Research Analysis for Business

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Wpnzc1

Economics

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Purpose of Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is the creation of a research analysis. Every day, consumers make millions of decisions that impact the marketplace and influence firms' decisions. Firms use economic concepts, models, and other "tools" of economics to help determine pricing, output, and profit maximization. As an MBA student of economics, you can apply the "tools" of economics to microeconomic and macroeconomic data to create recommendations for how firms can maximize revenue, profit and market share.

Assignment Steps

Resources: Tutorial help on Excel® and Word functions can be found on the Microsoft® Office website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products.

Scenario: Imagine you are a business consultant to a firm of your choice. You have been asked to analyze, advise, and create recommendations on how the firm can ensure its future success in its current market.

Work with your instructor to choose a firm that matches the following criteria: a publicly-traded company operating in the U.S. market. Note: A publicly-traded company is a private-sector firm owned by its shareholders/stock holders.

Prepare a minimum 1,050-word analysis of economic data and business data to explain how the core economic principles impact the sustainability of the firm and what actions the firm can take to ensure success.

Address the following:

  • Identify the market structure your chosen firm operates in, analyze your chosen firm's current market share, and identify the firm's local/global competitors. Analyze the barriers to entry in this market to illustrate the potential for new competition and its impact on your firm's future in the market. Hints: Be sure you review the barriers to entry discussed in the course text. You might consider presenting the data graphically.
  • Identify and explain trends in current macroeconomic indicators for last three years including:
    • Current stage of the business cycle.
    • Real gross domestic product (GDP).
    • Inflation as measured by the consumer price index (CPI).
    • Unemployment rate.
    • Federal funds rate.
    • Current rate for borrowing funds such as the so-called "prime rate." Note: A requirement of the Week 1 Influence of Economics on Household Decision Making report was to gather data on the CPI, GDP, and interest rates, so you should consider reviewing the feedback you received on the Week 1 report.
  • Evaluate trends in demand over last three years and explain their impact on the industry and the firm. Include quarterly (last two quarters) and annual sales (last three years) figures for the product your firm sells. Create business strategies by analyzing information and data related to the demand for and supply of your firm's product(s) to support your recommendation for the firm's actions. Remember to include a graphical representation of the data and information used in your analysis.
  • Examine available, current data and information, such as pricing and the availability of substitutes, and explain how you could determine the price elasticity of demand for your firm's product. Assess how the price elasticity of demand impacts the firm's pricing decisions and revenue growth.
  • Apply the concepts of variable and fixed costs to your firm for informing its output decisions. For instance, analyze how different kinds of costs (labor, research and development, raw materials) affect the firm's level of output.
  • Based on the data gathered and analysis performed for this report write a conclusion in which you:
    • Create business strategies, including price and non-price strategies, based on your market structure to ensure the market share and potential market expansions and explore global opportunities for your business in a dynamic business environment and provide recommendations.
    • Develop a recommendation for how the firm can manage its future production by synthesizing the macroeconomic and microeconomic data presented.
    • Propose how the firm's position within the market and among its competitors will allow it to take your recommended action.
    • Recommend strategies for the firm to sustain its success going forward by evaluating the findings from demand trends, price elasticity, current stage of the business cycle, and government policies.

Cite a minimum of three peer-reviewed references and a minimum of two government economic data sources/references.

Format your assignment consistent with APA guidelines.

