This term paper requires that the student describe his/her term paper organization with respect to basic structural characteristics, cultural characteristics and activity characteristics. In addition, the term paper requires that the student develop a clear plan for improving a specific work process or for implementing/upgrading an incentive system, as well as a clear strategy for moving that improvement proposal from idea to actuality.

This paper is designed to: (1) Reinforce students' understanding of concepts introduced in the course; (2) Test and sharpen students' ability to organize real world information into categories relevant to understanding their organizations; (3) Provide the instructors with a measure of students' basic "term paper skills."

With draft submissions, the instructors can let you know if you are on or off track before you have written a complete paper. Draft submissions also help insure the timely completion of your papers. Timely submissions avoid mandatory grading penalties and insure that your papers are given back to you promptly. Prompt turnaround on the final paper maximizes the benefit of teacher feedback on student work.

Viewing one's organization from a personal perspective is natural. And we expect that this is how every student will begin to think about each organizational aspect to be considered in this paper. Most of us are "down the line" in our organizations: things are done to us, rather than by us. You should not write this paper as a powerless, put-upon, angry and frustrated cog in the organizational machine. You may feel that way--even we do sometimes--but you are training to be managers and organizational leaders. To get the most out of the material in this class, and to best prepare to apply this learning in the real world, your perspective in writing this paper should be that of a management consultant. Management consultants clinically examine organizations to see what improvements are possible, and how the organization's practices help or hinder the planning and implementation of those improvements..

Learn! That is what this paper is about. And you may find that the more you understand about your organization, the better able you are to operate in your workplace day to day.

The sequencing of the "term paper" homework questions does most of the organizing for you. In addition, the student to student feedback form provides a roadmap for addressing the "organizational description" segment of your paper. The "organizational improvement" segment of your paper can be organized by making sure that you address every issue raised by the questions in Week 9 of the syllabus. Each student will be expected to modify his/her paper to reflect the feedback received, which may require minor organizational changes prior to final submission.

In addition to the information required by the "term paper" questions, every paper must include an organization chart, citations and a bibliography, as well as a cover page.

Yes. Your Internet/Library exercise is designed to produce articles relevant to the organizational improvement program you have selected for your organization. These journal articles and web based articles should be applied and cited in your paper.

No! Question by question, you will be looking at your organizations from four different angles. Each of these angles reveals something different about your organization, and helps make more sense of angles you looked at earlier. In addition, you drafts will receive two sets of feedback from two different sources--faculty and your student partner. The pieces of the paper become a whole by interrelationship and cross-fertilization, NOT by simple addition.

Students will provide feedback to other students on the descriptive elements of the term paper because, in your workplace, what you write will be read by individuals who, by and large, look and think like your classmates. Your communications effectiveness is measured as well, if not better, by your fellow students' comprehension than by faculty comprehension. As a manager, you will be communicating with public servants, not Ph.D's.

The same way you should respond to the feedback from your instructor. Take all feedback as good faith advice worthy of your consideration. You are always free to use or not use any feedback according to your judgement about what would or would not improve your final paper.

No, only the descriptive elements based on Week 5's homework assignment receive student feedback. The "improvement program" analysis based on Week 9's homework is reviewed by your instructor, who gives you feedback. In addition, you will hand in your Week 5 submission AND your student partner's feedback in Week 9. At that time, the instructor will review your original Week 5 submission and the feedback in order to provide additional guidance, if necessary. Thus, you final version of the paper will benefit from the instructor's review of all your drafts, as well as your student's partner's feedback on your paper's descriptive elements.

Two elements will come into play. The first element will be general accuracy of the "student partner's" feedback concerning the draft. Giving honest feedback is a part of class participation. A student will get full class participation credit on this assignment if assessments are in the ballpark and reasonable recommendations are made. Less than full credit will be given, for instance, if high marks on clarity are given for the discussion of organizational purpose when that item wasn't discussed at all in the draft. The second element that will impact on grading indirectly will be the writer's responsiveness to reasonable feedback from the "student partner," and from the faculty. To use the same example, if either faculty or student feedback points out that organizational purpose was not discussed in the draft paper, failing to add a discussion of organizational purpose misses an opportunity to strengthen the final paper.

No. But grading will account for your ability to recognize and describe relationships in your organization between the three descriptive categories, and the impact of the elements of those categories on the improvement program your paper is proposing.

Yes. To inform and influence others you must communicate effectively. In written reports, grammatical correctness and clear expression are crucial to communications effectiveness.

January 2001, Version 2, by Professor O'Hara