Industry and Top Companies Selection: Telecommunication Industry

FINC 495 Project Descriptions
Telecommunication Industry
Stage One - Industry and Top Companies Selection
(10% of the Final Course Grade)
Due at the end of week 3
This project is closely aligned with the Course Outcomes and Finance Program Objectives. Completion of this project can be used as part of a portfolio to show potential employers the student is skilled at performing company valuations and financial statement analysis and can be included on the student's resume.
Final Individual Authentic Assessment Project
The course project is designed to synthesize your financial studies into a comprehensive real-life case study. The main task is to identify an industry (or market sector) and then research the industry to identify the leading companies in the industry, analyze their finances, and provide your own analyst's opinion on the prospects for the industry and to identify which companies are best positioned to lead that industry. THE PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO BE COMPLETED INDIVIDUALLY BY THE STUDENT (OR A GROUP) AS ASSIGNED BY YOUR PROFESSOR. The project will involve significant research and in-depth financial analysis.
YOUR SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENT
The ultimate goal is to decide which company is best positioned to provide the most shareholder value in the future. This would require you to conduct the following analysis:
1. Introduction (The paper should begin with a short introduction (explains the purpose of the paper and provides an overview of the contents that follow) (5% of the project grade)
2. Identify an industry to focus on. Explain why you chose this industry. (10% of the project grade).
It is suggested that you use an industry that is expanding rather than consolidating, but the choice is yours to make)
It is expected that you will comment on the industry’s environment, as well as the business and financial risks that face the industry and the major competitors in that industry.
3. Research global and domestic economies trends (20% of the project grade). Summarize your findings in your project.
The operations of most industries and companies are concentrated in a particular country and the economic situation of the country is a main factor of profitability. A good understanding of the industry and macroeconomic situation is also useful for explaining the past performance and creating a reliable forecast of future sales and profits. You will be using your findings in all four stages of this project in this course.
Suggested websites:
www(dot)economy(dot)com
www(dot)briefing(dot)com
https://www(dot)govinfo(dot)gov/app/collection/econi
www(dot)hoovers(dot)com/industry-analysis.html
https://www(dot)fidelity(dot)com
4. Research industry conditions and the industry’s opportunity to grow. (20% of the project grade). Your research should include a survey of business periodicals, industry data from established sources, analyst reports, news articles, and journals as appropriate. Summarize your findings in your project.
5. Identify the top three (3) companies in the industry using your own selection of criteria (market capitalization, ROE, or any other criteria you wish to develop.). Your decisions on which set of criteria to use, are to be considered part of the project and your rationalization must be explained. (25% of the project grade).
6. Reflection – the student should write a paragraph in their own words reflecting on specifically what they learned from the assignment and how they think they could apply what they learned in the workplace. (5% of the project grade)
Your paper should be supported by spreadsheets, graphs, and tables. All tables and graphs should have the numbering system, like “Table 1…” the title, and foot/end note to reference the data.
The Stage 1 Industry and Company Selection should be about 5-7 pages in length (more is OK!) with a minimum of 3 to 4 references and no more than 3 attachments. Written projects must be:
1. typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, with margins no wider than one inch
2. have footnotes or endnotes, with correct citations
3. have a bibliography of sources used
4. include, for each entry, the author, title, city and state of publisher, publisher's name, year, and page numbers
5. prepared using word processing software (Microsoft Word preferred), in a manner similar to the preparation of a written assignment for classroom submission
For APA formatting assistance please see below for online tutorials.
Please note that starting from the Fall 2020 semester the UMGC moved to the 7th Edition of the APA Style. The links to the 7th Edition of the APA Style methodology are posted in Content – Course Resources – Writing Resources.
Submit your completed work to the Final Project, Stage 1 Assignment Folder.
PRESENTATION OF PAPER AND WRITING (15%) of the project grade):
-Organization, Format and Presentation of Paper including the Title page, Introduction, Body, and Summary. Each section of the paper must begin with sub-headings. Please use the sub-headings included in the assignment (4% of the project grade)
Use of Tables, Figures and Other Graphics to Summarize and Support Analysis Presented in the Paper (3% of the project grade)
Logical and Smooth Flowing Transitions and Relationships among Sections of the Written Report (3% of the project grade)
Research Sources and Significance of Research Information and Data, Use of APA Citation Methodology (5% of the project grade)