The final project should be eight pages in length and include a reference of all resources used. At least three sources should be from scholarly journals, e.g. Journal of Management, Journal of Marketing, or Harvard Business Review. This paper will be a research project that tests a hypothesis chosen by the student that can relate to the place of current employment or previous employment but may not include or involve human subjects directly.

Sample general topics could include:

• Manufacturing Quality/Cost Improvement
• Service Quality Improvement
• Systems Design
• Accounts Receivable/Billing/AR Aging
• Marketing/Advertising Issues
• Sales of Goods
• Investments
• Product Safety
• Workplace Safety
• Labor Pools
• HR matters of broad concern
• Population Studies
• Others approved by course instructor

The hypothesis should be a possible cause and effect relationship regarding a process, underlying assumption, or plan that is important to the business. It should not be too broad. The hypothesis must be approved by the instructor by the end of the third week of class. The research process of planning, data sampling, collection and data evaluation should be described. The type of study should be defined and justified. Collect a small representative data sample. Fifteen is the recommended sample size. The data can be collected from observations, surveys, or historical records. The data results should be summarized and displayed and a brief analysis should be included. Use appropriate descriptive or inferential statistics.

Writing the Final Project Paper

The Paper:

• Must be eight double-spaced pages in length and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide. Title, reference, and any exhibits or appendices are not counted in the paper length.
• Must include a cover page that includes:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Name of paper
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must include an introductory paragraph with a succinct thesis statement.
• Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
  • If possible, provide a context of a first-person experience where you saw this academic concept in operation. Do not simulate third-party statements of experience.
  • Readdress the concept and the experience with critical thought. That is, what is your response to the content, either positive or negative, and then defend your position. If multiple options/alternatives/positions are present and are being rejected you must also defend the reasons for rejecting an option.
• Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a conclusion paragraph.
• Must use APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide to document all sources.
• Must include, on the final page, a Reference List that is completed according to APA style as outlined in the approved APA style guide.