Course P641 -- PERSONNEL TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT NUMBER ONE - 25 POINTS 

Fall 2009     

Carefully read the entire assignment before you begin your work.  There are numerous nuances required for the successful completion of this assignment.

1. Research and present the sales or revenue, profit (earnings), number of employees worldwide and the number of locations worldwide, for the last two years, for:

• Exxon-Mobile Corp., and
• Microsoft Corporation, and
• Home Depot Incorporated, and
• United States Postal Service, and
• McDonald's Corp, and
• Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and
• Toro, Inc.

Hints:

• Check 10K filings as one data source.
• Be sure to include retail outlets, as appropriate.

Important Notes:

This assignment must represent your own work ONLY, not the joint effort of several students working together. Any violation of this policy will have severe consequences, up to and including a failing grade for this course.

You must use ONLY ONLINE resources to research this assignment.  (You may use NOTHING FROM THE PAPER LIBRARY).  Be certain to show the exact source(s) (URLs or other references) of any data you present. 

You have not been given a specific template to follow for presenting the data you have gathered.  Develop a format that is business-like and user-friendly.  The report should make it easy for a reader to analyze the information you present. Present data so that the reader has a way to make reasonable comparisons of year-over-year changes. DO NOT, under any circumstances, make your analysis look like a paper for school!  Assume that you are preparing this document for your boss. Your visual presentation, use of graphics and neatness add to the professional appearance of your work.  Draw pictures rather than try to describe something in words.  A picture really is worth a thousand words! Presenting your research findings in simple tables will earn no more than a "B" grade.

This assignment must be submitted on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper, stapled together (NO PAPER CLIPS!).  This assignment may not be e-mailed. Assignments will not be accepted in folders or binders. Your assignment package should include a title page, your actual project including the bibliography, followed by one blank sheet of paper for my comments and a name-only page. YOUR NAME SHOULD NOT APPEAR ON THE TITLE PAGE. Your name should appear on the name-only page, which should be the last page in your assignment package. There is a 10% penalty for failing to follow these instructions!

Retain a copy (either e-mail or hard-copy) of this assignment until after you receive your final grade for this course.

RESPONSES DUE BY September 12, 2009, 9:05 A.M. Projects received after the deadline will be assessed a minimum 10% "late fee".