business project
Group_Report,_Presentation,_and_Folder_.docx
IS 301 – Business Communications
Analytic Research Report and Presentation
GROUP PROJECT
See Syllabus for Due Dates
I. Background
This is a group assignment. Each group may be comprised of three (3) or four (4) people. Groups of two are not allowed; groups greater than four are not allowed.
During class time groups will be formed. On the day the groups are formed, each group member will present a potential research project idea to the group. Each group will vote to decide what topic to use for the group research report and presentation. Please see the list of suggested topics included in this document. Make sure you select a business-related topic.
The group will complete a research paper and a presentation. Detailed information about these assignments is included in this document. Carefully review all of the information contained under the Deliverables section in order to complete all the requirements for these assignments.
The group will also complete three small assignments related to this topic, team logistics, the work plan, and the proposal. In addition, you will turn in a group folder which contains various documents. Instructions for the small assignments will be given in class and on the Group Assignments folder on Beach Board. Everyone in the group will receive the same grade for these assignments. In addition, the group participation points will be “earned” points. Attendance during class time allocated to group work is required in order to gain the maximum group participation points.
If you have questions about the report, presentation, or group folder, please ask the instructor early so as to maximize your time.
II. Purpose
There goals of this project serve four of the six course objectives for IS 301:
a. Contribute to the solutions of business problems through collecting, evaluating, organizing, analyzing, and presenting information using proper style and form.
b. Conduct research using a broad range of sources, synthesizing and judging the quality of collected information.
c. Plan, prepare, and present a variety of oral and written messages required in a typical business organization.
d. Collaborate effectively in a team environment to produce written documents and deliver oral presentations.
Specifically, this project is designed to give students experience with creating a formal analytical report, which uses proper headings/subheadings, consistent formatting, clear organization and correct APA source documentation style in order to contribute to the solutions of a business problem. Furthermore, students will work together to develop and deliver cohesive group presentations. Each student must participate in both producing sections of the report and delivering parts of the presentation.
In addition, students will receive documents and instruction on group management and organization. Group meetings will be held using face-to-face communication and interactive technology.
III. Research Topic Suggestions
Give your research topic serious thought. Do not select a topic that is highly controversial; doing so will increase greatly the potential for bias in your report and will send you reading through reams of material. Avoid topics that would be of interest only to individuals. Your report must maintain a business focus.
Our nation and state are faced with an economic crisis that translates to adverse times and conditions in many companies. In selecting your topic, keep in mind the theme of “Finding Answers in Adverse Times.” Topics addressing business problems and solutions in creative and practical ways should be given top consideration.
Your team will select a topic area. This broad topic area will serve as the springboard for solving a specific business problem or answering a specific business question based in the topic area. Ex. If the topic “Employee turnover” were selected, the eventual narrowed topic/business problem might be “Target Corp. is experiencing an increase in employee turnover among entry level employees within six months of hiring. The costs of this trend are excessive. What does Target need to know and what steps can Target take toward resolving this business problem?”
Some topics to consider (but you are not restricted to this list) include:
· Downsizing
· Employee Healthcare
· Companies going “green”
· Burnout and employee wellness
· Business etiquette in adverse times
· Employer/employee trust and ethics
· Misuse of Technology in the workplace
· Employer/employee communication (ex. Performance appraisals, leadership, support)
· Gossip in the workplace
· Harassment/bullying in the workplace
· Office politics
· Office Relationships
· Interpersonal conflict in the workplace
· Civility in the workplace
· Conflict in the workplace
· Misuse of Power/powerplays/intimidation
· Electronic communication in the workplace (ex. Social media, Email, texting)
· Hiring practices
· Stereotypes
· Telecommuting
· Corporate image/identity
· Biotech
· Nanotechnology
· Employee privacy rights / restrictions
· Investment strategies – how these change based on market conditions
· Status of the U.S. housing market (first-time buyer patterns)
· Saving / investment trends
· New technologies used in Business Communication
· Customer service trends on the Internet
· Employment prospects for new graduates
Additional, more specific topics are found at the end of this document.
IV. Deliverables
Research Report:
Your report should be seven to ten single-spaced typed pages including the introduction, body, and conclusion. For groups of three, seven to eight pages are required. For groups of four, nine to ten pages are required. The required title page, biography page, transmittal letter or memo, table of contents, bibliography, and optional exhibits and appendices are in addition to the minimum report pages. Follow the list of components provided in Chapter 11 of the text for an outline of the sections to include in your report. All sections except the executive summary are required.
