Assignment #1: Research Essay / Case Study
Each student will research and assess one selected company that will be chosen in consultation with the instructor. Students are encouraged to work on a company that they are familiar with. It can be a company they work for, or a company that they like, such as Starbucks, Tim Horton or Apple Inc. The essay will include analysis on the following points but the analysis is not limited to all these points.
You are encouraged to think about other relevant points that may be important for the chosen company they are researching. You are to gather the information and write a comprehensive report on the selected company from the perspective of a consultant/advisor. Be critical in your analysis rather than just describing. Try to see beyond the obvious and make a serious attempt to forecast the future.
The essay will be about 10 page long (double spaced) excluding charts, tables and bibliography.

Objectives:
The primary objective of this research is to use the advanced theoretical and applied knowledge that you have learned in this course to critically analyze performance of a business.
o Assess and identify a market type in which a chosen business operates
o Determine the price and income elasticity of a selected business
o Assess the market of the selected business to determine the competition, and any substitution or complementary goods or services
o Identify the direction of, and potential ways to increase growth, productivity and profits for the selected company

Reading Materials Required:
This assignment will use the readings and discussions as a base for externally researching and evaluating a selected company, to determine its place in the marketplace, and suggest potential growth and profitability. Identify the strengths of the company, weaknesses, opportunities for increasing efficiency and growth, and threats from existing or emerging competitors. To do a good job on this project students will have to do some serious research. Just reading the textbook and surfing the web will not be adequate.
o Review the relevant chapters from the textbook and the additional reference books.
o Business journal databases from CUD Library.
o The Fortune, the Forbes, Bloomberg Business Week, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, finance.yahoo.com are useful sources to for collecting information about your chosen company.

o Points to Consider
o
o In your essay/case you will consider and address the following points:
o
o What kind of market (Perfect Competition, Monopolistic Competition, Oligopoly or Monopoly) the company belongs to?
o What is the Price Elasticity of Demand for the goods that the company sells? Is the demand elastic or inelastic?
o What kind of income elasticity the product(s) of the company face?
o Who are their closest competitors?
o Are there any close substitutes or complements?
o Is the demand for the product of your chosen company growing? Explain why?
o Can the labor force of your chosen company be trained further to increase productivity and lower cost of production?
o As a business is your chosen company profitable? Will it be able sustain profitability?
o How can it make its profit grow?
o Any other relevant factors?
Sample of some headings:-
Introduction
Market Type
Price and income elasticity
Competitors, Substitutes or Complements
1. Competitors
2. Substitutes or complements
Productivity increase and cost reduction
Sustaining profitability & growth
Conclusion
References

Another sample of some headings:-
o Company Background and Overview
o Current and Future Demand
o Potential Competition
o Growth Opportunities
o Sustainable Profitability
o Company Overall Review and Conclusion