Select an organization, e.g., a corporation, company… preferably a publicly traded organization which 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 1,200 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 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generally is correct, it is not always reliable because anyone can change the content, bias is often present, and it is not peer-reviewed.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
Background and Context: Discuss type of industry, products/services, and how organizational vision and strategies have influenced their management.
Analysis of current managerial style and organizational culture.
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. The management involves the four functions of management being applied to achieve some type of organizational goal.
For your recommendation you will select one goal that will be accomplish. 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.
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
Company Selection and Summary (20%)
You should submit your company choice during week 4. You must choose a company and it must be approved by the end of week 4. You only need to post the company name and a short 1-paragraph summary of your plans for your term paper in the submission box – this is all that is required for this component of the assignment. If you receive a grade for this assignment, this means your project has been approved. The instructor will ask you to resubmit if not approved.
Rough Draft (20%)
The recommended word count for the rough draft is at least 800 words with at least 3 scholarly references in addition to your eText for a minimum of 4 total references. The point of this submission is to get feedback so that your final submission has a greater chance of receiving a high grade, therefore it is to your advantage to submit as close to your final document as possible. You should strive to complete as much of the assignment as possible at this stage.
The more you submit the more feedback you can receive helping to increase your success on the final version. At a minimum every section should be addressed to some degree to show that you do have an understanding of each section
Final Submission (60%)
Your final paper should be submitted no later than Saturday, 11:59PM EST of week 13. Please thoroughly review all requirements above to ensure you have included all required components. 1200 Word minimum, Fully APA formatted including proper research integration.
Turnitin & Plagiarism
Please note that your rough draft and final draft will be checked by Turnitin for similarity. It is essential to use your own words, carefully paraphrase, minimize quoting, and fully review the plagiarism policy before submitting. For similarity higher than 15%, it is possible that your paper will receive a 0 if plagiarism has occurred. It is not allowed to use word-for-word research from previous classes. Reusing substantial portions of your own work from a previous class is called self-plagiarism…
Definition of self-plagiarism:
The act of using part or all of an assignment you submitted in another course without permission from your current instructor or without citing your work correctly.