You will be required to find a minimum of three published, reliable sources per group member related to your topic. Use APA-style documentation for your in-text report documentation and works cited format. You are not obliged to obtain any online sources that you have to pay for. The CSULB library offers free access to many online sources and databases, as well as printed sources. Your sources must be from reputable sources (i.e. found from the CSULB library databases or other published sources). Avoid use of “direct web references.” These are not considered to be reputable sources. Please have all direct web references approved by the instructor prior to turning in your report. Direct web sources are in addition to the published sources that are required.
Each group member must author one “main body” section of the report. A typed page listing the major headings within the report and the author of each must be included as the very last page of the report. This is the “Author Page”.
Turn in two hard copies of your research report. Be sure the pages are numbered. Spiral bind each copy of the report with a clear plastic cover and black plastic back page. Your instructor will grade and return one copy and keep the other on file.
The introduction must contain your research question, narrowed, focused, and clearly stated; a scope statement (specifying exactly what you are including and excluding), and the purpose of the study – i.e., why it is important. In the introduction also briefly describe your research strategy along with what indexes and databases you searched. Do this in such a way that the reader will feel confident that you are systematically and thoroughly covering all the necessary ground and that your information will be complete and credible. Make sure you list those sources which supplied the most meaningful support for your report conclusions.
Use information in Chapter 11 to develop your introduction. Include all headings in the introduction as shown in Chapter 13. Definitions are needed if you are using any important terms in a way the reader won’t immediately understand. As a transition to the report body, give the reader a brief preview of the way your report body will be organized. (Assume some knowledge on the part of the reader; otherwise your report may be too long and too elementary). Review Chapter 11 in the text book for formatting of your report.
The report body contains the information you found. Use a system of headings and sub-headings and at least one exhibit (visual / graphic) per person in your group. Use in-text references, done according to APA style. An example is (Denton, 2002, p. 46); this in-text note would refer a reader to your bibliography, which must also be done in APA style. See Appendix C on proper APA style documentation and use www.apastyle.org for online references. A good online source for APA style documentation is at: http://www.nwmissouri.edu/library/citing/apa.htm#TOP . You can also use the APA web sources referenced on the university library web site.
The conclusion contains a summary of each main section and any inferences you can draw on the basis of the summary. You should have multiple paragraphs in your conclusion. If your report is so focused, make sure that you include your recommendations in the conclusion section. Make sure you answer your research question within your conclusion through use of an overall report concluding paragraph
Allow yourself generous amounts of time as the due date nears. Writing and revising take time. Avoid a catastrophe and allow yourself extra time to complete this paper.
Use your most competent business writing style. That means clear, correct, plain, concise businesslike English; nothing fancy, pompous, or wordy. Be careful to proofread your report. Watch sentence structure, appearance, formation of the possessive, spelling, and all the other errors that mar the good impression your work can make.
Oral Presentation of Research Report :
Your presentation should last an average of four to five minutes per group member. Groups of three should speak for 12 – 15 minutes; groups of four should speak for 16 – 20 minutes.
The purposes of your presentation are:
1. To share the information you have learned with your colleagues
2. To give you practice in selecting from your written report those highlights that are important for a complete understanding and appreciation of your research
3. To present this information convincingly and skillfully.
Follow the group speaker evaluation form to be sure to cover all sections / information required in a well-prepared oral presentation. Grading will be according to the speaker evaluation form discussed in class. Your oral presentation should reflect those important objectives. You will have both a “group component” to the presentation grade and an “individual component.”
Attendance at all of the oral presentations is required. You may be asked to participate during the presentation of other groups by assisting with the evaluations.
The group must prepare appropriate visuals for your presentation. PowerPoint is frequently used. If you choose to use PowerPoint, you are responsible for supplying your own computer. If you use someone else’s laptop, make sure you “test” the process before getting in front of the class to present. Every laptop has different versions of software. Avoid a disaster and practice your presentation on the computer you will be using.
V. Grading Criteria
Written Report Grading Criteria:
Your written report will be graded in two parts; mechanics and content. Each is worth approximately 50 percent of the total grade. Under the “mechanics” section, you will be evaluated on completion of all required elements of the report. (See Chapter 11 for a sample of a written research report.)
The content will be evaluated using the information you learn during the semester. Spelling, grammar, word choice, topic sentences, summarizations, introduction, conclusion, and the appropriate supporting information are areas that will be evaluated.
Presentation Grading Criteria:
The oral presentation will be graded according to the “Group Presentation Evaluation” form that will be reviewed in class (and is available on Beach Board). Each group member will receive the same group grade and an individual presentation grade. Each person within the group must present for a close to equal portion of the total presentation time. You must not read your presentation. Bring note cards with phrases to cue your memory. You will be required to have substantial eye contact with everyone in the room. If you read and do not have eye contact, this will impact your grade significantly.
