BA 301 – Homework Help

BA 301 – Homework Assignment #1 : SITUATION ANALYSIS

1)   One
of the more difficult aspects of BA 301 is trying to determine where you can
find key information about your company and the industry it operates in.  To help you, the librarian has created a
short You Tube video located at https://youtu.be/iKfGh_hXWec      Watch
this video and then answer the following questions.

a)      What kind of
information can you find in the Business section of a company’s 10K?

b)      What kind of
information can you find in the Risk section of a company’s 10K?

c)      What kind of
information can you find in the Management Discussion and Analysis section of a
company’s 10K?

d)     What kind of
information would you expect to find in a company’s Earnings Conference call?

e)      The video
specifically mentions 10 different databases where you can search for
information on your company.   In bullet
form, list at least 6 of these and give a one sentence summary of the kind of
information you would expect to find in that database for each.   (Note: the BA 301 Course Guide is NOT one of
the databases I’m asking about here.). 

2)     
Using the PSU library web site locate the
Databases and Articles link then access the Mintel database of market reports
(note that you will have to set up a free account to use this database).  Find the June 2019 market report for Pet
Supplies.

a)      Under Report
Content, click on Market and then Market Factors.  Referring to Figure 16, in 2018 how many US
households owned pets (be careful to look at the legend to get the 1000’s
correct)?

b)      Under Report
Content, click on Data then click on Appendix – Key Players.  According to Figure 61, for the period ended
March 24, 2019, how big was the total market for rawhide dog chews in dollars
(again be careful to get the 1000’s right)? 
What percent of the market for rawhide dog chews did Purina have in this
period and how did that compare to their market share in the previous period
ending March 25, 2018?  Did Purina gain
or lose market share?

3)     
  Again
using the PSU library collection of databases find the Business Insights:Global
database then do a search for American Airlines Group Inc. (stock symbol AAL).

a)      What are the
various links listed on the left side of the page under “Company Information?”

b)      Click on the
Trade Journals link and sort by publication date.   List the 3 most recent articles for American
giving both the name of the article and the publication date.

c)      Click on the
Investment Reports link and find the most recent Reuters Investment
Profile.  Read over page 1 and give a 2-3
sentence summary of the information 
provided on that page.

d)     Still on the
Reuters Profile, briefly review the rest of the document’s contents.   If you were writing your paper on American,
how might the source help you?

e)      Click on the
Financials link, then select Compare to Major Competitors, then Update
View.   Who are the competitors listed?

f)       Briefly
explore the other links under Company Information.   In a couple of sentences, how might the
Business Insights: Global database be helpful for your paper?

The remaining questions should be answered based on information about
the company you plan to write your term paper on.   Note that Homework Assignment 2 requires
that you provide a bibliography of the sources you used to research the
remaining questions so you should capture the necessary information now.

4) Discuss the mission, vision, and values of
the company.  If any of these elements
are not specifically published, use your research skills to infer what you
believe they would be.  Go beyond just
copying or stating these elements and give examples which show how they have or
have not served to guide the company.  Do
their organizational actions reflect them (especially their stated values) or
are they just “window dressing?” 

5) Describe the company’s business
strategy.  Again, this may or may not be
published and, if it’s not, use your critical thinking skills to infer what you
believe their strategy is.  Does their
strategy align with their vision?  Provide
a few examples of actions which reflect their strategy.  (One good place to look for this information
is the current 10K or annual report.  Also,
listen to the company’s most recent earnings conference call on their web
site.) 

6) Describe at least 6 key stakeholders /
stakeholder groups who are impacted by the company’s decisions and actions.  How is each of these impacted by the company?

Sources to be used: