Reflection is a cognitive process that promotes critical thinking through writing. The purpose of this assignment is to allow students to reflect and make inferences and predictions based on an understanding of the knowledge they have learned in this course. Students should support a personal opinion, inference, and prediction by the inclusion of relevant content knowledge presented in professional, published works.
Format
The final Term paper should be at least 4 pages (excludes title and reference page) and written in APA style format. Citations and references must be included.
Milestones and Due Dates for Term Paper
There are 3 parts for this assignment.
Part 1
Selecting a Company (20 points; due Module 2): Students select a company or organization, which allows access to economic data, such as sales, prices, employment, interest rates, etc. Examples of industries clearly impacted by the macroeconomy include: automotive, home building, steel, airlines, and household appliances.
Part 2
First Draft (40 points; due Module 4): Students will conduct independent research using online and library resources for the selected company or organization. Then, students will submit at least a two- page summary containing a brief industry/company history, and a brief industry/company overview. Also, the paper should define basic nationwide macroeconomic indicators as well as find time series data for the last 10 to 15 years and time series data for firm-level indicators.
Part 3
Term Paper (50 points; due Module 6): The paper must address the following items and must be at least 4 pages (excluding an Abstract page at the beginning, a summary page at the end followed by your Citation/Reference page):
Provide an overview of the selected company (history, financial status, etc.)
Define basic nationwide macroeconomic indicators and find time series data for the last 10 to 15 years. Define and find time series data for firm-level indicators. Compare and contrast the nationwide indicators with firm-level indicators.
Explain whether current economic conditions are more consistent with the Keynesian or classical economic theories. Summarize the impact of the macro-environment.
Analyze the relationship among inflation, unemployment, and the business cycle on the selected industry/company.
Provide a brief evaluation of the impact of past and current fiscal policies and monetary policies on the economy and on the selected industry/company.