APPLIED MANAGEMENT PROJECT 1 APPLIED MANAGEMENT PROJECT.docx

APPLIED MANAGEMENT PROJECT 1
APPLIED MANAGEMENT PROJECT
STUDENT SYLLABUS—MGNT 4800
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course, which culminates the entire student experience in
the BSM program,
allows students to identify a current management issue and to
find solutions to the
issue by applying the key concepts they have learned from the
BSM program
experience.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of the Applied Management Project, each
student will be able to:
Identify a specific current management issue.
Develop a problem or issue statement

Develop a reference list related to your proposed research topic
and
problem/issue statement.
Develop introductory background information relative to the
specific
management issue.
Discuss the specific management issue and identify related
organizational
implications.
Establish appropriate procedures for conducting the review of
relevant
published information to resolve the issue.
Develop alternatives for resolving the issue and analyzing these
in terms
of feasibility or appropriateness for the particular situation.
Recommend a specific course of action to resolve the
management issue.
COURSE OUTCOMES

The following outcomes are expected of each student for
Applied Management Project:
Through exploration and, identify a current management issue,
develop
problem/issue statement, conduct the appropriate research to
further the
understanding of the problem or issue develop and analyze
alternatives,
and make a specific recommendation for resolving the issue.
Through a written report, integrate appropriate information,
analyze and
synthesize this information, and develop a written report of
their findings
and recommendations.
Through oral presentations, demonstrate a mastery of chosen
topic of
research and present results from the projects.
INTRODUCTORY NOTES TO STUDENTS
Applied Management Project is different from other BSM
courses due to the following
four aspects:

Students work independently during the 10 weeks. The learning
teams
take on a supportive role of encouraging, reviewing, generating
ideas, and
helping to solve problems for each other.
The paper should be written using APA (6
th
ed) guidelines, which can be
found in the APA Publication Manual, published by the
American
Psychological Association. Summaries of APA guidelines may
be found
on the Internet (e.g., "APA Style Sheet").
This course does not have the same instructor-student
interaction as
other BSM courses. However, students are expected to meet
with the
instructor at least twice during the ten week period. The first
meeting is to
ensure that the student has chosen an acceptable management
topic and
has prepared an adequate problem statement (or research
question(s)).
The second meeting is to provide the instructor with an update
regarding
the status of the project and to clarify any additional questions.
The
instructor is a mentor for each student, facilitating the student's

understanding of course expectations and outcomes. The student
is
responsible for the creation of a project, unique to his or her
project
objectives. Some students may need more guidance than others.
The
responsibility for receiving mentor assistance lies with the
student.
Students are expected to attend each class that is scheduled by
the instructor.
Individual students should actively communicate with the
instructor through e-mail,
phone, and face-to-face meetings. All students will be required
to submit a weekly
action plan outlining the activities for the week; this plan
should show progression
throughout the course of the project, and identify any issues or
concerns noted during
the research process.
Students must work on the Applied Management Project (AMP)
report individually, as
this is the premier opportunity to demonstrate what they have
learned in the BSM
program. Students must conduct all research and write all
project drafts, including the
final draft. A preliminary draft is due to the instructor by week
five, and the final draft is
due during week ten. All papers are to be submitted via Moodle
at a time designated by
the instructor. Students are encouraged to seek counsel from
the instructor or writing
lab; students may seek counsel from family, co-workers,
professionals, the Writing

Center and others who can assist them in completing a
successful Applied
Management Project. This assignment is governed by Shorter
University’s Honor Code
All students must do an oral presentation about the results of
their project.
Presentations should be a 15 to 30 maximum minutes
(depending on the instructor and
the class size), followed by a brief question-and-answer session.
This presentation will
be made before fellow students and the instructor (as well as
possible outside
evaluators). The presentation will be formally evaluated by the
instructor or by an
evaluation team including the instructor. (Note: See the
Presentation Rubric included in
the Materials Inventory section of this course guide.) Review
the MGNT 3370 textbook
for guidelines on the preparation of quality business
presentations.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
SUGGESTED GRADING
Final Written Project
80%
Oral Presentation of Final Project
20%

