Create a 2-3 page project summary that describes your chosen organization, a business problem or opportunity, the kind of data you will need, and how your topic allows you to demonstrate the MBA program outcomes.IntroductionThis course revolves around the creation of a single, significant capstone project. In other words, a project that caps off your learning and your program, allowing you to demonstrate the competencies of leadership and collaboration, ethical and evidence-based decision making, and innovative and strategic thinking. For your capstone, you will choose a real company and analyze it in a way that demonstrates your understanding of the MBA program outcomes. You will turn your analysis of that company into a written report with recommendations and a formal presentation for your intended audience.Having a solid, doable scope is an important part of creating a successful capstone project, and the exact scope is up to you. To help you establish a realistic scope, you will start with the project summary. Be careful to consider the scalability of your project scope, ensuring that it demonstrates your ability to lead in a business environment and showcases your achievement of all MBA program outcomes.ExamplesA scope that is poorly defined:I want to write a general analysis of the bookseller, Barnes & Noble.This topic is too broad, and it would probably require hundreds of pages to address all of the possible analyses.A scope that is better defined:I want to focus on how Barnes & Noble has managed to survive the Internet age while Borders has crumbled.What makes this a better scope? The scope is grounded in a problem (such as how to survive Internet competition) or opportunity (such as the area lacking a business that you plan to open), which allows you to focus the analysis.It must also allow for you to analyze and suggest evidence-based recommendations, takeaways, or actionable next steps as the crux of your project.PreparationRead the MBA Capstone Project Description [PDF].Assessment DescriptionFor this assessment, introduce the organization you have chosen to research, why you chose it, and how it will allow you to demonstrate all of the MBA program outcomes.Write a 2–3 page paper, in an academic writing style, that details the topic and scope of your capstone project. Your project summary should be clear and concise yet thorough enough for faculty to provide feedback and guidance. Your project summary should be well organized and include the following sections:Describe the background of your chosen organization. Provide a brief background of your selected organization. For instance, discuss its product lines, number of years in business, organization structure, location, et cetera.If you choose an organization for which you work, your introduction must include a statement that you received permission to use the company from a supervisor.Describe a business topic, problem, or opportunity that you intend to research.Describe the problem or opportunity you see that makes this company a good choice. Explain the scope of your project by clearly identifying the topics or areas you intend to research. Explain the level of accessibility to data necessary to examine the chosen business topic, problem, or opportunity.Address how you will go about obtaining the data.Identify any special requirements that you might need to meet to access the data you will need. Explain risks you think will be encountered and the mitigation plan to manage those risks.Explain how your topic will allow you to showcase your leadership ability by demonstrating each MBA program outcome. List out each program outcome clearly, and then explain in 3–4 sentences how your topic will allow you to demonstrate each. The MBA program outcomes are listed in the MBA Capstone Project Description.Identify specific items of your project summary that you believe demonstrates the outcome. Wrap up your paper with a clear, concise conclusion that summarizes your plan. Just a couple sentences is fine.Your project summary should have these sections:Introduction.Statement of scope.Demonstration of outcomes.Conclusion. Submission RequirementsStyle: Your paper should follow the corresponding MBA Academic and Professional Document guidelines (available in the MBA Program Resources) for academic style. It should be double spaced, use subheadings, and be well organized and well written.Communication: Ensure written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message and quality.APA guidelines: Format your paper according to current APA style and formatting.Resources: At least one resource should be a scholarly article or other content found in the Capella library, and one should be from the Wall Street Journal. If using Internet sources, evaluate them appropriately to make sure they are credible resources. Length: Your paper should be between 2–3 pages.Font and font size: Use 12 point, Times New Roman.EvaluationBy successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies through corresponding scoring guide criteria:Competency 2: Integrate information across disciplines and from differing perspectives.Describe the background of the chosen organization.Competency 3: Think critically and analytically to provide evidence-based solutions to business challenges and opportunities.Describe an intended business topic, problem, or opportunity to research.Explain the level of accessibility to data necessary to examine the chosen business topic, problem, or opportunity. Explain how the topic will allow showcasing of leadership ability by demonstrating some MBA program outcomes.Competency 7: Communicate clearly and effectively in a business environment.Write coherently to support a central idea with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics as expected of a business professional.

