Question: • Select one of the following companies for this assignment: Under Armour or FedEx. Do research and analyze based on their current situation. Look for investor relations for the best information from the company web sites.
• You should do this paper with complete sentences and paragraphs, and use subheadings for each section in the outline below as a way to organize the assignment. Approx. 6-8 pages double-spaced.
• Cite sources of information as you write (parentheses with source following any information from that source - not just for direct quotes). Also, include a full list of references used at the end of the assignment (using APA format - not just web site addresses). You should have at least three quality references in addition to the company's web site and 10-K report (more will likely improve grade). Consult the APA format/citation guide at the library's web site or in Course Documents if you are not sure how to do it. *Note: Wikipedia is not considered a valid reference in academic research.
• These are public companies with a lot of information available. The best information on their web sites is usually under Investor Relations (often in small print at bottom of the home page). A 10K (or annual) report is also a great resource. For external analysis, you will need to search articles about the industry or other trends that could affect the company (searchable databases in the library - see link in Blackboard). Also use the textbook if you need explanation and examples of the terms used in the outline.
• Be sure you understand and avoid plagiarism! If you copy-paste information directly from a web site, that can lead to an F (unless you are using it as a direct quote and have quotation marks and proper citation - and you should not have too many direct quotes in a paper).
Paper Outline (do all 4 sections, paying careful attention to the instructions)
Product-Market Analysis
• What products/services are offered by the company (i.e., description of the product mix and main benefits offered to customers)?
• Profile the target markets for these products (different products may target different segments; some products target multiple market segments).
• Also, include something about the brand(s) used by the company (and how they position their brands).
External Situation Analysis
• Who are the main competitors and possible substitute competitors? What are some important competitive issues or conditions to consider in this industry?
• What current trends in the marketing environment might have an effect (positive or negative) on this company? See Exhibit 5.1 and Ch. 5 for ideas on this, and consider all areas of the macroenvironment.
Marketing Mix: Discuss the other parts of the marketing mix for the company (i.e., what kind of promotion they use, how/where the products are distributed - including location strategy if a retailer, and what kind of pricing they use). Note: You already discussed "product" in the first part of the outline.
Environmental Sustainability (Both of these company web sites have sections on this! For FedEx, look for Governance & Citizenship, then Citizenship for links. For Under Armour, look for Sustainability link under About in their investors page.)
What is this company doing to be more responsible regarding the protection or conservation of the natural environment? What are some ways they could improve their efforts toward environmental sustainability? (If you can't think of suggestions, do some research on what other companies are doing, and see if some of those ideas could be used by this company.)