COIT20233 Assessment Details Assessment item 3—Report Due date: 11:55 pm AEST, Friday, Week 9… 1 answer below »

COIT20233 Assessment Details Assessment item 3—Report

Due date:

11:55 pm AEST, Friday, Week 9

ASSESSMENT

Weighting:

30%

3

Length:

2500 – 3500 words (Note: Failure to submit within this range will result in a penalty of 5 marks) Objectives

Please refer to the course profile to see how this assessment item relates to the course learning outcomes.

This assignment is designed to stimulate critical thinking outside of the classroom by requiring students to write a formal academic report. You will need to follow the AREA process described in chapters 2 and 3 of Your Business Degree (prescribed textbook for COIT20233)to analyse the assessment task, research relevant information, evaluate the information you find and to write an academic report in which you present your findings or outcomes and make recommendations on future practice. This assessment task will assess your skills in critical thinking, researching information, forming an opinion, academic writing, logical ordering of ideas and your ability to support your arguments with quotes from literature. These objectives will be measured by the ‘closeness of fit’ to meeting the assessment task, assessment requirements and assessment criteria listed below.

Please note that there is a wealth of material available on the Libguide website for this course that you should use to help you gather and evaluate relevant information for writing your report(http://libguides.library.cqu.edu.au/coit20233). Assessment task Students are required to write an academic report as per the format outlined in chapter 5 of the textbook. The report must followHarvard citation and referencing guidelines. Please note that the prescribed textbook uses APA referencing guidelines. See also the Referencing Style subsection below.

The report is to be based on the following scenario about the use of teleworking as an example of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for sustainable development.

With the use of ICT of ever increasing sophistication in the organisations and our daily life, today’s organisations are very well positioned to contribute to the sustainable development. It is widely believed that an organisation that employs teleworkers can contribute to the sustainable development by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions, as they do not need to travel to work. Teleworking also provides economic savings to the organisation as well as the teleworkers. Despite all these, teleworkers are still a small share of the total workforce of a country.

You are an employee of a large organisation based in Sydney. By introducing teleworking in the organisation, your supervisor plans to contribute to sustainable development and has asked you to research about teleworking. You are to write a report to be presented at the next executive meeting. The report should include:

1. Teleworking and its challenges to the organisation and the teleworkers. You should consider the social, economic, ethical and legal factors.

2. A critical review whether teleworking would really reduce nett greenhouse gas emissions as widely believed.

Your report should include recommendations that provide guidelines for the organisation with respect to introducing and managing the teleworkers to achieve sustainable development.

Please note that you may need to make some assumptions about your organisation in order to write this report. These assumptions should be incorporated in the introduction to your report when you describe the organisation and outline the problem to be solved.

Specifically your report should include the following:

1. Title page: student name, student number, email address, course code, assignment number, assignment due date, campus lecturer/tutor, and course coordinator (not counted in the word count).

2. Executive summary: should include the purpose of the report, the problem and how it was investigated, your findings and your recommendations (approximately 300 words).

3. Table of Contents: should list the report topics using decimal notation. Needs to include the main headings and subheadings with corresponding page numbers, using a format that makes the hierarchy of topics clear (not counted in the word count).

4. Introduction: provide a brief description of the organisation, a concise overview of the problem you have been asked to research, the objectives to be achieved by writing the report and how you investigated the problem. Provide an outline of the sections of the report. Note that you will have to make assumptions about what type of organisation you are working for in this case study (approximately 400 words).

5. Body of the report (use appropriate headings in the body of the report.): Define key terms you will use in your report, such as what is meant by ‘sustainable development’. Present your ideas on the topic and discuss the information you found in your research that was relevant to the report’s objectives. Provide an analysis of the information that you gathered. Ensure that you explore the two points listed in the scenario above. In your discussion, examine the issues from a global perspective as well as from the local perspective (of the fictional organisation that is the centre of this report).

Please do NOT use ‘Body of the Report’ as a heading. Create meaningful headings that reflect the content of your report (approximately 1200 words).

6. Conclusion: based on your research and analysis. Explain the significance of your findings and your discussion. State if your report has achieved its objectives (approximately 550 words).

7. Recommendations: (based on your findings) what would your recommendations be to your supervisor in this situation? Provide some guidelines for the organisation with respect to introducing and managing the teleworkers to achieve sustainable development (approximately 550 words).

