Due Week 3 and worth 150 points
In Assignments 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3, you will be building up a formal, researched justification report (one part at a time) that culminates in a recommendation to implement a particular product, service, or program in your place of employment. This recommended product, service, or program should resolve a problem that you identify in your workplace and should be directed to your employer (even if you do not actually plan to share it with your employer).
Use the basic outline below to draft Assignment 2. Organize your responses to each question under the following section headings:
- Problem Statement (for Question 1)
- Overview of Alternatives (for Question 2)
- Criteria (for Question 3)
- Methods (for Question 4)
Using the provided template, write Part 1 of a single-spaced report in which you:
- Discuss in detail a problem at work, persuading and convincing the reader that it needs fixing.
- Provide a detailed description of two (2) possible solutions (“alternatives”) that could be implemented to resolve the problem identified in Question 1.
- List and detail five (5) criteria that you will use to measure the worth of each alternative in Question 2. Note: The alternative that satisfies the most criteria to the highest degree will be the one you recommend later to your employer (in Assignment 2.3). Criteria are standards that the audience values and are therefore used to measure the worth of each alternative (common examples include cost, desirability, durability, efficiency, time it will take to implement, and practicality).
- Describe in detail how you will conduct the research needed to determine the best alternative to recommend to your employer. Note: This is a one to two (1-2) paragraph description of what research needs to be completed in order to evaluate the alternatives. This is not a detailed procedure for solving the problem.
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.
- Write clearly and concisely using proper writing mechanics.
Click here to view the grading rubric.
Assignment 2.2: Justification Report – Part 2
Due Week 5 and worth 150 points
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
-
- 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
- {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}
- 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.
- Write clearly and concisely using proper writing mechanics.
Consider the feedback from your professor and / or online tutor when making your revisions.
