Research  Report       Task:   Your  boss/stakeholder  in  your  project  has  asked  you  to  write  an  informative,  interesting,   analytical,  recommendations  research  report  on  one  of  the  topics  below

Research  Report       Task:   Your  boss/stakeholder  in  your  project  has  asked  you  to  write  an  informative,  interesting,   analytical,  recommendations  research  report  on  one  of  the  topics  below  (see  list  of  topics  or   choose  a  topic  of  your  own  and  ask  me  to  approve  it).  Following  the  report  format  (Week  6  and   7  Content)  you  will  investigate  this  topic/issue,  provide  researched  information  about  various   aspects  on  the  topic  and  conclude  with  a  list  of  recommendations  (based  on  your  research   findings).  A  sample  report  will  be  discussed  in  Week  7.     Research  Component:

• Include  at  least  five  sources  from  places  such  as  the  Internet,  newspapers,  magazines,   books,  interviews,  etc.

• At  least  one  of  these  sources  must  be  peer  reviewed.  You  must  include  at  least  one   citation  or  paraphrase  from  each  source,  using  the  APA  style  of  documentation.

• Please  ensure  you  consult  the  CRAAP/COCOA  for  reliability  of  sources  (Week  4  Content).   • There  must  be  a  References  page  at  the  end  of  your  report  that  should  be  linked  to  your

in-­‐text  references.       *Note:  Wikipedia  is  not  an  acceptable  source  and  will  not  count  towards  your  research   component.     Requirements:

• Format:  formal  report  addressed  to  me  OR  to  your  boss/stakeholder   • Length:  approx.  15  pages  long,  including  graphics  and  References  page   • Components:  title  page,  table  of  contents,  list  of  figures,  executive  summary,

introduction,  body,  conclusions  &  recommendations,  appendix  (if  applicable),  References   • Pattern:  direct  or  the  indirect,  depending  on  your  audience   • Correct  APA  format  throughout,  including  in-­‐text  citations  and  References  page  (for

information  regarding  APA  format,  consult  the  Purdue  University  Online  Writing  Lab:   APA  Formatting  and  Style  Guide)

• Organization:  sections  with  effective  headings  and  subheadings   • Full  block  format;  single-­‐spaced,  1  blank  line  between  paragraphs;  main  sections  start  on

a  new  page   • Font:  Times  New  Roman  12-­‐point  for  text.  You  can  use  larger  font  for  headings.     • Style  and  Grammar:  Apply  all  of  the  principles  of  effective  business  communication,

including  correct  punctuation,  grammar,  and  spelling   *Note:  this  should  be  a  recommendations  report-­‐  not  an  informational  report.  Overall   you  are  providing  the  reader  with  information  (in  the  beginning)  about  your  topic  to   eventually  convince  them  of  your  recommendations  (at  the  end).

2

This  list  of  possible  topics  may  form  the  basis  of  your  research  reports  (depending  on  breadth   and  scope  of  material  available).    You  may  also  submit  a  topic  for  approval  outside  of  this  list  via   email.

• Developing  a  marketing  partnership  with  HR  to  support  corporate  brand   • A  marketing  response  to  changing  customer  requirements:  the  drive  towards  wellness   • Identifying  internal/external  customers  and  meeting  their  needs   • Development  marketing  platforms  within  the  recruitment  cycle   • Developing  long-­‐term  customer/employee  relationships   • Identifying  and  creating  new  markets  –  new  strategies  for  Marketing   • Developing  competitive  marketing  strategies  internationally   • How  a  brand  promise  drives  change  in  a  multinational  organization   • Brand  repositioning  and  communications   • Corporate  versus  product  branding   • Developing  a  marketing  partnership  with  other  departments  to  support  corporate  brand   • Identifying  internal/external  customers  and  meeting  their  needs   • Developing  long-­‐term  customer/employee  relationships

Late  Penalty:   Late  assignments  will  be  penalized  at  a  rate  of  10%  per  day  (including  weekends).  After  3  days,   the  Dropbox  will  close  and  assignments  will  no  longer  be  accepted.     Academic  Integrity:     All  papers  will  be  checked  for  plagiarism  using  Turnitin.  Please  make  sure  you  reference  your   sources  correctly  and  view  your  %  of  copied  text.  It  is  acceptable  for  this  report  to  have   approximately  15-­‐20%  of  matching  text  to  your  references  and  or  in-­‐text  quotations.  If  you  are   concerned  please  check  the  Turnitin  score  before  the  due  date.  Submissions  cannot  be  altered   after  the  due  date  has  passed.

Evaluation  Criteria:

RESEARCH  REPORT  GRADE     Report  structure/  sections:     1.  Title  page,  table  of  contents,  list  of  figures,  executive  summary   /10   2.  Introduction

• Topic  chosen  is  specific,  focused,  and  appropriate   • Report  addresses  important  questions  related  to  topic   • Introduction  explains  importance  of  this  research,  provides  background  about

business  situation  or  problem  to  be  solved     • Intro  mentions  solution/  proposal  (for  direct  pattern  reports)

/10

3.  Findings,  Analysis,  and  Recommendations   • Specific  and  pertinent  facts  are  provided  about  topic   • Facts  and  ideas  are  presented  clearly   • Recommendations,  if  applicable,  are  based  on  findings   • Summary,  if  applicable,  is  an  appropriate  recap  of  main  points

/30

Use  of  Sources   • At  least  5  appropriate,  high-­‐quality  sources  used  effectively  to  support  findings

and/or  recommendations   • Source  material  integrated  well,  with  appropriate  signal  phrases,  in-­‐text

citations,  parenthetical  references,  etc.   • APA  format  used  without  error

/20

Formatting,  readability,  and  usability  of  document     • Correct  report  format   • Sufficient,  consistently  written,  and  formatted  headings  to  guide  reader   • Some  information  presented  graphically  via  charts,  diagrams,  tables,  etc.  (taken

from  sources  or  created  by  student)   • Long  paragraphs  avoided  in  favour  of  manageable  paragraphs  and/or

bulleted/numbered  points,  where  appropriate   • Appropriate  tone  (objective,  formal)

/10

Free  of  all  grammatical,  spelling,  and  stylistic  errors                                    /20   TOTAL                       /100