Global Strategy and Policy

Internal Analysis

Your group project is essentially a strategic analysis of your team’s company, the industry in which it competes and an assessment of its current strategy such that your team makes recommendations to changes in that existing strategy. Your required reading for Modules 1 and 3 as well as related lecture and notes area hyperlinks that the lectures referred you to in those and Team Building Module A Slide 4 summarized what a ‘strategic analysis” entails. [Most students glom over this stuff since you have been exposed to all of these terms and concepts in many prior classes.]
That material should have impressed the importance of the “Internal Analysis” as a major section of the strategic analysis upon you.
Briefly, any conventional “Internal Analysis” section of a strategic analysis (in conventional classes and in this one) requires that students:
• Have a clear understanding of the company’s value chain (i.e. “systems diagram” with main throughput-generating links and supporting links and the business model concisely and clearly articulated)
• Has a concise summary of company resources, assets and core competencies.
• Systematically evaluates (and substantiates with facts and data) how well the various links IN that value chain are performing their functions resulting in a set of (possible) “Strengths and Weaknesses”.
• Correctly assesses the company’s current strategy(ies) and how well these appear to working in terms of how the company performs (usually financially).
In other words, this important section of a strategic analysis is a comprehensive, fact-based snapshot of where a company is, whether it is successful or not, and includes an assessment as to why that’s the case.
• Finally, because so many strategic planning and implementation initiatives fail (or produce less than planned results when implemented), the strategic analysis students do for this class must ALSO include a section in the internal analysis that identifies, via a logic, cause-effect analysis (CRT diagram) which link or functional area is the “constraint” area of the company and an explanation and defense as to why it is the constraint.[As you should’ve gleaned from the hyperlinked articles as well as the Viable Vision and Blue Ocean Strategy reading you were to have done to date, many organizations are not focused correctly on where the ‘weak link’ in their system is and as a result, undertake strategies that tax or overload the constraint or don’t prioritize addressing deficiencies in its operation resulting in the company not being able to achieve the results it seeks.]
Your group’s efforts to identify what is required to do this (and how to get the necessary data and information to obtain it from its company) will be the focus of Team Building Module B, ESB 2, the Module 3 content as well as supplementary videos and required and hyperlinked additional reading.
IPW 1 is where each of you individuallycompletes an “internal analysis” of the workings of the company upon which you and your groupdecided to use as your “living lab”. Each of you is required to use the data and information your team receives from your selected company and any additional information or insight you can glean (and properly attribute) from secondary sources (not your team mates) in order to complete the required components of the Internal Analysis.With the exception of Step 1 of the process (which the team does as soon as possible once ESB 2 is completed and once it starts on Team Building Module B tasks), ALL of this (IPW 1) is to be done individually –NOT as a group.
The items that should be contained in it were first introduced on Slide 19 of Module 3. Module 3‘s materials were designed to walk you through what each item or section was focused uponas well as provide numerousguidelines for doing each step successfully. That material as provided tips on what to avoid and/or how to improve or strengthen the analysis’ components.

The information in Module 3 not only summarized key points from your text but provided additional material regarding cause-effect analysis of weaknesses and was supplemented with additional hyperlinked readings and materials to assist you. The hope/expectation is that you reference and useall of this in your Internal Analysis. Another resource was the ESB submissions made available as well as the Team Building Module B Task 2 discussion forums.
The bulleted list below reiterates how and where each of the 7 items listed above explained what you were to do (and provided examples, tips, ‘watch outs’, etc. about HOW to do each).
• Everyone on the team should be using the system diagram of the company, the industry supply chain and business model description in their IPW 1. Recall: you were to have gotten that validated based upon input from your team’s company. (Item 1 on the slide 19 image on p. 1)
o Everyone on the team provided some perspective about this when each did Task 1 for ESB 2.
• Your team, when completing Team Building Part B activities, finalized the questions and overall data gathering process that by now should’ve yielded data (as well as clarifications) that each of you is expected (thus completed Items 2-4 on the slide 19 image on p. 1).
o How you want to explain or provide this (or where you want to position this in your IPW 1) is up to you.I’d strongly suggest that your Internal Analysis includes something about this…
• The three components of a traditional Internal Analysis referred to in Item 5 on the slide 19 image on
p. 1 above were summarized on slides5-16 of Module 3:
o Slides 6-7of that module walked you through how to tackle the first component and gave examples of resources, capabilities and competencies.
o Slides 8-12of that module led you through what needed to be done for the second component of the traditional Internal Analysis. It therefore explained what value chain analysis was, provided typical performance metrics for each link commonly found in most organizations’ value chains which should enable you to identify strengths and weaknesses and current strategies.
 That material should’ve guided what your team decided it needed to look for and what information to get from its research.
o Slides 14-15 of that module explained the third component that is generally in a traditional Internal Analysis which is succinctly stating the organization’s competitive advantage and making a determination as to its impact (i.e. does the organization’s performance indicate success?).
o Slide 20 of Module 3 tried to give you specific examples and tips about presenting findings for Item 5 on the slide 19 image on p. 1 as well.
• Completing Item 6 (on the slide 19 image on p. 1) of the overall process was explained along with examples and trouble-shooting tips regarding how to formulate the UDEs (undesirable effects) that are the heart of your cause-effect analysis on Slides 23-28 of Module 3.
• The balance of Module 3 walks you through how to do Item 7 on the slide 19 image on p. 1:
o Slides 31-41 was full of troubleshooting tips for putting the UDEs together into a single cause-effect diagram (you had supplementary reading to give you additional insight here).
o The balance of Module 3 illustrates how to diagnose the systems constraint (the last part of Item 7).
The grading rubric(a version of which is appended at the end of this file but viewable as well in the Assignments tab) for IPW 1 essentially lists these items but also may give you some idea about how I will assess your work on the grading criteria explained (and used consistently for all work).
There are no specific details or requirements about number of pages or words, sections, nor examples of completed IPWs provided: Remember that part of what I’m trying to develop in each of you is the ability to plan out a good investigatory process and to execute it by putting together an effective and efficient format for your results. Because this assignment requires research, university policy about properly attributing information that is from other sources– and penalties associated with not doing so – applies. Essentially, you should adopt the perspective that you were the ONLY one on your team who was tasked with doing the “Internal Analysis”. Try to make it so good that it could be used “as is” to present to your team’s company. Clearly, it needs to explain therefore what was done, findings, inferences, etc. FOR the company’s management.
NOTE: Most students tend to perform better on generating the conventional resources, competencies, “strengths and weaknesses” portion of the Internal Analysis. HistoricallyI’ve seen a LOT more variability – ranging from some students completely ignoring required the additional items to stellar, sound ‘cause-effect ANALYSIS” that builds a case for the diagnosed root cause & core conflict of the constraint area regarding Item 5 on the required items listed above.
I will holdone or two open Q&A/live chatsto answer questions, give additional pointers on how to best and most efficiently organize and present your work and/or to help you fix where you find yourself a little stuck.
Recall:the higher of your IPW 1 and IPW 2 scores is weighted more heavily in determining your final grade.
A copy of your completed IPW1 must be submitted through BOTH the TurnItInas well as the IPW 1 tab in the Assignments tab on Canvas (assuming I can figure out how to set the former up properly in Canvas).
Date/Time IPW 1 and Turnitin copy are due:11:59 p.m. on SUNDAYNovember 4th

