University of Toronto, Department of Economics, ECO 204, 2022-2023, Solo Project 1

Department of Economics (STG), ECO 204, 2022 – 2023 (Ajaz’s Sections)

ECO204 2022-2023 PROJECT 1
YOU MUST DO PROJECT 1 ON YOUR OWN (I.E. PROJECT 1 IS AN INDIVIDUAL – NOT A GROUP – PROJECT)


PROJECT 1: IMPORTANT FACTS/REMINDERS
PROJECT 1 COMPONENTS (MAX) 5-PAGE BUSINESS REPORT WITH TECHNICAL APPENDIX + EXCEL MODEL
PROJECT 1 OVERALL COURSE GRADE: 3%
“RELEASE DATE” THURSDAY. OCT 27TH
“DUE TIME/DATE” 11 PM, THURSDAY, NOV 17TH
“WHERE/HOW TO SUBMIT” THROUGH QUERCUS AND CROWDMARK (SEE BELOW)
PENALTY EACH DAY PROJECT IS LATE 100% OF THE PROJECT 1 SCORE


“Admin Steps”

 Go to ECO204 Course Website (username and password was posted on Quercus)  Front Matter: Course
Materials/Platforms

 ECO 204 2022-2023 Harvard Business School Case Packet  Purchase, download, and read the Container Transportation
Company case (always stick to the facts in the case; never “go outside” the case [“Googling”, for example])

 Install Microsoft Office (especially Excel and the “Solver” Excel Add-in). You may want to review the Excel Solver lessons
posted under “Resources” on the ECO204 Course Website

“Situation and Audience”
You are Thomas Young, regional manager in the case. You will “analyze and solve” this case and write a (max) 5-page
Business Report to “top management” with:

• A (brief) review of current operations and financials.
• Your “recommendations” on whether, if possible, CTC can earn higher revenues by adjusting the price per TEU for
cargo emanating from each of the ten countries destined for Dubai (in the low and high seasons) as well as whether
CTC should tighten or loosen any constraints.

“The Business Report and Excel Model”

• (Max) 5-pages business report with a cover page and one-page executive summary (cover page and one-page executive
summary don’t count towards the 5-page requirement.) plus an optional technical appendix.
• There are no specific restrictions/requirements on fonts, font size, margins, etc. You’re an adult – show us your
creative side!
• You are writing a business-report not an academic research paper. Refer to your notes from the “writing tutorial”.
Avoid “jargon”, “fluff”, “verbose”, and “overly technical writing”(for example, would you really want top management
to read = or, gulp, ?). Clear thinking is clear writing and clear writing is clear thinking.
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University of Toronto, Department of Economics, ECO 204, 2022-2023, Solo Project 1
• Make judicious use of graphs, tables, Excel screenshots, and pictures in the business report – don’t be that writer who
crams their report with “filler/decorative” graphs, tables, etc. Do you have a “technical” graph which doesn’t “fit” in
the report? Put it in the technical appendix (which has “no page limit” within common reason).
• The Excel file should be properly formatted and labelled. For example: are the top rows “frozen”? Did you adjust
column widths to auto-fit data? Are the numbers formatted to the same number of decimal places? Are the axes
labelled? “Set up” the Excel file to make it easy for your “client/audience” to use your model with different
input/parameter values (why not shade the “input/parameters” yellow and the Solver cells green etc.?)
• We highly recommend “soft coding” formulas and “naming variables” making it easier for your client/audience to
change the parameters, re-solve the problem, and view the “analysis” and “recommendations”.

“Submitting Project 1”
• The business-report must be in pdf format titled “LastName_FirstNam3_Last 5 Digits of Student ID.pdf ” while the
Excel file must be in either “xlsx” or “xslm” format titled “LastName_FirstName_Last 5 Digits of Student
ID.xlsx/xlsm”
• Please submit the business-report and Excel file through the Quercus Project 1 Tab and submit the business-report
through Crowdmark (latter: you will receive an e-mail in 48 hours with instructions on how to upload the report to
Crowdmark). Please see the course policies page on the 204 Course Site.

“Late Submissions”
Penalty for submitting any component of Project 1 past the deadline: 100% of the project grade per day.

“Academic Code of Conduct”
It is your responsibility to read and abide by the Student Academic Code of Conduct. Please note that any attempt to
“collaborate”, “receive/provide help” to any other individual/organization is a serious violation of the academic code of
conduct.

BUSINESS REPORT GRADING RUBRIC
Excellent Good Fair Problematic
Score: 3 2 1 0
Economic
Argument,
Concepts &
Evidence
Clearly stated argument
& concepts.
Economic reasoning is
sound and indicates
thorough understanding
of concepts discussed in
class.
Fairly clear and convincing
argument. Adequate use of
economic
concepts. Demonstrates
understanding of topics
discussed in class.
Argument is confusing or
contradictory. Weak
definition/application of
economic concepts.
Demonstrates some
understanding of topics
discussed in class.
No clear argument.
Confused or no use of
economic concepts.
Poor quality and little if
any displayed evidence
of understanding of
topics discussed in
class.
Organization
& Flow
Each main point is
written in a separate
paragraph, in a logical
order. Paper closes with
a clear and convincing
call to action.
Each reason is written in
paragraphs, but not necessarily
separate. Closing gives a fairly
clear and convincing call to
action.
Reasons are not written in
distinct paragraphs. Closing
gives a call to action, although
not well supported.
Reasons are not written
in good paragraphs and
have questionable
order. No clear or
convincing call to
action at close.
Writing:
Clarity,
Conciseness,
Sentence
Structure,
Grammar,
Active Voice,
Interest to
Reader
Easy to read, even for a
non-specialist. Writing
enhances understanding
and interest. Short, clear,
correctly structured
sentences with active
voice throughout.
Minimal (if any) errors.
Mostly easy to read. Mostly
short, clear, correctly
structured sentences with
active voice. A few minor
errors.
Sentence/word level
problems get in the way of
understanding, distracting
reader in places. Some passive
voice and/or jargon.
Significant
sentence/word level
problems make it
difficult for reader to
understand argument.
Considerable passive
voice and/or jargon.