Executive Summary Assignment Guidelines & Checklist [2023-09-04]

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York University *

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ENT526

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Mechanical Engineering

Date

Dec 6, 2023

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4

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ENT 526 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ASSIGNMENT Frequently Asked Questions Where can I find a start-up? All companies that are currently active in the DMZ automatically qualify as a startup for this assignment. Visit the DMZ website and browse by category ‘Current’ to find their current portfolio of companies. Startups not currently active in the DMZ may also be used, but you will need to verify that they meet the criteria for this assignment. The following sites may also be helpful in finding startups that meet the criteria: Toronto Met's 10 Zones Crunchbase What is the definition of a start-up? To be classified as a “startup” and thus be eligible for this assignment, a startup must not exceed any of the following criteria: 1) The startup must have less than 20 full time employees; 2) The startup must be less than 5 years old; and 3) The startup must have less than $10,000,000 in revenue for the last 12 months. Crunchbase is an excellent resource to validate that companies meet the above criteria. I do not recommend that you ask companies for their financial information. If the company’s revenue is not made public, it is acceptable that you only validate the first two criteria . How do I get full marks? Make sure you reference all your sources using proper academic form (APA) and follow the guidelines below and in the course outline. This assignment places emphasis on demonstrating your understanding of course concepts and on writing an executive summary worthy of presenting to an investor. Should I include footnotes? You do not need to include footnotes, though I strongly recommend that you list and define any concepts used in the report in an appendix following your references. I would also encourage you to include any charts or graphs that you reference in your report in an appendix so that they do not count towards your word and/or page limit. Similarly, if you conduct a more thorough industry analysis you may want to put much of this information in the appendix. How should my executive summary look? Use the framework below to get started! PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING IS A SUGGESTED FRAMEWORK. PLEASE CONSULT THE COURSE OUTLINE FOR SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS.
Executive Summary - Elevator Pitch – always lead with a strong elevator pitch. - This should be your own creation and meet the four key criteria for a good pitch. In addition, make sure that the pain is being addressed and a value proposition is included. Overview - Company basics (name, #of employees, sales figures, year of incorporation, business you are in & model) - 2 paragraphs max Industry Size/Structure - Identify the industry, the region/s where the company operates and the types of customers they serve - Show how big it is, what stage it is in, and how the company is positioned in the industry - Identify industry trends and discuss the competitive landscape - Start laying the foundation for the pain Opportunity - Zero in on the opportunity you are addressing, how it meets the criteria for an opportunity and the size of the opportunity (TAM) - Focus on the pain, and validate that the pain is real and significant - You may want to touch on how competitors are failing to address the pain or what alternatives your future clients are currently using - This paints the “before” picture Product/Solution - Paint the “after” picture - Focus on how your product/solution solves the pain - Discuss and describe the attributes of your solution that will motivate adoption Technology - If not already covered, spend a short amount of time describing the platform that generates your products - Outline the key IP (copyrights, trademarks, patents, or trade secrets) you have and explain how it provides you with a competitive advantage - Outline milestones met to date and what will come next Company - Spend some time giving the reader confidence on “why you?” are the solution/company that will win in this space - Address what you have done to date and what you will do next to be “a big winner” in this space Leadership - Describe the key elements in the talent triangle that you have on your management team - Each one only gets a few sentences - Where possible show how they have “been there – done that”. In other words, what experiences uniquely qualify the management team for their role in the company.
Checklist of elements to be incorporated in Executive Summary The following is intended to be used as a guide. Please refer to the course outline for specific instructions. CHECKLIST NOTES 1. Elevator Pitch (Craft an elevator pitch for your company) 2. Overview of company Name Number of employees Sales figures Year of incorporation Business model 3. Industry Size & Structure Identify the industry (narrow it down as much as possible) Show how big it is (the size in dollars) What stage of the PLC it is in (Explain how you know this) Explain how the company is positioned in the industry Start laying the foundation of the pain 4. Opportunity Find validation that the pain is real and significant Demonstrate how competitors are failing to address the pain What alternatives are your future clients using (the before picture) 5. Product / Solution Paint the after picture (product positioning) Focus on how your product / solution will solve the pain Describe attributes of your solution which will motivate adoption 6. Technology (this may relate to hardware, software or process) Describe the platform that generate your products Explain your IP in relation to your competitive advantage Outline technology milestones met to date (a historical timeline) 7. Company Explain “why you?” are the solution that will win in this space Address what you have done to date (a timeline) What you will do next to be “a big winner” (strategic plans) 8. Leadership Describe the key talent triangle elements on your management team Where possible show how they have “been there – done that” 9. Writing Guidelines Many Some None Grammatical Errors Spelling Errors 4-5 pages 12-pt APA 1” margin single-space Format Total Elements of 25 elements completed:
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General Marking Guidelines (Please note that this is not the official rubric for this assignment) A range - The student adheres to all of the writing guidelines. The final document includes the correct grammar and spelling. - All 25 requisite elements are addressed well. The level of completeness will vary from one paper to the next but the standard for an “A+” will demonstrate a thorough understanding of both the external and internal environments. The student also demonstrates thorough understanding of more than 10 concepts from the course. B/B+ - The student adheres to all of the writing guidelines. The final document includes the correct grammar and spelling. - About 20 of the 25 requisite elements are addressed well or of the 25 completed, incomplete information is provided. The student demonstrates thorough understanding of 9-10 concepts from the course. C+/B- - The student adheres to all of the writing guidelines. The final document includes the correct grammar and spelling. - About 17 of the 25 requisite elements are addressed well or of the 25 completed, incomplete information is provided. The student demonstrates thorough understanding of 6-8 concepts from the course. C-/C - The student adheres to all of the writing guidelines. The final document includes some grammar and/or spelling errors. - About 17 of the 25 requisite elements are addressed well or of the 25 completed, incomplete information is provided. The student demonstrates thorough understanding of 5 concepts from the course. D range - The student adheres to most of the writing guidelines. The final document includes grammar and spelling errors. - About half of the 25 requisite elements are addressed well or of the 25 completed, incomplete information is provided. The student demonstrates thorough understanding of less than 5 concepts from the course. F - The student does not conform to the writing guidelines. The final document includes grammar and spelling errors. - Less than 13 of the requisite elements are addressed well or of the 25 completed, less than half of the information is provided. The student demonstrates thorough understanding of less than 5 concepts from the course.