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Report Length:

• All case reports will be limited to five (10) pages of written text, not counting appendix items, diagrams, charts, etc. These reports will be graded according to the level of professionalism (in both substance and aesthetics) and a length-to-contribution ratio.

Report Structure:

In terms of organization and layout, you are welcome to submit written reports using any format you see fit.  However, please keep the following in mind:
• Aesthetics: Use 11 or 12-point Times New Roman font. The report is to be double spaced with 1" margins all around (use 1.25-1.5" left margin if binding eats up too much of the margin). Number each page of report body beginning with Issues and Outlook Profile as page 1. Use endnote notation – rather than footnotes – throughout body where appropriate with endnotes listed after last page of body. Provide cover page with report title and your name. Use common, low-cost binding technology.
• Use section labels and subsection labels whenever possible. This makes it easier to quickly identify important components of the report. In the body, refer the reader to tables, figures, or other appendix items where appropriate.
• Endnotes and References (unlimited, but prudent): This is a numerical listing of the endnotes and references you used in the body of the paper. You are free to use endnotes to provide a 1-2 sentence elaboration of points of "tangential relevance" to certain elements in the body of the report. Should you need to use credible outside sources, endnotes are also convenient vehicles to cite and list such references.
• Appendix Items (unlimited pg.): You are required to provide supplementary materials which serve to clarify or augment case facts or arguments made in the body of the report. You are encouraged to use charts, diagrams, lists, tables, photos, etc. which provide some relevant contribution to the report. Also, depending on the focus of each particular case, a pro forma income statement is required. There is no limit to the number of appendix items you choose to attach. However, include them with discretion and purpose.

• Each case report (oral and written) should include some of the following section/topics in the report body:

• Issues and Outlook Profile: This section should broadly address only the most important issues confronting the firm? What is the significance of each? What has been the firm’s level of/interest in international activities up until the "end" of the case? Has the firm been successful? Why? Could the firm be successful? Very broadly, where is the firm headed? Consider a 3-5 year time frame both before the "end" of the case and into the future. (No histories, please. Be mindful of who your "audience" is. The executives of the firm are already knowledgeable about the firm.).
• External Analysis: Which environmental forces are most likely to influence the firm’s actions and future performance: international competitive, economic, political, cultural, technological, or legal forces or actors? Who are the firm’s present/future customers? ...competitors? Use these questions to develop list of opportunities and threats and briefly discuss why each are important.
• Internal Analysis: What are the firm’s sources of international competitive advantage? Has the firm approached international management (i.e., global market participation, market entry modes, location and configuration of specific functional/value chain activities, etc.) in a way that leverages its competitive advantage and/or potential for success? Does the firm follow and international strategy appropriate for the matrix of environmental forces? Is the firm structured appropriately? Is the firm’s leadership effective? Use these questions to develop a list of strengths and weaknesses and discuss why each are important.
• Action Recommendations: This section comprises the largest, most important single section of the paper and should be given the most weight and attention. It may be most helpful to put yourself in the shoes of an outside consultant who is been hired by the protagonist(s) or the top-management team (TMT) in the case. To receive your full consulting fee, you must persuade the TMT to adopt your specific recommendations instead of some competing consulting team’s recommendations.
• First, specify a mission statement for international involvement for the firm. (Written: Use italics to set off the mission statement from other text. A sentence or two before and/or after the mission statement may be included for clarification, intent, and/or elaboration.)
• Then, a set of specific goals – financial and/or strategic goal need to be identified. Also, provide some indication as to the timeframe by which each goal is to be achieve. Use numbering or bullet point format to draw attention to each one. Have a set of goals which is neither too simplistic (only one or two); nor too complex (7-8 goals).
• Next, develop a detailed strategic action plan which addresses all or most of the salient issues you identified in the sections above. For example, you might have identified a new, attractive national market to sell to (external analysis); yet, the firm lacks the experience and/or resources to move into the market with sufficient speed or force (internal analysis). You might then recommend that the firm form an alliance with another firm. However, you must provide more specific details about the critical aspects of alliance formation: partner selection criteria, degree of formality (equity-based vs. loose commitment); contributions of each partner (cash vs. technology vs. distribution channel vs. marketing knowledge); relative control over alliance for each partner; roles and responsibilities of each partner; and, expected results for the alliance. NOTE: This section should be as complete as possible. That is, your strategic action plan should leave very few issues identified in the External and Internal analysis sections unresolved.
• The best plans are likely to be broken up into discrete, identifiable components and sub-sections (like those identified in the alliance example above). Each component of the overall action plan should contain the following: sub-section label, a set of specific "strategic" tasks to be carried out, justifications, a brief description of new resources required/to be developed, and a brief description as to how this action component will contribute to the attainment of one or more of the goals identified. For oral presentations, this is easy to accomplish - since each PowerPoint slide can help you effectively delineate one idea from the next.

(NOTE: It is not necessary to have one-for-one goal-action pairs. In some instances, specific strategic actions can relate to more than one goal.) Your overall plan of action and set of goals should, in many cases, be challenging, yet achievable – creative and innovative, yet feasible.

• Each team will present it’s recommendations for the assigned case to the class. If the team plays the role of an outside consulting firm, the class/audience will play the role of the firm’s principal shareholders and industry analysts. Thus, the oral presentation should be conducted in the most professional manner possible: clarity, brevity, impact, energy, passion, and persuasiveness all are very important. Total presentation time will limited to 20 minutes.

• Oral reports will cover the following: issues and outlook, external analysis, internal analysis, and strategic recommendation (mission, goals, and detailed action plan). Since the oral report is only 20 minutes long, presenters should identify only the most important "pre-recommendation" issues (» 4-5 minutes). Presenters should therefore emphasize the action plan (» 8-10 minutes). Presenters are required to prepare overheads using Microsoft PowerPoint. Use at least 32-point font. Also, please bring enough copies of your "executive summary" to distribute to everyone in the class.

• Following each presentation, the class will fulfill their concerned shareholder roles by asking salient, challenging, and probing questions (» 8-10 minutes) of the presentation team. To encourage participation, I will randomly select one or two teams to play this concerned shareholder role. (NOTE: This format requires that presentation be well-rehearsed and ALL "shareholders" be fully prepared.)

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