What is the focus on the company competitive environment

This week we will focus on the company’s competitive environment. The choice of which competitors to profile is up to you and should be based on what you have learned about the company so far.

If you wish to change companies, go to the discussion thread for Discussion 1 to reserve your new company making sure no one else has already reserved it. If you decide to stay with the same company you used for Discussion 1, there is no need to re-reserve it.

Recommended Resources:

• 10-K Report, Item 1
• The Yahoo! Finance website
• Standard and Poor’s NetAdvantage on the Stafford Library website. Review the Stafford Library Guide for tips on navigating the database.

Your task is to prepare a report with the required information provided below. Use the same heading names (in bold) before presenting the information as requested.

Report Headings (Format to be used)

1. Name of Company and Ticker Symbol: Company name, ticker symbol (5 points)
2. 10-K Report: Paste the direct URL to the company’s most recent 10-K Report
3. Company Website: Paste the URL to the company’s website
4. Competitive Advantage: In your own words, describe the company’s competitive advantage. What sets it apart from its competitors? (5 points)
5. Key Competitors:
   • Use the 10-K Report, the Competitors link on the Yahoo! Finance website, and/or the Standard and Poor’s NetAdvantage database to identify 3 of the company’s key competitors.
   • Use the Quote and Key Statistics links at finance.yahoo.com to collect financial data on each competitor. Present the data using the example format below.
     

     Key Competitors:	Market Capitalization	Total Revenue (ttm)	Total Net Income Avl to Common (ttm)
     Name of Subject Company	—	—	—
     Name of Subject Company	—	—	—
     Name of Subject Company	—	—	—

6. Evaluation: How is the company positioned relative to the competition? Is the company’s competitive advantage sustainable? (5 points)