A research component of this course is to write an 800 ~ 1,000-word research paper addressing answer prompts. Quality-wise, the reports must critically expand the course materials, demonstrate a student’s significant research effort, and showcase his/her capability for applying the course learning to actual business problems. See Learning Outcome 5.
The topic of this semester was selected collaboratively. Four students submitted their research topic idea, which is the ethical use of artificial intelligence in business focusing on information security, by John Sanel. a runner-up was Jessica Pickens. Both students suggested writing on AI applications and issues in business. Through class voting, we chose the topic. They will receive 5 extra points as a reward.
Related chapters are Chapters 9, B6, and B7. Please note that a summary of course materials or a generic topic description will result in no more than 50% of the points assigned to this assignment. Depending on the quality of the writing, it could be lower. Please note that the textbook will not be counted toward the requirements of references and citations.
Write concisely and straightforwardly. Please note that grammatical errors or writing issues should be minimal in the submission as they severely detract from the quality and professionalism of the content.
Unauthorized collaboration, falsification of research data, fake references, undocumented use of materials from any source, or a commonality over 30% checked by Turnitin will constitute academic dishonesty. Each of them would be grounds for a zero (0) grade on the research paper or an ‘F’ grade in the course. In particular, plagiarizing another student’s pieces will be reported to the University Academic Integrity Committee and result in an F grade for the course immediately.
Required Paper Components
Title
Always start your paper with an indicative and specific title. It helps readers read your paper. For example, “Amazon’s innovation” is very abstract. Instead, “Amazon’s driverless delivery service from the perspective of sustainable competitive advantage” gives a clear indication to readers regarding what to expect from your paper.
Introduction
Write a good introduction paragraph. In this paragraph, you should point out the importance of your research topic and explain how your thesis statement or research question. In other words, why are you interested in the topic, what motivates your research, how you will address the research motivation, and so on. Derive a research question, “How does mobile banking change banking business?” “How does mobile banking impact customer satisfaction? and so on. Think about whether you can write about the topic from a clear perspective, such as competitive advantages, service-oriented architecture, information security, and so on.
Body text
In the body text, make a clear argumentation structure. You should include content supporting your research thesis. Do not diverge. Remember that a research paper needs depth. If you keep introducing new topics after the introduction, you cannot meet the expectation for depth and quality nor develop a coherent argumentation structure.
In the body text, all prompts must be addressed adequately.
Conclusion
Wrap up your research paper with a concise discussion or conclusion. The discussion section should not repeat what you have written so far. It must present your critical thinking and interpretation of your research. That is, the discussion or conclusion must be drawn from your body text. Do not introduce new information here.
References
You must include references following the APA style used in the paper and must cite them in the text. Note that only valid references will be counted for the reference requirement.
Remember that all components are necessary, not sufficient, to constitute a good critical essay. Only an excellent paper that shows mastery of all areas deserves an A!
Checklists before submission
- To be evaluated, the completed research paper must be submitted as a single Microsoft Word document via the Submit Completed Research paper link in Blackboard (Turnitin) prior to the deadline. Specifically, do not submit your paper in PDF file format.
- Be sure to read and understand the “Academic Integrity” section of the syllabus.
- The commonality checked by the Turnitin system more than 30% will be investigated. A commonality of more than 30% will automatically receive a zero and can be reported to the university depending on the nature and severity of the similarity.
- The paper should be grammatically correct and free of spelling errors. Note that the Instructor can refuse to grade a poorly written paper.
- The paper should be meaningfully organized with section headings, content-rich, and factually supported by references.
- This formal business-style paper should not be written as a conversation, reflect personal scenarios, or use clichés.
- This paper should use 12-point Times New Roman or equivalent font; left justification; single line spacing;100% zoom; and Print Layout.
- This paper should avoid the use of bold fonts, underlines, images, and bullets.
- Quoted material is limited to a total of 50 words in the paper, and each quote must be followed with an explanation of its relevance to the paper.
- The paper must include a title page revealing the paper’s relevant title, course name, instructor’s name, the student’s name, and submission date.
- Do not include an abstract.
- References should be listed in alphabetical order at the bottom of the paper. The paper must be supported by at least TWO credible references (peer-reviewed journals) from the university library system. Online resources such as news/magazine articles, Wikipedia and equivalent, Youtube, and so on can be used but will not be counted for this requirement.
- Each Reference citation must adhere to proper formatting guidelines as outlined in the APA Style. (See the APA-style instructional video in the course Blackboard.)
- Use in-text citations.
- Avoid starting sentences with a structure similar to these examples:
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- According to an article by Chris Cringle, ….
- As noted by Paul Greenberg in his article…
- According to an article from the Houston Chronicle, ….
- The Financial-dictionary stated, ….
- According to the article titled “How to define the….
- Bill Smyth, the author of…stated…..
- According to Larson and Gray, ….
- Gibson expresses the worst case scenario in saying…