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ECO 500 Milestone Three Guidelines and Rubric

Overview: In this third milestone assignment for the final project, you will conclude your analysis of the economic problem presented by the hypothetical CEO or board of directors in your selected company (Microsoft, Heinz, or American Airlines). Using the information gathered in your theoretical and quantitative analysis, you must now develop some substantiated and meaningful recommendations for the decision makers. What plan of action should they take? How are your ideas supported by the market structure? How does the data suggest relationships and trends that may point to a course of action? Does your suggested plan of action involve risk or uncertainty and, if so, what tools do you recommend decision makers use?

Prompt: To complete the third step of this final project, you will submit a set of recommended solutions to the CEO or board of directors outlining the reasoning behind your ideas. Explain the quantitative relationship among the relevant economic factors, and defend how these relationships, trends, and impacts drive your proposed solution(s).

Be sure to discuss how the market structure (pure competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, or pure monopoly) in which your company operates has impact on your recommendations.

Again, remember that you must present and deliver your information in a way that will be understandable to a diverse audience and will convince them of the value and rationale behind your proposals.

As a managerial economics student and professional, you are encouraged to use your own experience, understanding, and knowledge of business and industry structure to drive your analysis. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Recommendation: In this section, you will recommend an economic solution to your research topic.

A. Develop a recommendation for a logical economic solution to the presented issue. B. Predict trends and impacts related to your recommended solution, using the quantitative relationship between economic factors. C. Defend your predicted trends and impacts, using quantitative data to explain your logic. D. Describe the influence of the market structure on your recommendation. E. Present your recommendation in a way that is consumable for a diverse audience.

Rubric

Guidelines for Submission: This milestone assignment should be written in essay format and submitted as a Microsoft Word document. The submission should be 5 to 7 pages (including references, graphs, charts, etc.) with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Although conciseness is valued, your processes and justifications need thorough explanation. You should use current APA style guidelines for your citations and reference list. Note that at least five outside information sources are required overall for this project, although you might find that more are necessary to satisfy the requirements of the final presentation.

As necessary, copy and paste any data analysis and/or graphics from Excel into your Word document for submission. You may include your original Excel documents as supplementary material if you believe this will strengthen your contribution.

Note that the grading rubric for the milestone submissions is not identical to that of the final project. The Final Project Rubric will include an additional “Exemplary” category that provides guidance as to how you can go above and beyond “Proficient” in your final submission.

Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (80%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Recommendation: Solution

Develops a recommendation for a logical economic solution to the presented issue

Develops a recommendation for an economic solution to the presented issue but the solution is illogical or the recommendation is cursory or contains inaccuracies

Does not develop a recommendation for an economic solution to the presented issue

18

Recommendation: Trends and Impacts

Predicts trends and impacts related to the recommended solution, using the quantitative relationships between economic factors

Predicts trends and impacts related to the recommended solution but prediction does not use the quantitative relationships between economic factors or is incomplete or contains inaccuracies

Does not predict trends and impacts related to the recommended solution

18

Recommendation: Logic

Defends the predicted trends and impacts, using quantitative data

Defends the predicted trends and impact, but defense does not use quantitative data to explain the logic, or is cursory or contains inaccuracies

Does not defend the predicted trends and impacts

18

Recommendation: Market Structure

Describes the influence of the market structure on the recommendation

Describes the influence of the market structure on the recommendation but description is cursory or contains inaccuracies

Does not describe the influence of the market structure on the recommendation

18

Recommendation: Audience

Presents recommendation in a way that is consumable for a diverse audience

Presents recommendation in a way that is consumable but does not consider accessibility to diverse stakeholders

Does not present recommendation in a way that is consumable for a diverse audience

18

Articulation of Response

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

10

Total 100%