Research Project Submission Checklist Requirements
IMPORTANT: Before you submit your Research Project due in Week 12, 11:59 PM EST, please review each item below (1) to (11) to ensure your Research Project fully complies with the requirements.
Please keep in mind that your Research Project is 27% of your total course grade.
(1) Review of the IACBE Outcomes & Rubrics Artifact – BUS 4451 Research Project section of the Course Syllabus.
(2) Review of the Hilton International sample Research Project, which is posted under Modules, as a model for your Research Project. Your Research Project MUST include the Financial Analysis of your approved company.
(3) Approved Company: Your Research Project MUST cover the company that I have approved. A Research Project covering any other company will not be accepted, resulting in a zero.
(4) Approved File Type: MS-Word doc/docx files is required. No other file types will be accepted.
(5) APA Formatted Paper: Double-spaced 12 point Times New Roman font. 1″ left and right side margins. 1″ top and bottom margins. APA first page header. APA last name/page number header for all pages.
(6) Proper APA Citations: Your Research Project MUST have all direct quotes, paraphrased material, facts, and figures properly cited with an APA in-text citation at the end of the sentences where material from your sources was used. A corresponding listing in APA format MUST be included under a References section at the end of your Research Project. Failure to properly cite sources is plagiarism, which will result in a zero. Note that using “According to…” is NOT a substitute for an APA in-text citation.
(7) High-Quality Sources: 8 or more high-quality sources; all properly cited. Please refer to the Week 7 Discussions where you evaluated the use of sources. High-quality sources include academic journals, textbooks, financial reports, and company websites. Non-academic sources are not recommended. Examples: Wikipedia, investopedia.com, about.com, smallbusiness.chron.com, huffingtonpost.com, ehow.com, forbes.com, cnn.com, nytimes, washingtonpost, online encyclopedias, or similar non-academic websites
(8) Sufficient Length (not including cover page or reference list): 2,500 words or more for a full strategic assessment of the company.
(9) Components: Your Research Project MUST include all of the following components:
A. Introduction
B. Situational Analysis:
B1. A brief overview of the firm, including a mission/vision analysis: Written Assignment #1*
B2. Internal analysis of strengths and weaknesses, including a relevant financial analysis: Written Assignment #4* including the Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) Matrix and a Relevant Financial Analysis
B3. External analysis of firm’s opportunities and threats: Written Assignment #3* including External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix.
C. Industry analysis using Porter’s Five Forces or other relevant model: Written Assignment #2* including the Five Forces Chart.
D. Net assessment and critique of the viability and strategic potential of the firm’s current strategy, or an elucidation and evaluation of the strategic alternatives available for recommendation by the student.
E. References
*Written Assignments: Please review my grading comments and mark-ups on the electronic versions of your Written Assignments.
(10) Carefully Proofread: Please review your Research Project for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.