Finance Operations Research
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Required outline
This outline must be followed and every section must be titled. Additional subsections are allowed. The body begins with the Executive Summary (page 1); the title page and table of contents are not numbered.
- I.Executive Summary
One- to three-page description of the project.
- II.Introduction
Describe the business/organization, its target market (demographics + psychographics), and its current process for the issue you researched.
- III.Research Methods Used in the Study
Describe and justify the research methodologies you selected, and the process you used to carry them out.
- IV.Findings and Conclusions of the Study
Report the findings of the research study and the conclusions you drew from them.
- V.Proposed Strategic Plan
Objectives and rationale of the plan, proposed activities and timelines, and the metrics/KPIs that will measure its effectiveness.
- VI.Proposed Budget
Costs associated with the proposed strategies.
- VII.Bibliography
Required. List every source of information used in the entry. Each section, including this one, must be titled.
- VIII.Appendixoptional
Optional. Exhibits that support the entry but are not important enough for the body (sample surveys, letters, background data). If included, its pages are numbered too.
Penalty Point Checklist
Judges deduct these points before scoring. The scanner checks all of them automatically. Rules shown are the ICDC defaults — your district or association may vary.
Must be signed by all participants and the chapter advisor and placed in front of the written entry. Only physical or digital signatures count — typed names in a font are not accepted. Do not number this page.
The body is limited to 20 pages, plus the title page and table of contents. The appendix counts toward the 20.
All pages are numbered in sequence starting with the executive summary and ending with the final appendix page. Do not use separate/blank pages between sections or as section title pages.
The entry follows the outline in the Written Entry Guidelines for the event. Each section must be titled. Additional subsections are permitted.
Must be typed and use 8½ × 11-inch pages. Handwritten corrections, notes, charts and graphs are penalized.