1. Your 100 students are interested in the fundamental subject matter of innovation in business. 2. Design your report to help the audience better understand a vital trend impacting this industry. 3. Although your audience are peers, keep in mind that your goal is to create a professional document. 4. Consider that audience engagement responds to fun facts and entertaining considerations. 5. The best reports will be full of useful information and focused on the future. Reference Source Considerations: 1. Two or more recent, reliable news sources 2. Two or more recent trade journal articles 3. One or more website sources from a professional organization (if available) 4. One industry report or one company report (if possible) Citations: Use APA in-text parenthetical citations and an APA formatted reference page. Avoid plagiarism at all costs. Smoothly and accurately integrate quotations and paraphrases, being attentive to the differences among quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and plagiarizing. Remember, I do not desire or require APA format for the report headings/structure. Use full justification and paragraph headers the assist reader comprehension. Reminder – Cover Letter: Include a cover letter addressed to your chosen audience. Explain to the reader why this research paper is important. Submit as part of your report to the link provided. Deliverables: Complete and submit project on or before the required due date.
Business Communication – Term Project Guidelines and Topics
Topic – Informative Report: Explain an Emerging Industry Trend (Innovation Oriented)
Underpinning Question: How do you move from a student to an integrated member of your future workplace?
What does that future look like? All good stuff or are there some valid concerns or issues?
Assignment Abstract / Format: Write a professional business report that investigates and analyzes a significant
trend in an industry of your choice. Choose one major trend and explain what it is and how it impacts the industry
and the stakeholders of the industry. This report is not a product commercial, it is a serious review of an industry
in change – how employment will be affected – good or bad. It is about possible careers being changed.
• Length – 8 to 15 pages, single-space (includes cover letter, title page, etc., etc.)
• Cover Letter, Title Page, Abstract, Table of Contents, Body of Work, Reference Page, Appendix
• Format: Single-spaced | .5 / 1-inch margins | 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
• Block format (full justification desired).
• Use headings both to separate information logically and to create high skim value.
Purpose: Your “job” here is to envision your report handed out to 100 College Students who are gathered to
listen to presentations on exciting business innovations and trends. To that end, your “job” is to explain a trending
topic in a specific industry to college students interested in such matters. The research and analysis of this
assignment demand detailed preparation and research.
What this means is that you will:
• Synthesize a substantial number of resources to support your analysis
• Read and analyze online and print sources and summarize the key takeaways from them
• Develop a well-formatted, reader-oriented professional report
• Practice integrating sources with APA citations. Ethically and accurately crediting outside information
will establish professional credibility with your audience.
Necessary Parts: Your final “report” product consists of two items – a Formal Cover Letter and a Report.
Formal Cover Letter: Make up a name and address for a College Student. You can use our college location for
your address. The cover letter should be short and to the point, reflecting what you hope the report will
accomplish. Perhaps secondary, try to enlist or create some excitement about your work.
Professional Report: (Do not use APA except for citation. No APA running headers or paragraph formatting).
• Title Page
• Abstract
• Table of Contents
• Body of Work
▪ Introduction that identifies the purpose, scope, methodology, and sources of information. If useful,
some introductions may discuss limitations.
▪ Main section synthesizing your research and analyzing key considerations. Employ/insert at least
one graphic (it must be relevant and valuable in explaining the trend). Source required.
▪ Short summative closing
• APA References page
• Optional Appendix (highly desirable)
Audience Thoughts:
1. Your 100 students are interested in the fundamental subject matter of innovation in business.
2. Design your report to help the audience better understand a vital trend impacting this industry.
3. Although your audience are peers, keep in mind that your goal is to create a professional document.
4. Consider that audience engagement responds to fun facts and entertaining considerations.
5. The best reports will be full of useful information and focused on the future.
Reference Source Considerations:
1. Two or more recent, reliable news sources
2. Two or more recent trade journal articles
3. One or more website sources from a professional organization (if available)
4. One industry report or one company report (if possible)
Citations: Use APA in-text parenthetical citations and an APA formatted reference page. Avoid plagiarism at
all costs. Smoothly and accurately integrate quotations and paraphrases, being attentive to the differences among
quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and plagiarizing. Remember, I do not desire or require APA format for the
report headings/structure. Use full justification and paragraph headers the assist reader comprehension.
Reminder – Cover Letter: Include a cover letter addressed to your chosen audience. Explain to the reader why
this research paper is important. Submit as part of your report to the link provided.
Deliverables: Complete and submit project on or before the required due date.
Term Project Report: As detailed and formatted above (CL/Report).
Evaluation Criteria
Critical Thinking (logical orientation of subject matter)
• well-articulated problem/purpose statement
• informative and accurate analysis and synthesis of sources
• credible integration and discussion of your sources
• specific examples and details that support your analysis
Organization (cogent & clean)
• reader-oriented organization: concise and focused introduction
• well-organized paragraphs with topic sentences, research, and explanation or analysis of that research
• concise summative closing
• clear, detailed, logical headings
Formatting/design (professional)
• thoughtful design that highlights key information and has high skim value
• appropriate use of whitespace
• parallel lists
Use of sources (appropriate and effectively employed)
• credible research from reliable sources of the types required
• effective incorporation of sources into your sentences
• varied attributive tags that introduce sources and give credit for all outside information, ideas, and words
• appropriate use of summary, paraphrase, and quotation
• accurate and correctly formatted References page (APA style)
• correctly formatted in-text citations (APA style)
• coordination between in-text citations and References page
Writing (collegial and well-edited – to include Grammarly or a valued 3rd party)
• clear, concise, and easy-to-follow sentences that get straight to the point
• active voice
• appropriate tone and word choices
• grammatically correct, error-free pros
