COURSE PROJECT-Leadership And Organizational Behavior-DeVry University
Project Outline
Your paper must include the following sections.
Section Points Description
Title Page
5
Title of your applied research paper, course number and title, professor, and date.
Introduction
10
Provide an overview of the organization and your role in it. Give enough information about the firm to acquaint an unfamiliar person (no matter how famous the company). Identify name, location, size, market segment (business line), and a brief history. Identify the essential issues, events, or actions to help frame the problem and subsequent discussion points.
Problem Statement
15
Identify and clearly state the problem (the leadership or organizational behavior issue that you have selected to research). The problem statement should be phrased in terms of a researchable question. For example, if a work group is not performing effectively, an effective problem statement might be "How can group performance be improved?"
A well-formed problem statement has the following.
Focus: The problem should be well-defined and specific enough for the reader to gain a clear idea of the OB topic area and the direction of your study and research.
Structure: If the problem statement is sufficiently focused, it will provide a basis for decisions about which information to include and which to exclude from the paper.
Literature Review
40
You must address at least six scholarly resources in this section. Approach this section as a mini book report on each of the reference sources that significantly informed your analysis and proposed solutions. Give the reader an encapsulated review of what information you found most relevant to your research. You may have found conflicting opinions or theories related to your topic area. Identify and discuss any such contrasts or describe in detail significant agreement among your sources. Your literature review should be separate and distinct from your analysis section; it is a summation of your research. The goal should be a paragraph containing a minimum of three to five sentences per review.
Analysis
40
Explore the problem in depth and with scholarly rigor.
Provide an identification and description of the root causes of the problem or issue. Be sure not to address only symptoms of your problem. Diagnose the problem and its origins.
A critical element of this section is to apply leadership and organization concepts and models from our text, from class discussions, and from your literature review. Discuss the concepts, ideas, or insights that are most valuable in helping you make sense of the causes of the problem. Support your analysis with reference to appropriate research material.
Solutions
30
Identify at least three potential workable solutions to your problem and identify the pros and cons of each alternative solution and its high-level implementation steps.
Identify your preferred solution and describe exactly what should be done and how it should be done, including by whom, with whom, and in what sequence. Always explain your thinking behind your final solution set. It's important to be clear about why a particular alternative (solution) was chosen, as opposed to others.
Reflection
10
Think about this assignment and write a well-thought-out reflective statement about how this assignment influenced your personal, academic, and professional leadership and managerial development.
References
10
You must use no fewer than six library resources outside of your textbook.
All references must be cited in two places—within the body of your paper and on a separate reference list. Choose references judiciously and cite them accurately. Cite all sources using APA format.
Please note that citing an author's work within your text documents your research, identifies the source for readers, and enables readers to locate the source of information in the alphabetical reference list at the end of the paper. To use the ideas or words of another person without crediting the source is plagiarism. Plagiarism in its purest form involves copying passages either verbatim or nearly verbatim, with no direct acknowledgment of the source. The most common form of plagiarism is to paraphrase information from your source material. Paraphrasing does not relieve you of the obligation to provide proper identification of source data. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to make sure all quotes, ideas, or conclusions that not your own are given proper acknowledgment in your text.
Total
160
Grading Rubric
Criteria Failed to Meet Minimum Standards 0–95 Barely Meets Minimum Standards 60+% - D 96–111 Meets Minimum Standards 70+% - C 112–127 Good 80+% - B 128–143 Superior 90+% - A 144–160
Title Page and Table of Contents (5 Points) Page not provided. (0) Title but no TOC. (2) Title and attempted TOC. (3) Title and TOC but Table without page numbers. (4) Title of your applied research paper. Your name, course number and title, instructor, and date, plus appropriate TOC. (5)
Introduction (10 Points)
Introduction is not apparent. (0)
Introduction is vague, incomplete, or lacks focus. (6)
Introduction reflects barely adequate information to acquaint reader to the problem context. (7) Contains a focus and provides sufficient detail to set the stage for the analysis but may contain extraneous information. (8)
Introduction has a sharp, distinct focus; complete information. (10)
Problem Statement (15 Points) No problem statement apparent. (0) Problem statement is vague; does not agree with title of paper. (9) Presented mostly as symptoms of the problem. (11) Presented as a disguised solution. (13) Focused and concise. (15)
Literature Review (40 Points) None provided. (0) Too shallow; insufficient depth; provides review of only one source; does not cite sources properly; may include analysis of the problem in this section. (27) Provides a review of only two to three sources; does not address topic areas germane to the problem; including analysis of the problem; does not cite some sources properly. (31) Provides a review of the minimum six research articles; lacks reference to insights or findings from many of the readings that are applicable to the problem. (35) Discusses the concepts, ideas, or insights that have the most value for helping make sense of problem; excellent use of citations; follows proper citation protocol; exceeds all standards defined in the Syllabus guidelines for the project. (40)
Analysis (40 Points) No analysis evident or presents a simplistic, inappropriate, or incoherent analysis of or response to the problem. (0) Illogically analyses the problem; may lack coherent structure or elaboration with examples. Does not apply findings from literature review. Clear lack of evidence to support analysis; makes broad generalizations and unsupported assertions. (27) Presents an adequate analysis of the problem, elaborating the analysis with sufficient examples and acceptable reasoning. May not apply findings from literature review appropriately. Lack of evidence to support analysis; making broad generalizations and unsupported assertions. (31) Presents a thoughtful analysis of problem, elaborating that response with appropriate examples and sensible reasoning. (35) Presents a cogent analysis of the stated problem, elaborating that response with well-chosen examples and persuasive reasoning supported by the literature. (40)
Solution (30 Points) Solutions and recommendation not included. (0) The choice of solution(s) is not linked to the analysis. (20) Presents only a single solution that may or may not be fully supported by the analysis. (23) Solution or recommendations linked to the analysis. Partially supported and defended. (26) Solution or recommendations logically flow from the analysis. Well-supported and defended. (30)
Reflection (10 Points) No reflective statement offered. (0) Perfunctory effort at drawing lessons from the assignment. (6) One key lesson; no other insights offered. (7) Good faith effort in discussing the lessons from the assignment; some insights are included. (8) Well-presented insights on how the assignment influenced personal, academic, and professional development. (10)
References (10 Points) Few or no references listed. (0) Insufficient references listed; inconsistent format. (6) A few appropriate references listed. (7) Well-chosen references used; minor errors. (8) Well-chosen references used; follows correct format for listing; no errors. (10)
NOTE: Points will be deducted for grammar, syntax, and punctuation errors. Failure to cite sources properly or using incorrect protocol when citing sources and listing references is cause for point reduction. Failure to cite sources will result in a submission for academic integrity review.