MBA 605 includes a Final Paper that covers the cumulative course content throughout our seven modules. Using content from the textbook and your own independent research, describe in detail what you have learned about:
outcomes and benefits of strategic Human Resource Management
components of strategic workforce planning
work systems challenges in the modern workplace
federal laws that impact the employment relationship
strategies for recruiting and selecting talent
impacts of training and development on organizational effectiveness
approaches to strategically manage employee turnover
Think of this assignment as a summary of the important lessons of the course, as if you were writing a mini-textbook. This can also be a good source of reference material for you as you continue in your education and your career, so be sure that you are writing this in such a way as to be a useful resource in the future.
You may use the content you have written in previous assignments in this course. You should not, however, simply copy-and-paste from your other assignments and consider this complete… This assignment is your opportunity to revise, build upon, add to, and fully integrate your previous work together with new research and editing as needed.
Use in-text citations to show where you are applying or discussing content from your textbook. In addition to the textbook, you are required to apply content from at least three (3) scholarly sources. (See the Syllabus for details about what kind of sources are appropriate.) Be sure to cite where you are applying or discussing content from these sources as well. End your paper with a References list that gives the full details about the sources. In-text citations and References should be formatted according to APA standards.
Scholarly sources
The Final Paper requires application of three (3) scholarly sources from your own independent research; this means that they will not be provided to you, but rather you should use the university library and/or scholarly search tools like Google Scholar (Links to an external site.) to find content related to the assignment.
Scholarly sources are academic textbooks, peer-reviewed journals, and other edited sources (such as Harvard Business Review articles). Blogs, wikis, and most websites are not considered scholarly sources.
Suggestion: as soon as you identify your outside sources, email the instructor with the APA-formatted citations and References list that you propose using. This way you can get early feedback about whether your sources meet the criteria, and you can get some advance coaching about your citations and References format.
APA Formatting
The Final Paper should be formatted according to APA standards, including:
double-spaced text with 1″ margins on the left and right of the page
a Title page with appropriate headers (Abstract is not required)
in-text citations showing where you are using or discussing content from other sources
a References list on a separate page, with “References” title centered at the top, and hanging-indent style for the entries on the list
When writing APA-formatted papers, your language should be academic and scholarly in tone. Use the language in your textbook and scholarly journals as a guide. Be careful, however, to not write in a style or tone that feels completely foreign to you; your readers can tell when you are trying to write in a way that isn’t comfortable, and it makes your writing a little difficult to follow. When in doubt, make sure you are using proper grammar and punctuation at a minimum, and try reading your work aloud to make sure it sounds like something a well-educated, professional MBA would say or write.
Microsoft Word includes templates that can be very helpful in creating these papers. Look for the built-in “APA style report (6th edition)” when creating from template.
The university library offers support with academic writing, APA formatting, citations and References, etc. Please reach out to the library staff or to your instructor if you would like to take advantage of this support, which is free for students (and a significant part of the value of a university graduate education).
