Writing Question
6. Final Paper: (20%) A final paper that focuses on the course content, applied in the setting of your current or past employer, (Past Employer is the Air Force) will be due to the course dropbox on the final Sunday of the term at 11:59 pm. Late final papers will not be accepted. In this paper, you will focus on the following: 1. Provide a description of the company at which you work(ed). 2. Describe an “agency problem” (not just any problem) within the firm and discuss what you think is causing the problem and how the problem might be better controlled. 3. Describe the job dimensions of the firm and discuss whether or not you believe the current design is appropriate for the firm. Discuss any suggestions you might have for improving the job design. 4. Describe the compensation package for executives/employees within the firm and discuss whether or not you believe that the compensation package is effective. Discuss any suggestions that you might have for improving the compensation package. 5. Describe the individual performance measures for executives/employees within the firm and discuss whether or not you believe that the performance measures are effective. Discuss any suggestions that you might have for improving the performance measures. While these questions focus on the latter half of the course, you should remain mindful of the economic concepts that were developed in the beginning of the course. An “A” paper will demonstrate a thorough understanding of the relevant topics, completely discuss each of the five points of the paper, use terminology appropriate to the topic, and use word choice, spelling, and sentence structure appropriate for graduate-level work. Format for Written Assignments: You will submit all case studies and the final paper to Dropbox. Each assignment must be submitted no later than the starting time of class on the respective due date. Additionally, students must bring a printed copy of the case studies responses to class on the respective due date to facilitate the class discussion and to make notes on (this may be collected and used for grading). Succinct, complete answers that show that you have prepared your writing with thought and reflection are preferable to answers that ramble and are not reflective of the course content. For the case studies, if you can provide a complete, well-developed response in several paragraphs or a page that is acceptable. If it requires more than one page, that is acceptable as well. The exception is the final paper which will require a minimum of 10 pages double spaced. The written assignments will be critiqued on the technical part of your answer, the clarity and logical sequence of your response, and grammar and spelling. You are encouraged to use textbook concepts as you attempt to explain in your own words the answers to the assignments. Word choice and sentence structure that is suitable for graduate-level work is expected. Specific Formatting Instructions 1. All assignments must be completed as Word documents. 2. All assignments must be prepared in the APA format, including references. A great reference is http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/1/. • A deviation from the APA formatting requirements is that an abstract is not required for the case studies or the final paper. • Any source that is used to develop your paper must be included in a list of references. 3. Cover page (optional). Use a single cover page that contains: (a) the title of the assignment, (b) your name, (c) MBA 540 2015SP1, and (d) the due date. 4. Direct quotes/paraphrasing. Direct quotes and paraphrasing MUST be referenced and cited using APA guidelines. Although there is no limit on how many citations are in the paper, I will use limits of 15% for quotations and 25% for unoriginal wording for this course. When more than one-quarter of a paper seems to be unoriginal, it usually indicates a problem. Even if sources are properly cited and some of the words are changed, it raises the question of how much original thinking went into the paper. There is a big difference between starting with a blank page and writing your own thoughts, and building the paper around quotes, paraphrased sources, and the altered wording of another author. You are encouraged to use textbook concepts as you attempt to explain, in your own words, the answers to the assignments rather than relying heavily on quoted material. Try to think about how you would explain your answer to someone who has not taken a managerial economics class. High scores on the originality report by Turnitin are not just a result of plagiarism; they can also result from an incorrect quotation/citation methodology or from using words that have been rearranged from your sources. If you use someone else’s work you must cite and reference it appropriately. NOTE: self-plagiarism still counts as plagiarism…so be very careful when working on your paper. 5. File Name. The file that you submit to Dropbox will be the one that is graded. To facilitate the grading process, please save your file name as “Last name assignment name” (e.g. “Murphy Chapter 1 Case Study”) so that when you upload the file it will be obvious to me who the file is from once it is downloaded for grading. Use of Dropbox and Turnitin.com For those of you not familiar with Turnitin.com, it is a plagiarism identification service that can also assist
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APA
56 words