This course has a research paper requirement which is due the last day of class on Saturday at midnight
Your paper must have a clearly defined objective. The research component requires that you specify a methodology to accomplish your objective. In addition, you must provide a section on “literature review” where you can quote other works on the same topic. Provide a “Reference” section at the end of your paper with at least 3 references including reference to a scholarly book or a scholarly journal.
Below are some suggested topics:
“An Analysis of the Total Profits Reported by the Big Three Auto Maker during the past Year”. Note: You should be able to obtain data on costs and Revenues of the Big Three (General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler). Analyze the data for a meaningful conclusion.
“A Comparative Analysis of two Wholesale Super Markets: Costco and Sam’s Club”. Note: You can analyze the total revenues of these two retailers for selected years; or you can analyze the sale of a particular type of product sold by these retailers. “An Analysis of the Smart Phone Market” Note: There are data on the Internet about the total sales and profits of major brands of smart phone. Choose the brands and a time period and analyze accordingly.
Pick any of the above topic that most interests you and write an essay using the following guidelines.
The paper length is at least 8 pages. The focus is on your ability to analyze a microeconomic topic. Graphs and tables will enhance the quality of your paper and may be part of the minimum page limit; however, references and footnotes must go to the end of the essay.
The structure of the paper is Introduction and Objective, Literature Review, Analysis, and Conclusions.
The introduction should be just 1-2 paragraphs long and must contain the objective of your paper. It should explain why the topic is relevant and what is the research question.
The literature review section is a review of similar works done by other authors. Here, you must quote references and link those references in alphabetic order at the end of your paper. The economic analysis section is your answer to the research question you set out to investigate. You should be able to use key microeconomic terms (TR, MR, MC, TP etc) to analyze the data and all information you have in the argument.
Use APA style consistent with economic analysis. Visit the following sites for more information on APA style:
APA Reference Guide
APA Reference Guide – Alternative Formats
– PDF Document (580 Kb)
Databases have different sources or information, and you always have to combine them. Economists would say that databases are complements rather than substitutes, in other words, try more than one database.
Use font Times New Roman, size 11-12 and double space.
When ready, submit your assignment as a word document using the drop box area.
Short papers are nice pieces of art. Your paper will be evaluated according to the following criteria (points are subject to grading scale used for the entire course).
