A new private equity (PE) firm that specialises in investing on young businesses with proven revenues (not necessarily profits) has just established a Business Intelligence (BI) department with the aim to provide relevant data and critical analyses and insights into specific industries. The boutique PE firm intends to invest CAD$100 million for its first round of equity investments (i.e. purchase shares of young companies), and would like to have a portfolio of 3-5 young companies (investees) preferably with proven revenues of no less than CAD$1 million each. Moreover, the firm is bullish on just these five industries only: education, biotechnology, clean technology, healthcare, and agriculture. However, the PE firm is lacking data on these industries, as well as the potential investees within each industry. Acting as the BI department, your group has been given the challenge to set up a BI database with critical analyses and recommendations to assist and inform the Top Management and Board of Directors of the PE firm in searching for the potential investees across the targeted five industries.

AL Group/Set Meeting Process Step 1) Appoint a group member as the BI department head. The department head will be the Proposer of the problem/challenge, and all other group members will be Respondents. Step 2) Proposer shares the problem/challenge with all members of the AL group, and all Respondents must ask at least one question to clarify on the problem/challenge with the Proposer. If Proposer is unsure and in doubt, the Proposer (not Respondents) will consult with the AL Coach/Facilitator (i.e. the course instructor, Kai Chung) immediately in class during the class discussion on the Group Assignment 2 (Week 7). Step 3) Upon clarification on the problem/challenge, all group members (Proposer and Respondents) must come up with a set of possible solutions (at least two and not more than five). Group members are encouraged to use what you have learnt from the earlier module on Business Intelligance (BI) in this course when considering the solutions. Step 4) All group members will further discuss and decide on just one solution as the most appropriate solution to act upon. Explains why your group believe the solution is the best. Is the decision on the solution agreed by everyone (consensus) or by majority (above 50%)? Step 5) All group members will then draw up a list of action plan (a list of tasks and timeline) to realise the solution within the BI department. Step 6) Upon completion of the list of action plan, all group members re-group to discuss on what new knowledge that AL group/set has learnt, and how this knowledge can be placed into good use for future AL group/set and for the firm. Instructor: Kai Chung 3 For clarity, your Group Assignment 2 should have the following contents arising from the AL group/set meeting process: 1) Name of department head (Proposer). (2 marks) 2) A set of possible solutions to the problem/challenge by all group members (at least 2 solutions but not more than five solutions. Ideally, one solution from each group member). (5 marks) 3) Which solution (or combination of solutions) was decided by the AL group, and was it decided by consensus (everyone) or by majority (above 50%). Explain why the group considers the solution (or combination of solutions) as the ideal or most appropriate solution. (5 + 5 marks) 4) Provides a simple table with two columns on the Action Plan the first column is on the list of actions to be undertaken by the BI Department, and the second column is on the estimated time period needed to complete each action. (5 + 5 marks) 5) Identify and summarizes what knowledge your AL group/set feels that it has learnt, and how can this new knowledge be used by the BI department and the firm in the future. (3 marks)