Unformatted Attachment Preview

FRED Graph Observations Federal Reserve Economic Data Link: https://fred.stlouisfed.org Help: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/help-faq Economic Research Division Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis GDPC1 Real Gross Domestic Product, Billions of Chained 2009 Dollars, Quarterly, Seasonally Adjusted Annu Frequency: Quarterly observation_date GDPC1 2007-01-01 2007-04-01 2007-07-01 2007-10-01 2008-01-01 2008-04-01 2008-07-01 2008-10-01 2009-01-01 2009-04-01 2009-07-01 2009-10-01 2010-01-01 2010-04-01 2010-07-01 2010-10-01 2011-01-01 2011-04-01 2011-07-01 2011-10-01 2012-01-01 2012-04-01 2012-07-01 2012-10-01 2013-01-01 2013-04-01 2013-07-01 2013-10-01 2014-01-01 2014-04-01 2014-07-01 2014-10-01 2015-01-01 2015-04-01 2015-07-01 2015-10-01 2016-01-01 2016-04-01 2016-07-01 2016-10-01 14726.0 14838.7 14938.5 14991.8 14889.5 14963.4 14891.6 14577.0 14375.0 14355.6 14402.5 14541.9 14604.8 14745.9 14845.5 14939.0 14881.3 14989.6 15021.1 15190.3 15291.0 15362.4 15380.8 15384.3 15491.9 15521.6 15641.3 15793.9 15747.0 15900.8 16094.5 16186.7 16269.0 16374.2 16454.9 16490.7 16525.0 16583.1 16727.0 16813.3 Quarterly, Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate FRED Graph Observations Federal Reserve Economic Data Link: https://fred.stlouisfed.org Help: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/help-faq Economic Research Division Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis PCECC96 Real Personal Consumption Expenditures, Billions of Chained 2009 Dollars, Quarterl Frequency: Quarterly observation_date 2007-01-01 2007-04-01 2007-07-01 2007-10-01 2008-01-01 2008-04-01 2008-07-01 2008-10-01 2009-01-01 2009-04-01 2009-07-01 2009-10-01 2010-01-01 2010-04-01 2010-07-01 2010-10-01 2011-01-01 2011-04-01 2011-07-01 2011-10-01 2012-01-01 2012-04-01 2012-07-01 2012-10-01 2013-01-01 2013-04-01 2013-07-01 2013-10-01 2014-01-01 2014-04-01 2014-07-01 2014-10-01 2015-01-01 2015-04-01 2015-07-01 2015-10-01 2016-01-01 2016-04-01 2016-07-01 2016-10-01 PCECC96 9990.7 10024.6 10069.2 10081.8 10061.0 10077.9 10005.1 9884.7 9850.8 9806.4 9865.9 9864.8 9917.7 9998.4 10063.1 10166.1 10217.1 10237.7 10282.2 10316.8 10379.0 10396.6 10424.1 10453.2 10502.3 10523.9 10573.1 10662.2 10712.8 10813.3 10912.9 11036.4 11102.4 11181.3 11255.9 11319.3 11365.2 11484.9 11569.0 11669.8 ed 2009 Dollars, Quarterly, Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate GDP vs PCE 18000.0 16000.0 14000.0 12000.0 10000.0 8000.0 6000.0 4000.0 2000.0 0.0 2014-12-27 Period 2013-08-14 2012-04-01 2010-11-18 2009-07-06 2008-02-22 2006-10-10 2005-05-28 observation date GDPC1 PCECC96 2007-01-01 14726.0 9990.7 2007-04-01 14838.7 10024.6 2007-07-01 14938.5 10069.2 2007-10-01 14991.8 10081.8 2008-01-01 14889.5 10061.0 2008-04-01 14963.4 10077.9 2008-07-01 14891.6 10005.1 2008-10-01 14577.0 9884.7 2009-01-01 14375.0 9850.8 2009-04-01 14355.6 9806.4 2009-07-01 14402.5 9865.9 2009-10-01 14541.9 9864.8 2010-01-01 14604.8 9917.7 2010-04-01 14745.9 9998.4 2010-07-01 14845.5 10063.1 2010-10-01 14939.0 10166.1 2011-01-01 14881.3 10217.1 2011-04-01 14989.6 10237.7 2011-07-01 15021.1 10282.2 2011-10-01 15190.3 10316.8 2012-01-01 15291.0 10379.0 2012-04-01 15362.4 10396.6 2012-07-01 15380.8 10424.1 2012-10-01 15384.3 10453.2 2013-01-01 15491.9 10502.3 2013-04-01 15521.6 10523.9 2013-07-01 15641.3 10573.1 2013-10-01 15793.9 10662.2 2014-01-01 15747.0 10712.8 2014-04-01 15900.8 10813.3 2014-07-01 16094.5 10912.9 2014-10-01 16186.7 11036.4 2015-01-01 16269.0 11102.4 2015-04-01 16374.2 11181.3 2015-07-01 16454.9 11255.9 2015-10-01 16490.7 11319.3 2016-01-01 16525.0 11365.2 2016-04-01 16583.1 11484.9 2016-07-01 16727.0 11569.0 2016-10-01 16813.3 11669.8 vs PCE GDPC1 PCECC96 2017-09-22 2016-05-10 2014-12-27 FRED Graph Observations Federal Reserve Economic Data Link: https://fred.stlouisfed.org Help: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/help-faq Economic Research Division Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FEDFUNDS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 Effective Federal Funds Rate, Percent, Monthly, Not Seasonally Adjusted Frequency: Monthly observation_date FEDFUNDS 1987-07-01 1987-08-01 1987-09-01 1987-10-01 1987-11-01 1987-12-01 1988-01-01 1988-02-01 1988-03-01 1988-04-01 1988-05-01 1988-06-01 1988-07-01 1988-08-01 1988-09-01 1988-10-01 1988-11-01 1988-12-01 1989-01-01 1989-02-01 1989-03-01 1989-04-01 1989-05-01 1989-06-01 1989-07-01 1989-08-01 1989-09-01 1989-10-01 1989-11-01 1989-12-01 1990-01-01 1990-02-01 1990-03-01 1990-04-01 1990-05-01 1990-06-01 1990-07-01 1990-08-01 1990-09-01 1990-10-01 1990-11-01 6.58 6.73 7.22 7.29 6.69 6.77 6.83 6.58 6.58 6.87 7.09 7.51 7.75 8.01 8.19 8.30 8.35 8.76 9.12 9.36 9.85 9.84 9.81 9.53 9.24 8.99 9.02 8.84 8.55 8.45 8.23 8.24 8.28 8.26 8.18 8.29 8.15 8.13 8.20 8.11 7.81 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 1990-12-01 1991-01-01 1991-02-01 1991-03-01 1991-04-01 1991-05-01 1991-06-01 1991-07-01 1991-08-01 1991-09-01 1991-10-01 1991-11-01 1991-12-01 1992-01-01 1992-02-01 1992-03-01 1992-04-01 1992-05-01 1992-06-01 1992-07-01 1992-08-01 1992-09-01 1992-10-01 1992-11-01 1992-12-01 1993-01-01 1993-02-01 1993-03-01 1993-04-01 1993-05-01 1993-06-01 1993-07-01 1993-08-01 1993-09-01 1993-10-01 1993-11-01 1993-12-01 1994-01-01 1994-02-01 1994-03-01 1994-04-01 1994-05-01 1994-06-01 1994-07-01 1994-08-01 1994-09-01 1994-10-01 1994-11-01 1994-12-01 1995-01-01 1995-02-01 1995-03-01 7.31 6.91 6.25 6.12 5.91 5.78 5.90 5.82 5.66 5.45 5.21 4.81 4.43 4.03 4.06 3.98 3.73 3.82 3.76 3.25 3.30 3.22 3.10 3.09 2.92 3.02 3.03 3.07 2.96 3.00 3.04 3.06 3.03 3.09 2.99 3.02 2.96 3.05 3.25 3.34 3.56 4.01 4.25 4.26 4.47 4.73 4.76 5.29 5.45 5.53 5.92 5.98 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 1995-04-01 1995-05-01 1995-06-01 1995-07-01 1995-08-01 1995-09-01 1995-10-01 1995-11-01 1995-12-01 1996-01-01 1996-02-01 1996-03-01 1996-04-01 1996-05-01 1996-06-01 1996-07-01 1996-08-01 1996-09-01 1996-10-01 1996-11-01 1996-12-01 1997-01-01 1997-02-01 1997-03-01 1997-04-01 1997-05-01 1997-06-01 1997-07-01 1997-08-01 1997-09-01 1997-10-01 1997-11-01 1997-12-01 1998-01-01 1998-02-01 1998-03-01 1998-04-01 1998-05-01 1998-06-01 1998-07-01 1998-08-01 1998-09-01 1998-10-01 1998-11-01 1998-12-01 1999-01-01 1999-02-01 1999-03-01 1999-04-01 1999-05-01 1999-06-01 1999-07-01 6.05 6.01 6.00 5.85 5.74 5.80 5.76 5.80 5.60 5.56 5.22 5.31 5.22 5.24 5.27 5.40 5.22 5.30 5.24 5.31 5.29 5.25 5.19 5.39 5.51 5.50 5.56 5.52 5.54 5.54 5.50 5.52 5.50 5.56 5.51 5.49 5.45 5.49 5.56 5.54 5.55 5.51 5.07 4.83 4.68 4.63 4.76 4.81 4.74 4.74 4.76 4.99 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 1999-08-01 1999-09-01 1999-10-01 1999-11-01 1999-12-01 2000-01-01 2000-02-01 2000-03-01 2000-04-01 2000-05-01 2000-06-01 2000-07-01 2000-08-01 2000-09-01 2000-10-01 2000-11-01 2000-12-01 2001-01-01 2001-02-01 2001-03-01 2001-04-01 2001-05-01 2001-06-01 2001-07-01 2001-08-01 2001-09-01 2001-10-01 2001-11-01 2001-12-01 2002-01-01 2002-02-01 2002-03-01 2002-04-01 2002-05-01 2002-06-01 2002-07-01 2002-08-01 2002-09-01 2002-10-01 2002-11-01 2002-12-01 2003-01-01 2003-02-01 2003-03-01 2003-04-01 2003-05-01 2003-06-01 2003-07-01 2003-08-01 2003-09-01 2003-10-01 2003-11-01 5.07 5.22 5.20 5.42 5.30 5.45 5.73 5.85 6.02 6.27 6.53 6.54 6.50 6.52 6.51 6.51 6.40 5.98 5.49 5.31 4.80 4.21 3.97 3.77 3.65 3.07 2.49 2.09 1.82 1.73 1.74 1.73 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.73 1.74 1.75 1.75 1.34 1.24 1.24 1.26 1.25 1.26 1.26 1.22 1.01 1.03 1.01 1.01 1.00 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 2003-12-01 2004-01-01 2004-02-01 2004-03-01 2004-04-01 2004-05-01 2004-06-01 2004-07-01 