8. Reference list (not counted in the word count).

9. Appendices if necessary (not counted in the word count). Note: Additional information regarding this assignment may be placed on the course website as required.Check the course website at least once a week for further information relating to the report.Regular access to the course website is a requirement of this course.

Assessment Requirements

Your response should be structured as a report (chapter 5 of textbook), written in accordance with standard academic writing principles (chapter 4 of textbook).The report must be written using your own words with any in text citations clearly marked (see Referencing Style subsection below). You may discuss the assessment task with other students and the lecturing staff but you must WRITE the report YOURSELF in your own words.

You will need to conduct research to support your arguments using AT LEAST NINE references in addition to your set textbook (that is, a minimum of ten (10) references in your reference list). At least six (6) of these references should be from refereed academic journals and books. All sources should be current i.e. 2009 onwards.

The assignment should demonstrate a logical flow of discussion, be grammatically correct and free from typographical, spelling and grammatical errors. It should be prepared in MS-Word (or equivalent) using 12 point font, 1.5 line spacing and margins of 2.54 cm.

It is highly recommended that you submit your assignment to the Learning Skills Unit (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney students) or Communication Learning Centre (Rockhampton and Distance students) AT LEAST ONE WEEK before the due date so that it can be checked for spelling and grammatical errors. Referencing Style

References must be cited (in text) and a reference list provided in accordance with the Harvard (author-date) referencing style.

Helpful information on referencing techniques and styles can also be found on CQU’s referencing webpage:

http://www.cqu.edu.au/about-us/service-and-facilities/referencing

Marks will be deducted for poor referencing or having less than ten (10) references or going under or over the word length.

Use quotation marks for direct quotes and you must include the author, date and page number(s) with the quote as per the Harvard referencing standards.

ALL assignments will be checked for plagiarism (material copied from other students and/or material copied from other sources) using Turn-It-In. If you are found to have plagiarised material or if you have used someone else’s words without appropriate referencing, you will be penalised for plagiarism which could result in zero marks for the whole assignment. In some circumstances a more severe penalty may be imposed.

Useful information about academic integrity (avoiding plagiarism) can be found at:

http://www.cqu.edu.au/about-us/service-and-facilities/referencing Submission To be submitted online through the COIT20233 Moodle course website assessment block on or before the due date.

Before submitting your assignment you should check it against the detailed assessment criteria in the following table to ensure that you have satisfactorily addressed ALL the criteria that will be used to mark your report.

Assessment criteria This assessment is criterion referenced which means your work is assessed against the criteria in the marking rubric below.

Criteria

Quality High Distinction

(2.75-3.0 marks) Distinction

(2.25-2.5 marks) Credit

(1.75-2 marks) Pass

(1.25-1.5 marks) Fail

(0-1 marks)

References (1):Evidence of research and analysis of the references. Thorough research indicated; clear well-thought out analysis clearly integrated into discussion.

Analysed and evaluated information in great depth.

Used references to support, extend, and inform, but not substitute writer’s own development of ideas.

Combined material from a variety of sources.

Did not overuse quotes. Research was generally thorough; analysis was generally well done; integrated into discussion.

Analysed and evaluated information in considerable depth.

Used references to support, but not substitute writer’s own development of ideas.

Combined material from a variety of sources.

Did not overuse quotes. Some evidence of research; basic analysis; some integration into discussion.

Analysed and evaluated information in reasonable depth, some description.

Used references to support, but not substitute writer’s own development of ideas.

Combined material from a few sources.

Did not overuse quotes. Basic research; weaknesses evident in analysis.

Little evidence of analysis and evaluation of information; recounted and described. Details were too general, not interpreted, irrelevant to topic, or inappropriately repetitive.

Used relevant references but lacked in variety of references and/or the skilful combination of references.

Combined material from a few sources.

Quotations and paraphrases may be too long or not well integrated into the text.

Little or no evidence of research and analysis of information.

Neglected important references.

Simplistic or undeveloped support for the ideas.

Inappropriate or off-topic generalisations, faulty assumptions, errors of fact.

Overused quotations or paraphrasing to substitute writer’s own ideas.

Possibly used source material without acknowledgement.

References (2):

In-text citations and reference list. At least ten current references.

Thorough referencing. Citations and reference list accurate and consistent with Harvard style.

