Reference no: EM132400668
BUS 2268 - Organizational Behaviour- Lethbridge College
Many of the following topics are general. You might want to pick a very specific area (e.g. Emotional Intelligence, a specific theory or two and compare them, etc.). The following examples are to get your thought process moving and to assist you in developing a thesis question/statement. Tailor your topic directly to your own interest.
Topic: Organizational culture
Thesis: The development of a strong organizational culture has an important impact on an organization's success.
Topic: Managing in a global environment
Thesis: The global business environment is forcing significant change in the way managers manage. (E.g. Human resource management, decision-making, ethics, culture, etc. - narrow down to one area of management.)
Topic: Corporate social responsibility and managerial ethics
Thesis: Corporate social responsibility should be the most important priority of any organization? Or Corporate social responsibility violates profit maximization - the primary function of business - and should be pursued only through economic interests.
Thesis: Managers are more "ethical" when they apply the justice view of ethics in corporate decisions. (E.g. HR decisions, etc. - you could take any view of managerial ethics and argue it).
Topic: Decision-making
Thesis: Group decision-making is more productive than individual decision-making.
Thesis: Biases in decision-making are advantageous and should be utilized in some decision.
Topic: Planning (relate to chapter 6)
Thesis: Formal planning is overrated as it focuses managers' attention more on today's competition and not on tomorrows'survival.
Thesis: The formal planning cannot replace intuition and creativity.
Topic: Strategic Management
Thesis: Strategic management in the age of globalization is "dead" and/or is less important today.
Topic: Organizational Structure & Design
Thesis: In today's dynamic environment, organizations that will best survive are those that build a learning organization.
Topic: Human Resource Management
Thesis: Managers will fail if they do not account for the special needs of a diverse workforce.
Topic: Leadership
Thesis: Effective moral leadership is more than "being ethical"; it's the moral content of his or her goals and the means use to achieve the goals that determine effectiveness.
Topic: Motivating Employees
Thesis: Motivating men and women requires different management approaches.
Look at all of the Chapter topics and choose a topic that interests you.
You can think about a topic in your own workplace (that relates to topics in the Course)
You can look at a company in relation to a topic in the Course.
You can research an area of a topic in the Course.
What is important is that you only have 6 - 8 pages to write and you want to write a good paper (concise, informative and supported by evidence)
You will want to narrow your topic down and develop a thesis statement that is not too broad (otherwise you will be trying to do too much in a short space - result would be confusion, rambling, less informative)
Develop a paper that is helpful for someone in management practice
Develop a paper that interests you!
This is instruction how to write the paper.
This is your opportunity to delve into, reflect on, and report on a topic of interest within OB. You will need to conduct research(research of the literature), and prepare a written presentation (paper). View this assignment as an opportunity to discover, analyze and reflect on something that interests you (within OBof course!). If you choose a topic you care about, it will show.
Assignment:
1. Choose an OB topic, which interests you. It may be:
A specific topic, such as: Ethics in the Workplace, Personality, Emotional Intelligence, Organizational Learning, Motivation, etc. Take a look at your Text to see which topics are of interest and ones you would like to explore further. Your paper must explore thetopic further than the textbook does.
A business organization - looking at the subject within an OB topic. Examples could include West Jet, WalMart or another company and their strategies or practices within an organizational behavior perspective.
A leader who reflects OB principles, practice.
Other topics within OB?
2. Search for resources in regard to your topic. You will need at least three academic sources other than the textbook. Possible sources include business journals, management books, the Internet (relevant & reliable sites only), and/or other sources of information that are acceptable. If you cannot find adequate sources of information, you may need to change your topic. If your topic bores you at this point, please do yourself and us all a favor, and start over at step #1. Regarding the literature source and when in doubt, check with the library personnel as they are more than willing to help you.
3. Complete the Topic Form (PART A) outlining the topic and nature of your project and your intended sources in APA format. Submit this to your instructor to ensure that your topic, thesis statement and research sources are appropriate on the due date (for grading).
4. Complete the Topic Form (PART B) including your defense of your research sources and your paper outline. Submit this to your instructor to ensure that your topic, thesis statement and research sources are appropriate on the due date (for grading).
5. Once your project is approved, conduct your research and prepare your paper. Check the Course Outline/Schedule for the due date of the paper.
Expectations:
Content: I want you to ensure you have a "thesis statement/question" about your topic. You must thoroughly address your topic within the parameters of your thesis question. This may require that you narrow your topic considerably. Your paper must reveal that you know what you are talking about, and that you have put significant effort and thought into it.
Report: Should be approximately 2000 - 2500 words in length - 6 to 7 pages typed, double spaced, 1" margins, font size 12. Proper academic writing style and format must be used, with proper documentation of sources (APA referencing).