2004-08-01 2004-09-01 2004-10-01 2004-11-01 2004-12-01 2005-01-01 2005-02-01 2005-03-01 2005-04-01 2005-05-01 2005-06-01 2005-07-01 2005-08-01 2005-09-01 2005-10-01 2005-11-01 2005-12-01 2006-01-01 2006-02-01 2006-03-01 2006-04-01 2006-05-01 2006-06-01 2006-07-01 2006-08-01 2006-09-01 2006-10-01 2006-11-01 2006-12-01 2007-01-01 2007-02-01 2007-03-01 2007-04-01 2007-05-01 2007-06-01 2007-07-01 2007-08-01 2007-09-01 2007-10-01 2007-11-01 2007-12-01 2008-01-01 2008-02-01 2008-03-01 0.98 1.00 1.01 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.03 1.26 1.43 1.61 1.76 1.93 2.16 2.28 2.50 2.63 2.79 3.00 3.04 3.26 3.50 3.62 3.78 4.00 4.16 4.29 4.49 4.59 4.79 4.94 4.99 5.24 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.24 5.25 5.26 5.26 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.26 5.02 4.94 4.76 4.49 4.24 3.94 2.98 2.61 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 2008-04-01 2008-05-01 2008-06-01 2008-07-01 2008-08-01 2008-09-01 2008-10-01 2008-11-01 2008-12-01 2009-01-01 2009-02-01 2009-03-01 2009-04-01 2009-05-01 2009-06-01 2009-07-01 2009-08-01 2009-09-01 2009-10-01 2009-11-01 2009-12-01 2010-01-01 2010-02-01 2010-03-01 2010-04-01 2010-05-01 2010-06-01 2010-07-01 2010-08-01 2010-09-01 2010-10-01 2010-11-01 2010-12-01 2011-01-01 2011-02-01 2011-03-01 2011-04-01 2011-05-01 2011-06-01 2011-07-01 2011-08-01 2011-09-01 2011-10-01 2011-11-01 2011-12-01 2012-01-01 2012-02-01 2012-03-01 2012-04-01 2012-05-01 2012-06-01 2012-07-01 2.28 1.98 2.00 2.01 2.00 1.81 0.97 0.39 0.16 0.15 0.22 0.18 0.15 0.18 0.21 0.16 0.16 0.15 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.11 0.13 0.16 0.20 0.20 0.18 0.18 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.18 0.17 0.16 0.14 0.10 0.09 0.09 0.07 0.10 0.08 0.07 0.08 0.07 0.08 0.10 0.13 0.14 0.16 0.16 0.16 12.00 10.00 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00 0.00 0 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 2012-08-01 2012-09-01 2012-10-01 2012-11-01 2012-12-01 2013-01-01 2013-02-01 2013-03-01 2013-04-01 2013-05-01 2013-06-01 2013-07-01 2013-08-01 2013-09-01 2013-10-01 2013-11-01 2013-12-01 2014-01-01 2014-02-01 2014-03-01 2014-04-01 2014-05-01 2014-06-01 2014-07-01 2014-08-01 2014-09-01 2014-10-01 2014-11-01 2014-12-01 2015-01-01 2015-02-01 2015-03-01 2015-04-01 2015-05-01 2015-06-01 2015-07-01 2015-08-01 2015-09-01 2015-10-01 2015-11-01 2015-12-01 2016-01-01 2016-02-01 2016-03-01 2016-04-01 2016-05-01 2016-06-01 2016-07-01 2016-08-01 2016-09-01 2016-10-01 2016-11-01 0.13 0.14 0.16 0.16 0.16 0.14 0.15 0.14 0.15 0.11 0.09 0.09 0.08 0.08 0.09 0.08 0.09 0.07 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.09 0.10 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.12 0.11 0.11 0.11 0.12 0.12 0.13 0.13 0.14 0.14 0.12 0.12 0.24 0.34 0.38 0.36 0.37 0.37 0.38 0.39 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.41 354 355 356 357 358 359 2016-12-01 2017-01-01 2017-02-01 2017-03-01 2017-04-01 2017-05-01 0.54 0.65 0.66 0.79 0.90 0.91 Effective federal funds rate FEDFUNDS 100 200 Period 300 400 FRED Graph Observations Federal Reserve Economic Data Link: https://fred.stlouisfed.org Help: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/help-faq Economic Research Division Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CPILFESL Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Food and Frequency: Monthly observation_date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 1/1/1987 2/1/1987 3/1/1987 4/1/1987 5/1/1987 6/1/1987 7/1/1987 8/1/1987 9/1/1987 10/1/1987 11/1/1987 12/1/1987 1/1/1988 2/1/1988 3/1/1988 4/1/1988 5/1/1988 6/1/1988 7/1/1988 8/1/1988 9/1/1988 10/1/1988 11/1/1988 12/1/1988 1/1/1989 2/1/1989 3/1/1989 4/1/1989 5/1/1989 6/1/1989 7/1/1989 8/1/1989 9/1/1989 10/1/1989 11/1/1989 12/1/1989 1/1/1990 2/1/1990 3/1/1990 4/1/1990 5/1/1990 6/1/1990 7/1/1990 8/1/1990 CPILFESL 