A major component of the grade in this grade is the company research paper. The analytical paper will involve the assessment of a real-life organization. The company analysis paper should consist of the following parts:
1. General overview and introduction to the company this section should provide a summary of the organization, including a brief history, a discussion of overall performance, type of industry, and other general information about the organization, such as: what products/product lines does the company sell, in what geographic markets does the company sell, to what extent does the company have international production or customer service operations in other parts of the world, how many employees does the company have in the U.S. and in other parts of the world, and so on. Finally, this section should include a brief financial performance overview of the company.
2. Strategic assessment of the company. This section should include an analysis of the strategic (exogenous) environment and associated strategies of the company. Most importantly, this section should provide an overview of the market structure, primarily focusing on the main competitors of the company, both domestically and internationally. This section should also document the companys overall strategic direction. Where is the company planning to move going forward? Does it use strategic alliances in conducting its business? Has the company made any strategic mistakes with regard to its business strategies?
3. Identification if new (or revised) strategic approaches that the company should take that would improve performance and/or resolve strategic problems that the company is facing. The paper should reach conclusions as to what new business strategic directions should be pursed in the future based on environmental and competitive factors.
The paper should approximately 10 to 12 double-spaced typewritten pages in length. 5-7 Cited Sources MLA style formatting.
