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Directions: Choose at least TWO challenges affecting your career field and write a 5-7 page, double-spaced, formal researched report on the topic.
Examples of possible challenges:
adequate funding
government policies or procedures
health and safety risks
sales opportunities
toxic work environments
disgruntled consumers or patients
scheduling problems
stress
the economy
continuous changes in products
lack of employment opportunities
time management or time required
communication
adequate and proper training
workloads
NOTE: Although I prefer you to discuss challenges associated with a specific career field, if you are still undecided about a career, you may discuss two challenges affecting college students today.
The report should be geared toward specific readers. In the workplace, reports may be read by multiple readers who have different levels of technical knowledge. You may choose to write for others in your career field, those who are still students, majoring in your career, or for a lay audience. I am considered a lay reader and may not be part of your intended audience, so if the report is geared toward a technical audience, you will need to define terminology and provide more background about the issue.
The report will contain the following information (The names of some of the basic features of a formal report have been bolded):
Introduction that identifies the research question
Methodology that explains step-by-step how the research was conducted
General, background information on your career field
Summary of results of the TWO challenges you selected
Discussion of at least TWO different options to overcome the challenges, ease the challenges, tolerate the challenges, whatever may be most appropriate considering your chosen career field
Discussion indicating your personal perspective on the available options
Conclusion indicating your personal perspective on which option you feel is best
The research included in this report should help you examine and analyze the challenges in your career field.
And please do not wait to begin conducting research for your topic! Start NOW! You cannot conduct research and successfully write the report with all required components a day or two before it’s due.
NOTE: Please keep in mind that this is a formal report. Although you may have some personal experience relevant to the topic and will be presenting your personal perspective on the available options to overcome, ease, tolerate, etc. challen

ges, you should refrain from including excessive personal experience. In other words, the use of first person point of view (“I”) should be very limited.
Requirements:
Research:
Must include a minimum of five (5) resources for the researched report.
No more than two web sites.
Encyclopedias and dictionaries may be used but CANNOT be counted as part of the minimum five (5) required sources.
Wikipedia cannot be used due to unreliability.
Transmittal Correspondence: The report must be accompanied by an appropriately formatted and designed memorandum that provides an introduction of the report to the intended reader.
Cover Page:
The first page of the report must be a cover page.
Must give the title of the report and the writer’s name and position.
Must indicate the designated reader of the report as well as the reader’s position and the date the report is submitted.
Table of Contents:
The table of contents lists all elements and sections of the report that follow it, giving the page on which each part of the report begins.
Each page after the title page before the introduction is numbered with lowercase Roman numerals (ii. iii)
Must locate the parts of the report by page.
Must give each section heading a title that accurately describes the contents of that section.
Executive Summary:
The report should contain a summary, (a miniature version of the report) that provides a brief, concise, well-organized overview of your report.
Must be 1/4th the length of the report.
Must occur on a page by itself.
Must be single-spaced.
Text:
Must be 5-7 pages.
Must be broken down into sections and sub-sections with headings. (See the breakdown of the main sections required in the report indicated above and restated below).
Must be double-spaced and should use a size 12 font.
Must include an introduction that identifies the research question
Must include methodology that explains step-by-step how the research was conducted and gathered
Must include general background information on your chosen career field
Must include a summary of results of the TWO challenges you selected
Must include a discussion of at least TWO different options to overcome the challenges, ease the challenges, tolerate the challenges, whatever may be most appropriate considering your chosen career field
Must include a discussion indicating your personal perspective on the available options
Must include a conclusion indicating your personal perspective on which option you feel is best.