At least ten current references

A few inaccuracies with Harvard style for citations and/or reference list.

All references listed. At least ten current references

Generally complete. One or two references missing.

Some errors in Harvard style for citations and/or reference list. At least ten current references

Incomplete reference list. References not cited properly in text.

Errors with Harvard style. Less than ten references.

Problems with citations.

Inconsistent with Harvard style.

Executive summary The executive summary contained:

– a brief description of the purpose of the report

– the definition of the problem and how it was investigated

– a summary of what you found and what you concluded

– your recommendations

The executive summary contained the proper sections but did not include enough detail.

The executive summary had sections which were too brief or missing. Did not include enough detail.

The executive summary lacked clarity and has incomplete or missing sections. It did not clearly explain the problem, how it was investigated and your recommendations.

Entire sections of the executive summary are missing. There is a lack of detail and the problem is not well explained.

Table of contents

Lists the report topics using decimal notation. Includes the main headings and subheadings with corresponding page numbers. Format makes the hierarchy of topics clear.

A few things missing from the table of contents.

Some things missing from the table of contents

Includes the main headings only.

Table of contents missing.

Introduction Set the scene for the report; gave some background information for the topic. Included a brief description of the organisation.

Stated the objectives of the investigation. Include the problem you are addressing.

Explained the research method used to gather information.

Outlined the sections of the report.

The introduction contained the proper parts but did not include enough detail.

The introduction had parts which were too brief or missing. Did not include enough detail.

The introduction lacked clarity and had incomplete or missing parts. It did not clearly introduce the report.

The introduction was missing or was a repeat of the executive summary. It did not clearly introduce the report. Body of report:

Selection and sequencing of subject material; including evidence. Selected exact amount of relevant material that supports argument with no contradictions.

Substantial, logical, & concrete development of ideas. Arguments were logical and clear.

Assumptions were made explicit.

Key terms were defined.

Details were germane, original, and convincingly interpreted. Selected large amount of relevant material.

Offered solid development of ideas but less original reasoning.

Assumptions were not always recognised or made explicit.

Contained some appropriate details or examples. Selected adequate amount of material.

Some development of ideas; not much original reasoning.

Assumptions are not always recognised or made explicit.

Contains some appropriate details or examples. Selected adequate amount of material not all of it relevant.

Not much development of ideas. Very little original reasoning.

Offered somewhat obvious support that may be too broad.

Details were too general, not interpreted, irrelevant to problem, or inappropriately repetitive. Selected too little material or material that is irrelevant.

No development of ideas or original reasoning.

Offered simplistic, undeveloped, or cryptic support for the ideas.

Inappropriate or off-topic generalisations, faulty assumptions, errors of fact.

Conclusion Problem restated clearly, main points and supporting arguments summarised.

Stated the significance of the findings and that the objectives of the report had been met.

No new material. The conclusion contained the proper parts but did not include enough detail.

No new material. The conclusion had parts which were too brief or missing. Did not include enough detail.

May have included some new material. The conclusion lacked clarity and had incomplete or missing parts. It did not clearly conclude the report.

May have included some new material. The conclusion is missing or was a repeat of the executive summary. It did not clearly conclude the report.

Included new material.

Recommendations Suggested actions to address the problem.

Actions were clearly based on the findings of the report. Most suggested actions were relevant to the problem.

Actions were based on the findings of the report. Suggested actions were somewhat relevant to the problem.

Not all actions were based on the findings of the report. Suggested some actions. Not all actions were relevant to the problem.

Not all actions were based on the findings of the report.

Recommendations missing or irrelevant to the problem and/or did not relate to the findings.

Organisation:of ideas/main points; structure of sentences and paragraphs. Organisation fully supported the problem being addressed and the objectives of report.

Sequence of ideas was effective.

Excellent sentence structure. Well-constructed paragraphs;clear linkages between paragraphs. Organisation supported the problem being addressed and the objectives of report.

Sequence of ideas could be improved.

Good sentence structure. Linkages between paragraphs were mostly appropriate. Organisation supported the problem being addressed and the objectives of report.

Sequence of ideas did not always flow in a logical manner.

Some good sentence structure. Linkages between paragraphs could be improved. Some brief, undeveloped paragraphs.

Some signs of logical organisation.

May have had abrupt or illogical shifts and ineffective flow of ideas.

Some awkward sentences; paragraphs not well linked. Paragraph structurenot well integrated; contained extraneous information. Unclear organisation or organisational plan was inappropriate to problem being addressed.

Poorly worded sentences. No linkages between paragraphs.

Showed minimal effort or lack of comprehension of the assignment. Presentation:

· Title page

· Grammar, punctuation and spelling. Title page contained all necessary information.

Written expression was clear and correct; evidence of thorough proof-reading.

Observed professional conventions of written English and report format.

Grammar excellent; correct use of punctuation; minimal or no spelling errors. Title page contained all necessary information.

A few errors in grammar (wrong verb tense, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, apostrophe errors, singular/plural errors, article use, preposition use, split infinitives, etc.). Made occasional problematic word choices or syntax errors.

Observed professional conventions of written English and report format; made a few minor or technical errors.

Grammar strong despite occasional lapses;a few spelling or punctuation errors. Title page contained all necessary information.

Some distracting grammatical errors (wrong verb tense, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, apostrophe errors, singular/plural errors, article use, preposition use, split infinitives, etc.).Little evidence of proof-reading.

Needed to observe professional conventions of written English and report format; made numerous errors.

Grammar could be improved; errors in punctuation and spelling. Some necessary information was missing from the title page.

Some major grammatical or proofreading errors (wrong verb tense, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, apostrophe errors, singular/plural errors, article use, preposition use, split infinitives, sentence fragments, word form errors, etc.).

Needed to observe professional conventions of written English and report format; made repeated errors.

Frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Title page missing or missing necessary information.

Numerous grammatical errors which seriously detracted from understanding the writing.

Evidence of poor planning and/or no serious revision of writing.

Did not meet professional conventions of written English and report format.

Frequent major errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Length

Correct length (2500-3500 words)

Correct length (2500-3500 words)

Correct length (2500-3500 words)

Correct length (2500-3500 words) Too long (>3500 words) or too short (

Reports in this range will receive a penalty of 5 marks.

Grade:

Lecturer/Tutor:

Mark:

Date:

Western Oceanography Institute 1 answer below »

Read the Western Oceanographic Institute and answer the three questions at the end. Please use 2 outside sources when answering the questions.

Complete the following self-inventory by brainstorming as many items as you can for each category….

Complete the following self-inventory by brainstorming as many items as you can for each category. Think about anything you know, find interesting, or are involved in which relates to the topics below. Have you traveled to a different city, state, or country? Do you have any projects in other classes you find interesting? List them in the questions below.

• What do you read?

• What do you play or do for fun?

• What do you watch (visual media)?

• Where do you live or have you lived?

• What places have you visited (travel)?

• Whom do you know?

• What’s important to you?

• If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

Choose your three favorite categories from the list above and circle them. Then ask a friend what they would be most interested in hearing about. Ask more than one friend, and keep score of which item attracts the most attention. Make sure you keep track of who likes which category.

a. What is the most populous country on the planet?

1. United States

2. India

3. China

4. Brazil

b. The United States is home to more foreign-born residents than any other country. Which country has the next-highest number of foreign-born residents? [1]

 1. Russia

2. England

3. India

4. Argentina

c. As of 2008, what percentage of the world’s population lived in an urban setting?

1. 15 percent

2. 30 percent

3. 50 percent

4. 60 percent

d. The world’s population was about 6.5 billion in early 2009. In what year is this figure expected to double to 13 billion? [2]

1. 2090

2. 2027

3. 2067

4. 2109

According to data published by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), better performing me

According to data published by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), better performing medical practices follow the 14 characteristics on page 60 of your textbook Two of them are: the entire staff focuses on customer service, and a culture of respect is in place Your investigation into your practice uncovers two problem areas in your office: customer service is poor (include patient “wait times” in your discussion) and culture has led to low retention (both physicians and staff)

Discuss each of the following questions separately (use these HEADINGS ONLY – do not make-up your own words):

Discuss your efforts and steps to rectify the two situations referenced above

1 How would you address them?

2 Why it is important to resolve these two problem areas?

3 What systems, solutions or activities should be implemented to prevent or improve each problem area?

4 What and how do you monitor each area?

5 What changes would you make to each problem area, if initial solution(s) is not working?

Remember to support your initial response with at least two additional outside sources in APA

Create an 8- to 10-slideMicrosoft ? PowerPoint ? presentation thatsummarizes elements that affect st

Create an 8- to 10-slideMicrosoft速 PowerPoint速 presentation thatsummarizes elements that affect staffing at Patton-Fuller, such asraises in wages and changes in the nurse-to-patient ratio. Includespeaker notes.

