DEVRY ENG227 FULL COURSE PROJECT WEEK 6 AND 8 Course Project: Formal Proposal

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Objectives

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Good news! The negative press from the trucking situation in Indonesia has been successfully mitigated. Upper management now recognizes that E227 Global Solutions has long talked about being green, but has not made any major efforts toward reducing the company’s carbon footprint on a global scale. With operations in the U.S. and abroad, E227 Global Solutions has seen generally successful localized initiatives to reduce energy consumption, reduce or eliminate chemical by-products, and minimize office waste.

Management at E227 Global Solutions is now challenging the entire company to adopt “green” strategies and reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 25% in the next year. Recognizing that great ideas come from all levels of the company, E227GS is challenging you, its employees, to generate ideas for going green and achieving, and possibly exceeding, the goal of reducing our carbon footprint.

Starting this week, you are being asked to prepare a formal proposal recommending ways the company can go green. The proposals may offer specific strategies (e.g., reducing printer waste such as paper and ink; phasing in an energy efficient fleet of vehicles; installing solar panels or wind turbines to power the office building, and so forth), or they may suggest general areas (e.g., IT, operations, production, researching and designing energy efficient electronic/robotic devices) in which sustainable initiatives have been successful for other companies (e.g., Google has been a leader in exploring numerous ways to reduce its carbon footprint such as installing Bloom Boxes at its data center in 2010; other major companies have since followed Google's lead in this area). The goal of the proposal is to generate sustainable green strategies the company can adopt in the short- or long term.

Guidelines

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Your assignment this week is to write your formal proposal’s table of contents and introduction, using formal formatting. To complete this assignment, you will need to have a good plan in place for your formal proposal. You are encouraged to use the three-step process we’ve been studying this session. (The formal report is due in its entirety at the end of Week 8. In Week 6, only the Table of Contents and Introduction are due.)

This week your assignment should include the following:

• A Table of Contents using formal proposal formatting. (Note that page numbers are not necessary this week, as you will not have written the actual report yet. Page numbers should be added next week, though, when you complete the report.)
• The Table of Contents should include first- and second-level headings, as explained on page 411 in Chapter 15.
• Include an introductory section featuring the following four parts (see page 427 in Chapter 15 for an example).
  • Background of the Problem: (Provide an overview of the problem/situation or its importance. This is a critical section. It should cover threeaspects of the problem/situation:
    1. The future — what will happen if the problem is not addressed.
    2. The past — how did this problem develop
    3. The present — what is the current situation that demands action
  • Statement of Purpose: (Remind all readers why you are submitting the proposal. The statement of purpose is essentially the same as a thesis statement for an essay or paper. It only needs to be a sentence or two long.)
  • Sources and Methods: (Discuss the research material selected to support the proposed solution and how the material will be used in the proposal.)
  • Report Organization: (Provide an overview of the various sections of the report so the reader is aware of the direction and organization of the report to follow.)

• Identify at least six credible sources you will use in your proposal in the “Sources and Methods” section (66% of your sources — i.e., four of six — must come from the University library). Discuss how you will use these sources in the proposal. NOTE: A Reference Page is not due this week.
  
• Use formal report formatting.
• Be free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

A successful assignment will include the following:

• The Table of Contents and Introduction sections are properly formatted with at least two heading levels.
• The Table of Contents is complete and provides a clear outline for how the proposal will flow.
• The Introduction includes all four sections with fully developed original text appropriate for each section.
• Evidence the writer fully firmly grasps the purpose/goals of the proposal assignment to include selecting the appropriate organizational approach.
• Proper use of formatting and style (e.g., bullets, headings, lists, and so forth).
• An awareness and proper use of all 10 writing conventions for professional writing (as appropriate) covered in Week 2.
• Use of proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Grading Rubrics

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Print Objectives | Guidelines | Grading Rubrics

Objectives

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In Week 6, you planned the formal proposal and wrote the Table of Contents and Introduction. This week, you will complete the Formal Proposal by adding the content and research to support the content. (You may need to revise the Table of Contents and Introduction based on the feedback you receive from your professor.) Your final Formal Proposal is due by midnight (MT), Thursday of Week 8.

Guidelines

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In Week 8, your Formal Proposal should contain the following:

• Be formatted as a formal proposal, following the guidelines for formal proposals in the text (including the guidelines for headings and subheadings found on pages 426-439);
• Include appropriate prefatory, text, and supplemental parts.
• The Formal Proposal should contain appropriate prefatory, text, and supplemental parts, including the following: a cover and/or title page; Correspondence of Transmittal; a Table of Contents; the four-part Introductory section from Week 6; appropriately labeled body sections; and Appendices, and list of References. Your Formal Proposal does not need to contain all of these parts, but should contain most of them.;
• Fully explain the “green” strategy you are proposing. (The word count for the intro, body, and conclusion should be 1250-1750 words);
• Include a Gantt chart and at least one other visual aid that presents data or is used to clarify a complicated concept. Visual aids and their inclusion must adhere to the standards we studied in this course, and which are presented in Chapter 9 (specifically refer to Integrating Visuals with Text on page 244);
• Use at least six credible researched sources appropriately and effectively (no more than 33% from Web searches);
• Include proper documentation using APA style (both in-text and end-of-text citations — please check your work using the Dropbox/Turnitin.com); and
• Be free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

A successful Formal Proposal will include the following:

• The revised (as indicated by the professor in the Week 6 graded assignment) Table of Contents and Introduction section.
• The Table of Contents is complete and provides a clear outline for how the proposal will flow.The Introduction includes all four sections with fully developed original text appropriate for each section.
• Evidence the writer fully and firmly grasps the purpose/goals of the proposal assignment, including selecting the appropriate organizational approach.
• Body of proposal is be properly formatted, with at least two heading levels.
• Well-developed content that is written in the student's own words (introduction, body, and conclusions/recommendations should be between 1250-1750 words).
• Sufficient research material to support ideas.
• A Gantt chart and at least one other visual aid that are properly referenced and cited as needed.
• Direct quotes and/or paraphrases of outside material that are properly integrated into the text and cited (in-text and end-of text) per APA guidelines.
• A references page that lists at least six credible sources (with at least 66% of sources coming from DeVry's library).
• Proper use of formatting and style (e.g., bullets, headings, lists, and so forth).
• An awareness and proper use of all 10 writing conventions for professional writing (as appropriate) covered in Week 2.
• Use of proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Grading Rubrics

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Category	Points	%	Description
Content	70	47	Fulfills the purpose of the assignment clearly and completely; quality of information; adequate support and development; ideas work together as a unified whole; written in student’s own words; source material is properly quoted and/or paraphrased per APA guidelines
Style and Conventions	25	16.5	Written for intended audience; professional tone and style; employs clarity, conciseness, fluency, etc.; free of grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. errors
Structure/Organization/Format	25	16.5	Effective document design (e.g., includes at least two heading levels, bulleted lists, page numbers, etc.); formatted correctly in appropriate medium (i.e., formal proposal which includes required prefatory, text, and supplemental parts); information presented in a logical arrangement using the appropriate organization
References	20	13	A minimum of six (6) sources — with a minimum of 66% of sources used come from DeVry’s library — are cited in the text and listed on the references page per APA guidelines; citations and bibliographic material are properly formatted per APA guidelines; reference page is properly organized
Visual Aids	10	7	Includes a Gantt chart and at least one other visual aid; visual aids are relevant, appropriate for the material presented, are properly labeled and referenced in the text of the proposal; source of visual aid is cited (if visual aid is not the student’s creation)
Total	150	100	A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.