Project Purpose:

In this project, you will complete the business plan that can be used to solicit investors or financing for the new business. The purpose of this assignment is to develop the critical thinking and entrepreneurial mindset necessary to translate the idea into a money-making business. Along with critical thinking skills, you will develop research, communication and data evaluation skills.

Outcomes You Will Meet by Completing This Project:

• apply the basic steps involved in developing a comprehensive business plan for both starting and operating a business by creating your own business plan
• describe and explain the environments that businesses operate in—social, economic, political, technological, environmental and legal
• develop your business vocabulary and knowledge of concepts, trends, and current issues by applying them in all course work
• demonstrate the use of software and Internet sources by researching and planning the start-up and operation of your business
• demonstrate the use of a marketing assessment process to develop a marketing plan and a marketing strategy
• analyze and explain projected financial performance, using selected financial ratios

NOTE: All submitted work is to be your original work. You may not use any work from another student, the Internet or an online clearinghouse.  You are expected to understand the Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy, and know that it is your responsibility to learn about instructor and general academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources as specified in the APA Publication Manual, 7th Ed. (Students are held accountable for in-text citations and an associated reference list only). 

Instructions:

Using the idea chosen in Project One and the sections written in Project Three, complete your business plan by completing the operating, financial, and executive summary sections of the plan.

Go back to Project 3 and using the feedback from your instructor, make improvements or updates to the first elements of the Business Plan.  Then, integrate the first part of the Business Plan into this project to bring together all elements of your Business Plan.

Use the format in The Elements of a Business Plan: First Steps for New Entrepreneurs except you will create an introductory letter followed by the Executive Summary as the first elements in the Business Plan.  Although the document that shows the format indicates that the Executive Summary is Step 7, it is important that the Executive Summary is at the beginning of the Business Plan so that a financial institution or investor can quickly read and understand your business idea.

Approach the plan as we did in class. Include the information retrieved from the research in the Action Plan as well as any other material you have gathered to complete the assignment. Be sure to compile the plan in the correct order and as directed in the class directed form. Course material and research should be used to support all conclusions.

Note: Feedback received from the part two should be reflected as corrections in the final draft and will receive 5 points in the rubric.

Review the Paper

Read the paper to ensure all required elements are present.  Use the grading rubric to ensure that you gain the most points possible for this assignment.

Proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical issues, and third person writing. 

• Read the paper aloud as a first measure;
• Use the spell and grammar check in Word as a second measure;
• Have someone who has excellent English skills to proof the paper;
• Consider submitting the paper to the Effective Writing Center (EWC).  The EWC will provide 4-6 areas that may need improvement.

Below I will provide the feedback from the professor and I will attach the first 3 papers. Please use these to make the final paper come together.

Professor Feedback:

project 1: Good Paper, uses good amount of research but more can be added. See comments in he attached. 

project 2: Paper lack rigor, analysis and use of research. Mostly high level based on generalities. Please see comments in the attached. 

project 3: No Submission. A 5% penalty for late submission applied. The paper is not clear in many areas as commented in the attached. Please clarify and improve the Business Description and Market Analysis sections. The other two sections also need more work but are following the outline as such. Please make these improvements before using this in the Project 4

1.Trying an art process

Use only red, yellow and blue mark making tools. (Can be crayon, marker, highlighter, colored pencil, paint, whatever you have on hand). Choose an object around the house which includes green, orange, and/or purple. Using pointillism (aka only dots), try your best to “mix” colors by interspersing different colors and proportions of dots. You should be able to get a range of hues (colors) and values (lights and darks)! Ie a yellow-orange will have a higher proportion of yellow dots than red. If light is hitting it, try spacing your dots further apart. If it is in shadow, space your dots closer together. You may want to add more blue dots to “darken it” in the areas of deepest shadow. Have fun with this – remember it’s not a studio class so the result does not need to be perfect! The point is to better understand the pre-Modern art movement’s play with light and optics by trying it yourself. I will be able to tell if you spent some good time and effort on it. Here is one example: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.crayola.com%2F-%2Fmedia%2FCrayola%2FLesson-Plans%2Flesson_plans%2F1317.jpg%3Fmh%3D762%26mw%3D645&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.crayola.com%2Flesson-plans%2Fpointillism-lesson-plan%2F&tbnid=LHUwVPkGAB3kOM&vet=12ahUKEwib07qK7efvAhVDK6wKHR9rBn4QMygQegUIARCBAg..i&docid=jeV_xkJ9UdfgiM&w=594&h=762&q=pointillism&ved=2ahUKEwib07qK7efvAhVDK6wKHR9rBn4QMygQegUIARCBAg

