Business 302 Information on Developing and Writing
Order ID:89JHGSJE83839 Style:APA/MLA/Harvard/Chicago Pages:5-10 Instructions:
Business 302 Information on Developing and Writing
Information on Developing and Writing
The Final Project Report
Purpose
The purpose of having you prepare selected aspects of an environment report for a local organization is to give you experience in applying the concepts of this course to an actual business situation. When the environment remains stable, the importance of an environmental analysis is minimal. However, when faced with a dynamic environment such as has existed in recent years, the analysis of the environment and corresponding report are extremely important. An analysis of the environment is the basis for developing a business plan, for deciding on a strategy, for writing a marketing plan, and is a required component of many applications for business loans. During this decade, a firm that does not constantly monitor its environment for salient changes is more likely to find itself out of step and ultimately, out of business.
The analysis you prepare is to be written from the perspective of an outside business consultant as an objective report on the salient aspects of the organization’s environment. Do not focus on the past — that is not relevant. The report should provide insights and projection (forecasts) that would enable a management team or others in the organization to evaluate any proposed strategy within the context of its environment. The report is not to include any strategy, evaluation of strategy, or response.
Industry Approval
The industry chosen as the focus of the report must be submitted for approval. The submission must contain the SBA tree.
Topics and Nature of Report
The topics and emphasis of the report will depend on the nature of the product/service or business that is the focus of your analysis. No two environmental reports for different organizations, different products, different locations, or done at different times will ever look the same. As you discover more about the environment, new issues may be discovered about salient aspects of the environment that may lead to different emphases or foci. The first step in the process is to conduct a quick overview of the different aspects of the environment (General: Economic, Social-Cultural, Political-Legal, Technology, International; Task: Competitors, Customers, Regulators, Unions/Labor issues, Suppliers, Strategic Allies, and Owners. Jot down things about each factor/dimension that you initially think may be important to the organization. Based on this preliminary analysis you are select the two (2) dimensions of the general and the two (2) aspects of the task environment that your preliminary investigation leads you to believe are most salient to the organization.
However, others may be more comfortable looking at the more general trends first, then discerning how these trends in the General Environment may impact the organization, through its task factors. Either approach is acceptable.
The analysis may include a brief (one or two paragraphs) overview of the industry. The focus of this report is to emphasize the external environment in which the firm operates. Remember that this is to be a report about the organization’s environment , not a report about any organization.
The model to also use is Porter’s 5 forces in order to determine the components of the industry and its future potential.
There are some duplicate parts of the Porter and Griffin models. Make sure to combine what you need from either of the model in order for you to have all the elements that you need.
In addition, you will need to identify Opportunities, Threats and Trends that will affect the industry in the identified time frame.
Throughout the course, material has been presented on each facet of the environment. The Guide for Case Analyses, in-class overheads, and class lectures all provided information on the environment. Many overheads identify the different types of information that one could/should examine or include on each of the factors. Keep in mind that if a firm has adopted a technology and is currently using it – this technology is not a salient aspect of the general environment. In the technology section, include only technologies on the horizon, or ones to which the firm has not already responded.
For each of the two task factors it is important to identify 1) Who they are, and 2) What are their characteristics, orientations, behaviors, etc. that make or potentially make them important to the organization. Importance is determined by the potential to serve as a stimulus (positive or negative/ opportunity or threat) for some type of firm response. If you write on competitors, you are expected to profile at least 2 direct competitors. If you select suppliers, you are expected to profile at least 2 suppliers to the industry. If you selected customers, you are expected to profile the customers identified in the SBA – this usually consists of their demographics, psychographics, buyer behavior, etc. If regulators are selected, you need to talk about at least two – who they are, etc
Sources of Information
This project is designed to be a research/field project. I hope you will talk with people who can provide you some of the needed background information, e.g. people in the industry or people knowledgeable about different aspects of the environment. Other needed information will be found through the library and on-line. There will be an in-class presentation on using library and on-line sources by Ann Fiegen, Business Librarian, CSUSM. Librarians also hold information sessions on how to use the library resources and how to find various types of business information. Check with the library as to the times these sessions are offered.
You may wish to use on-line services industry reports, or other published reports. Several local organizations publish reports and information on the business environment in the San Diego area. The Economic Development Corporation (EDC); local Chamber of Commerce, Private Industry Council (PIC), and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) among others. Several of these organizations have Web pages and you will be able to glean a great amount of information from the Internet. Many reports are also published in local newspapers such as the San Diego Business Journal, The San Diego Daily Transcript or the business section of local newspapers.
Writing the Report
The writing style should be terse and to the point. However, you are required to use complete sentences and paragraphs in your report. Incomplete sentences in bullet form are not appropriate. Write objectively and avoid using “loaded” or “value laden” works or terms. You should write a formal report in the 3rd person and colloquialisms should not be used. Avoid all “shoulds.” – what the organization “should” or “should not” do. An analysis of the environment, as it currently exists and as it is anticipated to be, is to be written descriptively, not in a prescriptive manner.
The report format and style must be consistent throughout the paper. Please use, the American Psychological Association (APA) Style. Information on APA style can be found on the library homepage. There is also a link on the course website regarding in-text citations. All information in the report that you got from another source must have appropriate source citation.
Your report should have an appropriate title page. At minimum the title page is to include the title of your paper, the course information, your name and date. There should be page numbers on each page (not including title page). Headings and sub-headings should be used to identify different sections and topics. When double-spacing text, it is appropriate to indent the first line of each new paragraph. Each report is expected to have a Bibliography, Sources, or Reference section. Consult a style manual for appropriate format.
Remember that I am available to answer questions and can be used as a resource; however, I do not read drafts of your paper.