| Course | MT299 Associate's Capstone in Management |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 7 |
| Paper type | Options analysis |
| Length | About 850 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MT299 Unit 7
Five Options on the Same Five Criteria: A Unit 7 Options Analysis for Hartwell Florist's Discarded Stems
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
MT299: Associate's Capstone in Management
Unit 7 Options Analysis
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Hartwell Florist, its options, staff and estimates are composite and illustrative; the sources cited are real.
The Problem and the Measure
Hartwell Florist discards about 22 percent of its fresh-cut flower purchases by cost, roughly $28,000 a year. The research found two causes: a Thursday order still sized for a weekend walk-in trade that has shrunk, and a cooler running at 38 to 39 degrees rather than the 33 to 35 recommended for most cut flowers (Society of American Florists, n.d.). After the seminar, the measure was revised: discarded cost as a share of purchases, excluding a defined sympathy reserve of white and green stems, which is a planned cost.
The Five Options
Option A: a Thursday par sheet. Every Wednesday, the shop manager compares the coming weekend's expected sales by stem type, from the last four weeks of point-of-sale data, with what is in the cooler, and orders only the difference plus the sympathy reserve. The wholesaler accepts changes until Tuesday noon, so the manager would move the review to Tuesday morning. It could start within two weeks.
Option B: a cooler repair with dated rotation. A refrigeration technician recalibrates the thermostat and replaces a worn door gasket so the cooler holds 33 to 35 degrees. Designers mark each bucket with colored tape for its delivery day and always pull the oldest first. It could start within a week of the repair.
Option C: Saturday market bunches. Stems that are still good but will not last another sale cycle are wrapped into simple bunches and sold at the counter on Saturdays at a low price. It could start immediately.
Option D: office subscription arrangements. The shop sells weekly arrangements to offices and restaurants, using stems that would otherwise age in the cooler. It would require a sales effort to sign up customers.
Option E: do nothing. The shop continues as now, and every other option is measured against that result.
The Screening Criteria
Each option is rated high, medium or low on five criteria, with a reason in every cell.
Expected waste reduction: how much of the 22 percent it could remove
Cost: money the shop must spend to start and run it
Owner and staff hours: time the change takes from a small team
Risk to sympathy work: whether it could leave the shop unable to fill a funeral order
Reversibility: how easily the shop could undo it if it fails
Hammond et al. (2015) recommend comparing all options on the same criteria, including the option of doing nothing, so that the comparison is not tilted toward a favorite.
Ratings
Option A, par sheet: waste reduction high, since the Thursday surplus is the largest cause; cost low, mainly an hour of manager time a week; hours low to medium; risk to sympathy work low, because the reserve is built in; reversibility high, since the order can return to its old size any week.
Option B, cooler repair: waste reduction medium, since a colder cooler adds a day or two of life to every stem; cost medium, a one-time repair of about $1,650; hours low after setup; risk low; reversibility not relevant, since a working cooler has no downside.
Option C, market bunches: waste reduction medium, recovering money from stems that would otherwise be lost; cost low; hours medium, since designers must wrap bunches on Saturday mornings; risk low; reversibility high. Its uncertainty is whether cheap bunches take sales from full-price ones.
Option D, office subscriptions: waste reduction medium in time; cost medium; hours high, because someone must sell and service the accounts; risk medium, since subscription commitments could draw on the sympathy reserve in a busy week; reversibility low once contracts are signed.
Option E, do nothing: waste reduction none; cost none now, but $28,000 a year continues; hours none; risk none; reversibility not relevant.
Doing nothing is free only until the next invoice arrives.
Options Set Aside
Office subscriptions are set aside for this year. The shop has no one with time to sell them, and the owner prefers not to commit stock in advance. If the shop hires a part-time salesperson or the owner decides to grow corporate accounts, the option should return.
Questions for Unit 8
Three options move on: the par sheet, the cooler repair and market bunches. Each must answer specific questions before it can be priced. For the par sheet: how much of the Thursday surplus can be cut without shortages, and what will the wholesaler's minimum order fee add? For the cooler repair: how many extra days of life will a colder cooler give, and what does rotation cost in designer time? For market bunches: how much of their revenue would have been earned anyway at full price? Kepner and Tregoe (2013) describe this step, setting out what each surviving alternative must prove, as the bridge between screening and decision.
References
Hammond, J. S., Keeney, R. L., & Raiffa, H. (2015). Smart choices: A practical guide to making better decisions. Harvard Business Review Press.
Kepner, C. H., & Tregoe, B. B. (2013). The new rational manager (Updated ed.). Kepner-Tregoe.