Group Participation Grade (Group Folder):
Group participation points will be based on three things: class attendance during required class meetings, the group folder contents, and evaluations by your team members.
Each group will be required to turn in a group folder. The folder will include: *diversity checklist; meeting attendance log; meeting minutes; graded group work plan; graded group proposal; and your group performance contract.
More information will be given in class regarding the group participation grade.
*This list may change. Be sure to check with instructor for final list prior to turning in your folder. Analytical Group Research Report Topics
Human Resource Management Topics
1. As a newly hired research assistant in the HR department of a large company, you have been asked to determine the best means of hiring and testing new employees. Consider what other companies similar to yours are doing, research the major hiring practices, assess the positives and negatives of each, and offer recommendations to your department.
2. Because you have chosen to spend your time doing other things, you have decided to sell your company to your employees. You want the employees to stay because of their uncommon, specialized knowledge, and their loyalty to the company. Research has shown that respect and cooperation from co-workers and managers, compensation, and other rewards, help to retain good employees. What it boils down to is promoting your company from within. Research various ways this can be achieved. What are other companies doing to self-promote? Based on an analysis of your research and what other companies are doing, offer recommendations to managers of your company
3. While it’s not a topic many employees feel comfortable discussing, the issue of drug and alcohol abuse needs to be addressed, according to the manager of your human resources department. She has chosen you to research various approaches and to assess what other companies are doing about employees suffering from drug or alcohol abuse. She wants to know what approaches these companies are taking and what programs they offer. She also wants you to recommend a reasonable policy.
4. Because statistics show that the U.S. population is aging (i.e., baby boomers are nearing retirement), you have been asked to review retirement packages in companies similar to yours. Should your company be aware of any trends? Are future retirees going to demand more? Your goal is to determine what general retirement policies your company should adopt.
5. Your business is considering offering child-care and/or elder-care benefits to its employees. Assess the financial pros and cons of either type of benefit, and offer recommendations.
Management Topics
1. Many companies are touting the benefits of various forms of employee participation in management decisions. An example of this is self-managed project teams. You've been asked to investigate the most popular methods. What criteria should be established to evaluate these methods? After you've evaluated each method, provide your recommendation for the best one.
2. Numerous articles suggest that company wellness plans cut firms’ healthcare costs. You're intrigued, but not totally sold. Surely these plans must have disadvantages as well. You decide to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of wellness plans. It might help to get a sense of how rank-and-file employees feel about these plans and reviewing the published materials. Do the advantages really outweigh the disadvantages?
3. As a manager in a company with many employees using computers, you’re dissatisfied with the Microsoft Windows operating systems. You are no technie, but you do know that Linux, an inexpensive operating system, is being talked up as competition for the notoriously buggy Windows. Your friend, the CEO, said that if you could justify a switch from Windows to Linux, he might consider it. Prepare a report that compares Windows and Linux operating systems. What are the pros and cons of switching a business operation to a Linux system? Gather data, draw conclusions, and make recommendations to the CEO.
Accounting Topics
1. Assume you are working for a company that is considering opening a business in another country. Analyze possible accounting problems the company might encounter and offer possible solutions for overcoming these problems.
2. After the corporate scandals of the early 2000s, Congress passed legislation that it hoped would renew faith in the accounting profession. Study the laws that were passed and examine the effects of those laws. Why were they passed? How has the accounting profession changed because of the laws? What conclusions can you draw from your findings? What recommendations can you make to accounting educators regarding programs that train accountants?
General Business
1. Disagreement exists among students, business journalists and others connected with academia about the value of a liberal arts education in preparing students for a career in business. Supporters of liberal arts say that a broad-based education turns out graduates that have a broader range of skills and knowledge and thus broadens their employment opportunities. Critics say that the workplace is not always enthusiastic about welcoming students with liberal arts degrees. Critics also say that the price of a college degree drives students to attend college for vocational purposes and graduate with specialized educations to earn higher-paying jobs more quickly. What skills are important in businesses today? Does a liberal arts education have value to businesses in the industry in which you hope to work after college? Make recommendations to a friend or family member who will enter college soon and one day will want to work in a business discipline.
Marketing Topics
1. Gap is one of the largest specialty retailers in the United States. Fighting a “sweatshop” image, Gap studied the working conditions in the hundreds of factories seeking to win Gap contracts. Instead of being on the defensive, Gap reported that 90 percent of its suppliers failed to meet its initial evaluation. As an intern at Wal-Mart, you have received an assignment to study Gap’s report and its strategy in deflecting criticism of working conditions. Wal-Mart suffered in the 1990s when its celebrity endorser, Kathie Lee Gifford, received criticism over working conditions in the foreign plants making her clothing line. Study Gap’s strategy, its reporting, and its policies regarding social responsibility. What are the advantages and disadvantages in terms of marketing? Would you recommend such a strategy for Wal-Mart?
