Four students in Dr. Mehdi Hojjat’s senior seminar class produced a report on Cork Industries, a manufacturer of coatings and adhesives in Folcroft, Pennsylvania, which has been accepted for presentation at the Pennsylvania Economic Association (PEA) conference on June 1-3.

Amber Clements, Welyne Jargbah, Devon King, and Samantha Mathis researched the company and presented an industry analysis, competitor analysis and SWOT analysis in their 42-page report. The seminar team’s recommendations addressed the variety of products offered, the feasibility of expansion, and the practicality of the company’s website.

According to the report, “For nearly four decades, Cork has remained a technologically advanced competitor, with a product line ranging from inks and glossy finishes that add aesthetic value to magazine covers and other graphic arts item, to functional coatings such as the grease barriers found on paper plates. Cork Industries has earned a good reputation by utilizing creative and sophisticated techniques to solve the difficult and specialized issues of the printing and packaging industries.”

As a service to the community, Dr. Hojjat regularly arranges for business students to work with area executives and small business owners to develop plans to expand local businesses. Students work closely with their professors, who themselves have extensive hands-on management experience, to assess the company’s competitiveness and create customized business expansion plans.

The PEA is a professional association of economists and allied social scientists in Pennsylvania and neighboring states. Its conferences have attracted economists not only from Pennsylvania and the surrounding states of Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Ohio and West Virginia, but also from other countries including Japan, Austria, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Mexico, India, France, and Taiwan. Noted economists from business, government, academia, and the Federal Reserve System address the luncheon and dinner sessions of the meeting.