OCI Past Project Descriptions

Below are examples of past project descriptions of On-Campus Internship teams. These are descriptions that were given by the companies and were used to publicize the projects to the students to encourage them to sign up for the projects. The individual project description examples are listed under the project categories listed below.

New Business Opportunity

Company Description:

Management Consulting Firm

Short Project Name:

Assist in the launch of a new healthcare software company

Project Description and Deliverables:

Currently we are working to launch a healthcare software company. Our organization has successfully redesigned and created several of a previous companies IT systems and software applications. We have also completed two IT/software projects for Berkshire Hathaway and dozens for companies owned by private equity firm, Leucadia.

Through the process of completing the projects named above, our company has created several software tools and software/IT development processes that will have a powerful impact on the systems and data management operations in the healthcare industry. These tools and processes form the foundation of the new spinoff company, around which this project is built. The spin-off will be built using the same tools and techniques that our company uses to build its clients’ companies and will likely be funded by our company’s clients in the private equity space.

Although this project is focused on the healthcare software space, multiple business disciplines besides information systems are required for its successful launch, especially finance, strategy and marketing.

Business Improvement

Company Description:

Refinery and sulphur services group

Short Project Name:

Prepare and present an overall strategy for growth in one or more refinery service area outside of petroleum coke and sulphur product categories.

Project Description and Deliverables:

The ultimate goal of the project will be to define growth opportunities the Group has in serving its refining customers. The Group has recognized the importance of growing the business not only in pet coke and sulphur, but in other areas. We have historically discussed providing similar services associated with other refining by products such as asphalt, lube oils, and LPG’s (i.e. propane, etc.). Further, we have considered handling higher value products such as crude oil, gasoline, diesel, and sulphuric acid. It is important to find the right opportunities that the company can succeed in and that are aligned with the Mission Statement.

The project team should identify the key material handling needs that refineries typically have, and become familiar with the complexities of each need. A high level understanding of the product flow (input & output) of the refining business will be essential to defining the appropriate opportunity. The team should also conduct appropriate market research in determining which logistical supply chains the Group may or may not fit in.

Key Project Deliverables:
The team should be prepared to present an overall strategy for growth in one or more refinery service area outside of petroleum coke and sulphur. It is critical that the strategy be consistent with the overall Mission Statement. The team should be well prepared to discuss key assumptions used in coming up with the strategy. The presentation can include any information that the team considers pertinent, but should at a minimum include the following:

1. Summarize each type of material handlign opportunity investigated
2. Recommend one or more opportunities for growth
3. Describe the process used for coming up with the recommendation
4. In detail, explain why the team decided on the proposed growth opportunity
5. Discuss any critical barriers to entry (i.e. skills, specialized equipment, etc...)

HR/Organizational

Company Description:

“Upscale” health club with two locations

Short Project Name:

Organizational analysis of current management and work flows, as well as employee attraction and retention

Project Description and Deliverables:

1. Evaluation and recommendations of current organization effectiveness. We currently operate with an “absentee owner” who is busy with other companies and can’t spend 100% of his time with the SMSC. There is a management team directed by the owner that consists of: the owner (who doubles as the GM), the Controller, the Operations Manager, the Membership Services Director, the Marketing Director, the Fitness Director, the Front Desk Manager and the Personal Training Director. Make recommendations on operations – personnel, policies and procedures. Any inefficiencies or ineffective items here?
2. How can we attract additional qualified workers to the Spa & Salon? We have nine renters in the Spa & Salon out of a possible twenty-three. How can we recruit/attract fourteen more?

Best Practice Study (multi-functions)

Company Description:

Investment Advisory Firm

Short Project Name:

Researching, analyzing, and comparing the top financial planning and high net worth software services available in today’s marketplace.

Project Description and Deliverables:

Researching, analyzing, and comparing the top financial planning and high net worth software services available in today’s marketplace. This analysis will expose finance and business students to the world of financial and estate planning, plus allow students to have hands-on experience in reviewing professionals’ top financial analytical tools available today. This field study will ultimately lead to a recommendation of selecting or retaining current tools and services utilized by nationally recognized wealth management firms. Included in the analysis will be pricing, implementations, and cost analysis of using such recommended software and services.

Supply Chain Planning or Improvement

Company Descrioption:

Fortune 500 office material producer

Short Project Name:

Logistics analysis to optimize Fleet and Cross Dock for Western Canada and Western US regions.

