You should analyze one or twokey aspects of management (e.g., culture, social responsibility, innovation management, leadership, motivation, etc.) using the frameworks and theories discussed in the course, with special emphasis on how the organization’s practices drive superior (or inferior) performance. Finally, you will prepare recommendations for the organization’s leaders based on your research.

You may choose to analyze any organization, but make sure there is enough information available to develop a thorough report. When selecting a company, you may find it helpful to consult FORTUNE’s World’s Most Admired Companies (Links to an external site.).

Research Methods

Reports must reference at least five (5) information sources (not including the textbook). A variety of resources are available to gather the information needed for your analysis: business publications such as Bloomberg BusinessWeek (Links to an external site.) and the Wall Street Journal (Links to an external site.), academic journals, company annual reports, etc. You may even choose to interview company managers. Since not all information sources are suitable for a research report, apply the CRAP Test (Links to an external site.) when evaluating your sources, particularly those that you find online.

Format

Your written report should be 6–8 pages in length (not including the appendices and references) using 12-point font, double-spacing, and one-inch margins. Please use headings to identify each major section of the report. Your report should include the following components:

• Introduction
• Introduce your topic, but assume that your audience is familiar with the company and its background.
• Your introduction should end with your thesis statement.
• Body
• Analyze the organization’s management practices (see Objective section above).
• Conclusions and recommendations
• Summarize your research findings, and develop at least two (2) recommendations for the organization’s leaders related to the management topic(s) you researched. Your recommendations should not be to continue “business as usual”—they must be novel ideas.
• Appendices (optional)
• Attach any materials that are helpful in explaining the company’s management practices. The appendices must be referenced in the body of your report.
• References
• Cite the list of information sources using APA style (Links to an external site.). You must use a minimum of five (5) sources (not including the textbook).