Determine a strategy for expanding an international business to one of the following countries: China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, or Saudi Arabia.
1. Analyze the political, economic, legal, and cultural environment of a country using the Country Watch database, Business Source Complete, and other resources identified in this guide.
2. Locate the NAICS or SIC code for your industry.
3. Find similar companies in your country or region. In Mergent, run an advanced search under International Companies - Company Criteria. Choose a radio button that best describes your country's region, and add that to the search criteria. Then, search the Industry link for NAICS or SIC code.
4. Locate current news about your country via Mergent, NexisUni, Business Source Complete, or ABI/Inform.
5. Based on the information gathered in steps 1-4, provide recommendations on whether a company should consider expansion into a chosen foreign market. Detail a strategy to enter the market or provide a rationale to consider expansion to a different country.
You just landed a final interview with xxxxxxxx. Now, it's time to prepare!
1. Take an in-depth look at the company's website. Find their mission statement, strategic plan, and possibly the names/positions of employees you will interview with. Find information about their benefits package and how this position fits into the organizational structure.
2. Conduct research on the company via Mergent. Be sure to note their position in the marketplace, who the company executives are, and what might be helpful to give you a sense of how the company operates.
3. Study the job description and generate a list of potential questions the employer may ask as well as your answers to those questions.
4. Based on your research and understanding of the job description, generate a list of questions you would like to ask the employer.
1. Conduct a five-year ratio analysis. Compare this information to at least two competitors.
Use the Mergent database to select a company. After searching for your company, go to the Competitors tab (note, this defaults to only listing publicly traded companies in the US).
2. Conduct a financial analysis relevant to your set of firms. For each company, find the company profile in Mergent and retrieve the 10K/Annual Report.
3. Consider non-financial metrics as well. This could include topics such as workplace culture or innovation, for example. Much of this information will be listed in a given companies Annual Report from Mergent. Also, look for information on governance or key executives. Consider searching for information on your company and corporate social responsibility topics as well. Check out this guide for assistance.
4. Assess the company's stock from an investor perspective. Use the Mergent database to gather news on your company and use the Morningstar database to check the stock's rating.
5. Based on the information gathered in steps 1-4, provide your opinion of the company's ability to manage its finances. Provide recommendations for improving the company's financial position.
Your company has an opportunity to promote a newly developed product and you have to identify which neighborhoods to target.
1. You get to choose your product. Describe your product in detail.
2. From the Mergent database, choose the Demographics area and compare three different neighborhoods (by zip code) in your city.
3. Which zip code will you advertise to? What types of venues will you choose for your advertisement (flyers, direct mailing, social media, and so on). Justify your reasons based on demographic information.