Project Description and Deliverables:

We have fourteen manufacturing sites in the domestic US that ship products all over North America. We also operate a Cross Dock facility and a company Fleet that help consolidate and distribute products. I want to increase the utilization of our Fleet and Cross Dock as well as increase the number of pool points we have in order to:

1. Decrease transportation costs
2. Increase delivery reliability
3. Decrease LTL damage
4. Decrease network inventory

Our target areas will be Western Canada (BC, AB, SK, MB) and the Western US. This project will require analyzing customers that ship from all of our locations. Which ones should be consolidated at our cross dock? Where should we establish new pool locations? How should we set up our line hauls? We are also working on implementing a “pull planning process” in which we are trying to consolidate our C and D stock items back to our manufacturing sites. This will provide many benefits to our operations and supply chain but with a service challenge. How can we meet service expectations by increasing the distance to our customers? The same line hauls that we use to establish pool points may also allow us to consolidate the C and D items back to our plants and still meet service.

Key Project Deliverables:

1. List of pool distribution locations and customers
2. Carrier partners
3. Line haul details: number, frequency, route, cut time
4. Route density
5. Distribution cost change: Transportation and Inventory
6. Quality impact (reduction in damage complaints)
7. Service impact summary

Capital Markets Finance

Company Description:

Investment advisory firm and money manager

Short Project Name:

Analyze structure, strategy, and tax implications for all commodity and currency ETFs and ETNs as well as many other ROI projects

Project Description and Deliverables:

We would use the team of interns to work on the following projects:

• Analysis of structure, strategy, and tax implications for all commodity and currency ETFs and ETNs.
• Create Excel template that calculates portfolio attribution and risk statistics.
• Analyze and categorize long/short and absolute return mutual funds.
• Matrix for performance, volatility, and correlation for country and sector ETFs.
• Analysis of reasons and sustainability of premiums in fixed income ETFs.
• Creation of a client satisfaction survey.
• Setup checklist for Simple IRA plans.
• Perform analysis of requirements and due diligence process for UMA and SMA platforms.

While many of these projects have an investment emphasis, other areas of concentration could also be useful.

Company Description:

A large insurance company with financial portfolio

Short Project Name:

Provides qualitative and quantitative analysis of fized income securities and portfolio positions. Completes special projects in support of the investment and risk management teams.

Project Description and Deliverables:

1. Analyzes and assesses credit quality of asset-backed securities and mortgage-backed securities
2. Analyze remittance reports, prospectuses, loan performance, and present findings to the credit committee
3. Using industry standard tools for research and analytical tools to create cash flow and valuation models of current investment holdings
4. Actively seeks to improve and enhance investment selection and monitoring processes
5. Provides accurate and timely deal/sector/macro research to support the decision-making process of risk and investment teams
6. Performs other assignments as requested and proactively identifies value adding projects and initiatives
7. Professional attitude, behavior, and interaction with colleagues
8. Intellectual curiosity about and enthusiasm for investment markets
9. Demonstrated ability to think accurately and critically in analytical setting
10. Effective communication skills, flexibility, teamwork, attention to detail, and accuracy are critical

Financial Analysis

Company Description:

A large insurance company with financial portfolio

Short Project Name:

Provides qualitative and quantitative analysis of fized income securities and portfolio positions. Completes special projects in support of the investment and risk management teams.

Project Description and Deliverables:

1. Analyzes and assesses credit quality of asset-backed securities and mortgage-backed securities
2. Analyze remittance reports, prospectuses, loan performance, and present findings to the credit committee
3. Using industry standard tools for research and analytical tools to create cash flow and valuation models of current investment holdings
4. Actively seeks to improve and enhance investment selection and monitoring processes
5. Provides accurate and timely deal/sector/macro research to support the decision-making process of risk and investment teams
6. Performs other assignments as requested and proactively identifies value adding projects and initiatives
7. Professional attitude, behavior, and interaction with colleagues
8. Intellectual curiosity about and enthusiasm for investment markets
9. Demonstrated ability to think accurately and critically in analytical setting
10. Effective communication skills, flexibility, teamwork, attention to detail, and accuracy are critical

Entrepreneurship

Company Description:

Startup company marketing toys for children with disabilities

Short Project Name:

Develop business plan to take small business idea to national sales

Project Description and Deliverables:

Every twenty minutes a child is diagnosed with Autism, changing a family’s life. We specialize in toys for kids with disabilities, like Autism or Down Syndrome. The future of this business is to take these toys into the places the parents are already going: doctors’ offices, therapy locations, etc., then set up “kiosks” where the toys and products that these therapists use are readily available for the parents to purchase and take home with them and use in home therapies.

