Final Project Instructions

MGMT 7450
The Concept
You will develop a communication strategy based on a situation you
have encountered or are encountering in a business situation (be sure
you have permission to discuss this situation in this class).

If you are unable to think of a suitable situation, the instructor can

provide examples from actual companies, but this will require
additional research on your part.
The Concept (continued)
An ideal situation is one where a company faced a negative challenge and had to respond to
something like:
an unhappy clienta news report of wrongdoing
a failure to meet deadlines poor quality performance
a crisis (internal or external) bad reaction from employees over a policy

OR

A situation where the company wanted to publicize something positive like:

a major product improvement winning a major project
opening of new services a major expansion
outstanding financial performance
The Concept (continued)

What is essential is that the company had to undertake a strategic effort to

communicate to an audience. In classes similar to this one I have students who
decided to look at situations like Taco Bell after their E.coli outbreak, Uber after
the charges of discrimination and sexual harassment, Costco’s launch of their
online sales division, Linbeck winning a major construction project, etc. If possible,
however, I would like you to use an example from your own experience.

Your role in this assignment will be to assess the communication strategy that was
used and make recommendations about how the strategy could have been more
effective or successful.
The Format

The assignment is broken down so that you focus on one aspect of the
situation each week. Think of this as a series of small papers that could
be merged into a big final paper. Each assignment will be a word
document using APA citation where necessary. You must cite all
sources.
Each weekly paper will be about 2-4 pages (some sections will be a bit
longer depending on your situation) and you will receive feedback to
allow you to resubmit the paper to improve your grade.
Expectations

This is the major assignment for the course, so I am hoping for your
best work and effort. Specifically I expect:
1. That you will be able to describe the strategy used in your situation.
2. That you will be able to make recommendations for improving the
strategy that was used-that would include arguments or evidence
that should have been included or excluded, the timing of the
communication, the channels used to communicate, the tone and
substance of the communication, the selection of the audience for
the communication, the spokesperson and other considerations
relevant to your specific situation.
Expectations (continued)
3. Research into effective communication methods to help you
evaluate the strategy and make recommendations. I don’t specify a
number of sources because it will depend on the complexity of your
specific situation, but I do expect you to do adequate research to
defend your recommendations regarding the communication strategy
you select.
4. Effective writing and appropriate APA citation (both in text citation
and in a reference section at the end of your paper).
Week by Week Assignments-each week the segment
is due on Sunday by 11:59 pm
Week 2: The Situation
In 2-3 pages, describe the situation you intend to analyze. Briefly describe the event
that triggered the strategic communication and the response to the situation. (40
points)

Week 3: The Purposes/Objectives

In 1-2 pages, describe what you believe the objectives that the original communication
campaign hoped to achieve.(40 points)

Week 4: The Original Campaign and Strategy

In 2-3 pages, describe the original strategy and communication campaign in detail. (40
points)
Week by Week Assignments (continued)
Week 5: The Audience/Stakeholders
In 1-2 pages, describe the audience and stakeholders for your proposed
communication campaign. (30 points)

Week 6: Your Strategy and Objectives

In 3-4 pages, describe your proposed strategy for the communication
campaign. Highlight how your strategy is different and superior to the
original. Identify if your strategy has different objectives than the
original campaign. (50 points)
Week by Week Assignments (continued)
Week 6: Implementing the Strategy
In 3-5 pages, describe how you will roll out your strategy-media channels, spokespersons,
timing of messages, considerations of budget (if relevant) and other details of
implementation. (50 points)

Week 7: Presentation
Present a 5 -7-minute video presentation that explains your topic and justifies the strategy
recommendations you made in your paper. Think of this as a presentation to your boss
about how the topic selected should have been done differently. You may use VoiceThread,
YouTube, or other generic video recording software. As we get closer to the deadline for
this assignment, you need to let me know your plan for recording, so I can make sure I can
open your submission. The key factor is that I be able to see you delivering the
presentation, not just a screen with your PowerPoint and a voice over. (50 points)