A 12-15 page (excluding appendices, table of contents, abstract, reference, and bibliography) research paper (case study) is required. Students will select a firm operating in the international business environment. This paper will be prepared consistent with the current APA Manual and will have a minimum of ten different references (No Wikis or Pedias). Some of the bibliography and references will most likely come from the firm you have chosen source documents, e.g., annual reports and financial statements. As such this reduces the need for peer reviewed sources. However, peer reviewed sources are still important and should be listed in the bibliography/reference section(s) and cited in the paper as appropriate.
The research paper will be prepared consistent with the following guidelines: 1. This serves as an introduction to the Research Paper. Provide an overview of the research design of the paper. Introduce the various topics that will be addressed in the research paper. Identify the method(s) that will be used to collect the data for the topics and how that data will be evaluated. 2. There will be a brief discussion of the firm to include its principle goods and services, market share, geographic locations where it operates, and major competitors. 3. Evaluate and discuss whether the firm could benefit by using Activity Based Costing (ABC). The discussion should include what factor(s) influenced your decision, implementing ABC in the international business environment, and how you would structure the distribution of costs using ABC for your firm. 4. Evaluate and discuss whether the firm could benefit by using standard costs. The discussion should include what factor(s) influenced your decision, the ramifications of costs, quantity, and variances, and the ramifications of using standard costs in the international business environment. 5. Evaluate and discuss how the firm could benefit by analyzing future projects in terms relevant costs. This discussion should include the firms future plans, such as, expansion, consolidation, and downsizing and how relevant costs could be used in the decision making. 6. Summary and conclusion(s). The discussion should provide a brief summary of the previous sections, and the conclusions you have reached. THE research you will find on Target will not include their accounting style. This paper will have to incorporate the ABC method and other methodology by researching that topic as well. This paper is if Target incorporated these ideas.