Q WEEK ONE Directions: 1. By TUESDAY, complete the following: • The beginning post should contain your initial thoughts on the weekly topic and have supporting material. While APA format is not required for brainstorming posts (with the exception of the final attachment post), experience suggests that starting off with the support citations etc. will save time at the end of the week when the final attachment is due. 2. THROUGHOUT the week, complete the following: • The APA requirement normally used in Business courses at UMGC is not required for the brainstorming discussion posts (with the exception of the Final Attachment Post), however referring to the material as a means of support for you work is expected. Remember you are giving professional feedback in these discussions. The use of opinion words like I think, I believe, I feel should be minimized. Slang and other casual remarks should be kept to a minimum. "I agree" is alright but it is not a valuable comment for grading purposes unless the reasons that you concur with your class mates ideas supported by the material. • Treat this discussion forum as a meeting at work. You are trying to exchange ideas that will help develop the best answers. Searching for the "right answer" is not the goal of brainstorming. Brainstorming is asking you to come up with as many ideas as possible and from these ideas you will choose the best! • Get in Early and Get in Often. I know you are busy but the best results come from active participation. 3. No later than Sunday 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Under the Discussion Thread “Final Post Attachment” enter a thread that contains an attachment of the final discussion assignment. This will be considered the brainstorming discussion assignment portion worth (7.5%) of the ten-point grade for the week. It must be an attachment and not an actual post. Additional Requirements and How to Prepare the Weekly Attachment Submission • Follow the Instructions carefully if the assignment asks for a memo, email, plan, report etc. be sure to follow the format templates provided. Submissions should be in proper business writing forms. • APA formatting with in-text citations and a reference list are required. • Read the grading rubric for the assignment • Check the instructions to make sure all elements of the assignment have been covered. • Third person writing is required. Third person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing). If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person. • Contractions are not used in business writing, so the expectation is that students do not use contractions in assignments. • Paraphrase and do not use direct quotation marks. This means you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source document, put a passage from a source document into your own words and attribute the passage to the source document. Provide the page or paragraph number. Note that a reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa. • Do not use books as source material. • Students are expected to use a variety as well as multiple course readings and research to support ideas, reasoning, and conclusions. • Submit the final project into the appropriate assignment submission folder. Once submitted, the project is eligible for grading and students will not be permitted to make changes or make another submission. 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, 6th Ed. (Students are held accountable for in-text citations and an associated reference list only). Over the next eight weeks you will be creating a consulting report for Mary. In this report you will be explaining to her the best practices in managing a small business and highlighting the mistakes that Mary made so that she can position herself for growth going forward. Use the following template: Consultant Report Template . • Set up the report with the initial requirements in week one (title page etc.). Be sure to read the requirements that the template suggests. For instance, make the heading identify the topic under discussion. The headings are given to you each week. • Each week you will add a section to the ISSUE ANALYSIS SECTION covering the exercise for that week (Final Attachment Post). • LEAVE ANYTHING IN BLUE UNTIL WEEK SEVEN OR EIGHT TO COMPLETE (e.g. SEPARATE RECOMMENDATION SECTION). This week's discussion work report heading is: Understanding the Environment of Business Before Your Begin The first part of your report to Mary is to highlight the start up mistakes that set her on the path to poor growth. There are two major points that you wish to highlight: • Why understanding the local and global economy in which the business will operate could have made a difference. • Why understanding the difference between being an entrepreneur and a small business owner could have made a difference. Create your response to Part One of the report will be no longer than two 2 pages (remember this is part one) answer the following: • Explain in detail at least five obstacles Mary faces in today’s local and global economy that must be overcome to create a successful business and how they would have set her business in a better position today. • Explain to Mary the difference between being an entrepreneur and a small business owner. • Demonstrate how understanding the difference would have made her growth easier. • Make one recommendation to Mary that she can use going forward from this analysis.