MHR 423 1 Spring 2010

External-Environment Assignment
This is one of the most important parts of the business plan. The purpose of the
assignment is to see to what extent you unerstan the external en!ironment of the
"ompany for whi"h you#re "reating the business plan. $hat o you %now about the
inustry an how it#s "hanging& $ho are the "ompany#s %ey "ompetitors an why o you
thin% the "ompany will su""ee in spite of them& How mu"h o you %now about the
"ompany#s target mar%et'the people or "ompanies it expe"ts to buy its prou"ts or
ser!i"es& $hat assuran"es "an you gi!e that they will nee an buy your "ompany#s
prou"t or ser!i"e& $hat else is "hanging in the en!ironment that might help or a!ersely
affe"t the "ompany&
$hile the entire external analysis will be"ome part of the group#s business plan (in three
separate se"tions)* the graes gi!en for this assignment will be to individuals in the
group* an hen"e may !ary. +a"h group shoul i!ie up the external analysis so that
ea"h ini!iual has roughly an equal portion of the wor% to o.
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+a"h stuent will
"onu"t resear"h by "olle"ting se"onary ata (e.g.* arti"les from perioi"als*
newspapers* ,ournals* trae publi"ations* reports* et". that may or may not be foun on
the -nternet) an.or primary ata (e.g.* "on!ersation with an expert) on "urrent fa"tors or
trens within their subse"tion that impa"t the business in /uestion. Just reporting the
research wont be enough. +a"h stuent will ha!e to analy0e the impli"ations of the
resear"h on the potential su""ess.failure of the business* i.e.* ma%e the finings relevant
to the business plan (if what you fin is not rele!ant* lea!e it out). The ini!iual papers
(ea"h with the stuent#s name "learly ientifying whi"h portion was written by that
stuent) shoul be "olle"te together into one file by a group member an emaile to me
to my home email aress. 1gain* this is an ini!iually grae assignment (20 points).
This assignment "omprises three se"tions of your business plan. 2lease a"t on the
feeba"% - gi!e before in"luing them in the final business plan to impro!e the grae of
the final business plan. +a"h assignment shoul be eite (get help from the 3ni!ersity
$riting 4enter if you nee it)5 - will ta%e points off for "areless wor% that shoul ha!e
been eite an proofrea (-#m not loo%ing for perfe"t wor%',ust wor% that has ha
some "are ta%en to prou"e it). 4he"% what you ha!e written with the hanout 67n
+iting.8
The paper is due on or before Session 10, April 29
th
. Late papers will be penalized two
grade points for each day they are late. 9on#t be help up by one of your group that fails
to turn in his or her paper to your group on time5 sen those you o ha!e on time. 1ll
papers shoul be ouble:spa"e* 12:pt font* an page:numbere* an ha!e one:in"h
margins all roun. ;e sure to rea the hanout that "o!ers how to referen"e "itations.
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1 suggeste brea%own is< inustry analysis* "ompetiti!e analysis* mar%et analysis* e"onomi" an
te"hnologi"al en!ironments* an emographi"* lifestyles.attitues* an regulatory.legislati!e en!ironments