Business Trends Facets

Throughout the term, you have learned about several facets of a business by completing Capstone assessments in the previous modules. In this final requirement, you will refer back to your prior installments, focus on specific content, and provide a summary of what you learned. The best way to think about Topics #1-#4 is that you are reporting on the business “topics” that you learned about rather than the companies that were used to obtain this knowledge. In Topic #5, you will conclude your installment by focusing on each company.

Make sure that your paragraphs are written in a professional manner and that the topics “flow” together rather than just pasting selected content from prior installments. If you were preparing this type of report for your supervisor at one of the three focus companies, this would be referred to as an “Executive Summary” which is an abbreviated report that provides the reader with key facts rather than each detail.

Respond to the following by writing at least one paragraph for each topic and support your response. Each paragraph is required to contain 6-8 sentences in your own authentic and original writing, using proper grammar and spelling. Make sure to number your response paragraphs to correspond to each of the following items.
Topic #1 Profile, Structure, & Operations:
Utilize your Capstone #1 installment to discuss a legal trend that a company could experience. Utilize your Capstone #4 installment to discuss how the organization of a large company differs from a smaller business in how they operate, grow, and make decisions. Utilize your Capstone #7 installment to discuss the tools that a company could use to maintain its commitment to manufacturing a product or providing a service of the highest quality.

Topic #2 Market Presence:
Utilize your Capstone #3 installment to discuss the strategies that a company could use to enter a new market. Utilize your Capstone #9 installment to discuss a new target market that could be a growth opportunity for a company. Utilize your Capstone #10 installment to discuss how a company utilizes each of the marketing communication tools. Utilize your Capstone #11 installment to provide an example of how a company’s social media activity could be effective.

Topic #3 Reputation & Management:
Utilize your Capstone #2 installment to provide an example of how a company could address each of the four stages of social responsibility. Utilize your Capstone #5 installment to provide an example of one strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat that could exist for a company. Utilize your Capstone #6 installment to provide an example of how a company could manage a public crisis.

Topic #4 Human & Financial Resources:
Utilize your Capstone #7 installment to discuss how a company could motivate its employees. Utilize your Capstone #8 installment to provide an example of a company’s relationship with its employees and how prospective employees could be recruited. Utilize your Capstone #12 installment to provide an example of the types of factors that would lead you to conclude that a company is financially strong or weak.

Next, based on the content that we learned about in this module, review the minutes for the most recent meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve Federal Open Market Committee located in the Meeting calendars, statements, and minutes section of their website. What impact does this announcement have on the interest rate that could be charged to a company who is trying to obtain a loan to expand its operations?

Topic #5 Conclusion:
For your conclusion, describe at least one interesting fact about each company (i.e. Chevron, General Motors, and Procter & Gamble) that increased your knowledge of business. If you were going into business as your college major, which of the three companies would you prefer to work for and which area would you specialize (e.g. marketing, human resources, operations, etc.)? If you are not interested in business for your major, provide a recommendation for a friend who is a business major. Support your conclusion and discuss your decision-making process. Indicate which factors weighed more heavily in helping you arrive at your conclusion.