Draft

Executive Summary
Carolina International Trade is a textile and used clothing exporter located in Duncan, SC. The company was founded in 2006 and has grown exponentially since. In order to keep up with the needs of a fast paced business world and enhance the company’s image, the owner would like a website that highlights the growing business and its accomplishments. However, the company does not currently have the funds to hire an additional employee to update and maintain the website. Thus, I propose to create a website and a technical document that will enable a current employee to update and maintain the website.


Introduction
ATC International was founded in 1986 in Edison, New Jersey. Initially, the company specialized in textile exportation, predominately to Africa and South America. In 2006, one of the shareholders bought out the company and moved to South Carolina to expand the company. Upon the inclusion of used clothing exportation, the company was renamed Carolina International Trade.

Due to this rapid growth and relocation, the company owner feels that a website would be beneficial. The website could provide increased visibility and a contact method for both current and future clients. It could also serve as an informational tool.

However, at this time, the company does not have the funds to hire an employee to create, maintain, and update the website. My solution is to create the website myself free of charge and create a manual that will allow a current employee to do the necessary updates and maintenance.


Current Situation
Currently, Carolina International Trade does not have a website. They do, however, have hosting and a domain name, www.citcarolina.com. In the past, the company has tried to hire someone to create a website, but there have never been any results.


Project Plan
First, I will access the company’s needs by having several meetings with the owner and learning more about both his needs and the company’s history. Then, I will research both the competition and relevant web standards. Finally, I will create a website and technical manual that will allow an employee to do future maintenance and updates.

The first step to making the website will be to view the competition’s websites. Then, I will find a design that fits the needs of the company. At this time, I believe I will need to access the control panel and create a home page with a navigational bar, offering sites such as Home, About Us, History, Used Clothing, Textiles, Exports, and Contact Us. Each of the sites should have a similar navigational and design element. I would also like to feature a photograph on each page and all relevant information. The Contact Us page will probably require a simple form that will allow all information to be filled in and automatically emailed to the relevant personnel.

Finally, I will create the technical document. This document should begin with a title page and be followed by a table of contents with page numbers to increase clarity and accessibility. Then, I will detail how to login and access the control panel. I will likely include the username and password. I also intend to show a screen shot of the login page. Then, I plan to explain the many functions of the control panel. I will show a screen shot of the panel and briefly summarize each graphic icon’s purpose. Next, I will show how to upload a simple html page to the hosting site. I also intend to include a simple html tutorial to help with the editing of existing pages.


Qualifications
I am qualified to create this website because I have created several personal websites and am proficient in html and javascript. I have also taken Computer Science 120 at Clemson University. I am also interested in gaining some professional experience in web design.

As for the manual, I am an English major at Clemson University and a business and technical writing minor, so I have had lots of experience with writing. I have also used these skills in the professional field, creating promotional materials and informational documents.


Project Schedule
Date Due Object Due
09/17/2008 Proposal Draft
09/25/2008 Proposal
10/16/2008 Web Site Draft
12/2/2008 Web Site
11/13/2008 Manual Draft
12/02/2008 Manual


Conclusion
In conclusion, I feel that the best way to fit the needs of Carolina International Trade is to create a website and a manual with easy instructions for in-house updates and maintenance. I feel that this would enable the company to continue its current growth and expansion.