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Paper 2

Instructions

Paper 2: Proposal for Your Final Researched Proposal (10%)

NOTE: Before attempting this assignment, watch the following webinar, "Powerful Strategies for Writing Persuasive & Profitable Sales Letters, Ads, & Proposals."  It contains important information and strategies that will help you write a persuasive proposal.

https://youtu.be/MG97WoH6lNk

Next, write a memorandum addressed to your instructor:

(1) describing an actual problem in your office, school, church, or volunteer organization that you do not have the authority to correct,

(2) identifying the specific decision maker (by name and position) who can act on a researched report you propose to write (as Paper 6--see Syllabus for description of Paper 6),

(3) your proposed solution,

(4) including a list in MLA Works Cited format of at least three of your required eight specific sources (not just a litany of generic excuses such as, "I plan to use articles from the newspaper and the web"), and

(5) a Gantt Chart depicting the timing of your expected progress on the problem-solving researched proposal you are asking permission to pursue as the final paper in this course.

Use the underlined words/phrases in the numbered list in this paragraph as the headings in the body of this memorandum to me. As always, you will also include an introduction paragraph explaining why you are writing, and a conclusion with a clear call to action or request. 

Grading criteria:

· Describes the problem or project you want to work on and explain its significance

· Explains your proposed solution in adequate detail

· Describes the benefits of your research to your organization

· At least three appropriate sources in MLA format

· Summarizes research from your cited sources

· Correct Gantt Chart with adequate detail

· Uses emphatic, concise, fluent sentences

· Contains no proofreading errors 

Sample Topics for Final Report

Here are a few topics for which students have written successful final reports in the past. Hopefully they will help give you some ideas for your own topic. Please note that each of these topics deals with a specific problem or issue in a specific school, church, organization, etc. with which the student is personally involved. Again:

The issue or problem you address should be a LOCAL problem for which your report might actually do some good in your workplace, school, church, educational institution, non-profit organization, etc. You cannot solve the national debt crisis or issues such as immigration, abortion, or climate change with a brief class project. Again, look around you and find a LOCAL problem to research and analyze and propose a solution for.

NOTE: If your topic does not fit the assignment, I reserve the right to ask you to redo this assignment with a new topic, so be sure to follow the instructions carefully.  If you have any questions or reason to believe your topic might not fit, contact me via email BEFORE you write the proposal. 

Problem:

Many students at YOUR school are financially “illiterate” and often make unwise choices and decisions about money.

Proposed solution:

Implementation of a Personal Finance Education Workshop at XXX University

Intended audience:

Student Development Director, Counseling or Career Center Director

***

Problem:

Children at a SPECIFIC school or daycare center are vulnerable to predators.

Proposed solution:

Develop policies to help children be more secure and help parents feel better about leaving their children at the facility.

Intended audience:

daycare director, principle of school, school board, etc.

***

Problem:

Hackers have accessed personal data of employees and/or customers at YOUR company or organization.

Proposed solution:

Develop or find an existing tool (software and/or hardware) to make data more secure.

Intended audience:

President of company or organization.

***

Problem:

Employee productivity (at YOUR company) is being reduced by dropping off kids at various daycare centers around town, and they are spending large amounts of money on daycare.

Proposed solution:

Create an onsite daycare center.

Intended audience:

President of Company, Human Resources Director

***

Problem:

Military dependents (on YOUR  base/post) are struggling, emotionally and financially, while service members are deployed overseas.

Proposed solution:

Create a support group on/near XXX military base or post.

Intended audience:

Base Commander, Dependent Liaison Officer

***

Problem:

Employee productivity (in YOUR company) is being reduced because some employees are abusing internet access by shopping online, using Facebook, etc. during work hours.

Proposed solution:

Create a fair internet usage policy that works for everyone.

Intended audience:

Human Resource Director, Company President

***

Problem:

Students (at YOUR school) are joining a specific student club, fraternity/sorority,etc., but many are not participating in activities and functions. (Could also apply to “grownup” volunteer organizations, civic clubs, church-related ministries, etc.)