Research paper 1 answer below »

Please write a 1page APA style research paper on issues involved in managing a diverse workforce. In addition to the research paper please create a 1 slide PowerPoint presentationthat includes speaker notes

1. Asses the type of leader you are – Charismatic leader – Transformation leader – Given a situation

1. Asses the type of leader you are
– Charismatic leader
– Transformation leader
– Given a situation task-oriented …….

2. What is the leadership theory or theories supporting your plan
– Relationship
– Participative
– Situational Theories

3. What are your leadership strengths and weaknesses, and what you will do to capitalize on your strengths and modify your weaknesses?
– Strengths: …….

Visionary, self-discipline, building relationships and motivating others
– Weakness: public speaking, self-confident

4. Are there gaps between the leader you are now and the leader you would like to become? Are they:
– Not self-assertive
– Lack of speaker skills
– Risk-averse due to fear of failure …….

5. Action items you will realistically implement to close gaps between the leader you are now and the leader you would like to become.

6. A realistic implementation timeline for each action item on your plan

7. Discussion of how you will actually use your plan to impact your leadership, your followers, and your organization. Discuss how you will assess and modify your plan to ensure you are on track. …….

Collaboration: Building Effective Teams with Technology You have just been given an assignment to pu

Collaboration: Building Effective Teams with Technology
You have just been given an assignment to put together a plan for a collaborative team Review Table 21
in Chapter 2 and use it as a guideline to develop your team You will want to avoid or minimize the risk of
dysfunctional aspects while focusing on the team maintenance roles and the task oriented roles What
techniques and technology will you use to help the team? The Collaborating on Communication Efforts
section in Chapter 2 may help you generate ideas Your essay should be 150 to 200 words and formatted
according to APA style guidelines
TABLE 21 Team Roles—Functional and Dysfunctional
Dysfunctional: Self-Oriented Roles
Controlling: Dominating others by exhibiting superiority or authority
Withdrawing: Retiring from the team either by becoming silent or by refusing to deal with a particular
aspect of the team’s work
Attention seeking: Calling attention to oneself and demanding recognition from others
Diverting: Focusing the team’s discussion on topics of interest to the individual rather than on those
relevant to the task Functional: Team-Maintenance Roles
Encouraging: Drawing out other members by showing verbal and nonverbal support, praise, or
agreement
Harmonizing: Reconciling differences among team members through mediation or by using humor to
relieve tension
Compromising: Offering to yield on a point in the interest of reaching a mutually acceptable decision Functional: Task-Oriented Roles
Initiating: Getting the team started on a line of inquiry
Information giving or seeking: Offering (or seeking) information relevant to questions facing the team
Coordinating: Showing relationships among ideas, clarifying issues, summarizing what the team has
done
Procedure setting: Suggesting decision-making procedures that will move the team toward a goal

each questions must be answered in 3-4 sentences 2 answers below »

1)Scour the national media for a credible macroeconomic current issue (many good sources are available online) Summarize your article for your colleagues and attach a link to your article. Make sure you appropriately refer to the textbook sections that apply to your chosen article.2)The healthcare sector is often cited as being fraught with just about every economic imperfection that is known to humankind. Can you identify and briefly describe ONE of these imperfections?3)Do you know of any examples?

It may be 15 pages but you can hve 10-11 pages of text and use diagrams. the professor has said if.. 1 answer below »

It may be 15 pages but you can hve 10-11 pages of text and use diagrams. the professor has said if you use diagrams make sure you have at LEAST 10 full pages of texts.

