Volvo Capstone Project - Must have EXCELLENT English, READ Instructions -- PHYLLIS YOUNG DO NOT RESPOND

M B A Capstone Projec t G uidelines Throughout your MBA program, you hav e worked to develop as a practitioner-scholar to m eet the needs and futu re cha llenges as a business l eader. Your program culmi nates in the cap ston e project, which for ms the prima ry focus of M BA6900, the fi nal cour se you will tak e in the program.

The capston e project is intended to provid e you the opportunity t o demonstrat e your MB A program outcomes by:

• Planning and executing th e strategic and tactical elements of a comprehensiv e project.

• Integrating and demons tratin g sk ills and techniq ues yo u hav e lear ned thr oughout th e MB A progra m.

• Comm unic ating project outcomes bot h in wri tten form and in a formal pres entation.

• Completing your MB A program wit h an experie nce tha t reinfor ces and integrates th e c ompo nents that have precede d it.

T he followi ng infor mation out lines the requirem ents and work a ssoc iated w ith t he c apsto ne pro jec t f or MBA6028 a nd MBA690 0. Capstone Projec t Examples Examples of project ty pes tha t might be proposed to mee t these requirements incl ude but are not limited to:

•Preparati on of a strategic pl an for an organizatio n.

• A strategic analysis of al l or a select ed part of an organizati on.

• Devel opme nt of a c ase study of al l or a sel ected p art of an org anizatio n.

• Devel opme nt of an interv ention, such as a worksh op or tra ining activity, that is bro ad- based enough to demonstrate t he program-level outc omes.

• Devel opme nt of a c onsulti ng report on a problematic i ssue within an organizati on, provided th at the i ssue is broad- based enough to demonstra te pro gram-lev el outc omes.

Yo u may pro pose other structures for the capstone proje ct so lon g as you a re abl e to i dentif y ho w the proposed project satisfies the requirement of dem onstrating the program-level outcomes. W hen choo sing you r topi c, k eep in m ind that y our capstone proje ct mu st result i n recomm endation s, next st eps, or so me othe r typ e of act ionable, ev idence-based tak eaways for the r eader or subject of th e project.

Capst one Project Re quireme nts The c apstone cou rse project must dem onstrate y our achievement of the MB A progra m outcomes.

The fo llowin g tabl e is taken from the profici ent column of the f inal c apstone gradin g rubric. I t out lines the expectations for demonstratin g ea ch program out come.

Program Outcome: Proficient Column: 1.Apply foundati onal knowl edge a nd an unde rstanding of busin ess system s, processes, and techno logy withi n and acro ss co re discip lines. App lies foundational kno wledge (the orie s, models, an d practices) an d an un derstandin g of core bu siness systems, processes, an d technology withi n and across co re discip lines. 2. Integrate information across disciplines and from differing perspectives . Integrates mos t relevant sup portive and conflictin g info rmatio n (data, insights, b est practices) across discip lines from differin g prima ry fu nctional pe rspe ctives i ndividuall y and ho listically. M B A Capstone Projec t G uidelines 3. Think critically an d an alytically to provide evidence-based soluti ons t o bu siness cha llenges and opport unities. Devel ops logical, well-su pported, solution s ba sed on relev ant, sound, logical, an d credible evidence ( data, insights, analyses, best practices) to solv e busi ness cha llenges and oppo rtun itie s. 4. App ly inn ovative, strategic, and sustain able ap proache s to busi ne ss practice an d pla nning. App lies innova tive, strategic, and sustain able (long-te rm) appr oaches t o busi ness practi ce an d planning. 5. Lead and co llaborate in v irtua l, global,and culturally divers e en vironments. App lies lea dershi p and co llaboratio n principles and strategies for virt ual, global, and cultura lly dive rse envir onment s. 6. Integrate principles of ethics and integrity int o business decisi ons. Integrates principles of ethics and integrity int o busi ness decisi ons by assessin g ethica l implicati ons and resolvin g ethica l conf licts an d dilemma s. 7. Commun icate clearly and effectively in a busi ness environm ent. Communicates clearly and effectively i n a bu siness environment by applyi ng professio nal speaking, effectiv e presentation , and pers uasion sk ills to create a clear an d compelling ca se for business solutio ns. Whe n pr oposing a ca pstone project i n MBA6 028, y ou will be r equired t o identify how the pr opos ed proj ect a ddr es ses the dem onstrati on of progra m out comes 1, 2 , 5, and 6. Outco mes 3, 4, a nd 7 ar e demonstrat ed by the quality of the fi nal deliverabl e.

