*****For Essays Guru Only*****

**This report should be approximately 1500-2000 words in length, single spaced**

Your report should be structured as follows. Please use this outline, typing directly into this document, with the section headings given. (Don’t overlook the bibliography.) Double check your work against the instructions. Also use the checklist on the last page to review your draft. Then, ensure all instructions (blue font) are deleted (including this page) before you submit for grading. Submit to both Assignments in our classroom and to Turnitin.

BMGT464 Final Project

Analysis of Organizational Performance

(Company Name)

Submitted by

(Student Name)

Date

Submitted to:

(Instructor Name)

Executive Summary

If you choose to give an executive summary, it should be first on its own page here. An executive summary captures just the key points in 1-3 paragraphs, enough to entice the reader to want to read the full report.

I. Introduction

Explain the purpose of this report, beginning by naming the company chosen and explaining the nature of the analysis to be performed. Then give only the company history that is pertinent to the analysis. Keep in mind that it is through the organization’s history that the internal culture or ‘way’ of conduct develops, so look for this information.

II. Analysis

SWOT : Identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Keep in mind that strengths and weaknesses are internal, and opportunities and threats are external. This website may be helpful http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/sbc/pages/page3.html or from our library http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=100259317&site=eds-live&scope=site Also, our UMUC library will have analysis on major organizations including SWOTs. Do NOT use a cheesy website, nor just copy a SWOT already written. Our instructions explain for each of the S-W-O-T to look for organizational environment, leadership, and human resource policies and practices, so look for these when reviewing their website and any library articles about them. An example of how to approach this is:

STRENGTHS (list the organization’s strengths as related to its internal environment, leadership, human resources policies and practices)	WEAKNESSES (list the organization’s weaknesses as related to its internal environment, leadership, human resources policies and practices)
OPPORTUNITIES (list the organization’s external opportunities in the business environment and how this relates to its internal environment, leadership, human resources policies and practices)	THREATS (list the organization’s external threats in the business environment and how this relates to its internal environment, leadership, human resources policies and practices)

Discussion : The bulk of your report will be discussion of this. Based upon your analysis, you will name these subsections and organize it. Our instructions suggest “The report may address concepts, theories, and proposed solutions relating to effective human resource practices, leadership challenges, organization structural design and organization change, culture and development and their effect on organization and employee productivity, turnover, absence, satisfaction, citizenship, etc.”. Use our weekly topics and text chapters to guide you. For example, you might look for:

· leadership challenges such as decision making, change, conflict resolution, and organizational commitment in an organization at every level.

· Organizational Structure: Referring to chapter 14, you could explain in detail how this organization is structured. Include the possible advantages and disadvantages of this type of structure.

· Culture: using our chapter 15, what can you assess about the culture of this organization? Some will have pages and videos about their culture; for other organizations, you will have to infer on your own from their information. Identify specific aspects of culture, its creation and its maintenance. This typically comes from their careers webpage and their history site.

· Job Design: either by talking with an employee, or viewing videos on their website, you can get a feel for the nature of how they go about their work. Consider looking at chapter 6, particularly page 4-18, to explain what you perceive to be the job design. the Job Characteristics Model (figure 6.3), structural and felt empowerment (figure 6.4) might be particularly helpful.

· Compare their career information to Chapter 6, section 6.4 Performance Incentives. Also consider motivational theories from chapter 5. Do you think this organization’s external rewards will be intrinsically motivating? What theories will substantiate your assumptions? Don’t overlook age cohorts too.

· These are global organizations. You should refer to the Hofstede and Beyond Intractability websites given in our LA’s, as well as our text chapters and weekly readings on culture and work environments.

· Don’t neglect the multitude of readings on teamwork too. Companies often refer to their employees as ‘team members’. Are they really a team?

· Anything else that stands out to you from our learnings these 8 weeks!

III. Recommendations

At least three recommendations are required. Here you should have a lengthy discussion of any final recommendations for this company. Again base these in our text readings as well as your own research. What should they change? What should they do or incorporate into their current way of doing business? Tie it back to your SWOT and discussion in section II.

IV. Significant learning

Identify and evaluate at least three valuable take-aways you learned from this analysis, and how you envision applying them to your job or career.

Learning or Take-away 1

Learning or Take-away 2

Learning or Take-away 3

V. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Note the following:

· At the least, you will need to use the organization’s website to learn about their history as well as their current functioning. If you look at the bottom of an organization’s home page, you can usually find links to their corporate information. For example, at the bottom of the Costco.com home page you will see “About” and a list of pages. In addition to company history and CSR, the Jobs page will often give clues as to their internal culture. Investor Relations will often give history, CSR, and all sorts of information. Look through their website for their Vision and Mission to see if they are ‘living ‘ it. Look for CEO statements too.

· You need to provide a reference for each page of the organization’s website that you used. Do not just list the home page. The citations need to have the full URL to the page you accessed.

· Draw data, information, and ideas from at least four resources from a CREDIBLE online business publication (such as Forbes) and/or our UMUC library. Also required are at least six resources (at least three from each of Weeks 6 and 7) listed in the Weekly Schedules. These are in addition to the organization’s own website. Most likely you will use many of our Saylor text chapters.

· Review APA citation materials and Tips on Research Sources in our Course Content area.

· DO NOT USE DOT-COMS OF PEOPLE TRYING TO SELL US ON THEIR SERVICE, BOOK OR VIDEO. USE ONLY CREDIBLE INTERNET SOURCES AND/OR OUR LIBRARY.

CHECKLIST FOR YOUR OWN EDITING (delete before submitting final report)

Citation and sourcing:

· At least 10 academic or credible sources as follows: (1) Four credible, authoritative, relevant from our weekly content area, library, or credible long-standing business publications. (2) at least six required resources (at least three from each of Weeks 6 and 7) listed in the Weekly Schedules.

· In-text citations wherever ideas are used to inform your own writing even if not quoting verbatim. Cite format is (author name, date, page #).

· Use of quote marks around any phrases or sentences taken verbatim from a source, followed by the in-text citation given above.

· Reference list properly formatted in APA style, listed alphabetically by the last name of the primary author. Use APA style guide to format websites. Include retrieval statement on all citations with permalink to UMUC library article or direct URL to the website page you used.

Composition:

· Punctuation, sentence structure, capitalization.

· Look at vocabulary choices to remove redundant language, all slang, flabby word choices. Replace with vocabulary that has concrete meaning, talks-the-talk of OB.

· All written in third person objective voice. Conduct a word search to find and eliminate sentences using I, we, our, you, etc.

· Word count of report from introduction to conclusion (excluding cover page and references) is about 1500-2000 words in length.

Content:

· The paper’s discussion is in depth with specifics from our readings. No quotes of benign statements that are generally stated. Use specific information from their website (cited) and explain it in specific OB concept-terms (cited).

· Our rubrics assesses “Analyzed, proposed, devised, and designed strategies, policies, and procedures relating to leadership challenges such as decision making, change, conflict resolution, and organizational commitment in an organization at every level…with an example on a global level”.

· The rubrics also assesses “Analyzed, proposed, devised, and researched techniques relating to human resources policies and practices (personal selection, training and development, and performance evaluation)… proposed at least three techniques relating to human resources on a local, national, and global level.”

· Also from the rubrics: “Analyzed and created OB recommendations relating to developing a high-performing organizational culture”.

Suggested approach: In writing this report, work on each section, comparing to the instructions as you write. Once you have finalized the report, go back through and delete all instructions.