Research Paper Preview

Each student is required to write a research paper on how a company in the aerospace or aviation industry is currently using a logistics management strategy (as covered in the Bowersox et al. textbook) to address a specific logistics issue, preferably one that is a currently hot topic in the industry. The issue needs to be worth studying, meaning the company would likely suffer undesirable consequences were the issue to be ignored. The paper needs to be both well researched and written and should demonstrate achievement of one or more learning outcomes for the course.

The paper it is to be incrementally developed from Module 4 to Module 8, and is due by the end of the Module 8 week. The completed paper should have a title page, an 8- to 10-page body, and list of references. The requirements for each paper component and sections are described in the MGMT 411 Research Paper RequirementsPreview the documentView in a new window (PDF), including the components and format.

Week 1:

Review the MGMT 411 Research Paper Requirements and the MGMT-UG Research Paper Exercise Evaluation Rubric. Post any questions you have in the Comments field about the requirements or the evaluation criteria to ensure you understand all of the expectations for the deliverables including their deadlines.
Respond to your colleagues’ questions with your understanding of the expectations.
Week 4:

Select an aerospace or aviation-related company and a specific logistics-related issue to investigate.
By the end of the Module 4 week, post the name of the company and logistics issue to be approved by the instructor.
Review at least one other student’s selections and discuss what you will find most interesting about the proposed topic.
Once your company and issue are approved, begin conducting a review of the relevant literature found in the Hunt Library databases and other reliable Internet sources. The Hunt Library provides guidance on evaluating the quality of sources (Links to an external site.). The library also has numerous Research Guides (accessible from the link in the course menu) you may use to launch your topic inquiry. Here is a list of links to research guides relevant to this course:

Aviation Business and Industry (Links to an external site.)
Case Study Research (Links to an external site.)
Economics (Links to an external site.)
Finance (Links to an external site.)
Locating Company and Industry Information (Links to an external site.)
Logistics (Links to an external site.)
Week 5

Submit the Introduction section of your paper using the appropriate activity link in Module 5.
Week 6

Submit the Literature Review section of your research paper using the appropriate activity link in Module 6.
Week 8:

Submit the completed research paper to the SafeAssign Global Database using the appropriate activity link in Module 8.
Submit your completed research paper for evaluation by the instructor using the appropriate activity link in Module 8.
Evaluation

Activity in the Research Paper Forum will be evaluated by the instructor using the MGMT-UG Online Discussion Rubric (PDF). The score on this discussion forum is included in the Discussions category that constitutes 15% of the course grade.

Each of the deliverables for the research paper will be evaluated by the instructor using the MGMT-UG Research Paper Exercise Rubric (PDF). The scores on the deliverables comprise the Research Paper category that is 25% of the course grade: The Introduction section contributes 5%, the Literature Review section contributes 5%, and the final (completed) paper contributes 15%.