Instructions

1. Together, we will review requirements/components of proposal, which will be due our final day of class.

Following the example of proposals we review in class, you will collaboratively create a proposal for your project. Please include the following elements in your proposal:

A. Executive Summary: Briefly summarize the project–including short paraphrases of each of the proposal components. Must not exceed 250 words/half page.

B. Statement of Need/Problem: Briefly explain the problem you are addressing, with research demonstrating the severity of the problem. You should include statistics from City Tech, quotes from fellow students and/or admin/staff, as well as research/stats from other colleges/universities in NYC and beyond. Include a brief description of the population to be served—what is the size and needs of this population (1 page or so)

C. Project Overview and Strategy:  Provide a clear and concise description of the project, as well as the strategy that you will use to achieve your goals. Include details about any potential partnerships (IE, contractors) or collaborations necessary for completing the project. Also include comparison with other potential solutions for the problem your project is addressing, and an explanation of why your solution is the best choice. Also, please name the obstacles to your project’s success as well as your strategies to overcome those obstacles. (about 2 pages)

D. Project Outcomes / Return on Investment: Be specific in describing measurable and verifiable outcomes that you expect to achieve. For instance, how will enrollment increase? How will student satisfaction improve? How will graduation rates improve? How will the status & ranking of the college improve? Be reasonable here—but don’t be afraid to shoot for ambitious goals. Also, please briefly describe the business upside of this project. How will it benefit the bottom line here at City Tech? (1/2 to 1 page)

E. Conclusion: This should serve more as a coda to the larger narrative as a whole. Here is the place to suggest next steps, and larger picture issues or subsequent projects that would result from your suggested solution.  I would write this last. (no more than 1/2 page)

Note on Format: Please write as MS Word document and upload the proposal on our last day of class via our Assignment Uploader. Please use 12pt Times New Roman font.

2. Read the following proposal in class & discuss; when finished reading, please assign proposal elements to each member of your group.

Note: The first example adheres closely to our format, while the second has a few more/different requirements. Both are excellent.

Proposal from Southeast Community College to Community Health Endowment of Lincoln

3. Post a blog post with an outline of your proposal, with assignments for each group member.

1.  Include your group name–something creative!

2. The group member names.

3. A breakdown of each group member’s assigned work along with an outline of your proposal. Go into as much detail as possible.

4. Please title your post — “Proposal Assignments & Outline” and categorize it as “Meeting Minutes”

Instructions

Today, we will work in groups to:

6-6:20 pm: Identify the top potential project for your proposal.

6:20 pm: Go around the class to announce each groups’ selection.

6:30 – 7:45 pm: Work in groups to develop a brief, 5-minute “Pitch” to present in class today. (details below)

We will present our pitches at the beginning of class next Thursday, 5/7.

Required for today—Meeting Minutes: From now through the end of this project, each and every time your group meets I will ask one member of your group to write down meeting minutes, covering what was discussed in your meeting, what decisions were made, and what are the next action items to be taken by each group member. Please post Meeting Minutes as a blog entry (categorize as “Meeting Minutes”).

Crafting the Pitch: This will be your first component to the project. After brainstorming and choosing a problems that needs to be addressed around campus, you must decide on a solution to that problem. Obviously, you might not be able to carry out this solution on your own–the project–and your task–is to persuade your classmates and our administration that your proposed project is both necessary and  likely to succeed. 

The pitch is simply a 5-minute presentation that your group will deliver in front of the class, explaining the the problem and your proposed solution. Only one team member is required to speak, but all team members must join the presenter in front of the class. The deliverables for this component include a script or outline and your PowerPoint file. (Please either email me the Powerpoint file or bring it to class on a flash drive).

Note: The Powerpoint presentation should consist of three slides:

Title Slide—include group member name, date, and draft title for your project

Problem Slide—A slide that highlights the problem you are addressing. Include some facts, perhaps a quote, and anything else that will illustrate the dire nature of your chosen issue.

Solution Slide—How do your propose solving this problem? What will be the main components of your solution (IE, parking lot–where would it go? Do you propose we build a new building or repurpose another space?)

The Pitch will be delivered at the beginning of class next Thursday, May 7

Instructions

1. First, let’s read the following report on NYC tech growth:

https://nycfuture.org/research/publications/new-tech-city

2. Discuss

3. For the remainder of class we will complete individual research reports on NYC-based tech and media companies.

FINDING A COMPANY TO RESEARCH

If your group already has a company in mind, great! But, to further research NYC-based tech firms, visit these sites & articles:

• http://www.digital.nyc/startups?collection=We+are+Made+in+NY
• http://www.businessinsider.com/cool-startups-to-work-for-in-new-york-2014-10#
• http://www.forbes.com/sites/shamahyder/2014/09/08/15-tech-companies-taking-nyc-by-storm/

FORMAT

Your reports must be posted as a blog, categorized as “NYC Tech Profiles” by the end of class today.

CONTENT

Your reports should include the following information about the company. Please use the same headers I have here.

Product/Service: What, in a sentence, does this company do/sell?

Founder/Co-Founders: Who founded the company? Are they still involved in day to day operations?

Office/Headquarters: Where is the company located? Do they have a single headquarters, or do they have locations throughout the country/world?

Method of Making Money:  How does your company make money? Through advertising, subscribers, royalties, affiliate purchases, lead generation, selling data, or freemium payment models?

Target Customers:  Who are the target customers for this company?

How many current users/customers, etc: How many customers do they currently have?

How does the company advertise its product/services?

Competitors/Competitive Advantage: What companies offer services/products that compete with your chosen company? What sets your chosen company apart from its competitors?

Works Cited: You must document all the websites and articles you use to find the above information. Simply include a list of websites at the end of the blog post.