2. Knowing you've just graduated from college with a degree in marketing, a family from your hometown asks you to investigate the pros and cons of their investing in a franchised business. The family wants you to recommend a franchise in which they can invest, to explain to them the financial and legal implications, and to choose a location for the business. Of three locations of your choice, which is the best for a new McDonald's,Dairy Queen, Subway, Blimpie, or franchise of your choice?
3. An ABC News report states that doctors and other critics are skeptical of the food and beverage industry’s voluntary rules to eliminate junk food advertising on television and company Web sites to kids under 12. They claim that many companies have found other, creative ways to use technology to push their products to kids, such as social networking sites. As an intern at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, you have been asked to complete your own independent study of junk food advertising to children under 12. Your job is to confirm or refute that (a) most of the products that companies advertise to children on TV and company Web sites are now healthy and (b) that companies are not using ways other than television and company Web sites to push their products to kids under 12. Based on your findings, what conclusions can you draw? Do you want to relate your study to the huge increase in childhood obesity in this country and abroad? Make recommendations that are appropriate for a center devoted to public interest issues.
4. What recent advertising campaign on a national level has been a failure? What campaigns have been tremendously successful? Select one or the other, analyze why the campaign failed or succeeded, and offer recommendations to other marketers.
5. Are rebates successful? Your job, as the marketing director for a newly formed company, is to evaluate how successful rebates are. What are their advantages and disadvantages to the company and the customer? Prepare a report to the CEO.
6. Your company has a relatively large number of salespeople. However, management isn't satisfied with the way the company is evaluating individual salespeople. One controversial method that has been used is to tape sales transactions. Management finds this intriguing, but you're not sure. What other methods are used? Select companies similar to yours to determine what they are doing. What are the pros and cons of each? Which one, in your view, is the best for your company?
7. You have been asked to conduct a market study of your city (or another, if you choose) to determine the best location for a given business (your choice). The company requesting this study wants basic demographic information (e.g., population, income, age, traffic flow, etc.) to be used as the basis for your recommendation.
8. E-mail marketing is cheap and fast. However, most consumers hate receiving “spam.” Your boss can't decide whether to use direct-mail advertising or e-mail messages to boost your company's sales. He asks you to assess the pros and cons of each from the standpoint of the customer and the company. He's particularly interested in the legal liabilities associated with each one. Ultimately, he wants you to decide which one is better.
Finance Report Topics
1. Does a relationship exist between success in major sports and the amount of alumni donations to a college? Does success in major sports positively affect the quality of applicants to a college? Assume that the athletic department of College X claims that if it receives significant financial support, it will produce successful teams. In turn, those successful athletic teams will pull in larger alumni contributions, which will attract higher-quality students. As a research consultant, you have been asked to study the issue. Do any studies exist that show the effects of successful teams? Based on your findings, make a recommendation to the administration of College X regarding the funding request from its athletic department.
2. Your business is considering offering child-care and/or elder-care benefits to its employees. Assess the financial pros and cons of either type of benefit, and offer recommendations.
3. At your last school-sponsored investment club meeting, many students were enthusiastic about online trading. You aren't so sure. As a result, you decide to evaluate the benefits and possible costs of online trading in order to present to your investment club an objective assessment of the idea.
Information Systems Topics
1. A trade group of midsized businesses has hired you to prepare a report and an oral presentation regarding issues related to installing Wi-Fi networking. The trade group wants to know where is the most appropriate use for the technology, the technology’s advantages and disadvantages, and what your recommendations are to businesses considering installing it.
2. Although many of the salespeople who work in your company use laptops, they've asked you to investigate the benefits of Web-accessible cell phones. Salespeople contend that the portability of these phones, in addition to their ability to access the Web, makes them an ideal sales tool. After you investigate the benefits of these phones, you decide to compare the top three or four phones offered using the following criteria: price, network, band/mode, weight/size, screen size, battery life, ringer options, and extras included. Which phone would be best for your salespeople?
3. Should Company X (your choice) consider offshoring one of its operations, such as call center or tech support? As a consultant, you have been asked to research the pros and cons of outsourcing and offshoring and make recommendations to the company based upon your findings.
4. A popular trend in today's workplace is “telecommuting.” Your boss has had several employees ask her about the possibility of performing work — at least part time — at home. Your boss isn't convinced that telecommuting is in her best interest, so she asks you to write a report that analyzes the pros and cons of this form of employment. Consider what jobs are ideal for telecommuting, what the employment statistics reveal, and how telecommuting affects both businesses and employees.
