Description
Discussion Questions:
Please read the case and please make sure to answer the following questions regarding the case in your submission.
How well does Sexton carry out the conceptual, investigative, and planning stages of this development?
How and why does Sexton change his initial plan over time?
How does Sexton’s return compare with his investment as his setup is revised over time?
Which problems that Sexton incurred were avoidable and which were beyond his control?
Points to keep in mind while writing the report
The case solution must not exceed 7 double-spaced printed pages (excluding appendices and a title page). The case solution should include a well thought out definitive decision based upon the information available in the case study. Further, all questions posed by me should be sufficiently answered and addressed in the report.
Assume that you are preparing this report for a senior decision maker of a company like the CEO or CFO. It is important that the report is clear, concise, to the point, devoid of unnecessary background material; but nevertheless, complete, self-contained, logically consistent and well-supported with technical appendices. Your assumptions must be listed and justified, either in the text or in the first appendix.
Executive briefs are written in a style that is quite different from academic term papers. By far the most significant difference is that executive briefs must be self-contained. That is, the reader should never be forced to interrupt his/her reading of the paper. If the reader must refer to an attached appendix to follow (or completely understand) your executive brief, then the paper is not self-contained. In many cases you will include one or more spreadsheets as appendices.
The purpose of technical appendices is to provide the detail necessary to validate the important results presented in your brief. Thus, from the reader’s viewpoint, the appendices are reference material (optional). If you are having difficulty visualizing what is meant by self-contained, ask yourself this question. Would the development and the important results and conclusions of my analysis be completely understandable to a high-level executive if the appendices were removed?