Detailed Guidance Essay

The key to doing well on this task is detail. Several sections require that you analyze information. This requires that you read carefully, think deeply and show your insight that you gained from the information provided in the case study. A1. Utah Symphony Strengths and Weaknesses When picking out the strengths and weaknesses of symphony there isn ¿t a list to which you can refer. Rather, you will want to read the case study carefully and to use your insight to discover indications of strengths and weaknesses in the data provided in the case. Be sure to cite examples and to address all four required areas including: financial strengths/financial weaknesses & leadership strengths/leadership weaknesses of the symphony. The key will be to think deeply about the facts of the case and to provide insightful responses. When considering financial strengths and weaknesses some items that you might consider include: profitability, stability, capital availability, reliance on revenue streams, fundraising, endowment sizes, expenses structures, policies that effect finances etc. and anything that you believe would affect the finances of the firm in a positive or negative way. When considering leadership strengths and weaknesses your focus should be on the leaders of the symphony, Keith Lockhart. What his strengths that you can make a case would improve is effectiveness as a leader? What are his weaknesses that would lessen his effectiveness as leader? Another thing to consider would be if there are any vacant key positions that would influence the leadership of the organization. Be sure to expound upon each strength and weakness. For a hypothetical example; if I were to indicate that the opera had a profit I would further indicate whether this was a strength because it was significant or I could as easily support that it the profit was so small in relation to its expense structure that the level of profitability was actual a financial weakness.  Now that I had made a general claim I would bring in the numbers from the case study to support my claim and then move on to the next strength or weakness. The key will be to discuss each strength and weakness enough to establish that it is, in fact, a strength or a weakness. A1a. Steps for Utah Symphony Now you ¿ve provided some really good insight in your discussion about weaknesses for the symphony and in doing so you have identified a number of weaknesses. The evaluators will be looking to see that you ¿ve provide recommendations of key steps that Anne can take for each of the weaknesses that you identified in your discussion. Also, with regard to key steps you will want to identify specific actions that Anne can take. For examples if one of the weaknesses is poor fundraising you might suggest that Anne sets aside a period of time each week during which she can employ her fundraising skills to improve fundraising. The recommendations of steps that she can take can be common-sense, basic steps (nothing fancy) but that would be effective in dealing with the weaknesses. A2. Utah Opera Strengths and Weaknesses Review the case study carefully to find examples of the strengths and weaknesses in the financial and leadership aspects of the symphony. Be sure to cite examples and to address all four required areas including: financial strengths/financial weaknesses & leadership strengths/leadership weaknesses. The key will be to think deeply about the facts of the case and to provide insightful responses. When considering financial strengths and weaknesses some items that you might consider include: profitability, stability, capital, liquidity, revenue streams, fundraising, endowment sizes, expenses structures, policies that effect finances etc. When considering leadership strengths and weaknesses your focus should be on Anne Ewers. What are her leadership strengths? What are her strengths that you can make a case for would assist her ability to lead? What are her leadership weaknesses? Does she have any personal liabilities that would  weaken her ability to lead. Be sure to expound upon each strength and weakness. For a hypothetical example; if I were to indicate that the symphony had a profit I would further indicate whether this was a strength because it was significant or I could as easily support that it the profit was so small in relation to its expense structure that the level of profitability was actual a financial weakness. Now that I had made a general claim I would bring in the numbers from the case study to support my claim and then move on to the next strength or weakness. The key will be to discuss each strength and weakness enough to establish that it is, in fact, a strength or a weakness. A2a. Steps for Utah Opera Now you ¿ve provided some good insight in your discussion about weaknesses for the Opera and in doing so you have identified a number of weaknesses. The evaluators will be looking to see that you ¿ve provide recommendations of key steps that Anne can take for each of the weaknesses that you identified in your discussion. Also, with regard to key steps you will want to identify specific actions that Anne can take. For examples if one of the weaknesses is poor fundraising you might suggest that Anne sets aside a period of time each week during which she can employ her fundraising skills to improve fundraising. The recommendations of steps that she can take can be common-sense, basic steps (nothing fancy) but that would be effective in dealing with the weaknesses. A3. Scorecard Aspects Find and download the Balanced Scorecard document given to you in Task Stream. The balanced scorecard is not covered in your book. Look at the book from SkillPort  ¿ Performance Drivers: A Practical Guide to Using the Balanced Scorecard. This is where the template came from. Read chapter 1, 2 and 3 to best understand it.  ¿Compare the information in the current scorecards for each company to the cultures you can discern from the case study. Do you think the scorecards adequately address the strengths and weaknesses? Why or why not? B. Merged Company Balanced Scorecard (Create a Balanced Scorecard for the merged company using the strategic goals. These goals are given to you in the directions for the task (see information above the questions).  ¿Don ¿t just combine the symphony and opera goals, CSF ¿s and measurement.  ¿Use the strategic goals to develop a goal for each of the four aspects. Now, be creative, what should the critical success factors and measurements be?  ¿Make sure to create and include a vision statement and a business model statement (you can use the ones on the symphony and opera balanced scorecards as a model). When creating the goals for the individual sections of the balanced scorecard you will want to create goals that are specific to the section (finance, customer, internal etc.) but that, if achieved, would help the company to achieve the five first-year strategic goals that are identified at the top of the task. C. Merged Company Strengths and Weaknesses The key here is to analyze the company utilizing the balances scorecard as an analytical tool. In earlier sections you had to analyze strengths and weaknesses as you pull them out of the facts of a case study. However, now you have been introduced to a new analytical tool; the balanced scorecard and you will need to analyze each element of the balanced scorecard. You should analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the merged company addressing each section of the scorecard e.g. financial customer, internal process & learning and growth. D. Issues From reading the case study and after reading about change management in Chapter 18 of the Kreitner and Kinicki, discuss an issue in each of the 3 areas (finance, human resources, and customer satisfaction) then include good mitigating steps that Anne could take to prevent the problem.†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨D1. Mitigating Actions This section requires that you identify 3 actions that Anne can immediately take to mitigate the three issues you identified above. (You should provide one recommendation for each of the issues that you identified in part D.) You should not only identify, but should also  explain, exactly what Anne should do for each of the three recommendations that you provide. †¨E. In-Text Citations and References in APA Format Every reference that is listed on the Reference list should have been cited in-text in your response. If you did not cite something in-text it should be taken off of this reference list. However, at minimum you should cite the case study and the course textbook and there should be corresponding in-text citations within your response.