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Is302 example.zip
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Logistics+worksheet.docx
Section ______
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What is your team name?
AMSN
What is the origin and/or meaning of the name?
The First letter of each member’s name.
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What is your team (consulting firm) logo?
What is the origin/significance of the logo? In what way(s) does the logo represent your firm?
The origin of the logo is the combination of our personalities color codes. Our personalities’ colors are Red, White, and Blue. It’s what diversifies us and it’s what brings us together.
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Mission Statement A mission statement answers the questions “Why do we exist? What is our organization’s core purpose?” Characteristics of a mission statement · Short · Memorable · Inspiring · Market focused · What you want to be remembered for · Not fluffy Example: To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful – Google.
After looking up some mission statements from various organizations (you can find these on organization websites), create a mission statement for your firm. Type it below.
To help every corporation brighten its Image and prospective. |
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Vision Statement Answers the question “Where are we headed?” Characteristics of a vision statement · Future casting 5+ years · Clear and visible · Audacious (a bit) · Descriptive “Know what mountain you are climbing, because when you get to the top of it, you want to make sure you are on the right mountain.”
Example: To cure the world of breast cancer – Susan B. Komen Foundation
After researching the vision statement of a few organizations similar to yours, create a vision statement for your firm. Type it below.
To enhance all corporations identity, communication, and image.
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Key Roles
What are the key roles to be filled in your firm? Chief executive officer Chief Financial officer Marketing manger Chief operation officer
Which team members will fill each of these roles? CEO - Ali Aljuraifani CFO - Naif Alsuwailem COO - Mel Ramirez Marketing manager - Salah Alharbi
Topic to Problem Statement
What is the general topic your team has selected? Corporate Image
What sorts of business/workplace problems might a company have regarding/due to this topic? 1- Bad publicity 2- Inaccurate advertisement 3- Employees 4- Product quality 5- Bad workplace
Name a couple of organization(s) that might have this problem? (You may or may not have evidence of this)
1- Chipotle 2- Apple 3- Walmart 4- H&M
Select one organization (could be for profit, non profit, government agency, municipality) that is going to be (for purpose of this project) seeking a consulting firm to help them solve a specific business problem regarding your topic area. Type the organization below.
Chipotle
Write a clear and concise descriptive problem statement that includes the specific business problem needing to be solved (related to your topic) and the specific organization that is seeking help with the problem. Note: the organization may or may not actually have this problem in reality. It just needs to be plausible that this organization would be experiencing this business problem and seeking consultants. Example 1: Target Corporation is experiencing a high rate of turnover amongst new employees six to twelve months after hire. The company is rethinking its hiring policies and training of new employees. How might Target Corp. improve its hiring/training practices to lower its turnover rates? Example 2: H & M is experiencing an increase in employee to employee conflicts. Many of the employee complaints that have been submitted are related to social chatter and gossip of fellow employees. The conflicts are causing some employees to call in sick to avoid face to face interactions with colleagues, practice avoidance behaviors, and engage in verbal conflicts both in the stores and in social media. This is causing losses in sales, morale, and professional image for the company – all very costly. What can H&M do to turn this trend around, minimize gossip and social conflict and increase camaraderie amongst employees?
Chipotle corporation is experiencing high rate of customer food poisoning. This high rate is hurting Chipotle’s image. Now Chipotle is planning to hire consultants to help with its Image.
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Work Schedule
As a team, go over F7 Work Schedule. Work through a schedule and assignment of responsibilities for your team to fill in the work schedule. Note class deadlines for some of the items and set your team’s internal deadlines a responsible amount of time prior to allow for last minute corrections, etc.
