Message Strategies: Analytical Reports [LO-1]

[LO-5] As a college student and an active consumer, you may have considered one or more of the following questions at some point in the past few years:

• What criteria distinguish the top-rated MBA programs in the country? How well do these criteria correspond to the needs and expectations of business? Are the criteria fair for students, employers, and business schools?

• Which of three companies you might like to work for has the strongest corporate ethics policies?

• What will the music industry look like in the future? What’s next after online stores such as Apple’s iTunes and digital players such as the iPod?
• Which industries and job categories are forecast to experience the greatest growth—and therefore the greatest demand for workers—in the next 10 years?
• What has been the impact of Starbucks’s aggressive growth on small, independent coffee shops? On midsized chains or franchises? In the United States or in another country?
• How large is the “industry” of major college sports?
How much do the major football or basketball programs contribute—
directly or indirectly—to other parts of a typical university?
• How much have minor league sports—baseball, hockey, arena football—grown in small- and medium-market cities?
What is the local economic impact when these municipalities build stadiums and arenas?
Your task: Answer one of the preceding questions using secondary research sources for information. Be sure to document your sources, using the format your instructor indicates. Give conclusions and offer recommendations where appropriate.