ECON assignment 4

JWI 515: Managerial Economics Academic Submissions and Evaluation

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Assignment 4: Industry and Company Analysis (Weight: 25%) Due by Sunday, Midnight of Week 9

Your Assignment Next month, you will be meeting with a group of investors to discuss the possibility of a capital investment in your current company (or a company of interest) to significantly expand operations. The company’s Board of Directors will also attend the meeting. To prepare for your presentation to these decision-makers and stakeholders, you need to conduct a thorough and honest evaluation of your company and its products or services.

Instructions

Write a paper of 5 to 7 pages in which you address the topics below. To create the structure - sections and subsections - of your paper, we recommend you to use the Sample Outline provided at the end of these Instructions. You should refer to the course content and show that you have used online resources to gather both quantitative and qualitative information related to your company.

1. Describe your company and its major products or services, using terms and concepts learned in

this course. Include the following:

a. Market sector and industry b. Market structure—pure competition, monopoly, monopsony, or oligopoly c. Major products and/or services

2. Describe the economic environment in which your company is doing business, using terms and concepts learned in this course. Include the following:

a. Elasticity and the factors that affect product or service supply and demand

b. Other relevant economic characteristics, such as utility, type of good, etc. c. Non-economic forces that impact sales and profitability, such as weather,

business cycles, technology releases, or regulations

3. Evaluate your company’s short-term and long-term economic outlook. Include the following: a. Using GUIDES, choose one macroeconomic indicator that poses an external concern

or points to an area of risk. Explain its implications.

JWI 515: Managerial Economics Academic Submissions and Evaluation

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b. Using GUIDES, choose one macroeconomic indicator that provides reassurance or points to future growth. Explain its implications.

c. What type of outlook can investors expect over the short-term (5- 7 years)? Specify any major favorable or unfavorable elements from your research.

d. What type of outlook can investors expect over the long-term (8+ years)? Specify any major favorable or unfavorable elements from your research.

Professional Formatting Requirements

• Typed, double-spaced, professional font (size 10-12), include headings and subheadings, with one-inch margins on all sides

• Include a Cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, your professor’s name, the course title, and the date

• Include an Abstract: a short summary of your paper that readers can use as an overview

• Utilize the Sample Outline provided on the next page, or create one of your own that mirrors the grading Rubric’s deliverables

• Tables or graphs are encouraged as appropriate and can be embedded within the body of your paper or added in an Appendix

• Include a References page that enables the reader to locate original sources. Application and analysis of course materials and resources are expected, and additional research is welcome

• The Cover page and References page are not included in the required length

JWI 515: Managerial Economics Academic Submissions and Evaluation

© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University. JWI 515 – Assignment 4 (1198) Page 3 of 5

Industry and Company Analysis - Sample Outline

Use the following Outline to organize your paper. Use the underlined headings as section headings. Use the prompts in each section to be sure you include the required content. When you have finished your paper, write an Abstract (summary) of one to two paragraphs. The Abstract goes on a separate page, right after the Cover Page.

Cover Page

Abstract On a separate page, write a short summary of your overall evaluation of the company’s prospects

Introduction Describe the structure of the report

Background and Products (Address the following)

Describe your company’s market sector and industry Explain the market structure: is it pure competition, monopoly, monopsony, or oligopoly? Describe your company’s major products or services

Assessment of Company and Products/Services (Address the following)

Specify the economic factors – such as elasticity – that impact supply and demand Specify any other significant economic characteristics, such as utility, type of good, etc. What non-economic forces – such as weather, business cycles, new technologies or changes in regulations – can impact your company’s sales and profitability?

Economic Outlook (Address the following) Using GUIDES, choose a macroeconomic indicator that poses an external concern or points to an area of risk; explain the implication of this indicator for your company and industry Using GUIDES, choose a macroeconomic indicator that provides some reassurance or points to future growth; explain the implication of this indicator for your company and industry Summarize the outlook for investors in the short-term (5 to 7 years), specifying any major favorable or unfavorable elements from your research Summarize the outlook for prospective investors in the long-term (8+ years), specifying any major favorable or unfavorable elements from your research

Conclusion Briefly recap and summarize the major findings of your report

References

JWI 515: Managerial Economics Academic Submissions and Evaluation

© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University. JWI 515 – Assignment 4 (1198) Page 4 of 5

RUBRIC: Assignment 4: Industry and Company Analysis

CRITERIA

Unsatisfactory

Low Pass

Pass

High Pass

Honors

1. Describe the company’s market sector, industry, market structure, and major products or services.

Weight: 20%

Does not or minimally describes the company’s market sector, industry, market structure, and/or major products or services.

