Industry and Career Research Report

COMP106 Industry and Career Research Report

OVERVIEW: 

Individually students will research informationabout professional associations, publications, memberships, certifications, and current news related to their chosen career field. You will detail your findings in a formal business report using APA Guidelines and submit to your professor via the assignment dropbox.

TASKS:

Use MsWord2016to create a report.MsOffice 2016is available in the College computer labs; as well, students can download a free copy to install at home from within myCentennial.

• Create Title Page: Create a title page containing the title of the assignment, student name and number, professor name, and due date. Centre contents on the page horizontally and vertically (use vertical center alignment and a Next Page section break).  Refer to Figure 1 below.

• Create Headers: Create aheader for the title page (section 1). Create a header for section 2 as well.  Refer to Figure 1 below as well as APA guidelines – (available in contents in course)
• Modify Styles:
  1. Modify then apply the Heading 1Style to all level 1 headings in your report. Heading 1 style = Times New Roman font, 12 pt. size, Bold, Centered, and remove paragraph spacing before and after – as per OWL Purdue APA 6^th edition – https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/24/
  2. Modify the Heading 2 Style and apply it to all level 2 headings in your report. The Heading 2 Style = Times New Roman font, 12 pt. size, Bold, left-aligned, and remove paragraph spacing before and after – as per OWL Purdue APA 6^th edition
  3. Modify the Heading 3 Style and apply it to all level 3 headings in your report. The Heading 3 Style =  Times New Roman font, 12 pt. size, Bold, indent first line ½ inch, and remove paragraph spacing before and after – as per OWL Purdue APA 6^th edition
• Insert a Level 1 Heading: Start your report with a level 1 heading entitled, “Academic Program Outline.”
  1. Under this heading include an introductory paragraph in which you provide a brief description of your program of study and why you selected this program. Explain what skills you hope to gain from completing this program of study and what you plan to do after you graduate (e.g., university, find a job, leave Canada).
  2. Create a Table:
     Locate your current program of study at the School of Business Program website at
     http://www.centennialcollege.ca/programs-courses/schools/school-of-business/programs/. Under your introductory paragraph, create a tablewith four (4) columns and twelve (12) rows.  In the first row, enter the following column headings: Course Code, Course Title, Weekly Hours, Course Description (a snippet -one or two sentences only).Refer to Figure 3 below.
     1. In the remaining rows fill in the table with information you locate at your program website (above). You should enter the course code, course title, weekly hours, and a brief sentence or two describing the course.  Do this for each course within the first TWO semesters of your program.  NOTE: You may need to add or delete rows based on the number of courses you have in the first two semesters.
     2. From the Table Styles options, apply a colourful table style of your choice. Apply single-line spacing within the table.

• Ensure that column widths are a good fit for the content within the column. Ensure semester 1 and semester 2 are clearly identified as such.

1. Add a row at the top of the table. Remove any fill colour and borders from this row.  Center and bold a table title in this row which includes: The table number, the program name and program number, and the program coordinator’s name.  When you use a table number you will need to refer readers to the table number within your introductory paragraph.  For example, you might say, “Please refer to Table 1 below for an overview of the first two semesters in this program.”
2. Add a note to the bottom of the table stating the source. If you modified the content from the original table then use the words “Adapted from Centennial College…” Use single-line spacing for this notation, center alignment, andTimes New Roman font in a 10 pt. font size.
3. Include an entry on your References page for the source website from which you retrieved the table information.

• Insert a Level 1 Heading: Under the table, using double-line spacing consistently, start a new paragraph with a level 1 heading entitled “Industry Affiliations” and two level 2 headings.
  1. Insert a Level 2 Heading: The first level 2 heading is “Professional Association.”
     1. In this part of your report you will discuss ONE professional association that is related to your future career field (based on your program concentration, e.g., FITT, HRPA, CMA, APICS, CIM, CPSA, CGA, CPA).
     2. Insert Level 3 Headings: Use level 3 headings for each of the following and explain each. If you find you require a level 4 heading, please format these headings in accordance with APA guidelines, but you do not need to modify and apply a style to them as they will not appear in your Table of Contents.
        • Purpose. Explain what the organization does, or why it exists.
        • Users. Explain who uses it.
        • Services. Discuss the services offered (at least 2).
        • Events. Discuss previous or upcoming events (at least 2).
        • Membership and fees.Discuss Membership fees and the process for becoming a member (a student member if available), and the benefits associated with becoming a member.
     3. Insert a Level 2 Heading: Start a new paragraph with a level 2 heading entitled “Industry Certification and Publication.”
        1. In this part of your report you will discuss ONE professional certification (different from step 3 above) associated with your career field and ONE publication to which it would be helpful for you to subscribe to (e.g., magazine, newspaper, journal, etc.).
        2. Insert Level 3 Headings: Use level 3 headings for each of the following and explain each.
           • Levels. Explain the levels of certification that can be obtained.
           • Cost of certification.Explain the costs involved to gain certification.
           • Process. Describe the process to gain certification.
           • Benefits. Explain the benefits of gaining certification.
           • Industry-related publication. List one magazine, newspaper, journal, etc. and explain how this publication could benefit you in your chosen field of study/work. Give a brief explanation of what the publication focuses on and the services provided to subscribers.

