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ASSIGNMENT 1

Part 1

(This part must be handed in as a Word document)

There are two sections to this part of the assignment:

1. History and Major Activities

Required: (4 Marks)

For the case company, briefly discuss the:

1. History of the company

2. Its major Activities

This part of your answer should not exceed ½ page.

Marks will be deducted if students copy and paste from the company website or from other sources.

A good source of information is the company website.

2. Industry Characteristics

Required: (11 Marks)

Discuss the following aspects of Porter’s Five Forces Analysis in relation to the case company:

1. Rivalry among existing firms:

• concentration and balance of competition

2. Bargaining power of buyers:

• Switching costs

• Differentiation

The essence of this part of the assignment is to get you to understand the nature and characteristics of the industry (industries) in which your company operates. Do not discuss the assigned company here – concentrate on discussing the industry in which the company operates.

Use only the industry classification supplied by the stock exchange for your discussion (do not be distracted by other activities/industries in which the company may be involved). Where the company operates in a fairly broad industry classification, such as retail, search the sub-categories for a segment of that industry that fits the company and focus your analysis of the industry on that segment only.

Essential reading: Chapter 2

Sources of information

Use the internet – search engines such as Google and Yahoo are really useful.

Hint: try your company name as the starting point for your search on the internet.