Business Management paper . only second part. just the article

Assignment:

Students will as a team write and submit a research paper featuring an analysis of a corporation and a major issue facing that firm. By the end of this assignment, the student should develop an understanding of management practice that enables them to function more effectively in today's work environments, including an awareness of the issues of globalization, firm competitiveness, and the effect and impact of structure on firm performance.

It is imperative to use chapter contents from each chapter covered in class including definitions, theories, and other information.

This paper should demonstrate that the student understands how business trends affect an organization’s capability for achieving a competitive advantage in the 21^st century business environment. The project will incorporate general management concepts and theory introduced and learned by students throughout the course and should demonstrate the student’s ability to both comprehend these concepts and apply knowledge learned in a systematic way.  Content from all chapters covered should be very evident based on citations from the textbook and other sources, followed by information relating to the company itself. Parameters and guidelines for the assessment are as follows:

Subject:

Subject to professor approval, students will select a publicly traded corporation that will then be analyzed by the team.

• The choice of firm for analysis should be related to the student’s course of study if possible.
• Publically-traded firms are required.
• The student will also select a relevant recent periodical article which will then be analyzed and applied to the chosen firm.
• A midterm draft or interim paper including chapters already covered in the class to that point is required and reviewed by the instructor by the close of week 6. This draft will then be briefly reviewed by the professor such that general feedback may then be given to the student for the purpose of coaching and guiding the student toward the successful completion of the final draft. This feedback will be high-level and serve primarily to make sure the team is working together and well, and on their way to a strong deliverable.

Content:

STEP ONE: Company selection and analysis

·         The team during week 1 will select a company for analysis and write up a profile of the company selected. The profile should include:

ü  Presentation and discussion of firm Mission/Vision

ü  Presentation and discussion of the firm’s current strategic plans and/or direction

ü  Presentation and discussion of the firm’s culture

ü  A brief discussion of the firm’s structure and organization

ü  The above subject areas could be presented in a “strengths/weaknesses” format as part of an overall SWOT-style analysis

ü  Approximately 4-5 pages minimum, double-spaced, typed plus reference pages

STEP TWO: Article selection and analysis

·         Write a report on an article that was written within the past year that deals with a topic directly affecting the competitiveness of the student’s chosen firm. The article chosen should have something important to say about an element of organizational effectiveness - It can profile a dramatic social trend, give an industry prediction, address a strategic competency like leadership or HR, highlight a current environmental issue (for instance, the social responsibility component of sustainability), or comment on financial or market failures, etc. This will be an appendix at the back of the main document.

ü  Students should give a brief summary of the article, identifying the issue that attracted them to the article, explain why this issue is important, and what they learned from the article.

ü  Students should discuss how the subject of the article will affect their firm from a competitive perspective, highlighting any relevant changes necessary to the management structure, culture, or strategic direction of the firm.

ü  Approximately 3-4 pages, double-spaced, typed