Find a company that you think is doing well, but its performance could be improved. Conduct a research about the company, and use the information you...

Find a company that you think is doing well, but its performance could be improved. Conduct a research about the company, and use the information you have and answer the following questions:

1.Study questions

(1)Identify two suppliers and two major competitors of the company. Are they powerful? How does the company manage its interactions with the suppliers and competitors? (Note: You may also need some research such as market share or average profitability of firms in this

industry.) (2)What are the key resources and assets of the company? Do they contribute to sustainable competitive advantages? (3)Why is the company not performing better? What are your recommendations for change? Be specific in your answers. The assessment will be based on your logic and the research you have done.

2.Format

Your paper should have four parts: (1) a overview of the company (1 paragraph), (2) main body (i.e., answers to the study questions), (3) bibliography, and (4) appendix (if applicable). Using a font-size of 12, the paper should not be longer than 6 pages (double-spaced; excluding bibliography and appendix).

3.Citation1

You are expected to give citations to the works from which you obtain ideas and inspirations. The works are not limited to published papers, books, and research reports. Company website, corporate annual reports, newspapers are also good sources of information. If your paper has a direct quote, end it with the name of the author, the year of the publication, and the page number of the quote in parentheses after the quote. If you cite a source as an authority, put the same of the author and the year of the publication in the sentence. Consider the following examples: “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain” (Jones, 2011: 54) The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain (Jones, 2011) (This sentence is not a quote but a conclusion based on the text.) Jones (2011: 54) says that the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.

After detailing the sources, a bibliography at the end of your paper that includes full citation of your sources shall be found.

Assessment criteria

1. Knowledge and understanding of the problem (30)

Knowledge and understanding the process, issues events and relationships. Explanations are clear, well developed and supported by adequate evidence. Well research case materials, examples, or facts used are relevant to the question/topic.

2. Application of concepts (30)

Theoretical / conceptual depth analysis including the use of appropriate analytical skills/techniques learnt from the course.

Valid and well supported conclusions, judgments of decisions.

Applicability of arguments / feasibility of recommendations within the context set by the question.

3. Academic Writing Requirements & Referencing (40) 

The paper is well-structured and logically-sequenced piece of work which includes an introduction, development and a conclusion.

The use of proper terminologies required in business report writing. Sentences are grammatically correct, well punctuated and without syntax errors. Documentation of reference materials are conducted adequately and consistently throughout the paper and in the form of bibliography.

TOTAL MARKS

/100

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