115.900 116.200 116.600 117.300 117.700 117.900 118.300 118.700 119.200 119.800 120.100 120.400 120.900 121.200 121.700 122.300 122.700 123.200 123.600 124.000 124.700 125.200 125.600 126.000 126.500 126.900 127.400 127.800 128.300 128.800 129.200 129.500 129.900 130.600 131.100 131.600 132.100 132.700 133.500 134.000 134.400 135.100 135.800 136.600 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 9/1/1990 10/1/1990 11/1/1990 12/1/1990 1/1/1991 2/1/1991 3/1/1991 4/1/1991 5/1/1991 6/1/1991 7/1/1991 8/1/1991 9/1/1991 10/1/1991 11/1/1991 12/1/1991 1/1/1992 2/1/1992 3/1/1992 4/1/1992 5/1/1992 6/1/1992 7/1/1992 8/1/1992 9/1/1992 10/1/1992 11/1/1992 12/1/1992 1/1/1993 2/1/1993 3/1/1993 4/1/1993 5/1/1993 6/1/1993 7/1/1993 8/1/1993 9/1/1993 10/1/1993 11/1/1993 12/1/1993 1/1/1994 2/1/1994 3/1/1994 4/1/1994 5/1/1994 6/1/1994 7/1/1994 8/1/1994 9/1/1994 10/1/1994 11/1/1994 12/1/1994 1/1/1995 2/1/1995 3/1/1995 137.100 137.600 138.000 138.600 139.500 140.200 140.500 140.900 141.300 141.800 142.300 142.900 143.400 143.700 144.200 144.700 145.100 145.400 145.900 146.300 146.800 147.100 147.600 147.900 148.100 148.800 149.200 149.600 150.100 150.600 150.800 151.400 151.800 152.100 152.300 152.800 152.900 153.400 153.900 154.300 154.500 154.800 155.300 155.500 155.900 156.400 156.700 157.100 157.500 157.800 158.200 158.300 159.000 159.400 159.900 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 4/1/1995 5/1/1995 6/1/1995 7/1/1995 8/1/1995 9/1/1995 10/1/1995 11/1/1995 12/1/1995 1/1/1996 2/1/1996 3/1/1996 4/1/1996 5/1/1996 6/1/1996 7/1/1996 8/1/1996 9/1/1996 10/1/1996 11/1/1996 12/1/1996 1/1/1997 2/1/1997 3/1/1997 4/1/1997 5/1/1997 6/1/1997 7/1/1997 8/1/1997 9/1/1997 10/1/1997 11/1/1997 12/1/1997 1/1/1998 2/1/1998 3/1/1998 4/1/1998 5/1/1998 6/1/1998 7/1/1998 8/1/1998 9/1/1998 10/1/1998 11/1/1998 12/1/1998 1/1/1999 2/1/1999 3/1/1999 4/1/1999 5/1/1999 6/1/1999 7/1/1999 8/1/1999 9/1/1999 10/1/1999 160.400 160.700 161.100 161.400 161.800 162.200 162.700 163.000 163.100 163.700 164.000 164.400 164.600 165.000 165.400 165.700 166.000 166.500 166.800 167.200 167.400 167.800 168.100 168.400 168.900 169.200 169.400 169.700 169.800 170.200 170.600 170.800 171.200 171.600 171.900 172.200 172.500 172.900 173.200 173.500 174.000 174.200 174.400 174.800 175.400 175.600 175.600 175.700 176.300 176.500 176.600 177.100 177.300 177.800 178.100 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 11/1/1999 12/1/1999 1/1/2000 2/1/2000 3/1/2000 4/1/2000 5/1/2000 6/1/2000 7/1/2000 8/1/2000 9/1/2000 10/1/2000 11/1/2000 12/1/2000 1/1/2001 2/1/2001 3/1/2001 4/1/2001 5/1/2001 6/1/2001 7/1/2001 8/1/2001 9/1/2001 10/1/2001 11/1/2001 12/1/2001 1/1/2002 2/1/2002 3/1/2002 4/1/2002 5/1/2002 6/1/2002 7/1/2002 8/1/2002 9/1/2002 10/1/2002 11/1/2002 12/1/2002 1/1/2003 2/1/2003 3/1/2003 4/1/2003 5/1/2003 6/1/2003 7/1/2003 8/1/2003 9/1/2003 10/1/2003 11/1/2003 12/1/2003 1/1/2004 2/1/2004 3/1/2004 4/1/2004 5/1/2004 178.400 178.700 179.300 179.400 180.000 180.300 180.700 181.100 181.500 181.900 182.300 182.600 183.100 183.300 183.900 184.400 184.700 185.100 185.300 186.000 186.400 186.700 187.100 187.400 188.100 188.400 188.700 189.100 189.200 189.700 190.000 190.200 190.500 191.100 191.300 191.500 191.900 192.100 192.400 192.500 192.500 192.500 192.900 193.000 193.400 193.600 193.700 194.000 194.000 194.200 194.600 194.900 195.500 195.900 196.200 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 6/1/2004 7/1/2004 8/1/2004 9/1/2004 10/1/2004 11/1/2004 12/1/2004 1/1/2005 2/1/2005 3/1/2005 4/1/2005 5/1/2005 6/1/2005 7/1/2005 8/1/2005 9/1/2005 10/1/2005 11/1/2005 12/1/2005 1/1/2006 2/1/2006 3/1/2006 4/1/2006 5/1/2006 6/1/2006 7/1/2006 8/1/2006 9/1/2006 10/1/2006 11/1/2006 12/1/2006 1/1/2007 2/1/2007 3/1/2007 4/1/2007 5/1/2007 6/1/2007 7/1/2007 8/1/2007 9/1/2007 10/1/2007 11/1/2007 12/1/2007 1/1/2008 2/1/2008 3/1/2008 4/1/2008 