Total 100%
ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW
TOPIC SELECTION
The following guidelines should be considered by the instructor
and the student in
selecting a topic for the Applied Management Project reports:
The project should address a significant current management-
or
organizational-related issue..
The project may involve solving a significant organizational
problem,
improving organizational efficiency or effectiveness, making an
important
organizational decision, creating a new organizational structure,
or
addressing other similar management issues.
Generally, the issue should be one related to the student's
current place
of employment (or most recent employer if the student is not
currently
employed). However, students may choose an issue with another
organization (e.g., a non-profit with which the student is
actively involved),

provided that a very specific issue can be identified and that
enough
information can be gathered to develop adequate situational
information
and appropriate alternatives.
The project must be one that can be completed during the 10-
week period
of the course.
Chosen topic must be approved by the instructor PRIOR to
beginning the
research process.
Applied Management Project reports should be qualitative in
nature, using
secondary research sources (published written information). The
curriculum does not prepare them for survey development and
analysis –
An appropriate company official should approve any project
that
investigates and/or reveals sensitive company data and/or trade
information; a signature on the Request for Applied
Management Project
Approval form designates approval; securing the appropriate
signature is
the student's responsibility. Most projects will not require
access to such
sensitive information, and, therefore, will not require an

official's signature;
however, when in doubt, be safe and secure approval.
Tips for Choosing a Topic
Approval from the instructor is required. As you begin the
process of identifying a
current management or organizational issue or problem for the
project, ask yourself the
following questions:
What am I interested in? Is there a particular job-related issue
that I can
address? The project will be much easier if it relates to
something of
interest to you or if it is of particular relevance to you at the
time.
Can the subject be properly developed? Will I have access to
the
necessary data or information that will be needed to develop the
project?
Do some preliminary research to determine that adequate
literature exists
that is relevant to the topic. Ensure that any necessary
organizational data
will be accessible.

SECTIONS FOR APPLIED MANAGEMENT PROJECT
Your project must have all of the following sections (Note:
Each section should have a
centered title and start on a new page. Subtitles are encouraged,
when appropriate, but
they should be left-justified and not start a new page to
distinguish themselves from
titles.):
Title Page

Abstract
This is a very brief summary of your completed paper (no more
than three paragraphs
and generally no more than 120 words); therefore, it should be
written after the
paper has been completed. Include the following elements:
o Clear statement of problem or issue
o Methods or procedures summarized
o Results summarized
o Conclusions and/or recommendations summarized
Table of Contents
List of Tables (if applicable)
List of Figures (if applicable)
Section 1: Introduction

It is recommended that each of the following sections start with
a subtitle:
Background/Situation (summary of relevant facts and
situational
description)
Problem/Issue (statement or description of specific issue): Be
sure to be
clear in this section and state: " The problem is that …"
Evidence to Justify the Study: Why is this topic deserving of
thorough
research, analysis, and recommendations? What are the
potential
benefits of this project?
Research Questions (clearly and concisely stated) - This
section is
optional.
Definition of Terms (ones not likely known by readers of the
report): this
section is optional and necessary only if the project will involve
numerous
acronyms and/or technical terms.

Summary (briefly tie Section 1 together)
Section 2: Relevant Published Information
You must have a minimum of 20 appropriate published sources.
(At least
ten of these should be scholarly. The remaining sources may be
from the
current trade or business press.) Sources should be as current as
possible: articles should generally have been published within
the past 5
years; books/texts within the past 10 years.
You can access published sources via Internet resources such
as Galileo;
at least 50% of all published sources should be obtained
electronically.
You can cite different findings from the same article or other
published
work, but the article or other published work will count only as
one source.
This section must demonstrate a thorough investigation and
understanding of the problem or issue identified in Section 1.
You should summarize in your own words the relevant
information from

each source, generally in one paragraph. Actual quotations
should be
rarely used.
Do not apply the source information to your topic in this
section—that
should be done in the following sections.
You may also use internal company documents, but they should
not be
included in this section unless they have been published.
You may use information from credible internet Web sites, but
this
information should not be included in this section unless it has
been
published.
You should complete this section with a summary that explains
the
relationship between the literature review and the issues or
problems
identified in Section 1 and transitions to the next section.
All citations must be in appropriate APA (6
th
ed.) format throughout the text of the report

