ECO 561 WEEK 3 ASSIGNMENT
Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is the creation of a research analysis. Every day, consumers make millions of decisions that impact the marketplace and influence firms' decisions. Firms use economic concepts, models, and other "tools" of economics to help determine pricing, output, and profit maximization. As an MBA student of economics, you can apply the "tools" of economics to microeconomic and macroeconomic data to create recommendations for how firms can maximize revenue, profit and market share.
Resources
·
Research Analyses for Business Grading Guide
·
Tutorial help on Exceland Word functions can be found on the MicrosoftOffice website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products.
Assignment Steps
Scenario:
Imagine you are a business consultant to a firm of your choice. You have been asked to analyze, advise, and create recommendations on how the firm can ensure its future success in its current market.
Work
with your instructor to choose a firm that matches the following criteria: a publicly-traded company operating in the U.S. market.Note: A publicly-traded company is a private-sector firm owned by its shareholders/stock holders.
Prepare
a minimum 1,050-word analysis of economic data and business data to explain how the core economic principles impact the sustainability of the firm and what actions the firm can take to ensure success.
Address
the following:
·
Identify the market structure your chosen firm operates in, analyze your chosen firm's current market share, and identify the firm's local/global competitors. Analyze the barriers to entry in this market to illustrate the potential for new competition and its impact on your firm's future in the market.Hints: Be sure you review the barriers to entry discussed in the course text.You might consider presenting the data graphically.
·
Identify and explain trends in current macroeconomic indicators for last three years including:
·
Current stage of the business cycle.
·
Real gross domestic product (GDP).
·
Inflation as measured by the consumer price index (CPI).
·
Unemployment rate.
·
Federal funds rate.
·
Current rate for borrowing funds such as the so-called "prime rate."Note: A requirement of the Week 1 Influence of Economics on Household Decision Making report was to gather data on the CPI, GDP, and interest rates, so you should consider reviewing the feedback you received on the Week 1 report.
·
Evaluate trends in demand over last three years and explain their impact on the industry and the firm. Include quarterly (last two quarters) and annual sales (last three years) figures for the product your firm sells. Create business strategies by analyzing information and data related to the demand for and supply of your firm's product(s) to support your recommendation for the firm's actions. Remember to include a graphical representation of the data and information used in your analysis.
·
Examine available, current data and information, such as pricing and the availability of substitutes, and explain how you could determine the price elasticity of demand for your firm's product. Assess how the price elasticity of demand impacts the firm's pricing decisions and revenue growth.
·
Apply the concepts of variable and fixed costs to your firm for informing its output decisions. For instance, analyze how different kinds of costs (labor, research and development, raw materials) affect the firm's level of output.
·
Based on the data gathered and analysis performed for this report, write a conclusion in which you:
·
Create business strategies, including price and non-price strategies, based on your market structure to ensure the market share and potential market expansions and explore global opportunities for your business in a dynamic business environment and provide recommendations.
·
Develop a recommendation for how the firm can manage its future production by synthesizing the macroeconomic and microeconomic data presented.
·
Propose how the firm's position within the market and among its competitors will allow it to take your recommended action.
·
Recommend strategies for the firm to sustain its success going forward by evaluating the findings from demand trends, price elasticity, current stage of the business cycle, and government policies.
Format
your assignment according to APA guidelines.
Submit
your assignment.
Individual Assignment: Research Analysis for Business
Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is the creation of a research analysis. Every day, consumers make millions of decisions that impact the marketplace and influence firms’ decisions. Firms use economic concepts, models, and other “tools” of economics to help determine pricing, output, and profit maximization. As an MBA student of economics, you can apply the “tools” of economics to microeconomic and macroeconomic data to create recommendations for how firms can maximize revenue, profit and market share.
Resources Required
Tutorial help on Excel®
and Word functions can be found on the Microsoft®
Office website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products.
Grading Guide
Content
|
Met
|
Partially Met
|
Not Met
|
Comments:
|
Identified the market structure student’s chosen firm operates in, analyzed student’s chosen firm’s current market share, and identified the firm’s local/global competitors. Analyzed the barriers to entry in this market to illustrate the potential for new competition and its impact on firm’s future in the market.
|
|
|
|
|
Identified and explained trends in current macroeconomic indicators for last three years including:
·
Current stage of the business cycle.
·
Real gross domestic product (GDP).
·
Inflation as measured by the consumer price index (CPI).
·
Unemployment rate.
·
Federal funds rate.
·
Current rate for borrowing funds such as the so-called “prime rate.”
|
|
|
|
|
Evaluated trends in demand over last three years and explained their impact on the industry and the firm. Included quarterly (last two quarters) and annual sales (last three years) figures for the product student’s firm sells. Created business strategies by analyzing information and data related to the demand for and supply of firm’s product(s) to support student’s recommendation for the firm’s actions. Included a graphical representation of the data and information used in student’s analysis.
|
|
|
|
|
Examined available, current data and information, such as pricing and the availability of substitutes, and explained how student could determine the price elasticity of demand for firm’s product. Assessed how the price elasticity of demand impacts the firm’s pricing decisions and revenue growth.
|
|
|
|
|
Applied the concepts of variable and fixed costs to firm for informing its output decisions. Analyzed how different kinds of costs (labor, research and development, raw materials) affect the firm’s level of output.
|
|
|
|
|
Based on the data gathered and analysis performed student’s conclusion included:
·
Business strategies, including price and non-price strategies, based on market structure to ensure the market share and potential market expansions. Also included exploration of global opportunities for student’s business in a dynamic business environment and provided recommendations.
·
A recommendation for how the firm can manage its future production by synthesizing the macroeconomic and microeconomic data presented.
·
Proposal for how the firm’s position within the market and among its competitors will allow it to take your recommended action.
·
Recommended strategies for the firm to sustain its success going forward by evaluating the findings from demand trends, price elasticity, current stage of the business cycle, and government policies.
|
|
|
|
|
The analysis is a minimum of 1,050 words in length.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Available
|
Total Earned
|
|
|
|
85
|
#/85
|
Writing Guidelines
|
Met
|
Partially Met
|
Not Met
|
Comments:
|
The paper—including tables and graphs, headings, title page, and reference page—is consistent with APA formatting guidelines and meets course-level requirements.
|
|
|
|
|
Intellectual property is recognized with in-text citations and a reference page.
|
|
|
|
|
Paragraph and sentence transitions are present, logical, and maintain the flow throughout the paper.
|
|
|
|
|
Sentences are complete, clear, and concise.
|
|
|
|
|
Rules of grammar and usage are followed including spelling and punctuation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Available
|
Total Earned
|
|
|
|
35
|
#/35
|
Assignment
Total
|
#
|
120
|
#/120
|
|
Additional comments:
|
|
|