Submitted by: Submitted by captainbb
Views: 322
Words: 270
Pages: 2
Category: Business and Industry
Date Submitted: 04/26/2011 12:04 AM
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.