Assignment | Unit 5
GB512: Business Communications
Unit 5: Business Research and Integrity
Researched Proposal – Final Project:
PROPOSAL FINAL DRAFT DUE: Over the past several weeks you have worked through the
process of putting together your persuasive researched proposal. In this unit all the pieces of
the puzzle come together for your proposal final submission. You have reviewed input from your
peers, and your instructor, and have taken your ideas through several stages. By the end of Unit
5 you will submit the proposal.
Subject:
For the researched proposal, you will identify a problem or issue in your present or past
workplace. The Assignment objective is to propose a solution to the problem or issue, and to
present that solution to a decision-maker or group of decision-makers who can implement the
recommendation. You will support your proposal with research.
Over the course of the term, you will develop a concrete, practical solution to the problem that
can be implemented. Reference sources will be included that explain the problem, issue and/or
support the solution.
The proposal must be between 2500 to 3000 words using APA format for your Citations and
References. The proposal itself should be single spaced with double spacing between
paragraphs. The word count includes all components. The purpose of establishing a word count
is to ensure the topic chosen is neither too big nor too small. Also, writing within parameters is a
common requirement in business communications.
·
• Cover memo or letter depending upon audience explaining the attached
proposal
• Headline information presented as a cover page
• Table of contents
• Introduction in the form of an executive summary
• Body of the proposal – use subheadings to break up text and separate
sections
• Conclusion stated as a recommendation for implementation of the solution
• End matter to include reference page and any other data suitable for this
section of the report
Checklist: You will want to ensure your submission contains the following:
Directions for Submitting Your Researched Proposal:
· Cover page Table of contents Executive summary.
· Statement and general analysis of the problem using research.
· Assessment of the problem from various stakeholders’ viewpoints.
· Development of the body of the proposal.
· Include a minimum of one original graphic.
· Conclusion stated as a recommendation for implementation of the solution.
· Reference page.
Your Researched Proposal is due by the end of Unit 5.
Save the Proposal as a Word file in a location with a title you will remember and that includes
your name.
To submit, go to the Dropbox and click on the Unit 5: Researched Proposal link and follow the
instructions. Make sure that you save a copy of the paper you submit.
The proposal must be no fewer than 2500 words, no more than 3000. The word count includes
all components. The purpose of establishing a word count is to ensure the topic chosen is
neither too big nor too small. Also, writing within parameters is a common requirement in
business communications. The problem or issue need not be enormous.
The objective of the project is to participate in the development of a detailed proposal that
emerges in several pieces over the course of the term, as do lengthy written projects completed
in any organizational setting.
Guidelines:
LENGTH – no fewer than 2500 words; no more than 3000. The word count includes all
documents from your cover page through to the references page.
SPACING – because this is a business report, single space the body of your proposal, double
space between paragraphs.
REFERENCES:
Number: At least five sources must be cited. At least one of these must
be a peer-reviewed journal article. “Peer reviewed” (also known as “refereeing”) is
the process academic articles go through to be recognized as valuable contributions to the field.
Peer review is the process of subjecting an author’s scholarly work, research, or ideas to the
scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field. In our field of business management, peer
reviewed journals include the following: Academy of Management, Human Resource
Management Review, Industrial Management, Journal of Organizational Behavior Management,
Management Quarterly, among others. The Kaplan University Writing Center includes additional
guidance on peer reviewed articles.
You may use no more than two personal interviews. Other sources may include newspaper or
magazine articles that are not peer reviewed. Or if you locate several peer reviewed articles to
use, that is fine, too. You may cite more than five sources; five is simply the minimum.
Guidelines Continued
Quotes – Limit the use of direct quotes in your researched proposal. Your paper must contain no
more than 15% direct quotes. The rest should be paraphrased information so you can
demonstrate your understanding of what you read, and critical analysis to demonstrate your
ability to apply your knowledge and research to solve the problem. Make your voice the most
prominent one.
In-text citations must align with the sources listed in the References section. Any source you
mention in your paper must be included on your references page, and vice versa.
Distinguish Sources – Make sure you carefully distinguish your own words versus words and
ideas taken from other sources. Direct quotes MUST be contained in quotation marks.
Wikipedia – You may not use information from Wikipedia as it is not considered a reliable
source.
Dictionaries – may be used to define a term and be listed as source but may NOT count as one
of the five sources.
APA FORMAT for CITING SOURCES – Business and management use the American
Psychological Association format for academic and professional papers. If you were writing a
researched proposal for your supervisor, you would cite your sources following APA. You would
use in-text citations to let your reader know where your information comes from. You would use
a references page to list all your sources following APA guidelines.
Grading Criteria
Possible
Points
Clearly analyzes and outlines the problem being addressed using research.
0–25
Assesses the problem from various points of view.
0–25
Integrates no fewer than 5 sources into the proposal to effectively support the
solution, following APA format both in-text and on the references page; includes at
least one peer reviewed journal article.
0–75
Includes at least one original graphic to support the proposal.
0–25
Free of grammatical and mechanical errors.
0–50*
Contains no more than 15% direct quote.
0–20**
Follows assigned formatting – single spaced, double space between paragraphs,
table of contents, executive summary, introduction, references page – 2500–3000
words.
0–30
TOTAL
250
GRADING CAVEATS–
*Any submission containing grammatical errors that are so serious as to interfere with delivery
of the message earns a grade of 0. Serious grammatical errors include sentence errors –
fragments, run-on sentences, comma splices. Further, errors in coherence, punctuation,
organization, and logic have the potential to earn a grade of 0. Such errors present a serious
obstacle in conveying your ideas and submissions containing such errors cannot earn a passing
grade. At the professor’s discretion, revisions may be permitted.
**Any proposal found to contain more than 15% direct quote will be subject to scrutiny for
violation of Kaplan University’s Policy of Academic Integrity and point deduction could be
substantially higher depending upon the prevalence of direct quote. Any submission that is
plagiarized or otherwise violates academic integrity will earn a grade of “0” and the incident will
be reported to the Provost’s Office.
Any submission that fails to address the topic given or the assignment goal will earn a grade of
0 and/or a request for revision by the instructor.