5/1/2008 6/1/2008 7/1/2008 8/1/2008 9/1/2008 10/1/2008 11/1/2008 12/1/2008 196.600 196.800 196.900 197.500 197.900 198.300 198.600 199.000 199.400 200.100 200.200 200.500 200.600 200.900 201.100 201.300 202.000 202.500 202.800 203.200 203.600 204.300 204.800 205.400 205.900 206.300 206.800 207.200 207.600 207.800 208.100 208.600 209.135 209.418 209.747 210.058 210.392 210.773 211.119 211.554 212.077 212.660 213.168 213.771 213.939 214.420 214.560 214.936 215.424 215.965 216.393 216.713 216.788 216.947 216.925 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 1/1/2009 2/1/2009 3/1/2009 4/1/2009 5/1/2009 6/1/2009 7/1/2009 8/1/2009 9/1/2009 10/1/2009 11/1/2009 12/1/2009 1/1/2010 2/1/2010 3/1/2010 4/1/2010 5/1/2010 6/1/2010 7/1/2010 8/1/2010 9/1/2010 10/1/2010 11/1/2010 12/1/2010 1/1/2011 2/1/2011 3/1/2011 4/1/2011 5/1/2011 6/1/2011 7/1/2011 8/1/2011 9/1/2011 10/1/2011 11/1/2011 12/1/2011 1/1/2012 2/1/2012 3/1/2012 4/1/2012 5/1/2012 6/1/2012 7/1/2012 8/1/2012 9/1/2012 10/1/2012 11/1/2012 12/1/2012 1/1/2013 2/1/2013 3/1/2013 4/1/2013 5/1/2013 6/1/2013 7/1/2013 217.346 217.792 218.253 218.706 218.904 219.112 219.263 219.496 219.920 220.501 220.666 220.881 220.633 220.731 220.783 220.822 220.962 221.194 221.363 221.509 221.711 221.830 222.149 222.343 222.803 223.213 223.454 223.727 224.175 224.697 225.218 225.862 226.118 226.506 226.899 227.405 227.877 228.034 228.478 228.905 229.224 229.623 229.970 230.233 230.659 231.024 231.330 231.725 232.244 232.603 232.800 232.837 233.064 233.365 233.865 234.312 234.658 234.892 235.328 235.735 236.019 236.230 236.637 237.081 237.584 237.838 238.197 238.380 238.729 239.147 239.373 239.553 239.910 240.236 240.783 241.366 241.662 242.021 242.480 242.754 243.249 243.719 244.221 244.581 245.232 245.845 246.062 246.517 247.026 247.389 247.705 248.351 248.646 249.011 249.464 300.000 250.013 250.783 250.000 251.299 250.993 200.000 251.172 150.000 251.329 Customer price index 100.000 50.000 200 150 100 0.000 50 8/1/2013 9/1/2013 10/1/2013 11/1/2013 12/1/2013 1/1/2014 2/1/2014 3/1/2014 4/1/2014 5/1/2014 6/1/2014 7/1/2014 8/1/2014 9/1/2014 10/1/2014 11/1/2014 12/1/2014 1/1/2015 2/1/2015 3/1/2015 4/1/2015 5/1/2015 6/1/2015 7/1/2015 8/1/2015 9/1/2015 10/1/2015 11/1/2015 12/1/2015 1/1/2016 2/1/2016 3/1/2016 4/1/2016 5/1/2016 6/1/2016 7/1/2016 8/1/2016 9/1/2016 10/1/2016 11/1/2016 12/1/2016 1/1/2017 2/1/2017 3/1/2017 4/1/2017 5/1/2017 0 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 Period umers: All Items Less Food and Energy, Index 1982-1984=100, Monthly, Seasonally Adjusted ustomer price index Period 400 350 300 250 200 CPILFESL Research Analysis for Business Grading Guide ECO/561 Version 12 Economics Copyright Copyright © 2017 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. University of Phoenix® is a registered trademark of Apollo Group, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft®, Windows®, and Windows NT® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Use of these marks is not intended to imply endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation. Research Analysis for Business Grading Guide ECO/561 Version 12 Edited in accordance with University of Phoenix® editorial standards and practices. 2 Research Analysis for Business Grading Guide ECO/561 Version 12 Individual Assignment: Research Analysis for Business Purpose of Assignment The purpose of this assignment is the creation of a research analysis. Every day, consumers make millions of decisions that impact the marketplace and influence firms’ decisions. Firms use economic concepts, models, and other “tools” of economics to help determine pricing, output, and profit maximization. As an MBA student of economics, you can apply the “tools” of economics to microeconomic and macroeconomic data to create recommendations for how firms can maximize revenue, profit