MILESTONE 2 Production and Industry Analysis

Assignment Information

1. Due Date

Sunday, June 11, 2017 11:59 PM

Points Possible

100

1. OVERVIEW

Your final project for this course is to prepare a Competitive Impact Summary to guide decision-making in the face of what your research demonstrates to be existing competitive threats to a publically traded firm of your choice. You are to identify and describe threats on the basis of Porters’ Five Forces, and determine actionable medium-term strategies to maximize net benefit to this firm, of existing lines of production or service. 

You are to assume that you have been tasked with preparation of this impact assessment because, in your capacity as a firm-wide product and services manager, you are uniquely aware of the economic circumstances and factors that result in price and output combinations of your firm. Your task is to establish the economic facts which currently affect your firm, clearly demonstrating the economic position of the firm. This document will guide firm mid-level managers in the face of perceived competitive threats, such as current or prospective changes in the price of a major competitor’s good or service. Specifically, you are to determine what economic evidence and theory demonstrates regarding price and output decisions, in the short and medium term, given the threat assessment that you are able to outline using Porter’s Five Forces, and the analytical tools introduced in relationship to each variety of threat.

The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. Preliminary milestones will be submitted in Modules Three and Six. The final submission will occur in Module Eight.

Milestone 2:  Production and Industry Analysis - Due in Module 6

Milestone 3:  Final Project Submission - Due in Module 8

In this assignment you will demonstrates your mastery of the following course outcomes: 

1. • Assess supply and demand factors to make business decisions that affect quantity supplied.
   • Demonstrate how supply and demand curves will adjust to shifts in managerial decision-making
   • Apply pricing theory and concepts of supply to maximize profitability
   • Apply input-output analysis to predict economic changes to maximize profits
   • Analyze basic game theory to make decisions in business environments
   • Perform optimization analysis, risk analysis, estimation and techniques for evaluation to facilitate managerial decision-making
   • Examine the legal and ethical issues and challenges involved in competitive decision-making
   • Recommend strategies for managerial decision-making

MILESTONE 2

Production and Industry Analysis

9.                   With reference to the firms which you analyzed in completing Milestone One, describe and analyze describe quantitative and qualitative results from  research to assess:   

1. 1. 1. Factors influencing input and production costs for your focus firm,
      2. Degree to which your focus firm may be considered horizontally or vertically integrated.
      3. Threat of entry.

10.               Apply the following measures and other empirical evidence to assess the market structure for the industry in which your focus firm competes. Present implications of this market structure, for the conduct and performance of these firms, including:

1. 1. 1.  Optimal pricing strategies.
      2. The four firm concentration ratio.
      3. Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for this industry.

Prepare your Production and Industry Analysis in a 2-4 page double-spaced document using 12 pt. Times New Roman font. Use APA formatting.