Applied Paper- BOLT rideshareservice in Saudi Arabia

Applied Paper Guide
Objectives: The ultimate purpose behind the applied paper is apply theoretical, conceptual, and
analytical knowledge we cover in the course. In a way, each group will develop a case study to
share with everyone. Though the paper will cover almost everything we cover in the class, you
shall put more emphasis on certain research questions you would like to address through your
research. You might focus on pricing, market structure, cost efficiency, productivity, etc. Though
your applied paper shall cover all topics listed in the self-evaluation rubric, you shall highlight the
key research questions and findings of your paper in the Poster preparation if you choose to join
the poster competition.
Goods/Services Team A Team B Team C
1. Coffee
2. Ice cream
3. Milk
4. Shawarma
5. Burger
6. Internet services
7. Taxis and rideshare services
8. Car insurance
9. Private schools (K-12)
10. MBA programs
Important Notes:
• The team will consist of four individuals. No restriction on the composition of team. You
are fully free to choose your members as you like. You can even team with up
individuals from different sections. The announcement about team selection will be
made on November 1st.
• Each goods/services will be covered by three different teams independently. Each team
will cover one of the three competing companies within the same industry.
• Group A, B, and C shall work independently. All groups will get F if they work
collectively.
• The groups are allowed to only share the data.
• We prefer actual data collected through survey or interview. If that is not possible, you
could use your own estimated data.
• Once the report is submitted, for each topic, you will be asked to do peer review of
corresponding groups. For instance, if you are in Group A, you will review the works of
Group B and C.
• You shall keep your team working logs and provide with the final report.
• You shall prepare a self-evaluation report using the relevant rubric.
• You shall post your questions on Q&A forum under the Applied Paper section Moodle, if
you have any question.
• Your report shall include industry, company, and product analyses as outlined below.
Industry Analysis:
You shall cover the following issues for the industry analysis:
• Market structure and Competition
• Profitability and Performance Analysis
• Historical trend analysis
• The role of government
• International Comparison
Company Analysis:
You shall cover the followings for the company analysis:
• Brief company profile
• History
• Prices of major products from the company compared to prices of similar products in
the developed countries
• Market share, profitability, and performance analysis
• Principle-agent problem and incentive structure
• Comparative analysis: Strengths and weaknesses compared to its competitors
Product Analysis:
You shall cover the followings for the company analysis:
• Pricing policy and profit margin (along with international benchmarking)
• Factors affecting its pricing and profitability
• Demand analysis (use actual or hypothetical data along demand curves)
• Supply analysis (use actual or hypothetical data along supply curves)
• Elasticity (calculate price elasticity of demand, cross price elasticity, and income
elasticity)
• Consumer theory and preferences
• Cost analysis (ATC, AVC, AFC, MC)
• Revenue analysis (AR, P, MR, TR)
• Profit/loss analysis
• Economic vs accounting cost/profit
• Efficiency analysis (for consumers, producers, and society)
Project Major Tasks and Timeline
1. Team and topic selection (November 1st)
2. Company selection among Group A, B, C (November 2nd) (You do not need to inform
me on this. Just communicate with corresponding teams.)
3. Research, data, collection, and report write-up (November 3rd-December 3rd)
4. Preparing the self-evaluation file by each team members using the posted Excel file
(December 4th)
5. The submission of the final report along with self-evaluation is due on December 5th.
(LATE SUBMISSION OF THE FINAL REPORT WILL BE PENALIZED BY 20%
FOR EACH DAY AFTER THE DUE DATE)
6. Peer-review report for corresponding two groups (December 5th-9th)
7. Group presentations (December 16th and 17th)
Grading
• The final report 80%
• Peer-review report 10%
• Presentation 10%
• Poster Competition Participation 10% (Bonus). You are eligible to join the poster
competition only if you use real data to find out answers to your key research questions.
Zero Tolerance for Outsourcing and Plagiarism
Please note that your final report will be checked for plagiarism through Turnitin software. I
have zero tolerance policy for outsourcing and plagiarism. In case of outsourcing, any team
member who provides evidence for outsourcing will be rewarded with bonus mark while other
members will be given F. The reporting on outsourcing will be kept confidential.