable information

Somewhat accurate, follows logically from the QSPM, provides some useful and actionable information

Inaccurate, information is not actionable, does not support findings from QSPM

Spelling

No spelling errors

Three spelling errors

More than three spelling errors

Grammar

No grammatical errors

Three grammatical errors

More than three grammatical errors

Layout

Makes use of white space, case is easily readable, bullet points used to clarify important information

Some white space, some use of bullet points, explanations a bit wordy

Written in paragraph form, no real white space, little to no bullet points, explanations too wordy

Footnotes

Uses footnotes for all information gathered from library, internet, and textbook

Uses footnotes or endnotes for most information gathered from library, internet, and textbook

Fails to use footnotes or cite information from library, internet, and textbook

[i] Endnotes are found in MS Word under Insert. They are then under footnotes.