STEP ONE: Company selection and analysis

• The student should select a company for analysis and write up a profile of the company selected. My selection is facebook. The profile should include:

• Discussion of firm Mission/Vision

• Presentation and discussion of the firm's current strategic plans and/or direction

• Discussion of the firm's culture

• A brief discussion of the firm's structure and organization

• The above subject areas could be presented in a "strengths/weaknesses" format as part of an overall SWOT-style analysis

• Approximately 5-7 pages, double-spaced, typed

STEP TWO: Article selection and analysis

• Write a report on an article that was written within the past year that deals with a topic directly affecting the competitiveness of the student's chosen firm.

The article chosen should have something important to say about an element of organizational effectiveness - it can profile a dramatic social trend, give an industry prediction, address a strategic competency like leadership or HR, highlight a current environmental issue (for instance, the social responsibility component of sustainability), or comment on financial or market failures, etc.

• Students should give a brief summary of the article, identifying the issue that attracted them to the article, explain why this issue is important, and what they learned from the article.

• Students should discuss how the subject of the article will affect their firm from a competitive perspective, highlighting any relevant changes necessary to the management structure, culture, or strategic direction of the firm.

• Approximately 5-7 pages, double-spaced, typed.

• All citations and references must be in MLA format