Formatting Your Assignment

Consider your audience you are writing in the role of an MTC business analyst and your audience is MTC and your boss, the CIO.  Dont discuss MTC as if the reader has no knowledge of the organization.  Also do not reference stage # or case study these are class terms and would not be in a business report. Use third person consistently throughout the report.  In third person, the writer avoids the pronouns I, we, my, and ours. The third person is used to make the writing more objective by taking the individual, the self, out of the writing. This method is very helpful for effective business writing, a form in which facts, not opinion, drive the tone of the text. Writing in the third person allows the writer to come across as unbiased and thus more informed.

    Create a title page that includes:  The company name, title of report, your name, Course and Section number and date.
    In Stage 1, you are preparing the first part of a 4-stage report.  Use the structure, headings, and outline format provided here for your report.  Use the numbering/lettering in the assignment instructions as shown below.
Introduction
I.    Strategic Use of Technology
A.    Business Strategy
B.    Competitive Advantage
C.    Strategic Objectives
D.    Decision Making   
    Write a short concise paper:  Use the recommendations provided in each area for length of response.  Its important to value quality over quantity.  Assignment should not exceed 4 pages excluding title and reference pages.
    Content areas should be double spaced; table entries should be single-spaced.
    To copy a table:  Move your cursor to the table, then click on the small box that appears at the upper left corner of the table to highlight the table; right click and COPY the table; put the cursor in your paper where you want the table and right click and PASTE the table.
    Ensure that each of the tables is preceded by an introductory sentence that explains what is contained in the table, so the reader understands why the table has been included.
    Use at least two resources with APA formatted citation and reference.  Use at least one external reference and one from the course content. Course content should be from the class reading content, not the assignment instructions or case study itself.  For information on APA format, refer to Content>Course Resources>Writing Resources.
    Begin a Reference Page for resources required for this assignment.  Additional research in the next stages will be added to this as you build the report.  The final document should contain all references from all stages appropriately formatted and alphabetized. Use APA format for your reference page.
    Running headers are not required for this report.
    Compare your work to the Grading Rubric below to be sure you have met content and quality criteria. 
    Submit your paper as a Word document, or a document that can be read in Word.  Keep tables in Word format do not paste in graphics.
    Your submission should include your last name first in the filename:    Lastname_firstname_Stage_1