The course Mid-Semester Assignment will be an “industry” analysis utilizing the Porter’s Five Competitive Forces Model.

With the exception of the Furniture and Airline industries (both of which are detailed in the above URLs) you are free to choose any industry you like. Ideally, it is suggested you select an industry for which you are familiar or have an interest. Your analysis should contain the following information: 1. Define the Industry – (i.e. Auto, Defense, Computer Software, etc.). Indicate some of the major competitors in the industry. It is essential that you initially define the industry you are analyzing before you proceed with the Five Competitive Forces analysis. If the industry is not adequately defined, or defined to broadly, it will become difficult to effectively apply the Five Forces Analysis. Consequently, please try to define your industry as narrowly as possible. 2. Analyze each of the Five Competitive Forces – Indicate if each Force is a significant or insignificant force within the industry. Make sure you justify your assessment with reasoned analysis. You should be able to specifically identify Buyers, Suppliers and possible Substitutes for each respective Force as well as the overall competitive environment within your identified industry. Also specify and justify how difficult it would be for a new entrant to penetrate the industry (i.e. what are the barriers to entry into the industry) and factors impacting that Competitive Rivalry within the industry. 3. Summarize Your Analysis – Summarize the primary Force or Forces impacting the industry and articulate if you consider the industry attractive or unattractive for existing and new competitors. Indicate and justify if you consider this a profitable or unprofitable industry based on your analysis of each of the Five Competitive Forces. Also, reflect or speculate on the dynamics or how the industry is changing or expected to change in the future based on the Five Competitive Forces and how these changes may impact the nature of the industry in the future. The following are some common pitfalls that students should be aware: Threat of Substitutes: When analyzing Substitutes, one must ask "what is a substitute" for the product or service provided by the industry you identified and defined and what, if any, does the Threat of Substitutes pose to the competitive structure of the industry? For example, if one was analyzing the Horse and Buggy Industry a possible substitute would be motorized vehicle (e.g. the Automotive Industry) which could pose a significant Threat of Substitutes for the Horse and Buggy Industry. Power of Suppliers: Don't confuse "Suppliers" with "Competitors". When considering Suppliers one must ask "what are the raw materials or other factors of production (e.g. skilled or unskilled labor, packaging, etc.) that are required to produce the products or services of the Industry being analyzed. Clearly Assessing/Stating Degree of Power of Influences: The purpose of the Five Forces Analysis is to draw conclusions as to how each Force impacts the competitive structure of the industry. Please make sure to draw a definitive conclusion on the influence or degree of power for each Force as part of your Five Forces Analysis. Prepare your analysis in APA format including an APA-formatted Title/Cover Page. No need to cite Porter's Five Forces as a reference/citation. It would be desirable but not required that you utilize a graphic of Porter’s Five Forces reflecting your analysis.