Research-Based Project Assignment : SWOT Analysis

Project Assignment:  Responsibilities and Guidelines
 
Outlined below are the responsibilities and guidelines for the Project Assignment:

1. Learning goals, internship expectations, and demonstration of learning requirements
2. Four types of Project Assignments
3. Overall Requirements for All Types of Project Assignments
4. Project Submission Requirements through Canvas and Technical Difficulty Policy

 
Course Learning Goals
Upon successful completion of the internship, you will have demonstrated the achievement of three major learning goals as assessed by performance on the Project Assignment which entails the reporting of both practical insights extended from the internship experience as well from the academic insights expanded from such sources as FAU Library’s electronic journal collection (i.e., scholarly research and professional  journals) and its Indexes/databases, textbooks, and other published sources of information, such as training manuals and videos.
Internship Expectations, Academic Credit, and Demonstration of Learning
The Marketing Department Internship is a three hour, senior-level credit-earning course.  As such you are responsible for:

1. Working with the Marketing Internship Director (or another qualified member of the Marketing Department faculty) and company mentor to identify three critical learning goals better enabling you to qualify for your desired career while successfully undertaking internship responsibilities
2. Demonstrating goal attainment by submitting a rigorous, senior-level project aligned with the learning goals you established for the internship course

 
Extension of Learning:  Two Required Paths:
Highlighted in Exhibit 1, the internship course presents two paths to extend the learning and/or skills required to reach your career aspirations and to attain the learning goals you established for the internship.  Exhibit 1 clarifies how both on-the-job training and academic learning efforts are required to achieve the three learning goals you outlined for the course.
 
            Exhibit 1:  Two Required Paths to the Attainment of Learning Goals

 
 
 
 
 
 
            Practical Learning:
Practical learning concerns the extension of cognitive learning gained from activities and experiences, assignments and responsibilities, mentoring, training, manuals and guides, and training videos while interning in the company.  Practical learning is gained from the within-company experience.
Academic Learning:
Academic learning entails the expansion of knowledge gained form traditional academic sources, such as textbooks, online training videos and related sources, manuals and guides, and Florida Atlantic University Libraries’ electronic journals (i.e., scholarly research-based journals, professional journals), and Indexes/Databases.  Academic learning implies additional learning acquired beyond the within-company experience from academic and other professional sources.
 
Type 1:          Research-Based Project Assignment – Requirements and Guidelines
The first seven steps listed below were fulfilled when you completed the Research-Based Proposal.  Make refinements to the proposal if required.  Next, copy and paste your responses to Sections 1 through Section 7.7 below from your final Proposal Assignment.  If you had discussed a different format and it was approved by the Director, Marketing Internships (or a sponsoring Marketing Faculty Member), present the revised method.
 

1. Title Page

 

2. Company Name and Brief Description of the Internship

 

3. Learning Goals

 

4. Introduction

 

5. Literature Review

 

6. Problem Statement

6.1          Purpose of the Research
 
6.2          Research Question
 
6.3          Null Hypothesis
 

7. Method

 
The following sections of the Research Project Assignment are added to your response the Research Proposal Assignment.
 

8. Analysis

Present the analysis.  Use a table, bar chart, etc.  Use descriptive statistics when appropriate.  Write up the analysis as well.
 

9. Findings

Indicate and discuss the results and their implications.
 

10. Recommendations

Offer a recommendation based on the hypothesis and the findings.
 

11. References

Use the APA format to develop a reference section.
 
Type 2:          Case Study Assignment – Requirements and Guidelines
Copy and paste below the first 6 sections shown below from the revised Case Study Proposal.
 

1. Title Page

 

2. Company Name and Brief Description of the Internship

Name the company.  Describe the internship and the types of tasks engaged in one or two paragraphs.

3. Learning Goals

 

4. Introduction

 

5. Company Overview

 
                5.1          Name and nature of the business
                5.2          Business model
                5.3          Mission and values
                5.4          Financial health of the company
                5.5          Company’s market standing and reputation
                5.6          Company’s competencies and capabilities
                5.7          SWOT Diagram
 

6. Problem Statement

 
Address the following sections to complete the Case Study Project Assignment.
 

