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M.B.A. Peer Reviews Guidelines
M.B.A. Program Project Peer Reviews Guidelines for Students
An important part of your M.B.A. Program Project experience is your ability to receive from and to give constructive and meaningful feedback to your peers related to the program project as it is developed and revised throughout the M.B.A. core. In week seven of each core course below, you will post your project to the discussion board by day five for your peers to read and comment upon. You will be expected to read at least two of your peers’ projects and provide a critical review of the work, drawing from your knowledge, course resources, additional research you have done in the Walden library, or by using other credible resources.
Your instructor will assess peer reviews you post based on the Peer Review Rubric. First and foremost, you are expected to provide substantial and meaningful input to your peers that is specific and makes it clear that you have read and seriously evaluated the work. You may provide comments on organization, grammar, and APA. The main thrust of your feedback should be related to the content of your current course, and your goal should be to provide feedback that will further assist your peers in developing their idea (New Venture Business Plan) or recommendations (Due Diligence Business Analysis). You should remain professional in your tone at all times. Note – Comments like “Good Job” or “Interesting Project” may be made as encouragement, but will not count for credit toward your peer review(s).
Below is a summary of the main points you will want to think about and include as part of your review in each core M.B.A. course. You are strongly encouraged to review the Program Project Rubric for each course as you work on your project and review your peers. The Program Project Rubric will provide you with criteria and guidance to use as you do your peer reviews.
MMBA 6510, Leading People
New Venture Business Plans:
o Was the product/service, location of business, type of business described thoroughly?
o Is there a strong rationale evidenced for the business having a chance at success?
o Is the mission and vision appropriate to the business? Are there adequate plans to communicate and support/reinforce the mission and vision?
o Is the thought process of developing the vision and mission described and analyzed?
o Does the management/leadership team have skills that align to support the mission/vision of the organization? Does the skill-set enhance the organization’s ability to compete or perform?
o Are the human resource functions in terms of hiring?
o Is the desired culture described and analyzed in terms of why this is the best culture to create for this type of business?
o Does each of the required topics written not only describe what the owners plan to do but also analyze why these actions are the best direction to take based on evidence from the literature or trade journals?
Due Diligence Business Analysis Reports:
o Are the mission and vision appropriate to the business? If so, state the analysis you did on them and why you believe so. If not, do the same. Are there opportunities to improve them?
o Were recommendations made that will streamline the management or improve the mission/vision, leadership, or culture of the organization?
o Did an analysis for each of the required topics occur in terms of what the company is doing with an opinion of their effectiveness supported by evidence from trade or business journals or concepts in the field?
o Is the report clear for each item as to what is currently occurring, how, and why followed by an analysis followed by recommendations whether it is to keep things as they are (why) or change things (why and change to what).
MMBA 6520, Business Operations in the U.S. and Abroad
New Venture Business Plans:
o Did the author provide a detailed business operations plan that includes the company’s strategy in hiring, managing, and recruiting employees?
o Did the author clearly articulate how the business will be operated?
o Did the author provide an assessment of the impact to the new venture from the current global economic climate?
o Did the author clearly articulate the opportunities due to the changes in the global business environment?
o Did the author provide a strategy to capture the global opportunities and mitigate the risks?
Due Diligence Business Analysis Reports:
o Did the author critically analyze the company’s strategy in hiring, managing, and recruiting employees? What recommendations were offered to improve the company’s human resources strategy?
o Did the author critically analyze how the business is operated and offered recommendations to improve the company’s business operations?
o Did the author assess and analyze the impact to the company from the current global economic climate?
o Did the author critically analyze the company’s opportunities due to the changes in the global business environment?
o Did the author analyze the company’s strategy to capture the global opportunities and mitigate the risks? What recommendations were offered to improve this strategy?
MMBA 6530, Marketing
New Venture Business Plans:
o Does the marketing mix demonstrate a clear understanding of the 5 P’s as well as a market mix analysis as it applies to a new business entering a domestic or foreign market?
o Does the SWOT analysis demonstrate a clear understanding of each element as well as a synthesis of the SWOT analysis as it may apply to a new business entering a domestic or foreign market?
o Does the PEST analysis demonstrate a clear understanding of each element as well as a synthesis of the PEST analysis as it applies to a new business entering a domestic or foreign market?
o Were any recommendations made to provide a clear, cogent articulation of a marketing plan for a new venture plan?
o Is there a marketing contingency plan for this new venture?
o Is there documentation that the marketing plan synthesizes and integrates the marketing analysis?
o What provisions were made concerning an analytical focus and orientation of the project
Due Diligence Business Analysis Reports:
o Does the marketing mix demonstrate a clear understanding of the 5 P’s as well as a market mix analysis?
o Does the SWOT analysis demonstrate a clear understanding of each element as well as a synthesis of the SWOT analysis?
o Does the PEST analysis demonstrate a clear understanding of each element as well as a synthesis of the PEST analysis?
o Were any recommendations made to provide a clear, cogent articulation of a marketing plan?
o Is there a marketing contingency plan?
o Is there documentation that the marketing plan synthesizes and integrates the marketing analysis?
o What provisions were made concerning an analytical focus and orientation of the project
MMBA 6540, Innovation and Technology
New Venture Business Plans:
o Did the author describe and categorize the new venture’s product/service innovation with clear justifications?
o Did the author provide clear explanation on how the product/service innovation fits with the company's innovation strategy; and where the product/service innovation fits on the technology S-curve?
o Did the author provide an analysis of how the company's product/service creates value and respond to customers' needs? Were justifications provided?
o Did the author describe and evaluate the company's innovation implementation plan based on the five aspects of the project that should be managed throughout the development/acquisition and implementation phases of its product/service?
o Did the author provide an analysis of the company's innovation diffusion strategy?
o Did the author provide an analysis of opportunities beyond the product/service offered by the company where innovation and technology may provide competitive advantages?
