Create a research report based on a problem of practice within your industry as it impacts you, your business, or your employees. This should be a global, recognized problem of practice within your profession that requires serious consideration and outside research to solve. Your company does not necessarily need to solve the problem, but your report should provide possible, viable solutions to the problem itself. You are not attempting to solve a small internal problem that could hypothetically be corrected with the stroke of a pen.

For example:

"Recovering Costs and Assuring Net Profit from Uninsured Patients" ... This is a solid topic of global concern requiring significant research and is a problem of practice within the medical insurance industry.

Conversely.....

"Enforcing the Dress Code at the Workplace" ... This a weak topic of superficial concern requiring little depth of thought and can be solved internally. This is not a problem of practice. This is internal office minutiae (silly trifles) that never require an investigative report like the one you are about to embark upon.

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Your paper must be 15 to 20 pages in length, double-spaced, and cited using APA format. You must also use 12-point Times New Roman font. If you fail to meet any of these requirements, you will receive an F for the project.

2) It is strongly recommended that you follow the example in your textbook.

3) You must use a minimum of 15 sources for your research.

4) You must break down your paper's content into sections that are divided using subheadings.

5) Grammar, spelling and word choices will be scrutinized every bit as much as the organization and thoroughness of your content.

6) You must support your content with appropriate evidence. Statements that are not supported with factual evidence will be considered unfounded and your grade will be reduced.

7) 70% of your report should focus on investigating and illuminating the nature of the problem you've identified.

8) 30% of your report should focus on the solution to the problem.

9) You must submit as a Word doc. Google Docs, Pages, or anything else will not be accepted and result in a failing grade for the project.

10) Only the group leader will submit the assignment

11) All three students must each contribute 1/3 of the assignment (approximately 5-7 pages per student) and each student must document which part they contributed in the Individual Assessment of Effort by copying and pasting the specific parts contributed to the form. Students who do not demonstrate which part they contributed will receive a zero.

12) As always, no late submissions, excuses, or rationalizations for late submissions will be accepted. Start the work in advance; do not wait until the last minute; do not wait until the deadline. You are advised to submit well before the deadline.

Additional Instructions

Your paper must include all of the following and in the precise order you see below (You'll find these in your textbook):

1) letter of transmittal (one page, three to four paragraphs)

2) title page (one page)

3) table of contents (one page)

4) list of illustrations (one page)

5) abstract (one page, approximately one paragraph)

6) body (15 to 20 pages)

7) references (one page)

*You must use your company's letterhead on the document.

*You must paginate the document as you see in the example in your textbook.