Proposed solution:

Propose ways to help members remain interested/involved in the organization.

Intended audience:

President/officers/board of directors of club or organization.

NOTE: The sample topics above are presented to give you an idea of the types of problems that would be acceptable to write about for this assignment.  The problem you address may of course be different. If you still need help deciding on a topic, contact me via email as soon as possible (not the day before or the day that the proposal is due) and I will help you.

Due Date

Sep 7, 2015 12:59 AM

Paper 5

Instructions

Paper 5: Progress Report (5%)

Develop and present to your instructor a detailed 400-500-word progress report (in business memo format) describing (1) the progress you have made, (2) challenges yet to be overcome, and (3) the remaining steps you need to take before your researched proposal (Paper 6) is completely developed and submitted.

Include a timeline in Gantt Chart or table format.

Make your own headings --ex. Progress Made, Challenges, Remaining Steps. 

Due Date

Oct 1, 2015 12:59 AM

Paper 6

Instructions

Paper 6: Final Problem-Solving Researched Proposal (25%)

A persuasive researched-based proposal addressed to a specific, named decision maker, stating a real problem in your workplace, school, church, or volunteer organization and offering a solution to the decision-maker, in at least 3,500 but no more than 5,000 words (for the aggregate "package"), including, in this order:

1. Letter of Transmittal to the decision maker

2. Title Page (listing the decision maker’s name and title, the title of your proposal, your name and position, and the date)

3. Executive Summary

4. Table of Contents (listing every section and beginning page number)

5. List of Illustrations (the illustration titles and page numbers where your illustrations appear)

6. Introduction

7. A series of Text sections separated by specific headings and including at least three integrated and sourced graphic aids (that is, incorporated on the same pages that discuss each) and in-text MLA format citations reporting at least eight external references..

8. Conclusion(s)

9. Recommendations – a series of step-by-step actions for the decision maker to take to implement your proposed solution

10. A Works Cited Page (so titled) with at least eight references in MLA format (must follow MLA format guidelines and must consist of at least three different TYPES of sources – no more than three of any given type, except no more than two personal interviews). ALL references MUST be used in in-text MLA-style citations in the body of the report. In-text citations contain the first word of the Works Cited entry and the page number, in parentheses.

Graphics MUST NOT be on stand-alone pages, only on the page with text that refers to them specifically. NO “clip art” accepted; graphics must contribute something not explained by text alone.  Graphics created by you should be labeled (Author); those created by you from another source, such as statistics you found in an article, should be labeled:  (Author, derived from Jones 3).

At least THREE different types of sources must be used (for example, newspapers, magazines, internet, interviews, books, journals). No more than three of any type other than interviews may count toward the eight required and no more than TWO interviews may count (more of any kind of reference can be used, if necessary – they just don't count toward the eight total).

"Internet" sources are references found ONLY on the Internet; a newspaper article obtained from the paper's website counts as a newspaper article, not as an Internet reference. Works Cited Internet sources MUST include the section title, the home page title, the author (if available), and the date of your access, the date of publication, in addition to the URL (in the order specified by the MLA guidelines). 

PAGINATION: 

· Neither the Letter of Transmittal (or Routing Slip) or Title page contain page numbers. 

· The Executive Summary through the List of Illustrations are lower case Roman numerals. 

· The first page of the report is not numbered. 

· Page two of the report through the end of the document are labeled with Arabic numerals.  Location on the page is up to the writer but should be consistent.  If the pagination feature of your word processor proves too troublesome, simply insert the page numbers manually (followed by a hard page return to assure they appear where they should).

PEER REVIEW of this project will be accomplished by your drafting a list of possible sources (Annotated Biblography) and an Executive Summary in advance of creating this report and sharing and Annotated Bibliography and the Executive Summary in your Study Group.

Due Date

Oct 8, 2015 12:59 AM