Project: 2015 Fall - Business Operations Research

Step Description Expected Student Results
1 Create a SWOT Analysis of their chosen
businesses, the SWOT analysis will include a
competitors grid as well as a SWOT Matrix of the
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
of the business. 		Students will learn how to conduct the SWOT
analysis for the business that they are
researching. They will gather data and develop a
SWOT matrix that they can utilize throughout their
Market Research.
2 II.INTRODUCTION
A.Description of the business or organization
* (research any and all information about your business. You will need to use primary data collection and Interview the owner/manager. Your information will be/but not limited to: what is the type of business (manufacturer, wholesaler,
retailer, service provider)
* What products/services do they sell?
*Who are the owners?
* What is the businss's trading area (geographic
boundaries from which it draws its customers.
* Describe the business's customers/ target market.
* What size is the business? How many employees do they
employ?
* How long in business?
* How is their market segmented: (demographics,
geographics, and psychographics)?
*
B.Description of the community
(economic, geographic, demographic and socioeconomic
factors)
The information needed in this section needs to include
the following :
* Describe the geographic factors of the community.
*Compare the location to major highways, airports,
shopping malls, etc.
*What is the economy like: include any major resources
for the area
*Describe the demographics of the area: age, gender,
race, religion, etc.
* Describe the socioeconomics of the community: how do
people spend their time and how do they spend their
money?

C. Overview of the business or organizations current culture and employee engagement strategies. 		II. Introduction, will include researching the
information listed and typing it in a written report
using the outline format. Students will conduct secondary
research as will as primary research to gather the needed
data. Students are encouraged to use surveys, focus
groups, interviews for the primary data collection. Most
secondary data will be collected using the Internet
provided in class.

The student will submit a rough draft to the mentor. The
mentor will review, edit and provide effetive feedback
for the student work, the student incorporates the
feedback and submits a second draft for review, mentor
reviews that draft. Students will make corretions and
finally submit to teacher for teacher to grade.
3 III. Research Methods used in the study
A. Description and rationale of the research
methodologies selected to conduct the research study

PRIMARY DATA: (Experimentation, Observation, panel,
survey, personal interview, mall intercept, focus group,
mail questionnaire, telephone interview)

o What methods of Primary data collection were
designed in order to get the pertinent information to
complete the Introduction A. Description of the Business?

o What information did you need to know in order to
design your instrument?

o What types of questions did you need to ask about the
business or organization? (For the manager or owner)?
(Include these questions in section III.)


SECONDARY DATA: (information already researched; internet
sources, City-Data sources, Map quest, sales records,
clientele lists, etc.)

What type of secondary data would need to be researched
in order to get the Description of the Business?

Does the business have a website? If so, research any
type of promotion they currently are utilizing.

Description of the Community:

What type of data collection method did you utilize and
why did you select this data collection method?

What secondary sources did you utilize?

B.Process used to conduct the selected research
methods(s)

How did you collect the Primary Data? What method did you
utilize?

Include in this section any Interview questions, focus
group questions
and/or survey.
III. Research Methods used in the study
In this section the students will have prepared a survey,
interview questions, focus group, etc. of their choice
and decided on which primary and secondary data
collection would be more useful.
Secion III. B, is what the students did to actually
conduct both the primary and seconday data.

The student will submit a rough draft of their survey
questions to the mentor. The mentor will review, edit and
provide effetive feedback for the student work, the
student incorporates the feedback and submits a second
draft for review, mentor reviews that draft. Students
will make corretions and finally submit to teacher for
teacher to grade.
4 IV FINDING AND CONCLUSIONS
A.Findings of the research study; students will access the
information gathered, review findings and create charts and
graphs depicting the data gathered.

B. Conclusions based on the findings; read data collected
and write a thorough explanation of their findings.


Students will have two weeks to create a survey and/or conduct the research. Then, write in paragraph form,
what they gathered with the data collection and how the
company presently stands with their employee involvement. Students will also create
charts and graphs analyzing their findings of the
surveys.
The student will submit a rough draft to the mentor. The
mentor will review, edit and provide effective feedback
for the student work, the student incorporates the
feedback and submits a second draft for review, mentor
reviews that draft. Students will make corrections and
finally submit to teacher for teacher to grade.
5 V. Proposed Strategic Plan
A. Objectives and rationale of the proposed plan

B. Proposed activities and timelines: decide on what the
business could do in the form of employee enhancement and how they could implement their plan

C. Proposed metrics or key performance indicators to
measure plan effectiveness.

V. Proposed Strategic Plan: based on their research and
come up with a strategic plan decide how to implement the
plan and how they can measure those results.

The student will submit a rough draft to the mentor. The
mentor will review, edit and provide effetive feedback for
the student work, the student incorporates the feedback and
submits a second draft for review, mentor reviews that
draft. Students will make corretions and finally submit to
teacher for teacher to grade.

6 VI. Proposed Budget
A. Costs associated with proposed strategies
<		 They will also set a budget and come up with means of
measuring the results.

Since we do not actually implement the project at a place
of business, it is hard for the students to understand how
to get the information on ROI and tracking sales. They will
probably need a little more help in this section.

7 I. Executive Summary
One page description of the proj		 Students will outline their project in a one page report
for the executive summary. This is a very important part
of the project; in some cases, this is the only part that
the judge will be able to read. In addition, the students
will format their report in a professional manner with
page numbers, Table of Content, and Title Page, this is
the final draft before it goes to competiton.

The student will submit a rough draft to the mentor. The
mentor will review, edit and provide effetive feedback
for the student work, the student incorporates the
feedback and submits a second draft for review, mentor
reviews that draft. Students will make corretions and
finally submit to teacher for teacher to grade.
8 Oral Presentation Students are expected to present their information in an
oral presentation/ PowerPoint presentation. The students
will compete at a District Level in February and the top
two winners from each category will move on to the State
level.

Mentor role: any feedback that will help the student
succeed in the presentation will be appreciated. Make sure
slides are professional, not cluttered, that the
presentation