and market share. Resources Required Tutorial help on Excel® and Word functions can be found on the Microsoft® Office website. There are also additional tutorials via the web offering support for Office products. Grading Guide Content Identified the market structure student’s chosen firm operates in, analyzed student’s chosen firm’s current market share, and identified the firm’s local/global competitors. Analyzed the barriers to entry in this market to illustrate the potential for new competition and its impact on firm’s future in the market. Identified and explained trends in current macroeconomic indicators for last three years including: • Current stage of the business cycle. • Real gross domestic product (GDP). • Inflation as measured by the consumer price index (CPI). • Unemployment rate. • Federal funds rate. • Current rate for borrowing funds such as the so-called “prime rate.” Evaluated trends in demand over last three years and explained their impact on the industry and the firm. Included quarterly (last two quarters) and annual sales (last three years) figures for the product student’s firm sells. Created business strategies by analyzing information and data related to the demand for and supply of firm’s product(s) to support student’s recommendation for the firm’s actions. Included a graphical representation of the data and information used in student’s analysis. Met Partially Met Not Met Comments: 3 Research Analysis for Business Grading Guide ECO/561 Version 12 Content Met Partially Met Not Met Total Available Total Earned 7 #/7 Examined available, current data and information, such as pricing and the availability of substitutes, and explained how student could determine the price elasticity of demand for firm’s product. Assessed how the price elasticity of demand impacts the firm’s pricing decisions and revenue growth. Applied the concepts of variable and fixed costs to firm for informing its output decisions. Analyzed how different kinds of costs (labor, research and development, raw materials) affect the firm’s level of output. Based on the data gathered and analysis performed student’s conclusion included: • Business strategies, including price and non-price strategies, based on market structure to ensure the market share and potential market expansions. Also included exploration of global opportunities for student’s business in a dynamic business environment and provided recommendations. • A recommendation for how the firm can manage its future production by synthesizing the macroeconomic and microeconomic data presented. • Proposal for how the firm’s position within the market and among its competitors will allow it to take your recommended action. • Recommended strategies for the firm to sustain its success going forward by evaluating the findings from demand trends, price elasticity, current stage of the business cycle, and government policies. Cited a minimum of three peer-reviewed references and a minimum of two government economic data sources/references. The analysis is a minimum of 1,050 words in length. Comments: 4 Research Analysis for Business Grading Guide ECO/561 Version 12 Writing Guidelines Met Partially Met Not Met Total Available Total Earned 3 #/3 10 #/10 The paper—including tables and graphs, headings, title page, and reference page—is consistent with APA formatting guidelines and meets course-level requirements. Intellectual property is recognized with in-text citations and a reference page. Paragraph and sentence transitions are present, logical, and maintain the flow throughout the paper. Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. Rules of grammar and usage are followed including spelling and punctuation. Assignment Total Additional comments: # Comments: 5
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Explanation & Answer

