For this signature assignment, assume the role of a member of the strategic planning team following the merger (horizontal integration) of two companies of your choice that were used in this course.

Instructions

Assignment
Overview

For
this signature assignment, assume the role of a member of the strategic
planning team following the merger (horizontal integration) of two companies
of your choice that were used in this course. The purpose of the merger is to
broaden the scope and increase global market accessibility. As a member of
the strategic planning team, your first task is to produce a draft
recruitment plan to fill three additional strategic management positions,
incorporating artificial intelligence tools and methods throughout the
planning and selection process as assistance tools.

Deliverable

A
12–15-page strategic plan (excluding title and reference pages) that
addresses the items below and documents how AI was used at each stage. Include
appropriate tables, charts, and an appendix listing the AI prompts and
outputs you used. Cite a minimum of four scholarly resources.

Core
Framing Questions

• Where are you now?

• Where do you want to be?

• How do you get there?

Use
course concepts and apply creative inferences where data is unavailable.
Document assumptions explicitly.

Required
Content and AI Integration

1. Company Profile and Offerings

• Describe the merged company’s products or services.

• Provide company background, current headcount, locations, and
  primary organizational culture.

• AI Integration: Use an AI tool of your choice to
  synthesize public company descriptions, produce a concise company
  profile draft, and generate a summary. Include the AI prompt and
  resulting output in the appendix.

• Discuss structural, cultural, regulatory, geographic, and
  talent-market limitations that could hinder the selection of qualified
  candidates.

• AI Integration: Run an AI-assisted risk scan to
  identify likely barriers across regions and functions; summarize
  findings and cite AI outputs.

• Analyze how the merger may affect engagement and retention.

• Propose strategies to sustain engagement during integration.

• AI Integration: Use AI to model likely employee
  sentiment topics from hypothetical internal survey data and generate
  prioritized engagement interventions. Include sample prompts and model
  responses.

• Complete a S.W.O.T. analysis focused on strategic leadership
  needs.

• Explain how S.W.O.T. findings guide the selection of the three
  new members of the management team.

• AI Integration: Have AI generate a draft S.W.O.T. from
  your company profile and then refine it with your judgment. Include
  both drafts.

• Define selection criteria and behavioral, technical, and
  strategic competencies for each of the three roles.

• AI Integration: Use AI to produce competency-based
  interview questions, scoring rubrics, and sample assessment exercises.
  Include these artifacts in your appendix.

• Provide a phased implementation schedule and success metrics
  for recruitment and early performance.

• AI Integration: Present AI-generated forecasts for
  hiring timelines and justify adjustments based on your expertise.

• Explain privacy, fairness, and compliance considerations when
  using AI in recruitment across jurisdictions.

• AI Integration: Include a short audit checklist created
  with AI for ongoing bias and compliance monitoring.

• End the report with a clear statement listing the specific
  steps you took to minimize personal bias in producing the report and in
  using AI tools.

Appendix
Requirements

Include
all AI prompts and raw/edited AI outputs used to generate profiles, S.W.O.T.,
questions, rubrics, dashboards, and forecasts.

Provide
a brief note on which AI tool(s) were used and the human review steps applied
to each output.

Assessment
Guidance

• Write a 12–15-page strategic plan (excluding the title page,
  references, and appendix).

• Demonstrate rigorous use of course concepts and thoughtful AI
  integration with documented human oversight.

• Meet academic standards with at least four scholarly references
  and appropriate in-text citations, in addition to your AI citations.

Requirements 

Length: This assignment must be
12-15 pages (excluding the title and reference page). 

References: Include at least 4 scholarly
resources.