Society of American Florists. (n.d.). Care and handling of cut flowers. https://safnow.org
The Purdue Global MT299 Unit 7 instructions
The seventh unit asks students to identify and evaluate options for solving the capstone problem. Prompts typically want three to five realistic alternatives, criteria for comparing them, an assessment of each and a statement of which options deserve further study. Many sections separate this screening from the cost analysis in Unit 8 and the recommendation that follows, so the paper may narrow the field without deciding. The status quo is commonly expected as a baseline, because every proposed change must beat what happens if nothing changes. Criteria should be fixed before options are rated and should include practical limits like staff time and risk to the core business, not only money. Instructors expect each option described specifically enough to cost. Three to five pages with headings is usual, often with a rating grid, and a decision-making or problem analysis source cited in APA format.
How the MT 299 Unit 7 example is put together
This analysis restates the problem and the revised measure in one short section, citing the florists' association's guidance on cooler temperatures. Five options follow, each in a paragraph that says who does what and how soon it could start; the par sheet, for example, moves the manager's review to Tuesday to meet the wholesaler's noon cutoff. Five criteria are listed next, with Hammond and colleagues supporting a common yardstick for every option including doing nothing, which a margin note picks up. Ratings give each option high, medium or low on every criterion with a reason, and note the open doubt on market bunches drawing sales from full-price ones. A highlighted line observes that doing nothing is free only until the next invoice. A short section sets office subscriptions aside with a condition for their return. The ending turns the screening into questions for Unit 8, citing Kepner and Tregoe on what survivors must prove.
Reading the MT299 Unit 7 grading rubric
Rubrics for this screening unit generally weigh the range and realism of alternatives, the quality of criteria, the rigor of evaluation and the logic connecting it to the next unit. Range credit goes to options that differ in kind, ordering, storage and pricing in the florist case, rather than variations of one idea. Realism means each option fits the organization's size and people, so a plan to hire a full-time buyer for an eight-person shop would cost marks. Criteria score well when they are stated before rating and include the organization's core risk. The evaluation earns most when every cell carries a reason, not just a rating. Including the status quo and explaining any option set aside show fairness. Many rubrics reward a clear handoff, such as questions each surviving option must answer in the cost analysis. Organized headings, a readable grid and APA references complete the criteria.
Common MT299 Unit 7 mistakes, and how to avoid them
The most frequent problem is a predetermined answer dressed as a comparison, with one option described in detail and the others sketched as straw men. Another is criteria invented after the ratings, which graders spot when every criterion happens to favor the same choice. Some papers leave out doing nothing, so the reader never sees the cost of inaction. Others propose options the organization could never adopt, such as new software for a shop with no one to run it. Ratings without reasons earn little even when they are right. Choosing a winner too early can also conflict with a prompt that saves the decision for later. Write your criteria first and rate the status quo against them before anything else; the gaps it shows often suggest the options. List the alternatives you are considering, the doubtful ones too, and an analysis can be built from your criteria.
Get an MT299 Unit 7 example written to your instructions
List the options you are weighing, including any you doubt, and send the Unit 7 instructions and rubric along with your problem statement. The custom analysis screens those options on criteria fixed in advance and narrows them without forcing a verdict early. It returns in 24-48h; first requests are free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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MT299 Unit 7 questions, answered
Does the options analysis need to recommend one option?
It depends on the prompt. Many MT299 sections separate options from recommendation, so the options unit compares and narrows while a later unit decides once costs are known. If your prompt asks for a preferred option here, state it, but keep the other options genuinely evaluated rather than reduced to strawmen.
Should doing nothing be one of the options?
Usually yes. The status quo is the baseline every change must beat, and it has real costs, in this case continued waste. Including it shows the reader what happens if the recommendation is rejected. Some instructors expect it explicitly, and few will penalize a paper for treating it seriously.
How many options are enough?
Three to five genuine options are common. Fewer can look like a predetermined answer, while more tends to thin the analysis. Options can also be combined later, so it helps to note which ones are compatible. What matters most is that each option is specific enough to cost and realistic for the business at its actual size.
Where can I find a free MT299 Unit 7 sample paper?
The full MT299 Unit 7 options analysis is on this page. It rates five ways to reduce a composite florist's flower waste on the same five criteria, sets one aside and sends three forward to the cost and benefit unit.
Why were office subscriptions set aside in the MT299 Unit 7 sample?
They scored high on staff hours, since someone would have to sell and service the accounts, and low on reversibility once contracts were signed. The owner also preferred not to commit stock in advance, so the option waits until the shop has a salesperson.