For this assignment, you will obtain the CEO’s letter to the Shareholders at the start of the 2018 Annual Report. In the letter, the CEO will describe various aspects of the firm’s activities as well as a commitment to the firm’s strategy and outlook.
What is the objective of the firm from the CEO’s perspective? Provide at least 2 examples from the letter.
What are the firm’s constraint from the CEO’s perspective? Provide at least 2 examples from the letter.
What level of cognitive moral development is demonstrated in the 2018 CEO’s letter? Provide at least 2 examples from the letter.
Compare the 2018 letter to 1 letter from a previous annual report (2012-2017). Are there any interesting patterns or differences between the letters to shareholders?
Papers will be graded based upon the persuasiveness of the analyses and the quality of writing. A persuasive analysis entails a full grasp and application of the concepts (objective, constraint and cognitive moral development) as well as good evidence from the letter. When possible, use short quotes from the letters (5 words to a sentence) to support your claims but they must be properly cited. This is a short paper so you shouldn’t insert long quotes.
You can use any widely accepted format for citations. You must cite any reference to course materials, my lecture or websites. If you use more than 3 words in a row from a source, make it a direct quote with quotation marks. Paraphrased sentences do not need quotation marks, but they do require citations. If your grandma doesn’t know something, it isn’t common knowledge. You need a citation. I have setup the Turnitin Midterm link so that you can VIEW your documents and note citation errors through Turnitin. If you find an error, you can upload a new paper until the deadlines. I won’t accept your assignment if you haven’t signed a citation contract.
I encourage you to not work with other students because the more students who provide the same answers to the above questions, the more common (and less creative) the analyses will appear. If you’re concerned about the validity of your ideas and analyses, please ask me. I don’t read drafts but I will answer any questions that I receive via email before 8pm on Monday night.
You should submit a PRINTED COPY of your paper within the first 10 minutes of class and submit an ONLINE version through the link provided below this assignment. One version (either printed or online copy) must be received within the first 10 minutes of class (otherwise I deduct 10 points for each day of lateness). The paper should be approximately 1-2 pages single-spaced and 12 point font. All information that is not common knowledge should have a citation (COURSE READINGS & LECTURES TOO). I prefer that you use endnotes for citations.