The proje ct wil l b e c omplete d indivi dually, not in teams . In add ition, the cap stone proj ect mus t meet these criteria:

•The organizatio n must b e real, not fictiti ou s. This may be an organizatio n to whi ch you hav e direct access for data gathering or one for whi ch you wil l gather data vi a pub lished sources.

I n eithe r case, i t mu st be an organization for which you can gat her the data needed to complet e the proj ect. If need be, you may be a llowed to use a disguised na me for the organizatio n in the proje ct repo rt, but you must disclo se to t he instructor w hat actua l organ ization is being used as the settin g for the pr oject.

• The sc op e of effort require d shou ld be such that, once pl anned i n MBA60 28, th e projec t ca n be completed i n a single, six-w eek iteratio n of M BA6 900; extensi ons will be gran ted only i n un usual sit uations. MBA6028 Capstone Plann ing Requ iremen ts an d Timeline Since the six-w eek duratio n of a singl e MB A c ours e may not provide enoug h time for bot h planning and de livering the cap ston e proj ect, pl anning for the project begins i n MBA602 8 – Bu siness Integration Sk ills. Typically, this cou rse is taken in the perio d im mediately befo re the cap stone cou rse. During M BA6028, you will c omplet e a proposal for the proje ct tha t yo u wil l deliver i n M BA690 0. Specific m ilestones for this pr oposal in inclu de:

• Unit 1 – Yo u wil l po st a discussion wit h a pre liminary summa ry of and ratio nale f or what yo u are cons iderin g as a project, for feedback from co lleagues and your instructor. M B A Capstone Projec t G uidelines •Unit 3 – Yo u wil l submit a draft proposal for the project to your instructor fo r fee dback.

(Appendix A below contains a template t o prepa re the proposal and Ap pendix B illustrates an exampl e of a completed draf t.) • Unit 5 – Yo u wil l submit the final pr oposa l in Unit 5 to the instructor for grading . (Ap pendix C be low contains an outline you may a dapt to prepa re your pro posal.) Note : Su cces sful completi on of an accept able pro posal will fac ilitate a smooth t ransiti on int o your capsto ne course an d help you make ti mely prog ress toward the completion of yo ur degr ee. Be sure t o contact your instr uctor wit h any questions or cha lleng es you have about completing yo ur pr oposal. MBA6900 Capstone Deli verables Once you hav e successfully completed M BA6028, you wil l move on to your fi nal course, M BA6900 .

In MBA 6900, you will complete the fo llowing:

Unit 1 Capst one Project Su mmary – Yo u w ill develo p a brief summa ry of y our c apstone project t o hel p your in str uctor become fam iliar wit h your capst one project and prov ide appr opria te gui dance.

This project su mmary wil l spe cify the t opic and scop e of y our project , in cludin g a roug h out line of y our f inal cap ston e project and a project plan tha t briefly outlines what yo u pla n to do each w eek to ensu re tim ely com pletio n of y our ca pstone. Uni ts 2, 4, and 5 Progress R ep orts – In each unit, you will pr epare a brief re port of t he status of y our project, based on y our plan. You may also submit parts of y our project f or fee dback.

Unit 3 Cap stone Project Draft – Yo u will submit a draft of your capst one project for feedback on y our progress towa rd de mon str ating your program outcomes, based on the fi nal Capston e Project and Pres entation Scorin g Guide.

