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Topic Selection
1. Select a specific organization of interest to you and identify a quality management related problem(s) in the firm. Examples may be poor quality levels, high cost of quality, poor product/service design, high level of internal/external failures, etc. Feel free to add to this list if you need to.
2. You are taking on the role as a quality management consultant and the executives of your chosen organization have asked you to submit a recommended direction to implement a quality management initiative to address the quality management related problem(s) you identified above. For example: Six Sigma, Lean Principles, TQM, SPC, Balanced Scorecard, etc.
3. You also need to identify which of the course TCOs and specific topics in the syllabus are related to the problem you identify.
Research Sources
1. All papers must have a minimum of 8 scholarly sources (other than text book) cited within the text of the paper and identified in the references section.
2. Additional research sources can be attached in an appendix.
3. All sources must be in two places. They need to be identified in the reference section must also have a corresponding citation in the body of the paper and vice versa.
4. Review the following document for instructions on how to access and use EBSCOhost for your research: EBSCOhost.
Paper Format
1. All papers should be single sided, double spaced and in12 point type font Times Roman.
2. Length of the paper to be between10 12 pages, excluding cover page, reference pages and appendices.
3. The first page should include the title of the work, student name, address, telephone and e mail address, course number, date, and instructor’s name.
4. Follow APA style for general format and citations.
5. Paper sections must adhere to the guidelines below and each section must be labeled in the text.
6. Language should be clear, concise, and precise.
7. Tone should be professional, consistent, and not filled with jargon.
8. Grammar and syntax (sentence structure) must be correct.
9. Report must be free of misspellings and typos.
Tables and Figures
1. All figures and tables must be referred to in your text before they appear on the page.
a. Figures and tables should appear on the same page or the next page as the text that refers to them.
2. All figures and tables need captions. Captions go below figures and above tables.
Quotations and Citations
1. Quotations and citations are crucial components of a research paper.
2. Failure to properly cite research sources and borrowed ideas is plagiarism.
3. Papers submitted without citations and references will be returned to the student with no grade.
4. Refer to APA style guide for assistance with properly citing quoted and/or borrowed materials and ideas.
Milestones |
WEEK |
ACTION REQUIRED |
Week 1 |
Look forward in the weekly readings and lectures and familiarize yourself with course content and then select an organization and problem area to research for ideas. |
Week 2 |
Submit written project proposal containing the following: 1. Follow the Example BSOP588 Final Project Proposal outline provided in Doc Sharing. |
Weeks 3 through 6 |
Continue to work on class project; seek instructor help as required. Conduct library research on your topic: 1. Identify a minimum of 8 scholarly resources for your project. 2. All resources for the paper should come from the DeVry library and must be of scholarly/journal quality. 3. Use the librarians for assistance in accessing materials. Please Note: Articles found online (consulting company websites, Internet magazines, or other blogs) will not be considered an acceptable scholarly resource. Conduct your research through a library where you can be assured that the sources are of scholarly quality. For example, please do not use Wikipedia! |
Week 7 |
Submit the completed project to the assignment area for grading |
Project Requirements for Weeks 3 6 |
Use your Project Outline for the Week 2 assignment to develop your Project during weeks 3 6. Your completed Project paper must include the following sections:
SECTION |
POINTS |
DESCRIPTION |
Title Page |
5 |
Title of your quality management research paper, your name, address, e mail address, telephone number, course number and title, instructor, and date. |
Introduction |
10 |
Provide an overview of the organization and give enough information about the firm to acquaint an unfamiliar person (no matter how famous the company). Identify name, location, size, market segment (business line), and a brief history. Identify the essential issues, events, or actions to help frame the problem and subsequent discussion points. |
Problem Statement |
15 |
Identify and clearly state the problem the quality management issue(s) that you have selected to research. The problem statement should identify the major reason(s) for the recommended direction to implement a quality management initiative. A well formed problem statement has: 1. Focus the problem should be well defined and specific enough for the reader to gain a clear idea of the quality management area and the direction of your study and research. 2. Structure if the problem statement is sufficiently focused, it will provide a basis for decisions about which information to include and which to exclude from the paper. 3. Significance The significance section is the area where you need to answer the magic question: “so what?” The significance makes your research worth it to the reader. It is great if you can link this more to quality/productivity issues and provide “numbers” to support your direction. |
Literature Review |
30 |
|
Analysis |
30 |
Explore the problem in depth and with scholarly rigor. Provide an identification and description of the potential root causes of the problem/issue. Be sure not to address only symptoms of your problem. Diagnose the problem and its origins as best as you can. A critical element of this section is to apply the best practices of Quality Management concepts and models from the text, class discussions, and from researched sources. Discuss the concepts, ideas, or insights that are most valuable in helping you make sense of the causes of the problem. Support your analysis with reference to appropriate research material. Citations are a MUST! |
