Team Project

Objectives

Part 3 of the Team Project will help you to:

• Identify the elements of a formal business report.

• Prepare an Executive Summary.

• Write and edit a formal business report using appropriate professional business writing standards.

• Apply formal business report format.

Description

This assignment is the third part of the Team Project, and is comprised of planning, researching, writing, and editing a formal business report on an assigned topic. You will utilize the collaboration tools available to accomplish teamwork, develop your team building and conflict resolution skills, practice working collaboratively to achieve a higher goal than what could be achieved individually, and highlight the importance of developing a cohesive formal report that demonstrates consistency of thought.  Your report will be formatted as a formal business report.

Instructions

Using the initial research conducted for Part 2 and more focused research that you complete now, write a 10-page report (2,500 word, double-spaced, 12-point font) on the topic assigned by the instructor. Your report should be formatted according to the table included in the Unit 8 Notes. Use the report template (Appendix E) to create your assignment.

Step 1: Write the report.

a. Organize your assignment as a formal business report including a cover memo, title page, table of contents, executive summary, introduction (including your statement of purpose), body (background, methods, results, analysis or discussion, conclusion, and references. Apply headings to each section. Build a table of contents in Word using level 1, 2, and 3 headings.

b. Address your five research questions as included in your part 2 assignment. Each question must have at least three reference sources.

c. Write the executive summary last, as it is a summary of the report.

Step 2: Proof-read and edit the report.

d. Check spelling and grammar and proofread the entire report. Make any appropriate edits. All team members should review the final report before it is submitted.

e. Review the in-body references (Are they properly cited? Are they also listed on the references page?)

f. You must have at least 15 academic or peer reviewed references for the paper.

Step 3: Submit the report.

Select one team member to submit the assignment on the assignment page.

Submission Details

Your overall submission should include:

6. Cover Memo (purpose, acknowledgements, actions to be taken).

7. Title page (include title, name, date, course code/title, instructor name).

8. Table of Contents

9. Executive Summary (Summarize the topic, methods, data/evidence, results, and conclusions/recommendations)

10. Introduction (Introduce your topic, include a clear purpose statement, preview the structure of the report)

11. Body (May include background, methods, results (answers to research questions), analysis or discussion of research questions)

12. Conclusion and Recommendations (summary of findings, recommendations, action plan)

13. References (full references for all work cited in body)

Helpful Hints

14. Papers written with double-spacing allow easier review and editing.

15. Use APA referencing guidelines for citations and references. Click here to review "APA Style".

16. Do not write in first person (I) but rather the third (they, he, she).

17. Ensure all references are academic sources. If an article is found in an academic journal in one of the library databases, then you can assume it has been peer reviewed and thus acceptable. Many articles found readily online may not have been exposed to any editorial vetting process, and thus should not be used as a resource.

Evaluation

Team Project Part 3: Report will be marked in its entirety out of 100. The following rubric indicates the criteria students are to adhere to, and their relative weights to the assignment overall.

 

 

Activity/Competencies Demonstrated

% of Final Grade

1. Report Content and Report Structure (40%)

 

a. Completion of all segments of Report Assignment (cover memo, title page, executive summary, table of contents, introduction, body (including discussion, findings), conclusion & recommendations, references).

/8

b. Executive Summary effectively summarizes topic, methods, data/evidence, results, and conclusions/recommendations

/8

c. Introduction – introduces topic, states purpose of report, previews structure of the report.

/8

d. Body – includes key element of the report including addressing research questions, analysis, discussion, findings, effectively uses headings.

/8

e. Conclusion/Recommendations – Summarizes findings and recommendations and actions to be taken.

/8

2. Research (20%)

 

a. Students identify a minimum of three academic references for each of the five research questions (15 references total). All sources are properly cited and referenced. In text citations are included and cited in APA format.

/20

3. Critical Thinking and Analysis (20%)

 

a. Teams demonstrate ability to synthesize topic, research, research questions, and logical observations to demonstrate solid understanding of assigned topic.

/20

4. Writing Style (20%)

 

a. Students present professional quality work with minimal errors in spelling, grammar and syntax.

/20

Total

/100