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MS611 PROJECT PLANNING AND WRITING GUIDE

Introduction

All graduate students are required to pass a Comprehensive Exam or complete a project. This is

the culminating academic endeavor of students who earn a MBA or MSCIS degree from

CalUMS-VA. The project provides students with the opportunity to explore a problem and to

address that problem through focused study and applied research under the direction of a faculty

member. The project should demonstrate the student’s ability to synthesize and apply the

knowledge and skills acquired in his/her academic program to real-world issues and problems. It

should affirm students’ ability to think critically and creatively, to solve practical problems, to

make reasoned and ethical decisions, and to communicate effectively. This guide provides the

student and instructor an overview of the general process. Your project instructor will be

directing your project and be able to answer specific questions that you have that may not be

addressed in the guidelines presented.

Goals of the Project Experience

• To provide students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in

their courses to a specific problem or issue.

• To encourage students to think critically and creatively about academic, professional, or

social issues and to further develop their analytical and ethical leadership skills necessary

to address and help solve these issues.

• To provide students with the opportunity to refine research skills and demonstrate their

proficiency in written and/or oral communication skills.

• To have students demonstrate their achievement of the CalUMS-VA outcomes and their

ability to extend and refine this knowledge and skill in the realization of their personal

and professional goals.

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Expectations

A well-developed project should (1) examine a significant question or set of questions, (2) focus

on a specialized topic, (3) draw upon sound methodological principles, (4) provide the current

state of knowledge from the existing literature on the subject matter, and (5) present compelling

findings based on rich analyses of the data utilized to answer the research question(s). The

expectation is that the project will be well written and follow the current APA formatting

guidelines. The paper should be of sufficient quality to be potentially submitted for publication

in a peer-reviewed journal. Projects not meeting the quality and formatting expectations

described below will not earn a passing grade.

• Writing should be clear and organized, with a logical flow from one topic to the next.

• Sentence structure should follow standard rules of grammar and punctuation.

• Each paragraph should have a topic sentence, a body, and a conclusion.

• Transitions between paragraphs should be fluid.

• Use spell checker to help avoid spelling errors; however, this is not a substitute for

careful proofreading.

• Write in “active voice,” whenever possible.

• Use past and present tense, where appropriate (e.g., Use past tense when reporting what

you did, “I surveyed the participants…” and discussing your results, “The analysis of the

data showed…” Use present tense when stating well established facts, “The U.S.

economy is the largest in the world in terms of nominal GDP.”). Do not use future tense.

Instructional Resources

Instructional resources for the project course are available in Moodle (INSERT MOODLE LINK

HERE). The resources include lectures, templates, grading rubric, as well as links to internet-

based resources for students.

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Technical Requirements for the Projects

1. Students should select a research project in an area of particular interest, e.g., business,

human resources, marketing, finance, production, information systems, etc.

2. Projects must be written in English on standard business letter size (8.5” x 11”) using

Microsoft Word, double-spaced, following APA guidelines. The Publication Manual of

the American Psychological Association (6th ed., 2010) and the APA Style website

(http://www.apastyle.org/) provide a comprehensive reference guide to writing using

APA style, organization, and content.

3. Proposals must be submitted for approval of the instructor not later than one (1) week

from the start of the class. This two-page proposal document should identify the main

issues that you have chosen to address and justifies the importance – the “why” of your

project. It should clarify the problem, or “opportunity”, and explain the relevance, to your

education at CalUMS-VA, of addressing this problem or opportunity. It should state your

targeted outcomes for this project and provide an overview of your planned approach to

reaching your stated objectives.

4. The instructor shall review the project proposals submitted by the students and advise its

approval/disapproval within seven (7) days upon its receipt. If the proposal is not

approved by the instructor, reason(s) for said denial shall be so advised to the student.

The student shall then be given another week to write and submit a new project proposal.

If the proposal is approved, the student may proceed with the research as indicated in the

proposal. Any substantial change in content or approach in the student’s approved project

must be immediately reported to the instructor for clearance.

