Research project requirements
TOPIC - Each student will submit a research project that selects a current management problem and applies one or more principles of management discussed in the class to the problem. For example, one might select the problem of how the recording and film industries ought to respond to the problem of unauthorized electronic distribution of content over the Internet from the perspective of strategic planning and control. Another approach might be to discuss how General Motors ought to organize its decision process to minimize the risk of major design flaws that lead to massive recalls and driver deaths from the perspective of organization design and decision making. The preceding examples are for illustrative purposes only, and should not be construed as a requirement for students to explore these problems. To encourage students to conduct extensive research, as well as to enhance their learning from this project, students may not choose to analyze a problem in their own company or organization. Students must have their topic approved by me no later than the end of Week Three.
FORMAT - Your research project must conform to the requirements set forth in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition (2nd printing, October 2009), also known as the APA Publications Manual. The paper should be double-spaced, 12-point font (Times New Roman), with one-inch margins at the top, bottom, left, and right of each page. From a content standpoint, all that is required for this course is a title page, Abstract, the body of the paper (15-18 pages), and references page(s). If the student chooses to include appendices or tables of information, these should also conform to the APA Publications Manual. Points will be deducted if these requirements are not met. APA requires that papers be written in third-person perspective.
The format of the research project should be as follows:
- Title Page;
- Abstract;
- Introduction of the Problem;
- Statement of Major Relevant Principles to be Applied;
- Analysis and Application of Principles;
- Recommendation; and,
- References Page
It is expected that the statement of the problem will be drawn from newspapers or newsmagazines, or similar accounts. There should be citations of materials consulted to develop the statement of the problem. At least three sources should be used for the problem statement.
With the statement of major management principles or management conceptual ideas to apply to the problem, there should be an articulation of these principles or conceptual ideas with citation of materials consulted. At least nine sources should be cited here. While the textbook material may be a starting point for the development of this section, the student is expected to go beyond the textbook to do additional research in the literature in the development of these principles or conceptual ideas; thus, the textbook should not appear on your references page or be cited in the paper. In addition, students may utilize no more than three of the articles assigned as course readings as references.
In the analysis section, the student will systematically apply the principles or conceptual ideas to the problem. This is the analysis part of the paper, and it is not expected that new principles or different problems would be introduced here. This is an application section. At least three sources should be cited in this section
The recommendation is expected to be a short section in which the student draws final conclusions from the analysis. The recommendation section might differ from the analysis section in that the analysis should yield more than one option, and the conclusion settles on a preferred option.
It is expected that each paper will follow the general format specified above. For example, a 15-page paper might be divided: introduction (3 pages); statement of principles (3 pages), analysis (8 pages), and recommendation (one page).
GRAMMAR, SPELLING, AND PUNCTUATION - While this is not an English course, students are expected to ensure that their work is free of spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. Therefore, students should carefully proofread their papers before turning them in for a grade. It is always helpful in this regard to ask someone else to read the paper for you. A fresh pair of eyes will often catch errors you have overlooked. Points will be deducted on papers that have obviously not been carefully proofread. Also, to make your paper easier to read, be sure that sentences are not too long. Complex-compound sentences tend to make it difficult for the reader to follow your discussion. One point will be deducted for every six spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors in your paper. Spelling and word usage will be verified using the current edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (standard spelling reference of the APA [see paragraph 4.12]). Grammar and punctuation will be verified using the guidelines contained in Chapter Four of the APA Manual.
ATTRIBUTION TO SOURCE - It is essential that in any research paper each piece of information presented be properly attributed to its source. If the information you are presenting in the paper is not your original thought, or is not common knowledge, it should be attributed to its source. Material should not be directly quoted or taken in a substantial way from another source without citation or quotation marks. No more than 10% of the paper should be in the form of direct quotes and any such quotes must be indicated and properly cited. Any paper turned in without a single attribution to source (parenthetical references within the text in proper APA format) will automatically lose 100 points.
REFERENCES - Your list of references should include, at a minimum, fifteen secondary sources you have consulted in your research. While the textbook material may be a starting point for the development of this paper, the student is expected to go beyond the text to do additional research in the literature in the development of human resources management principles or conceptual ideas; thus, the textbook should not appear on your references page. Instead, go to the original source cited in the textbook as it will often contain additional information that may prove useful. All of your sources must be obtained through the Webster University online library resource.
PLEASE NOTE: Google is not an adequate research tool for academic research. In fact, internet searches will often take you to non-academic information resources such as Wikipedia.com, Ask.com, Encarta.msn.com, Infoplease.com, etc. You should not use such sources in your academic research because they do not come under a formal oversight or peer-review process. To the extent possible, your research should rely on scholarly publication such as books and peer-reviewed academic journals. Further, remember that you are responsible for the accuracy of any facts you present in your assignments and, therefore, should confirm the veracity of information you find on non-academic sources through further research.
PLAGIARISM - You will be required to submit your research project to Turnitin, which is now integrated into the WorldClassRoom and is available for each assignment. You should ensure that your project receives a minimum of "green" (less than 23% of the paper verbatim from sources). Contact me if you are having difficulty with getting your paper to turn "green".