Undergraduate and graduate business schools assign multiple student projects each semester. For a business project, you might have to assess a company’s financial health, marketing strategy shift or global expansion. Professors sometimes predetermine project scopes or allow unlimited options.

Publicly Held Company

One project idea involves analyzing a company’s financial statements. You could select a publicly traded company and review its statements from the past three years. The project should highlight company sales, expenses, assets and liabilities by calculating percentage changes over time. Highlight any weaknesses or problems, perhaps related to market downturns or inabilities to generate business (for example, retail stores that sell greeting cards or VHS cassettes). You could conclude by discussing company-specific advantages and disadvantages.

Decision Making

Another project might focus on business decision-making procedures. You could assess a past or imminent decision. Relevant factors include key facts, business options, potential consequences and ethical issues. For example, you could analyze a high-end clothing retailer and determine whether the retailer should expand its line to target lower-income clients.

Annual Report

You could gather annual reports from at least five companies. Most publicly traded companies publish annual reports on their websites that they provide to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Your project could compare each company’s results against industry averages. After summarizing your findings, you could identify which company you personally would invest in and discuss your reasoning.

Turnover

A project could concentrate on employee turnover rates. Competitive businesses strive to retain experienced employees. You could research performance measures and company organizational structures. For instance, you could survey 20 companies and ask about promotion opportunities for current employees, such as if they prefer internal promotions.

Communication

An additional project idea could measure communication styles when businesses work across different cultures. You could explain whether email and instant messaging have had significant impact on corporate information flows. You could address common communication barriers. For example, you could study marketing strategies in third-world countries or isolated countries where Internet access is limited.

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