Due Diligence Business Analysis Reports:
o Did the author analyze and categorize the company’s product/service innovation and provide justifications for how the product/service is categorized?
o Did the author provide an analysis on how the product/service innovation fits with the company's innovation strategy; and where the product/service innovation fits on the technology S-curve? Were recommendations offered to improve the company’s product/service position?
o Did the author provide an analysis of how the company's product/service creates value and respond to customers' needs? Were recommendations offered to improve the value proposition?
o Did the author critically analyze the company's innovation implementation plan based on the five aspects of the project that should be managed throughout the development/acquisition and implementation phases of its product/service? Were recommendations on improvement provided?
o Did the author critically analyze the company's innovation diffusion strategy? Were recommendations provided to improve this strategy?
o Did the author critically analyze the opportunities beyond the product/service offered by the company where innovation and technology may provide competitive advantages? Were recommendations provided?
MMBA 6550, Accounting for Business Management
New Venture Business Plans:
o Has an income statement been provided with at least one year of projected revenues, detailed expenses, and net income or net loss?
o Is the statement properly formatted, calculated, subtotaled, and totaled with underlines and double underlines where required?
o Are all required revenue and expenses provided for the type of industry?
o Is there a detailed assumption tied to each line item on the income statement that explains specifically how the amount was derived?
o Do the assumptions provide a valid source if information that supports the data in the projected income statement?
o Do the assumptions accurately reflect the mission, vision, and objectives of the entity?
Due Diligence Business Analysis Reports:
o Are three years of historical data provided for each of the four financial statements?
o Are account titles and statement headers provided in the appropriate format (either U.S. or international standards format?)
o Is each statement properly totaled with appropriate sub-totals, underlines, and double underlines where required?
o Has an income statement been provided with at least one year of projected revenues, detailed expenses, and net income or net loss? Are all required revenue and expenses provided for the type of industry?
o Is there a detailed assumption tied to each line item on the income statement that explains specifically how the amount was derived?
o Do the assumptions accurately reflect the mission, vision, and objectives of the entity?
o Do the assumptions provide a valid source of information that supports the data in the projected income statement?
MMBA 6560, Financial Management
New Venture and Existing Business Plans:
o Are the financial resources projected in accounting analyzed using all possible ratios for the provided financial statements? Is each ratio calculated correctly?
o Did the author provide detailed textual analysis of each ratio to include a ratio description, trend analysis of each ratio as possible, and a comparison of the ratio against a provided benchmark?
o Did the project include a complete section on the potential risks of not meeting the projections (project attainment risk assessment)?
Due Diligence Business Analysis Reports:
o Depending upon the type of analysis, the plan must include either what is listed above for a new venture or existing business plan OR provide a capital budgeting proposal for the proposed asset purchase.
o Has the author presented a credible financial picture of the organization and provided reasonable recommendations that would improve the organization’s financial position in the future?
MMA 6570, Business Strategy for Competitive Advantage
New Venture Business Plans:
o Did the author provide a comprehensive organizational performance framework?
o Did the author identify internal and external competitors?
o Did the author identify internal skills, leverage, and culture as a competitive advantage?
o Did the author identify leadership characteristics necessary for success?
o Did the author provide a strategy that develops new innovation?
o Did the author provide a strategy that develops growth in uncontested markets?
Due Diligence Business Analysis Reports:
o Did the author identify a comprehensive organizational performance framework?
o Did the author identify internal and external competitors?
o Did the author identify internal skills, leverage, and culture as a competitive advantage?
o Did the author identify leadership characteristics necessary for success?
o Did the author identify a strategy that develops new innovation?
o Did the author identify a strategy that develops growth in uncontested markets?
MMA 6780, Business Strategy for Competitive Advantage
New Venture Business Plans:
o Did the author develop comprehensive solutions to complex problems and opportunities in business, through using relevant knowledge, theories, tools, techniques, and sound business practices?
o Did the author develop and critically reflect on contemporary practices related to management principles, tools, and perspectives?
o Did the author provide concepts related to management principles, tools, and perspectives as they relate to contemporary paradigms of organizational actions?
o Did the author provide and identify contemporary practices related to management principles, tools, and perspectives?
Due Diligence Business Analysis Reports:
o Did the author identify comprehensive solutions to complex problems and opportunities in business, through using relevant knowledge, theories, tools, techniques, and sound business practices?
o Did the author identify and critically reflect on contemporary practices related to management principles, tools, and perspectives?
o Did the author identify concepts related to management principles, tools, and perspectives as they relate to contemporary paradigms of organizational actions?
o Did the author identify contemporary practices related to management principles, tools, and perspectives?