Select an organization, e.g., a corporation, company… preferably a publicly traded organization that trades on the United States stock market. This will ensure that there is public information available about the organization. Please do not use material you have written from a previous course – this will likely increase your similarity score, which could become a plagiarism issue, as discussed below.
Term Paper: The term paper is a comprehensive semester-long project. Students will complete this project in the steps described below. Your final project is your major contribution, where you will exhibit your learning. Students will individually select an organization, assess its managerial effectiveness and make recommendations to improve its managerial plans and results through the approaches, principles, and methods learned in the class.
The paper requires a substantial amount of external research regarding your organization. It will help you if you select a publicly traded organization that trades on the United States stock market. This will ensure that there is public information available about the organization.
This project will incorporate important concepts and frameworks introduced throughout the course and will demonstrate the student’s ability to understand and properly apply these concepts in real-life contexts.
The parameters and guidelines for the term paper are as follows:
Select an organization, e.g., a corporation, company… preferably a publicly traded organization that trades on the United States stock market. This will ensure that there is public information available about the organization. Please do not use material you have written from a previous course – this will likely increase your similarity score, which could become a plagiarism issue, as discussed below.
• The term paper should be at least 1,500 words. Please keep in mind that the word count requirements point out the minimum amount of effort that should be put into the paper. Word count isn't everything because the quality of writing and research matters as well, but it is an indication of the quantity of effort put into the assignment. Note that word count does not include title, abstract, or reference pages. Not following this requirement will significantly impact the grade.
• You should support your paper with at least 3 scholarly peer-reviewed references in addition to your eText for a minimum of 4 total references. Use scholarly peer-reviewed references rather than websites. Scholarly references are generally more credible and make a more persuasive argument. Non-academic websites are not typically recommended for academic writing. While most of the information generally is correct, it is not always reliable because anyone can change the content, bias is often present, and it is not peer-reviewed. For example, it's best not to use news websites, Wikipedia, investopedia.com, about.com, smallbusiness.chron.com, huffingtonpost.com, ehow.com, forbes.com, cnn.com, online encyclopedias, or similar non-academic websites. Articles in these types of websites are written by reporters or individuals who may or may not be experts in the field, and consequently may have incorrect or biased information. Instead, it adds much more credibility to use the class eText, other related textbooks, and peer- reviewed articles, i.e. scholars have analyzed and evaluated the content for accuracy, quality, and reliability. Be sure to use the university library to help you find these types of scholarly references. The library has a setting in database searches that allow you to search for peer-reviewed articles only.
• It is acceptable to use a company website for research, say for example if you are researching Apple, it's ok to use www.apple.com to describe their mission, strategy, financials, etc.
• The Term Paper should be well organized and encompass the above subject and content guidelines, and an electronic copy of the project should be submitted via Turnitin.
• References – Use at least 3 scholarly references in addition to your eText for a minimum of 4 total references.
• The term paper should be at least 1,500 words of content. Please keep in mind that the word count requirements point out the minimum amount of effort that should be put into the paper. Word count isn't everything because the quality of writing and research matters as well, but it is an indication of the quantity of effort put into the assignment. Note that word count does not include title, abstract, or reference pages. Not following this requirement will significantly impact the grade.
• You should support your paper with at least 3 scholarly peer-reviewed references in addition to your eText for a minimum of 4 total references. Use scholarly peer-reviewed references rather than websites. Scholarly references are generally more credible and make a more persuasive argument. Non-academic websites are not typically recommended for academic writing. While most of the information generally is correct, it is not always reliable because anyone can change the content, bias is often present, and it is not peer-reviewed. For example, it's best not to use news websites, Wikipedia, investopedia.com, about.com, smallbusiness.chron.com, huffingtonpost.com, ehow.com, forbes.com, cnn.com, online encyclopedias, or similar non-academic websites. Articles in these types of websites are written by reporters or individuals who may or may not be experts in the field, and consequently may have incorrect or biased information. Instead, it adds much more credibility to use the class eText, other related textbooks, and peer- reviewed articles, i.e. scholars have analyzed and evaluated the content for accuracy, quality, and reliability. Be sure to use the university library to help you find these types of scholarly references. The library has a setting in database searches that allow you to search for peer-reviewed articles only.
• It is acceptable to use a company website for research, say for example if you are researching Apple, it's ok to use www.apple.com to describe their mission, strategy, financials, etc.
• The Term Paper should be well organized and encompass the above subject and content guidelines, and an electronic copy of the project should be submitted via Turnitin.
• References – Use at least 3 scholarly references in addition to your eText for a minimum of 4 total references.
The Term Paper structure is as follows:
Cover page
Introduction
1. Background and Context: Discuss the type of industry, products/services, and how organizational vision and strategies have influenced their management.
2. Analysis of current managerial style and organizational culture. 3. One NEW recommendation by you that the company can embark on in the near future
meaning the next one to three years. This can be a goal to fix issues the company may be experiencing, or to address new endeavors from a growth perspective. Ensure that these align with the organization’s vision and values. This recommendation must not be identical or very similar to anything the organization is planning already or is currently involved in. Management involves the four functions of management being applied to achieve some type of organizational goal.
4. For your recommendation, you will select one goal that will be accomplished. This goal must be a specific goal following the SMART goal-setting theory. That means the goal must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
5. Once your goal is selected for your new strategic initiative you will complete the following four areas regarding the four functions of management.
List and describe the 4 functions of management. Then, for each of the functions describe how your goal will be achieved by the organization. This section should be approximately eight paragraphs. Four paragraphs to describe the four functions, and then four paragraphs to apply the four functions to how the organization will address your recommendation.
Conclusion
Reference page