Comparative Company Analyses Presentation

Your group project this semester is to take the two publicly traded international active companies assigned to you. Both
firms must be located in a different country. You will perform a comparative analysis of their performance over the past 3
5 years and then make a prediction as to their future performance over the next 3-5 years. In doing so, you will not only
need to analyze the industry in which they compete, but also determine which firm is likely to gain a competitive
advantage and why Specifically you must include:

Content of Analysis:
External analysis:
How attractive is the industry in which the firms are competing? How important are the broad environmental trends (and
what are they). What does a 5-forces analysis look like? Are the firms in the same strategic group? How does the
industry compare with the economic average (is this a good industry to be in?) Do the firms compete in the same
nations? If not do they face substantially different external environments?
Internal analysis:
Focus on a comparison, do the two companies follow similar or different strategies? Why do they follow these strategies?
To answer these questions you must understand the following:
Background information about the two firms: This section should be very brief and will include the age, size and
location of the two companies. Make sure you highlight anything about the company that makes it unique.
What does the inside of the firms look like: What is the company culture? Is there anything unique about the
Board of Directors and the Top Management Team? What are each of the companys resources? (recall the VIRS
framework) Capabilities? What are the firms value chains? Make sure you include financial analysis for both companies.
Corporate and Business-level strategies: What are the firms corporate strategies? What are the firms business
(generic) strategies? What is each of the firms structure? How well are the firms strategies aligned with its structure?
Do the companies have a clear strategic vision/mission that is consistent with their actions? How similar/different are the
profiles of the two firms?
International strategy: What are the firms international strategies? Are their international strategy aligned with
their business (generic) strategies and their structures? How similar/different are the international strategies of the two
firms?
Performance: How well have the firms performed over the past 3-5 years? Can you find non-financial data to
support the conclusions that you draw from the financial data? How have the companies done relative to the overall
industry to each other?
What should the firms go next? Make a prediction as to the direction the firm(s) should go in the next 3-5 years.
Which firm is likely to gain (or keep) a competitive advantage and why? How well will the two companies perform? Make
sure your predictions follow logically from your conclusions from the previous sections!

Research and Preparation:

Your analysis will be based on research from secondary (published) information that is available about the two companies.
The companies assigned to you are publicly traded and therefore there is plenty of information available. Your job is to
select the relevant information about the firms (and the industry), and analyze (not describe) what has happened to the
firms over the past 3-5 years. You must include footnotes which show the sources of information (citations) that you used
in your paper.
Some places to look for information are:
1. Companys website
2. Annual reports and 10-K reports (in the library or go to www.sec.gov). Check also the proxy statements for the
companies for data on the composition and compensation of the Board of Directors and the Top Management
Team.
3. Look at industry publications, research conducted by financial analysts and marketing research companies.
Check Hoovers Online, as well as the Standard and Poors Industry Surveys. Look at the companies stock
performance relative to the rest of the industry (www.bigcharts.com)

4. Look for information about the company in the business press. Use Lexis/Nexus as well as on-line databases
such as EBSCO and PROQUEST. Comprehensive company reports are often published in The Wall Street
Journal, Fortune, Fast Times, Business Week, Forbes and other business publications.
5. Finally, look for press releases from the company as well as business publications from which you can glean
information about the internal structure, control systems and organizational culture.

Deliverables
In-class Presentation
You will give two presentations. The first will summaries the external analysis. The second will summaries the internal
analysis and compare the two firms. In both presentations each member of the group must present in front of the class.
Your presentation will be graded by me as well as by your peers. Attached is the presentation grading template that your
peers and I will use to evaluate your presentation.

Presentation:
1.
Poor
1

Visual clarity: Was the overheads clear and easy to understand?

Average
2
3

2.
Poor
1

Transitions: Did the transition between speakers go smoothly?

Average
2
3

3.
Poor
1

Did the speakers act in accordance to the standards for a professional presentation?
Average
Excellent
2
3
4

Excellent
5
Excellent
5

Content:
1.
Poor
1

Does the presentation include an in-depth analysis of the broad and the task environment?
Average
Excellent
2
3
4

2.
Poor
1

Does the presentation illustrate the resources and capabilities of the two companies?
Average
Excellent
2
3
4

3.
Poor
1

Does the presentation illustrate each firms competitive position?

Average
2
3

4.
Poor
1

Does the presentation illustrate each firms international strategy?

Average
2
3

5.
Poor
1

Does the presentation link to the previous course material? Does it use the frameworks and vocabulary of the course?
Average
Excellent
2
3
4
5

6.
Poor
1

Does the team provide a set of future recommendations that are logically derived from the content of the presentation?
Average
Excellent
2
3
4
5

7.
Poor
1

Does the team answer questions clearly and concisely?

Average
2
3

Excellent

Excellent
5

Excellent
4

Overall impression: Taking into account the entire presentation and the information provided by the team what is your overall impression of this
presentation?
Poor
1

Average
3

Excellent
4

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