Based on the readings and your own professional experiences, write down three (3) problems that you think exist in businesses or organizations, in relation to sustainable practices or CSR initiatives. Make a note of the sources you found that support the existence and scope or magnitude of those problems.

For example, some problems related to sustainability or CSR may be:

• Manufacturing companies in the aerospace industry use less than 10% of recycled materials in the production of new airplanes.
• CSR initiatives by local retail companies in Chicago are often limited to supporting local sports activities and school supply drives, neglecting larger community issues such as gang violence and poverty.
• Research shows that more than 50% of large IT corporations claim in their annual reports that they dedicate at least 3% of their profits to CSR initiatives benefitting local charities but an audit shows that those companies spend less than 1% on CSR activities, on average.
• Despite efforts to reduce carbon emissions from car traffic, 90% of all large cities in the United States have no plans for how to increase bike traffic.

After you have documented your ideas for problems, subject them to the following “CORE” test:

C = Does the problem have significant negative consequences to involved stakeholders?

O = Is the problem specific to a particular organizational context and a particular population?

R = Is the problem realistic as the basis for a research study that can be completed in a few months?

E = Is the problem evidence-based—i.e., supported by data, such as statistics or research findings, that help establish that the problem actually exists in real-life across organizations/populations and that the consequences are, in fact, significant?

If you can answer yes to all of these questions, you have a candidate research problem!

The next step is to select one of the identified problems and restate it as a research problem that could be used in a dissertation study. Review the guidelines provided by the Dissertation Center on how to identify and write a problem statement (see weekly resources).

Then, rewrite your problem so it follows this outline:

Your problem statement is a short (250-300 words), 3 paragraph section, in which you:

1. Explain context and clearly state problem.

2. Explain the negative consequences of the problem to stakeholders, supported by statistics and/or recent research findings.

3. Explain the gap in the literature.

Note: Identifying gaps requires you to review the literature in a thorough fashion; so, for now, you may speculate on a gap if you have not found one in the readings.

Document your problem hunt in a paper and be sure to include:

1. Your initial list of problems related to sustainability or CSR
2. Your analysis of those problems based on the CORE test
3. Your justified selection of a research problem
4. A rewritten version of the selected problem, following the 3-part outline above

Length: 1-2 pages, not including title and references pages

References: Include a minimum of 3 scholarly resources.

Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University’s Academic Integrity Policy.

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