Case Study Project

Teams and Meetings

The paper and the presentation will cover a case study of an entrepreneurial business:  the story of a real business and the issues that it needs to address as they relate to or are dictated by technology.  For many of these businesses, there is a case study that you can use as a starting point for your research.  Once you have done the basic research, you will turn in a description of the topic and the outline.  If you have any questions about the possible content, contact me as soon as possible.  The specific material that must be covered:

1. The background of the company.  The background needs to identify the market in which they are working and the innovative idea that they had.  It should cover the competition and the market that they are (or were) in.
2. The interesting issues that they need to address.  What is changing?  What are they trying to accomplish? Remember that it was innovative at its inception;  do not judge innovation by what's available today.
   
3. Are they using technology?  How are they doing it?  If not, was it an explicit choice or an oversite?  Do you have better ideas about how they could use technology?

Because we have an odd number of students in the class, there may be one team of three people or one person may work alone. Teams will work together to write a 5-6 page paper and prepare a 15-minute presentation for the class. 

Due dates:

Advice on working with a partner or team:
    You can't start too early
    Once you've set team meeting times, don't cancel them
    Work together as much as you can
    Challenge each other
   
Advice on your presentation:
    Practice, practice, practice
    Share the talk time evenly
    Don't read slides
    People need something other than words to look at
    A good presentation requires that the speakers have ENERGY
    Be creative 

Team Work
Cooperation and the sharing of ideas are an important part of the educational process. You are encouraged to work together in all aspects of your term project: finding and sharing good sources, writing outlines; reviewing each other's drafts; and the oral presentation. You will be asked to evaluate yourself and your team member(s) with regard to your performance throughout. 

1. You cannot miss a meeting except for a real emergency.
2. During all meetings:
• be on time
• stick to the subject
• you are allowed to challenge opinions or ideas with which you disagree by politely offering your view, but you will be specific and will provide sound reasoning. 
  
• you will stop talking once you've made your point, and then encourage the opinions and contributions of other team members.  You will listen carefully to others----you won't be preoccupied with your own ideas while another is speaking.
• NO MULTITASKING ALLOWED during important brainstorming sessions!  Keep those frontal lobes freed up for the real stuff.
  

Detailed Outline
The detailed outline (and the research you do in order to complete it) is, without a doubt, the most critical component for the success of your paper and your presentation.  This is where most of your work takes place.

Citing & Evaluating Electronic Sources