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• have completed your independent/individual tax analysis

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• read or revisit the Executive

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• consider all four aspects of plant location decision making examined throughout the semester together: social/cultural, environmental, political, and economic

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• determine what your final recommendation

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• be able to understand and clearly articulate the justifications for your recommendation

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nPurposennThe communication assignments in this course aim to develop communication skills that students will need in their professional lives. Students will study, analyze, and synthesize information and research through independent and group learning contexts, and will use both oral and written communication to do this work. Through these assignments, students will develop skills that will help them excel in their professional endeavors. Targeted skills include: argumentation; analysis; organization; presentation skills; and small group and interpersonal communication skills.nnGoalsnnThis assignment has three goals:n

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1. to include tax analysis in your final recommendation

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2. synthesize the research you and your team have conducted related to plant location decision making throughout the semester

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3. make a case for your recommendation

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nObjectivesnnThe objectives of this assignment include: organization; argument building; making a casennRequirementsnnFor this assignment, you must first complete your tax analysis. Then, you must synthesize the social/cultural, political, environmental, and tax analysis aspects that you and your team have researched throughout the semester. You will present your recommendation and overall justifications in an Executive Summary, written for an executive audience.nnYour summary must meet the following requirements:n

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• The summary must be written to an executive audience

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• Your document must appear professional and be visually easy to navigate, including:n
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  • headings and subheadings as appropriate

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  • bullet points as appropriaten
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    • (note: bullet points are not required, but many students asked about whether or not they could be included, and my answer was, and still is, “yes, bullet points may be included as appropriate, but should never be used in place of adequate detail”)

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  • excellent organization

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  • reasonable and thoughtful use of spacing and margins

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  • attention to formatting that communicates professionalism, pride of work, and respect for the reader

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• Spacing: You may use single spacing, OR you may customize your spacing by selecting “Exactly” in the line spacing drop-down menu and use up to 16pt spacing. Use your own judgment and aesthetic preferences to determine your spacing choices, but be consistent.

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• You must equitably address all four factors you were asked to consider for this assignment: cultural/social, environmental, political, and economic factors.

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• Synthesize information for your reader; show them the connections you want them to understand. Always demonstrate for your reader how they should connect the information you are providing for themn
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  • Never assume that readers will make the same connections you have made, or that you want them to make, without your guidance.

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• Include an appendix with a graph and explanation of your economic analysis. The graph must be clearly labeled and include a description that will help your audience understand the significance of the graph.n
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  • The appendix must be part of the document, but will appear on its own page.

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  • Use the “Page Break” function to create a separate page for your appendix.

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• Your recommendation must be clear and direct. It should appear in the introductory section of your summary. Remember, you’re not writing a mystery. Your executive audience wants you to be clear and direct, with thoughtful and well-developed justifications.

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• Your summary must include the elements of an introduction, body, and conclusion, but must use specific, professional terminology for those sections. Remember: An executive summary is not an academic paper.

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• Your summary should be approximately 2 – 2.5 pages of writing, not including relevant visual aids (such as charts, graphs, and figures that will aid your justifications), and your appendix, which will make the page count longer.n
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  • Your submission will be at least 3 pages in total with the inclusion of your appendix

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  • Your submission might be up to 5 pages if you also include visual aids such as charts, graphs, or figures in the body of your summary

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• Visual aids in the body of your summary are not required. However, you may find that some charts, graphs, or figures may help clarify your justification, in which case you should use them. However, you must not use visual aids in place of providing sufficient explanations or justifications.n
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  • Visual aids must aid your explanations and justifications, not replace them.

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