and in the list of references, which provides information only
about sources that are
directly utilized in the report.
DEVELOPING THE RELEVANT PUBLISHED INFORMATION
As you begin the process of developing the literature review,
the following
guidelines may be helpful:
Identify concepts or theories related to your issue or problem.
It is
doubtful that you will find material that relates directly to your
specific issue or problem—particularly if your issue is very
narrowly
defined. However, most likely, you will be able to find ample
material if you consider a broader perspective.
Find two or three scholarly articles that are current and closely
related to our topic.
To find additional scholarly articles, a good approach is to
review
the reference sections from these two or three articles to find
sources that the article author(s) used.

Organize the articles based on topic. It may be helpful to use a
three-ringed, tabbed binder.
Scan the articles for major topical or subject areas. It may be
helpful to highlight major areas as you scan the articles.
Read the articles for content and build a topical or subject
outline.
This will help you organize your findings so that you can
develop a
well-organized literature review.
Section 3: Analysis
This section provides detailed information and a thorough
discussion of the situation
and the specific problem or issue and proposed alternatives. The
following are specific
items that should be covered:
Relevant facts about the organization. (If there is an issue
related to
confidentiality, anonymous information and/or pseudonyms can
be
substituted.)
Detailed information about the specific issue or problem. (This
may be
either qualitative or quantitative in nature; quantitative

information should
be summarized with any lengthy or detailed data provided in an
appendix.)
Analysis of the causes of the situation/problem/issue, including
an
explanation or description of why the problem or issue exists;
who the
major players are; what the opposing perspectives are of those
involved in
the problem/issue; etc.
Identification and brief analysis of alternatives or possible
solutions.
Generally, you will have multiple alternatives or possible
solutions. Briefly
review the pros and cons of each one.
Be sure to apply your research sources (summarized in the
previous
section) throughout this analysis section.
Section 4: Recommendations and Conclusion
In this section, the student will select from the possible
solutions which ones she
recommends for the resolution of the problem or issue
(therefore, there should be more

alternatives than actual recommendations). Be specific in
answering what, why, how,
and by whom for each recommendation.
Finally, wrap up the paper with a conclusion that summarizes
how the
recommendations will resolve the project's problem/issue.
References
Includes all sources cited in the text of the report. Ensure that
the citations
noted within the text match the references listed on the
reference page.
Must be in APA (6
th
ed.) format.
Appendices
Materials included as appendices are relevant but tangential to
the
content of the report.

Materials included as appendices should be in the order they
appear in
the report and labeled/numbered so they can be referenced in
the text.
Any survey instruments or interview scripts used in the
research process
should be included as an appendix.
Every report must include at least one appendix—the Request
for Applied
Management Project Approval form. Additional appendices are
optional.
APPLIED MANAGEMENT PROJECT COURSE
REQUIREMENTS
The following activities are required for the Applied
Management Project:
Submit a project proposal to the instructor for approval, using
the Request
for Applied Management Project Approval form contained in
the
Supplemental Materials section.
Attend class meetings or individual sessions as arranged by the
instructor
(see Student Schedule attached).

Maintain regular contact with the instructor—this is crucial.
Your instructor
is available to guide you through this project, but it is up to you
to request
guidance and keep your instructor informed of your progress.
Deliver all assigned drafts of project reports as scheduled by
the
instructor.
Submit a final, written AMP report (either electronically or in
hard copy
depending upon your instructor's requirement) by the designated
date.
Make a 15-minute oral presentation of the highlights of the
project,
followed by a question-and-answer session about the project.
Attend all student presentations.
Final Report Guidelines
Here are general guidelines to help in the preparation of the
final report:
Bind the final written report in the manner the instructor

requests. A three-
ring binder is helpful in organizing your project as you work on
it, and
many instructors will accept this as a binder for your final
report.
Order the pages as described in the project outline.
The appropriate title page should be prepared.
Use only white paper to print the report.
Use one-inch margins.
Print text in black ink.
Limit use of color in the final report.
Use APA (6
th
ed.) guidelines for spacing headings and sub-headings.
Text must be double spaced.
Use only Times New Roman font.
Use a 12-point font size for text.

