UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT
Project goal:
Align
student career interests with course learning outcomes (CLOs) as defined in the
Course Outline.
Students
will choose a business manager working in an industry that interests them and
conduct the research below. This will
include two interviews as well as an
experiential journal and a 5 page
(1500 word) min. reflection paper.
*STUDENT MUST HAVE
COMPANY NAME, MANAGER NAME, WEBSITE, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL APPROVED
BY PROFESSOR HAEGER BEFORE PROCEEDING IN ORDER TO GET CREDIT FOR THE ENTIRE
PROJECT.
- Please provide the above information
and date of first interview to me in class by the due date above.
- See syllabus above for due dates of
each interview transcript (1) and 5 journal entries (all in one word doc)
TO BE SUBMITTED TO A DROPBOX IN ANGEL.
These items equate to your homework grade for the course. 5+5+5 =
15 points (15% OF YOUR GRADE).
- Final Project PAPER is due
as per above syllabus (Also 15% of your grade).
Problem Definition:
What
are managers looking for in a new hire and leader? What characteristics and
competencies are they finding? Do they match up? How does the manager lead employees?
Studies
show that new entrants into the working community lack expected leadership
skills and competencies. This research
is directed toward local businesses to determine what deficiencies and
strengths exist in potential leaders being hired today. The managers being
interviewed can also provide insights based on the way they choose to lead
their employees.
Significance
to society/business: New entrants will gain an understanding of
what companies are looking for in a leader.
Businesses will benefit from a richer pool of future applicants.
Benefits of the
research:
·
MCC: insight for student body relative to
the work environment and application of CLO’s to real world.
·
Community: Assist students as current
workers to become more effective applicants and leaders.
·
Area business: Richer pool of applicants in
the future as students apply what they have learned to their own learning
agenda.
·
Researcher:
Personal insight into leadership competencies and skills relative to
employer needs.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
A.
Student will make contact with a hiring
manager.
Student will choose an
industry and make contact with a Senior Manager or Hiring Manager.
The student will meet at
least twice with the manager to gather information. The meetings should be face to face. Student
must offer a copy of their final report to the manager. If you can get
permission it is helpful to record the interview since you will need to
type up a transcript for each.
B. Students
will journal personal experiences and thoughts throughout the project. Five
entries are require in ONE word document submitted to a dropbox in ANGEL. ONE
WORD FILE is accepted. Not five files.
You will receive a zero if you submit five documents.
Experiential
Journal:
Your journal is about your personal
experience during the project. What are you thinking?
The
experiential journal will be five separately DATED entries. Each entry
will be from a different day and express thoughts regarding a different phase
of the project. Entries will be in
paragraph form, dated and at least 120 words each. Students may journal in a free flow manner
about the project. The guidelines below are for students who have not written a
journal before and need a starting point.
o
The first entry could be prior to your
meetings. Please write about the company you chose, the manager you will meet
with and a bit about the company itself. Why is this company your choice?
o
The second entry could be prior to your
meetings. Please journal about what you are expecting to find and what you
think you might learn from the experience as well as any other thoughts you are
having.
o
The third entry could be after the first
meeting. Please journal about what you personally experienced during your
meeting. Perhaps add what you think will occur at the next meeting.
o
The fourth entry could be after the second
meeting. Please journal about what you personally experienced during your
meeting. Add how you feel these meetings will help you with your paper.
o
The fifth entry could be a summary of the
entire meeting experience. Add how you feel this experience will help you in
your life and career.
C. Students
will conduct field survey interviews/meetings. Questions and answers will be
typed up and handed in as part of the project. (transcripts)
Field Interview
Protocol:
Students
will spend time in class collaborating and developing rich surveys with which
to administer and converse with the chosen manager.
Survey
Questions: EXAMPLES
Ø What
knowledge, skills, and abilities is the manager looking in a leader?
Ø Does
age make a difference when hiring a new leader? Why?
Ø What
are the benefits of having an education when entering this field?
Ø Describe
the type of person you would most likely place in a leadership role.
Ø Is
the person above hard to find? Why or why not? What is missing?
Ø What
can be taught through training?
Ø In
a perfect world describe a new employee whom you would assign to a leadership
role.
Ø Additional
manager comments or insights.
Students
are encouraged to add questions as they surface during the interview to
enhance the study. Questions and answers are typed up in transcript form.
Transcripts submitted will be at least 800 words. Students are encouraged to record the
meetings with permission or take notes.
D. Students
will write a synthesis paper at least five pages in length and a minimum of
1500 words.
Synthesis Paper
Students finalize this project by
writing a synthesis paper relating their field experience and journals to
course concepts and demonstrate the ability to think critically about the
experience by making connections and providing insights about the field. It is
suggested that students choose at least four concepts covered in the course and
synthesize them with the responses from the interviewee. Each connection must
conclude with insights relative to similarities and differences that surface
between the field experience and the course itself. Students are encouraged to
think critically and make suggestions that are relevant to either improving
themselves, the business, or the leadership. (Students usually see real world
examples of what we are learning in class during this project, however
sometimes they end up in a “what not to do” interview. This is excellent fodder for a paper on
improvements using applicable course concepts.)
Please
relate the significance of this project to your course work. Select at least
four course concepts that surfaced during your interview. It is a good idea to review the first
interview to identify concepts. If you are low on ideas, the second interview
is a great time to ask more questions!
For Example: If during the
interview, the manager talks about training of employees at length, then this
is a good topic for you to discuss in your paper by connecting it to topics
covered in class and in your text. Share
the main idea expressed by the manager, then refer back to what the course
(text, notes) says about training (i.e., types of training) and then identify
what type the manager may have talked about and give an example of how the
manager carries out this training in the workplace. If you do this, you have
created the synergy intended for this project!
Format: one
inch margins, 11 pts. Double spaced.
There should not be heading except on the cover sheet. Cover sheet will have your name, my name, the
name of the course and the date.
Optional - Rough Drafts are accepted through email if you would like
my feedback up to two weeks before the due date.
All parts of this
project with be submitted in ANGEL via a dropbox. A document in WORD format
must be attached to the dropbox. One
submission only will be allowed and one file per dropbox assignment will be
accepted.
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