Assignment: Abstract for Portfolios

Think of the abstract as a short (250 words or about 1/2- page single spaced) formal report that distills the contents of your portfolio for an audience of business professionals. It serves as a summary of what is in the portfolio itself, not a summary of your entire project.

The samples I have in my business textbooks are quite dry and don't really have anything to do with the type of portfolio you are writing for this course, but here is a sample abstract for an annual report on ethics cases, taken from the latest edition (2007) of a textbook I used to use, Writing That Works, 9th ed., by Charles T. Oliu, et al. The abstract reads:

"This annual report examines the disposition of 3,458 ethics cases handled by CGF Aircraft Corporation's ethics officers and managers in 2005 and provides the Ethics and Business Conduct Committee with the information necessary for assessing the effectiveness of the Ethics Program's first year of operation. Ethics cases were categorized into two main types: (1) major cases that involved serious violations of company policies or illegal conduct, and (2) minor cases that did not involve serious policy violations or illegal conduct. Also presented are examples of cases handled in each category and the disposition of 30 major ethics cases. Recommendations are offered for planning for the second year of the Ethics Program."

The textbook editor points out that the above abstract summarizes the purpose, scope, and period covered in the report (in your case, the entire semester). So, think of the purpose of your abstract as doing the same: summarizing the purpose, scope, and period of your group's portfolio -- the official report of your Group Field Project. You don't have to copy this, per se. I just wanted you to see the style and tone of the abstract so that you know what one looks like and what it accomplishes.