1. Create a marketing plan and market analysis on a budget. Company struggling to make sales but there seems to be a lot of interest. We engage in social media with some very positive results.
2. Develop a plan for taking the products out to the facilities. We have several interested leads.
3. Develop a financial analysis of the opportunity: can it be profitable, what my risks are, is there enough market for it, etc.

Social Entrepreneurship

Company Description:

Leading peer-to-peer micro-lending organization

Short Project Name:

Identify micro-financing opportunities in third-world countries

Project Description and Deliverables:

Million dollars has moved through our organization to provide microfinance to the poorest people in the world—helping them to lift themselves out of poverty. Students will be helping our organization to research emerging new markets in developing countries throughout South America, Africa, Asia, and other locations.

Real Estate Development

Company Description:

Large Commercial Development Company

Short Project Name:

Identify potential development opportunities for specific properties

Project Description and Deliverables:

A number of properties will be identified across the US. The students will take each property and analyze the local economy and opportunities that exist for development of the property. The students will propose development options and provide forecasted value creation from the development plan proposed.

Business Plan Development

Company Description:

Website providing content ratings for literature

Short Project Name:

Research and analyze current free website for ways to gain revenue

Project Description and Deliverables:

We are interested in working with students who have experience/education in marketing, web design, e-commerce, and SEO.

Over the course of the semester, we would like the students on our team to:

1. Write a business plan to monetize the website
2. Research similar websites – how are they making money?
3. Plan strategy to increase website traffic
4. Analyze website and suggest any changes that would make it more user-friendly and useful to visitors

Market Research

Company Description:

Customer Relationship Management software business primarily

Short Project Name:

Defining scope of new products and new marketing materials for version 10 of Physician Relations Software Program

Project Description and Deliverables:

The project would include the following activities:

1. Defining new marketing materials for version 10 of our flagship Physician Relations Software Program.
2. Assist in defining the scope of new products for our software, specifically:
   • Physician Credentialing
   • Referral Call Centers
3. Analyzing marketing success
   • Google AdWords
   • Print
   • Email
   • Conferences

Industry Analysis and Customer Segmentation

Company Description:

Technology company developing web-based graphical applications

Short Project Name:

Perform research and analysis for an online collaborative diagramming tool

Project Description and Deliverables:

A variety of projects are possible, and specific assignments will be made based on consultation with the team leader and team mentor.

Possible projects include:

• Analysis of different market segments and opportunities for our company, and prioritization and entry plan for these market segments
• Detailed competitive analysis, and recommended product development plan
• Analysis and development of new product direction and strategy
• Development of detailed product requirements, e.g. for a mobile offering
• Development of a social media marketing plan
• Analysis of international opportunites and product internationalization

Competitor Analysis

Company Description:

A specialty chemical company selling to the personal care, household, and other markets.

Short Project Name:

Research and analyze information concerning markets, customers, and competitors, develop a database of information, and create dossiers that will be used by the company leadership and sales force.

Project Description and Deliverables:

The OCI team will research and analyze information concerning the organizations markets, customers, and competitors. The team will develop a database of information and create dossiers which will be sued by the company leadership and sales force. The BYU students will work closely with the Commercial VP of the company in creating information templates for markets, customers, and competitors, and then use a variety of research tools and methodologies to complete the information gathering and analysis.

Strategy Development

Company Description:

“Upscale” health club with two locations

Short Project Name:

Strategy and marketing analysis of current market opportunities as well as growth-oriented initiatives.

Project Description and Deliverables:

1. Evaluation and recommendations on financial business model – cost structure, overhead, pricing, are some products/services losing money? Are we missing products/services? Are some products/services extremely profitable?
   1. Obviously we want to focus on the profitable products/services and discontinue the losers.
   2. Financial or other motivational incentive ideas to fire up employees?
   3. Overhead analysis
   4. Calculate breakeven revenues and budget
   5. Bottom-line question: can this market sustain two clubs?
2. Analyze how to grow Personal Training participation and revenues. Make recommendations: how to better run the Personal Training program at our club, determine if we are priced correctly, decide if we have the right leader, suggest how to get more members to participate, as well as any additional recommendations.

