PROJECT 3 – BUSINESS REPORT
Topic – Report Format with Sources & Turnitin Assessment, PowerPoint, Business Report
(Note: Submit Word documents that show the time that has been put into creating each document. Word documents also allow me to easily provide feedback. Please do not submit PDF documents.)
Part 1 – Topic for Report & Report Format with Sources
Part 2 –
• Transmittal Email and Report with Front Matter and Back Matter
• Turnitin Project 3 Report Assessment
Part 3 – PowerPoint Presentation of Project 3
PROJECT GOAL/REQUIREMENTS:
Write a report, using the structure of a long report, as described and shown in our textbook, pages 495-521 (Intro & Sections 15.1-15.4). For this assignment, you will create a transmittal email and a research report of 3 single-spaced pages in addition to the front matter (title page, abstract, and table of contents) and back matter (references page), using one of the scenarios/topics listed below. The report should use the following format: single-spaced; a standard business writing font: Times New Roman, Arial, etc.; 12-point font; one-inch margins.
The 3-page requirement for the body of the report must be written text rather than tables or other relevant visuals. If you add any visuals, be sure that you have at least 2 1/2-to-3 single-spaced pages of text in addition to this. While most reports that use this format will be much longer than this assignment requires, the goal is to enable you to become familiar with and utilize the format of a long report. If you have not already written a business report for your place of employment, it is very likely that you will be required to do so in the future.
Use 4 sources and include at least 2 quotations and 1 paraphrase or summary in your report, cited properly (see pages 281-289 (Section 8.5), APA citing reference list examples, pages 518-520 (Figure 15.3), and APA).
NOTE: Exact words from other sources should make up no more than 15% of the report.
SCENARIO/TOPIC OPTIONS:
IMPORTANT – If you have already completed a similar assignment in another class and received credit for that work, choose a different scenario/topic for this project. The work you submit should be original to this class. (Be sure to determine a hypothetical audience and/or organizational setting before creating the report.)
1. Identify a social problem in your community. Make sure to give specific evidence that the problem exists. Do research on how the problem might be resolved and include that in your report as well as a recommendation to your City Council or other leaders/governmental bodies in the community (Kolin, 2023, p. 456).
2. Create a report for a partner or possible investor regarding a business that you plan to start. You can focus on one or more of these issues:
• A location for your business
• Whether you will have a brick-and-mortar store, an online business, or both
• The products you will sell
• How you will market your products
• Other aspects of a business
3. You work for a company that has implemented significant changes for carrying out work to comply with safety guidelines during the pandemic. Write a report analyzing how this system has worked for your company. How are employees at your company doing? How is the company faring? What is working, or what are ways current work structures could be improved? You might research businesses that are similar to yours for comparison or ideas. You might also find studies that can offer guidance for workers and businesses during this time. Write a report regarding your findings with recommendations for your place of employment.
4. You work for a company that you feel can benefit from establishing an exercise or daycare facility for employees. Maintaining physical fitness and childcare have been identified as major problems for workers due to closures of facilities and the high costs associated with these services. Do some research regarding the need for one of these services for workers at your place of employment. Research what other businesses are doing to address the problem? Write a report regarding your findings with your recommendation.
5. You work for a company that can benefit from improved efficiency in the way that it operates. Do some research regarding the way other similar companies are addressing issues of efficiency. Write a report using your knowledge of your company and your research to make recommendations for change.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Feel free to change names of companies or people for purposes of confidentiality.
PROJECT ASSIGNMENT SUMMARY:
Write a report, using one of the scenarios/topics given above. You will prepare the following:
1. A formal transmittal email that the report would be attached to.
2. Report with the following components:
• Front matter –
o Title page
o Abstract
o Table of contents
Note: This assignment does not require a List of Illustrations.
• Text of Report –
o Introduction
o Body with headings and text supported by your sources (You can add tables or other visuals, if relevant. This is not required.)
o Conclusion/Recommendation (These can be divided into two sections or can be combined.)
• Back matter –
o References list
Note: A Glossary and Appendix section are not required for this assignment.
SEE DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.
Part 1:
1. TOPIC FOR BUSINESS REPORT
Choose one of the scenarios/topics given above. Write a topic proposal.
This should include the following:
• A description of the scenario or topic for your report
• The problem or issue you will research
• A statement of purpose – Identify what you hope to accomplish. (See pages 13-14, Section 1.3c.)
• Identify your audience, who will you send your report to. (See pages 7-13, Section 1.3 intro – 1.3b.) This will help you focus your research.
2. FORMAT FOR BUSINESS REPORT WITH 4 SOURCES
View the Instructions for Formatting a Business Report. (Attached) Create a formatted template for your report.
Find 4 sources that you will use in your report. Cite them on the reference page, using APA style. You do not need to use academic journal sources. Use any sources that will provide helpful information for your report.
Part 2:
1. TRANSMITTAL EMAIL AND REPORT (Example of Email and Report attached)
INSTRUCTIONS FOR WRITING
Organize your information and write the components of the report in this order:
Step 1: Write the Report (NOTE: You will write the Abstract and Table of Contents after you have completed this.)
• An Introduction
Introduces your subject or problem by doing the following:
Gives background
Identifies the problem
States your purpose
States your scope (limits for your research – area of concentration)
It may also preview how the topic will be developed.
• Text (Body) – Note the importance of Headings and Transitions
Presents the research that was done
Shows how the best option or options were determined
Provides any relevant information to support the report
• A Conclusion/Recommendation – This can be one or two sections as shown in our book.
Include Back Matter
• References (Citations) List – APA Style
• An Appendix (if relevant) – not required – Appendices are pages that contain supplemental information that is relevant to the report, such as charts, graphs, budgets, maps, etc. This will follow the References page. If supplemental information is added, label each document: Appendix A, Appendix B, etc. (Note: Neither report in our book has an appendix.)
Step 2: Write the Abstract
It provides a short summary of the report. NOTE: Sometimes the abstract will be placed before the table of contents. For this assignment, place it before the table of contents.
Step 3: Create a Table of Contents. NOTE: You will create this after you have written your report.
Step 4: Write an Email message that will introduce the report. (Make this a separate Word document for purposes of this assignment. It is not included in the page numbering for the report. If you combine it with the report, this can create a problem with numbering.)
Again, the transmittal email is a separate document from the report. Its purpose is to address the recipient/s of the report and identify the topic of the report and why it was created. The report would be attached to the email. See page 499 (Section 15.3b) for an overview of a letter of transmittal and examples on pages 500 (Figure 15.1). For this assignment, rather than a transmittal letter, you will write a transmittal email that would serve the same purpose. – If you prefer to write this using a letter format, that is fine.
Paragraph 1 – Explains what the report is about and why it is being sent
Paragraph 2 – Briefly summarizes the report’s contents, stresses important features of the report, and justifies the recommendations.
Final Paragraph – Provides a goodwill ending, contact information, an offer to answer any questions or provide additional information, etc.
Note: More than three paragraphs can be used if needed.
2. WRITE AND SUBMIT A TURNITIN ORIGINALITY ASSESSMENT
• Write a Turnitin Originality Assessment of at least one paragraph, detailing what you found and the corrections you have made to ensure that your project is properly cited. (Make sure that all highlighted quotations–exact words from a source–are correctly cited and placed in quotation marks or in block format if 40 words or more.)
Part 3:
1. POWERPOINT PRESENTATION OF PROJECT 3
• Create a Professional PowerPoint Presentation: Your challenge will be to convey the research findings in your report to class members. If you have the ability to add sound, that is great. If not, just create a slide presentation.
