Assignment:
Team Debate Project Guidelines
"Every truth has two sides. It is as well to look at both, before we commit ourselves to either"
-- Aesop
"In seeking truth, you have to get both sides of the story"
-- Walter Cronkite
"Bart: Dad! Lisa's making me see things from both sides again!
Homer: Lisa, I warned you about that!
Lisa: Shouldn't Bart have all the information he needs to make an informed decision?
Homer: Now you're doing it to me, aww..."
-- The Simpsons
Every manager must realize that there are legitimate concerns on both sides of any given issue. Too many of us have been conditioned to make a decision or proclaim a political affiliation prior to understanding the various perspectives on an issue, which debilitates our ability to reason. We tend to automatically believe what our side tells us, and discount what the other side tells us. We often read opposing viewpoints, but rather than truly understanding those viewpoints to see if they have merit, wecriticize them. This project is designed to help us overcome this method (or lack) of analysis, and to build your skills in thoughtful and analytical debate and discourse.
Objectives of the Debates:
1. To conduct research andgain insight ona controversial HR issue.
2. To apply relevant HR concepts in the discussion of policy and practical implications of the issues.
3. To practice good communication, critical thinking, research, and analytical skills.
4. To have fun by engaging in a spirited yet professionallive interchange.
General Procedures:
• Individual students will indicate their interest in a debate topic.
• Individuals will then be assigned to a team, which will debate one side of a topic (either "pro" or "con").
• Each team will write a 10-page research paper, which argues both sides of the issue.
• All team members will receive the same grade for their team's paper.
• The presentation (live debate) portion of your group project grade will be comprised of class and professor evaluations.
Research Instructions:
• As this is a research project, you must support your positions and arguments with appropriate facts, evidence, and statistics. You can include survey results, organizational examples, case examples, and other supporting materials.
• To find this information, you must research the topic. Requirements and suggestions for the sources of your information include:
o Use at least 6(six) scholarly / academic journal sources (e.g. Academy of Management Perspectives, Harvard Business Review, Training and Development, Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Journal of Management, Human Resource Management, MIT Sloan Quarterly Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Organizational Dynamics, Academy of Management Journal, Human Resource Management). The bulk of your evidence should come from these sources, as they are peer-reviewed and thus are likely to be more accurate and reliable than other sources.
o Use at least 4(four) other practitioner or popularpress sources (e.g., non-peer-reviewed business or HR magazines or newspapers, such as theWall Street Journal, Washington Post, NY Times, LA Times, Business Week, HR Magazine, Forbes, Fast Company, Fortune)
o WEBSITES SHOULD BE USED SPARINGLY. This is because there is little or no oversight of the accuracy of what is on most websites. Overreliance on websites in your paper will negatively impact your grade.
o Textbooks do not count towards your required count of sources, because they are not primary sources of information.
• If you cite a source in your bibliography, it should be meaningfully used in the paper.
• All references must be cited properly and fully. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism.You can check the plagiarism report yourself upon uploading the paper on BB. If you need to make changes, you can upload another version (I will grade the latest version posted).
Writing Suggestions:
Have one person be responsible for giving the entire paper a "final read" before submitting.
Footnotes and endnotes should not be used.
Double space everything in the paper (e.g., no additional spaces between heading and text).
Use indented paragraphs, with no additional spacing between paragraphs or between subheadings and paragraphs.
Stay away from bulleted or numbered lists. Write in clear prose.
"i.e.," means "in other words," and "e.g.," means "for example".
Read all instructions carefully, and structure your paper with the instructions and evaluation criteria in mind (that is, remember who is grading and make is easy for her to grade!)
Paper Format Instructions:
• The paper should be no more than 10 double-spaced pages,notincludingthe bibliography, tables, figures, and/ora cover page.
• Number your pages.
• Use one-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font.
• The file format should be a Microsoft Word Document (no PDFs).
• Each section (e.g., Pro. Con) should not arrive at absolute conclusions or final recommendations. Save this for your Conclusion.
• Direct quotes from references should be used sparingly, such that most of the writing in the paper is yours!In other words, within the paper, keep direct quotations to a minimum (no more than a few). When quoting directly (""), include the page number of the quote from the source (e.g., Smith, 2009, p. 360). Remember, when you rephrase in your own words, you still need to include a citation (e.g., Smith, 2009) (see the professor if this is not clear).