As a staff accountant at ABC Tax & Accounting Service, you have a number of clients that have requested consultation services on a variety of different topics.Marabelle Hernandez, owner of Marabelle's Craft 'n Shop has requested consulting work on the following issues that have recently arisen in her business. Over the past three weeks, a few situations have caused Marabelle to take pause and consider whether there is possibly something questionable happening on the sales floor and in other areas of the business:Scenario #1: Marabelle has noticed a group of three employees becoming very close and taking turns coming in late. At first it wasn't very noticeable, but in reviewing timecards and hours paid for last week, she discovered that Betty Gamble's timecard states she punched in at 8am every day last week when Marabelle saw her come in at 8:15 one morning, 8:20 another, citing her commute in bad weather being the issue.Scenario #2: Gladdie McMulligan, one of the top sales staff, was scheduled to begin a 12-week maternity leave in 6 weeks; however, she had the baby early and has now begun her leave of absence, leaving her sales shifts to be covered over the next 6 weeks. Marabelle's Craft 'n Shop is open from 8am to 8pm, every day of the week. Gladdie's shifts were Thursday-Monday, 10am-7pm. There are 4 sales team members including Gladdie. Marabelle prefers not to pay overtime, so scheduling any one employee for more than 40 hours per week is not desired.The sales staff includes the following individuals:Robert Jones: Single father of 3 children, relies on daycare and works only while the daycare provider can care for his children, which is Monday-Friday, 7am-6pm. Robert currently does not work weekends. Robert DOES do much of the shelf stocking and heavy lifting on the team, and keeps store displays running smoothly due to his experience with technology.Amelia Rashad: Does not work weekends as her faith requires her to observe the Sabbath. Amelia often works evenings throughout the week, and also holds demonstration workshops when necessary, as long as they are not on the Sabbath.Miranda Michaels: Prefers to work daytime hours, but is willing to work one day each weekend through Gladdie's maternity leave. However, Miranda commutes 50 miles to work one way; therefore, she prefers to have full day schedules as opposed to half-days or split shifts.Scenario #3: Marabelle's office manager spends most of her day managing paperwork, recording daily sales, deposits and purchases, as well as counting all coin and currency from the prior day's tills, making the deposit slip out, depositing the funds, and recording the deposit in the computerized accounting system. She is also responsible for paying bills and running payroll, as well as the recording and payments of sales tax, payroll taxes, and reporting financial information to Marabelle. Because of increased pressure to make sales quotas, the sales team manager has requested more frequent reporting of sales from the office manager. With her current required duties, this additional requirement on her time may not be appropriate.With these situations having arisen, and the pressures present to make poor or uninformed decisions, prepare a memo to Marabelle Hernandes, owner of Marabelle's Craft 'n Shop, relaying your concerns, ensuring your tone is appropriate and professional for the audience in this situation. Specifically, address the following:Address the following for Scenario #1: What are the legal and ethical issues regarding the situation explained in Scenario #1?What would you recommend Marabelle say to the three employees to explain, in a professional and courteous yet firm way, the legal and ethical issues presented by their actions?What should Marabelle say to the three employees about how their actions could affect their personal integrity?Address the following for Scenario #2: Prepare a proposal for covering Gladdie McMulligan's sales shifts during her absence as described in Scenario #2. In your plan, explain how you considered the individual team member's personal situations and limitations and how you would suggest covering any vacant shifts. Be creative and think out of the box if necessary!How would you explain to the remaining team members the importance of working together to come up with a schedule that works for all involved?Many teams are made up of individuals like these, with diverse perspectives, beliefs, and backgrounds. Why is it important to be respectful and inclusive of differences?How do diverse individuals contribute to the success of the team? How does diversity contribute to the success of the organization?Address the following for Scenario #3: Additional reporting creates more workload for the office manager. Is the request for this additional reporting appropriate? Explain.What is the office manager's responsibility to the organization in accurate and mindful reporting of sales information more frequently than has been previously prescribed?How appropriate is the level of control the office manager currently has over information and funds throughout all scenarios?What, if any, internal control concerns should Marabelle be made aware of?Use supporting evidence from at least 2 professional resources such as magazines, case studies, and other trade publications to justify and explain the need for a company code of ethics, using the situations above in support of your justification for the need for a company code of ethics. Remember you can find these types of resources in library databases such as Business Source Complete and Business via ProQuest.Remember to be factual and to leave emotions out of your statements. Also, your statements should be solution-driven, meaning proposing any policy changes, intercompany communications, internal audit checks, internal control reviews, or other areas you feel could be helpful in maintaining the highest of ethics for the company. You may also wish to consider any conflicts of interest or crossing of ethical boundaries in your own position as Marabelle's tax accountant.Provide APA in-text citations and a reference page to indicate sources selected and used.