1. (Mt) – executive summary help needed
Unformatted Preview This Executive Summary is the first part of a 2 part business writing
assignment for this course/semester. The following general directions apply to both parts of
these assignments. Specifics relative to the Executive Summary are then below… 1. The
overall intent of this assignment is to assess the student’s ability to incorporate course
material in critical analysis of a fresh topic. 2. Students are to self-select their topic, but in
light of the above, should ensure they have ample space to engage course material. 3.
Students may use an industry, company, technology, trend, social issue, sports/hobby, etc.,
as long as they are able to connect to class. 4. Focusing on a published case study or single
article will not typically provide enough scope/material to adequately discuss. 5. Writing
and format should be professional in competency and presentation, suitable for submission
in a business environment. 6. A single format guide was provided in Week 1 as an example,
but should not be merely used as a template. 7. Students should conduct cursory internet
research into sample business reports, annual shareholders reports, etc. for other examples.
8. The UMKC Writing Studio provides additional resources for those desiring editing
assistance. 9. At a minimum, this course assumes acceptable business writing to be 11-12
point font and single-spaced, with average 1″ margins. Additional thoughts on Executive
Summary content and intent… 1. Bottom line, I am looking for you to show me you “get it” –
that you’re digesting our course material and can apply it to outside material. 2. General
business writing philoosphy is to keep it “tight” – be concise. 3. Lead with a brief, solid intro
– tell me what you’ll tell me – what’s the intent of the document and why should I read. 4.
Then tell me – body of the document should logically follow your intro with historical
context, overview, problem, options, risks, analysis, your recommendation, etc. 5.
Conclusion – close with a short summary – remind me what you told me – critical point(s).
6. That same above format/outline will apply to both the Executive Summary and the Final
Paper. 7. Specifics of the outline will vary, based on your specific topic/paper. For instance,
if you’re submitting a business plan for a start-up, it’s going to look different than a risk
analysis of supply chains in post-disaster scenarios, or a comparison of design philosophies
between Apple and Samsung, etc., etc. 8. You will likely expand the framework of your
Executive Summary into your Final Paper, but this initial short draft gets you started,
primes the pump, and gives us a chance to dialog, if needed, on format/approach/topic. 9. I
expect approximately 2 pages for this Executive Summary, which may also contribute to the
8-10 page Final Paper deliverable. 10. Be objective, watch out for subjective claims! If you’re
using a statistic, where did you find that data? Cite your reference sources. 11. I typically
2. expect an average of 1 source per page in quantity – for our final paper I expect a minimum
of 6 sources, plus our textbook. Lastly, remember to have fun with this assignment! Pick a
topic you’re truly interested in. Your passion for the topic will make it more enjoyable for
you to research/write and form me to read/grade. Use this as a chance to explore
something that truly excites you! Please submit your Executive Summary via this Canvas
assignment link by midnight (11:59pm) Sunday, at the end of Week 7.