Partially describes the company’s market sector, industry, market structure, and/or major products or services.

Satisfactorily describes the company’s market sector, industry, market structure, and/or major products or services.

Very good description of the company’s market sector, industry, market structure, and/or major products or services.

Exemplary description of the company’s market sector, industry, market structure, and/or major products or services.

2. Assess the impact on the company and its major products or services of economic factors and non- economic forces.

Weight: 20%

Does not or minimally assesses the impact on the company and its major products or services of economic factors and non- economic forces.

Partially assesses the impact on the company and its major products or services of economic factors and non- economic forces.

Satisfactorily assesses the impact on the company and its major products or services of economic factors and non- economic forces.

Very good assessment of the impact on the company and its major products or services of economic factors and non- economic forces.

Exemplary assessment of the impact on the company and its major products or services of economic factors and non- economic forces.

3. Choose one macro- economic indicator that poses an external concern and one indicator that provides some reassurance. For each indicator, explain the implication for your company and industry.

Weight: 20%

Does not choose appropriate indicators and/or does not explain the implication for the company and industry of either of the indicators.

Chooses appropriate indicators and provides a basic explanation of the implication for the company and industry of one or both indicators.

Chooses appropriate indicators and provides a satisfactory explanation of the implication for the company and industry of both indicators.

Chooses appropriate indicators and provides a very good explanation of the implication for the company and industry of both indicators.

Chooses appropriate indicators and provides an excellent explanation of the implication for the company and industry of both indicators.

JWI 515: Managerial Economics Academic Submissions and Evaluation

© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University. JWI 515 – Assignment 4 (1198) Page 5 of 5

CRITERIA

Unsatisfactory

Low Pass

Pass

High Pass

Honors

4. Evaluate short- term and long- term economic outlooks, specifying major favorable or unfavorable elements from the student’s research.

Weight: 20%

Does not evaluate short- term and long- term economic outlooks and/or does not specify major favorable or unfavorable elements from the student’s research.

Provides a partial evaluation of short-term and long-term economic outlooks and specifies a few major favorable or unfavorable elements from the student’s research.

Provides a satisfactory evaluation of short- term and long-term economic outlooks and specifies major favorable or unfavorable elements from the student’s research.

Provides a very good evaluation of short-term and long- term economic outlooks and specifies major favorable or unfavorable elements from the student’s research.

Provides an exemplary evaluation of short-term and long-term economic outlooks and specifies major favorable or unfavorable elements from the student’s research.

5. Student writes a good Conclusion and Abstract; good use of Sources (References).

Weight: 10%

Poorly written or no Conclusion; the Abstract is missing or very poorly written; minimal or no Sources are used.

The Conclusion and the Abstract are partially adequate; some appropriate Sources are used in a few parts of the paper.

The Conclusion and the Abstract are satisfactorily well written; multiple Sources are used in the paper.

The Conclusion and the Abstract are very well written; Sources are numerous and used effectively in the paper.

The Conclusion and the Abstract are excellently written; Sources are numerous and applied in an exemplary fashion throughout the paper.

6. Writing mechanics; clarity of expression; adheres to formatting instructions; uses sections from Sample Outline.

Weight: 10%

Multiple mechanical errors; unclear expression of ideas; fails to follow formatting instructions; minimal use of sections from Sample Outline.

Several mechanical errors; flow of ideas is confusing in parts; follows formatting instructions; makes use of some sections from Sample Outline.

More than a few mechanical errors; flow of ideas is satisfactory; follows formatting instructions; makes use of all sections from Sample Outline.

Few mechanical errors; flow of ideas is concise and clear; follows formatting instructions; makes use of all sections from Sample Outline.

No mechanical errors; text flows and concisely, clearly, and exemplarily expresses the student’s ideas; follows formatting instructions; makes use of all sections from Sample Outline.