2.  Let’s do another hands-on practice here.First, look at these “Cubist Still Life” images by Roy Lichtenstein. What objects is he depicting? How many angles are we seeing those objects from? How does he break up the picture plane?https://www.artimage.org.uk/25798/roy-lichtenstein/cubist-still-life-with-lemons–1975https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.62528.htmlNow, make your own. Remember, this is not a studio class so you won’t be graded on making “excellent” art. The idea is to try some of the art techniques – in this case combining multiple viewpoints in one drawing. Show me you put in time and effort. The result does not need to be perfect. Trust me I will know if you put in time and effort.

1. Choose a set of ~3 objects in your own space which exemplify this Pandemic year to you.
2. Arrange them in space together. Think about the background -you could lay them on a draped and bunched cloth on a table, or arrange them in a windowsill, etc.
3. Now set up a workspace with some paper, and use pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, paint, marker, makeup, whatever mark-making tools you have around the house. Don’t buy extra supplies for this. Well you can if you want, but you don’t need to. Ask me if you have trouble or need ideas, we can come up with a plan together.
4. Use a ruler to make at least 3 lines which divide the paper. The lines can be vertical, horizonal, or diagonal. Or some combination.
5. In each space that is left, draw the still life you arranged from a different point of view. So you can fill up 1/3 of your paper by drawing the still life from the left side, then move to the center and fill up another 1/3, then move further to the right and fill up the last part of the page.
6. Upload photo(s) of your drawing. Add a quick reflection on your process. What was it like drawing the same object from multiple angles? Did the final composition make sense? How does it help you understand Cubism in a different way? How does this compare to the linear perspective process you tried a few weeks ago?

For this assignment, you will begin to explore possible topics for your Final Persuasive Essay.  You will analyze two different topics related to your field of study or career and answer the questions below.  After completing the two proposals, write a summary paragraph on which topic you are most likely to choose and why.Each topic must have

• 1) two logical sides to the issue (your viewpoint and an opposing viewpoint),
• 2) must be researched based
• 3) must be relevant to your career or degree.

You will complete two preliminary proposals by addressing the following questions. Each topic proposalshould be organized into 3 paragraphs. After evalauting your topics, write a summary paragraph describing which proposal you are most likely to pursue and why.Topic 1In the first paragraph (5-8 sentences):

• Introduce the topic
• Explain the two sides of the issue
• State your position on the issue
• Reflect on your interest in the topic

In the second paragraph (5-8 sentences), explain:

• Your approach to the argument
• Two or three possible reasons that support your point of view
• Why it is important for people to consider your side of the argument
• Define your audience

In the third (5-8 sentences each), reflect on:

• Possible objections to your point of view
• The importance the potential topic and the need for persuasion
• Bigger picture: What effect does this topic have on you and/or your field of study

Topic 2In the first paragraph (5-8 sentences):

• Introduce the topic
• Explain the two sides of the issue
• State your position on the issue
• Reflect on your interest in the topic

In the second paragraph (5-8 sentences), explain:

• Your approach to the argument
• Two or three possible reasons that support your point of view
• Why it is important for people to consider your side of the argument
• Define your audience

In the third (5-8 sentences each), reflect on:

• Possible objections to your point of view
• The importance the potential topic and the need for persuasion
• Bigger picture: What effect does this topic have on you and/or your field of study

Summary ParagraphAfter completing the proposals for the each of the two topics, write a final paragraph including:

• Which topic you are leaning towards and why?
• What strengths do you bring to this topic?
• What challenges are you likely to encounter?
• What one question are you asking the audience to consider?

