Target Audience: Secondary, tertiary.

Language Proficiency: Variable, according to task.

Learning Focus: Internet searches, critical thinking, reading, summarizing.

Technology Needed: Web browser and Internet connection.

Instructions:

Business-oriented search engines, such as DMOZ Open Directory Project/Business, Google Finance, and Yahoo News are useful starting points for finding business-related information on the Internet.

Task #1, Investment Research: Using Investopedia's Industry Handbook and one or more of the above search sites, find current information on a company of interest to you. List the types (categories) of information you found about the company. What seems the most interesting to you and why?

Task #2, Industry Analysis: First, for a good overview on creating an industry analysis, see the following guides [PDF files].

• Industry Analysis: The Five Forces, by Cole Ehmke, Joan Fulton, Jay Akridge, Kathleen Erickson, and Sally Linton.
• Conducting an Industry Analysis, from the Small Business and Technology Development Center.
  

Then, choose an industry of interest to you and create an industry analysis for it. What was there that you expected to find? What was surprising to you?

More on this Topic:

Also see on this web site: Researching Companies and Creating Company Profiles and Effective Searches for Business English: Additional Approaches.

 

Kay Westerfield, Global Communication Consulting,kwesterf@uoregon.edu