Overview
GGU MGT 156 - Management Policy and Strategy
Signature Assignment #1 of 4: Earnings Call
Due Week 3
Course Framing:
You will be an advisor to a US publicly traded company of your choice as they consider their
Management Policies and Strategies while Trump is US President. In every assignment you will
be helping this company develop strategies to thrive, or at least survive.
General Overview of All Assignments:
about your assignment before writing.
Assignment Learning Objectives:
formulation.
Assignment #1 Deliverables
In a 750-1000 word, APA formatted paper or Slide Deck (10-15 slides) that addresses the
following:
1. Provide an overview of your company that includes:
§ Board of Directors
§ CEO
§ Additional C level executives that you can discover
2. Listen online to the most recent archived Quarterly Earnings Call from the publicly traded
company you selected.
due to audio issues. (Participants tend to talk over each other.)
3. Identify 4 Strategic Management Initiatives discussed on the conference call.
For each SMI (Strategic Management Initiative) you have identified describe specific tactical
steps the company is taking to address the situation.
Research these initiatives to discover…
2. Explicitly identify and connect 1 or more topics from our textbook (Chapters 1-6) to the
Strategic Management Initiatives as a possible framework for analysis. If you are uncertain,
at least discuss how one of the textbook topics we have read relates to what you heard in
the Earnings Call.
3. Discuss if and how the company is impacted by or responding to the Trump Administration
policies.
4. Include at least three research sources in APA formatting both in-text and in a Reference
List.
NOTE TO TEAMS:
paper. Each team member submits the same paper to the assignment portal.
RESOURCES:
Earnings Call Definition:
An earnings call is a teleconference, or increasingly a webcast, in which a public
company discusses the financial results of a reporting period via an 800 number and on
the internet. The name comes from earnings per share (EPS), the bottomline number in
the income statement divided by the number of shares outstanding. The U.S. based
National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) says that 92% of companies represented by
their members conduct earnings calls and that virtually all of these are webcast.
Transcripts of calls may be made available either by the company or a third party.
The calls are usually preceded or accompanied by a press release containing a
summary of the financial results, and possibly by a more detailed filing under
securities law. Earnings calls usually happen, or at least begin, while the stock market
on which the company's shares are traded is closed to trading, so that all investors
will have had a chance to hear management's presentation before or after trading in
the stock resumes. On July 13, 2013, NIRI issued "Updated Standards of Practice for
Earnings Release Content", available to NIRI.org visitors.
Generally, the call will begin with a company official, typically the Investor Relations
Officer (IRO), reading a safe harbor statement to limit the company's liability should
actual results prove different from expected indicators reported in the discussion.
Then one or more company officials, often including the Chief executive officer and
Chief financial officer, will discuss the operational results and financial statements for
the period just ended and their outlook for the future. The teleconference will then be
opened for questions by investors, financial, and other call participants. Management
will answer many of these questions, although if the data is unavailable to them, they
may decline or defer response. Depending on the size and complexity of the company,
the difference between actual and expected results, and other factors, the length of
the call will vary.
There is no general requirement for how far in advance notice of a call must be given.
However, keeping the investor and analyst communities happy is part of
management's job, so the call will generally be announced a few days or weeks in
advance. If the company has a website, then there will probably be a section titled
Investor Relations or Investors, where call schedules and archived past calls will
typically be posted.
Many companies are tracked by financial analysts that publish estimates of EPS. The
company may also provide guidance as to what EPS are likely to be. If management
knows that its results are going to be significantly different from its guidance or from
analyst expectations, it may choose to make a preannouncement of differing results.
If the call occurs within 48 hours of a press release furnished to the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Form 8-K and meets certain other
criteria there is no obligation to separately report the call to the SEC. Otherwise, it
must be reported on Form 8-K. If the call contains non-GAAP information, then there
are additional requirements under SEC regulations, including Regulation FD.
Companies headquartered in the United States with securities traded on a U.S. based
stock market or other exchange are required to file audited annual reports with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Form 10-K following the end of a fiscal
year and unaudited reports on Form 10-Q following the end of a fiscal quarter. These
companies announce earnings and generally hold an earnings call quarterly.
Some companies with shares traded on foreign stock exchanges also have American
depositary receipts (ADRs) that are traded on U.S. exchanges and are required to file
Forms 20-F and 6K with the SEC. (Not all companies with ADRs need to file these
forms.) They are likely to have their earnings announcements and calls coordinated
with the schedule required in the country where their shares are traded.
Nine Best Practices for Hosting an Earnings Call (IR Magazine - Investor Relations,
October 6, 2023, Henson) – Earnings Call insights from industry perspective.
