White Paper – Assignment #3

For this assignment, you will write the background and overview of the problem/opportunity and the stakeholders sections for your white paper.

Your writing style should be addressed to a non-expert so that a large audience can understand the context, significance, and key issues related to the problem/opportunity.

This is an expansion of what you have already written in Assignment #2

In this section, you will be synthesizing your research on the problem/opportunity as it currently exists. Synthesizing is different than summarizing. When you synthesize, you group and analyze multiple sources, NOT summarize them one at a time. I have attached two handouts to help you synthesize your sources.

For this submission, you must include:

  • Industry Background
    • Explain what the industry does in everyday language
      • Describe the main products or services
      • Who uses them? In what situations?
      • Define any technical terms in simple language for your non-technical audience
    • Highlight 1 – 2 key national facts showing the industry’s importance
      • Use indicators like share of GDP, number of jobs, export earning, growth rate, or share of government revenue
      • For each fact, explain what it means for a non-expert
      • Do not list statistics – you are creating a narrative about the selected industry
    • Provide any important history or policy information as needed by a non-expert audience
      • Limit yourself to 2 – 3 essential points that would inform your non-specialist audience
      • Your audience needs to understand how we arrived at this current situation
  • Client Background
    • Describe the company in clear terms
      • Type of organization: Private company, public organization, NGO, start-up
      • Main product or service type that will be the focus of the problem/opportunity
      • Their mission as an organization (do not copy and paste from their website!)
    • Explain its relevance to the economy/sector
      • Ethiopian company
        • Approximate size including employees, branches/offices, scale (if available)
        • How does it contribute
        • How do its activities relate to national goals?
      • International company
        • Where are the main headquarters located (city, country)
        • The company’s relevance to its home country
        • How is the company relevant to your proposal?
        • How do its activities relate to national goals?
    • Connect the company to the broader industry trends
      • Show how the company is affected by/responding to the changes you previously mentioned
  • Overview of the Problem/Opportunity
    • Clearly define the specific problem/opportunity in 1 – 2 statements
      • This needs to be focused
      • You need to be able to take action
    • Provide evidence that the problem/opportunity exists
      • For each statistic or example, explain how this is either a problem or a potential opportunity for your client
      • Demonstrate how your client’s problem/opportunity is an example of the larger national/industry trend described in the background section
  • Identify and briefly analyze key stakeholders
    • Who do you think are the key stakeholders?
    • Types:
      • Internal
        • Employees
        • Managers
        • Owners
      • External
        • Customers
        • Suppliers
        • Regulators / Government
        • Local community
Format:
  • 3 to 4 double-spaced pages of content (does not include APA title page or references)
  • 12 point font
  • 1 in or 2.5 cm margins on all sides
  • APA title page
  • APA reference list
  • APA in-text citations
  • At least 5 quality sources (you already have 4 from the prior 2 assignments