The Value of Intangible Benefits

[WLOs: 1, 2] [CLO: 4]

Prior to beginning work on this assignment,

• Read the weekly lecture.
• Read Chapter 9 of Shift Ahead: How the Best Companies Stay Relevant in a Fast-Changing World.
• Review the DargeanGrix Business Scenariodocument.
• Read the article: The Hidden Value in Your Intangible Assets.
• Review the following: 5 Powerful Ways to Confront Change in the Workplace, ‘Niceness’ Can Hurt an Organization, 8 Ways to Manage Change in the Workplace Effectively, Intangible Benefits Can Play Key Role in Business Case, What Are the Tangible and Intangible Benefits of ERP System?, and What Are Intangible Benefits?

In this assignment, you will construct a justification for the purchase or outsourcing of the technology you would recommend as the solution to the video communication problem described in your Week 3 What It Takes to Be a Champion of Change Video Presentation discussion. Conduct an internet search using the key-word phrase “video conferencing solutions” to identify a solution that might fit the company’s needs.

NOTE: The chosen technology is only a framework and isn’t as important as your justifications using the intangibles you identified in your Week 2 What are Intangibles Worth? discussion, Current Intangible Business Costs assignment, and from reviewing the An Intangible Example document recommended resource.

Using the elements you identified in the DaregeanGrix scenario in Week 2 for justification,

• Build a table with approximate costs associated with each of the elements in the company’s current environment.
  • Some of these should be actual (tangible) costs and some should be implied (intangible) costs (e.g., customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, efficiency, etc.).
• Weigh the tangible costs and the intangible improvements that the new technology will bring to the organization using a narrative format and contextual reasoning.
• Create a justification for the solution using the intangible elements the solution will provide.
• Explain how these elements have a significant impact on the organization, employees, and customers.

Remember that your goal is to be able to justify a possible investment using intangible benefits in a new technology in which there is little in the way of traditional return on investment (ROI) to lean on.

The Value of Intangible Benefits assignment

• Must be at least five double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA Styleas outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft Word resource.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice resource for additional guidance.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
  • For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions as well as Writing a Thesis Statement, refer to the Writing Center resources.
• Must use at least five credible sources in addition to the course text.
  • The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
  • To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view this Ashford University Library Quick ‘n’ Dirtytutorial, which introduces the Ashford University Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper guide.
  • Direct quotes are a great way to strengthen assertions and provide support. However, be sure to avoid using excessive direct quotes in lieu of original thought. Direct quotes will not meet the requirement for analysis, application, and critical thinking. Please ensure you do not overuse direct quotes so that you can avoid losing points for this. 
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References List resource in the Writing Center for specifications.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Submission Checklist

Before submitting your graded project, make sure you’ve done all the required tasks.

• Create a database with multiple tables and a Lookup field table.
• Create forms corresponding to database tables.
• Populate a database table by using forms.
• Create a query based on two related tables.
• Specify a sort in a database select query.
• Create a spreadsheet and apply formatting, including merge and center, to cells.
• Use a function in a formula to calculate a value.
• Create a Column chart of type 2-D Clustered Column.
• Edit a chart title.
• Change a chart style.
• Type and format text in a Word document.
• Insert, size, and position an online clip art image.
• Create a mail merge document using an existing database query as a data source.
• Insert merge fields, including an AddressBlock, in a Word letter.
• Match fields in an AddressBlock merge field.
• Paste an Excel chart in a Word document.
• Merge field data with actual data to create individual letters.
• Create a PowerPoint presentation.
• Apply a theme to a presentation.
• Insert an existing image into a slide and then size and position it.
• Paste an Excel chart into a slide.
• Refer to a spreadsheet for content to add to a slide.
• Insert an online clip art image into a slide and then size and position it.
• Apply a transition.
• Apply animations separately to bullet items on a slide.