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)
Write a two (2) page, single-spaced report in which you:
1.
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.
a.
Example: You might research other
organizations that have attempted similar solutions to the problem you have identified
and explore the results of those experiments.
2.
Use what you discover in your
research to evaluate each alternative by each of your five (5) criteria.
a.
Example: If your research revealed
that four 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!”
3.
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.
a.
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
o Productivity
b.
o Alternative A:
Telework from home 3 days per week
o {narrate findings
based on research article 1 here}
o Alternative B:
Offer two extra Floating Holidays to each employee per year
o {narrate findings
based on research article 2 here}
o Cost
d.
o Alternative A:
Telework from home 3 days per week
o {narrate findings
based on research article 1 here}
o Alternative B:
Offer two extra Floating Holidays to each employee per year
o {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 |
Floating |
|
Productivity |
Very high |
Negligible increase |
|
Cost |
Very high |
Moderate |
|
Company |
Increased |
Negligible increase |
|
Worker |
Increased |
Negligible increase |
|
Practicality |
Moderate |
Low |
|
TOTAL |
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. Note that both
resources may be 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.
