Principles of Management Research Project
For your final project, you will research a theme, principle, or key issue from the field of management and synthesize your findings in a voice-over
PowerPoint presentation. You will explore how it developed, examine how it manifests in current workplace practices, and reflect on how you will
approach issues related to this topic in your future career.
The project is divided into four milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality
final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules 2, 3, 5, and 6.
In this assignment you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
● CO1: Apply the major roles that managers perform in their jobs to add value to the organization
● CO6: Evaluate methods to plan, organize, lead and control organizational processes
Prompt
To complete this final project, you must first identify a theme, principle, or key issue from the field of management. To select your research topic, it may help to identify a chapter in the required textbook that interests you and then look for a key topic in that chapter to explore. You will then research that topic and a related theory, and reflect on how your knowledge on this topic might influence your career in a PowerPoint presentation.
Your PowerPoint presentation should be no more than 18 slides. The slides and presentation must be engaging and capture the attention of the audience. It should not consist of slides with bulleted sentences where the presenter merely reads the slides. You must create a more engaging presentation where the slides act as talking points. Be creative and know your audience (a group learning about the importance of this management topic in organizations). You must reference a minimum of at least five sources, cited in APA style in your presentation.
Specifically, your final project presentation must include the following critical elements:
I. Introduction of a Theme, Principle, or Key Issue in the Field of Management.
A. Briefly describe the research topic
B. Explain how the topic is integrated into the workplace and how this has supported growth and development in that area of the field. Reference at least three sources from scholarly or practitioner-related publications (e.g., Harvard Business Review, Forbes) to illustrate your points.
C. Explain the topic’s importance and impact in creating a profitable company or great place to work
D. Describe any ethical issues that may be related to the topic
II. Exploration of a Relevant Theory in Practice
A. Summarize one management theory from the assigned course readings that addresses an issue related to your research topic
B. Choose one of the following options:
1. Illustrate what that theory looks like in practice by providing an example from a scholarly or practitioner-related publication (e.g., Harvard Business Review, Forbes) that showcases a company successfully applying the theory to their management model. Be sure to address the following in regard to the example:
a) Describe how the company applied the theory
b) Evaluate what worked well
c) Assess what other companies could learn from this example
2. Identify an article from a practitioner-related publication (e.g., Harvard Business Review, Forbes) that discusses a company that was not successful in applying the theory to their management model. Be sure to address the following in regard to the
example:
a) Describe how the company tried to apply the theory
b) Synthesize what the article says went wrong
C. Recommend what the company could have done differently to implement this theory successfully, or whether another theory would have been more appropriate in this situation (and if so, recommend a better alternative and support your argument).
III. Reflection on Career Impact
A. Reflect on how will you bring what you have learned about this topic to your future workplace to make it a better or more productive
company
B. Reflect on any personal experiences you have with this topic to support your position
Milestones
Milestone 1: Final Project Initial Thoughts
In
Module 2, you will identify three areas of management you are interested in exploring. This milestone is graded with the Milestone 1 Rubric.
For this milestone, you will identify three areas of management that you plan to research for your final project and explain your interest in each area.
To complete this milestone, be sure to address the following critical elements in a one-page report:
- Identify three areas of management you are interested in exploring.
- Explains your interest in each topic idea with details and clarity, identifying its organizational purpose.
- Include a list of sources you have identified as relevant and informative, cited in APA style
Submission Guidelines: Your milestone submission should be two pages in length, double-spaced, in a 12-point font, with the second page being the list of references, formatted according to APA style.
Topics/chapters to choose from:
Chapters
Introduction to Management
·
1. Leading Edge Management
·
2. The Evolution of Management Thinking
The Environment of Management
·
3. The Environment and Corporate Culture
·
4. Managing in a Global Environment
·
5. Managing Ethics and Social Responsibility
·
6. Managing Start-Ups and New Ventures
Planning
·
7. Planning and Goal Setting
·
8. Strategy Formulation and Execution
·
9. Managerial Decision Making
Organizing
·
10. Designing Organization Structure
·
11. Managing Innovation and Change
·
12. Managing Human Talent
·
13. Managing Diversity and Inclusion
Milestone 2:
Final Paper Topic Proposal
In
Module 3, you will identify the topic you plan to research for your final project and expand your initial thoughts into a more developed paper proposal. This milestone is graded with the Milestone 2 Rubric.
What to include:
1. Identify the paper topic and elaborate on its meaning and purpose.
2. An initial draft of the paper you have done to date (this can be a solid outline with short paragraphs to support it or the outline of your presentation -- you choose to do a presentation OR paper for this final project).
3. The sources you have for this topic at this point in a reference page with proper formatting.
4. A paragraph or note on where you are and how you will have this finished by the end of the semester --- how are your planning to complete this?
For this milestone, you will update the status of your final project. You will assess what you have done, what you are currently struggling with or questions you have, and what you have left to complete before submitting the final project. This will provide an opportunity to reflect on your progress toward developing your final project and to receive helpful feedback from your instructor before finalizing your submission.
Prompt∫
To successfully complete this assignment, be sure to address the following critical elements in your final project progress report:
● Describe the progress you have made so far in your research and writing process
● Explain what you are currently working on to develop your final paper and presentation
● Identify areas you are struggling with or questions you have related to the final project
● Outline your plans for completing the final presentation by Module 6 and the final paper by Module 7.
Guidelines for Submission
Your milestone submission should be one page in length, double-spaced, in a 12-point font. Any references should be cited in APA style.
Milestone 3: Final Project Progress Report
In
Module 5, you will submit an update the status of your final project. You will assess what you have done, what you are currently struggling with or questions you have, and what you have left to complete before submitting the final project. This milestone is graded with the Milestone 3 Rubric.
Milestone 4: Summary Report
In
Module 6, you will capture your final research project in a one-page paper that could be used to summarize your findings, providing a shortened
version of your longer final presentation. This milestone is graded with the Milestone 4 Rubric.
Final Submission: Principles of Management Research Project
In Module 7, you will submit a PowerPoint presentation that explains how a specific theme, principle, or key issue from the field of management developed, examines how it manifests in current workplace practices, and reflects on how you will approach issues related to this topic in your future career. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This
assignment will be graded using the Final Product Rubric.
- Make sure to write notes in your PowerPoint presentation on what you would say in class
Chapters
Introduction to Management
·
1. Leading Edge Management
·
2. The Evolution of Management Thinking
The Environment of Management
·
3. The Environment and Corporate Culture
·
4. Managing in a Global Environment
·
5. Managing Ethics and Social Responsibility
·
6. Managing Start-Ups and New Ventures
Planning
·
7. Planning and Goal Setting
·
8. Strategy Formulation and Execution
·
9. Managerial Decision Making
Organizing
·
10. Designing Organization Structure
·
11. Managing Innovation and Change
·
12. Managing Human Talent
·
13. Managing Diversity and Inclusion
Leading
·
14. Understanding Individual Behavior
·
15. Leadership
·
16. Motivating Employees
·
17. Managing Communication
·
18. Leading Teams
Controlling
·
19. Managing Quality and Performance
·
Operations Management and E-Commerce
