10 Jan · · Introductory paragraph

Assignment 1: Informational Interview (Informational Interview

The informational interview involves meeting and interviewing anentrepreneur, business owner, or financial professional to gatherinformation. You should not wait until the due date to prepare, asmeetings may be difficult to arrange at short notice. If your workschedule inhibits such preparation, you may conduct the interview bytelephone or via online/e-mail format.

Required Elements to include in the Informational Interview Write Up:

Students are responsible for developing questions that will garner the

responses necessary to address the key elements of the assignment.

Include all of the following elements in your interview report:

Provide a brief description of the business which includes the

business form the nature of the business, how many years in business,

and whether the business is local in nature, national, or

international in scope;

Why did the person decide to go into business, and what was the

biggest obstacle they had to overcome in the early stages of the

business;

Did the owner develop a Business Plan before starting the business,

why or why not;

Discuss what makes the business unique and different from its

competition and what is its value proposition;

Does the company have a clearly defined strategy, what do you believe it is;

Discuss the owners marketing and sales strategy for gaining and

maintaining new business opportunities;

What core business functions if any did the business decide to

outsource and why;

Discuss the hiring process and the core values that have been

established for the organization;

Discuss the financial management tools and metrics that the business

owner depends on too manage growth and profitability;

Discuss keys to success, from the owner’s perspective;

What the person would do differently if he/she had it to do all over again.

Critically assess the current status of the business based on concepts

presented in class. What would you say is the future for this

business? Would you invest in this business? Why or why not?

Interview questions must be included as an addendum to the assignment;

however, these should not be counted toward the length requirement of

the paper.

Required Formatting of Informational Interview Report:

This report should be double spaced, 12-point font, and three to five

pages in length excluding the title page and reference page;

Title page;

· · Introductory paragraph and a summary paragraph;

· · Use headings;

· · Write in the third person;

· · Use APA formatting for in-text citations and a reference

page. You are expected to paraphrase and not use quotes. Deductions

will be taken when quotes are used and found to be unnecessary;

· · Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder.