Assignment: Analysis of a Small Business

Purpose:

This assignment is a three staged assignment. Students will analyze a small business meeting the criteria presented. Students will identify the business early in the course and select a business that allows for a student-conducted interview. In completing this assignment, students will look closely at the marketing strategy, the industry, and the role of human resources within the business.

Outcomes Met:

• demonstrate an understanding of the small business environment and how to manage in a global marketplace
• develop critical managerial skills and processes to assess and analyze key elements of emerging enterprise organizations

Instructions: Stage One

Step 1: In completing the first stage of analyzing a small business, identify a small business that you are either familiar with or a customer of that meets the following criteria:

• Must have a minimum of five employees
• Must have been in business for at least three years

Step 2: In preparation for stage 2, determine whether the small business owner is willing and available for a student-conducted interview.

Step 3: Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is double-spaced, 12-point font. The final product will be no more than one page in length excluding the title page.

Step 4: Follow this format:

• Title page with title, your name, the course, the instructor's name;
• Introduction;
• Body, in paragraph form using headings:

o Identify the name of the company and give a brief overview of the business the company performs

o One paragraph describing the qualifications in terms of having a minimum of five employees and having an existing business for at least three years.

o Provide a rationale for selected this business

Stage Two

The second stage of assignment 2 is the analysis in the form of a PowerPoint or Prezi Presentation. In this presentation, students will determine the marketing strategy and human resource approach of the small business. Note: Consider making a visit to the location and/or interview the business owner.

Step 1: Create a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation. The final product will be between 15-20 slides in length that includes a title slide and a slide for references. If you are unfamiliar with creating a PowerPoint presentation or a Prezi presentation, review these resources:

• PowerPoint 2013 Training - Creating a Presentation - Part 1 - PowerPoint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTWf8Ck8Dk8

• How to create a Prezi - Turn your Prezi into a masterpiece! Video 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiY8Imwk9WQ

Step 2: Review the grading rubric for the assignment;

Step 3: The presentation will include the following elements:

• Determine the marketing strategy of the small business;

• Discuss the human resource approach of the small business;

• Research the industry information and discuss how the small business compares with the industry in which it operates;

Step 4: Use the note section of PowerPoint to provide detailed information on each slide;

Step 5: Include at least two scholarly references from research done outside of the classroom.

Step 6: Graphics are acceptable if they relate to the organization; clip art is not allowed;

Step 7: Using the grading rubric as a comparison, read through the paper to ensure all required elements are presented. This step is probably the most critical and can result in many lost points if instructions are not followed.

Step 8: Proofread the slides for spelling and grammatical issues.