Unit 6 Capst one Project an d Presentation – You wil l submit your fi nal Capst one Project and Pres entation. You w ill deliver two wo rk prod ucts to complete this proj ect:

• Wr itten Repor t – The fina l wri tten projec t report will b e a forma l documen t prepare d for the key stake holders of y our proj ect. The s tructu re and length of the document wil l va ry accordin g to the typ e of project being undertaken, but the re port is ex pected to b e s ubstantial : app roximately 20–40 pages i n length.

• Oral Pre sentation – This formal ora l pres entatio n wil l b e s uppo rted by a Power Point pres entation incl uding slides with notes. The ora l presentation w ill b e r ecorded using A dobe C onnect, and uploaded to th e MBA690 0 cou rseroom for revie w by y our co lleagues and a formal review by th e instructo r. This pres entation s hould b e no mo re than 15–20 mi nutes i n length an d will s erv e to present all f acets of th e capston e project.

Ap pen d ix D contains the scoring guide rubric wit h gr ad ing cr iteria for y our final c apstone de liver able. Be su re to review th e criteria often throughout your project to e nsure you are fulf illing the expectati ons for demo nstratin g you r program outcomes. M B A Capstone Projec t G uidelines Appendix A – Pro posal Ro ugh Draft Te mplate Eleme nt Descrip tion Tar get Organizati on Identify the orga nizatio n that will be the setti ng or focus of the project. Brief Project De scription Describ e the project in sufficient detai l tha t th e instructor can get a g ood understanding of w hat yo u pro pose to d o. Access and Data Ava ilability Describe what access yo u have to this organizatio n an d your sou rces of data. Program Outcom es App ly foundati onal kno wledge and an unde rstanding of busin ess system s, processes, and techno logy withi n and acro ss co re discip lines. Describe how the propose d proje ct wil l enabl e yo u to de mo nstrate your achievement of this outcome. Integrate informatio n across discip lines and from di ffering pe rspectives. Describe how the propose d proje ct wil l enabl e yo u to de mo nstrate your achievement of this outcome. Lead an d co llaborat e in virt ual, gl obal, an d cultura lly diverse envir onments. Describe how the propose d proje ct wil l enabl e yo u to de mo nstrate your achievement of this outcome. Integrate principles of ethics and integrity int o busi ness decisi ons. Describe how the propose d proje ct wil l enabl e yo u to de mo nstrate your achievement of this outcome. Estimate ex pected length. Estimate the length, in d ouble-spaced pages , of the deliverabl e yo u ex pect to produce. Yo u may use the a bove tabl e and merely r eplace the instr uction s in the D escriptio n colu mn wit h your entrie s. Or , if yo u prefer, you may pre pare a do cument in an alter native format th at addresses al l of the entries s hown in the t able. M B A Capstone Projec t G uidelines Appendix B – Sample Proposal Rough Draft Element Descrip tion Tar get Organizati on R. D. Tech, In c. Brief Project De scription The proje ct wil l b e a comprehensiv e case st udy of this m anufacturer of stainless st eel proce ssing equipment for the food and dai ry i ndustry. Access and Data Ava ilability I am employed by R. D. Tech and hav e permission to gat her the required data. In th e actua l case document, th e comp any na me will b e disguised. Program Outcom es App ly foundati onal kno wledge and an unde rstanding of busin ess system s, processes, and techno logy withi n and acro ss co re discip lines. The case st udy wil l cover al l organizati onal compo nents and fu nction s, includi ng marketing, operati ons, fin ance, an d administration. It w ill examin e the com pany’s upstream and downstream supply chain, an d th e information and materials flows involv ed. Integrate informatio n across discip lines and from di ffering pe rspectives. The ca se will examin e the interrelationshi ps among the di ffer en t organizati onal functions i n light of the c hallenges th e comp any is facing. It wil l present the perspectives of major points of view, incl uding the Marketi ng, Finance, a nd Operati ons teams, as wel l as sen ior M anagement. Lead an d co llaborat e in virt ual, gl oba l, and cultura lly diverse envir onments. The ca se will assess i ssues involve d in the company’s investigation of overseas mark et prospects, includin g the estab lishment o f ove rseas branches. Integrate principles of ethics and integrity int o busi ness decisi ons. The company is con sidering a change to its ful l employment policy, as dairies in its local two-state area conso lidate and i t consi ders ex pansion abr oad. The ethica l issues o f changin g the imp lied contract wit h employe es wil l b e exami ned as part of the case. Estimate expected length. Ap proximately 35–45 pages, double-space d. M B A Capstone Projec t G uidelines Appendix C – Propo sal C on tent a nd Format Introduction – In this section, identify the organizatio n and whether you ha ve access t o it directl y.

D es cribe the e xact natu re of the project you propose t o do and why you want to do this particular project.

• Target organizati on.

• Nature of the proj ect.

• Rati onale for the project.

Outco me Demonstratio n – De scribe ho w this project w ill a llow you to demonstr ate each MB A pr og ram outco me. The four sec tion titles belo w refer to the outcomes t hat are listed in the Prospectus Templat e.

• Ap p ly foundation al knowl edge.

• Inte grate infor mation.

• Lead a nd collabo rate.

• Inte grate principl es.

Data Sources – Ident ify w here you will get t he data needed to co mplete the projec t, w hethe r via di re ct acc ess to t he organ ization or via published sources. Be as det ailed as possible, since the in struct or must evaluate wheth er you have access to en ough data to make the pro ject feasible. Pro jected Time line – Pr ovide a ti meline for the projec t, to be compl eted no la ter than the end of M BA6900. Tas ks should include any preliminary activity needed to get permissions (if needed), data gathe ring, data analysis, repor t writing, presentat ion preparati on, and any thing else t hat w ould form a significant part o f the work needed to complete the project. M B A Capstone Projec t G uidelines Appendix D – Caps tone Proje ct and Prese ntation G ra ding Cri teria Crite rion Non -pe rforma nce Basic Proficie nt Disting uished App ly foundational kn owled ge and an unde rstan ding of busin ess sy stems, pr oce sses, and technol ogy within and a cross cor e discipli nes. Refere nces but does not app ly fundam ental, practica l foundati onal k now ledge a nd a functi onal unders tand ing of busin ess syste ms, proces ses, an d te chnology. Appli es fund am ental, practica l foundational k now ledge a nd a fun ction al unders tand ing of a limi ted set of busin ess syste ms, proces ses, an d te chnolo gy with in but not across c ore di scip lines. Appli es fou ndational k now ledge (theor ies, m odels, and practices) a nd an un derstan ding of core b usines s sys tems, process es, and tec hnology w ithin and acros s core d isci plines. Appli es a balance of theore tica l a nd practica l foundati onal k now ledge (theor ies, m odels, and practices) a nd an in-d ept h unders tand ing of a full range of busin ess syste ms, proces ses, an d te chnolo gy with in and acros s core di scip lines .

