An 8-10 slide presentation to your staff describing your analysis, linking what tools you utilized and why you chose those tools. You will use data to support your evidence-base financial decisions. You will also explain your recommendations to maximize stakeholder value, translating those to tactical outcomes to be implemented by your staff.
Introduction
This assessment builds on your prior work in Assessments 1 and 2. It is a presentation to your staff describing you analysis, linking what tools you utilized and why you chose those tools. You will use data to support your evidence-base financial decisions. You will also explain your recommendations to maximize stakeholder value, translating those to tactical outcomes to be implemented by your staff.
- Apply the theories, models, and practices of finance to the financial management of an organization.
- Analyze financing strategies to maximize stakeholder value.
- Apply financial analyses to business planning and decision making.
- Use data to support evidence-based financial decisions.
Scenario
The senior leadership has approved your recommendations to move forward. You are now tasked with operationalizing your recommendations. Meeting with your staff, you will translate recommendations to strategies and corresponding tactical objectives. You will explain how you used financial analysis to develop these recommendations, discussing the financial tools you will use to monitor implementation progress.
Your Role
You are one of the high-performing financial analyst managers at ABC Healthcare Corporation and are under consideration for a promotion to Director of Operations.
Requirements
Follow these steps to complete this presentation:
- You are presenting to your staff a summary of the reports presented to senior leadership (Assessments 1 and 2).
- Start by presenting the overall current financial condition of the company as presented to senior leadership (one to two slides).
- Provide an overview of your analysis, linking what tools (financial statements, ratios, industry trends, capital structure) you utilized and why you chose these tools (two slides).
- Link the data used to support your evidence-based financial decisions, providing justification for the recommendations (two slides).
- State the recommendations focused on maximizing stakeholder value into strategies newly adopted by the company, i.e., expansion to a new geographical market, the development of a new dividend policy, changes in capital expenditures, reduction of workforce (one slide).
- Translate those strategies to tactical objectives to be implemented by your staff, noting evidenced-based academic citations (one to two slides).
- Discuss what financial tools you will use to monitor the progress of these tactics (one slide).
Deliverable Format
- Be sure to use a bullet format in your slides but also include detailed narrative supported by relevant literature citations in the notes section.
- Ensure written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message and quality.
- Use at least three scholarly resources.
- Length: 8-10 content slides in addition to title and reference slides.
- Use 12 point, Times New Roman.
Evaluation
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies through corresponding scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Apply the theories, models, and practices of finance to the financial management of an organization.
- Demonstrate an understanding of key financial tools (financial statements, ratios, industry trends, capital structure, competitive analysis) by providing an overview of the analysis used supporting recommendations made in Assessments 1 and 2. Provide a rationale for why tools were utilized.
- Competency 2: Analyze financing strategies to maximize stakeholder value.
- Link the data used to support evidence-based recommendations, translating the recommendations to strategies focused on maximizing stakeholder value.
- Competency 3: Apply financial analyses to business planning and decision making.
- Translate strategies to tactical objectives to be implemented by staff, noting evidenced-based academic citations.
- Competency 4: Use data to support evidence-based financial decisions.
- Evaluate and recommend financial tools to be used to monitor the progress of these tactics.
Your course instructor will use the scoring guide to review your deliverable as if they were your CEO. Review the scoring guide prior to developing and submitting your assessment.
ePortfolio
This portfolio work project demonstrates your competency in applying knowledge and skills required of an MBA learner in the workplace. Include this in your personal ePortfolio.
Use the resources linked below to help complete this assessment.
Risk Management
- Buffett, W. (1984, May 17). The superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville. https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/articles/columbia-business/superinvestors
- Sumflows. (2013). Warren Buffett: Diversification [Video] | Transcript https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbjPiYE-F4Y
- How Warren Buffett thinks about risk [Blog post]. (2016, March 9). Newstex Global Business Blogs.
- Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R. W., Jaffe, J. F., & Jordan, B. D. (2021). Corporate finance: Core principles and applications (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
- The following chapters advance the concept of risk by relating it to return. The concepts of risk and return are directly correlated. They affect investment and capital project selection and are incorporated in corporation and investment value.
- Chapters 10, "Risk and Return: Lessons from Market History," pages 287-315.
- Chapters 11, "Return and Risk: The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)," pages 316-356.
- Simon, B. (2013). Finance lecture – risk, return and CAPM [Video] | Transcript https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BIIiUyr3-w
- View the segment 1:01:00-1:16:00.
