Businesses and Industries pivoting during COVID-19. Choose one Business or Industry that pivot During COVID19.
For this assignment, worth 32.5% of your course grade, you will research and write a 700 – 900
word (not including the references) business report.
Keep in mind that you must support your claims with research. That’s why it’s important do
some pre-research before deciding on your topic. If you need help, the librarians at the
research desk are excellent resources to discuss your topic with.
This assignment will begin with a Proposal (in which you describe your topic and the research
you have found), then you will submit a draft, followed by the final report and an oral
presentation.
You should use at least three sources to research your report. A minimum of three must be cited
in your report. Sources may include government or industry reports or websites, news articles,
results of research from private research companies, documents from credible websites like
WorkSafeBC or company websites, press releases, and others. You do not need to use peerreviewed journals for this assignment.
Topics
A. Businesses and industries pivoting during COVID-19. Select an industry in CANADA that
has had to pivot to survive during the lock-down phase of COVID over the past few
months. Examples of industries include: restaurants changing their business model to
include take-out and delivery; distilleries producing hand sanitizer; automobile parts
manufacturers producing ventilators and face shields; and designer clothing
manufacturers making medical gowns, masks and scrubs (PPE).
Research starters:
Links for restaurants and distilleries:
https://www.vancouvereconomic.com/blog/news/small-businesses-pivot-to-join-the-fight-againstcovid-19/
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/economic-development/bc-ideasexchange/success-stories/community-economic-development-initiatives/handsanitizer?bcgovtm=20200323_GCPE_AM_COVID_8_NOTIFICATION_WORDPRESS_BCGOV_
EN_BC__NOTIFICATION
https://biv.com/article/2020/04/vancouver-restaurant-owners-innovate-survive-during-covid-19-
pandemic
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https://www.bcbusiness.ca/COVID-19-forces-the-BC-restaurant-industry-to-adapt-to-a-neweconomic-reality
Links for PPE and medical equipment:
https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/backgrounders/2020/03/31/partnerships-canadian-industry-fight-covid-19-
pandemic
https://www.automationmag.com/manufacturing-companies-pivot-to-produce-ppe-medical-devicesfor-covid-19-fight/
Canada Goose Is Ramping Up Its Production Of Medical Gear For Hospitals Across Canada
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/not-business-as-usual-how-canada-s-manufacturers-mobilized-tohelp-fight-covid-19-1.1419773
https://biv.com/article/2020/04/manufacturers-swivel-arm-front-line-workers
What to include in your report:
1. In your introduction, describe the problem: what happened and why did these businesses pivot?
You might first want to start with the problem the industry is facing and then provide a couple of
examples of businesses pivoting.
2. What changes did these businesses make? What was involved with this change? What are the
benefits of this? Did they require the use of any government programs, such as the 75% Canada
Emergency Wage Subsidy.
3. What have been the results of this shift in their business? Have they been successful? How do
you measure that success? Are they relying on other businesses and what does that look like?
4. What lessons can be learned from this situation for this business and others? Will they be going
back to their old business model?
5. Your conclusion will wrap up the report by summarizing your findings.
B. Racism or racial discrimination in the Workplace. We are all now familiar with the name
George Floyd, and recent demonstrations both in the United States and Canada reveal
racism is present on both sides of the border. This business report topic invites you to
research racism in the workplace in Canada: What your rights are at work? How is it best to
deal with racism should you encounter it. Knowledge is power, and new immigrants and
international students can often be vulnerable or naïve because they don’t know what their
rights are. Note that racism and racial discrimination are often covered by anti-bullying
policies.
