Villanova School of Business Eileen Mullahy January 14, 2011

1. VillanovaSchool of BusinessEileen MullahyJanuary 14, 2011 Business Dynamics: Developing Collaborative Reports

2. Phase I: Planning the Process

3. Starting Off: Identify Project Scope • Start planning process • Hold group meeting • Review project guidelines • Begin project plan • Schedule term meetings and communication criteria

4. Step 1: Review Summary Guidelines BD Spring 2010/Starbucks Project Overview This project has three elements: (1) conduct research on a topic assigned by your instructor (2) write a report  (3) develop a PowerPoint presentation to present your topic. The requirements for each element are described below. (consult BD course materials for all guideline references)

5. Sample Summary GuidelinesGoogle Project/Prof. Powell . • When creating your Google Research Project focus your interest from an investor perspective. Select and prioritize (1, 2, 3) your three functional areas of primary interest listed in the Topics section. We will create seven teams based on priority interest. • Note; this project accounts for 15% of your semester grade. Grades will be assigned 7.5% on written report content and adherence to project instructions; 7.5% on presentation delivery and topic coverage. • Written reports should be formal in structure, professional in appearance, informative and specific to the assigned topic. • Formal presentations should include M/S PowerPoint support and last no longer than 20 minutes. • Turn in hard copies of both the written report and PowerPoint presentation. All members of the team are required to equally contribute to the overall project. Team members not contributing need to be identified and become focused. (consult BD course materials for all guideline references)

6. Sample Summary GuidelinesGoogle Project/Prof. Powell Topics: • Marketing - inclusive of Brand Identification and Protection • Quality Control – think of products and services • Research and Development – current and new products and services • Employee Training and Retention – think staff and management • Mergers and Acquisitions – think business expansion and competition • Accounting - profit/loss, cost control, revenue forecasting, etc. • Investor Relations and Corporate Image – think of market cap, stock price (consult BD course materials for all guideline references)

7. Sample Summary GuidelinesGoogle/Prof. Heck The purpose of this project is to research Google and one other company. Each team will be assigned a different comparison company. Your team’s final product will consist of a written report comparing and contrasting Google and the other company and an oral presentation of your findings to the class. The main components of the project are: 1) Description of each company; 2) analysis of each company’s stock performance, including comparison to overall market; 3) a 5-year trend analysis of each company’s financial performance and comparison of the two companies; 4) current news about each company; 5) a conclusion that addresses future issues for the two companies. (consult BD course materials for all guideline references)

8. Step 2: Divide Labor • Continue guideline review • Task distribution • Recorders/Traffic • Researchers • Analysts • Writers • Visual Designers • Editors

9. Sample Format CriteriaGoogle/Prof. Heck Format of Written Report 1. Cover sheet includes title of report, names of team members, course title, class time, anddue date. Please do not use a fancy report cover or binder. Staple all pages of the report together in the upper left-hand corner (don’t use clips). 2. Executive Summary is a one paragraph introduction to your topic and a brief summary of your findings. This should be single-spaced and marked as page i. 3. Table of Contents lists the section titles of the report and their page numbers. This is page 1 of your report. 4. The main body of the report should be divided into sections and single-spaced. In terms of length, you should know how I feel about that by now. Business writing is brief and to the point.; just make sure you thoroughly address all requirements of the project. This project counts towards 8% of your final BD II grade – make sure it is the best possible product your team can produce and something you are proud to have your name on! Spelling and grammar count! Papers that have not been proof-read will be marked down considerably. For the analytical portions, copies of source data and all spreadsheets must be included in either the body of the paper or in an Appendix. • If different team members are writing different sections, make sure everyone reads all sections – you want to turn in a consistent, high-quality product. 5. A Reference page follows the main body and lists all of the sources used in your research. The writing in this paper is presumed to be your own. Cite your sources of information. Do not copy verbatim from the sources (which will be considered plagiarism) – gather the facts and write up the results in your own words. (Avoid passing on company PR – aim to report verifiable facts, not opinion.) It is not necessary to footnote every fact as long as sources are properly credited in the Reference page. The Villanova Code of Academic Integrity should be followed for this assignment and for all work you do here at the University.  6. Include a copy of your PowerPoint presentation at the very end of the written report. (consult BD course materials for all guideline references)

10. Step 3: Create Project Schedule • Work backwards using course schedule • Consider time needed for • Planning • Research • Drafting prose • Drafting graphics • Revision • Presentation development • Determine milestone dates • Working draft • Full draft • Revised final • Establish meeting dates

11. Vital Dates & Checkpoints Guide • Week 1: • Week 2: • Week 3: • Week 4: • Week 5: • Week 6: • Week 7: • Week 8: • Week 9: • Week 10: • Week 11: • Week 12:

12. Step 4: Construct Detailed Plans • Establish central materials depot • Organize folders • Establish rules for file names • Adopt common style • Review document guidelines • Determine central format • Create & distribute records of project plans

13. Phase 2: The Research Paper

14. Step 1: Start ResearchResearch Tips • Review specific project criteria before you start • Consistently sort between known & unknown to direct your research • Understand distinctions between scholarly, industry & general sources • Don’t get lost in the weeds • Create central file for in-text citations & reference summary page • Always save URL and date of access for on-line sources • Become friends with the research librarians

15. Sample Research CriteriaGoogle/Prof. Heck 4) Current News About Each Company Find and summarize 3 articles published since the beginning of the semester about each company (for a total of 6 articles). The articles should be of significant length (i.e., not earnings announcements or something brief like that) and each article should address a different topic /issue about each company. If both Google and your assigned comparison company are discussed in the same article, that counts as just one of the six required articles. Include a copy of each article, along with a written summary, in your final report.

16. Step 2: Draft Sections • Content: write up assigned material using your research • Ask yourself: how does my information relate to our primary focus? • Distinguish common knowledge from outside source material • Cite all outside sources using APA format • Organize your information logically • Use assigned format if provided • Develop skeletal outline if needed • Employ headings, subheadings, bullets/numbers

17. Draft Sections/cont. • Use business style • Write in the 3rd person • Construct direct & concise sentences • Eliminate multiple verbs and prepositions (split 3-line sentences) • Double check all pronouns • Split longer paragraphs into smaller sections • Perform bottom to top section review • Use spellcheck & grammar check before submitting for team review

18. Step 3: Review Drafts • Follow guidelines for draft submission • Begin with praise; follow with constructive critique • Review content & organization • Check content criteria • Check format elements & flow • Explain suggestions • Conduct multiple reviews

19. Collaborative Tools for Review • Author/reviewer notes • MS Word Comment • MS Word Track Changes

20. Step 4: Final Review • Review format guidelines • Review content first • Review organization second • Review style third • Employ multi-reader review

21. Recap • Planning Process • Review project guidelines • Divide labor • Create project schedule • Construct detailed plans • Research Paper • Start research • Draft sections • Review drafts • Final review

22. References Anderson, Paul. Technical Communication. 6th. ed. Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007. eileen.mullahy@villanova.edu