Efficient Market Hypotheses and Behavioral Finance Models
- Klontz, B. T., & Horwitz, E. J. (2017). Behavioral finance 2.0: Financial psychology. Journal of Financial Planning, 30(5), 28-29.
- This article describes how behavioral finance is the application of cognitive psychology to finance.
- Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R. W., Jaffe, J. F., & Jordan, B. D. (2021). Corporate finance: Core principles and applications (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
- Chapter 13, "Efficient Capital Markets and Behavioral Challenges," pages 390-422. This chapter contrasts two of the primary theories of investing: the efficient market hypothesis (EMH) and the behavioral finance view. They are primarily mutually exclusive concepts and color investors' views of how much they can impact investment returns.
- YaleCourses. (2012). Behavioral finance and the role of psychology [Video] | Transcript https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chSHqogx2CI
Costs of Financing
- Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R. W., Jaffe, J. F., & Jordan, B. D. (2021). Corporate finance: Core principles and applications (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
- Chapter 12, "Risk, Cost of Capital, and Valuation," pages 357-389. This chapter deals with one of the most well known financial concepts: the cost of capital, or how to figure the threshold rate for investment projects.
- Edspira. (n.d.). Weighted average cost of capital (WACC) [Video] | Transcript https://youtu.be/46oLXwClvkw
- Beers, B. (2018, February 9). How is debt "a relatively cheaper form of finance than equity"? https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/05/debtcheaperthanequity.asp
WACC and Capital Structure
- Pysh, P. (2012). What is financial risk [Video] | Transcript https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4mXnFK0ecM
- Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R. W., Jaffe, J. F., & Jordan, B. D. (2021). Corporate finance: Core principles and applications (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
- These two chapters deal with the capital structure of a firm, that is, how a firm will finance itself, via debt or equity. An examination of the features, benefits, and negatives of financing through both financing types will be discussed in these chapters.
- Chapter 14, "Capital Structure: Basic Concepts," pages 423-450.
- Chapter 15, "Capital Structure: Limits to the Use of Debt," pages 451-479.
- Understanding Finance. (2014). James Tompkins: The capital structure decision and taxes [Video] | Transcript https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeWcPUk8rGw
- View the first 15 minutes of the video.
Dividend Policies
- Baker, H. K., & Weigand, R. (2015). Corporate dividend policy revisited. Managerial Finance, 41(2), 126-144.
- Bochman, A. (2013, June 24). Do dividends create shareholder value? [Blog post]. https://blogs.cfainstitute.org/investor/2013/06/24/do-dividends-create-shareholder-value/
- Chemmanur, T. J., & Liu, M. H. (2011). Institutional trading, information production, and the choice between spin-off, carve-outs, and tracking stock issues. Journal of Corporate Finance, 17(1), 62-82.
- Boyte-White, C. (2017). How dividends affect stock prices. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/091015/how-dividends-affect-stock-prices.asp
- Picardo, E. (2018, March 7). Impact of share repurchases. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/112013/impact-share-repurchases.asp
- Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R. W., Jaffe, J. F., & Jordan, B. D. (2021). Corporate finance: Core principles and applications (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
- Chapter 16, "Dividends and Other Payouts," pages 480-514. This chapter discusses dividend policy and deals with real returns to shareholders and, thus, it has a profound impact on stock valuation and price. Short-term financial planning is the essential discipline of finance to ensure that the firm's liquidity is intact and that ongoing operations of firm are secure.
Short-Term Cash Management
- Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R. W., Jaffe, J. F., & Jordan, B. D. (2021). Corporate finance: Core principles and applications (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
- Chapter 18, "Short-Term Finance and Planning," pages 551-582. In this chapter, see how short-term financial planning is the essential discipline of finance to ensure that the firm's liquidity is intact and that ongoing operations of firm are secure.
- Moy, R. (2013). Short term financial planning – uses and sources of cash [Video] | Transcript https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waO9sBRaSDc
Additional Resources for Further Exploration
Calculating WACC and Maximizing Shareholder Value
Capella Career Center
As you wrap up this course, it is a good time for you to reflect on how you can apply the knowledge you have gained and talk about it professionally. Possible opportunities could include performance review conversations, promotion proposals, and salary negotiations, as well as resume accomplishment statements, interview responses, and professional networking conversations.
Refer to MBA Program Resources to access Capella’s Career Center for resources that can help you make the most of your experience and education to achieve your goals, including how to use your ePortfolio effectively to showcase your work as part of a job search.