5. Students who complete the approved research project should write their final project

paper to the instructor according to the designated date of submission. The final project

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paper, with a minimum of 20 pages, shall be subject to evaluation and approval of the

instructor.

6. Your project should include a table of contents and a list of tables and figures. It may also

include copyright information, a dedication, and acknowledgements. Your abstract

should contain at least your research topic, research questions, methods, results, and

conclusions. If one or more appendices are used in your paper, they should be included

after the reference page(s). Order of pages should be as follows: Title Page, Dedication

(optional), Acknowledgements (optional), Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of

Figures, Abstract, Body, References, and Appendices.

7. Regardless of the topic or methodology, the main body of the project paper should follow

the five-chapter approach. The five chapters are:

I. Introduction

II. Literature Review

III. Methodology

IV. Analysis and Discussion of Results

V. Summary and Conclusions

Each chapter of the project should begin on a new page. A brief discussion of each of the

chapters follows.

Chapter 1 tells the reader what your study/project is about and why it is important. It also

provides general information about the study/project which the reader might need to know. It

should include an introduction, background specific to the problem, a statement of the problem,

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rationale, research questions, nature and importance of the study, definition of terms, and

assumptions and limitations.

Chapter 2 includes the literature review. Before conducting your own project, you need to

thoroughly understand your field and what has already been attempted and accomplished by

others. This chapter is intended to review and synthesize the information you have found in the

process of researching what others have already accomplished. It may provide the foundation for

building knowledge, provide a conceptual framework for the study, provide support for the

methodology you choose, and/or provide support for possible interpretations of the results found

in your study.

Chapter 3 details the method used to conduct your study. After reviewing this section, the

reader should be able to conduct the exact same research with no further information than what

you provide here. Note that if there is more than one research question, then each question must

be addressed individually even if the method for research is identical.

Chapter 4 presents the results of your project. Depending on the type of research conducted, this

may be a relatively long chapter. In this chapter tables and/or figures must be used to assist in

presenting results.

Chapter 5 includes a summary of your findings and a discussion of the conclusions drawn from

your project. An analysis of the data and an analysis of the significance of the data related to

each research question should be included as part of this discussion. It should be written in a way

that demonstrates your ability to think critically and to apply what you have learned to solve

business-related problems. Additionally, you may include suggestions for further study. You

may gain ideas for further study based on questions that came up during your project, topics that

you did not have time to pursue but are related, answers that came up that you were not

expecting, etc.

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8. Completed project should be submitted for grading by the required due date. Late

submissions will be subject to point reduction.

9. The criteria to be used in evaluating the final project paper shall be as follows:

a) Suitability of Title to Program

b) Overall Relevance of the Topic

c) Content and Presentation of Data

d) Scope and Extent of Academic Contribution

Students must earn at least a grade of “B” for the student project in order to pass the course

satisfactorily. The grading rubric is provided in Appendix A.

10. Students will create and conduct a brief presentation of their project findings in a

maximum of 15 PowerPoint slides. Presentations will be conducted on the last day of the

class. Students should create and deliver their presentations as if they were managers of

their divisions/departments, giving reports to a meeting of the board of directors.

Important Note on Plagiarism

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines plagiarism as representing “portions of

another’s work or data s [your] own, even if the other work or data source is cited occasionally”

(http://www.apa.org/ethics/code2002.htm1#8_11). Candidates may be guilty of plagiarism for:

• Copying another person’s actual words without the use of quotation marks and footnotes

attributing the words to their source.

• Presenting another person’s ideas or theories in your own words without acknowledging

the source.

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• Using information that is not common knowledge without acknowledging the source.

• Internet plagiarism includes paraphrasing or copying information from the Internet

without citing the source and “cutting and pasting” from various sources without proper

attribution.

The penalty for plagiarism is an “F” for the course and it is ground for academic dismissal.

Students should use the APA Style for citing and referencing other people’s work to avoid being

accused of plagiarism.