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Brown - Team Logistics
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Oral Presentation Evaluation Form.docx
IS301 Business Communication
Group Presentation Evaluation Form - GROUP
Team Name ________________________________________ Presentation Date _________________
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Possible Points |
Beginner |
Developing |
Adequate |
Proficient |
Outstanding |
Points Earned |
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INTRODUCTION |
10 |
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Gain audience attention |
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Relate topic to the audience |
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Establish credibility |
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Introduce topic and team members |
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Preview the main points |
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BODY ORGANIZATION |
10 |
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Manageable number of main points |
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Main points are relevant to the topic |
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CONCLUSION |
10 |
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Prepared the audience for the ending (summarizations) |
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Vivid and interesting ending related to the topic |
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PRESENTATION VISUALS |
10 |
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Supported the content (were not just read) |
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Grammar, spelling, and punctuation was correct |
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Correct format (7 x 7 rule) |
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OVERALL ASSESSMENT |
10 |
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Speech included persuasive information (intro, body, conclusion) |
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Speech adapted to audience members |
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Speech preparation, planning, and practice was obvious |
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Speech completed within time limit |
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IS301 Business Communication
Group Presentation Evaluation Form - INDIVIDUAL
Team Name ________________________________________ Presentation Date _________________
Presenter’s Name ___________________________________ Order of Main Point ______________________
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Section |
Possible Points |
Beginner |
Developing |
Adequate |
Proficient |
Outstanding |
Points Earned |
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ORGANIZATION and CONTENT |
15 |
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Manageable number of sub-points that were clearly introduced to the audience |
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Sub points are organized and relevant to the topic |
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Points established and supported with evidence (examples, testimony, statistics) and sources given |
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Effective, clear use of transitions and signposts |
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Summary and transition evident |
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DELIVERY AND EXPRESSION |
20 |
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Strong eye contact with ENTIRE audience (not just the instructor) |
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Reading |
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Distractive fillers and pauses |
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Voice: rate and projection (volume) |
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Strong body stance, appropriate gestures, no distracting mannerisms |
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Tone, inflection, and enthusiasm |
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Appropriate dress / appearance |
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OVERALL EVALUTION |
15 |
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Speech adapted to audience members |
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Speech preparation , planning, and practice was obvious |
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Speech section proportionate in timing to others in the group |
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Potential Analytical Group Research Report Topics.docx
Potential Analytical Group Research Report Topics
Your team will select a topic area. This broad topic area will serve as the springboard for solving a specific business problem or answering a specific business question based in the topic area. Ex. If the topic “Employee turnover” were selected, the eventual narrowed topic/business problem might be “Target Corp. is experiencing an increase in employee turnover within six months of hiring entry level employees. The costs of this trend are excessive. What does Target need to know and what steps can Target take toward resolving this business problem?”
Some topics to consider (but you are not restricted to this list) include:
· Downsizing
· Employee Healthcare
· Companies going “green”
· Burnout and employee wellness
· Business etiquette in adverse times
· Employer/employee trust and ethics
· Misuse of Technology in the workplace
· Employer/employee communication (ex. Performance appraisals, leadership, support)
· Gossip in the workplace
· Harassment/bullying in the workplace
· Office politics
· Office Relationships
· Interpersonal conflict in the workplace
· Civility in the workplace
· Conflict in the workplace
· Misuse of Power/powerplays/intimidation
· Electronic communication in the workplace (ex. Social media, Email, texting)
· Hiring practices
· Stereotypes
· Telecommuting
· Corporate image/identity
· Biotech
· Nanotechnology
· Employee privacy rights / restrictions
· Investment strategies – how these change based on market conditions
· Status of the U.S. housing market (first-time buyer patterns)
· Saving / investment trends
· New technologies used in Business Communication
· Customer service trends on the Internet
· Employment prospects for new graduates
· Outsourcing
· Retirement plans
More Potential Analytical Group Research Report Topics
Human Resource Management Topics
1. As a newly hired research assistant in the HR department of a large company, you have been asked to determine the best means of hiring and testing new employees. Consider what other companies similar to yours are doing, research the major hiring practices, assess the positives and negatives of each, and offer recommendations to your department.
2. Because you have chosen to spend your time doing other things, you have decided to sell your company to your employees. You want the employees to stay because of their uncommon, specialized knowledge, and their loyalty to the company. Research has shown that respect and cooperation from co-workers and managers, compensation, and other rewards, help to retain good employees. What it boils down to is promoting your company from within. Research various ways this can be achieved. What are other companies doing to self-promote? Based on an analysis of your research and what other companies are doing, offer recommendations to managers of your company
3. While it’s not a topic many employees feel comfortable discussing, the issue of drug and alcohol abuse needs to be addressed, according to the manager of your human resources department. She has chosen you to research various approaches and to assess what other companies are doing about employees suffering from drug or alcohol abuse. She wants to know what approaches these companies are taking and what programs they offer. She also wants you to recommend a reasonable policy.
4. Because statistics show that the U.S. population is aging (i.e., baby boomers are nearing retirement), you have been asked to review retirement packages in companies similar to yours. Should your company be aware of any trends? Are future retirees going to demand more? Your goal is to determine what general retirement policies your company should adopt.
5. Your business is considering offering child-care and/or elder-care benefits to its employees. Assess the financial pros and cons of either type of benefit, and offer recommendations.
Management Topics
1. Many companies are touting the benefits of various forms of employee participation in management decisions. An example of this is self-managed project teams. You've been asked to investigate the most popular methods. What criteria should be established to evaluate these methods? After you've evaluated each method, provide your recommendation for the best one.
