Scenario: Your boss wants you to do a little research and look into potential companies that Cash & Co. could highlight as potential investments for new account holders. Thoroughly research and analyze this company’s stability and profitability as well as its attractiveness as a potential investment. Write an objective, informational memo about this company (Note: The company that is already assigned to me is Lululemon )
Audience: Your audience for the report is your instructor (boss) and other students in the class (colleagues).
Length: Suggested maximum number of pages this assignment (excludes references) is ONE complete pages.
Instructions: For this assignment you are required to choose an Individually publicly traded company as your topic. For example, let’s say you want to write your memo on Hulu. You google and notice that Hulu does not have its own IPO. You will either have to discuss its parent company Disney, or select a different company. You cannot use Disney’s stock information for Hulu since Hulu is only a portion of the Disney company. Remember, the goal of the assignment is to inform your boss about a potential company to invest in. You are not persuading or telling anyone what to do! For more details on each section of the memo please see below:
Brief introduction
Statement of purpose. What are you proposing? This is typically one sentence.
Background: Factual analysis that connects the purpose of the memo to the strategic objectives of the company or the brand.
Company Information (Body)
Key Benefits. This is the “Why?”
Brief description of the company
Market position/growth potential (major products and services)
Ability to compete
Financial analysis (stability and profitability)
Recent publicity (within last six months)
Conclusion
Next Steps. Who has to do what and by when for this to happen?
References (This is not on the one page memo, This will be after your one page memo)
Goals of this assignment:
Use business research and writing skills
Apply an informal, memo-style business report format
Use secondary business research techniques (primary research optional)
This is an exercise in company research (from a prospective investor’s point of view)
Questions to consider as you research and write your memo:
Introduction
Please note that the brief introduction should preview upcoming sections in the report.
Brief Description
Is this a small, mid-sized, or large company? How many employees?
How old is the company? Is it well established or is it a relatively young firm?
What does this company do? What are the major products or services?
What were some of the challenges this company faced in its early beginnings?
Market Position/Growth Potential
What is the market position of this company (leader in the market; new entrant)?
Are there any innovative products or services that give this company an advantage in the market?
Is there a SWOT analysis for this company?
Ability to Compete
Who is the top competitor for this company?
Are the two companies direct or indirect competitors?
What products/services does the competitor offer and how is it positioned in the market versus the company researched?
Is the competitor offering any innovative products/services that give it an advantage?
What is the primary industry for the company you’ve chosen to research and how is it doing overall?
What are some industry trends?
Financial Analysis
What are financial analysts saying about this company? Analysts ratings and risk assessments (S&P, Morningstar)?
How is the stock currently valued for this company?
How has its stock performed over the past two years?
Who is the CEO/CFO and how has the CEO/CFO for this company responded to analysts’ comments/critiques?
Recent Publicity
How would you describe the company culture in terms of bureaucracy/structure, company values/mission statements?
What are some of the key events that recently impacted the company?
Conclusion
The conclusion should restate or summarize key findings.
References: Use author/date method in the body of the report; use APA 7(American Psychological Association) format for the reference page.
Sources: A variety of sources are permitted (internet, books, magazines, journals, analyst audio files). A minimum of five different sources must be used.
Type Format: Report must be typed using 12-point type and Times Roman font.
Spacing: The body of the report should be single spaced with double spaces between paragraphs.