In Part 1 of your Justification Report assignment, you built up the following sections: Problem Statement, Overview of Alternatives, Criteria, and Methods. In Part 2, you will revise Part 1 based on your instructor’s suggestions and add to it the following sections: Evaluation of Alternatives, Findings and Analysis, and References.
Use the basic outline below to draft your paper. Organize your responses to each question under the following section headings:
- Evaluation of Alternatives (for Questions 1-3)
- Findings and Analysis (for Questions 4-5)
- References (for Question 6)
Using the provided template, write Part 2 of a single-spaced report in which you:
- Include and revise the sections from Assignment 2.1 (Problem Statement, Overview of Alternatives, Criteria, and Methods) per instructor suggestions.
- Research the two (2) alternatives (i.e. possible solutions) that you’ve identified in your Part 1 Evaluation of Alternatives section. Record bibliographic information during research.
- Example: You might research other organizations that have attempted similar solutions to the problem you have identified and explore the results of those experiments.
- Use what you discover in your research to evaluate each alternative by each of your five (5) criteria.
- Example: If your research revealed that four (4) companies similar to yours increased productivity after allowing their workers to telework from home three days per week, you might conclude that one of your suggested alternatives – in this case, the option to telework from home three days per week – satisfies one of your criterion of “Productivity” as a high-potential solution to a problem you’ve identified (of decreased worker morale and productivity at Doe’s Electronics). However, additional research might frustrate a recommendation of this alternative if it is found to fall short of other criteria while a second alternative fares better. For instance, a telework alternative might be found to be too costly to implement; too frustrating for consumers who prefer daily, in-person customer service; or too divergent from the company’s brand, “Always there for you!”
- Organize the assignment by your criteria. Explain in narrative form how each of your two (2) alternatives stacks up against your first criterion. Next, explain how each alternative stacks up against your second criterion, etc.
- Example: An abbreviated outline of what this longer section might look like based on the above example is below (Note: Only the first two [2] of five [5] required criteria are included to give you a feel for the structure). Your researched findings, represented as circled bullets below, should be explained in two to five (2-5) sentences. Include in-text citations and follow up with References in APA style):
Evaluation of Alternatives
- Productivity
-
- Alternative A: Telework from home three (3) days per week
- {narrate findings based on research article 1 here}
- Alternative B: Offer two (2) extra Floating Holidays to each employee per year
- {narrate findings based on research article 2 here}
- Alternative A: Telework from home three (3) days per week
- Cost
-
- Alternative A: Telework from home three (3) days per week
- {narrate findings based on research article 1 here}
- Alternative B: Offer two extra Floating Holidays to each employee per year
-
- {narrate findings based on research article 2 here}
- Alternative A: Telework from home three (3) days per week
- Example: An abbreviated outline of what this longer section might look like based on the above example is below (Note: Only the first two [2] of five [5] required criteria are included to give you a feel for the structure). Your researched findings, represented as circled bullets below, should be explained in two to five (2-5) sentences. Include in-text citations and follow up with References in APA style):
- Briefly summarize in narrative form the major discoveries that emerged from the Evaluation of Alternatives section.
- Include a chart like the ones below to illustrate at a glance:
Figure 1: Alternatives Analyzed by Criteria
Criteria Telework Option Floating Holiday Option Productivity Very high Negligible increase Cost Very high Moderate Company Image Increased Negligible increase Worker Morale Increased Negligible increase Practicality Moderate Low TOTAL Feasibility* of Alternatives based on Criteria? Moderate to High Low to Moderate *Feasability = Capability of an alternative being carried out with success
- Include an APA style (6th edition) References page that documents the two (2) sources (minimum) that you used and cited in-text in your Evaluation of Alternatives section. You may use secondary resources, or you may include one primary source and one secondary source. Remember that both in-text citations and References must be included (to avoid plagiarism) whenever you are directly quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing researched material.
Your assignment must:
- Be typed, single spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
- Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
- Support ideas or claims in body paragraphs with clear details, examples, and explanations.
- Organize ideas logically by using transitional words, phrases, and sentences.
- Use sentence variety and effective word choice in written communication.
- Apply writing process strategies to develop formal business reports and / or proposals.
- Use technology and information resources to research issues related to selected topics.
