The report you will be preparing this week is fairly specific. You will be preparing a PowerPoint presentation for the executives at your property management company. Remember back in week 2 when you created a memo to request information from your property managers to create a budget? This is where you will use that information. One of the first things we covered in this course is to know your audience. This concept comes into play here!
Let me walk you through the use of a budget at the executive level of the company. Let’s assume that we are working for a large property management company that owns several properties. The highest level executives are concerned with the highest level information. They would want to know things like the projected revenue for this year as compared to the actual revenue for the past 5 years. If there is a drop in projected revenue, why? If there is a significant increase, why? Are we doing anything to grow the company? What is being recommended to accomplish this for the coming year? How are overall expenses looking as compared to the past 5 years? Have we taken measures to control costs? What are those measures? These executives are not interested in seeing how much you think you are going to spend on office supplies, they are concerned with the overall performance of the company. Think big picture! We discussed annual reports in week 7, this is a good example of the high-level information that the executives are looking for. In week 3 we learned about the use of visual aids. This is a great opportunity to put that knowledge to good use as well!
Before you can prepare your report, just like with a school paper, you need to do some research to support your analysis. Make sure that you not only take the time to find all of the information that you need to present a solid budget proposal but keep track of all of the sources that you utilize. While it may seem like citing your sources is just something that you only do while in school, it is actually very important professionally as well. Suppose there is a question regarding the information that you are presenting…it might be necessary for you to find that source and provide supplemental information. As you are preparing your presentation, think about all of the questions that an executive may have…make sure that you answer those questions in your presentation.
This final project is your opportunity to apply all of the concepts that you have learned in the last 8 weeks. I am looking forward to seeing everything come together. Please make sure that you contact me with any questions regarding this presentation. I am more than happy to clarify anything that is unclear.
For this week’s assignment, you are going to request funding for a new project from the executive level of your company. Feel free to be creative with this assignment, but remember your target audience and keep your presentation professional. I would like a PowerPoint presentation describing what you need money for and why (a new product line, upgraded computer system, new chairs for the office, etc.). Keep in mind that your executives are concerned with the financial future of the company, you will need to explain how this expenditure will benefit the company in the long run. Include a budget and a timeline. While the numbers are fictitious, you need to provide valid justifications for your requests, so provide research that supports the idea. The executives of every company have a duty to the stockholders/investors, so your justification will more than likely be passed along in some way to the annual report. Keep this in mind when creating your presentation.
There is no minimum required slide count, the content on the slides is more important than the number of slides. Include notes on each slide with a dialogue of what you would say if you were presenting. You could also choose to dictate each slide if you prefer. This is essential to a complete proposal.
Make sure to include a reference page using APA format!
