The proposal may be written as an Internal Proposal(an offer writers submit within their own organization) or as an External Proposal(an offer writers submit in response to requests made by the government/other organizations in competition with other offers).  

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Note:  The Final Proposal is the last of three proposal-related assignments, including the Proposal Subject and Research Questions assignment and two Proposal Drafts.

Purpose:A proposal is an offer to carry out research or to provide a product or service.

The proposal may be written as an Internal Proposal(an offer writers submit within their own organization) or as an External Proposal(an offer writers submit in response to requests made by the government/other organizations in competition with other offers).

Proposals should include the following parts:

• a statement of purpose

• a summary section

• an introduction

• a proposed tasks section that includes numbered steps

• a timeline for completion

• a budget

• an explanation of (your own) the author’s credentials,

• an APA style Reference section.

Based on my previous experience, the  Final Proposals will be approximately 3-4 pages long or 1200-1500 words. Most importantly, your proposal should include all of the required sections listed above.  The length of the proposals may vary depending on your use of graphics and other factors.

Tasks:

1)   Review your proposal draft, making revisions to improve the content based on the peer review in class.  The Writing Center, located inside the library isa wonderful resource..  A tutor at the Writing Center can provide additional feedback on your proposal.

2)  Turn in one copy of the Final Proposal during Week 11 on Final Exam day.  On this same day, you will also be presenting your portfolio to the class for Final Exam credit.

Criteria for Success:

The proposal begins with a clear, brief statement of purpose

5 points

The proposal includes a summary section that serves as an advanced organizer for readers who may only want an overview of the document.

5 points

The proposal includes an introduction that helps readers understand the context, scope, and organization of the proposal.  The introduction should explain the problem, purpose, background, sources of information, scope, organization, and key terms that you will use in the proposal (see page 302 in our textbook).

5 points

The proposal is developed with numbered steps in a proposed tasks section.  The steps are well thought out and clearly explained.

10 points

The proposal includes a Gantt chart that provides a timeline for completion of each task, including a visual representation of which tasks will overlap.

5 points

The proposal includes a budget that includes both direct and indirect costs–and is expressed in the form of a table or chart.

5 points

The proposal includes an APA style References page and in-text citations for all researched information.  The proposal lists at least two research sources on the Reference page.

10 points

The proposal is formatted correctly with a heading that includes the date, the intended audience, the writer’s name,  and a subject line.  Additionally, sections are clearly labeled with a centered heading.  The entire proposal is single-spaced with double-spacing between titles/headings and the body paragraphs of the proposal.

5 points

Include a Corporate Governance Assessment of your company’s corporate governance “readiness.” Assess the integrity and rigor of the firm’s corporate governance structure (Board, Audit Committee, stock options policies, pension fund policy, etc.) to identify any weaknesses you can find and provide recommendations to strengthen governance policy. Note stories about your company in the media dealing with governance questions.

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Your mission is to develop a comprehensive report to your CEO based on the topics covered in the course. Your task is to analyze the company in this context and provide recommendations.  You decide how each topic should be addressed, and include research to make/support your strategy/policy recommendations. Your report should include an assessment of your company’s corporate governance “readiness” and provide suitable recommendations to ensure compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and new regulations published by the regulatory bodies.

In the spirit of a Forensic Financial Analysis, You should conduct an analysis of the firm’s financial statements and policies as a risk management exercise for the benefit of the company CEO.  Look for any “bodies” buried in the statements and associated notes, as well as the types of information disclosed to the public (e.g., pro forma earnings).  Your goal here is to identify any areas where the firm is vulnerable to SEC action (fraud or otherwise) and report these to the CEO as a preemptive risk mitigation action.  The required text Financial Shenanigans should be used as a reference to guide your approach in this area. I recognize this is a difficult task, given the short exposure to forensics financial analysis and the restricted information available to you. Do the best job you can.

For your Corporate Governance Assessment, you are should  assess the integrity and rigor of the firm’s corporate governance structure (Board, Audit Committee, stock options policies, pension fund policy, etc.) to identify any weaknesses you can find and provide recommendations to strengthen governance policy. The corporate governance readings and recommended text, Building Public Trust: The Future of Corporate Reporting provide a good framework for your analysis and research. I recognize this is a tall order, given the complexity of the task and your limited access to relevant information; however there are a number of databases UMUC subscribes to that can be of use to you. In addition to the article databases, such as ABI/INFORM and Business Source Complete, we have:

1. D & B Key Business Ratios provides business ratios for industries in areas of solvency, efficiency and profitability searchable by industry name and SIC code with reports that can by printed in spreadsheet format.

2. Business and Company Resource Center has industry rankings, financial data, and investment reports including company profiles, products and brand information, investment reports, statistics, company financial overviews, financial ratios, and business events and trends. Some sources from 1985 to the present.

3. Business and Industry has business, finance, strategy, planning, marketing, and international business journal articles from 1994 to the present.

