FINAL CASE STUDY: RESEARCH’ ASSIGNMENT Your research assignment for this course is to identify an actual company and conduct a strategic analysis on that company, as described below. It is recommended that you select a company that will be fairly easy to research and interesting to analyze. Try to select a publicly traded company so that you have ready access to current financial information which will be needed for this assignment. Although actual deliverables are not due to your instructor until Week 8 of the course (except for the selection of your company), you should plan on devoting time to the assignment each week so as not to fall too far behind. Note: To get approval for your company, send an email to your instructor which identifies a first and second choice. This email should be sent by the end of Week 1. Your instructor will confirm your company via email shortly thereafter. The steps required for your Final Case analysis are listed below. You should use the headings for each step as your guide. Step A “ ˜Research the Company’ (10 points) This section will be worth up to 10 points. Your job is to obtain current information about the company which you will summarize in the first section of your report. Provide a well-rounded description of what you believe to be the most relevant factors. Actual content issues should be more apparent to you after you delve into the first few chapters of the textbook. Also, our library support staff may be able to assist you in finding appropriate resource material. Your company’s most recent Annual Report should certainly be a good start. Step B “ ˜Industry Research’ (10 points) Conduct research on the industry group for your company, and prepare a summary of the industry in which your company resides. Again, I want your impressions of what is most relevant here. If you have questions on accessing information, you can contact library support staff at Chancellor. Step C “ ˜Internal Analysis: Strengths and Weaknesses’ (10 points) List the major strengths and weaknesses of your company with a brief explanation of each variable. Your textbook provides a considerable amount of data regarding the internal analysis of companies which you will find helpful. Step D “ ˜External Analysis: Opportunities and Threats’ (10 points) List the opportunities and threats the company is facing with a brief explanation of each factor. Again, you should find your textbook to be a very useful resource in terms of background information. Step E: ˜Alternative Strategies’ (15 points) Identify and describe at least four to five major strategies that the company is using “ or should be using based upon the prior research you conducted. Include at least one of each of the following strategies in your report: functional-level, business level, and corporate-level. Use your textbook as a guide in the identification of specific strategies, and be sure that your internal analysis and external analysis of your company influence your choice of strategies. Write at least one paragraph detailing each of the strategies you chose. Step F “ ˜Identify the Best Strategy and Explain Why It is the Best’ (20 points) Clearly explain which of the strategies you identified is the most important for your company in view of the competitive challenges it is facing. A sound rationale is required in this section. Step G “ ˜Financial Analysis’ (15 points) This step requires an analysis of the financial soundness of your company. Select the information that best describes the financial condition of your company and relates to or justifies your plan. Write a couple of paragraphs for this step, and try to ensure that this section sounds like an analysis, rather than an annual report. Step H “ ˜Outline for Implementation’ (10 points) Prepare a synopsis of how your strategy would be carried out. Be sure to provide sufficient detail.