Term Paper: You will be responsible for a research Term Paper, which focuses on a company of your choice examining the challenges of human resources and organizational behavior issues. This assignment requires you to demonstrate your learning, as described in the Course Learning Objectives section of this syllabus, and to highlight the business challenges of developing and sustaining a successful sales and services organization. Emphasis will be on the understanding of the problems, critical evaluation as well as the ability to clearly communicate proposed solutions. Your final project is your major contribution, where you will exhibit your learning.
The Term Paper will have the following components, with corresponding percentages of the overall grade:
Company Selection & Summary
You may submit your company throughout weeks 1-2. You must choose a company and it must be approved by the end of week 2. You only need to post the company name and a short 1-paragraph summary of your plans for your term paper in the submission link - 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
Your term paper has 3 graded components, the second of which is providing your Rough Draft. The recommended word count for the Rough Draft is at least 800 words with at least 3 references (Note that the Final Draft requirements are at least 1,500 words with at least 3 scholarly references in addition to your eText for a minimum of 4 total references). The point of the Rough Draft 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. Be sure to give proper credit to your sources through in-text citations and an APA-formatted reference list in your Rough Draft. Review your APA formatting before submitting.
Term Paper Requirements
You will write an analysis of the organizational culture, leadership, ethical practices, and the use of power and political behavior in your chosen company. This will require you to research as much as you can through the company's own website, articles written on your company, our textbook, and scholarly articles about your company.
In your analysis, discuss the following areas:
• The organizational culture and the unique characteristics of the firm’s work environment.
• Leadership and how the various concepts and leadership models discussed in the text are utilized in your firm’s CEO and management team
• The organizational design and structure of the firm.
• How the firm manages ethical issues, conflict and managerial challenges.
• Your recommendations for the future of the company. How can the organizational behavior of this firm improve in the next 2-3 years? Please do not make recommendations on products or services you want the firm to produce. Rather focus on how the company’s organizational climate, leadership, ethics, and design should improve. When discussing these concepts, be specific and use examples that detail how your analysis of the organization fits with the theories that were covered in this class.
The focus of this paper should be on the organizational behavior of the company and should incorporate what you've learned in this course. The paper should reveal additional information beyond that covered in the eText. Your own analysis, summary, and conclusions will increase the value of your paper.
The term paper should be at least 1,500 words with at least 3 scholarly references in addition to your eText for a minimum of 4 total references. 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. The 1500 words are YOURS where you research and give it back to me in YOUR words consistent with the above requirements. If you use a quote or stats or charts be sure to cite them!