7. Name of plausible solution 1

                7.1          Description of the plausible solution 1
                7.2          Advantages of the plausible solution 1
                7.3          Disadvantages of plausible solution 1
 

8. Name of plausible solution 2

                8.1          Description of the plausible solution 2
                8.2          Advantages of the plausible solution 2
                8.3          Disadvantages of plausible solution 2
 

9. Name of plausible solution 3

Limit the analysis of plausible solutions to no more than three.  The recommendation is to select and analyze only two plausible solutions.
                9.1          Description of the plausible solution 3
                9.2          Advantages of the plausible solution 3
                9.3          Disadvantages of plausible solution 3
 

10. Decision Criteria

Identify and list in bullet points the decision criteria you will use to identify the optimal solution to the marketing problem.
 

11. Recommendation and Justification

Recommend the optimal solution to the company’s marketing problem.  Justify the recommendation using the decision criteria listed in step 10.
 

12. Implementation Plan

Outline a plan to implement the recommendation.
 
References
Use the APA format.
 
Type 3:  Academic Term Paper Project Assignment – Requirements and Guidelines
 
Copy and paste below the first five sections from the Term Paper Proposal Assignment.

1. Title Page

 

2. Company Name and Brief Description of the Internship

 

3. Learning Goals

 

4. Statement of Purpose

 

5. Focus and Scope of the Term Paper

 
Address the following sections to complete the term paper assignment.
 

6. Title of the Term Paper

 

7. Content

 

8. Summary and Conclusions

 

7. References

Conform to the APA Style.
 
Type 4:  Skill-Building Project – Requirements and Guidelines
Copy and paste below the seven sections (including Exhibits 1 through 3) from the Skill-Building Proposal.
 

1. Title Page

 

2. Company Name and Brief Description of the Internship

 

3. Skill-Building Goals

 

4. Introduction

 

5. Current Skill Level

 

6. Plan to Gain the Desired Skills

 
6.1          Required Techniques to Become Skilled:
 
Exhibit 1:  Skills and Required Techniques

3 Learning Goal Skills (Column A)	Associated Techniques to Gain Skills (Column B)	Technique Description (Column C)

 
6.2          Sources of On-the-Job Experiences, Mentoring, Training, and Other Resources
 
Exhibit 2:  Company Resources Enabling Skill-Building

Company Resources (Column A)	Skill-Building Insights or Techniques Gained (Column B)

 
                6.3          Academic and Professional Sources Enabling Skill Building
 
Exhibit 3:  Academic and Professional Sources Enabling Skill-Building

Academic and Professional Sources (Column A)	Skill-Building Insights or Techniques Gained (Column B)

 

7. List of Techniques and Skills Applied and the Sources of Assistance

Complete Exhibit 4 to describe and report techniques and skills you applied.  For each applied skill, indicate the sources of assistance.  Use the APA Format whenever possible.  Add or subtract rows as necessary.
 
Exhibit 4:  Techniques Applied and Related Sources

Techniques Applied	Sources of Assistance

 

8. Demonstration of Skills Applied

Provide actual examples of work performed that demonstrate practical application of skills gained.  Show each example.  Underneath each example, describe the techniques and skills you used in the application.  Recall that some of your work cannot be legally submitted due to the firm’s privacy policy.  As you undertake skill-building projects for the company, seek permission to submit work done for the company during the internship.  If the company will not give permission, use the techniques and skills acquired to develop your own work to demonstrate skill building.
 
Title Page Format, Other Requirements, and Submission Policy
Regardless of the type of the project proposal you selected, conform to the general requirements listed below.
 

1. Title Page Requirements:
2. Name of the type of marketing project (i.e., term paper, case study, skill-building, or research project)
3. Your formal name
4. Company name (the name of the company in which you interned)
5. Course prefix and title
6. Semester and Year
7. Just include the information noted above WITHOUT any other aesthetic title page design.

 

1. Other Requirements:
2. Page numbers are required.
3. Use professional terms and concepts.
4. Proof and edit the final report. Eliminate all typos and grammatical errors.
5. Adhere to reference requirements
6. Use the APA format to insert citations in the body of the report and to develop the reference section.

 
III.        Submission Policy for all Four Types of Marketing Projects
Go to “Assignments” on the Canvas menu to submit assignments.
 
                Due Dates and Times
See the Canvas menu item titled “Assignments” for the submission deadline – days and times.
 
                Technical Difficulty Policy
If you experience technical difficulty while attempting to submit a graded assignment through Canvas and wish to avoid a late penalty, submit the assignment via email attachment before the deadline.