APPLIED MANAGEMENT CAPSTONE OUTLINE AND GUIDELINES

Format APA

Academic Level: Masters

Volume of 30 pages (8250 words)

Assignment type : Research Paper

Description
Use the following format and information to write the required sections of your case study.
A suggested number of pages per section is provided below. The minimum number of narrative pages for the Applied Management Capstone is thirty (30) pages, excluding the title page, table of contents, references, and appendices. (Note that the Working Bibliography from Workshop Two is a separate submission and is not a part of the final submission.)

APPLIED MANAGEMENT CAPSTONE OUTLINE AND GUIDELINES
Use the following format and information to write the required sections of your case study.
A suggested number of pages per section is provided below. The minimum number of narrative pages for the Applied Management Capstone is thirty (30) pages, excluding the title page, table of contents, references, and appendices. (Note that the Working Bibliography from Workshop Two is a separate submission and is not a part of the final submission.)

Title Page (1 page)
• Format per the APA Guidelines, with IWU plagiarism statement.

Table of Contents (1-2 pages)
• This is a simple listing of the main and sub headers in the paper, keyed to their corresponding page numbers. The main headings can be the headings used below in the outline.
• Number each following page sequentially through the last page of the project.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
(Begin a new page)

Introduction (1-2 pages)
• Purpose: Provides the big picture of the case study.
• Write the Introduction as a brief, executive summary of the entire case. It should not have too much detail – just enough to cover what the study was about, how the research was done, and what the analysis revealed.

Purpose of the Study (2-3 pages)
• Purpose: States what the study intends to cover.
• Describe the central problem, challenge, opportunity, or issue that will be addressed and why this subject was chosen. Explain the objectives and what the case will examine. Define the limits of this research – what will be covered, as well as what is beyond the scope of this study.

Significance of the Study (2-3 pages)
• Purpose: To convince readers that this is a worthwhile topic.
• Explain what can be gained and learned from a study like this. Why is this topic an important subject to research? Address each of the following three areas. Consider making these as subheadings.
1. Why is the topic significant to the writer?
2. Why is it significant to the department, division, company, sister
companies, alliances, major stakeholders, etc.?
3. Does the topic have broader implications for:
a. The larger industry of which it is a part?
b. Global significance?

Organization Overview (3-4 pages)

• Purpose: To present the organization or industry overview as pertinent to the project topic.

• Here the organization or industry overview, as pertinent to the project topic, is presented. It can begin with some information on the organization/industry itself, to set the context of the case. Then it should briefly focus on the topic of your project and how your topic’s solutions or recommendations will have a potential impact.

Identification and Discussion of Issues (2-3 pages)
• Purpose: To establish the foundational issues to be analyzed in detail later in the Case Solution.
• This section narrows the focus of the topic by identifying the key issues you are pursuing in your research and how those issues specifically relate to your topic. One of these key issues should include the ethical dimension of your topic.
• Ask several or more key questions that will guide the research and will be answered by the study. Put each one in bold type. Then under each question, write a substantive paragraph that provides information on the question, elaborates on why it was chosen, and how it is linked to the study.
• Conclude this section with a description of the methodology – the method(s) used to gather and analyze the information. Describe the research steps taken to obtain the facts used to address the case questions.

PROJECT SOLUTION
(Begin a new page)

Information and Literature Review (5-6 pages)
• Purpose: Presents facts and information from outside sources on the topic of your project.
This is a topical presentation from your formal research of what others have written and developed on the subject and identified key issues of your subject. It will cover a minimum of a twenty-five sources of different types (not just from the Internet), and demonstrate an ability to discover and summarize the key research that has been done in this area. Use sources from a wide variety of sources and several perspectives in order to present a balanced view, including internet searches, articles and information retrieved from OCLS sources, personal interviews and email queries, prior coursework/texts (if available), etc.
The review should utilize transitions and summary thoughts in your own words, not be made up of just a series of quotes, etc., and must be presented in a logical sequence. Any direct quotes from sources must be within quotation marks and properly cited. Any paraphrased information from an outside source must be properly cited, as well. Follow APA format for research citations.
As this is a capstone project, you will include in your research cited information, as applicable, from at least six of the eleven prior coursework topics included in your MSM program:
1. Applied Management Theory
2. Ethics and Legal Aspects of Management
3. Decision Making and Essential Business Communication
4. Human Resources Management
5. Accounting and Finance for Managers
6. Economic Analysis for Managers
7. Marketing for Management
8. Organizational Behavior
9. Global Management
10. Leadership and Organizational Change
11. Business Strategy and Policy

Analysis of Key Issues (5-6 pages)
• Purpose: The “heart” of the study – to thoroughly examine the information and literature discovered in the research.
• This goes beyond the Information and Literature Review to give your analysis of the facts and information discovered from the outside sources. What themes appear, and what does the information show? What do the facts “say” about the issues pertaining to your topic, including the ethical dimension of your topic. The best way to organize this section is to repeat the key questions (that were presented earlier), and use the results from the study to answer them. This is the student’s analysis, but all statements must exhibit a rationale based on the research. Feel free to cite sources within this section.

Recommendations and Conclusion (4-5 pages)
• Purpose: To offer specific recommendations addressing the problem, issue, challenge, or opportunity you have addressed in your paper, including action steps to implement the recommendations.
• Include a paragraph of concluding remarks.

REFERENCES
(Begin a new page)

• Purpose: To alphabetically list all references cited in the narrative of your paper.
• Follow the APA guidelines to acknowledge all sources that have been cited throughout the paper.
• Note! Working Bibliography sources and other sources not included in the completed narrative of the paper must not be included in the References.
• The successful Applied Management Capstone will include a minimum of twenty-five separate sources of different types (not just from the internet), and demonstrate an ability to find and summarize the key research. Use sources from a wide variety of references.

APPENDICES

• Purpose: Append exhibits here that are too large to include in the body of your paper. Do not include raw data from surveys, interview transcripts, annual reports, brochures, etc., although excerpts or summaries can be included here.

You Need a Professional Writer To Work On Your Paper?