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Appendix A

MS611 Project Grading Rubric

Project Section Does Not Meet Expectations (C-

or below)

Meets Expectations (B) Exceeds Expectations (A)

Introduction and

Literature Review

(10 percent)

☐ Introduction/background/rationale for the project are incorrect, incoherent, or flawed

☐ Does not reflect understanding of subject matter and associated literature

☐ Poor critical assessment of the literature and identification of gaps

☐ Objectives are poorly supported by background literature

☐ Demonstrates poor understanding of theoretical concepts

☐ Introduction/background/rationale for the project coherent and clear

☐ Reflects understanding of subject matter and associated literature

☐ Adequate critical assessment of the literature and identification of gaps

☐ Objectives are adequately supported by background literature

☐ Demonstrates understanding of theoretical concepts

☐ Introduction/background/rationale for the project are superior

☐ Exhibits mastery of subject matter and associated literature

☐ Superior critical assessment of the literature and identification of gaps

☐ Objectives are superiorly supported by background literature

☐ Demonstrates mastery of theoretical concepts

Methodology

(15 percent)

☐ Methods are partially aligned with objectives ☐ Methods are poorly described (e.g., process, setting, participants, measures)

☐ Variables, targets, measures, and implementation process is unclear and poorly

developed

☐ Methods do not include an evaluation component (e.g., preliminary implementation

and quantitative evaluation, qualitative

feedback, review by experts or end-users)

☐ Proposed analyses are wrong, inappropriate, or missing

☐ Conceptual framework not identified

☐ Methods are adequately aligned with objectives ☐ Methods are adequately described (e.g., process, setting, participants, measures)

☐ Variables, targets, measures, and implementation process is clear and adequately

developed

☐ Methods include an evaluation component; the evaluation is adequate (e.g., preliminary

implementation and quantitative evaluation,

qualitative feedback, review by experts or end-

users)

☐ Proposed analyses are routine, objective, correct

☐ Conceptual framework is clear and adequately linked to project

☐ Methods are fully aligned with objectives ☐ Methods are superiorly described (e.g., process, setting, participants, measures)

☐ Variables, targets, measures, and implementation process is clear, fully developed,

and imaginative

☐ Methods include an evaluation component; the evaluation is robust (e.g., preliminary

implementation and quantitative evaluation,

qualitative feedback, review by experts or end-

users)

☐ Proposed analyses are sophisticated, robust, precise

☐ Conceptual framework is exceptional with superior links to project

Analysis and

Results

(15 percent)

☐ Analysis and results are partially aligned with

objectives

☐ Results are poorly described and do not align

with description of methods

☐ Tables/figures are missing or do not clearly

present the project findings (e.g., formatting,

☐ Analysis and results are adequately aligned with

objectives

☐ Results are adequately described and aligned with

description of methods

☐ Tables/figures are present and adequately present

the project findings

☐ Analysis and results are fully aligned with

objectives

☐ Results are superiorly described and aligned

with description of methods

☐ Tables/figures are present and superiorly

present the project findings

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appropriate number of tables/figures to display

the range of results)

☐ Results have limited practical or

programmatic utility

☐ Interpretation of data (e.g., quantitative or

qualitative) or outcomes is wrong, inappropriate

☐ Results have marginal practical and programmatic

utility

☐ Interpretation of data (e.g., quantitative or

qualitative) or outcomes is routine, objective, correct

☐ Results have superior practical or programmatic

utility

☐ Interpretation of data (e.g., quantitative or

qualitative) or outcomes is sophisticated, robust,

precise

Summary and

Conclusions

(10 percent)

☐ Key findings are poorly summarized with

reference to objectives

☐ Poor integration and interpretation of results

across findings (e.g. simply repeats results or

describes no results in discussion)

☐ Findings poorly evaluated within the context

of the literature (e.g., restatement of

background, no or very limited discussion of

new literature)