The main title may be a larger font size.
Tables and figures must be properly numbered and labeled (see
APA
Publication Manual).
Pages should be numbered at the top right corner of pages (see
APA
Publication Manual).
Copies of any survey instruments used must be included as
appendices.
Include a copy of the completed Request for Applied
Management Project
Approval form as your first Appendix.
MATERIALS INVENTORY
SUGGESTED RESOURCES:

Creswell, J.W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative,
quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches (3
rd
ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1-4129-
6557-6
Pan, M.L. (2008). Preparing literature reviews: Qualitative and
quantitative approaches
(3
rd
ed.). Pyrczak Publishing. ISBN 1-884585-76-0.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(6th edition) (ISBN 13:
978-1-4338-0561-5; ISBN 10: 1-4338-0561-8)
Mastering APA Style: Instructor's Resource Guide (ISBN:
1557988900)
Mastering APA Style: Student's Workbook and Training Guide
(ISBN: 143380557X)
Presenting Your Findings: A Practical Guide for Creating
Tables (ISBN: 143380705X)

Displaying Your Findings: A Practical Guide for Creating
Figures, Posters, and
Presentations (ISBN: 1433807076X)
Sample Title Page
IMPROVING EMPLOYEE RETENTION AT ABC COMPANY
Prepared for:
Dr. Jan S. Jones
Shorter University
Submitted by:
Jane Doe
January 2, 2008

REQUEST FOR APPLIED MANAGEMENT PROJECT
APPROVAL
Student Name
Cohort Number Date
Preliminary Project
Title
Problem/Issue What problem or issue do you want to address
with your study?
Proposed Approach

Describe your proposed project plan.
*Organization
Approval Signature
Date
Shorter University
Instructor signature
Date
* Optional when approval required.
Appendix A
ACTION PLAN AND SCHEDULE

MGNT 4800 – Applied Management Project
STUDENT NAME AND COHORT NUMBER:
INSTRUCTOR APPROVAL AND DATE:
This action plan and schedule begins with the second week of
MGNT 4800 and ends with the last week of MGNT 4800, unless
otherwise directed by the instructor to submit additional weekly
reports. The action plan and schedule should be created in
weekly increments and referenced, by week, on your weekly
progress report.
Week Scheduled Activity Status
Planned
Completion
Date
Actual
Completion
Date

Appendix B
MGNT 4800 Applied Research Project
Weekly Progress Report
Students are required to submit weekly progress reports to their
MGNT 4800 Instructor until week nine of this course.
Student Name and Cohort Number
Week of:
Accomplishments

Issues or Problems and Proposed
Solution
s
NOTE: If you are not up-to-date with your action plan, provide
reason(s) and describe
actions to get back on schedule.

Appendix C
DAILY RESEARCH SCHEDULE – OPTIONAL
Project Title:___________________________
Due Date:____________________________
Week of________________
Monday

Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Saturday
Sunday
Appendix D

Appendix E
Appendix F
TIPS FOR THE 15 MINUTE SLIDE PRESENTATIONS
The audience should focus on listening to you, not reading and
understanding
the slides. Therefore, a slide should have no more than 4 or
maximum 5 bullets,
or a simple uncongested diagram.
The audience should be able to digest the slide in 5 seconds or
so. This means

you must articulate the items below, not write the points, and
point for point, on
the slides. All you need on the slides are the highlights in bullet
or graphical form.
Don't make the slide content such that the audience has to think
to deduce
things; you need them to focus on what you are saying, not
think.
Make the title of each slide the conclusion you want the
audience to reach from
the slide content and your pitch for that slide.
Make sure you use 24 point fonts or larger whenever possible,
and make sure
the text or graphic is a sharply contrasting color to the slide
background.
Avoid animation unless you really need to enhance
understanding of, say, a

graphic. If you use it, do it in moderation and make sure you are
really well
rehearsed.
LASTLY, PUT THE SLIDE NUMBER ON THE BOTTOM
RIGHT OF EACH SLIDE. You
can do this in a PowerPoint template so each slide automatically
has the number. This
really helps someone assisting you in reviewing your
presentation

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