ENC 1101: Written Communication I - Research Paper
Assignment Purpose The Research Paper covers the Stock Market. Why? ENC 1101 is a Writing course, not a Finance or Economics course. Improving your literacy, however, also includes financial literacy. Do you know what IPO or ROI stands for? What is a dividend? What's the difference between a Public and Private company? Some of you might already know the answers to these questions, which is good, but many students are graduating with severe debt, so a lesson in financial literacy would be beneficial.
Prompt
Write A Research Paper about a Publicly traded company and conclude whether or not the stock is a BUY, HOLD, or SELL. You must research the following SEVEN categories:
1) Company background/overview (No more than 250 words)
Explain the company’s biography. Who started it? What does the company sell? What is the company’s mission statement? When did the company go public? Most importantly, why should someone BUY, HOLD, or SELL the stock? Your Thesis Statement will go here.
2) Company divisions or subsidiaries (No more than 300 words)
As a publicly traded company, chances are there are multiple divisions and subsidiaries of said company. Discuss them. What are they? What products do they make or services do they provide? Are they established and profitable or are they speculative and risky?
3) Outlook of the company’s industry (No more than 250 words)
Your company is one in an entire industry. What is the state of the industry as a whole? Is there any disruption from the Internet happening in the industry? Is the industry in a boom or bust period? Is the outlook the same domestically and internationally?
4) Recent news about the company (No more than 250 words)
Since the stock market is fast-paced, you may only include information from the past year in this section of the paper. Does any of the current news impact the stock price? Quarterly earnings reports and management changes, such a new CEO, are good examples of recent news.
5) Competitors (No more than 250 words)
Who are the competitors? What is their competing product or service? Who poses the largest threat to your company’s market share? How is your company responding to the competition?
6) Risks (No more than 100 words)
This is not the same as competitors. For example, Facebook may have competition from Twitter, but risks its users having social media fatigue. Chipotle also went through an outbreak of Escherichia coli (or “E. coli” for short). If your company is working on a speculative project, there’s no guarantee for success.
7) How all this information affects the company’s stock (No more than 100 words)
You will put your thesis statement here again. Based on all the information that you research, summarize the reasons one should BUY, HOLD, or SELL your company’s stock.
(See Page 2)
Conducting Your Research
You are to conduct research using the SCF Library Online Databases exclusively. You are NOT allowed to use information from websites, with one exception: the website of your selected company. Except for the company website, you cannot use information if it did not come from an SCF Database.
Open the SCF Library webpage, and then click on "Databases" to find your sources. You must find one source from each of these three Databases:
1. Business Insights Essentials
2. Business Source Complete
3. New York Times (Current: 1985-present)
No other Databases are required aside from these three, but you can add more if you choose. Remember that when you try to access these Databases, you need to provide SCF with your Borrower ID, which is your G00 number, and PIN, which is the last 4-digits of your G00 number.
APA Citation Format
This Research Paper requires APA format, not MLA. Almost every non-Humanities discipline requires APA citations, so you need exposure to the format. Our textbook has a chapter dedicated to APA, and we will have lessons on Canvas that specify exactly what you will need for this essay.
Other Requirements
The Sample Paper from Canvas will be your best guide for how to organize your essay. For more a in depth description of the requirements, please review these rules:
1. The Research Essay must be between 1,300 (minimum) and 1,500 (maximum) words. Essays under 1,000 words automatically earn 4 out of 10 points in all categories of the Grading Rubric.
2. You must include a Cover Page. The words from the Cover Page do not counts toward the word count. The TITLE of your essay goes here. Do not title the essay “Research Paper” or simply the name of your selected company. Do not copy the Sample Paper title.
3. Separate each of the seven categories with a centered bolded heading. You can have multiple paragraphs for each category, so long as you do not exceed the word limit.
4. Your entire paper (including the headings) must be written in 12-point Times New Roman font, with double-spacing.
5. Each paragraph must be indented.
6. No personal pronouns are allowed except for the third-person (he/she/it and they).
7. You must have a separate page at the end of your essay dedicated to your references. This final page must have the title “References” – NOT “Work Cited” or “Bibliography”.
(See Page 3)
Where you can get help
The SCF Library website has a feature to assist students called “Ask a Librarian”. The Librarians are able to chat with you if you have trouble finding sources from the Databases. They can even answer general questions about APA format and citations. I recommend that you use this feature if you are struggling to find your sources.
Finally…
You cannot afford to procrastinate on the Research Paper. Students who delay writing the Research Paper do so at their own peril. If you are confused, then please reach out to me so that I can clarify any questions you may have. I urge students to review the Sample Paper and Grading Rubric to avoid any misunderstanding of the assignment expectations.