Liberty University MBA capstone: what BUSI 690 asks for

The first three Module/Weeks cover the Rothaermel strategic management text, chapters one through twelve, at a fast pace of four or five chapters a week.

Each of those weeks carries a Rothaermel exercise worth 50 points, applying the chapter tools to a company situation: competitive analysis, resources and capabilities, business-level and corporate-level strategy.

Week one also includes the Course Requirements Checklist, the class introductions and a graduate-level business program assessment, which measures the program rather than the student's grade.

Week two adds a discussion board forum.

Week three ends with a final exam worth 150 points, unusually early in the course. The rest of the eight weeks are spent applying the theory rather than studying it.

The exam is closed to outside help and is the student's own, like every exam.

Students who read the Rothaermel chapters before the course opens find the first three weeks far easier, because the exercises then become practice for the exam rather than a first look at the material.

From week four, the course turns to Osterwalder and Pigneur's Business Model Generation. Two business model generation exercises, in weeks four and five, apply the business model canvas to a company.

The group case studies carry the largest share of points. Group Case Study 1 is due in week four, Case Study 2 in week six and Case Study 3 in week seven, each worth 150 points.

Each case asks the team to analyze a company's strategic position and recommend a course of action, using the tools from the first three weeks.

Peer evaluations follow the cases in weeks five, seven and eight. The guide notes that peer evaluation scores are calculated with each group project to determine the final grade on it.

That means a member who contributes little can receive a lower grade on a case than teammates, even though the case itself was submitted once.

The course closes in week eight with Bible readings and an Integration of Faith and Learning paper worth 75 points.

The back half of the course is heavy on coordination, so the team's first meeting matters a great deal.

Teams are usually formed early in the course and stay together for all three cases. A strong start means agreeing on roles, internal deadlines and a communication channel in week three or four.

Divide each case by section rather than by company. One member takes the external analysis, another the internal analysis, another the financials, another the recommendation, and one edits the whole.

Set the team's internal deadline two or three days before Liberty's. Group work is not accepted late under the standard policy without instructor approval.

Use a shared document with tracked changes so everyone can see who wrote what. That also helps when peer evaluations are completed.

Agree on one set of figures. Cases lose points when one section quotes revenue growth that another section contradicts.

Rotate the editor role across the three cases so no one carries the final polish every time.

Be honest and fair in peer evaluations. They are part of the grade, and instructors read them with the submissions.

The most common loss is a case that describes instead of deciding. A capstone case should end with a clear recommendation, backed by the analysis, and with the steps and risks of carrying it out.

The second is tools used for their own sake. A SWOT table pasted without commentary earns little; the grader wants to see what the analysis shows.

The third is weak financial analysis. Strategic recommendations need numbers: margins, growth, cost of the proposal and expected return.

The fourth is uneven group writing, with sections in different voices and formats that read as four papers stapled together.

The fifth is a faith paper written as an afterthought. The Integration of Faith and Learning paper is short but graded closely on how Scripture shapes the strategic thinking.

The sixth is the early exam. Students who treat week three as a normal week, rather than an exam week, can lose a large share of the course's individual points.

The seventh is missing a peer evaluation, which can affect how the group grade is applied.

Plan BUSI 690 as the only course in its sub-term if you can. The early exam and the three group cases make it heavier than most MBA courses.

Read the Rothaermel chapters in the weeks before the course begins, and review your notes from earlier MBA courses in finance, marketing and operations.

Choose companies with good public information if the team has a choice. Annual reports, investor presentations and recent news make cases faster to write.

Keep your individual work strong. The exercises, the forum and the faith paper are graded on your own effort, and they balance a weaker group case.

Some students arrange help with their written share of the course. On this site, your sections of each group case, the Rothaermel exercises, the business model exercises and the faith paper can be drafted for you to review and submit, while the exam, the program assessment and peer evaluations remain your own.

Finishing the capstone well is a good end to the degree and a useful set of case analyses to keep for job interviews.