Business writing

Business 100W ASSIGNMENT II: Evaluation of a company (short report)

Word Count: 1,750 to 2,000 words (required) Grammar Requirement: Underline one subordinated sentence Format: Business format with MLA in-text citations and Works Cited page Due to SafeAssign before class on Monday, April 29th In brief: In this essay, you will evaluate a company for possible corporate investment, based on 3-4 categories that you believe best speak to company health. Anticipate that your company will have both strengths and weaknesses, and use these points of examination to generate an overall evaluation—a position on investment. The essay will include a title page, table of contents, executive summary, and Works Cited page. Scenario: The email you drafted was successful and, after some skillful negotiation, you have secured a job at CM Burns Industries. The company has recently outperformed the market considerably. As a result, it is interested in investing significant capital into another business. You have been asked to create a report evaluating a company for investment. Select any company you wish from the list below. Choose wisely: this will likely be the company you work with for assignments three and four as well. Evaluate your company as you see fit, using standards and criteria that business professionals would consider reasonable. For a paper of this length, three to five categories would be appropriate. Financial data is always a good place to start (and may incorporate many sub-topics), and while you are not restricted to selecting your other criteria from these categories, here are some suggestions:

• business strategies • quality concerns with

the product(s) • labor practices • business ethics

• market share • advertising strategies • internet presence • product presence in

the marketplace

• research and development

• growth.

You are also welcome to develop your own categories. Strong essays will provide nuanced considerations of different categories and explain how those varied individual evaluations connect to one another and support your overall position on investment. Do remember that no company is perfect, and counter-arguments that consider company weaknesses will help make your paper more nuanced and well-rounded. Note that you may select a company, only to find through your research that it would be a problematic choice for investment. Avoid being tied to an initial position and trying to force the data to fit—it doesn’t work. Instead, start with preliminary research on the company, draft an initial hypothesis on investment, then stay flexible as you go into more in-depth research. If the research points to a qualified yes or no, or to a solid no position, then that’s the position to take. Research conducted can include sources such as Mergent, Hoover’s, Factiva, and other resources available at the Rivera Library. You can also use reputable sources found online or in print, as well as governmental sources (for reported financial data, for example) and company reports.

Please note: These categories are very broadly interpreted, and many of these companies would likely fit in multiple categories. Apparel—General

• Kohl’s • Nordstrom

Apparel—Athletic

• Foot Locker Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms

• Molson Coors Brewing • RJ Reynolds Tobacco

Co. Automotive & Related

• Advance Auto Parts • AutoZone • Ford Motor • O’Reilly Automotive

Chemical, Manufacturing, & Related

• 3M • Boston Scientific • Monsanto • Rockwell Automation

Communications & Related

• AT&T • Qualcomm • Verizon

Electronics, Computing, Tech, & Related

• Best Buy • Cisco Systems • IBM • L3 Technologies

Energy Sector • CenterPoint Energy • Consolidated Edison • Graybar Electric • Occidental Petroleum • Sempra Energy • Valero Energy

Entertainment

• Discovery • GameStop • Live Nation

Entertainment • News Corp. • Univision

Finance, Banking, & Insurance

• AIG • Allstate • American Family

Insurance Group • Anthem • BB&T Corp. • Cigna • Fannie Mae • Fidelity National

Financial • Goldman Sachs Group • Humana • Mutual of Omaha

Insurance • SunTrust Banks • TIAA • USAA • Voya Financial

Food, Beverage, & Related • 99 Ranch Market • Albertsons Cos. • General Mills • J.M. Smucker • McDonald’s • Sysco • Tyson Foods

General Goods & Services

• Aramark • Avery Dennison • Dollar General • Stanley Black & Decker

Health, Medical, and Pharmaceuticals

• Amgen • Bristol-Myers Squibb • DaVita • Eli Lilly • Gilead Sciences • Quest Diagnostics • Rite Aid • UnitedHealth Group

Personal & Home Care

• Carol’s Daughter • Colgate-Palmolive • Procter & Gamble

Transportation & Travel

• American Airlines Group

• CSX • Hertz Global Holdings • JetBlue Airways • Northrop Grumman • Southwest Airlines • Wynn Resorts