• In this portion of your report you will provide a two to three page introduction to a company (Morgan Stanley) of your choice, including background information. Research and financial information on companies may be found in the annual reports in the Mergent database through the University Library, and individual company websites should include information on the company’s mission and vision. Be sure to cite your sources.  
• Include the following content in this section.
• Analyze your chosen company’s current business and financial conditions and create a brief introduction to your company that includes the following.
• The mission of the company
• A descriptions of the company’s current business operation, competitors, financial condition
• General information that explains why the company interesting to you as an analyst.

 

• The Introduction to and Background on the Company
• Must be two to three double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the  Writing Center (Links to an external site.).
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
• Title
• Student’s name
• Course name and number
• Instructor’s name
• Date submitted
• Must use at least two scholarly and/or industry sources.
• The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
• Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Writing Center.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the  Writing Center. 

1

3

Title of Your Essay

Your First and Last Name

Ashford University

Course Code: Name of Course (e.g. ENG 122: English Composition II)

Instructor Name

Due Date

Title of Your Essay

Start the first paragraph here, which should introduce your reader to the subject you are writing about, as well as your particular position or claim. Do not label it “Introduction.” Instead, simply write your paper’s title as a level 1 heading: bold, centered, with title case. To learn more about what an introduction should include and what to include in a conclusion, please see the following resource:

Introductions & Conclusions

. You can use this template to help you format your paper. For longer papers, include

level headings

.

The Writing Process

Spend time planning your paper. A good practice is to brainstorm ideas and decide how to express the main idea or thesis, this is part of

entering the scholarly conversation

. Once you have a rough idea of what you want to discuss or argue,

create an outline

or list to help you organize the evidence you plan to present.

Writing the Body Paragraphs

Each paragraph of your assignment should be clear and easy to follow. We have several good resources to help you write a strong paragraph, such as

How to Write a Good Paragraph

page and the

Integrating Research

page.

Level 2 Heading (Bold, Flush Left, Title Case)

Level headings

can be placed anywhere in your paper as a way to classify or organize your paper into sections. There are five levels; the first three levels are more commonly used in graduate-level assignments, whereas levels four and five may be used in longer papers (e.g., dissertation). Use level 2 headings to break level 1 into categories, level 3 to break up level 2, and so on. Do not move to a lower level of heading if there is only one section. As a general rule, check with your instructor about formatting expectations.

Level 3 Heading (Bold, Flush Left, Italic, Title Case)

Likewise, to show your readers where the paragraph begins when using a level 3 heading would be a great idea.

Level 4 Heading (Bold, Indented, Title Case). In longer papers, you may use a level 4 heading to create even further subsections. In this case, note that the paragraph begins directly after a period on the same line as the level 4 heading. The level 5 headings follow the exact same conventions, only they would also be italicized.

Using Citations Correctly

In addition to being well-written, each paragraph should include an

in-text citation

to all information

summarized, paraphrased, or quoted

from outside sources. The Writing Center provides many resources to help you follow correct citation style and gives lessons and examples of how to paraphrase and cite sources. The

Introduction to APA 7th Edition

page is a good place to start.

Using Tables, Graphs, Images, and Appendices

For some papers and reports, you may choose to add a table, graph, or image

within the body of the draft. Or you may choose to include an appendix at the end of your paper. These can help to provide a visual representation of data or other information that you wish to relay to your reader. Follow

this guidance

to understand when and how to use these features.

References

Author’s Last Name, Initials. (Publication Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume #(issue #), pp–pp. http://doi:xx.xxxxxxxxxx

Author’s Last Name, Initials. (Publication Year). Title of book. Location: Publisher.

Author’s Last Name, Initials. (Publication Year). Title of digital book. http://www.xxxxxxx.xxxxxxxx

Author’s Last Name, Initials. (Publication Year). Title of book with DOI. https://doi:xxxxxxx

Editor’s Last Name, Initials. (Ed.). (Publication Year). Title of anthology. Location: Publisher.

Producer’s Last Name, Initials (Producer), & Director’s Last Name, Initials (Director). (Year). Title of motion picture [Motion picture]. Country of Origin: Studio.

**For help formatting your reference page, please see our

Formatting Your References List

page.