The Major Report Assignment embraces many of the business communication principles covered in various course modules and is designed to gain insight into an aspect of business communication or the status of your intended career. This assignment has two parts:

1.  An outline of the report with bibliographic references to be submitted in Module 3 [ungraded].
2.  A report of 750 - 1,000 words to be submitted in Module 9 - due the final day of the term [graded - 100 points].

The report must be on one of the six topics below. Select a subject that interests you and one you believe you can research and write about.

1. How to Start a Business. Research sources on how to start a business and prepare a report that has proper depth and detail. For help, visit the BizPlanIt website (Links to an external site.).
2. What Does Your Career Offer. What career opportunities exist in your vocational field? What skills are required? What are the prospects for advancement? Interview employers, recruiters, knowledgeable people in the career field; do research on the Internet, including such sites as the Occupational Outlook Handbook (Links to an external site.).
3. How EQ Impacts Business Today. Companies once believed that hiring persons with high IQs represented a sound recruiting strategy until the concept of Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, emerged. Emotional Intelligence affords a new way at looking at the root cause of the successes and ills of a number of business professionals. It explains why some people with high IQs flounder, and why those with modest IQs do surprisingly well. Explore why some managers want employees with high EQs, not IQs. A central source is Daniel Goleman's book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.
4. How Businesses Develops Brand Loyalty. Branding has become a staple of the 21st century economy. Nike, Starbucks, and Whole Foods have focused on developing brand loyalty. Select a company making strides in this area and discuss how it has built market share.
5. How Businesses Create a Corporate Culture. Corporate culture is the synthesis of an organization's collective beliefs, value systems, and processes that result in successful performance. Businesses refer to it as "How we do things here." Discuss the concept and why it's an important communication component for businesses, and how it's created in specific companies. Focus your discussion on a company [or companies] in which corporate culture is breeding success.
6. How Social Media And Mobile/Online Technology Are Helping Businesses Market, Recruit And Achieve Efficiencies. As U.S. firms continue to apply the potential of Facebook and Twitter to their operations, a number have moved onward to more pop culture, innovative plateaus. Social media and mobile/online technology continue to shape the economy in many ways. Retailers today can track shoppers and their behaviors as they navigate through their stores. An employer in Denver can interview a job candidate in Boston face-to-face. And enterprises such as Denny's Restaurants have designated special staff to converse online with the world cyberspace population to develop a stronger brand presence in its industry. Select a company that has crafted a unique and competitively differentiated business model around social media or mobile/online technology. Describe the initiative, and how these advanced resources are producing successful results.

Technical Requirements

The report must:

-    Be at least 750 - 1,000 words, double spaced, with 1-inch margins.
-    Contain information from four (4) sources with at least three (3) in-text references within the body of report consistent with proper APA citation format.
-    Use at least one table or other type of graphic within the body of the report.
-    Include a Title Page, Abstract and Bibliography.

Major Report Rubric  

Report Outline

Once you decide on a topic, it is time to figure out the most logical and effective way to present your idea. To help you save time, organize your thoughts, and get better results, it is imperative that you create an outline that provides you a roadmap for creating your report. Read pages 103-108 and review models on pages 397 and 461. In Module 3 you will submit your Major Report Outline. Your instructor will review the material and provide feedback that will be helpful to you in finalizing your Major Report [due the final day of the term].

Submit a document containing your outline of the report in this activity. Include your surname, module number, and title of the assignment in the document name (e.g., surname_M3_ReportOutline).