JWI 531 Finance II Assignment 1Template

HOW TO USE THIS TEMPLATE:

This is a template and checklist corresponding to your Assignment 1 paper: Enterprise Risk Management and Moat Strength. See below for an explanation of the color-coding in this template:

· All green text includes instructions to support your writing. You should delete all green text before submitting your final paper.

· All blue text indicates areas where you need to replace text with your own information. Replace the blue text with your own words in black.

· Headings and subheadings are written in black, bold type. Keep these in your paper.

TIPS:

· Write in the third person, using “he” or “she” or “they”, or using specific names. Do not use the second person “you”.

· The body of this paper has one-inch margins and uses a professional font (size 10-12); we recommend Arial or Times New Roman fonts.

· The Assignment template is already formatted with all needed specifications like margins, appropriate font, and double spacing.

· Before submitting your paper, use Grammarly to check for punctuation and usage errors and make the required corrections. Then read aloud to edit for tone and flow.

· You should also run your paper through SafeAssign to ensure that it meets the required standards for originality.

FINALIZING YOUR PAPER

Your submission should be a maximum of 4 pages in length. The page count does not include the Cover Page at the beginning and the References page at the end. The final paper that you submit for grading should be in black text only with all remaining green text and blue text removed .

Assignment 1: Enterprise Risk Analysis and Moat Strength

Vanessa Woodard

Jack Welch Management Institute

Professor Jason Power

JWI 531

Date

Introduction

An Introduction should be succinct and to the point. Start your Introduction with a general and brief observation about the paper’s topic. Write a thesis statement, which is the “road map” for your paper – it helps your reader to navigate your work. In your thesis statement, be specific about the major areas you plan to address in your paper.

The headings below should guide your introduction, since they identify the topics to be addressed in your paper. The introduction is not a graded part of your rubric but it helps your reader to understand what your assignment will be about. We recommend that you write this part of your Introduction after you complete the other sections of your paper. It only needs to be one paragraph in length.

Analysis and Recommendations

You must answer each of the following questions in your paper. Keep your responses focused on the topic. Straying off into additional areas, even if they are interesting, will not earn additional marks, and may actually detract from the clarity of your responses.

I. Where is each company in its corporate lifecycle (startup, growth, maturity or decline)? Explain.

Before writing your response to this question, make sure you understand what characterizes each of these categories used to describe corporate lifecycle. If you are still unclear based on your course readings, take some time to do additional research on the Web. In your answer, include a clear statement about where each (not just one) company is in its corporate lifecycle. Then, for each company, explain how it matches the characteristics that define the category. Include specific details such as how long the company has been around, whether demand for their products is growing or shrinking, and what the competitive landscape looks like. Your response to this question should be approximately two paragraphs in length.

II. Based on your review of the analysts’ reports and the 10-K reports, which company appears to have more risk? Why?

Note that this question requires you to review both the companies’ own published statements AND third-party sources. The focus of your response should be on the comparison of the overall risk levels the companies face. Do not simply restate the risks identified for each, but explain: (1) areas in which the risk levels are similar and (2) areas where they are different. Remember, you must explain WHY you have reached the conclusions you have about the overall risk-level comparison of the companies. You can probably address this question in a single paragraph, but your response should definitely not exceed two paragraphs.

III. Which categories of risk pose the greatest threat to each organization? Why?

This question is a continuation of the previous question. Now that you have compared relative overall risk levels of each company, you will get into detail about which risk categories pose the greatest threat to each organization. Your analysis may conclude that they face the greatest threats from the same risk sources, or that the risks each faces are from different sources. Since this question does not directly ask for a comparison in the way that the previous question did, you may decide that a paragraph on each company is the best way to respond, or you may prefer to first identify the risk categories that each faces and then create a second paragraph to explain why and defend your position. The second approach works well if the risk categories are the same for both companies. Your response to this question should be approximately two paragraphs in length.

