Final Business Proposal Assignment Instructions

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate your learning achievements in the areas of
Critical Thinking, Inquiry-Based Learning, and Inter-Relationships among Disciplines by
working for a hypothetical small business on a real-world project and produce written
documents for a business plan. You are expected to use what you have learned
throughout your undergraduate study to help solve business problems in terms of (1)
strategic planning, (2) product/service design, (3) marketing, and (4) human resources
aspects of a new business venture initiated by the USF Positive Aging Lab. The
product/service/platform is called MUSER (MUsic to Support Engagement and
Resilience). MUSER can be any of the above three (product, service, or platform) that is
designed to help family OR professional caregivers for persons with dementia (PwD) who
lives at home (family) OR in an assisted living community (professional). Please pick only
one of the setting (home or assisted living).
Your team’s goal is to develop a business proposal to secure a hypothetical call for
proposal put out by the Retirement Research Foundation (RRF) for $50,000 start-up
funding. You goal is to help bring this product/service/platform (as envisioned by each
team) into the senior market nationwide and market it to older adults and/or their family
members. You will use a variety of knowledge and skills learned in this and other courses.
This assignment requires you to do some research and learn about the current practices
in music therapy for persons with dementia, as well as product development and
marketing for the older adult market (See Background below).
To get you started, you will be provided with some background information (Background)
and a list of required components (Rquirements) of a business proposal. You will do some
basic research by using course material, library and internet sources and come up with a
business model (as specified in Requirements below). You are encouraged to study
popular websites/apps for inspirations in the following spaces: Wellness (WW/formerly
Weight Watchers), Music Streaming: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Music,
Tidal, and etc.)
The final paper should be approximately 10 single-spaced pages long, with 1” margins all
around, and 12-point Arial font. The number of pages include all 3 sections: executive
summary, proposal, budget narrative/timeline, and reference, if any). With the Exception
of the Executive Summary (1-page), there is no upper page limit.
2
Background:
Evidence-based, non-pharmacological interventions that address the behavioral and
psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are a particularly high priority for assisted
living communities (ALC), where a large portion of residents have Alzheimer’s diseaserelated dementias (ADRD). Studies have demonstrated that individualized music can
reduce anxiety, decrease negative affect or depression, and control physically-agitated
behaviors in people with ADRD. Eliciting musical memories using familiar or preferred
music may decrease feelings of isolation and anxiety, as musical memories are encoded
in areas of the brain affected later in the ADRD process than areas of the brain involved
in verbal memory and executive functioning. Music & MEMORY (M&M) is a music
program that involves using inexpensive iPod technology to deliver individualized music
to people with ADRD. The intervention’s potential is illustrated powerfully in the awardwinning 2014 documentary, Alive Inside, which shows residents with severe dementia
begin to move, sing, and interact with others when listening to their favorite music on
iPods (McCreedy et al. 2019).
The National Alzheimer’s Project Act specifically includes two goals related to behavioral
and social aspects of care: Goal 2: Enhance Care Quality and Efficiency; and Goal 3:
Expand Support for People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Their Families. Further, there
is a urgent need for research into changes in care processes that will lead to improvement
in the lives of people with ADRD and their caregivers. This competition is designed to
encourage novel product/services that can lead to reduced “Behavioral expressions”
among residents with ADRD. These expressions often lead to caregiver exhaustion and
the transfer of care to institutional care facilities. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services, partnered with state and federal agencies, special memory care facilities,
community agencies and programs (in-home or in-facility), respite care services, and
volunteer programs, improve the quality of care and life of diagnosed persons and their
caregivers. While many such resources were initially developed to reduce the use of
antipsychotic medications, the national partnership’s main goal is to encourage the use
of non-pharmacological approaches and person-centered dementia care practices to
optimize the functioning of persons with ADRD, reduce caregiver stress, and provide
person-centered care practices. Although many facilities have developed special units for
managing persons with these problems, there has been limited research into their
effectiveness. High priority will be given to research on testing of non-pharmacological
interventions (e.g., music, physical exercise, group activities, diet, bright light therapy,
play therapy, replacement therapy, pet therapy, massage, Snoezellen rooms) for
“behavioral expressions.”
Kwak, J., Anderson, K., & O’Connell Valuch, K. (2018). Findings From a Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial of an
Individualized Music Listening Program for Persons With Dementia. J Appl Gerontol, 733464818778991.
doi:10.1177/0733464818778991
Ford Ii, J. H., Dodds, D., Hyland, J., & Potteiger, M. (2019). Evaluating the Impact of Music & Memory’s Personalized
Music and Tablet Engagement Program in Wisconsin Assisted Living Communities: Pilot Study. JMIR Aging, 2(1), e11599.
doi:10.2196/11599
McCreedy, E. M., Yang, X., Baier, R. R., Rudolph, J. L., Thomas, K. S., & Mor, V. (2019). Measuring Effects of Nondrug
Interventions on Behaviors: Music & Memory Pilot Study. J Am Geriatr Soc. doi:10.1111/jgs.16069
3
Requirements:
All proposals must include the following components as outlined in 1-3 below.
1. The Executive Summary: a one-page summary that concisely describes the project.
The Executive Summary offers a succinct overview of your project and allows the
reviewer to better understand what you are trying to accomplish. Include brief information
about the project’s need, objectives, and methods.
2. The Proposal Narrative provides an opportunity for you to describe your project
thoroughly by addressing the following:
a. Applicants Organization – USF Positive Aging Lab
b. Project Significance
Importance and relevance of the proposed project
Background information on the issue(s) to be addressed
Literature review that highlights existing knowledge in the field and/or how the
project will address gaps
Anticipated contribution of the project
c. SMART Objectives
Please provide Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound
(SMART) objectives
Include anticipated outcomes and/or accomplishments
d. Proposed Methods
Strategies and methods your organization will use
Target audience(s)
Change(s) to be effected
Resources and method of delivery
e. Evaluation – Please describe:
Methods that will be used to measure progress toward objectives
Type of data that will be collected
Methods that will be used to analyze the data
To obtain more information about evaluation, please see our evaluation guidelines
f. Personnel
Describe the key personnel and their qualifications to lead this effort.
3. Budget Narrative and Timeline
a. The Budget Narrative describes how the team plan to spend the money and how the
budget relates to the proposed project activities. Budget narratives generally contain a
description for each line item identified in the budget. See the Budget Narrative Sample.
b. The Timeline corresponds directly to the activities that are described in the proposal.
See the Timeline Sample.
Evaluation Guidelines for Reviewing the Business Proposals:
https://www.rrf.org/resources/grant-resources/evaluation-guidelines