Hill, Barth & King LLC

Organizational Chart

Ownership of HBK is made up of a group of individuals, referred to as the Executive Committee. The company is structured utilizing a functional multidivisional system. Each engagement agreement represents a project which is customized based on the client’s needs. Below is a breakdown of organizational structure.

Business Model

Hill, Barth & King LLC, doing business as HBK CPAs LLC (“HBK”) is a financial services firm. HBK offers its clientele a multitude of financial services, such as tax, litigation, valuation and wealth management and planning. These services constitute the firm’s’ product-based business.
HBK’s parent company, Hill, Barth & King Financial Holdings LLC, also owns a Financial Industry Regulation Authority Inc. (“FINRA”) registered broker-dealer in addition to a Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) registered investment advisory firm. This allows HBK to provide a large suite of financial services to its clients, encouraging them to use the firm for all of their financial needs.

Systems Diagram
Each service line offered on the company’s website represents the products HBK brings to financial services market. In the illustration below, the blue links represent the firm’s core processes. These links illustrate the general sequence of events that takes place from client introduction to billing. Red links identify the department, group, or individuals that support the completion of each process in the chain.
The company’s material inputs are entities, which includes individuals. Suppliers of these inputs primarily include other financial firms (via referrals), HBK employees aimed at expanding existing client’s services, and “new lead generation” which is performed by all staff. Ultimately, the principal group (all HBK individuals titled “Principal”) and senior management are responsible for bringing in new business.

Questions for HBK

Core Links

Link 1 [Initial Client Contact]

● What is percentage of the prospects become actual clients of the firm? Can you provide estimates for a) new prospects b) referrals c) current/previous clients?
● What are the biggest challenges you face with getting clients to sign agreements?

Link3 [Engagement Projects Agreement & Client Intake]/Link 4 [Completion of Project per Engagement Agreement

● What percentage of projects are completed on time? Please indicate tools or methods used to ensure timeliness completion of the project (such as software, checklists, and support staff)?
● Where do you see the most delays or issues in the flow of the project?
● How often do you go over budget on projects?
● Is there certain quotas or commissions that are followed, and if so what are they?

Link 5[Client Deliverables]

● What metrics constitute a successful client deliverable (e.g. timeliness, client acceptance, etc.)?
● What feedback mechanism do you use to measure client satisfaction: (Is the process formalized and if so, what questions are included)?
● Of the services offered, which has the highest ROI and popularity between clients?

Supporting Links

Marketing

● How high is the customer satisfaction rating in terms of quality and pricing?
● What is the customer retention rate after initial contact has occurred?
● “Please describe one or two distinguishing competencies, if any, that your department (function) exhibits consistently that most others in your industry do not appear to have [For example, your company may have a received an award or some recognition from an industry trade group.]”
● How often is your marketing plan adjusted to continue catching new clients attention, how do you know it’s time to review your plan?

HR Link
● What is your retention rate of your employees and how do you make sure to keep your employees content?
● What is your utilization requirement for employees?
● Is there a seasonality with different services, and what is the experienced layoff, if any?