Research Project Part 2 – Literature Review

Instructions

Unit 5

Textbook

Heizer, J., Render, B., & Griffin, P. (2014). Operations management (Canadian Edition). Don Mills, Canada: Pearson Canada Inc.

• • • Chapter 12

Unit  Notes

Unit 5 Notes:  Supply Chain

Unit 6

Textbook

Jones, G.R., Mills, A.J., Weatherbee, T.G., & Mills, J.H. (2005). Organizational theory, design, and change (Canadian ed.). North York, Canada: Pearson Canada Inc.

• • • Chapter 4

Unit Notes

Unit 6 Notes: Organization Design

As you read the chapters for the week, you should begin to make notes about Walmar , recording how that company engages its culture and the manner of its legal structure. These will be the sorts of foundational issues and core values – the vision, goals, strategy, and investment philosophy – that help define any company. The Study Questions will help you focus on these issues, but you will undoubtedly need to conduct further research to gather the information you will need to apply this to Walmart company.

The literature review for this assignment represents this additional research – the background information upon which you will base the picture you need to paint of your company for the final research paper.

1. Identify a variety of scholarly and popular writings about your company, as well as least two significant companies in the same industry.
   1. Seek out scholarly journals, reputable trade magazines, official company reports from websites, newspapers, etc.
   2. Review and summarize the key points of at least 5 sources about Walmart , and at least 5 sources combined about two of its competitors. Remember that your goal is to gather enough information to paint as complete a picture as possible, so you may need more than 5 sources for each part.
   3. Include in each review the focus and value of the information it contains.
2. Each review should be concise and accurate, about 200 words (± 50 words), though there is no set rule.
   1. Remember, you are not repeating all the information itself, but rather identifying and contextualizing the sources whose information will eventually go into that report.
   2. Include a title page and reference page, and apply strict APA formatting.
   3. Organize your reviews in a logical and flowing manner. You should write your literature review in such a manner that it focuses on your company, its issues, or its competitor’s comparative issues so that you can subsequently incorporate it into your final paper.

Evaluation

Part 2 will be marked in its entirety out of 100. The following rubric indicates the criteria students are to adhere to, and their relative weights to the assignment overall.

Activity/ Competencies Demonstrated

% of Final Grade

1.

Content (60%)

a. Identifies scholarly as well as popular literature

/20

b. Includes information about vision, goals, strategy, and investment philosophy

/20

c. Includes information about competitors as well as researched company

/20

2.

Communication (25%)

a. Uses language clearly and effectively

/10

b. Information organized intelligently and holistically (i.e., not simply answers to questions)

/10

c. Proper introduction and conclusion to paper

/5

3.

Attention to Detail (15%)

a. APA Formatting (title, headings, and references)

/10

b. Spelling and Grammar

/5

Total

/100