Topic:Report on a company or venture that is pursuing a social or sustainable business model, technology, or product line.
Subject:Busines
Volume: 3 pages
Type: Essay
Format: APA
Description
A venture-strategy report is essentially a mini-case about the company.
Choosing a Company/Venture
While I prefer you to report on a new venture, you will have to determine whether or not you can find sufficient information on a non-public company or early stage venture. A sweet spot is a public company that pursues a single line of business (such as Whole Foods or Tesla motors). The Find a B Corp website (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. may also be a good place to start your search.
You may also examine a certain product line, business unit, or strategic initiative of a diversified public company (such as the GE Ecomagination program, or Toyota’s alternative vehicle strategy), although the financial aspects of such programs tend to be hidden. If you do choose a private company or start-up venture, make sure you can find a reasonable amount of information on the company. Your choice should also align with the sectors examined in the class, although I encourage you to first and foremost choose a company that is of interest to you.
Research
I expect your research to be extensive and much more inclusive than a simple Internet search, or a repeat of company documents. Independent evaluations, such as newspaper articles, trade magazine reports, or investment analyses are essential. Please include a list of references cited at the end of the report, and cite the sources of information in APA format throughout the text. IPO prospectus and annual reports can provide very high quality information.
Report Format
Reports should be two to four single-spaced typed pages, not including references. Please submit in Times New Roman, 12 pt. font and do not exceed four pages. Please avoid writing in the first person in your report (meaning do not use “I”), and use present tense when speaking of the company, unless you are talking about its history or prior events.
While I encourage you to use your creative writing and organizational skills to best communicate the nature of the company, the following provides a suggested outline for the assignment. Unless you use another format, please utilize the subheadings provided below.
________________________________________
________________________________________
M E M O R A N D U M
From: <Your Name>
Re: <Company Name> Venture Memo
Date: <date>
________________________________________
Company Overview – Provide a description of the company’s history, current status, and basic product/service and purpose. Possible topics include formation history, major events, size of the business, founders, top management team, mission, and indicators of financial or other success (level of revenues growth, market acceptance). This section should create interest in the company as well as provide an overview.
Product/Technology – Provide details of the product, service or technology. In particular, note what is different about it, and the customer benefits. This is also a good place to discuss the nature of the technology more broadly (i.e., how do solar photovoltaic’s function and what is unique about this company’s photovoltaic product).
Business Strategy – Provide an overview of the company’s strategy for delivering its product or service and succeeding in the market place. Possible topics include target market, need being addressed, and value proposition. Other topics include the company’s place in the value chain, source of competitive advantage, sustainability of competitive advantage, market share, and major partners and customers.
Market/Industry Overview – Describe the competitive space and the market for the venture. Who are the primary competitors, what is the structure of the industry and current industry trends (political, economic, and environmental) that impact the business? What is the market failure or gap that the venture fills? Describe the market in general, as well as the specific target market being pursued by the company.
Sustainability/Ethics – Provide a discussion of the sustainable and social aspects of the business, as well as any social mission or ethical aspects the company may have. Possible topics include the company’s social and environmental practices and how the business model or product is fundamentally more sustainable, and why. Do these aspects contribute to the potential success of the venture?
Success Indicators – Describe any indicators of financial or other success in the company. This is the place to include financial information if available. If financial information is not available, focus more on other indicators of success (or difficulties).
Analysis and Conclusion – What do you think of the company and its prospects, competitive position, challenges, opportunities, trends. Summarize what is important and different about this company, and what are the chances of success, as well as what these chances are these based upon. This is an important section of the report because it demonstrates your ability to analyze the situation of the company.
Works Cited – APA “works cited” format at end of report and referenced throughout document.
