Research proposal and annotated bibliography
Milestone One: Research Proposal
You will submit your research proposal. Your final project entails developing a full strategic analysis on a publicly held multinational enterprise (MNE). It must be public because of the depth and transparency of data you will need to adequately complete the project. This MNE may be in any industry, based in any international location, and held in any public market. A number of MNEs in less developed economies are publicly listed in foreign equity markets. If you have difficulty determining this, contact your instructor. It is strongly suggested that highly diversified MNEs (conglomerates) be avoided due to the added complexity in completing your final project. Your proposal should be 2–3 pages in length.
The research proposal should present a concise and rigorous case for studying your proposed firm in light of global strategic management. It should consider the following:
Corporate overview (basic description of MNE, its operations, market position, leadership, etc.)
Financial performance overview (briefly review revenues, net income, profit ratios, balance sheet, equity trends)
Business segments (divisions or SBUs [strategic business units] with performance contributions)
Subsidiary/parent-child structure (corporate hierarchy with performance contributions)
Geographic segmentation (current with performance contribution)
Recent strategic initiatives/stated strategic objective
Important negative events or challenges
Domestic/foreign industry summary (includes industry name and the primary and secondary NAICS and SIC codes)
Brief key competitors overview (minimum two domestic and two foreign, using salient aspects listed above)
Reason for your interest in the MNE
Milestone Two: Current Research Summary and Annotated Bibliography
You will submit your current research summary and annotated bibliography. Your summary should be 1–2 paragraphs in length, detailing the research involved to date. The annotated bibliography should be an annotated list of the major sources you intend to use or consult for your final paper.