As a rule let the wordcount be 3000 words minus the references instead of 2500 and add illustrations/diagrams if you must

total must be 15 pages minus references

its a good client

I need it by 4 AM in the morning at most

Format is MLA!!

he company is CarMax

Portland State University
School of Business Administration
BA 301: Research and Analysis of Business Problems
Term: Spring 2013
Business Problem Analysis Research Paper – Description and Instructions
Purpose
This term paper helps you gain skill in applying critical elements of the problem solving process. In addition, it enhances your understanding of real business problems and opportunities, and how you can benefit from using a systematic approach in solving them. While completing this project you’ll have the opportunity to choose a company that interests you, research that company in order to uncover and prioritize some of the strategic and tactical problems facing the management team, and use the PSU SBA process to develop some creative solutions to the chosen problem. You’ll also enhance your long-term perspective and understanding of corporate sustainability by recognizing how economic issues interact with social and/or environmental issues in real business settings.
Expectations
Although the final report is due at the end of the term, I would suggest that you not wait until the last minute to complete this assignment. As we review key elements of the problem-solving process throughout the term, you’ll probably want to immediately apply them to your project (you can see that I’m an optimistic guy). In this way, as you run into issues and concerns, you can discuss them with your group or with me. This is a research paper, and good research takes time. You will be required to provide a draft of your term paper to your group members at the end of the term for review. It always helps to let others review and critique your work. They can often see things that you can’t, sometimes just because you are too close to the material. Early on in the term you will be required to provide a draft problem description for your paper as part of a homework assignment. You will also have a chance to review this with your group. This is a crucial part of the project. If the problem is defined poorly or too generally, it will adversely affect the rest of your paper – and your grade!
Problem Selection
I have purposely not selected the corporate problems for you, only a list of possible organizations for your research. Early in the course we will discuss Problem Definition as a key step in the problem-solving process. You can’t solve a problem if you can’t identify a problem. Too often in past terms students have defined a problem as a goal, or an objective, or an issue. Problem definition begins with identifying symptoms. Symptoms are indicators. Find a gap between the actual and the desired or a contradiction between principle and practice. We’ll talk more about this in class. You’ll need to do preliminary research on your chosen company in order to uncover some of the problems they face in today’s global business arena, and then pick one that you specifically wish to explore further in the context of the term paper.
Academic Honesty
The project is an individual project, and it is critical that you do your own work. Some of you may choose the same company. Although I would encourage you to discuss the project both inside and outside the class, the final work you submit must be your own. Trust me, I’ll know. And you will be penalized.
Final Report Structure
The final term paper requires a specific structure and format. You might think that this is restrictive. In a real business environment, you will often be faced with situations where you need to produce a work product that adheres to specific requirements. Get used to it! Express your creative energy in the content and quality of your thought process, critical thinking, research strategy and solutions. Plus, a fixed format helps me to grade consistently. The final paper should describe the problem you have addressed, the solution you propose, and the outcomes the organization can expect in implementing your solution. It follows the PSU SBA problem-solving process discussed throughout the term. In other words, there is a section for each portion of the process, and you should use the tools from the class to solve the problem.
Write the paper as if I am the audience. I will read and grade the paper with these questions in mind:
1.) ?Is the problem you describe actually a problem, is it supported by data that you have collected, and is it important to the organization?
2.) ?Have you exhaustively generated a creative set of possible solutions?
3.)?Will the solution you propose effectively address the problem, and have you chosen that solution using effective and proven decision-making techniques?
4.)?Have you made a convincing, evidence-based argument for you choice?
5.)?Will an allocation of corporate resources achieve the benefits you describe?
Your report should convince the decision-maker that the solution you recommend can improve the firm’s multiple bottom line (we’ll discuss this in class if you’re not familiar with the phrase) and is worth pursuing. Here’s an overview of the required structure. You’ll also find a template on the course website. Please follow it.
Title Page (no folders please!)
Your name, date, course name, etc.
Table of contents
A table of contents page should list your reports section headings and their page numbers. Please use the headings listed below. Add subheadings as appropriate, and include them in your table of contents.
Executive summary
The report should begin with a 1-2 page executive summary that encapsulates all of the main points you wish to make in your report. It should include a clear statement of the problem and your recommended solution. And it should present clear and abbreviated arguments in support of your solution.
The summary is often used by decision makers as a basis for determining whether the project has merit and is worthy of further investment. At a minimum, it serves as an overview of your project that is used by the reader to determine whether or not to read the full report. I would suggest that you write the summary after you write the complete report.
