Manitoba Economy: Report on a Specific Industry

Project Task

Manitoba Economy

Your assignment is to choose a specific industry from the list below and prepare a report on that industry in Manitoba.

1. Meat Product Manufacturing [NAIC 3116]
2. Educational Services: Universities [NAICS 6113]
3. Food Services and Drinking Places [NAICS 722]

Your report should (if appropriate):

1) Describe the economic activity that characterizes the industry selected. What goods or services does the industry produce? Are there identifiable subsectors that comprise this industry? if so, what are they?

2) In Manitoba, indicate where, geographically, the industry is located or most heavily concentrated, and possibly explain the reasons for that geographical location. 

3) Identify the kind of firms or other institutional organizations characterize this industry. Public? Private? Large? Small?

4) Provide and use some economic data for the industry. Important statistics would include, if possible data on the industry's GDP, and employment levels. Possibly prices of key inputs, or of the industry's products might be of interest.

5) Discuss and explain the structure of the market (or markets) with which this industry is associated. Is there competition? Is it highly regulated? Are the important markets local, national, international?

6) Describe and analyze the work and the workers characteristic of the industry. What kind of workers does the industry employ? Are they well paid? Are they skilled? Unionized?

7)  Consider and analyze the kind of linkages that this industry might have with other industries in the Manitoba economy.

8) Consider recent trends and development.

9) Where appropriate, make use of your knowledge of the relevant economic theory in your explanation and interpretation.

10) Try to assess, as best you can, the "upside risks" and the "downside risks" that might affect the industry's economic performance and growth in 2021 and 2022.

11) For your research, you should search for and, if relevant, use material from a number of different sources, including:

1. a) statistical sources, such as Statistics Canada
2. b) official industry or company sources, such as industry and/or company websites
3. c) government sources, such as Province of Manitoba websites, including those for specific government departments
4. d) news media sources, such as newspaper articles, online news items, etc.

12)  Be sure to clearly indicate what the source is for all of the data and information that you use in your report. In other words, provide clear references so that the reader of the report can easily find and check any data or information, if he or she should wish to do so.

13) If you quote phrases or sentences directly from another source, you need to identify the quotation by using quotation marks, and provide the reference for that source. 

Note: NAIC refers to the North American Industry Classification System. This system breaks down and classifies all the different industries into selected categories, and each category has a number assigned to it. The more digits, the more specific the classification system. So, for example, a broad industrial category, such as “mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction” would have a 2-digit classification [21]. A more specific focus on just “mining and quarrying” would have a 3-digit classification [212]. An even more narrow focus, such as for just “metal ore mining” would have a 4-digit classification [2122].