Industry Group Presentation – 100 points
(This is a group project to be submitted as a voiceover PowerPoint presentation. Equivilant software is acceptable. Please refer to the syllabus.)
A hard copy of your presentation is due to your instructor on the presentation due date!
Objective: The objective of this assignment is twofold. First it will require that you explore an industry in depth to understand its role in the marketplace, its contributions to the US economy, and its future performance outlook. Secondly, it will require that you work in groups to present an organized and cohesive discussion of your findings. You will use your previously compiled data on your assigned company as well as industry tools to complete this assignment. Some examples of useful tools are Yahoo Finance and Hoovers.com. Each part of the assignment will be evaluated on the criteria outlined below. Section 1 will identify evaluation criteria for content; Section 2 will identify evaluation criteria for delivery.
LeBow Focus:
Economics: Explore stock pricing and valuation and the relative contribution of various industries in the American economy
Problem Solving: Use critical thinking skills to interpret changes in market value and identify external influences on company performance
Career Planning: Explore some of the tasks and responsibilities for a career as a stock stockbroker, financial planner, or portfolio manager.
Writing: Use writing specific to business such as company performance analysis and investment analysis.
Section 1: CONTENT:
Part 1: Overview – 10% of your total grade
GOAL: For this section you will be asked to provide a basic understanding of a specific market sector and a specific industry
• You will have to identify the market sector to which your companies belong. For example, if your group members were assigned Mattel (MAT) and Hasbro (HAS) you would indicate that they belong to the “Consumer Goods” sector.
• You will have to identify and define the industry to which your assigned companies belong. Using our examples of Mattel and Hasbro you would identify the industry as “Toys and Games”. What specific characteristics must a company have to be in the “Toys and Games” industry?
Part 2: Market Value – 25% of your total grade
GOAL: For this section you will have to identify the market value of a particular industry to help determine its relative contribution to the American economy. Graphs and/or charts shown on your PowerPoint slides are the best tools to represent this data.
• You will have to identify the market capitalization of the industry for the 3 most current years. For our example, you would graph the market cap of the “Toys and Games” industry.
• You will have to identify any significant changes (increases or decreases) over that period you have graphed. You will have to research via Annual Reports and business periodicals such as the Wall Street Journal or Business Week what might have contributed to these changes and explain your findings. For example, some changes could be due to seasonal sales, recalls, or new product development.
Part 3: The Competitive Landscape – 25% of your total grade
GOAL: For this section you will explore the impact that competitors have on both individual company performance and on the American economy. You will have to research your companies and graph the results.
• You will have to determine what percentage, via market capitalization, your industry contributes to the GDP.
• You will have to identify the market capitalization for each of the three companies researched by your group members.
• You will then have to determine what percentage of the overall market cap for that industry is represented by your three companies.
• You will have to identify the top two industry leaders in terms of market cap. (These may or may not be the individual companies you researched).
• You will have to identify the bottom 2 industry laggards in terms of market cap. (Again, these may or may not be the individual companies you researched).
• You will have to design a graph and plot where each of the three companies you profiled fall in this competitive landscape. A properly labeled graph shown on a PowerPoint slide will best represent this data.
Part 4: Performance – 15% of your total grade
GOAL: For this section you group will have to use critical thinking skills and market research tools to determine what factors influence market wide performance in the industry you have studied.
• You will have to present any four current events (within the last 12 months) that impacted either individual company or market wide performance
• You will have to use available research to identify any human, technological, economic or regulatory forces that have contributed to industry or individual company performance
Section 2: DELIVERY: 25% of your total grade
Using Voiceover PowerPoint or similar technology discussed in the syllabus, your group will present your findings. Your PowerPoint presentation must be uploaded to BB LEARN. The assignment will be graded by your instructor via the saved presentation.
You and your group will be evaluated on your ability to present your information in a 12-15 minute voiceover presentation. Your presentation will be graded on the following criteria:
• Presentation style – Personal appearance, posture, expression, energy, interest, articulation, projection
• Organization – opening and concluding remarks, flow of ideas, reasoning
• Content – clarity, value of content, use of examples
• Use of media – linking of media with speaking, knowledgeable in handling media, general appearance of media materials e.g.: legibility, layout
• Mechanics – grammar, gestures, pace
• Teamwork – shared responsibilities, exhibited camaraderie
• Preparedness – appears to have been rehearsed, staying within time limits. *There is a lot of information to be covered. It is your responsibility to edit your presentation to fit into the time limit identified.
*Each group presentation should include one final slide identifying references used in your research.