Position
This section provides a context for your problem and an overview of the subject company, including a summary of mission, vision, values and key stakeholders. As mentioned in the course text, this context will lay the groundwork for determining which problems are worthy of managerial attention. Provide details from the information uncovered in your research.
Sense
You can’t solve problems if you haven’t identified and defined them properly and completely. Use this section of the paper to identify any and all symptoms of problems uncovered during your research. Analyze these symptoms and begin to make causal connections. Your goal, as discussed in the class lecture, is to find the root cause or causes. Sometimes a single symptom has many causes. Or many different symptoms may have one ultimate root cause. Your task is to sort this out and find one problem that will be the focus for your paper. This section of the paper should end with a clear description of the problem. A good problem description consists not only of the symptom, for example – a dramatic 25% decrease in sales over the past two years – but also the cause.
Uncover
This section of the paper will be used to further explore the problem and develop a range of creative alternative solutions. Continued and more thorough causal analysis can help steer your divergent thinking into new ways to solve the problem.
Solve
Based on acquired data, and using tools reviewed during the term, choose a solution from amongst those “uncovered” in the previous section of the paper. Convince me that your choice is the best choice.
Build
Use this section to prepare a cost/benefit and feasibility analysis of your solution, along with an ethical screen.
Achieve
To the extent possible, prepare a brief discussion of how your solution can be implemented. Describe the steps that will be required to put your solution into effect. If you are able to define the steps with sufficient clarity, you can also include a timeline and budget for the implementation – even if you have to make a few assumptions. I do understand that it is hard to get some of this information. I am most interested in seeing that you understand the process Develop a set of measures that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of your solution in delivering proposed benefits. Discuss when, how often, and how the solution should be evaluated.
Bibliography page
Using MLA style guidelines, prepare a bibliography page. At least ten sources are to be listed on this page, and at least two (2) of them must be from peer-reviewed sources (refereed). We will discuss “peer-reviewed” sources in class, but briefly, a peer-reviewed source is a scholarly periodical which requires that each article submitted for publication be judged by an independent panel of experts (scholarly or scientific peers). You may list sources that are not directly cited in the body of the paper.
Appendices
If you have detailed materials or data that are needed to support your recommendations, but might be too lengthy to include within the body of your report, include it in one or more appendices. If you use appendices, you must reference them in the body of your report.
Formatting
The PSU writing center offers in-person and on-line support for student research projects. Their web site is:www.writingcenter.pdx.edu. Please take advantage of these resources.
Your final report should be very carefully organized and formatted. Use subheadings and highlighting (italics, boldface etc.) as necessary to guide the reader through your work. Use bullet points and numbering to draw attention to lists of important items. Make sure that your formatting style, organizational approach, and level of detail are consistent throughout the report. Use a formal tone appropriate for business documents. Be consistent with use of tense and person. When presenting numerical data, use appropriate guidelines to present your data effectively. Use 12-point Times New Roman for body copy, and 14-point Arial Bold for major headings (see the template on the course website).
As for length, the term paper should be at least ten (10) pages long, not counting the Table of Contents, the bibliography page or any necessary appendices, and no longer than 25 pages. And, if you fill the paper with charts and diagrams, make sure you have ten pages of text. Use the font guidelines listed above, and make sure it’s double-spaced and one-sided. I know that it seems like a waste of paper, but single-sided is much easier to grade if I’m reading many papers at the end of the term. And you don’t want me to be cranky when I’m reading your paper.
You are expected to follow MLA style guidelines for all citations in the text and on your bibliography page. Be particularly careful when citing materials collected through PSU Library online databases, such as EBSCO Host. The MLA has a web site but does not publish its guidelines there. However, there are many other sources for citation examples, such as:
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/library/researchguides.html.
You can also find printed MLA style guidelines in the library and at the writing center.
Final Thoughts
The term paper is 35 percent of your final grade. It’s hard to get an A in this class if you don’t do well on this project. Start early, particularly the background research and problem definition. Outline your thoughts and update the outline as we cover the PSU SBA process in class. As mentioned on the first page, the problem definition is critical, so make sure you spend some time on it. Trust me, it will help the rest of the paper go more smoothly. If you’re having problems, come see me with your questions. I’m happy to help.
Lastly, good research is the backbone of the paper. And, as I will repeat in class, this means more than just a Google search. Google is a terrific resource, but the PSU Library website is a better one. Experts claim that Google and other common search engines only give you access to 1 percent of the data on the Internet. The rest of the information is in the “deep” Web. Corporate and other private databases make up mu