Writing Assignment 3

WRITING ASSIGNMENT #2 This assignment will result in a document that includes only what you turned in for Writing Assignment #1, plus Table 1, Table 2, and the List of Current Acquired Traits. Your References sections should be merged together into one. After Writing Assignment #1 has been graded and posted in Canvas, review your instructors comments carefully. Once you are assigned a company, correct any issues in your paper and then continue building your project. Writing Assignment #2 should be added at the end of your corrected Writing Assignment #1, so that the file you upload contains: Your corrected Assignment #1 Your first attempt at Assignment #2 A single References section Repeat this process for all later submissions. The file will be large in the end. Remember, your instructor will assign you a company only after Writing Assignment #1 has been graded and certain conditions are met. If you are told to proceed to Assignment #2 but no company has been assigned, send an email immediately to request one. 1. Go online and obtain the latest annual reports (10K filings) for your company, as well as for the other companies in the strategic group. Read them carefully and take notes. o You may use the SECs EDGAR database to access the latest 10K filings. o For easier access to financial data, you may also use other websites such as MacroTrends.net, Yahoo Finance, etc.. o Make sure to cite where you get your information from. 2. Compare your firms strategies and objectives to those of the other companies in the group. o Consider whether your company is competing in the same markets, pursuing similar objectives, or following similar business models. o Note where they are aligned or different. 3. Create Table 1: Key Identity Statements (see Sample Submission for format). o Include mission and vision statements (minimum). o Include any published mottos, slogans, or guiding principles. o Include the name of the CEO, since leadership identity influences strategic direction. Notes: o If your company lacks strong statements but competitors have them, this is a worse trait. o Do not describe traits as better or worse based on past actionsonly on current identity. Lasting effects from past actions may be listed if they are still relevant. 4. Research the companys Board of Directors. Focus on serious issues such as: o Ethical or legal violations by board members (e.g., a CEO arrested for misconduct) o High turnover or vacancies o Composition issues (lack of diversity, limited experience, questionable backgrounds) o Compare these issues to competitors and note if they represent weaknesses or lingering effects. 5. Assess your firms financial condition compared to its competitors. Use information from annual filings (10Ks), company reports, or other websites. Focus on: o Net Income o Quick Ratio o Return on Assets (ROA) o Return on Equity (ROE) o Total Revenue o You do not need to calculate advanced ratios if you are unfamiliar with themuse reported data or common sources. Ensure you are using whole-year data with consistent ending dates (most likely December 31). 6. Create Table 2: Financial Analysis (see Sample Submission for format). o Use consistent units across each row (e.g., billions for revenue, decimals or percentages for ratios). o Calculate the Group Average manually by averaging across the row once all company data is entered. Do not copy averages from an online source. Incorrect averaging will be considered a major issue. o When citing financial data, always include the fiscal year. Try to use the same timeframe across all companies, since comparing 2024 for one company and 2025 for another will make your analysis less effective. 7. Analyze your companys performance relative to competitors and the group average. Identify where your firm is stronger or weaker. Take notes for use in your comparison list. o Comparisons should generally be made to competitors, the strategic group average, or (rarely) the industry average. o Exception: If a company is clearly failing to meet legal mandates, ethical standards, or societal expectations, you may note this as a strategic issue, but provide strong, reputable, and recent citations. 8. Revisit your earlier PESTEL and Porters Five Forces analyses. This time, focus specifically on your assigned company in relation to its competitors and the group average. Identify areas where your company is better or worse. o Some traits may connect to items in your first assignments list, but they must not all overlap. o At least 4 of your list items must come from Tables 1 and 2. o The remainder should come from PESTEL and Porters model factors. 9. Create a List of Current Acquired Trait Comparisons with at least two traits for each of the 11 model factors (one better than and one worse than for each). o Begin each item with your companys ticker symbol. o Use phrasing such as is better than or is worse than, followed by the comparison group and specific measure. Example: KHC is better than the strategic group average in terms of ROA. Example: CPB is worse than GIS in terms of total revenue. o Use the phrase in terms of to specify the comparison factor. o List better than traits first, followed immediately by worse than traits, with no blank line between sections. o All traits must meet the following conditions: Apply to your company specifically, not the entire group. Fall under your companys control or influence. Relate to comparisons with competitors, the strategic group, the industry, societal expectations, or legal requirements. Do not describe actions the company can take, has taken, or is taking. Do not describe past events directly, though ongoing effects of past actions may be included. 10. Submit your completed assignment in Canvas.