BMGT101 WEEK 7 ASSIGNMENT 2 SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH

Assignment #2: (Week 7)
Purpose:
Throughout the course, you have
learned a wide array of business concepts and theories. This assignment is designed to have you
demonstrate knowledge of the material learned in the course applying concepts
and theories to a case scenario.
Outcomes Met With This Assignment:
After completing this course, you
should be able to:
identify the critical business
functions and how they interact in order to position the organization to be
effective in the current business environment
explain the importance of the
integration of individuals and systems to organizational effectiveness
describe the ethical and social
responsibilities that confront a business
Assignment Instructions:
This assignment is the second of
two assignments. In this paper, you will
analyze and discuss small business growth in terms of growth strategy, business
forms, short and medium term goals, financing assistance, organizational
structure and staffing needs, customers and promotion, and ethics and social
responsibility. You will apply business and management concepts learned
throughout the course to the case scenario provided.
Step 1: Preparation for Writing the Assignment
Before you begin writing the
paper, you will read the following requirements that will help you meet the
writing and APA requirements. Not
reading this information will lead to a lower grade:
Review “How to Analyze a Case
Study” under Week 4 Content. You will
use the facts from the case scenario focusing on using this information to
determine opportunities and solve problems.
Read the grading rubric for the
assignment. Use the grading rubric while
writing the paper to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the
highest possible grade.
In writing this assignment, you
will read and following these tasks:
Task 1: Third person writing is required. Third person means that there are no words
such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you
or your” (second person writing). If
uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link:
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person.
Task 2: Contractions are not used in business
writing, so DO NOT use contractions in writing this assignment.
Task 3: You are expected to paraphrase and are NOT to
use direct quotes. You are expected to
paraphrase, which can be learned by reviewing this link:
https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html.
Task 4: You are responsible for APA only for in-text
citations and a reference list.
Task 5: You are expected to use the facts from the
case scenario paired with the weekly courses readings to develop the analysis
and support the reasoning. No more than
two (2) external resources can be used in completing the assignment. The expectation is that you provide a robust
use of the course readings. If any
material is used from a source document, it must be cited and referenced. A reference within a reference list cannot
exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa. View the sample APA paper and the How to
Cite and Reference file located under Week 7 content.
Please see Week 1 Content area –
“How to Cite the Saylor eBook” to learn how to cite and reference the course
eBook.
Note: Whenever material is used from any source
document, it must be cited and referenced.
Step 2: How to Set Up the Paper
Create a Word or Rich Text Format
(RTF) document that is double-spaced, 12-point font. The final product will be between 7-8 pages
in length excluding the title page and reference page. You may not exceed eight (8) pages so it is
important to write clearly and concisely.
Follow this format. Consider making an outline to ensure the
correct headings are in place and to keep you organize the paper.
Title page with the title, your
name, course number and name; date, and the instructor’s name;
Introduction
Body, in paragraph form. Use the
following section headings:
Growth Strategy (Note: a growth strategy is not a marketing
strategy)
Business Form
Financing Assistance
Organizational Structure and
Staffing Needs
Customers and Promotion
Ethical Issues and Social
Responsibility
Summary paragraph
Step 3: Read the Case Scenario provided under Week 7
Step 4: Write the Introduction
Create the introductory
paragraph. The introductory paragraph is
the first paragraph of the paper and tells a reader the main points covered in
the paper. To help you know how to write
an introduction, view this website to learn how to write an introductory
paragraph:
http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html
Step 5: Growth Strategy
Phoebe has to have a plan to grow
her business. Read the course readings
on Entrepreneurship as well as other chapters in the eBook. Then:
Discuss the steps Phoebe should
take to organize and prioritize her business growth strategy. NOTE:
a growth strategy is different than a marketing strategy so do not go to
the Internet and pull up articles that discuss market expansion, market
penetration, product expansion and diversification as this information is not
what Step 5 is referencing.
Step 6: Business Form
Phoebe currently operates using a
sole proprietorship business form.
Phoebe enjoys all facets of owning a business. Now expanding by owning a restaurant, Phoebe
will reconsider the current business form and determine the best business form
for expanding the business.
All business forms have advantages
and disadvantages so create a table with three columns. Label the first column, “Business
Form.” Label the second column, “Advantages” and the third column,
“Disadvantages.” Review the material on business forms and complete the table
making sure to cover all business forms and capturing the advantages and
disadvantages of each business form.
Once you have identified several
advantages and disadvantages, then you are to discuss the advantages and
disadvantages and identify the business form that best fits Phoebe’s expansion
plan. Explain why the business form selected best fits Phoebe’s expansion plan.
Step 7: Financing Assistance
Phoebe has to ensure she has the
resources to handle the expected growth.
For Phoebe to have the resources
needed to manage the expected growth, she must have financing in place.
Discuss what kind of financing
assistance might be available to Phoebe.
Select the best financing option
for Phoebe’s business and explain why the financing assistance was chosen.
Step 8: Staffing
Needs/Organizational Structure
Phoebe knows that the expansion
will require changes to the staffing.
Think about the business and what Phoebe needs in terms of human capital
and how she can best organize the business so that she organize every employee
and create a chain of command.
How might Phoebe’s staffing needs
change?
Discuss the best way for Phoebe to
organize, orient, and train her restaurant staff.
What organizational structure
would work best for Phoebe’s expanded business?
[e.g., vertical hierarchy, functional, teams, flat (horizontal), matrix]
to meet the needs of her new business;
Step 9: Customers/Promoting the
Business
Two of Phoebe’s main concerns have
to do with her current customers, and how she can promote the business with
limited funds. Make sure to read the
chapters in the eBook and explain:
How should Phoebe deal with her current customers about the
change?
What kind of promotion should she
consider in attracting customers to her new location? Be thorough with the
responses.
Step 10: Ethics and Social
Responsibility
With having only a few employees,
Phoebe has never put a lot of thought about how she can ensure her business is
run ethically. At the same time, Phoebe
has not put much thought into being socially responsible although she believes
strongly in supporting the community and does so by purchasing products
locally.
What are the ethical issues and
potential social responsibilities highlighted by this change in business?
(Consider customers, employees, the current and new communities, and other
stakeholders.)
How might these issues be dealt
with most appropriately?
Step 11: Write the summary paragraph
Write the summary paragraph. A
summary paragraph restates the main topics of the paper. Make sure to leave a reader with a sense that
the paper is complete. The summary
paragraph is the last paragraph of a paper and does not need a heading.
Step 12: Review the Paper
Read the paper to ensure all
required elements are present. Use the
grading rubric to ensure that you gain the most points possible for this
assignment.
Proofread the paper for spelling
and grammatical issues, and third person writing.
Read the paper aloud as a first
measure;
Use the spell and grammar check in
Word as a second measure;
Have someone who has excellent
English skills to proof the paper;
Consider submitting the paper to
the Effective Writing Center (EWC). The
EWC will provide 4-6 areas that may need improvement.
Step 13: Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder.