English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

This activity report summarizes the progress that I have made this week in regard to the white paper project.

The majority of the time that I haven’t spent working on this week’s work was dedicated to performing research. For this white paper project, I was responsible for collecting information regarding the introduction and argument proposal. The introduction can be decomposed into three main parts. First, we will argue that the obvious lack of collaboration in the modern small business environment is a serious issue that all startups and small companies should be concerned with. Following this, we outline specifically why this problem exists, what it entails, and the levels of severity associated with the issue. In this section we will cover the individual aspects that contribute to the overall problem, which includes topics such as organization size, diversity, physical proximity, group cohesion, and many more. My final research involved the logic of the resolution, that is, what preexisting organizations must do to prevent a demise in collaboration, and what new companies must do to implement, increase, and/or improve collaborative efforts.

Beyond this, I also spent time creating a set of potential white paper thumbnails. After reviewing each, I chose the one I felt was the best and proceeded to refine it. After I was content with the overall layout and design, I submitted the thumbnail for review and to collect feedback. As of now, the only remaining tasks I have left to complete are the individual peer thumbnail review, which I will begin promptly.