• Insert a Level 1 Heading: Start a new paragraph with a level 1heading entitled “News Article.”
  1. In this part of your report you will summarize a recent news article (approximately one to three paragraphs) pertaining to your chosen future career field (based on your program of study).
  2. The article may relate to the industry, a specific company, a specific product, etc. Clearly explain how this article relates to your career field and/or program of study.  Remember to include in-text citations whenever you quote from the article.  Include the article source information on your References page.
  3. Include a copy of the full news article in Appendix A (screen capture), and be sure to refer readers (you need to mention the appendix) to Appendix A within the body of your report.
  4. Include an entry for Appendix A in the Table of Contents list. Add a source note under the image in the appendix.
• Insert a Level 1 Heading: Start a new paragraph with a level 1 heading entitled “Job Posting.”
  1. In this part of your report you will discuss ONE job opportunity currently available in your chosen career fieldand express why you feel you could do well in this type of career/job once you complete your program of study here at Centennial.
  2. In paragraph form state the job title, the company or recruiting firm posting the job advertisement, and the salary range being offered.
  3. Insert a level 2 heading entitled, “ThreeJob Requirements” then in a bulleted list, list three (3) job duties, skills, knowledge, or responsibilities being sought.
  4. Insert a level 2 heading entitled, “Job Fit” then address the three bulleted items listed in job requirements. Explain how your abilities, skills, knowledge, and experience make you a good fit for this job.  If you don’t have these skills then explain how you plan to develop them by the time you graduate.
  5. Place a copy of the job posting in Appendix B (screen capture). Refer (mention the appendix) the reader to Appendix B within the paragraph introducing the job posting.
  6. Add an entry for Appendix B to your Table of Contents list. Add a source note under the image in the appendix.
  7. Remember to use in-text citations when you quote directly from the source, and remember to list this source on your APA References page.
• Generate/insert anAPA References page (bibliography) using the References Menu. Ensure the title of the page is “References” and not Bibliography.
• Add Appendixes. Place the two appendixes, Appendix A and Appendix B, after the References page.
  1. Ensure the appendixes are in landscape orientation (section break required).
  2. Ensure the appendix pages are in TWO column format. Place screen captures of the News Article and the Job Posting you researched into the columns.
  3. Adjust the header for the landscaped pages so that the page number is aligned to the right margin and the report title is aligned to the left margin.
• Generate atable of contents (TOC) using the References Menu and show 3 levels of headings.
  1. Use left-aligned headings with right-aligned page numbers with dot leaders
  2. Apply Times New Roman font type, 12 pt font size
  3. Apply double-line spacing and remove before/after paragraph spacing (TOC should fit on one page, make spacing adjustments if needed)
  4. Do not format the title on the Table of Contents using the Heading 1 Style otherwise it will show in your TOC, which is not necessary. If it does appear in your generated TOC then simply delete the line from the TOC.  Refer to Figure 2 below.
• Use consistent formatting (double-line spacing, no space before or after, Times New Roman 12 pt font, etc.) in accordance with APA guidelines within all paragraphs and heading levels. Proofread and spellcheck your report BEFORE submitting for grading.

LRC resources for APA guidelines for a research paper can be reviewed at http://library.centennialcollege.ca/research/apa   and http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/apa  and examples of citing business sources specifically at http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/apabusiness

SUBMIT:Submit completed report to the eCentennial Dropbox on or before the due date.Use TurnItIn to self-determine the originality of your work before you submit.A 20% mark deduction, per day, will be applied to all reports submitted after the due date.

RUBRIC:

Figure 1: Title Page

Figure 2: Table of Contents

Figure 3: Example of Program Outline Table