For this paper assignment, you are asked to research from a financial perspective, two public construction
companies of your choosing. Based upon your research, provide a 2-page paper discussing from a
financial perspective which company is the “best” and why. Be sure to include an in depth analysis based
on different financial ratios. Not all ratios need to be discussed, but at least two from each category
(profitability, leverage, and efficiency) should be analyzed.
Organize the paper as follows:
Each paper should be organized in the same manner with the following sections: Introduction An introduction should be provided to present the topic to the reader. This section
should provide a general background on your topic and answer questions such as: Who? What?
When? Where? Why? How Much? Impact? The introduction should also state the related
issue(s) that you will be addressing. Financial Ratios section will be the main body of your paper. This is where you will clearly
identify three financial ratios and how they are used to assess a company. Furthermore, each
student should identify a specific company as the “best” and then explain thorough the
presentation of at least three financial ratios. The student should fully develop an argument and
support with examples. Recommendation: This section is a clear and pointed recommendation based on the developed
argument. Conclusions The conclusions state the significance of what you have learned through your
investigation and preparation of the paper; it is not merely a summary of what has already been
written. An explanation of why this topic is important to a contractor, or an engineer should also
be included. References: Cite sources as they occur in the body of the paper by the author’s last name and the
year of publication, such as (Sitzabee, 2008). Do not use footnotes at the bottom of the page. All
of the sources should be listed alphabetically at the end of the paper in the references section.
You should refer to a technical writing manual for the proper way to cite references.
The overall length of each paper should be two pages or approximately 1200 words. Papers that are not
two pages in length or are shorter than 1000 words or are longer than 1250 words will be penalized. The
text of the paper should be single-spaced in a two column format and printed on the front and back of one
piece of paper. Please use Times New Roman 11 point or 12 point font.
Tables and figures are not required but you may include one or two if it is necessary. If you do choose to
insert tables and/or figures, please label them as follows: Table 1. Example Table Caption (Center and number caption above table) Figure 1. Example Figure Caption (Center and number caption below figure)
In addition to learning new material related to construction finance, another purpose of preparing papers
is to help the student develop writing skills. Although this is not a creative writing course, or even a
technical writing course, good communication is paramount to being an effective engineering and
construction professional. The best way to develop these skills, particularly at the graduate school level,
is through practice. Therefore, your papers will be graded for technical content as well as professional
presentation. Construction Finance, Accounting, and Risk The following are helpful hints when writing technical papers: Avoid the use of personal language, such as I, me, and my Do not use contractions, such as don’t, shouldn’t, or wouldn’t; spell out all words It is acceptable to use abbreviations but state what it stands for at its first use, such as United
States Air Force (USAF) Avoid the use of colloquialisms, such as “where the rubber the meets the road;” readers from a
different culture may not be familiar with what it means Avoid large expanses of white space on the page; one blank space between each section of the
paper should be sufficient