2. Numerous articles suggest that company wellness plans cut firms’ healthcare costs. You're intrigued, but not totally sold. Surely these plans must have disadvantages as well. You decide to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of wellness plans. It might help to get a sense of how rank-and-file employees feel about these plans and reviewing the published materials. Do the advantages really outweigh the disadvantages?
3. As a manager in a company with many employees using computers, you’re dissatisfied with the Microsoft Windows operating systems. You are no technie, but you do know that Linux, an inexpensive operating system, is being talked up as competition for the notoriously buggy Windows. Your friend, the CEO, said that if you could justify a switch from Windows to Linux, he might consider it. Prepare a report that compares Windows and Linux operating systems. What are the pros and cons of switching a business operation to a Linux system? Gather data, draw conclusions, and make recommendations to the CEO.
Accounting Topics
1. Assume you are working for a company that is considering opening a business in another country. Analyze possible accounting problems the company might encounter and offer possible solutions for overcoming these problems.
2. After the corporate scandals of the early 2000s, Congress passed legislation that it hoped would renew faith in the accounting profession. Study the laws that were passed and examine the effects of those laws. Why were they passed? How has the accounting profession changed because of the laws? What conclusions can you draw from your findings? What recommendations can you make to accounting educators regarding programs that train accountants?
General Business
1. Disagreement exists among students, business journalists and others connected with academia about the value of a liberal arts education in preparing students for a career in business. Supporters of liberal arts say that a broad-based education turns out graduates that have a broader range of skills and knowledge and thus broadens their employment opportunities. Critics say that the workplace is not always enthusiastic about welcoming students with liberal arts degrees. Critics also say that the price of a college degree drives students to attend college for vocational purposes and graduate with specialized educations to earn higher-paying jobs more quickly. What skills are important in businesses today? Does a liberal arts education have value to businesses in the industry in which you hope to work after college? Make recommendations to a friend or family member who will enter college soon and one day will want to work in a business discipline.
Marketing Topics
1. Gap is one of the largest specialty retailers in the United States. Fighting a “sweatshop” image, Gap studied the working conditions in the hundreds of factories seeking to win Gap contracts. Instead of being on the defensive, Gap reported that 90 percent of its suppliers failed to meet its initial evaluation. As an intern at Wal-Mart, you have received an assignment to study Gap’s report and its strategy in deflecting criticism of working conditions. Wal-Mart suffered in the 1990s when its celebrity endorser, Kathie Lee Gifford, received criticism over working conditions in the foreign plants making her clothing line. Study Gap’s strategy, its reporting, and its policies regarding social responsibility. What are the advantages and disadvantages in terms of marketing? Would you recommend such a strategy for Wal-Mart?
2. Knowing you've just graduated from college with a degree in marketing, a family from your hometown asks you to investigate the pros and cons of their investing in a franchised business. The family wants you to recommend a franchise in which they can invest, to explain to them the financial and legal implications, and to choose a location for the business. Of three locations of your choice, which is the best for a new McDonald's,Dairy Queen, Subway, Blimpie, or franchise of your choice?
3. An ABC News report states that doctors and other critics are skeptical of the food and beverage industry’s voluntary rules to eliminate junk food advertising on television and company Web sites to kids under 12. They claim that many companies have found other, creative ways to use technology to push their products to kids, such as social networking sites. As an intern at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, you have been asked to complete your own independent study of junk food advertising to children under 12. Your job is to confirm or refute that (a) most of the products that companies advertise to children on TV and company Web sites are now healthy and (b) that companies are not using ways other than television and company Web sites to push their products to kids under 12. Based on your findings, what conclusions can you draw? Do you want to relate your study to the huge increase in childhood obesity in this country and abroad? Make recommendations that are appropriate for a center devoted to public interest issues.
4. What recent advertising campaign on a national level has been a failure? What campaigns have been tremendously successful? Select one or the other, analyze why the campaign failed or succeeded, and offer recommendations to other marketers.
5. Are rebates successful? Your job, as the marketing director for a newly formed company, is to evaluate how successful rebates are. What are their advantages and disadvantages to the company and the customer? Prepare a report to the CEO.
6. Your company has a relatively large number of salespeople. However, management isn't satisfied with the way the company is evaluating individual salespeople. One controversial method that has been used is to tape sales transactions. Management finds this intriguing, but you're not sure. What other methods are used? Select companies similar to yours to determine what they are doing. What are the pros and cons of each? Which one, in your view, is the best for your company?
7. You have been asked to conduct a market study of your city (or another, if you choose) to determine the best location for a given business (your choice). The company requesting this study wants basic demographic information (e.g., population, income, age, traffic flow, etc.) to be used as the basis for your recommendation.
