Question Description
THIS PROBLEM STATEMENT MUST BE INCORPORATED ON THE PAPER AS WELL AS A DETAILED BUDGET:
Problem Statement:
Employees in positions of authority have the ability to make or break a team. Many businesses, including the one I previously worked for, have great leaders. This company also had poor leaders. The problem lies with people in authoritative positions that are incapable of leading. Many managers or supervisors have leadership roles based on their education level. Having a formal education is beneficial in some aspects of managing, but completing a degree does not constitute being a manager. The problem is that managers are not equipped with the skills to successfully lead employees to success. While working at my previous places of employment, I learned many people are in high positions based on their formal education. Some of these managers did not possess the skills to positively lead their teams. Many employees have ended their careers as well as switched locations due to the leadership in place. I witnessed, firsthand, the effects of poor leadership. (Ethos). I worked in the Human Resources department at my previous occupation, so I was able to hear many stories about leadership. One employee would be so upset and on the verge of tears due to the actions of her manager. Said employee approached me, with tears in her eyes, begging for help. She simply wanted to be heard by leadership. (Pathos). The manager was a college educated woman with man years of experience in the industry. She had only managed employees for one year. The department had experienced a high turnover rate since she gained the managerial role. The manager viewed the turnover as “getting rid of dead weight”. The manager had many great employees leave. The employee who came to me was a great employee who wanted to make a difference. She was unable to comfortably work most days due to the actions of her manager. She was so distraught, she could not focus on the tasks assigned for her job. The employee went on to express how her manager’s lack of compassion and lack of consideration was causing her to pursue other employers. Employees who enjoy going to work will produce better output. (Logos) She would dread coming to work and once she arrived, she would suffer from anxiety.
The manager would change her shift frequently as well as schedule her for hours that were inconvenient for the employee. The manager would go against the previously agreed upon work availability in order to meet the needs of the business. This ultimately led the employee to despise coming to work. This could have been prevented with the proper plan in place. The manager focused primarily on the mission of the company at the cost of the morale at work. The employee produced subpar work and it affected the employee’s mental health. The job was done but the quality of the work suffered. Overall, managers make a lasting impression on their subordinates. A manager who leads employees is completely different from one who is solely managing employees. This is a problem that is commonly happening in various workplaces. A change needs to be made.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) What idea do you have to improve something at your job or in your community?
Is it a new process or policy?
Is it a new position that should be created?
Is it a new program that could be created?
2) Who would care about this idea? In other words, who should be your intended audience?
Is it your boss? Your bosss boss? A board? An elected official?
What do you need to do in this report to convince your audience that your idea is worth implementing?
Your report must include recommendations! Remember that you are writing a recommendation report.
Example Ideas (from previous students):
Recommendations for a training program to better acclimate new employees
Recommendations to change operations to enhance efficiency at a bank
Recommendations for an after-school program from a non-profit agency
Recommendations to provide raises to staff employees
Recommendations to implement a new technology package
Recommendations to streamline student organization offerings
General Guidelines
Keep in mind your report must:
be 12-20 pages in length (including all components)
follow an appropriate format for a business report at the highest level (you may or may not use a template for all or a few of the components)
be free from errors
be submitted as one, complete document – multiple files will not be accepted
Be sure to review NIUCOB Business Writing Rubric for the standards and protocols for excellent writing.
Your report must include the following research (all items required):
1) Information from 7-10 secondary sources
Sources judged on validity and appropriateness
Sources must be incorporated using MLA or APA standards
GALILEO is the recommended search tool (not Google)
2) Information from primary sources
Survey questions created by the student (the survey must have no fewer than 15 responses and 3-5 survey questions)
1-3 Interviews (should be cited on works cited page)
3) Must include at least 3 charts, graphs, or other visuals appropriately labeled, inserted, and titled
Required Elements
Remember that adding what is required at the base level is regarded as meets expectations not exceeds expectations. To receive a higher grade, you should go above and beyond what is listed as required.
Letter of Transmittal
Letter of transmittal should be written to your intended audience
Should be the first page of the report and written following business letter standards
Should be written in full block format and include:
An explanation of why the report was completed
Key recommendations and reasons for those recommendations
A request for feedback
Title Page
Your name and title/rank
your company name (if applicable)
date of submission
name of the company or organization for which you have prepared
your document
a full and accurate title
Table of Contents
Pagination should begin after the table of contents (see optional module 8 readings for a “how to” video)
Can be very detailed or show the larger categories the choice is yours.
Should include the preliminary material paginated correctly with lower-case Roman numerals
Abstract
The word abstract should be centered as the title
The abstract should be approximately 150 words and should summarize the document as a whole.
Introduction
Background and any historical information
Statement of the problem (your reason for writing the report)
Purpose statement (what you hope to accomplish by writing this report)
Scope of your report (what you will cover in the report)
Discussion section
Longest portion of your report (at least 900 words)
Provide information about your topic in this section
Use your research, interviews, and data to develop your ideas
Show different options for recommendations
Use headings, formatting, and transitions to help guide your reader
Written mostly like a research paper
Provide a budget (if money is needed)
Provide a timeline (if needed)
Either a budget or a timeline must be included as a chart
Conclusion and Recommendations
Can be separate sections if desired, or can be combined
Wrap up information found in the report
Dont start something new in this section; you should have referenced the information at least initially in the previous sections
Recommendations are traditionally numbered
Works cited page
List all sources cited and consulted in the report
Remember that citations should be included to show that you used someones idea, even if you did not necessarily use their words. Quotation marks, however, are needed if you have used someones words.
In-text citations must be used throughout and correctly, in addition to providing a works cited page.
Citations may follow APA or MLA format, but the style must be consistent throughout
Appendix (see module 8 readings for a “how to” video)
You must have at least one piece of information listed in the appendix
Ideas for the appendix:
Additional charts or graphs that do not fit within the report but may add more context
Glossary of unfamiliar terms (useful if you are writing for a business that u
