Project Guidelines

Professor Kevin Zhu, Ph.D.

Rady School of Management
University of California, San Diego
kxzhu@ucsd.edu

Objectives:
To apply class concepts and confront real situations rather than artificial examples, the major
assignment of this class is a term project. The project provides a valuable opportunity for
students to explore, in detail, a particular business-technology issue of their interest. Each group
is required to write a research report (in the format of a white paper or case study) and present
the results to class. Its purpose is to develop up-to-date information on a relevant topic and to
share it with the rest of the class. Such up-to-date information is particularly important given the
pace of change in the healthcare technology field.
The project could be (1) a research report on an issue related to technology strategy (for either
new business or established firms), or (2) a case study about an existing company (or industry
sector) or a proposed new business. Both should contain investigative elements (i.e., exploring a
new issue). Even for case studies, the project still needs to address a research issue and bring
new insights through the case study rather than merely descriptive assessments. In any event, in-
depth analysis backed by management principles, economic concepts and empirical data will be
evaluated favorably. Moreover, it is wise to start early.

Timetable:
Phase 1: Decide on a topic (and form a team). Submit the topic with a brief outline on
what the project is about.
Phase 2: Write the proposal (either as a Word file or ppt slides – check with the professor
for required format), describing the research questions, key issues, approach and methods,
and plans for data collection and analysis.
Phase 3: Final report and presentation. Each group will have an opportunity to present
the findings in class. Turn in presentation slides and written reports by the specified due
date.

Deliverables:
The project has deliverables in each of the three phases above. The deadlines are specified in
Radar. Among them, the written report is the most important deliverable.

Written Reports:

© Kevin Zhu, Project Guidelines

The reports should be about 10 pages long (1.5 space, 12 time font, and 1” all four margins), plus
any data charts, spreadsheets, graphs, tables, figures as appendix. Clarity of writing is a high
priority. The length or format depends on the content. A typical report would include the
following information:
1. Executive summary;
2. Explanation of the core issue(s);
3. Data, analysis, and main findings;
4. Managerial insights for decision-making and implications for management;
5. Thoughts on future work;
6. Sources for more information, including a bibliography on the subject (complete with links to
relevant Websites).

Topics:
The topic should be interesting, relevant, and fresh. It should be related to the themes covered in
this class. Before you decide on your topic, it is important that you look through the
themes/topics covered in the syllabus (viewable in Radar). The topics covered by the course have
been carefully chosen, and reflect the major issues related to disruptive technologies in
healthcare.
Based on past experience, it is recommended that you choose a specific and focused topic for the
project instead of writing a general and shallow report on a broad topic. Be more specific. Try to
narrow down your topic early so that you can do a detailed in-depth analysis.
Other than this, you are free to define your project topic with your group. You could focus on an
industry (or sector) level, such as the standard war in EMR, or you could focus on a technology
and its impact on the healthcare industry (for example, mobile apps and data analytics for
healthcare), or you could focus on a particular company (such as those in the syllabus) with a
case study given that we have a lot of local startups in San Diego.
Please disclose whether you work on the same project/topic in another class in your project
report. If so, please make sure the project for our class has different focus and analysis, and
significant differentiations and contributions. It is not acceptable to use one output for double
credits.

We honor academic integrity. All members of the class are advised to follow strictly the UCSD
Policy on Integrity of Scholarship. See more details at:
http://senate.ucsd.edu/manual/appendices/appendix2.pdf

Grading:
Projects that are innovative, provocative, insightful, and interesting are always highly regarded.
Effective projects will evince both knowledge of the underlying business issue and the
implication for management. Grading will be based on the following:
• how interesting the topic area is in its relevance to the course,

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• the novelty and potential of the basic idea you present,
• depth of your analysis,
• quality of your supporting data, and
• quality of your presentation in both its written and oral formats.
The bottom line is that each project is expected to create its own novel contributions. We also
attach an evaluation rubric in the appendix for your reference.

Data Collection:
It is very important to support your analysis by facts and data. Hence data collection constitutes
an important component of the research project. Again, creativity is at the center of the efforts.
Be creative about data collection. Think of your own ways to gather data. Online resources are
getting more important (thanks to advances of technologies). To get you started, below is just a
list of typical ways to gather research data:
• Querying the company web site
• Infomediaries on the web
• 3rd party (research agencies, industry associations, and Internet infomediaries)
• Field interviews (face-to-face, phone, email)
• Survey and questionnaire (web-based survey is a new Internet-enabled research means)
• Company financial reports, balance sheets, and SEC filings (e.g. 10-K, 10-Q forms)

Case Study
If you choose to focus on a particular company, here are some guidelines. The case study is an
opportunity for you to see a technology-healthcare issue through the eyes of a company who is
living it. Given the many healthcare technology firms and startups in San Diego, we have the
excellent opportunity to do case studies with them.
You should work directly with a company and explore, in depth, the use and development of
healthcare technologies in a real setting. Your case study description and analysis should draw
on interviews with key people at the company; data on the company; information on its
competitors, customers, and suppliers; the readings in this course; library and web-based
research; and personal contacts and experience, as appropriate.
In terms of format and standard, the case studies that are used in this class may serve as
examples for your case study. Normally the following information should be included.

A. The Situation:
Provide a comprehensive discussion of the strategic and technological challenges of the
company/organization (as well as market situations and competitive environment), and other
relevant issues such as the industry trends, economic indicators, characteristics, main competitors,
and barriers to entry. Include some background information on the industry structure, history and
life cycle. Perspectives from the company and from organizations or persons that interact with
the initiative, such as customers, suppliers, competitors, or employees should be included as
appropriate.

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B. Analysis:
Analyze the case in similar fashion to standard case analysis exercises. Critically analyze the
company’s strategic direction, its market options, and its competitive opportunities. Discuss the
benefits and costs of the major courses of action. Provide a set of recommendations for how the
company should proceed.
You should work with a company with which you have some familiarity and can obtain access to
key decision-makers and affected parties. You can analyze either the existing organization, or a
particular project that uses technology to alter the organization or the business. The analysis will
highlight some of the issues covered in the course.

C. Sponsors:
Successful projects will demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the company and its
environment that can only be gained through first-hand access to company information. A
company sponsor that provides you with access to the key decision makers will be very useful.

Intellectual Honesty
Your analysis may draw on business press, library resources, course materials, web-based
information, or industry contacts. Always give credit and cite the source when you use other
people’s work (or data). The same principle applies to Internet sources (give URL links).
Everyone should know that intellectual honesty is always important.

Appendix: Rubric for Projects

missing poor good excellent
Title (10%) Adequately 0 1 2 3
describes
subject
Not 0 1
necessarily
wordy
Catchy 0 1
Executive Summarize 0 1 2 3
summary the core
(10%) issues, data,
findings, and
managerial
insights
properly.

© Kevin Zhu, Project Guidelines

 Length within 0 1
one page
Core issue(s) Relevant to 0 1 2 3
(20%) class
Specific and 0 1 2 3
focused
Creative 0 1
Data, Solid data 0 1 2 3
analysis, and support
main findings
(40%)
Intuitive 0 1
charts and
images
Clear and 0 1 2 3
insightful
analysis of
the core
issues
Managerial Clear and 0 1 2 3
insights concise
(10%) managerial
insights
Sources Cited all 0 1
(10%) sources

© Kevin Zhu, Project Guidelines