Where to Access Earnings Calls:
free account)
Writing your paper:
portal.
1. For short passages (usually under 40 words) quoted word for word, “put the quoted
material inside quotation marks (like this is), and provide the author, date and page
number in parentheses right after the quotation” (Jones, 1999, p. 76).
2. For longer quotations, instead of quotation marks, the quoted material gets its own
paragraph, and the entire paragraph is indented (given wider margins than the rest
of the paper, like this paragraph). Then the author, date, and page number appear in
parentheses at the end of the paragraph, and outside the last period. (Jackson,
2003, p. 229)
3. If you use material from another source but change the wording (called
paraphrasing), give the author and date in parentheses (Jones, 1999).
4. At the end of the paper, give full Reference List for all your sources on a page called
There are different styles for documenting sources.
Example of Reference List:
Archer, Z. (n.d.). Exploring nonverbal communication. Retrieved July 18, 2021, from
http://zzyx.ucsc.edu/~archer
Highmore, B. (2021). Everyday life and cultural theory. New York: Routledge.
Morawski, J. (2020). Social psychology a century ago. American Psychologist, 55, 427-
431.
Rubric for Signature Assignment #1 – Earnings Call
Criteria Available Points
Earned
Points
components of the
assignment
Leading Professional = 19-20 points
Professional = 16-18 points
Acceptable = 13-15 points
Needs improvement = 1-12 points
Missing = 0 points
/20
and cites all sources
including use of AI
research. Includes at
least 3 research
sources; listed in APA
formatting
Leading Professional = 30-40 points
Professional = 20-29 points
Acceptable = 10-19 points
Needs improvement = 1-9 points
Missing = 0 points
/40
Specialized
Knowledge / Broad
Integrative
Knowledge:
Integrates and
applies concepts,
theories, strategies,
and tactics of
business
Leading Professional = 19-20 points
Professional = 16-18 points
Acceptable = 13-15 points
Needs improvement = 1-12 points
Missing = 0 points
/20
management in the
construction of a
summative project.
Note grading rubric
attached.
writing guidelines.
Proofread for
grammar and clarity
of ideas.
Leading Professional = 19-20 points
Professional = 16-18 points
Acceptable = 13-15 points
Needs improvement = 1-12 points
Missing = 0 points
/20
Total /100GGU MGT 156 - Management Policy and Strategy
Signature Assignment #1 of 4: Earnings Call
Due Week 3
Course Framing:
You will be an advisor to a US publicly traded company of your choice as they consider their
Management Policies and Strategies while Trump is US President. In every assignment you will
be helping this company develop strategies to thrive, or at least survive.
General Overview of All Assignments:
about your assignment before writing.
Assignment Learning Objectives:
formulation.
Assignment #1 Deliverables
In a 750-1000 word, APA formatted paper or Slide Deck (10-15 slides) that addresses the
following:
1. Provide an overview of your company that includes:
§ Board of Directors
§ CEO
§ Additional C level executives that you can discover
2. Listen online to the most recent archived Quarterly Earnings Call from the publicly traded
company you selected.
due to audio issues. (Participants tend to talk over each other.)
3. Identify 4 Strategic Management Initiatives discussed on the conference call.
For each SMI (Strategic Management Initiative) you have identified describe specific tactical
steps the company is taking to address the situation.
Research these initiatives to discover…
2. Explicitly identify and connect 1 or more topics from our textbook (Chapters 1-6) to the
Strategic Management Initiatives as a possible framework for analysis. If you are uncertain,
at least discuss how one of the textbook topics we have read relates to what you heard in
the Earnings Call.
3. Discuss if and how the company is impacted by or responding to the Trump Administration
policies.
4. Include at least three research sources in APA formatting both in-text and in a Reference
List.
NOTE TO TEAMS:
paper. Each team member submits the same paper to the assignment portal.
RESOURCES:
Earnings Call Definition:
An earnings call is a teleconference, or increasingly a webcast, in which a public
company discusses the financial results of a reporting period via an 800 number and on
the internet. The name comes from earnings per share (EPS), the bottomline number in
the income statement divided by the number of shares outstanding. The U.S. based
National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) says that 92% of companies represented by
their members conduct earnings calls and that virtually all of these are webcast.
Transcripts of calls may be made available either by the company or a third party.
The calls are usually preceded or accompanied by a press release containing a
summary of the financial results, and possibly by a more detailed filing under
securities law. Earnings calls usually happen, or at least begin, while the stock market
on which the company's shares are traded is closed to trading, so that all investors
will have had a chance to hear management's presentation before or after trading in
the stock resumes. On July 13, 2013, NIRI issued "Updated Standards of Practice for
Earnings Release Content", available to NIRI.org visitors.
