Assignment Details
For this assignment, suppose that you work for a consulting firm, and that you have been asked to research a company and make a presentation to your client.
For the presentation:
Choose a major U.S. company,
Research the company and the market(s) in which it competes, and
Prepare a presentation of 10-12 PowerPoint slides (with detailed speaker notes).
Using information from the business press, AIU’s Library, IBIS World, and the Internet, address the following in your slides:
Describe the firm, include such information as its:
products or services
annual sales, and
market share (this information is readily available in the IBIS World database.)
Describe the market(s) in which it operates.
For instance, does it operate within an oligopoly or monopolistically competitive market, a perfectly competitive market, or is it a monopoly? (Choose the closest fit.)
Explain.
Does it operate in only one region of the United States? Does it operate nationally or internationally? Explain.
Who are its competitors?
Give a brief overview of the other businesses in the market that it competes against.
Identify and explain at least 2 economic concepts that this firm seems to use to its advantage.
Examples might include product differentiation; attainment of economies of scale; advertising; whether the firm is regional, national, or international; and so on.
Please include an explanation of how any significant recent events or changes in this market have affected this firm. Examples are mergers and acquisitions, technological change, legal issues, whether market demand is expanding, and so on.
Provide your evaluation of how this firm might better respond to the challenges it faces.
Present your information, with appropriate pictures and graphics, in a PowerPoint presentation.
Your presentation should consist of a minimum of 10 slides of content, and the following: a title slide, an introductory slide, a conclusions slide, and a references slide.
Use at least 2 sources when researching information to support your argument. Remember to use credible, current sources to support your presentation. Use APA reference and citation formatting for the sources that you use. Place citations on the relevant slides with 1-2 slides at the end for your reference list.
The main topics or bullet points should appear on the slides with supporting visuals, while the Speaker Notes area (the box located at the bottom of each slide that allows you to type in notes) should be used to go into more depth regarding these main topics.
Notes Boxes: Make sure the notes include information from the sources you have discovered in your research. This is a very important element of your assignment because it will provide both you and your audience with supporting explanations that the bullet posts simply cannot convey.
Please note the following:
These slides will provide you with a map that you will use when you prepare your paper for Unit 8.
By doing careful research now, taking good notes, and organizing your presentation well, you will make your Unit 8 paper much easier to write.
The following offer information to help you with your research:
IBIS World Industry Reports are an excellent source of information for this assignment. IBIS World Reports are available through AIU’s Library in the Find Articles and E-books section of the e-Resources area.
https://careered.libguides.com/university_AIUOnline/companyresearch
https://studentlogin.aiuniv.edu/CourseGuides/5/Tutorials/companyinformation.pdf
The following resources offer assistance in preparing your PowerPoint slides:
Access the template provided, or create your own slideshow following the requirements listed above.
Microsoft Office Web (PowerPoint): https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Basic-tasks-for-creating-a-PowerPoint-presentation-efbbc1cd-c5f1-4264-b48e-c8a7b0334e36.
The Smarthinking resource is also available to assist in the basics of PowerPoint.
Reference
Microsoft. (2018). Basic tasks for creating a PowerPoint presentation. Retrieved from https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Basic-tasks-for-creating-a-PowerPoint-presentation-efbbc1cd-c5f1-4264-b48e-c8a7b0334e36
