Final Draft Word Count and Setup Requirement:
Polished, properly formatted, 8+ page report (plus a cover page and a References page)
4 or more research sources
APA cover page, in-text citation, and References page
12-point Times New Roman font
Double-spaced lines
3rd person point of view
WHAT:
Research and write an 8+ page Feasibility Report that offers a specific solution to a defined business-related problem. This can be a company that you worked at or a company that you read about in the news media.
HOW:
Use the steps in process writing to determine the problem and the solution that will be described in this assignment.
Example business-specific problems:
Facebook selling users’ private information (without their consent) to Cambridge Analytica.
Volkswagen’s automobile emissions scandal.
Fox News’ firing of Bill O’Reilly.
Adidas’ insensitive Boston Marathon email.
United Airlines’ removal of a passenger.
Harambe the gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo
Here are some questions to consider before drafting the report:
What is the specific problem you will discuss in your Feasibility Report?
Have the problem and solution been narrowed in scope to be described within the limits of this paper’s page count?
What action do you want to convince the audience to do/accept?
Will the report attempt to solve an internal organizational problem?
Who is the target audience?
Will the Feasibility Report be addressed from one department in the organization to another? Or will it be from an individual to a department within the organization?
Who has the power to approve the recommendations in your report?
What research findings will you need?
How much background information will be needed to ensure the audience understands the problem and the need for solution?
What specific research findings will best support your descriiption of the problem and your proposed recommendations for change?
As you develop your Feasibility Report for this course, keep in mind the final draft of the assignment must consider only a single, feasible solution and apply APA citation style.
Rhetorical Structure: The Feasibility Report must contain these required sections:
Title/cover page
Table of Contents
Abstract
Introduction (overview, background)
purpose of report
problems that motivated report
person who initiated report
Discussion (body, findings)
criteria upon which recommended solution will be based
data/research findings
analysis of data against criteria
Conclusion
summary giving significance of findings and drawing conclusion based on data/findings in report
recommendation for next steps or course of action to be taken based on discussion in report
References
A Peer Review session is scheduled for the advanced draft of this assignment; participation in Peer Review as a reviewer and reviewee is required. Further details about Peer Review will be provided at a later time.
WHY: The Feasibility Report is an informative, analytical business document that uses research to persuade an audience to accept and/or implement a particular solution in response to a defined issue or need. Feasibility Reports are most commonly designed to do one or more of the following:
communicate a recommended solution from one business or department to another;
communicate a recommended solution from an individual to a business or department;
solve an internal organizational problem.
This assignment allows you to demonstrate understanding of rhetorical appeals and definitions used in this type of business communication. It reinforces knowledge of writing as a process in which personal and collaborative skills are used in service of substantive revision.
Academic Format, Citation and Integrity Resources:
Please view this link to learn how to format in-text citations or make a references page:
https://guides.lib.unc.edu/citing-information/apa-in-text (Links to an external site.)
Please view this link to learn what plagiarism is and how to avoid it:
http://subjectguides.lib.neu.edu/plagiarism (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
Aspects to Review Prior to Submission of Feasibility Report
Does my Feasibility Report provide a single, viable solution to a defined problem?
Have I effectively presented information for each of the Feasibility Report’s required sections?
Have I used research effectively, incorporating quotes and paraphrases successfully? (Review this topic at http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/tlc/tipsheets/writing/integrating-quotes.pdf (Links to an external site.) )
Have I correctly presented APA citation format to document sources I used for the report’s information? (Review at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_overview_and_workshop.html (Links to an external site.) )
Have I used 4 or more research sources in the text of the report and properly listed them in APA format on the References page?
Is my final draft more than 10+ pages in total length (8+ pages of content, 1 cover page, 1 References page)? Is it 12-point Times New Roman font?
Is my final draft presented in 3rd person point of view?
Is my text grammatically correct? (Review common grammar mistakes in A Writer’s Reference, chapters titled “Grammatical Sentences,” “Punctuation and Mechanics,” and “Basic Grammar”
