P'kolino Case Study
Read the P'kolino case study, pages 261-304 in the your text. It is an example of an extremely well written business plan, in the traditional style of the late second millennium. (Note: the financial exhibits are not missing, but are in a follow-on case for a module later in the class). P'kolino is a children's furniture company, launched in 2005. The company is still very much in business
Write a 2-3 page APA style paper that includes a answers to the following questions:
Does the business plan tell a coherent and compelling story?
Does the plan capture all of the learning that Antonio and JB have accumulated?
What three questions do you think Antonio and JB need to answer through further planning before they launch the venture.
What are the three strongest aspects of the plan?
What areas need improvement?
This paper should have a title page, abstract, body, and reference page. Points will be deducted if any of these four sections are missing.
Make sure papers are written in correct APA style. There is a link to instructions and a template under the "Resources"
Make sure paper body starts with a summary where there is a statement of thesis (overview of the points to be made), continues with a discussion (or specific answers to specific questions), and ends with a conclusion. The five specific questions should be annotated and have specific answers. Please double space-it's easier for the grader to make comments.
Use in-text citations for quotes, indirect quotes, and direct references. Also cite definitive statements of fact or opinion. This will validate them for the reader-so they're not just like spouting off as in a Facebook posting. Nothing will turn off a prospective investor more than unsupported, absolute statements.
All papers should be written in the third person (he, he, it, and they). Make every effort not to shift to second person (you, your) as in, "When starting a company you need money." Try to avoid shifting to the first person (I, we) as well. It is distracting to the reader and bad style to shift persons in a paper-students often do it in the middle of a sentence.
Papers should be well researched. This is an upper level class, so the student may determine how many references are necessary. Students may use any source they wish: the Grantham on-line library; the Internet (an increasingly common resource for business research); and even Wikipedia for background research.
Wikipedia should not generally be cited because, by its own policy, it is not original work. However, most mature Wikipedia articles are well footnoted and the original work can be found, properly cited, in the page's bibliography at the bottom. Furthermore, should there be an occasion to cite Wikipedia, there is a link in the left column (Cite this page), which leads to citations in proper format for various academic styles.