Porter's five forces paper industry

PG & E Corp. The Porter's Five Forces Paper

PG&E Corp.

Basic APA/format instructions for the Porter's Five Forces Paper

1. Four pages (maximum) of writing analysis, double-spaced, 12-point Times Roman font (this is analysis only, not cover page, figures and tables, references, or appendix, if used). Total minimum paper length will be approximately 7 or 8 pages. Papers in excess of 10 pages will be returned ungraded.

2. APA style and formatting required. Do not include an abstract. See Week 1, Student Reference Materials, and download an APA template.

3. Insert a 5-box figure of the Porter model illustrating your analysis (sample provided on Blackboard in PowerPoint format); do not simply reproduce the generic model – add sufficient bullet points to justify assessments.

4. Reference page and title/cover page (copy/create APA template Word document that can re-used for final case study analysis paper).

5. Try to match rubric and section headings; include at least 1 sentence as a transition between 1st and 2nd level headings

Basic Content instructions for the P5F Paper

1. Your Analysis: Be sure to do your own analysis. Do not simply cite and depend upon others who may have analyzed the same company.

2. Do not Plagiarize: Anything you write that is not considered common knowledge requires a citation/reference pair. Do not include anyone else’s ideas or words (direct quotes) as if they were your own or your paper will receive a zero. Always use citations and references. All direct quotes must include page number or paragraph number. I do not want to fail any more students because of plagiarism. When in doubt, use citations.

3. APA Citations and References: In APA, you cannot include a work as a reference unless there is a citation in the body of the paper.

4. Tables and Figures: Do not copy and paste figures or tables. Even if you cite properly, it is likely a copyright violation.

5. Use Headings: To the extent possible, use headings that match the rubric.

6. Stay Relevant: Do not include anything in the paper that is not relevant no matter how prosaic or brilliant. I will ask you about any information you provide that does not help discover the company’s financial performance, estimated future performance, or factors related to each of the five forces. Great content that does not help with the company’s analysis will work against your paper.

Grading Criteria

Maximum Points

Analysis is concise, detailed, thorough; accounts for all five forces (include financial analysis/company performance, i.e., profitability ratios and stock price)

20

Demonstrated understanding of Porter article concepts

10

Research sources are thorough and appropriate for business analysis (authority and expertise of external sources)

15

Applies Porter article concepts appropriately to selected business and industry (P5F is industry oriented, thus, industry provides context for company)

25

Prepares five forces model that clearly ties in with analysis (figure must be more than the generic model – include details unique to company, industry)

10

Writing style: concise, clear, master’s-level, APA format (consult APA manual and/or Purdue OWL APA web site)

10

Flawless spelling, punctuation, grammar; Business-style writing (run grammar/spell checks, have someone proof-read your paper)

10

Total

100

Students seeking APA guidance are advised to consult the APA Manual and/or Purdue OWL APA web site early and often and/or ask questions: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Read the following article (do not use summary articles, this article and only this article):

Porter, M.E. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 79-93. Retrieved from Business Source Complete.

Prior to the first class, students will be assigned a company to research. In this business analysis paper students are to thoroughly analyze the assigned company and its industry and prepare a Porter’s Five Forces analysis specific to the assigned company and its industry. Additional criteria for this paper will be provided on Blackboard. See Week 1, Student Reference Folder.

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