MGT paper

Research Paper

Select a topic in the area of the Operations Management discipline (you can use your textbook to help you identify a topic) and write a literature review about the topic. Your literature review should consist of the following components: Title Page, Table of Contents, Introduction, Review of the Literature, Managerial Implications, and References. A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research. The length of the paper is up to you. The average length in the past has been 15-20 pages in the body of the report (not including title page, table of contents, or references).

Writing a literature review involves finding applicable publications (such as books and journal articles), critically analyzing them, and explaining what you found. There are five key steps:

1. Search for the relevant literature

2. Evaluate your sources

3. Identify themes, debates and gaps in the literature

4. Outline the structure of your paper

5. Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources – it analyzes, synthesizes, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject. Please make sure to cite references appropriately in your paper. Your research paper is due by 5:00 pm central time on Wednesday, November 18th. The paper must be submitted electronically to me via e-mail to gregory.bradley@usm.edu and uploaded to Canvas.

Please create the paper in Microsoft Word and follow APA guidelines to write the paper (including 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with 1" margin on all sides, and page numbers in lower right corner of each page. Students are encouraged to access USM resources at the Writing Center in Hattiesburg (http://www.usm.edu/writing-center) or Academic Success Center in Long Beach (https://www.usm.edu/gulf-park-academic-success-center/index.php) if needed.

Some examples of previous research papers in this course include:

· Hospital Quality Control

· Project Management in Construction

· Operations Management at Ford Motor Company

· The Bullwhip Effect in a Supply Chain

· RFID and Inventory Management

· Improving Construction Management Techniques: A Standard Approach

· The Benefits of Moving Manufacturing from China to Mexico

· Quality Management in Cardiac Healthcare

· Assessing the New Product Development Process

· Process Planning, Outsourcing, and Innovation with Information Technology

· The Expansion of the Gulfport Harbor

· Waiting Lines in a Culture of Instant Gratification

· The Unique Process Strategy at Starbucks

· Improving Supply Chain Transparency

· Green Production and its Effect on Performance

· The Supply Chain Management Risks When Combining with E-Commerce

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION RUBRIC FOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

Evaluated on a 5-point scale: 5 - Exceeds Expectations; 1 - Below Expectations

Rating Factor	5	4	3	2	1
Organization (20%) Appropriate structure and presented in purposeful and effective sequence
Grammar (15%) No errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling
Style/Word Usage (15%) Content appropriate for audience and context
Content (50%) Appropriate use of terms/concepts, information supported by sources, clear understanding of relevant issues