Specialization Strategy and SME Performance

Paper Instructions

Interview a small business owner or operator (not an owner of a micro‐business. The small business must have multiple employees) (must be a profit oriented business). For international students who do not have access to a local small business owner or operator, interviewing a small business owner or operator from your home country is completely acceptable. Indeed, we would benefit from hearing about small businesses in other countries. Write a paper containing the following (consider the type of information needed as outlined below when considering who to interview):

•   Introduction – what drew you to interview this small business owner or operator? What is special about this business?
•   Basic info – name of business, hours of operation, location(s), products and/or services offered. Describe the bundle of satisfaction the business provides its customers.
•   Brief history – how was business started and how did current owner or operators become involved?
•   What prompted owner to become an entrepreneur?
•   Describe the firm’s vision, mission, and strategy in the context of how those terms were defined 
in our class discussion. Include the firm’s stated, or owner reported, vision, mission, and strategy. From your view, how consistent is the firm with its stated mission, vision, strategy? If no mission vision is stated or reported, what is your perception of what is the firm’s vision, mission, and strategy? Describe the firm’s strategy using the five elements of strategy we discussed in class (arena, vehicle, differentiators, staging, and economic logic).
•   Marketing‐ what is the product, who are potential customers, and how is product promoted?
•   Leadership structure – how is management organized, who makes key decisions in various areas 
(HR, operations, pricing, etc.)? Do the firm’s leaders seek outside input from others? Is there a 
O.D. or advisory board in place? Does the firm use outside consultants?
•   Supply chain ‐ what are the raw materials, who are key vendors, how are orders placed? Is 
inventory maintained? If inventory is maintained, how is it managed?
•   Include a SWOT analysis
•   What future challenges does the business face?
•   Summary‐ What business suggestions would you make?

o Be specific – provide more depth than answers such as “more promotion.” o Should be developed from your SWOT and future challenges.
o Important section
o Use the knowledge gained from class

• Bullet Point format
oWrite as if you were consulting for the business
• For example, consider changes in:
•   Mission or vision
•   Strategy
•   Marketing
•   Product mix
•   Operations
•   Etc.
•   Grammar and presentation will affect grade. Papers with terrible grammar, as judged by Ralph, will be assigned a failing grade.
•   Write paper from a business standpoint

o Use business terminology (examples: profit, return, market, market share, strategy, etc)

•   Five to seven pages, double spaced
•   Papers will be ranked and graded with a rubric. Grades for paper will be referenced to 
instructor’s minimum requirements. You are competing against your classmates.
•   Dr.Willams will select best papers for presentation to class

o If selected, if present when called to present, and if presentation is good, the lowest quiz/homework grade after the drops will be converted to 100.

o No Power Point – summarize the paper and share your suggestions for the business  Formatting

o Title page
§ Good title

• Course, Date, Author
oSubheads required (use subheads to separate sections)
• Bold
• Flush left o Header
• Right side
§ Author’s last name § Page number

o Font – 12pt Times Roman § Double space

o Boarders – normal
o Staple – upper left (no binders)
o For sample of format, see example on sd2l