IV. Which company has the stronger economic moat? Explain.

An economic moat is a metaphor for how a company creates and protects its place in the market. Moats are the capabilities the organization has to keep its customers coming back and to keep other competitors from stepping in and taking them away. Companies build moats through things like: price advantage, quality, speed of service, marketing, brand reputation, etc. In writing your response to this question, you must: (a) clearly state which company has the stronger economic moat, (b) summarize the factors that contribute to its moat strength in key areas, and (c) explain why you have concluded that the moat strength of one company is superior to the other. You can probably address this question in a single paragraph, but your response should definitely not exceed two paragraphs.

V. For the company that has the weaker economic moat, what two risk factors should they prioritize to improve their risk mitigation and strengthen their competitive advantage? Make specific reference to the applicable risk-management tools discussed on pages 30-63 of The CFO Guidebook.

The final question of your paper shifts from analysis to recommendation. Your reponse must present a plan of action. It is not sufficient to simply identify any two risk areas. Explain why these particular risks deserve to be prioritized. Remember, risk can never be entirely eliminated in business. It can only be managed. As you develop your position, stay focused on the two things that define risk management: (a) reducing the likelihood of the risk actually occurring and (b) minimizing the negative impact if the risk event actually does occur. A well-written response to this question must center on prioritization. That means you need to focus your recommendation on both the risks that could cause the most damage AND on actions that can be taken NOW to mitigate those risks. Focusing on a long-term high-risk factor may be important, but if there is a more immediate risk that needs to be addressed now, this may be the greater priority. Remember, your response must include a rationale for your recommendations. You can probably address this question in a single paragraph, but your response should definitely not exceed two paragraphs.

References

Use the information below to format your in-text citations correctly. Note how the source number connects each citation with the References list on the last page of your paper.

For more citation examples and a sample References page, see the Sample Professional Paper and the JWMI Writing Standards Guide. You can find both these documents in the Course Documents menu item in your Blackboard course.

In-Text Citations

Within the body of your paper, when concepts from specific sources are used, a citation with the author’s last name and the number of the citation in your References list is required: e.g., (Welch, 1). This is called an in-text citation. See below for two examples:

“Leadership is about helping other people grow and succeed” (Welch, 1).

In this example, notice the placement of quotation marks, cited text, and the period after the citation. The number 1 corresponds to the first entry on your References page.

When the reader looks at the References page, they should see the Welch book Winning listed as source number one (1). It is number 1 because it is the first source used in the paper, and throughout the paper this source will continue to be referred to as (1).

If the next source you use in your paper is Bragg, then your citation is (Bragg, 2). If you then refer to Jack’s ideas again later in the paper, he remains (Welch, 1) because it is the first source used in the paper, and throughout the paper this source will continue to be referred to as (1).

Linking Citations with your References Page

At the end of your paper, include a page with a list of all your references. It must include an entry for every source that you have cited or quoted in your paper.

The format of the references list varies by source type. There are examples of different source types in the sample References page at the end of this document. You may also refer to the Sample Professional Paper and/or the JWMI Writing Standards Guide. You can find both these documents in the Course Documents menu item in your Blackboard course.

Quotations

Originality is an important aspect of graduate writing. To ensure original thinking and avoid plagiarism, you should keep direct quotation to a minimum. Generally, keep your quotes to 25 words or less, and no more than 1-2 sentences. See below for an example of a direct quotation:

“Leadership is about helping other people grow and succeed” (Welch, 1).

In this example, notice the placement of quotation marks, cited text, and the period after the citation. The number 1 corresponds to the first entry on our References page.

Paraphrasing

When you paraphrase, you put the information from another writer in your own words. This is much preferable to quoting, as it shows your understanding of the material. In this case, you should use in-text citation, but quotation marks are not required. See below for an example of paraphrasing:

In his Rule 3, Welch says that strong leaders display an impression of vitality and confidence (1).

Since the author’s name was used in the sentence, we do not need to include it again in the parentheses, so we just provide the Reference number, which is (1).

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