Rec ogniz es and ju stifies approach to inte grating foundati onal k now ledge , busin ess syste ms, proces ses, an d te chnolo gy with in and acros s core disciplines. Integ rate infor mation a cro ss disciplines from differ ing pe rsp ectiv es. Anal yzes informa tion from a s in gul ar dis cipl ine or per spective or poorly analyzes inf orma tion acros s di scip lines fr om few differ ing prim ary fun ction al per spectives. Anal yzes but does not integ rate lim ited info rmation (d ata, in sigh ts, bes t practices) acro ss disci plines from few differ ing primary fun ction al per spectiv es indivi dually b ut not hol istically. Integr ates most rele vant sup portive and confl icting info rmation (d ata, in sigh ts, bes t practic es) acro ss di scip lines fr om differ ing primary fun ction al per spectiv es indivi dually a nd hol istically. Evaluat es su pporti ve and c onfl icting info rmation (d ata, in sigh ts, bes t pr actic es) inte grating insi ghts across d isci pli nes from m ultip le, di ver se function al and s trategi c per spectiv es indivi dually a nd hol istically. Develop logi cal, well-s uppo rted, ev idence -bas ed solutions to busin ess chall enges and oppo rtunities. Develo ps unsupp orted (emotional te stim onials, anecd otes, lack of ev idenc e) so lutions and solu tion s th at are not lo gi cally c onnec ted to busin ess cha lleng es and opp ortuni ties. Develo ps unsupp orted (emotional te stim onials, anecd otes, lack of ev idenc e) so lutions or so lutions t hat are not logical ly c onnec ted to busin ess cha lleng es and opp ortuni ties. Develo ps logical, well-s uppor ted, s ol utions ba sed on relev ant, sound, logic al, a nd credib le ev idence (d ata, in sigh ts, an alyses , best prac tic es) to s ol ve busin ess c hall enges a nd oppor tunities. Develo ps logical, well-s uppor ted, s ol utions ba sed on relev ant, sound, logic al, a nd credib le ev idence (d ata, in sigh ts, an alyses , best prac tic es) to sys temat ical ly solv e busin ess cha llenge s and opp ortuni ties relev ant to all appli cable s ta ke ho lders and cross-funct ional depar tments. M B A Capstone Projec t G uidelines Crite rion Non -pe rforma nce Basic Proficie nt Disting uished App ly inno vative, strateg ic, a nd sustai nable approach es to busin ess pra ctice and pl anning. Does not apply or poorly applies elem ents of innov ative, str ate gic, and sust aina ble approach es to busin ess practic e and plann ing. Appli es some elem ents of innov ative, str ate gic, and sust aina ble approach es to busin ess practic e and plann ing. Appli es innovativ e, strateg ic, a nd sust aina ble (lo ng- term) a pproac hes to busin ess practic e and plann ing. Integr ates and ju stifies innovativ e, strateg ic, a nd sust aina ble (lo ng- ter m) a pproac hes busin ess prac tic e and planning th at appropr iately c hall enge the s tatus quo w hile recog nizing chan ge m anag ement implications. Assess lea de rship and co llaborat ion oppo rtunities in vir tual, globa l, and culturally diver se en vir onment s. Does not des cribe or poor ly describes leaders hip or c ol laboratio n strateg ies. Describes leaders hip and c ol laboration princ iples and strateg ies t hat m ay or m ay not be appropr iate to v irtual, global, and c ul tural ly di ver se environm ents. Appli es lead ership and collaboratio n princ iples and strateg ies for virt ual, glob al, and c ultural ly di ver se environm ents. Assesses lea dership and collaboratio n princ iples, s trategies , and oppor tunitie s in v irtual, global, and c ul tural ly di ver se environm ents and inte grates flex ible per spectives a nd c ol laborativ e approach es in bu siness. Integ rate princi ples of et hics and int egrity into busin ess decis ions. Does not assess or poorly as ses ses princ iples of e thi cs and int egrity. Assesses principles of ethics an d inte grity by anal yzing ethic al imp licati ons but m ay ov erlook important eth ical cons ider ation s. Integr ates principles of et hics an d inte grity in to busin ess dec isions by as ses sing ethica l imp licati ons an d res olving e thical c onfl icts an d dilemm as. Integr ates principles of ethics an d inte grity in to busin ess dec isions by as ses sing ethica l imp licati ons , res olving e thical c onfl icts an d dilemm as, and makin g rig ht an d ju st d ecisi ons for the organi zation and t he larger busi ness community. Commu nicat e clea rly and effectively in a busin ess en vir onment. Does not communicat e appropr iately in a busin ess environm ent. Comm unicates in a busin ess environm ent with heavy jargon an d in consist ent application of prof essio nal s peakin g, effec tive presentat ion, and per suasi on sk ills to create an unconv incing cas e for b usines s s ol utions. Comm unicates clear ly an d effe ctively in a busin ess environm ent by appl ying prof essio nal s peakin g, effec tive presentat ion, and per suasi on sk ills to create a c lear a nd com pelling case for busin ess sol utions. Comm unicates clear ly an d effe ctively in a busin ess environm ent by adapti ng to specifi c audi ences’ k now ledge/needs , utiliz ing prese ntation best prac tic es, a nd inte grating per suasi on with cross-funct ional s ta ke ho lders to create a c lear a nd com pelling case for bu siness solutions.