The paper structure should have five sections, with headingsthat are labeled, bolded, and centered, as follows:
INTRODUCTION
(approx. 2 pages)
• Define what the issue is (particularly if there is any ambiguity)
• Describe why the issue is important (or "why we care"), especially to EMPLOYERS and WORKERS
• Give a brief summary of the origin and history of the issue (e.g., when this issue was first discussed, what laws might impact the current situation - e.g., "Relevant laws were first passed under...")
PRO ARGUMENTS
• Present three to four pro arguments with supporting evidence.
• Your arguments should be backed with sound reasoning and evidence from academic (e.g., Journal of Applied Psychology), practitioner (e.g., HR Magazine), and popular (e.g., Business Week) references.
• Be clear in explaining how the supporting evidence fits with the particular argument.
• Similar to the individual article reports, these arguments should demonstrate your analysis of the issue.
• Discuss the costs and benefits of different perspectives.
CON ARGUMENTS
• Same as the Pro section (above).
• Present three to four con arguments with supporting evidence.
CONCLUSION
• Based on your research and the arguments you have provided in previous sections, draw conclusions about your collective position on the issue.
• What are the effects of your conclusions on EMPLOYERS and WORKERS?
• Demonstrate your analysis of the issue.
• Do not introduce new arguments that should have been in earlier sections.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
(lengthvaries; pages are NOT included in the 10 page limit)
• Cite all references in the body of the paper (author, date), and list full citations at the end of the paper in this section.
• Format should be consistent. You can use APA or other guidelines.
• All non-original ideas, as well as direct quotes, must be cited.
• Include all appropriate information (e.g., volume and page numbers)
• List references alphabetically by last name of author; if no author, use the title of publication or anonymous.
• Do NOT include the "doi" or library website link in your bibliography. That is, there should only be a website in the bibliography if the source is the website itself.
Live Debate Instructions:
Pro opening statement: 3 minutes
Con opening statement: 3 minutes
Con side question #1: 30 seconds
Pro side discussion and response: 2 minutes
Con side rebuttal: 1 minute
Pro side rebuttal: 1 minute
Pro side question #1: 30 seconds
Con side discussion and response: 2 minutes
Pro side rebuttal: 1 minute
Con side rebuttal: 1 minute
Con side question #2: 30 seconds
Pro side discussion and response: 2 minutes
Con side rebuttal: 1 minute
Pro side rebuttal: 1 minute
Pro side question #2: 30 seconds
Con side discussion and response: 2 minutes
Pro side rebuttal: 1 minute
Con side rebuttal: 1 minute
Team caucus: 3 minutes
Con side question #3: 30 seconds
Pro side discussion and response: 2 minutes
Con side rebuttal: 1 minute
Pro side rebuttal: 1 minute
Pro side question #3: 30 seconds
Con side discussion and response: 2 minutes
Pro side rebuttal: 1 minute
Con side rebuttal: 1 minute
Pro closing statement: 2 minutes
Con closing statement: 2 minutes
"Audience" cross-examination and feedback: 6 minutes
Total time per debate: Approx. 45 minutes
A timekeeper will give 30-second warnings and will be responsible for stopping each stage of the debate.
Pro and closing statements should be given extemporaneously (i.e., NOT read). The first presentation of each side (the opening statement) should be used to build your case. This might include presenting an overview of the major arguments to be used by your side in either upholding or challenging the propositions presented. It may be helpful to capture the audience's attention here!
Each team should be prepared with a set of FOUR questions(decide upon the last one depending on the debate flow). It would be wise to not ask questions that you can't successfully rebut.
The caucus time should be spent:(1)Rebuilding arguments as needed during the rebuttal. (2) Selecting the final question (3) Constructingrebuttals that punch holes into the arguments the other team has made. (4) Identifying any critical arguments or points that have not yet been made.
The closing statement should summarize the arguments and facts put forward by your side.
All team members should participate during the debate. You are encouraged to use virtually any form of graphics to support your position, e.g., power point slides, charts, videos, etc.
Immediately after the debates, the "audience" will evaluate both sides using the attached form. The class evaluations will be included in your grade for the debate.
If you would like individual feedback on your presentation skills, please let me know in person immediately before your debate. I will share individual feedback directly with you afterwards, either in person or by email.