Recommendations |
30 |
Identify the quality management initiative and recommended direction that you have chosen. Explain its relevance and significance in how it will address the quality management issue(s) and reason(s) that you identified in the problem statement area. Citations are a MUST! Note: Please remember in this section you also need to touch on how they will be able to measure their success. Think of the “lead lag” indicator concepts from the course readings and lectures. |
Reflection |
10 |
In this section, you are to reflect on your learning from this assignment. Identify the areas that you found most interesting and also identify areas that you feel will assist you most in your career. |
References |
10 |
You must use no less than 8 library resources outside your textbook. All references must be cited in two places: within the body of your paper and on a separate reference list. Choose references judiciously and cite them accurately. Cite all sources using APA format. Please Note: Citing an author’s work within your text documents your research, identifies the source for readers, and enables readers to locate the source of information in the alphabetical reference list at the end of the paper. To use the ideas or words of another person without crediting the source is plagiarism. Plagiarism in its purest form involves copying passages either verbatim or nearly verbatim, with no direct acknowledgment of the source. The most common form of plagiarism is to paraphrase information from your source material. Paraphrasing does not relieve you of the obligation to provide proper identification of source data. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to make sure all quotes, ideas, or conclusions not your own are given proper acknowledgment in your text. A key thought to remember is: “If you did not write it, CITE it!” |
Total |
140 |
|
Grading Rubrics |
Criteria |
Failed to Meet Minimum Standards |
Barely Meets Minimum Standards 60+% D 84 98 |
Meets Minimum Standards |
Good 80+% B 112 125 |
Superior 90+% A 126 140 |
Title Page |
|
|
|
|
Title of your research paper Your name, address, e mail address, and telephone number; course number and title, instructor, and date. (5) |
Introduction |
Introduction is not apparent. (0) |
Introduction is vague; Introduction is incomplete; lacks a focus. (6) |
Introduction reflects barely adequate information to acquaint reader to the problem context. (7) |
Contains a focus and provides sufficient detail to set the stage for the analysis but may contain extraneous information. (8) |
Introduction has a sharp, distinct focus; complete information. (10) |
Problem Statement (15 Points) |
No problem statement apparent. (0) |
Problem statement is vague; does not agree with title of paper. (9) |
Presented mostly as symptoms of the problem. (11) |
Presented as a disguised solution. (13) |
Focused and concise. (15) |
Literature Review (30 Points) |
None provided. (0) |
Too shallow; insufficient depth; provides review of only one source; does not cite sources properly; may include analysis of the problem in this section. (21) |
Provides a review of only 2 3 sources; Does not address topic areas germane to the problem; including analysis of the problem; does not cite some sources properly. (23) |
Provides a review of the minimum 8 research articles; lacks reference to insights or findings from many of the readings that are applicable to the problem. (25) |
Discusses the concepts, ideas, or insights that have the most value for helping make sense of problem; Excellent use of citations and follows proper citation protocol; Exceeds all standards defined in the syllabus guidelines for the project. (30) |
Analysis |
No analysis evident or presents a simplistic, inappropriate, or incoherent analysis of or response to the problem. (0) |
Illogically analyses the problem; it may lack coherent structure or elaboration with examples. Does not apply findings from literature review. Clear lack of evidence to support analysis; making broad generalizations and unsupported assertions. (21) |
Presents an adequate analysis of the problem, elaborating the analysis with sufficient examples and acceptable reasoning. May not apply findings from literature review appropriate. Lack of evidence to support analysis; making broad generalizations and unsupported assertions. (23) |
Presents a thoughtful analysis of problem, elaborating that response with appropriate examples and sensible reasoning. (25) |
Presents a cogent analysis of the stated problem, elaborating that response with well chosen examples and persuasive reasoning supported by the literature. (30) |
Recommendations (30 Points) |
Solutions and recommendation not included. (0) |
The choice of recommendation (s) is not linked to the analysis. (21) |
Presents only a minor recommendation that may or may not be fully supported by the analysis. (23) |
Recommendations are linked to the analysis. Partially supported and defended. (25) |
Recommendations logically flow from the analysis. Well supported and defended. (30) |
Reflection |
No reflective statement offered. (0) |
Perfunctory effort at drawing lessons from the assignment. (6) |
One key lesson; no other insights offered. (7) |
Good faith effort in discussing the lessons from the assignment; some insights are included. (8) |
Well presented insights on how the assignment influenced personal, academic, and professional development. (10) |
References |
Few or no references listed. (0) |
Insufficient references listed; inconsistent format. (6) |
A few appropriate references listed. (7) |
Well chosen references used; minor errors. (8) |
Well chosen references used; follows correct format for listing; no errors. (10) |
NOTE: Points will be deducted for grammar, syntax, and/or punctuation errors. Failure to cite sources properly or using incorrect protocol when citing sources and listing references are cause for point reduction. Failure to cite sources will result in submission for academic integrity review. |