Industry Analysis

look closely at the industry they intend to pursue in their professional career. Students who do not have a specific career goal just yet should plan to write on one of their possible career interests. Those with goals not specific to a single field should choose any industry they are interested in for the purposes of this assignment.
This response must address the following:

Part I – The Industry

Overview: What are the major corporations within the industry?
A Specific Company/Corporation: Of those mentioned above, choose one company and expand:
General Information: Where are they located? Are there branch offices? How many people do they employ? What kinds of products and services do they provide?
Provide a brief history. When was it established? By whom? Has the company changed from its inception? How?
Who are the major “players”, i.e. who are the executives, entrepreneurs, development experts, etc.? Discuss their educational background, professional experience, and reputation.
Products or services: What are their ‘top sellers’? Are these products ‘selling’ well?
Reputation: What is the company’s reputation for customer relations? What is their reputation as an employer? How well are they doing financially?
What are the present trends in that industry? Is the field growing? Diminishing? What are the newest developments? Who are they hiring?

Part II – You

What particular jobs are you interested in?
What approaches will you take to obtain a job in that field?
Your educational plan: What classes will you take and when will you take them? How will your core classes prepare you? How will your electives prepare you?
Preparation: What areas do you plan to work on (outside of school) to prepare yourself for finding employment? Examples: entry-level jobs related to the field? Internships? Approaches to ‘networking’ – to gain access to other in the field? Organizations to join or conferences to attend?

Notes:

This paper should clearly communicate the nuances of the chosen industry. You must communicate this information to a wide audience, one not necessarily familiar with the specific industry nor up-to-date in certain forms of technology being addressed. Your industry analysis, especially in terms of the newer developments and trends, can become extremely complex and technical. Knowing that eventually you will have to gain skill in explaining the complexities of your work to others, it’s important that you keep your audience in mind.
A major component of this paper, and the reason it’s assigned, is to get you familiar with your intended field before graduation. Part II of this paper is about you and for you. You may use words like “I” and “my,” but I encourage you to take great care to avoid those unless they’re ABSOLUTELY necessary to convey the idea. Here’s an example:

vs.
The field of programming is especially fascinating due to its…
Remember that your name is on the paper–your reader will make the connection.
One section that is often underdeveloped is the approach you plan to take to obtain work in the field and the specific classes/educational experiences you will need. This is a significant component of your analysis. Specifics are required – names and descriptions of classes (past, present, & future), full explanations as to how they will prepare you for the field, specific professional affiliations, internships, etc.

All of your hard work and relentless efforts have paid off! Your company is doing better than expected. In fact, you will be meeting next month with and presenting to a group of investors to secure an infusion of $100 million in new capital to significantly expand your operations. To prepare for your presentation, you need to conduct a thorough and honest evaluation of your company. Write a 6-8 page paper in which you address the following: 1. Describe your company and its major products or services from economic perspectives using terms and concepts learned in this course. Include such aspects as: a. Market sector and industry b. Market structure—pure competition, monopoly, monopsony, or oligopoly c. Major products and/or services d. Elasticity and the factors that affect their supply and demand e. Other economic characteristics, such as utility, type of good, etc. f. Noneconomic forces that impact sales and profitability, such as weather, business cycles, technology releases, or regulations. 2. Discuss the current and potential economic drivers and risks that your company faces. a. Macroeconomic drivers and risks—Using GUIDES, what elements post the greatest external issues for your company and its industry? b. Microeconomic drivers and risks—What internal risks does your company face? (Examples include, but are not limited to: personnel or managerial issues, supply or distribution constraints, production constraints, creating/sustaining competitive advantages (patents, trademarks, formulations, proprietary processes, etc.), technology, etc.). c. What can your company do, if anything, to influence or better respond to these drivers and risks? 3. Analyze your industry using Porter’s “Five Forces” framework. a. Classify each force as weak, strong, or neutral. b. Why did you choose that classification? c. How can your company best leverage this information? 4. Present information on pricing practices—basic and discriminatory. a. What are the more common pricing practices utilized by your company and/or within its industry? b. What types of discrimination options are not being used, but could be implemented? 5. Evaluate your company’s short-term and long-term economic outlooks. a. Given the above investigation into your company and its industry, what type of outlook (favorable/unfavorable) can your investors expect over the short-term (5-7 years) horizon? b. What type of outlook (favorable/unfavorable) can investors expect over the long-term (8+ years) horizon?