This guide is for BUSI 690 Week 4 Group Case Study 1, start to submission. A group strategic case analysis of an assigned company: a narrative of at least 15 pages and an Excel workbook of historical and pro forma statements with NPV.
BUSI 690 is Policy and Strategy in Global Competition, 3 credit hours, in Liberty University's MBA. Canvas and the course guide file print the code as BUSI690; it is the same course.
| Course | BUSI 690 Policy and Strategy in Global Competition |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 4 |
| Points | 150 points |
| Length | Narrative of at least 15 pages of text, plus appendices and an Excel workbook |
| Sources | The company's financial statements, Rothaermel and research |
| Faith integration | Not required by the guide |
| Format | A PDF or Word narrative with appendices and one Excel workbook |
What BUSI 690 Week 4 Group Case Study 1 asks for
Your group completes in-depth analyses of 3 specific companies using the entire strategic management process. For each, the team submits a PDF or Word narrative with appendices, at least 15 pages of text, and one Excel workbook containing historical income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements for the three most recent years with year-over-year changes, pro forma statements for at least three future years with changes, and NPV calculations. The last section of the narrative fully discusses the proposed strategy, the rationale for choosing it and how it will increase cash flows. Case Study 1 is due in Module/Week 4. Worth 150 points, scaled by your peer evaluation average.
Where it fits in BUSI 690
In the published schedule, Group Case Study 1 is one of 10 graded written assignments in BUSI 690. It follows Week 4 Business Model Generation Exercise 1 and comes before Week 5 Business Model Generation Exercise 2. The same week also has Business Model Generation Exercise 1, so plan the week's writing together.
How BUSI 690 Week 4 Group Case Study 1 is graded
Liberty grades Group Case Study 1 with the rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas, worth 150 points in the published guide. That is about 15% of the course's 1,010 points. Read the rubric first. Each row is a criterion, and the wording of the highest column is the closest thing you have to a model answer.
Course grades in BUSI 690 use Liberty's point scale: an A is 940 to 1010 points of the course total. Missing the length or source minimum usually costs points on several rows at once, which is why the checklist below starts with them.
Timing in the published guide: Module/Week one begins on Monday and ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday. Modules/Weeks 2-8 begin on Saturday and end at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday. Check the due dates in your Canvas section, which govern.
The BUSI 690 Week 4 method, step by step
Read the case for facts, not impressions
List the facts of the case first. Analysis that rests on a misread detail is the most common way case answers lose points.
Name the central problem
State the main problem in one sentence. Many cases contain several issues; the strongest answers say which one drives the rest.
Apply the course framework
Use the model or concepts from Policy and Strategy in Global Competition to analyze the case. Name the framework, then work through it with the case facts, step by step.
Weigh the options
Compare alternatives before recommending one. Each option needs its advantage and its risk stated in the terms of the case.
Recommend and justify
Choose one course of action and defend it with evidence (The company's financial statements, Rothaermel and research). Include how you would implement it and how you would know it worked.
Answer every question asked
Check the case questions one last time. Each one needs a direct answer, clearly labeled, within Narrative of at least 15 pages of text, plus appendices and an Excel workbook.
Divide the work by section but keep one shared workbook so the narrative's numbers match the spreadsheet. Build pro formas from explicit assumptions tied to the proposed strategy (sales growth, margins, investment) and discount the incremental cash flows to compute NPV.
A structure for BUSI 690 Week 4 Group Case Study 1
Word targets are planning numbers for about 1,600 words of body text, set by the length in the guide; the rubric decides where to spend more.
| Section | What it must do | Target |
|---|---|---|
| External and internal analysis | PESTEL, five forces, VRIO, value chain. | ~380 words |
| Financial analysis | Historical statements and ratios. | ~290 words |
| Strategic alternatives | Options evaluated. | ~220 words |
| Proposed strategy | Choice, rationale and cash flow effect. | ~380 words |
| Pro formas and NPV | Projections and valuation of the strategy. | ~320 words |
A topic angle that works
Follow the strategic management process: analyze the external environment and internal resources, assess current performance from the financial statements, develop alternatives, then recommend one and show with pro formas and NPV how it increases cash flows.
Model paragraph with notes
An original paragraph written by our desk to show the register that earns full rubric credit. It is study material: learn the moves, then write your own.
We recommend that the company expand its private-label line from 18% to 30% of sales over three years. Private-label products carry gross margins about 10 points higher than branded goods, so the shift adds roughly $140 million to annual operating cash flow by year three after a $90 million investment in product development and packaging. Discounted at the company's 8% cost of capital, the strategy's NPV over five years is about $310 million.
- The strategy.
- Cash flow effect.
- NPV.
Mistakes that cost points on BUSI 690 Week 4
- Narrative numbers that differ from the workbook.
- A strategy without cash flow analysis.
- Under 15 pages.
Checklist before you submit
- Length: Narrative of at least 15 pages of text, plus appendices and an Excel workbook
- Sources: The company's financial statements, Rothaermel and research
- Every case question answered under its own heading
- A clear recommendation with its justification
- Each rubric row read against the section that answers it
Questions students ask
What spreadsheets does the BUSI 690 case study require?
Three years of historical income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements with year-over-year changes, at least three years of pro formas with changes, and NPV calculations.
How many points is BUSI 690 Week 4 Group Case Study 1 worth?
150 points in Liberty's published course guide for BUSI 690, out of a course total of 1,010 points (about 15% of the grade). The rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas shows how those points are divided.
Is BUSI 690 Week 4 the same in every section of BUSI 690?
This guide follows Liberty's published course guide for BUSI 690. Liberty notes that course content can change from term to term, so if your Canvas section shows different instructions, a different week or different points, follow Canvas and your instructor.
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