The document outlines the requirements for a term project analyzing a selected company. The written report must be 8 pages single-spaced and cover: a company overview and history including financial metrics; the company's strategy using Porter's Five Forces and competitive strategy; how the organization uses information systems; an IT/IS analysis relating to course topics; conclusions and recommendations; and an appendix with sources cited. Students will also present their findings from the report in a 10-15 minute in-class presentation with 5 minutes for questions.

1. Project Analysis:
The term project includes a deep dive into one of the selected
companies. The report should cover the following topics. The
written report should encompass up to 8 pages, single spaced,
plus an appendix/ works cited. Please note that the cover page
and the appendix/works cited doesn’t count against the
maximum page requirement.
Written Report Topic/Grade Breakdown and Expectations:
1. Cover page with students first and last names in alphabetical
order (1 point)
2. Formatting standard font size (Times New Roman no larger
than 12 font), single space plus appendix/works cited at end of
report (1 point)
3. Discussion of Company Overview and History - financial
metrics (EBITDA, revenue, net income, earnings per share,
market capitalization) employees, size, scope (business lines
that the company operates in), and a brief history. (5 points) (no
more than 1 page)
4. Company’s Strategy (Porter’s Five Forces, and Competitive
Strategy) (5 points) (no more than 1 page)
5. How is the organization using IS? (up to two pages) (10
points)
6. IT / IS Analysis - Relate discussion to topics covered in IS
4410 course: i.e. five component model, database processing,
social media information systems, the cloud, processes,
organizations, and information systems, business systems
intelligence, information systems security, information systems
management, and information systems development (up to two
pages) (10 points)
7. Conclusion / Recommendations / Company prospects going

2. forward (15 points) (up to two pages)
8. Appendix / Works cited – appropriate graphs, illustrations,
etc. (3 points)
Total Points: 50 points
Presentation in class on findings from report.
10 to 15 minutes, plus 5 minutes for questions.
Running head: RECYCLING CAN BE WORTH IT 1
Recycling Can Be Worth It, If We Focus Efforts
Student’s Name
Columbia Southern University
RECYCLING CAN BE WORTH IT 2
Recycling Can Be Worth It, If We Focus Our Efforts
The Topic
For decades, people have expressed concern about the

3. environment and how human
activity may impact it in a negative way. Conservation efforts
have included global concerns
about production waste, water pollution, and endangered
species. Because the scope of human
activity has an array of negative effects, many people feel
somewhat powerless to affect any kind
of real change. As a result, ecologists and activists have
attempted to educate the public about
ways that every individual might make small changes that will
begin to alleviate long-term
effects. One of these methods is household recycling. Recently,
however, some people have
begun to question the efficacy of recycling as a means for
alleviating landfill waste.
The Controversy
An on-going concern is that recycling is not the solution that
the U.S. government
thought it would be in the 1980s. While many people do not
disagree that recycling is a good
idea, there is little to incentivize people to recycle. Further,
some people even question whether
recycling bottles is better for the environment because of the
shear amount of energy resources

4. used in the production of recycled bottles that still cause waste.
There is increasing concern
about unsustainable resources and whether or not the human
race can afford not to recycle.
Pro Side of the Controversy
While there are imperfections in the recycling process, those in
favor of recycling
contend that investing in the process is worth it because of the
positive impacts to the
environment. According to the Aluminum Association (as cited
in Moss & Scheer, 2015),
aluminum cans are the most recycled material, which is good
because recycling these cans saves
aluminum and only uses 8% of the energy to make a new can.
Recycling prevents the release of
RECYCLING CAN BE WORTH IT 3
dangerous carbon dioxide. According to Moss and Scheer
(2015), who interviewed the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency in 2013, recycling and
compositing saved nearly 186 million
metric tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the
atmosphere. Szaky (2015) argues that

5. those against recycling fail to account for the current impacts of
failing to recycle. For example,
a new study by the 5 Gyres Institute indicates that there are
more than five trillion pieces of
plastic floating on the surface of the world’s oceans, which is
roughly the weight of 134,500
average U.S. cars (Elks & Hower, 2014). While the statistics
can be staggering, others are
concerned about the economic questions regarding recycling
and sustainability.
Con Side of the Controversy
Those who question recycling do so on the basis of
effectiveness and convenience.
Hutchinson (2008) contends that while a plastic water bottle
might last in a landfill for centuries,
the petroleum reused is barely worth the diesel fuel burned by
the large trucks sent to collect the
bottles. While recycling aluminum is worth the energy,
recycling glass uses 21% less energy
(Hutchinson, 2008). There are further concerns about looking at
recycling as part of a larger
picture. For example, Chris Goodall calculates that “if you wash
plastic in water that was heated

6. by coal-derived electricity, then the net effect of your recycling
could be more carbon in the
atmosphere” (as cited in Tierney, 2015). While some cities are
attempting to convert to a “zero
trash” policy within the next 15 to 20 years, there is no
guarantee that these expensive measures
will have any positive impacts on the environment; in fact,
many speculate that the benefits are
few (Tierney, 2015).
RECYCLING CAN BE WORTH IT 4
Tentative Thesis Statement
Recycling efforts should continue because materials that are
recycled are often
unsustainable, there should be a more focused effort to recycle
materials that have a
reproduction-cost benefit.
References
Elks, J., & Hower, M. (2014, December 18). Reports find over 5
trillion pieces of plastic floating
in the world’s oceans…and 10,000 times more in the deep sea.

7. Retrieved from
http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/waste_not/
mike_hower/report_5_tril
lion_pieces_plastic_floating_world%E2%80%99s_oceans
Hutchinson, A. (2008, November 12). Is recycling worth it? PM
investigates its economic and
environmental impact. Retrieved from
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science
/environment/a3752/4291566/
Moss, D., & Scheer, R. (2015, November 5). Is recycling worth
it? Retrieved from
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-recycling-worth-it/
Szaky, T. (2015, October 13). 7 reasons why recycling is not a
waste: A response to “The Reign
of Recycling.” Retrieved from
http://www.sustainablebrands.com/
news_and_views/waste_not/tom_szaky/7_reasons_why_recyclin
g_not_waste_response_r
eign_recycling
Tierney, J. (2015, October 3). The reign of recycling. The New
York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/opinion/sunday/the-reign-
of-recycling.html?_r=0