Business Commons^™

Reb Strategic Plan, Mohamed Sheikh, Catalina Reyes, Oneshin Aiken, Marthed Mohammed, Bhawinee Banchongraksa

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

Slides from a presentation outlining the strategic plan for a new skin care enterprise, including strategic planning, customer analysis,marketing plan and forecasting.

Big Data Analytics For A Sustained Competitive Advantage, Nayem Rahman

Student Research Symposium

Achieving a sustained competitive advantage in the industry is vital for a firm’s long-term survival. Big data has been mentioned as a powerful competitive tool in the literature. This study examines the influence of big data analytics in achieving competitive advantage by a firm in its business operations. From a competitive advantage standpoint, big data analytics capability has implications for three key resources such as big data technology, big data technical skills, and data scientist skills. In this presentation we provide an overview of big data analytics in terms of resource-based view of the firm. Based on resource-based theory, we …

Exiting From Large-Scale Initiatives: Lessons And Insights From A National Scan Of Philanthropy, Hanh Cao Yu, Moninder-Mona K. Jhawar, Daniela Berman

The Foundation Review

This article shares insights and lessons from a research project commissioned by The California Endowment in early 2016 to inform the planning for its transition out of Building Healthy Communities, a 10-year, place-based, policy- and systems-change initiative. The goal of the nationwide study, which included literature reviews and interviews with 30 executives and directors from 17 foundations, was to tap into philanthropic leaders’ accumulated wisdom about exiting out of similar initiatives.

In generalizing the study’s findings for the broader philanthropic audience, this article presents a guiding framework for exit and sustainability planning in the form of a set of recommendations …

Fundamentals Of Strategic Planning In A Global Economy, R Henry Migliore

Migliore Collection

This book discusses a philosophy of management that has convincingly demonstrated its value in bringing order out of chaos. It compels the management team to agree to direction. It is simple to understand. Once in motion it acquires a natural rhythm. It offers the opportunity to satisfy higher-level needs. Finally, and highly important, it provides a foundation to manage the organization. It gets everyone involved in the planning process. The problem with life is . . . Life is a great journey through places and times, but some go through it without a map or guide! Life is a journey. …

Strategies For Increased Productivity Through Control Of Process Constraints, Fabian Aniemene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Nigeria, manufacturing businesses play a vital role in the industrial growth of the nation and have many dynamic benefits crucial for the growth of a sustainable economy. The manufacturing sector has added substantially to the gross domestic products of many countries. Nonetheless, 50% of manufacturing firms in Nigeria experience a decline in production capacity utilization and profitability because of inefficient production processes. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies leaders of manufacturing firms in Nigeria use to support efficient manufacturing operations. The theory of constraints served as the conceptual framework for this study. Eight …

Strategic Planning For A Community Focused Non-Profit Organization, Erik W. Williams

Liberal Studies (MA) Final Essays

This paper explores the process used to create the Engage 2020 Strategic Plan for Family Service of Roanoke Valley, a 116 year non-profit in Roanoke, Va. Utilizing a community based process that focused on the strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results; the strategic plan focused on improving the people and culture, programming and impact, and the vitality of the agency over a three-year period. Discussed in this paper are the history of the agency, its previous strategic plan, the planning, the process, and the end product strategic plan.

Sequential: Sustainability And Growth In The Biofuels Business, Dave Garten, Jacen Greene, Carolyn Niehaus, Devdeep Aikath

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

SeQuential, a vertically-integrated biodiesel company based in Portland, Oregon, pursued a more sustainable supply and production strategy than many competitors by securing inputs from used cooking oil (UCO) rather than new crops. A fragmented U.S. biodiesel industry produced more than 1.25 billion gallons of the fuel in 2016 from a mix of virgin materials and UCO, but the environmental impact of crop-based biodiesel was increasingly controversial. Meanwhile, UCO collection had grown rapidly in recent years, and with strong forecasted growth, offered a potential additional revenue stream for vertically-integrated biodiesel firms.

The price of the UCO used to produce SeQuential’s biodiesel …