This unit has been designed to cover the required elements in an interesting way. There is a good chance that you will end up running your own small business or be asked to give clients advice in running theirs. Use these templates and guides to get a fee

Course Project: Demographic Site Analysis

The demographic site analysis provides a summary of a specific market area.  For this paper component, you will choose a specific geographic area (locality; zip code, or census tract) and prepare a demographic profile of the people who live in that area from data available at the website of the US Census Bureau (www.census.gov) or other reputable demographic sources (for example, the local Chamber of Commerce, state hospital association, or other government sources).  This profile should provide specific demographic information about the population, including relevant facts and figures.  For example, you might include information on population growth, gender, race/ethnicity, education level, marital status, age ranges, or income ranges. If available, you might also include data regarding health characteristics of your market population. This data is sometimes available from local or state health departments or national health registries (such as the CDC). You are encouraged to include graphs or charts that help describe the demographics of your geographic area (at least one is required). 

You will also include a brief overview of the healthcare organizations currently serving this market. Briefly identify and describe the hospitals, clinics, or other healthcare service providers in this area.

After preparing the demographic and market profile, you will then analyze potential healthcare needs one might anticipate in this geographic area.  Your analysis should address the following questions:

1. What does this demographic profile tell you about potential healthcare utilization and health behaviors?

2. What does the profile tell you about the needed healthcare services or products? 

3. Are all these needs currently being met by the existing healthcare organizations?  If not, which needs might represent a market opportunity?

The length of the Demographic Site Analysis should be 600 to 800 words.  You should cite all sources in APA style, both in-text and at the end of the document. You are required to have at least three sources to support this component of the course paper (you will need at least 10 references for the full course paper).

The grading rubric for the FINAL course project (due in Week 7) is included on the following page. Please use this rubric as a guide when preparing each component of the course project.

Course Project: Market Analysis

In the Demographic Site Analysis, you identified unmet healthcare needs and opportunities for your geographic area.  In this section of the paper, you will go into greater detail regarding your specific proposed healthcare service or product and your intended target market.

In the Market Analysis component you will answer the following questions:

1. What is your product/service? (Try to be as specific as possible)

· If your product/service is new, what problem is it designed to solve?

· If it is an existing product/service, what is its value for the target market?  How is it better than what is already in existence?

· Is your product/service offered as part of an existing healthcare organization (for example, as a new or expanded service within a local hospital or clinic), or as part of a newly formed healthcare organization?

2. Who is your target market?  (Try to be as specific as possible)

· Describe your target market using demographic, geographic, psychographic, and healthcare usage variables.

3. What is the size of this market?  Describe the methods used to determine the size of the market.

4. What are the specific needs of this market, in terms of your product or service?

5. What trends in the external environment may impact your proposed product service (for example, technological, economic, socio-demographic, legal/regulatory, or environmental trends)?

6. What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of your product/service, based on the needs of your target market and any applicable trends in the external environment?

7. Who are the competitors and what are their strengths and weaknesses? 

The length of Market Analysis component should be 700 to 1,000 words.  You should cite all sources in APA style, both in-text and at the end of the document. You are required to have at least four sources to support this component of the paper (you will need at least 10 references for the full course paper). One of these sources may be your course textbook.

Course Project: Marketing Plan

In this final piece of your course paper, you will develop a brief marketing plan for your product/service.  In this section, you should:

1. Identify the overall marketing goal(s).

2. Identify 3-5 specific marketing objectives (these should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and have a time element).

3. Identify specific marketing strategies for achieving those objectives and goals, including: a.  Product Strategies (What your "product" will look like?) b.  Distribution Strategies (How you will distribute your product or service to your target market?) c.  Promotion Strategies (How you will promote your product/service?) d.  Pricing Strategies (How you will price your product/service?)

4. You should clearly articulate how your intended strategies satisfy the needs of your target market.

The length of Marketing Plan component should be 800-1600 words.  You should cite all sources in APA style, both in-text and at the end of the document. You are required to have at least three sources to support this component of the paper (you will need at least 10 references for the full course paper).

Course Project: Final Course Paper

Completed Course Project

Your completed course paper will bring together all three previous components, and should incorporate any needed changes based on suggestions or feedback from the instructor.  You should also include an introduction to the paper, which previews the components, a conclusion to the paper, and a complete Reference List at the end of the paper.  The total research paper should be 2100-3400 words in length, with 10 or more references. See Syllabus "Due Dates for Assignments & Exams" for due date information.

Writing Style

The paper should represent your best professional writing and work. Pay careful attention to paragraphing, sentence structure, quotation conventions, spelling, punctuation, citation protocol, and other aspects of grammar. Remember to proofread, correcting any typing or printing errors. 

All papers written for this course should follow the standards that are applicable in the business environment.  This includes a business-appropriate writing style and no misspelled words or grammatical errors.  Presentation and organization, while not as important as content, will impact your grade.  Always write as if the reader is unfamiliar with the material you are presenting.

Physical Preparation of the Paper

The paper should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around. Font should be of legible size, no larger than 12, and no smaller than 10, preferably Times New Roman style. Papers should include a title page that contains the student’s name, class, date, and paper title, as well as a separate works cited page (references) at the end to include scholarly references used in developing the paper. 

Citing Work in the Body of the Paper

This paper will be written using the latest publication manual of the American Psychological Association (APA).  There are two steps in the APA style of documentation: (1) works are cited, in an abbreviated form, in the body of the paper, and (2) full information about all works cited in the text provided at the end of the paper in a section entitled "Reference Page." APA training resources are located in the syllabus and provided by DeVry library services.

A Check List and a Few Reminders

Did you:

· Proof-read the paper?

· Use quotation marks for any direct quote (complete with page number where the quote was taken from)?

· Limit direct quotes to less than 10% of the paper content?

· Keep your paper gender neutral? (Do not assume the masculine voice when writing – use "police officer" rather than "police man" or use he/she rather than he)?

· Keep the tense the same throughout your paper? (Should be in past tense – such as, "research revealed")?

· Insure that you have at least 2 complete sentences for a paragraph? (One sentence paragraphs are not accepted in formal writing.)

· Avoid using a personal pronoun in the paper (such as "I", "my", etc.).

The grading rubric for the final course project is included on the following page.

Category	Points	Weighting	Description
Content	50 pts	38%	All key elements of the assignment are covered in a substantive way. Word count follows instructions. Major points are stated clearly, are supported by specific details (examples or analysis), and are organized logically. The paper links theory to relevant examples of current experience and industry practice. Provided depth and clarity.
Analysis	40 pts	31%	The product/service idea fits logically with the demographic characteristics. The marketing mix is appropriately supported by the target market characteristics.
Grammar and Spelling	15 pts	12%	Paper is well written and is college level writing. Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed. Spelling is correct. At least 10 references included and cited appropriately both in-text and in the reference listing. Follows APA format.
Organization & Cohesiveness	25 pts	19%	Paper is organized, has topical flow, uses appropriate industry vocabulary, concepts, and theory. Paragraph transitions are present and logical, flow maintained throughout paper. Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. Sentence transitions are present and maintain the flow of thought.
Total	130 Pts	100%	A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.