venture capital firm
You are an associate in a venture capital firm, a business that uses investors’ money to finance start-ups and acquisitions. Your supervising principal has asked you to produce an investigative report on a specific industry. You are to provide information to help your supervisor and the firm to decide whether to diversify into that industry.
Write a three-page investigative report that describes the industry in detail, provides information necessary to make business decisions regarding whether your firm should move into the industry, and identifies possible options for how your firm could enter the industry or seek alternatives.
Purpose (10%)Your primary purpose will be to find and select relevant source material, provide a detailed and accurate overview of those research materials, and to draw well-supported factual conclusions from the evidence.Use information in Chapter 1 to help you state your purpose more precisely.
Audience (10%)Your primary audience is your supervisor, so the tone should be informative and direct.Eventually, others in your firm will read the report, so it should be well detailed and accessible for readers who do not know the context. You will work in class to develop an audience profile based on information in Chapter 1.
Organization (25%)
The openingshould describe your choice of research topic, provide concise background information, and offer a specific central claim about yourchosen industry.
The body should address the answers to your research questions and provide substantial support to strengthen the claims you make.
The conclusion should sum up your findings and include an appropriate closing.
Transitions between sections, paragraphs, and sentences should be clear.
Headings for sections and subsections should be consistent and uniform.
Support/Content (25%)You should include information from a bare minimum offive sources. You should gather information from business databases, trade and industry publications, investment analysis resources, and general business periodicals (Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, etc.). You must document all quoted and paraphrased material in the APA style for parenthetical citation and include a references page. You will learn more about research in business in Chapter 6 and in lecture in week two.
Writing Standards (25%) Even minor mistakes can seriously diminish the quality of workplace reports. In addition to writing clearly and concisely, you should maintain positive emphasis and an appropriate tone. The document should be entirely free of errors in grammar, usage, spelling and punctuation. Any error will result in a significant grade deduction.
Format (5%)Internal investigative reports are formatted as memos. Samples of typical memo format can be found on page 299 and 361-362. Use1-inch margins on all sides, single spacing with breaks between paragraphs, and a 12-point serif font. Headings and subheadings should be consistent.
Getting Started
The Bizzell Library reference department has strong sources for getting started. ABI Inform, Factiva, IBIS World, and Marketline provide excellent search tools for information about companies and industries. IBIS World and Marketline provide industry overviews, but depending on the size of the industry, you may need to narrow further.Please take advantage of the tutorials and help sections for these databases.
Always use multiple search terms and search multiple databases. In addition to keyword searches, you may wish to consult the North American Industry Classification System to learn your industry’s codes. Every U.S. Industry group has an assigned NAICS number that will provide appropriate search terms, and this number allows you to find additional research in library databases. To narrow your topic effectively, you should use a five or six digit NAICS code. You will find links to the NAICS on your section’s D2L/Learn page.
Bizzell Library has subscriptions to thousands of trade journals and access to tens of thousands through interlibrary loan. In addition, trade associations and trade groups offer a great deal of information online. Be advised that trade associations are in the business of promoting their industry, so be cautious about potential biases in their assessments.
Susan Hahn is the subject librarian for the College of Business. She is available during her posted office hours for research consultation, both in Price and in Bizzell. Her e-mail is shahn@ou.edu.
Important Notes
Your goal is NOT to persuade your audience that diversificationinto this industry is either a good or bad idea, but rather to present evidence to allow your principal to draw her own conclusions.
Remember distinctions between products (tablet computers), companies(Apple, Sony), and industries (electronic computer manufacturing).Research into top companies can provide you with additional industry information. Remember that in some industries, individual companies may be strong, while the sector itself may be a poor choice for your firm.
Due Dates
Completed draft: February 7
Final document: February 14
…………………Answer preview……………………….
This paper is about a report on ‘Maryland Energy Program Administration’ industry. Throughout the report, the paper reviews investigative report on Maryland Energy Program Administration Industry. This report is considerable to the management and the supervisor of our venture capital firm. The purpose of our venture capital firm uses investors’ money to finance start-ups and acquisitions……………………
APA
1647 words