MBA Strategy Consulting Project
Timeline
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May 14, 2019Experience start
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June 22, 2019Phase 1: Preliminary Assessment and Research Plan
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September 22, 2019Phase 2: Research and Analysis
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October 22, 2019Phase 3: Strategic Direction
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December 12, 2019Phase 4: Final Presentation to Faculty Panel
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December 14, 2019Experience end
Timeline
-
May 14, 2019Experience start
-
June 22, 2019Phase 1: Preliminary Assessment and Research Plan
Preliminary assessment that describes the internal and external environments of the business, presents a preliminary assessment of key issues. Development of a detailed research/project plan
-
September 22, 2019Phase 2: Research and Analysis
Comprehensive analysis of the company and its external environment with conclusions about possible opportunities, threats, and future prospects. Preliminary strategic alternatives are outlined and discussed.
-
October 22, 2019Phase 3: Strategic Direction
Draft report with finalized key issues and their rationale. Alternatives are evaluated and recommendations developed.
-
December 12, 2019Phase 4: Final Presentation to Faculty Panel
Final report and presentation with highlights of the strategic assessment and detailed description of key strategic issues, recommendation and implementation plan, including solid rationales.
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December 14, 2019Experience end
Experience scope
Categories
Accounting Market research Operations Product or service launch Marketing strategySkills
competitive analysis business consulting strategic analysis financial analysis market researchSchulich MBA student-consultants will undertake a comprehensive strategic study of your organization and its external environment to identify key strategic issues and develop actionable recommendations - including an implementation plan - to help your organization achieve its goals.
Feedback from past clients indicates that they most appreciate the in-depth analysis and objective assessment of their operations and the new insights and perspectives introduced by the students.
Learners
Final deliverables include:
- A 40-page business-style report summarizing the assessment and presenting strategy and action recommendations, backed up by specific research appendices with summaries of the purpose, the methodology, and the major findings of the research.
- A 20-minute presentation summarizing the research findings and arguing the value of the recommended strategy and action plans.
Project timeline
-
May 14, 2019Experience start
-
June 22, 2019Phase 1: Preliminary Assessment and Research Plan
-
September 22, 2019Phase 2: Research and Analysis
-
October 22, 2019Phase 3: Strategic Direction
-
December 12, 2019Phase 4: Final Presentation to Faculty Panel
-
December 14, 2019Experience end
Timeline
-
May 14, 2019Experience start
-
June 22, 2019Phase 1: Preliminary Assessment and Research Plan
Preliminary assessment that describes the internal and external environments of the business, presents a preliminary assessment of key issues. Development of a detailed research/project plan
-
September 22, 2019Phase 2: Research and Analysis
Comprehensive analysis of the company and its external environment with conclusions about possible opportunities, threats, and future prospects. Preliminary strategic alternatives are outlined and discussed.
-
October 22, 2019Phase 3: Strategic Direction
Draft report with finalized key issues and their rationale. Alternatives are evaluated and recommendations developed.
-
December 12, 2019Phase 4: Final Presentation to Faculty Panel
Final report and presentation with highlights of the strategic assessment and detailed description of key strategic issues, recommendation and implementation plan, including solid rationales.
-
December 14, 2019Experience end
Project Examples
Requirements
Beginning in May, a team of six to seven MBA students will spend up to a combined 1,500 total hours completing a comprehensive study of your company and all of its business functions.
Based on their in-depth research and analysis, the student-consultants will identify future prospects for the organization and recommend specific strategic actions, including a detailed implementation plan and an outline of the financial implications.
Area of Focus:
Instead of focusing on one area of your business, the team will perform a comprehensive analysis of your organization, including internal (e.g., financial health; customer base; strategic capabilities; human capital) and external (e.g., competitors; industry and market trends; customer behaviour; technological developments) factors. This will lead to insights and recommendations that address the needs of your organization, holistically. However, organizations are encouraged to provide a goal or suggested area of focus to guide the students' direction.
Areas that students may focus on include, but are not limited to:
- New market entry
- New product offerings
- Sale of the company
- Streamlining operations or channels
- Changing organizational structure
Typically, a successful application to this course would: Submit an open-ended project idea with a high-level goal relating to the potential student areas of focus or course learning outcomes. These Capstone student-consultants will work with you to decide what is the best direction to take the project.
Your project proposal must answer the following questions:
- What problem/opportunity would you like students to address through this project?
- What are the benefits of this project to your organization/customers?
- What information and/or data set(s), if applicable, will you providing to student teams? Please describe the format. If students will be using publicly available data, can you please provide a link to a representative data set?
Before applying, we recommend that you create your project scope with this template: Field Study Consulting Project Template.
Additional company criteria
Companies must answer the following questions to submit a match request to this experience:
Complete the legal agreement to participate: https://hubs.ly/H09Fg1V0
Provide students access to gain input from management team, customers, suppliers and staff.
Provide a dedicated contact/liaison who will deal with information requests and scheduling over the duration of the project.
Non-profit organizations to have at least $1.5M in revenue to qualify for the Strategy Field Study.
Provide students access to internal financials (margins, detailed operating costs, etc). NDAs will be provided by Schulich.
Attend final presentation in person, if possible. Alternatively, a virtual meeting can be arranged.
Eligibility criteria: $5M+ in annual revenue with a preference for companies with 50+ employees. Entrepreneurial companies with a proven track record may also apply. Exceptions may be made for projects that pose interesting strategic challenges. Please include annual revenue, employee number and business ownership structure in your application to determine eligibility.
Attend one kick-off meeting and monthly check-in with students - at a minimum of about 10 to 12 hours in total.
Timeline
-
May 14, 2019Experience start
-
June 22, 2019Phase 1: Preliminary Assessment and Research Plan
-
September 22, 2019Phase 2: Research and Analysis
-
October 22, 2019Phase 3: Strategic Direction
-
December 12, 2019Phase 4: Final Presentation to Faculty Panel
-
December 14, 2019Experience end
Timeline
-
May 14, 2019Experience start
-
June 22, 2019Phase 1: Preliminary Assessment and Research Plan
Preliminary assessment that describes the internal and external environments of the business, presents a preliminary assessment of key issues. Development of a detailed research/project plan
-
September 22, 2019Phase 2: Research and Analysis
Comprehensive analysis of the company and its external environment with conclusions about possible opportunities, threats, and future prospects. Preliminary strategic alternatives are outlined and discussed.
-
October 22, 2019Phase 3: Strategic Direction
Draft report with finalized key issues and their rationale. Alternatives are evaluated and recommendations developed.
-
December 12, 2019Phase 4: Final Presentation to Faculty Panel
Final report and presentation with highlights of the strategic assessment and detailed description of key strategic issues, recommendation and implementation plan, including solid rationales.
-
December 14, 2019Experience end