Write a WORK PLAN for career research paper (part 1) see sampletwo companies are: Charles Schwab Corporation and TD Ameritrade
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Haven– LLD 100WB
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Career Research Project
There are two parts to the Career Research Project:
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Part 1: Career Research Work plan – 15 points.
Part 2: Career Research Report – 50 points.
Part 1: Career Research Work plan
In the real world, prior to doing a research project, you may be asked to create a document called a
Project Work Plan. This document helps to guide the research project and is a planning tool to help you
identify the steps in completing the research and writing the final project report.
Read Ch. 10 – Understanding and Planning Reports. Review the sample work plan on page 251 in the
textbook. Then, create a work plan for the Career Research Report. Format your work plan that same as
the sample on page 251. The Section headings for our Career Research Work plan are the same as the
example:
•
TITLE (WORK PLAN FOR CAREER RESEARCH PAPER) with your name and date
underneath. For some reason, the publisher did not use a title for the sample work plan,
but there should be one.
•
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM (OR STATEMENT OF THE OPPORTUNITY)
•
PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF WORK
•
SOURCES AND METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION
•
PRELIMINARY OUTLINE
•
TASK ASSIGNMENTS AND SCHEDULE
As part of the work plan, you will include a preliminary reference list (following APA format) with a
minimum of 7 references that include professional, credible business sources for the company profiles
and SWOT analyses.
Part 2: Career Research Report
For this report, you will research and analyze two companies, which you may want to target in your future
job searches, and you will determine which company (one, both or neither) you would prefer to work for.
The paper should be approximately 2600 min – 2800 max words and follow the guidelines for an
analytical report, focusing on conclusions and recommendations.
Read Ch. 11 – Writing and Completing Reports. Your paper should follow the format of the sample
report in Chapter 11, beginning on page 296. Because most of the information that will be presented in
the report will be from secondary sources, you must follow the APA guidelines for in-text citations, a
reference list, as well as the use of headings. Seven distinct sources are required – e.g. the company
website counts only as 1 source, even if you use several different articles from that 1 website. For
each company, you may only have 1 resource as well.
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Report Sections (Italicized sections** are the “body” of the report, i.e. the content; these would be used
in the outline):
1. Cover Page – see pg. 296 in the textbook
2. Table of contents – see pg. 298
3. **Introduction – Present the reason why the report is being written, the nature of the
opportunity or problem you are facing,the scope of your research, sources of materials and what
conclusion you reached (direct approach). This is a brief statement about which company you
preferred as your number 1 choice of an employer. (There are several possible conclusions you
might draw – you prefer 1 of the companies over another; or both companies are appealing to
you; or neither company meets your requirements.) You will also forecast what you will be
writing about in the rest of your paper. (1/2 page)
4. **Characteristics of your “perfect” company – In this section, identify the characteristics of an
ideal employer, using both professional and personal preferences, for example – company growth
or types of products might be important to you from a professional point of view; and good
benefits or location might be important from a personal point of view. Describe each
characteristic and state why it is important to you.(1/2 – ¾ page)
5. **Company Evaluations – In this section, you will present your evidence as to why you chose
one company over another. You will report for each company the following: products and
services, customers, markets, company culture, SWOT analysis, and you will then give your
impressions of how each company would meet (or not meet) your personal criteria. (4 pages total
– 2 pages for each company)
6. **Conclusion –Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of each company and
give your final reasons for choosing one company over the other (or neither or both). (1 page)
7. **Next Steps – What will be your next steps in following up on this report as you begin planning
for your career. What do you need to do to be ready to begin your job search and choose a
company.(1/2 page)
8. Reference page – following APA guidelines; example on the bottom of page 309.
WORKPLAN FOR CAREER RESEARCH PAPER
Student 1
STATEMENT OF THE OPPORTUNITY
Every student has the dream of being able to work for a company that provides financial support
and helps him or her reach personal goals. However, researching takes time. As a student who
will graduate in 2014, I need to start finding out which company fits my goals the best. My major
is business with concentration in accounting, and I have the option of working for accounting
firms or in business accounting. I will select two companies that I am interested in. After
comparing them based on my criteria selection, I will make my decision of which company I
would like to work for.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF WORK
The purpose of this report is to identify a company that matches my criteria the most, such as the
size of a company, culture, benefits, and location. From examining each company’s background,
main products and services, and the relationships with customers and competitors, I will analyze
the advantages and disadvantages of each company. By reviewing various reports, including
SWOT analysis and financial reports, I will make my final decision of which company I might
want to pursue.
SOURCES AND METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION
Data will be collected from the following sources: the companies’ official websites, SJSU’s
electronic database, and other online sources. Any other business related articles and media
sources might be used to gather information as well.
PRELIMINARY OUTLINE
I. Introduction
a) Statement of the Opportunity
b) Purpose and Scope of Report
c) Sources of Data Collection
d) Conclusion
II. My Criteria of Selection
a) Culture
b) Size of a Company
c) Location
d) Benefits
III. Both Companies
a) International Business Machine Corporation (IBM)
i.
Background and Industry Information
ii. Products/Services
iii. Customers/Competitors
iv.
SWOT Analysis
v.
Opinion
b) PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
i.
Background and Industry Information
ii. Products/Services
iii. Customers/Competitors
iv.
SWOT Analysis
v.
Opinion
IV. Conclusion – Restate/summarize my reasons for my decision.
V. Recommendations
VI. References
REFERENCES
DATAMONITOR: International Business Machines Corporation. (2011, May). IBM
Corporation. SWOT Analysis, Retrieved October 8, 2012, from Business Source
Complete database.
DATAMONITOR: PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited. (2011, March). PwC LLP.
SWOT Analysis, Retrieved October 8, 2012, from Business Source Complete database.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. (2012). PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Retrieved from
http://www.pwc.com/
International Business Machines Corporation. (2012). IBM Corporation. Retrieved from
http://www.ibm.com/us/en/
International business Machines Corporation. (2012). IBM Corporation. Retrieved from
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=IBM
…
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