8. E-mail marketing is cheap and fast. However, most consumers hate receiving “spam.” Your boss can't decide whether to use direct-mail advertising or e-mail messages to boost your company's sales. He asks you to assess the pros and cons of each from the standpoint of the customer and the company. He's particularly interested in the legal liabilities associated with each one. Ultimately, he wants you to decide which one is better.
Finance Report Topics
1. Does a relationship exist between success in major sports and the amount of alumni donations to a college? Does success in major sports positively affect the quality of applicants to a college? Assume that the athletic department of College X claims that if it receives significant financial support, it will produce successful teams. In turn, those successful athletic teams will pull in larger alumni contributions, which will attract higher-quality students. As a research consultant, you have been asked to study the issue. Do any studies exist that show the effects of successful teams? Based on your findings, make a recommendation to the administration of College X regarding the funding request from its athletic department.
2. Your business is considering offering child-care and/or elder-care benefits to its employees. Assess the financial pros and cons of either type of benefit, and offer recommendations.
3. At your last school-sponsored investment club meeting, many students were enthusiastic about online trading. You aren't so sure. As a result, you decide to evaluate the benefits and possible costs of online trading in order to present to your investment club an objective assessment of the idea.
Information Systems Topics
1. A trade group of midsized businesses has hired you to prepare a report and an oral presentation regarding issues related to installing Wi-Fi networking. The trade group wants to know where is the most appropriate use for the technology, the technology’s advantages and disadvantages, and what your recommendations are to businesses considering installing it.
2. Although many of the salespeople who work in your company use laptops, they've asked you to investigate the benefits of Web-accessible cell phones. Salespeople contend that the portability of these phones, in addition to their ability to access the Web, makes them an ideal sales tool. After you investigate the benefits of these phones, you decide to compare the top three or four phones offered using the following criteria: price, network, band/mode, weight/size, screen size, battery life, ringer options, and extras included. Which phone would be best for your salespeople?
3. Should Company X (your choice) consider offshoring one of its operations, such as call center or tech support? As a consultant, you have been asked to research the pros and cons of outsourcing and offshoring and make recommendations to the company based upon your findings.
4. A popular trend in today's workplace is “telecommuting.” Your boss has had several employees ask her about the possibility of performing work — at least part time — at home. Your boss isn't convinced that telecommuting is in her best interest, so she asks you to write a report that analyzes the pros and cons of this form of employment. Consider what jobs are ideal for telecommuting, what the employment statistics reveal, and how telecommuting affects both businesses and employees.
Work Plan .docx
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Chipotle corporation is experiencing high rate of customer food poisoning. This high rate is hurting Chipotle’s image. Now Chipotle is planning to hire consultants to help recovering its Image.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF WORK
The purpose of this study is examine how corporations develop and maintain their image. Nevertheless, this study will determine whether Chipotle’s public image is hurt by the increasing number of customer’s food poisoning. And if implementing new strategic plans will help recovering its Image.
SOURCES AND METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION
Our data sources will include a search for scholarly articles and studies pertaining to our subject of corporate image from both ABI/INFORM Complete and Business Source Premier. Primary research will focus how corporations work on developing and improving their image. Secondary research we’ll gather information based upon Chipotle portrays its corporate image from their company website.
PRELIMINARY OUTLINE
The preliminary outline for this study is as follows:
I. Chipotle's advantages when having a good corporate image.
A. Good corporate image is a good tool for marketing and promotions.
B. Good company image increases its opportunities
C. Good company image might result in good publicity.
II. Chipotle’s disadvantages when having a good corporate image.
A. You have to continuously monitor and work on maintaining a good corporate image.
B. A company must handle its corporate image seriously because any mistake might result in a decrease in sales.
C. Maintaining originality amongst other corporations.
III. How Chipotle can benefit from its Corporate image in marketing
A. Good corporate image can persuade consumers to purchase your goods based upon perceived notions about your company's goals and objectives.
B. A good corporate image can help a company portray a certain prestige or unique attribute that only the company posses.
IV. How can we evaluate a company’s image
A. What makes Chipotle different and better than its competitors.
B. What is Chipotle’s strengths
C. What is Chipotle’s weaknesses
V. How can we make the company successful by enhancing its corporate image?
A. Encouraging the employees in the workplace through good leadership.
B. Active social media presence.
C. Corporate culture.
D. Empowering the employees.
E. Communicate the brand value throughout the company.
TASK ASSINGMENTS AND SCHEDULE
Each phase of the study will be completed by the following dates:
I. Chipotle's advantages June 10, 2016
II. Chipotle’s disadvantages June 12, 2016
III. How Chipotle can benefit from its Corporate image in marketing June16,2016
IV. How can we evaluate a company’s image? June 18, 2016
V. How can we make the company successful by enhancing its corporate image? June 20, 2016