☐ Does not identify or poorly describes project

limitations

☐ Recommendations are poorly linked to results

☐ Key findings are adequately summarized with

reference to objectives

☐ Adequate integration and interpretation of results

across findings

☐ Findings adequately evaluated within the context of

the literature

☐ Project limitations are adequately identified and

described

☐ Recommendations are linked to results

☐ Key findings are fully summarized with

reference to objectives

☐ Superior integration and interpretation of results

across findings

☐ Findings fully evaluated within the context of

the literature

☐ Project limitations are superiorly identified and

described

☐ Recommendations are very clearly linked to results

Overall

Significance/Scope

(10 percent)

☐ Project represents limited expansion upon

previous research/work and has limited evidence

of significance

☐ Demonstrates rudimentary critical thinking

skills

☐ Project builds upon previous research/work and

show some evidence of significance

☐ Demonstrates average critical thinking skills

☐ Project greatly extends previous research/work

and shows exceptional evidence of significance

☐ Exhibits mature, critical thinking skills

Quality of Writing

and Formatting

(10 percent)

☐ Writing is weak

☐ Numerous grammatical and spelling errors

apparent

☐ Organization is poor

☐ Formatting is poor

☐ Writing is adequate

☐ Some grammatical and spelling errors apparent

☐ Organization is logical

☐ Formatting is adequate

☐ Writing is publication quality

☐ No grammatical and spelling errors apparent

☐ Organization is excellent

☐ Formatting is exceptional

References

(10 percent)

☐ Few references (25%) are timely and

appropriate to the subject matter

☐ References selected below average or poor

for the chosen subject (relies on websites or

non-peer reviewed sources; outdated; missing

key works)

☐ Statements consistently not supported by

references when references are clearly needed

☐ Many references (50%) are timely and appropriate

to the subject matter

☐ References selected are adequate for the chosen

subject

☐ Statements generally supported by references when

references are clearly needed

☐ The majority of in-text and reference list citations

are properly cited (e.g., switching between formatting

☐ Most references (75%) are timely and

appropriate to the subject matter

☐ References selected are the best available for

the chosen subject

☐ Statements always supported by references

when references are clearly needed

☐ All in-text and reference list citations are

properly cited (e.g., switching between formatting

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☐ In-text and reference list citations are

formatted incorrectly or inconsistently (e.g.,

switching between formatting styles, websites

improperly cited, etc.)

styles, websites improperly cited, etc.) styles, websites improperly cited, etc.)

Presentation

(15 percent)

☐ Presentation includes little research.

Describes/explains no or very few concepts.

☐ Presentation is not presented in a logical

sequence.

☐ Presentation not well written and does not

engage the audience.

☐ Did not finish within the allotted 15 slides, or

words on most slides in too small a font.

☐ Presentation included moderate to thorough amount

of research. Describes/explains several relevant

concepts.

☐ Presentation is outlined and adequate but lacking in

a certain topic/theme.

☐ Presentation demonstrates good fluency and is well

written for the audience.

☐ Presented with at most 15 slides, by having a few

slides in a small font to fit everything in.

☐ Presentation indicates excellent, thorough

research. Describes/explains numerous relevant

concepts, and all concepts are well-integrated.

☐ Presentation is outlined well and presented with

many details that support the overall position.

☐ Presentation demonstrates excellent fluency and

is compelling for the audience.

☐ Presented with at most 15 slides, with each slide

well designed to be easily read.

Professionalism

(5 percent)

☐ Project timeline poorly managed by student;

consistently missed deadlines; consistently

required prompting by instructor

☐ Student rarely sought feedback; feedback was

clearly needed

☐ Minimally responsive to written/verbal

feedback

☐ Project timeline mostly managed by student with

some oversight from instructor; some deadlines missed

☐ Student sought some feedback and occasionally

asked for help when it was needed

☐ Adequately responsive to written/verbal feedback

☐ Project timeline completely managed by

student; student worked independently and met all

project deadlines

☐ Student struck an exceptional balance between

working independently but asking for necessary

feedback/help

☐ Exceptionally responsive to written/verbal

feedback

Final Rating ☐ DOES NOT MEET EXPECTATIONS (EQUIVALENT TO C- OR BELOW)

☐ MEETS EXPECTATIONS (EQUIVALENT TO

B) ☐ EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

(EQUIVALENT TO A)