Langara BUSM 1100 – Business profile assignment

Langara School of ManagementBUSM 1100 Introduction to Business in Canada Spring 2017 INDIVIDUAL PROJECT: BUSINESS PROFILE ASSIGNMENTOverviewThe assignment is to research one Canadian company and write a profile about it usingconcepts learned in the course and business research materials found in the library.This is an individual assignment (not a group project). You will write a 3-4 page essay about onecompany based on your research. The goal is that each person in the class:• knows the basics of essay/report writing;• knows how to research business related subjects;• knows how to avoid plagiarism and demonstrates this by effectively paraphrasingand referencing the published works that they use• becomes more knowledgeable about one Canadian company and gains experience inapplying some of the concepts we’ve covered in class.Due: Sunday February 26, 11:59 pm – submit to D2L assignment folderLate submissions will not be accepted, and will not be marked.LengthThe profile should be about 1,000 words long, about 3 typed pages using 12 pt font, 1.5spaced, with normal margins (about 350 words per page). No more than 5 pages will bemarked.ReferencesYou MUST use a minimum of six sources and list them in your references. They must not all bepublished by the company: your job is to find some information about the company that is notproduced by the company itself.The following six sources are recommended (you can use more):• Our course textbook• One annual report published by your company• The company’s website• At least one general business article about the company’s industry• Two general business articles about the company itself (this means not published by thecompany)All references must be cited using Chicago style.OutlineUse the following outline for your Business Profile. Write briefly and to the point. Each of thepoints below should be approximately one-two paragraphs.I. Company history and general informationa) General information about the company: what does it produce, how was itfounded, how old is it, how did it grow/ develop (etc.)b) Key business statistics that may be available: annual revenues, size of company,other important background.Page 1 Langara School of ManagementBUSM 1100 Introduction to Business in Canada Spring 2017II. Operations and human resourcesa) Where it is located, number of facilities and number of employeesb) Does it operate only in Canada or is it a global company?c) Employees: what type of specialized skills or other notable human resourceschallenges does this company need to manage? III. Social responsibilitya) What does the company say about social responsibility?b) What do other sources say about the company’s treatment of employees /communities / environment (etc.)? IV. Analysis of IndustryUse Porter’s five forces (p. 35 in textbook) to analyze the competitive environment thecompany faces. This means writing a brief comment (2 sentences each) about:i. Who are the suppliers? Do they hold a lot of power compared to thecompany?ii. Who are the buyers (consumers)? Do they hold a lot of power comparedto the company?iii. How significant is the threat of new entrants into the industry?iv. How significant is the threat of substitutes?v. How much competition is there within the industry itself? V. Conclusion / your commentsa) Based on your research, what do you think about this company? Would you workfor it? Would you consider it to be a good investment? Why?b) Based on what the company says and what others say about the company, doyou think it is socially responsible? Explain your reasons. Note: you may not find a lot of information for every section of this outline – but try to findenough to cover most of these points. That is what research is for!Grading:This assignment will be graded out of 10 marks and is worth 5% of your course grade.• 5 marks for content: one for each of the five sections in the outline above.• Writing and grammar: 2.5 marks – good sentence structure, clarity of idea, propergrammar and spelling. Double-check and edit your work. (Read it out loud to yourself tohear the structure.) Get help with proof-reading from the Writing Centre.• Research: 2.5 marks – use of at least six references (see above), properly cited withChicago style.*Note: papers will be uploaded to the plagiarism-checking site Turnitin. Please ensure youproperly reference your work. Consult the materials in our course module on plagiarism forguidance, or ask at the library. Page 2 Langara School of ManagementBUSM 1100 Introduction to Business in Canada Spring 2017 Resources:• Use the Writing Centre for help planning, structuring, or editing your paper• Use the Library’s link to “Assignment Help” with business research databases to findinformation about your company. If you need help, contact Vivian Feng, the businesslibrarian.• Use WriteAway. It is an online tutoring service that Langara subscribes to gives studentsthe opportunity to upload an entire draft of a paper and get extensive feedback on it.They don’t edit or proofread (use Writing Centre for that) but they can help withargument, thesis statements, structure, paragraphing, all of that. It takes 48 hours (andsometimes more) to get the paper back, but early in the semester it is a great way toget timely feedback. For the Langara login, go to:https://etutoringcanada.ca/login.cfm?institutionid=45&returnPage=• Use your company’s own website for some core information. Use articles published inother sources for information about the industry, or for other viewpoints about yourcompany (what others say about it). YOU MUST USE SEVERAL DIFFERENT SOURCES OFINFORMATION. Re-writing everything from the company website is not a researchproject and may result in a failing grade.Possible company choicesThese companies are all publicly traded (shares sold on the stock market) and therefore, thereis more information available about them. To choose a company, first check if you can easilyfind some articles about it. If there doesn’t appear to be much out there – choose a differentcompany! The point of this assignment is to read and make use of several different sources ofinformation.1. Magna International Inc. (TSX: MG) – Auto Components2. Saputo Inc. (TSX: SAP) – Food Products3. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (TSX: BAM.A) – Real Estate4. IMAX Corporation (TSX: IMX) – Media5. TransForce Inc. (TSX: TFI) – Road & Rail6. New Gold (TSX:NGD) – Metals & Mining7. West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (TSX: WFT) – Paper & Forest Products8. MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA) – Software, Aerospace & Robotics9. Power Financial. (TSX: PWF) – Financial Services10. Cenovus Energy. (TSX: CVE) – Oil and Gas11. Agrium Inc. (TSX: AGU) – Chemicals12. Bombardier Inc. (TSX: BBD.B) – Transportation Equipment & Components13. Shoppers DrugMart. (TSX: SC) – Specialty Stores14. Fortis Inc. (TSX: FTS) – Electrical Utilities15. Gildan Activewear. (TSX: GIL) – Clothing and Textiles16. Astral Media (TSX:ACM.A) – Entertainment Services.17. Restaurant Brands International TSX: QSR – Fast food (Tim Horton’s & Burger King)18. Mountain Equipment Coop mec.ca (cooperative, not publicly traded) Page 3