Description

The Business Analysis Report is a group project introduced in the beginning of the semester and culminating at the end with a formal written report and presentation. It represents a significant portion of the grade for the Business Policy and Strategy course–the capstone for the School of Business and Economics. It is designed to assess a student’s intellectual skills and their ability to apply knowledge gained during their tenure as a major in the School of Business.

Background and Context

The assignment is a group project introduced in the beginning of the semester and culminating at the end of the semester with a formal written report and presentation. The project is a significant portion of the grade for the Business Policy and Strategy course, which is the capstone course for the School of Business and Economics. As the capstone course, this assignment should demonstrate the student’s ability to apply the knowledge gained during their tenure as a major in the School of Business. In doing so, this assignment attempts to assess a student’s intellectual skills and their ability to apply knowledge gained.

Reflections

This paper requires specific learning outcomes that are associated with the Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP), a set of knowledge and essential competencies seniors should master at this stage in their educational pursuits and level. In particular, the DQP defines competencies in ways that emphasize both the cumulative integration of learning from many sources and the application of learning in a variety of settings . . . (Lumina Foundation, 2013, p. 2). While the DQP is organized around five areas of learning (i.e., Broad, Integrative Learning; Specialized Learning; Intellectual Skills; Applied Learning; and Civic Learning), this assignment focuses on two areas: (a) Broad, Integrative Knowledge and (b) Intellectual Skills.

First, the assignment assesses the student’s ability to integrate knowledge. The course as designed is interdisciplinary. The foundation courses for the course are Principles of Finance, Principles of Management, and Principles of Marketing. The assignment requires the students to collaboratively investigate an organization utilizing the skills gained from those three foundational courses. For instance, from a finance discipline perspective the student must calculate financial ratios and interpret financial statements to determine an organization’s strategy effectiveness. Thus, the students are assessed on their ability to demonstrate the application of the financial analysis theories learned in the Principles of Finance course.

Second, intellectual skills are assessed in the assignment, specifically the use of information resources, quantitative fluency, and communication fluency. Students are required to conduct research using multiple databases. The information gathered from their research must then be compiled, scrutinized, and integrated into their analysis. The report is a critical analysis of an organization’s strategies and processes incorporating the challenges and opportunities faced in their industry and global environment. The analysis will contain logical arguments that support the group’s conclusions. Prior to presenting their findings they must configure their collective knowledge to critically evaluate a company’s strategies, distinctive competencies and capabilities, structure, leadership, and performance. The final report is a formal business report common in the field of Management coupled with a formal presentation of the group’s findings to peers and faculty.