MBA@Rice Capstone Program | July - September 2023
General
- Graduate
- 45 learners; teams of 5
- 25 hours per learner
- Academic credit
Preferred companies
- United States
- Non profit, Small to medium enterprise
- Any
- 2/6 project matches
Categories
Project timeline
Timeline
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June 30, 2023Experience start
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July 1, 2023Research & Work Plan
Teams will formally plan the activities and workload of solving a complex problem, over a multi-month project, with a remote client. This also provides information for the teams and the instructors to hold individual team members accountable for their participation in the course.
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July 31, 2023Current State Assessment
An in-depth assessment of the client’s current situation to form the basis for the strategic analysis. Generally, it should identify critical issues that must be addressed by the strategy, as well as organizational competencies and other opportunities upon which the strategy should be built.
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August 14, 2023Strategy
This assignment includes descriptions of all strategic options considered by the team, critical assumptions, qualitative costs/benefits of the different options, and analyses that form the basis for prioritization and final strategy selection.
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September 11, 2023Detailed Designs and Plans
Will be comprised of four elements: the detailed designs of the recommended solution (strategy + functional improvements); a comprehensive value proposition; a high-level implementation plan for your
recommendation; and a risk analysis and mitigation approach. -
September 20, 2023Experience end
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June 30, 2023Experience start
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July 1, 2023Research & Work Plan
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July 31, 2023Current State Assessment
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August 14, 2023Strategy
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September 11, 2023Detailed Designs and Plans
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September 20, 2023Experience end
Overview
- What can our learners do for your company?
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Looking to elevate your organization, and bring it to the next level? Bring on a team of 4-5 MBA students from Rice University to act as consultants to your organization on a large scale, comprehensive, enterprise strategy course that puts every discipline they have learned in their program to work. Students are in their final courses before graduation and looking for a challenging and engaging project.
This capstone will run from the beginning of July - September
- Learner skills
- Competitive analysis, Project planning, Business consulting, Business strategy, Marketing strategy
- What would your company get at the end of this experience?
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Provides a detailed, actionable recommendation at the strategic and tactical levels
Taps both student and Rice University, Jones Graduate School of Business faculty expertise to develop the recommendations
Approaches your strategic challenges with fresh, yet experienced perspectives
Exposes your organization to the capabilities of talented MBA professionals
Builds your company’s long-term relationship with Rice University and the Jones Graduate School of Business in Houston, Texas
Project Examples
In this course, second year MBA students will dive deep into the large scale project that you provide, utilizing all disciplines learned throughout their program. Students work with one or two dedicated primary contacts from your organization to gain a thorough understanding of the needs of your business and the competitive landscape of your industry.
As a participating organization, you'll be asked to provide crucial information to our students, that we protect with a non-disclosure agreement. We also ask primary contacts to meet regularly with students, typically once a week, to ensure open communication and project focus. Student review and recommendations will encompass all areas of your business, and at completion teams will deliver a final presentation and roadmap to implement your project goal.
Projects we accept are encompassing enterprise strategy in nature and comprehensive for the whole business or non-profit. The project can include functional issues (e.g., marketing, talent management, operations/supply chain, valuations, etc.), but those will be considered under the umbrella of the main strategy project.
- Focus on large scale strategy
- Growth or expansion plans (most common – over 90% of projects)
- Turnaround business plan
- We do not include fundraising, sales or new customer/client cultivation or acquisition target solicitation activities in projects.
Company and Non-Profit Organization requirements to participate:
Companies:
- Size: High End: ~$25MM annual revenues Low End: ~$2MM annual revenues
- Must have been generating revenue for at least 1 year
- Variety of industries, though no management or tech consulting companies.
Non-Profit, Community Service Organizations:
- Size: High End: ~$10MM annual budget Low End: ~$250K annual budget
- Variety of causes (e.g., education, social services, etc.), but no political parties or individual churches.
Required questions to apply
Companies must answer the following custom questions in order to apply to this experience:
Are you a company or nonprofit with more than 5 years of business operations?
Does your company or non-profit have an updated strategic plan already in place?
Does your annual revenue exceed $2MM for a company or annual budget exceed $250K for a non-profit?
Able to provide relevant information/data as needed for the project.
Able to provide a dedicated contact person who is available for weekly/bi-weekly calls to address students’ questions as well as periodic messages over the duration of the project.