Attached.

Running head: RESEARCH ANALYSIS

1

Research Analysis

Name

Institution

Date

RESEARCH ANALYSIS

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Introduction

For this discussion on research analysis, I will discuss Apple Inc. which is a good
example of a publicly traded corporation in America. Apple Inc. is a consumer Electronics
Company based in the United States which designs, produces and sells computer software,
mobile phones, and personal computer. The well-known products of Apple Company include;
the iPod, iPhone, iPad and Macintosh series of computers. The Apple Software is usually found
on Mac OS X operating system, iWork suite, Final Cut Studio, iLife suite and iTunes media
browser. Apple Inc. was founded in April 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in the State of
California.
The market structure
Apple Inc. operates in two different market structures; monopolistic competition and
oligopoly. Oligopoly market structure is a type of market structure which is usually controlled by
limited competitors (Baldwin & Scott, 2013). Companies in this type of market structure
maintain a position in the market because it is expensive and hard to enter into the market. To be
specific, Apple Inc. is in the oligopoly market in the smartphones OS firms. In the market, there
are three main competitive operating systems. The there include; the Apple’s iOS, Microsoft
window phones, and Android owned by Google. These operating systems are very competitive
in the world and they improve their features continuously so as to retain their competitors thus
forming the oligopoly market. Additionally, Apple Inc. is in the monopolistic competition
market in branded computers. In this type of market structure, there are no competitors thus
making Apple’s iMac and MacBook enjoy the monopoly in the market.
Market share

RESEARCH ANALYSIS

3

The total market share of Apple Inc. in the US implies the percentage sales of Apple’s
products within the United States market. For example, the iPhone 8 hit the market running. The
sales of iPhone series represent 40.5% increase in the sales of smartphones from 33.5% thus
giving an increase of 7% points for a period of one year.
Market competitors
Apple Inc. deals with a range of products and services worldwide. This exposes the
company to stiff competition in various industries ranging from personal computers to
entertainment systems to mobile payment systems. In the personal computers market, Apple
Company faces competition from Lenovo, Acer, Dell, and Hp (Grant, 2016). The operating
systems produced by Microsoft has remained to be the favorite to many consumers though Apple
Company has been following their customers who report a high satisfaction with the Apple’s OS.
In mobile computers, Samsung, Google, Nokia, and Asus has remained to be main competitors
to Apple Company. The iPod changed the Apple’s business model and stimulated the whol...


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