4. Mergent Online has directory data, financial information from 1991 to the present, histories for companies worldwide, and industry reports for the North American, Asian, and European regions from 2003 to the present. Corporate and municipal bond, UIT, and dividend information. Comparative industry financial information and ratios.

You may also use topic areas covered in eCFO lecture notes posted at the links in the course schedule as target areas for improvement in your company, as well as topic areas for the sessions listed in the schedule.  For example, you may address two topic areas from the eCFO lecture notes and two topic areas from the session topics as the focus of your analysis and improvement recommendations.

Your report should be between 15-20 double-spaced pages, not including attachments.

Note: Your CFO project is due the last day of the course. It is worth 30% of your grade. Try to submit it early. I may review it and ask for a resubmission. If it is submitted on the last day of class, this option will not be available.

The report should be a minimum of 4000 words, not counting titles, references, abstract, long quotations and appendices. Organize your paper with interior titles addressing each of the topics. Try to organize your work as below. A table of contents would add value. Your mission is to develop a comprehensive report to your CEO based on the topics covered in the course. Your task is to analyze the company and provide recommendations.

1. Provide an executive summary. It is not an introduction. You should include an overview of the report, the general methodology, and the main findings and the recommendations.

2. Forensic Financial Analysis. This is the main section of your paper. You will be mainly graded on this section.
a. Review the firm’s financial statements and do a ratio analysis of selected areas. Analyze the company based on the topics covered in this course.  A general comparison to other firms in the industry through ratio analysis should be completed.
b. Conduct an analysis of the firm as a risk management exercise for the benefit of the company CEO. Look for any “bodies” buried in the statements and associated notes, as well as the types of information disclosed to the public (e.g., pro forma earnings).
c. Identify any areas where the firm is vulnerable to SEC action (fraud or otherwise) and report these to the CEO as a preemptive risk mitigation action.
The book Financial Shenanigans can be used as a reference to guide your approach in this area. :  http://bus.emory.edu/scrosso/Fall%202014/Weekend%20case%20complete/Prework%202.shenanigans_schilit.pdf
You should review such items as:
1. Shifting Financing Cash Flows to the Operating Section
2. Shifting Normal Operating Cash Flows to the Investing Section
3. Inflating Operating Cash Flow Using Acquisitions or Disposals
4. Boosting Operating Cash Flow Using Unsustainable Activities

3. Complete a meaningful horizontal analysis of the firm’s recent performance with three years of data and two year-to-year changes of comparison. Be sure to provide a qualitative commentary.

4. Include a Corporate Governance Assessment of your company’s corporate governance “readiness.” Assess the integrity and rigor of the firm’s corporate governance structure (Board, Audit Committee, stock options policies, pension fund policy, etc.) to identify any weaknesses you can find and provide recommendations to strengthen governance policy. Note stories about your company in the media dealing with governance questions.

5. Provide suitable recommendations to ensure compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and new regulations published by the SEC and other regulatory bodies.

6. Provide overall recommendations and a conclusion.

7. Provide a reference page. Make sure that you include some strictly academic references from academic journals.

PLEASE ON;Y SERIOUS INQUIRIES AS THIS PAPER IS WORTH 30% OF MY GRADE

· Identify the actions you are proposing that will help ensure that quality data may be produced by your EBP project.

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Respond to this

 

Do children with obese parents, that are inactive with unhealthy lifestyles, compared to children with active and healthy parents, have a lower BMI in six months? The (P) would be the children  (I) activity level and diet (C) obese parents versus non-obese parents (O) BMI in 6 months.

· Explain your specific research approach (qualitative or quantitative) and how it has the potential to answer your research question.

The quantitative approach is tested involving research of a large group sample with less time for collecting evidence or data. It is based on an actual measurement, amount, and extent (length of time) such as 3 months, 6 months, or a year. When researching the The quantitative approach is due to tracking the BMI of children in a six month time frame based on the lifestyles their exposed to and the diet choices they have available. Initially, I would need to obtain the weight of the children from both obese and non-obese parents, and then would need to do a comparison in 3 months and again in 6 months to have statistics to compare.

· Discuss you data collection method, addressing strengths and identifying one potential weakness.

As mentioned above, obtaining data in a 3 month and 6 month time frame, would be a reliability approach in regards to the test-retest reliability. Obtaining data in 3 months and then comparing the data again in 6 months will be able to show a comparison of the weight. As mentioned by Polit and Beck, structured observation occurs based on the researcher and where, at what time, with which participants, and in what circumstances, and they use standard procedure for specific goals (2017). The strength of this study would be the accuracy of measuring the weight of the participants and comparing in the 3 and 6 month mark. The one potential weakness though in researching this would be the behavioral changes of an individual knowing that their being evaluated. For example, the obese individual may not drink as much soda or be a bit more active than if they know they are being observed.

· Identify the actions you are proposing that will help ensure that quality data may be produced by your EBP project.