Feasibility Study

Company Description:

On-line genealogy site

Short Project Name:

Determine the feasibility of a new genealogy sub-industry

Project Description and Deliverables:

Inventing a new genealogy sub-industry: Assembling and dispensing low-cost, high-quality, pay-per-view genealogical data.

Will genealogy societies participate in this project? If so, sign up a few. Will professional genealogists participate in the system? If so, try to recruit a few, pointing out that early adopters are the ones who stand to make the most money.

Verify assumptions about best system operation, about the likely participation levels and preferred methods of the various constituencies.

Major assumption – Genealogists will be willing to change their goals and habits to adopt the descendent-sequence method of research as their main activity, and rely on the cooperation mechanisms of this database system to take advantage of the thirty times improvement in research efficiency that comes along with using the descendent-sequence method. They will recognize that the best way to create an efficient family organization is to start with an ancient ancestor and trace forward all his same-surname descendents.

What are the beginning parameters for testing the quality of the data received, and what procedure will we follow in the future to determine and adjust those parameters? Most likely, we will need to get a good collection of raw data and actually try it before we settle on that opening set of parameters.

Marketing Plan

Company Description:

Newspaper publishing company

Short Project Name:

Prepare product launch for new mobile media application for the newspaper

Project Description and Deliverables:

We are launching a new mobile initiative that will have coupons and deals right at the touch of your fingertips. All you do is pull them up via mobile and take it into the store. We are launching August 9th and have hundreds of local businesses on board participating with in-store promotions. We also have a new BYU Cougarblue sports app for smart phones with all the latest BYU sports coverage, contests, and info, as well as a few other mobile initiatives. We are driving this hard through social media and grass roots marketing, and the target we will have trouble reaching that we think will love it is 18-24 year old college students. The problem we have is how to make a product like this viral and how to reach college students with a product they would actually use and like.

At the end of the project they should have some excellent examples of grass roots, social media, and event marketing to a young age demographic with deliverable results. We have huge amounts of opportunities, including a BYU football sponsorship, local events all over the valley, and a presence at UVU all year. It should be very innovative and fun! The products are not only new to Utah Valley but nation-wide as well. We are part of a larger newspaper conglomerate that will look at this project and take notice, which is a great opportunity for the students.

Company Description:

Retailing award and recognition products

Short Project Name:

Develop marketing plan to promote a new product

Project Description and Deliverables:

A new product called Framed Feature Articles has been developed for the general public as well as corporate use. The project would be to lay out a success plan to market this new product via a variety of effective marketing modes.

Company Description:

A university football team.

Short Project Name:

Promote and run a donation program. The team will continue the work of a previous field study project team.

Project Description and Deliverables:

• Finalization of the summer interns working on this project
• Design the publicity campaign to inform fans about the program
• Design and implement the web-based system for sign-ups
• Finalize the benefits of participation
• Sign up and acknowledge 2010 participants
• Continuation of the new plans for fall interns
• Continue the publicity campaign to inform fans about the program
• Systematize the enrollment, processing, payments, and acknowledgment of program members
• Manage publicity and in-venue coverage of the program
• Critique and improve the program for 2011

Accounting Projects

Company Description:

Non-profit organization providing emergency tools

Short Project Name:

Establish accounting systems and protocols

Project Description and Deliverables:

The accounting team will be responsible for developing an accounting system for a non-profit corporation operating in Salt Lake City, Utah. They will need to establish financial and administrative controls and handle the end-of-fiscal-year accounting. The team will also establish long-term 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service and pay any taxes due. After developing the system the team will also post the newly created accounts.

1. Report on Accounting System
2. Chart of Accounts
3. Report on Financial Controls
4. Report on Administrative Controls
5. Report on Achievement of 501(c)(3) Status
6. Copy of Form 990 Filled
7. Report on Taxes Paid
8. Financial Statements for Fiscal Year End September 2009

Information Systems Projects

Company Description:

Technology company developing web-based graphical applications

Short Project name:

Perform research and analysis for an online collaborative diagramming tool

Project Description and Deliverables:

A variety of projects are possible, and specific assignments will be made based on consultation with the team leader and team mentor.

Possible projects include:

• Analysis of different market segments and opportunities for LucidChart, and prioritization and entry plan for these market segments
• Detailed competitive analysis and recommended product development plan
• Development of detailed product requirements, e.g. for a mobile offering
• Development of a social media marketing plan
• Analysis of international opportunities and product internationalization.