Select an industry and within it, a company that you will research. For students having difficulty in knowing what industries exist, visit http://www.naics.com/search.htm It must be a public company.
Industry Analysis
Write an industry analysis (5 pgs.) using a minimum of 3 sources. Answer each of the following questions in your writing.
What is the name of the industry, and how is it defined?
What types of companies are included in the industry and what types of products or services are sold? What types of organizations do they typically sell to, i.e. who are their target market customers?
What is the industry’s financial trends over the last three years (specific revenue dollars and percentage growth or decline for each year)? Graphs, which are preferred to spreadsheets or text, should be labeled clearly and included in the Appendix section of the paper.
What is your explanation and interpretation of the financial trends (revenues increased, decreased or flat) and what do your predict the future trends will be given the direction of company growth/ decline?
Who are the key competitors within the industry, and what share of the market do they each hold?
Company Sales Analysis
Whereas in the previous 5 pages you analyzed the industry within which your company was, now describe the company in detail. Analyze the company’s financial sales and profit results over the last three reported years, comparing sales revenue and profits. Provide as much detail as possible (e.g., the three-year financial analysis by total revenue and profit as well as by product segment and geographic area (if available and applicable). Identify and discuss the trends and the
causes for these trends. The financial information can generally be found in the company’s annual report. The product and geography breakouts are usually found in the latter part of the financial section of the annual report.
What products and/or services does the company sell?
What geographic locations does the company serve?
What markets does the company seem to be targeting?
How would you describe the company’s sales strategy?
What can you tell about the company’s sales model and approach? (For example: Do they use a direct sales force, inside sales, business partners, etc.?
What sales channel do they use and how?
Provide a three-year financial analysis by utilizing their company’s annual reports.
What are your predictions for company growth/ decline?
Provide recommendations of how they can improve.
Specs: Total 10 pages of content (excluding Cover page and References), submit as PDF, APA required, template provided, each student must submit.
