How does the industry structure affect the strategies used by the company you are evaluating?

DUE Friday 10/16/15 @ 3:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

This analysis paper is about market analysis. Using the company selection (Target Corporation), complete the following main elements in your paper:

1. Identify the market structure (perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, or monopoly) that best characterizes the company you are evaluating.

2. Include information on the type of market structure you select, such as number of firms in the industry, product homogeneity, barriers to entry, and use of advertising.

3. Answer the following questions with respect to the industry:

• How does the industry structure affect the strategies used by the company you are evaluating? To what extent does market structure explain the financial performance of your company?
• For example, is it able to earn higher-than-average profits because of barriers to entry?

  Is it able to use advertising or product differentiation to maintain its profits above those of competitors?

4. Collect data for the past three to five years on two company-specific variables, such as profits, sales, or earnings per share, that are indicative of company performance. Present the data in a table or graph you create yourself. Do not copy and paste data from other websites, but use the available data to create your own table or graph.

Paper Requirements

• APA Format including citations
• Page length for the assignment is 2 – 3 pages, not including cover page and reference page
• Doubled – spaced, use 12-point Times New Roman font, have 1-inch margin.