Economic Environment Analysis (100-150 words) (from Unit 1) Analyze the economic factors affecting your chosen organization and explain how these factors should influence performance measurement approaches.

Purpose

To evaluate your ability to design and integrate a comprehensive performance measurement system that synthesizes financial and non-financial metrics, applies course concepts across multiple units, and develops strategic recommendations for organizational performance improvement and accountability.
 

Associated Skills

• Identify key financial ratios and metrics for operational assessment
• Create financial statements that accurately represent organizational performance
• Evaluate operational effectiveness using financial indicators
• Demonstrate thoroughness in financial data examination
• Identify relevant financial and non-financial factors for comprehensive decision-making
• Synthesize financial and non-financial information to create balanced organizational strategies

Organizations to Choose From

Select ONE organization from the following list for your analysis:

1. Apple Inc. (Technology)
2. Southwest Airlines (Transportation)
3. Cleveland Clinic (Healthcare)
4. Goodwill Industries International (Non-profit)
5. City of Austin, Texas (Government)

Use the Financial Statement Analysis, 5th Edition. Use 10-K filings to access financial data for for-profits and other means to access financial data for nonprofit organizations (e.g., https://my.clevelandclinic.org/about/overview/financial-information, https://www.austintexas.gov/page/financial-reports, https://www.goodwill.org/annual-report/)

Required Components

Word count provided for this assignment as overall guidance. Students should consider meeting the requirements for each section and how to present the information, with bullet lists, data visualization, and overall approach. Design a comprehensive performance measurement system (1,100 – 1,550 words) for your chosen organization that addresses the following components:

1. Economic Environment Analysis (100-150 words) (from Unit 1)

Analyze the economic factors affecting your chosen organization and explain how these factors should influence performance measurement approaches. Consider industry trends, market conditions, and competitive landscape.

2. Financial Statement and Ratio Analysis (150-200 words) (from Unit 2)

Develop a set of financial metrics based on the organization’s financial statements. Include:

• Liquidity ratios
• Profitability ratios
• Efficiency ratios
• Leverage ratios
• Growth metrics

Explain why each metric is relevant to measuring this organization’s performance.

3. MD&A Assessment (100-150 words) 

For corporate entities, analyze the Management Discussion & Analysis (MD&A) section of the 10-K. For the government entity, assess the relevant sections of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR). For the non-profit, evaluate the annual report or strategic plan.

Identify key performance indicators mentioned and assess how well they align with organizational goals.

4. Financial Decision Tool-Based Metrics (200-250 words) (from Unit 3) 

Develop performance measures based on financial decision tools such as:

• Break-even analysis
• Contribution margin analysis
• Variance analysis
• Return on investment (ROI)

Explain how these tools can be used to evaluate operational performance.

5. Budget Integration (100-150 words) (from Unit 4)

Describe how your performance measurement system integrates with the organization’s budgeting processes. Include:

• Budget variance metrics
• Rolling forecast integration
• Resource allocation measures
• Budget accountability metrics
• Explain how these measures balance short-term performance with long-term value creation.

6. Balanced Scorecard Development (150-200 words)

Create a balanced scorecard with appropriate metrics in all four perspectives:

• Financial perspective
• Customer perspective
• Internal business processes perspective
• Learning and growth perspective

For each perspective, provide 3-5 specific metrics tailored to your chosen organization.

7. Implementation Plan (200-300 words)

Outline implementation considerations, including:

• Data collection methods
• Reporting frequency and formats
• Review processes
• Technology requirements
• Responsible parties

8. Improvement Recommendations (100-150 words)

Provide recommendations for using performance information to drive improvement:

• How to identify performance gaps
• Methods for root cause analysis
• Approaches for developing action plans
• Continuous improvement processes

Submission Guidelines

1. Format your assignment as a professional business report with appropriate headings, subheadings, and executive summary.
2. Include appropriate citations using APA format.
3. Include relevant charts, graphs, or tables to illustrate your analysis.
4. Submit your completed assignment through the course portal by the deadline.

Resources

To support your analysis, review these resources:

1. Financial Ratio Analysis Guide: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/finance/financial-ratios/
2. Balanced Scorecard Institute Resources: https://balancedscorecard.org/bsc-basics/articles-videos/
3. Harvard Business Review on Performance Measurement: https://hbr.org/1992/01/the-balanced-scorecard-measures-that-drive-performance-2 and https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/business-performance-measurement
4. Activity-Based Costing Overview: https://www.accountingtools.com/articles/what-is-activity-based-costing.html
5. Economic Value Added Explanation: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/eva.asp

Evaluation Criteria

Your assignment will be evaluated based on:

1. Comprehensiveness: How thoroughly you address all required components
2. Integration: How effectively you connect concepts from different units
3. Analysis: The depth and quality of your analysis and insights
4. Application: How well you apply course concepts to your chosen organization
5. Recommendations: The practicality and relevance of your recommendations
6. Presentation: The professionalism and clarity of your report

Criteria	Excellent	Proficient	Developing	Needs Improvement	Not Submitted	Criterion Score
Comprehensiveness	40 points 40 Points Clearly addresses all 8 required components with detailed descriptions meeting or exceeding all stated word counts.	35 points 35 Points Clearly addresses all 8 components; most descriptions meet word count requirements.	30 points 30 Points Clearly addresses 6-7 components; some sections slightly under word count.	20 points 20 Points Clearly addresses 4-5 components; several sections below word count requirements.	0 points 0 Points Not submitted.	Score of Comprehensiveness, / 40
Integration	40 points 40 Points Clearly integrates concepoints from all course units with explicit connections to performance measurement approaches.	35 points 35 Points Clearly integrates concepoints from most course units with connections to performance measurement approaches.	30 points 30 Points Clearly integrates some course concepoints with basic connections to performance measurement approaches.	20 points 20 Points Minimal or unclear integration of course concepoints and weak connections to measurement approaches.	0 points 0 Points Not submitted.	Score of Integration, / 40
Analysis	40 points 40 Points Clearly provides detailed analysis with 5+ insights, each supported by explicit evidence and reasoning.	35 points 35 Points Clearly provides analysis with 4 supported insights.	30 points 30 Points Clearly provides basic analysis with 2-3 supported insights.	20 points 20 Points Minimal or unclear analysis with fewer than 2 insights or weak support.	0 points 0 Points Not submitted.	Score of Analysis, / 40
Organization	40 points 40 Points Clearly tailors 4+ performance measures explicitly to organizational context, industry, and strategic goals.	35 points 35 Points Clearly tailors 3 performance measures explicitly to the organization.	30 points 30 Points Clearly tailors 2 performance measures to the organization, some relevance may be limited.	20 points 20 Point Tailors fewer than 2 performance measures, or unclear relevance to organizational context.	0 points 0 Points Not submitted.	Score of Organization, / 40
Skills	40 points 40 Points The student skillfully and consistently integrates relevant skills into the assignment. Application is accurate, contextually appropriate, and enhances the depth or originality of the assignment. Demonstrates mastery through insightful use of skills.	35 points 35 Points The student applies relevant skills accurately and appropriately. The use of skills supports key ideas or analysis and demonstrates a strong understanding. Integration is effective but may lack the depth or originality of a mastery-level response.	30 points 30 Points  The student applies relevant skills inconsistently or with partial success. Connections to the assignment may be unclear, generalized, or only loosely aligned with the topic. Demonstrates a basic understanding but with limited integration.	20 points 20 Points The student attempoints to apply relevant skills but with evident inaccuracies, oversimplifications, or weak alignment with the assignment content. Demonstrates limited awareness or understanding