Research Starters:
Links to reports:
https://www.environicsinstitute.org/projects/project-details/race-relations-in-canada-2019
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-and-guidelines-racism-and-racial-discrimination/part-1-
%E2%80%93-setting-context-understanding-race-racism-and-racial-discrimination
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Racism at work is common — but experts say employers aren’t tackling it
Links to other resources:
file:///C:/Users/nyac1/Downloads/preventing_violence_bk112-pdf-en.pdf
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/antiracism/antiracismfaq
https://www.worksafebc.com/en/health-safety/hazards-exposures/bullying-harassment
What to include in your report:
1. In your introduction, introduce the problem that you are writing about. How prevalent is it? Have
you witnessed or been the recipient of racism or racial discrimination in the workplace?
2. Clearly outline what constitutes racism or racial discrimination.
3. What protections, such as legislation or regulations are in place to protect workers from racism
or racial discrimination?
4. What can an employee do if they feel they are being mistreated due to their race?
5. Your conclusion should wrap up the report by summarizing your findings.
Deadlines
You are required to hand in parts of the assignment for review and feedback by your instructor. In
some cases, you may be asked to make revisions and resubmit a portion of the assignment. You
cannot hand in your final essay without having handed in each of the following components.
Skipping any of these elements could result in a grade of zero for the assignment, unless prior
arrangements have been made.
Monday, June 29 – Report proposal is due (worth 5%)
Monday, July 20 – Near-complete draft research report is due (worth 2.5%)
Monday, July 27 – Recommended deadline for report (20%) – submit via Blackboard Learn
Monday, Aug. 3 – Extended deadline for students who use the Writing Centre – submit via
Blackboard Learn
Monday, Aug. 3 – Presentation due via Blackboard Learn (5%)
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RESEARCH REPORT CHECKLIST
The final version of your research report will be approximately 700 – 900 words long. It must be
formatted in APA Style 7, prefaced with a title page and be followed with a References list. The
essay must be word-processed, 1.15 spacing with double spaces between paragraphs.
ORGANIZATION AND CLARITY:
[ ] Interesting and informative title on a separate title page
[ ] Strong introduction that places your topic in context
[ ] Unified body paragraphs
[ ] Brief conclusion that restates the main ideas and provides closure
[ ] Logical organization
CONTENT:
[ ] Distinct, relevant and significant main points
[ ] Effective evidence (significant and clearly related to topic being explored)
[ ] Thoughtful analysis (reasoning is logical and valid)
[ ] Proper integration of at least 3 sources (using APA Style)
[ ] Use of at least 3 different sources
SENTENCE SKILLS AND FORMAT:
[ ] Correct sentence structure
[ ] Correct grammar
[ ] Correct punctuation
[ ] Correct spelling and diction
[ ] Appropriate tone
[ ] Concision
[ ] Clear communication of ideas
[ ] Proper APA format for parenthetical citations
[ ] Proper APA format for bibliography (“References”)
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Proposal Assignment
Worth 5% of course grade, the proposal should be approx. 150 – 200 words. Due on Monday,
June 29.
Your Proposal should identify your topic, explain how you will narrow your focus to fit within the
700 – 900 word limit, offer a preliminary discussion about the direction you think your Research
Report is likely to take, describe your research strategy for gathering information about your topic,
and predict any problems you think you might encounter.
I’m happy to talk with you about your potential topic at any time. I don’t expect you to have
answers to everything at this point, but I’m concerned with whether you are asking the right
questions. While you may already know some of the answers, you still need to substantiate these
with research.
It will give me a strong idea of what you are working on and allow me to offer guidance or
comments at this preliminary stage. It is likely that you will incorporate some different sources.
You can follow the template below.
Your name: ______________________________________________________
Topic:
Description:
Key facts gathered (in point form):
Name three of the sources you have located (list these in APA style):
Contact me if you have any questions about this assignment.
Executive Presentation
Worth 5% of course grade, the executive presentation is due on Monday, Aug. 4.
Each student will give a 5-minute executive presentation using PowerPoint or Prezi – you should
narrate the slides. Your intended audience for these presentations should be Eng. 160 students at
NIC. I will be evaluating your presentations based on:
• Preparation and organization
• Research and analysis
• Conclusion
• Visual appeal