Explain the results and compare and contrast the company financials to the industry.

Purpose: This assignment is the second of three assignments. Students will use the tools and concepts learned in the course and in previous business courses to develop an understanding of how organizations develop and manage strategies to establish, safeguard and sustain its position in a competitive market.
Students also have the opportunity to review an organizations objectives and goals and the key functional areas within the organization. Performing an internal environment analysis helps assess a firms internal resources and capabilities and plays a critical role in formulating strategy by identifying a firms strengths to overcome weaknesses. Students will then 1) assess long-term objectives, 2) identify and evaluate alternative strategies and 3) recommend strategies for a company to pursue.
Instructions:
In completing the assignment, students will use the chapters in the eBook as a guide and perform research on the company from Assignment 1, answer the questions below in narrative form following the steps provided below:
Step 1: Create a double-spaced, 12-point font Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document. The final product cannot be longer than 16 pages in length, which includes all tables and matrices but excludes the title page and reference page. Those items identified in the technical analysis should appear under the appropriate heading in the paper. Do no use an Appendix.
Step 2: Review assignment grading rubric.
Step 3: Follow the following format using these topics as headings:
• Title page with title, your name, the course, the instructors name;
• Company Background/Information
• Internal Environmental Analysis
• Strategic Analysis & Strategy Selection
• Reference page
Students may use subheadings.
Step 4: In writing the analysis, writing in the third person. What this means is that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing). If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person
Step 5: In writing this assignment, students are asked to support the reasoning using in-text citations and a reference list. If information is taken from a source document, it has to be cited and referenced. A reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa. View the sample APA paper under Week 4 content and How to Cite and Reference, also under Week 4 content. There are also resources located under Course Content>>Student Toolbox.
Step 6: In writing this assignment, students are expected to paraphrase and not use direct quotes unless citing the mission statement of a company. Learn to paraphrase by reviewing this link: https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html
Step 7: Read all course material for weeks 1 through 6 and perform independent research to provide a comprehensive internal environmental analysis, strategy analysis and selection.
Step 8: Jot down key facts about the company. Consider making an outline to capture key points in the paper.
Step 9: In your paper, respond to the following:
• Background analysis including vision and mission statements and objectives
• Internal Environmental Analysis
• Corporate Level Strategy
• Business Unit Level Strategy
• Functional Level Strategy
o Explain how these strategies align with the companys vision and mission statements;
o Assess the companys interactions with its stakeholders, the organizational structure, the organizational culture, and communication/decision making among managers within human resources, marketing production, operations, finance and accounting, R&D, and computer information systems, which can be accomplished by viewing the companys website, interviews, and surveys.
• Financial analysis for the last reported fiscal year:
o Use the companys income statement and balance sheet to calculate key, but no less than 10 key financial ratios to the business. There must be a mix of the different ratios so that the ratios do not all come from the same category. Show the calculations.
o Using Excel or a Word table, record key financial ratios in the first column;
o Research the industry average financial ratios for the same ratios above and record in a second column. If you cannot find an industry average, then select another ratio;
o In the third column, indicate whether the financial ratio is a strength, a weakness or a neutral factor.
o Explain the results and compare and contrast the company financials to the industry.

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