Each student is required to aid research paper that looks at a particular US industry and its market. Preferably the student's choice of industry will reflect her/his professional or other significant interest in such. This paper is to focus on the industry, not any individual firm in such. The paper's requirements (and maximum point totals) are as follows:
- A tabulation of annual gross output for the industry for the years 2003-2013, taken from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (www.bea.gov), and a discussion of how the industry fared, especially after the start of the 2008 recession.
- Determination of which market structure the industry competes in (perfect competition; monopolistic competition; oligopoly; or monopoly) and justifying that choice of market structure;
- Identification of the major competitors (firms) in the industry
- Discussion of major issues, concerns, or threats facing the industry, such as antitrust litigation; import competition; technological change; input costs; human resource problems; mergers and acquisitions; changes in demand; changes in supply; etc.
- Description of what the student believes will happen in the industry in the coming ten years, and why and
- Proper use of MLA style, grammar and spelling;
- Having adequate sources: each paper should have at least five sources from business or news periodicals (such the Wall Street Journal; Time; New York Times; Kansas City Star; Business Week; etc.). At least one article must have been published in 2015, and at least one must have been published in 2014. One of the four sources may be a Federal government document, and one source may be a securities analyst report on the industry. Do not include among the five publications from labor unions, trade associations, or advocacy groups, as these oftentimes have "agendas;" however, you may include such for sources above the specified five; and
- Providing the instructor with their chosen industry by.
Information in the paper must be properly attributed (with internal citations), and the paper must have a bibliography. Tables and graphs are encouraged, so long as their content is discussed in the body of the paper. Students should avoid using direct quotes, but instead express information in their own words (again, with proper attribution). Each paper should be at least ten (10) double-spaced pages in length.