With the data being collected and compared, actions being proposed are healthier eating habits and increasing physical activity in order to decrease weight and reduce the risk of modifiable illnesses in children to prevent chronic issues from occurring at a younger age. By obtaining the weight of the parents and children, it would be beneficial to explain the reasoning behind the research and share that information with the parents in order for the changes to begin. Children are not aware of the effects of unhealthy eating and limited activity. Once the data is collected and compared, parents might be able to realize the changes that need to be made and the information is shared by a table or graph. In order to get past barriers, strategies need to be aimed at instilling an appreciation for EBP, increasing knowledge, developing necessary skills, and changing behaviors (Dang and Dearholt, 2017).

Mini Research Proposal

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Mini Research Proposal

This written assignment for this week is based on the work conducted in the “Correlation and Regression Study” discussion forum from this week. Based on this initial work, feedback received, and additional research, you will submit a mini research proposal that calls for the use of correlation and regression analyses.

Please include the following in the research proposal:

  • Introduction (1 paragraph)
    • Present the research question of interest.
    • Provide a basic description of what correlation and regression are.
    • Explain how correlation and regression apply to this research question.
  • Methods
    • Participants (1 paragraph)
      • List how many participants will be selected.
      • Identify who will be the participants and their major demographic characteristics (e.g., sex, age, etc.).
      • Explain how participants will be selected for the study.
    • Procedures (1-2 paragraphs)
      • Identify the variables in the study.
      • Describe each variable’s scale of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio) and characteristics (i.e., discrete vs. continuous, qualitative vs. categorical, predictor vs. criterion, etc.).
      • Provide an operational definition for each variable, explaining how the variables will be measured.
  • Results (1-2 paragraphs)
    • Describe the statistical tests that will be conducted. Be sure to include why each test was chosen and why it was appropriate for this study.
    • Identify the information that will be obtained from the results of these tests and what will be needed to answer the research question.
  • Discussion (1 paragraph)
    • Identify any expected biases, assumptions, or faults with the proposed study and the use of the identified statistical tests.
    • Explain what conclusions can and cannot be made for this study, when using these statistical tests.
    • Describe the practical significance or importance of the results.

The paper should be APA formatted as a research proposal, and approximately 1000-1300 words of content, not including the title and reference pages. Include a title page, and a reference page that includes any resources utilized.

 

Resources

Required Text

Sukal, M. (2019). Research methods: Applying statistics in research. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Chapter 9: Correlation
Chapter 10: Linear Regression

Required References

UIS. (n.d.). How to critique a journal article. Retrieved from https://otpod.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/jrnlcrtq.pdf (Links to an external site.)

Wagenheim, M., & Anderson, S. (2008). Theme park employee satisfaction and customer orientation [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://ashford.instructure.com

Recommended References

American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author.

Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications & Chedd-Angier (Producers). (1989). Against all odds: Inside statistics. Available from http://www.learner.org/resources/series65.htm (Links to an external site.)l

Cengage Learning (2005). Research Methods Workshops. Available from: http://www.wadsworth.com/psychology_d/templates/student_resources/workshops/resch_wrk.html (Links to an external site.)

Cengage Learning (2005). Statistics Workshops. Available from: http://www.wadsworth.com/psychology_d/templates/student_resources/workshops/stats_wrk.html (Links to an external site.)

Easton, V. J., & McColl, J. H. (1997). STEPS: Statistics Glossary v1.1. Retrieved from University of Glasgow Web site: Basic Definitions: http://www.stats.gla.ac.uk/steps/glossary/basic_definitions.html (Links to an external site.)

Kahn, J. (n.d.). Reporting statistics in APA style. Retrieved from http://my.ilstu.edu/~jhkahn/apastats.html (Links to an external site.)

Lowry, R. (2011). Chapter 3: Introduction to correlation & regression. In Concepts & applications of inferential statistics. Retrieved from http://vassarstats.net/textbook/ (Links to an external site.)

Neill, J. (2010). University of Canberra. Correlation. Available from: http://www.slideshare.net/jtneill/linear-correlation (Links to an external site.)

Online Stat Book (2008). Retrieved from Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics Web site: Components of r: http://onlinestatbook.com/stat_sim/comp_r/index.html (Links to an external site.)

Online Stat Book (2008). Retrieved from Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics Web site: Regression by Eye: http://onlinestatbook.com/stat_sim/reg_by_eye/index.html (Links to an external site.)

Online Stat Book (2008). Retrieved from Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics Web site: Regression to the Mean: http://onlinestatbook.com/stat_sim/reg_to_mean/index.html (Links to an external site.)

Online Stat Book (2008). Retrieved from Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics Web site: Reliability and Regression Analysis: http://onlinestatbook.com/stat_sim/reliability_reg/index.html (Links to an external site.)

UCLA (2010). Chapter X: Correlation and regression. In Probability and statistics ebook. Retrieved from: http://wiki.stat.ucla.edu/socr/index.php/Probability_and_statistics_EBook