Generally, the call will begin with a company official, typically the Investor Relations
Officer (IRO), reading a safe harbor statement to limit the company's liability should
actual results prove different from expected indicators reported in the discussion.
Then one or more company officials, often including the Chief executive officer and
Chief financial officer, will discuss the operational results and financial statements for
the period just ended and their outlook for the future. The teleconference will then be
opened for questions by investors, financial, and other call participants. Management
will answer many of these questions, although if the data is unavailable to them, they
may decline or defer response. Depending on the size and complexity of the company,
the difference between actual and expected results, and other factors, the length of
the call will vary.
There is no general requirement for how far in advance notice of a call must be given.
However, keeping the investor and analyst communities happy is part of
management's job, so the call will generally be announced a few days or weeks in
advance. If the company has a website, then there will probably be a section titled
Investor Relations or Investors, where call schedules and archived past calls will
typically be posted.
Many companies are tracked by financial analysts that publish estimates of EPS. The
company may also provide guidance as to what EPS are likely to be. If management
knows that its results are going to be significantly different from its guidance or from
analyst expectations, it may choose to make a preannouncement of differing results.
If the call occurs within 48 hours of a press release furnished to the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Form 8-K and meets certain other
criteria there is no obligation to separately report the call to the SEC. Otherwise, it
must be reported on Form 8-K. If the call contains non-GAAP information, then there
are additional requirements under SEC regulations, including Regulation FD.
Companies headquartered in the United States with securities traded on a U.S. based
stock market or other exchange are required to file audited annual reports with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Form 10-K following the end of a fiscal
year and unaudited reports on Form 10-Q following the end of a fiscal quarter. These
companies announce earnings and generally hold an earnings call quarterly.
Some companies with shares traded on foreign stock exchanges also have American
depositary receipts (ADRs) that are traded on U.S. exchanges and are required to file
Forms 20-F and 6K with the SEC. (Not all companies with ADRs need to file these
forms.) They are likely to have their earnings announcements and calls coordinated
with the schedule required in the country where their shares are traded.
Nine Best Practices for Hosting an Earnings Call (IR Magazine - Investor Relations,
October 6, 2023, Henson) – Earnings Call insights from industry perspective.
Where to Access Earnings Calls:
free account)
Writing your paper:
portal.
1. For short passages (usually under 40 words) quoted word for word, “put the quoted
material inside quotation marks (like this is), and provide the author, date and page
number in parentheses right after the quotation” (Jones, 1999, p. 76).
2. For longer quotations, instead of quotation marks, the quoted material gets its own
paragraph, and the entire paragraph is indented (given wider margins than the rest
of the paper, like this paragraph). Then the author, date, and page number appear in
parentheses at the end of the paragraph, and outside the last period. (Jackson,
2003, p. 229)
3. If you use material from another source but change the wording (called
paraphrasing), give the author and date in parentheses (Jones, 1999).
4. At the end of the paper, give full Reference List for all your sources on a page called
There are different styles for documenting sources.
Example of Reference List:
Archer, Z. (n.d.). Exploring nonverbal communication. Retrieved July 18, 2021, from
http://zzyx.ucsc.edu/~archer
Highmore, B. (2021). Everyday life and cultural theory. New York: Routledge.
Morawski, J. (2020). Social psychology a century ago. American Psychologist, 55, 427-
431.
Rubric for Signature Assignment #1 – Earnings Call
Criteria Available Points
Earned
Points
components of the
assignment
Leading Professional = 19-20 points
Professional = 16-18 points
Acceptable = 13-15 points
Needs improvement = 1-12 points
Missing = 0 points
/20
and cites all sources
including use of AI
research. Includes at
least 3 research
sources; listed in APA
formatting
Leading Professional = 30-40 points
Professional = 20-29 points
Acceptable = 10-19 points
Needs improvement = 1-9 points
Missing = 0 points
/40
Specialized
Knowledge / Broad
Integrative
Knowledge:
Integrates and
applies concepts,
theories, strategies,
and tactics of
business
Leading Professional = 19-20 points
Professional = 16-18 points
Acceptable = 13-15 points
Needs improvement = 1-12 points
Missing = 0 points
/20
management in the
construction of a
summative project.
Note grading rubric
attached.
writing guidelines.
Proofread for
grammar and clarity
of ideas.
Leading Professional = 19-20 points
Professional = 16-18 points
Acceptable = 13-15 points
Needs improvement = 1-12 points
Missing = 0 points
/20
Total /100