1. Public Company and Stock Selection
Select a public firm for purposes of analyzing and tracking a stock trading performance as it may be connected to its marketing strategy. Research the company’s ticker, the stock exchange on which it is traded and the closing price as of September 5, 2014. One way of researching a stock price and stock performance is by doing the following:
a. Go to finance.yahoo.com.

b. Once at the website, type in a company name or iicker in the Look Up box, which is at the leftmost corner of the page.
c. Among the various options at this point is to look up detailed stock price history. Click on Historical Prices under the QUOTES option.
d. Chose a particular date range as needed.
e. Use this link to see an example of what you can find, http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?a=00&b=01&c=2014&d=00&e=31&f=2014&g=d&s=ZNGA%2C+&ql=1

2. Background/Introduction
The introduction should provide the framework supporting the abstract (hypothesis/thesis) findings and general conclusions.

3. Industry Structure and Global Markets
The industry and company structure: monopoly, oligopoly, wide-ranging competition, etc. Who are the firm’s major competitors? What are the external conditions the firm is facing? Does the company import or export? If the company is in a global market, the extent of its international presence. How is it affected by global competition?

4. Economics
Refer to commonly used economic indicators (e.g., unemployment ratio, economic growth rates, rates of inflation, etc.) to explain whether the economy is expanding or contracting and explain any relevance to your topic. Are there any monetary or fiscal policies affecting the company?

5. Corporate Philosophy and Organizational Structure
Does the company have vision, ethics guidelines, mission statement, corporate responsibility statement, hiring practices statement and/or any other statement of core values? What is the management philosophy and leadership style? What kind of organizational structure does the firm have? Is it a matrix organization, line and staff organization, etc.? Who are the current leaders of the company?

6. Technology/Innovation

Is the company innovative and creative? If so, explain how it is innovative and how it fosters a creative culture. Does the firm have an R&D department? Describe any of its new or soon to be released technology. Does any of the technology/innovation relate to its marketing strategies?

7. Marketing Plan and Analysis
Who is the target market? What can be said about the marketing mix and segmentation used by the firm? What does a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis reveal? Use your analysis to predict stock price and whether the company will gain, lose or hold market share.

8. Finance and Marketing Budget
What is the recent financial performance as compared to its major competitors considering a perspective on the marketing budget the company may be able to afford. Consider showing charts and analysis of your company’s stock performance starting in 2006 before the worldwide economic crisis and where it is today.

9. Conclusion and Recommendations
Write an outlook of the company and make recommendations for moving forward. The conclusion should directly tie back to the hypothesis/abstract and introduction. Based on the market analysis and recommendations for specific action, would the company be a good stock purchase?