This course requires submission of two research papers (midterm and final). This midterm assignment is designed to: (a) accentuate and promote higher-level thinking; (b) encourage academic exploration for further understanding the relationships between complex organizations and leadership; (c) communicate effectively the key determinants, characteristics, and traits responsible for leveraging people in a leadership paradigm; and (d) align the aforementioned with research-based methodologies. 

With that said, since we are performing this task in an academic setting, we must speak the language of academia while simultaneously keeping our heads in the actuality of the day-to-day. This is a unique opportunity to bridge the two. I, therefore, offer some flexibility and autonomy in this assignment. The assignment is constructed to advocate the analysis of the qualitative aspects of management and leadership with the quantitative tools used in academic research. 

Moreover, your research paper needs to follow the following three criteria: (1) You must select an organizational type to research (Project Management, Engineering, etc); (2) you must select only one methodology (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed) to implement; and (3) you must analyze, synthesize, and integrate only one finding as the major elements of your thesis. 

ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES: 
Your research assignment (an individual piece of work) is to be presented in standard academic format (for example: cover page, table of contents (TOC), introductory and concluding remarks, a delineated body of research, page numbers, bibliography, appendices, etc). You MUST use known theories and frameworks to justify/support your position and reflection. All bibliography entries need to be used at least once in the body of the paper. 

These are some of the items that you may consider when writing your paper. Does your paper: (a) critically examine and evaluate theories in leadership and management to support your claims; (b) describe the research methodology in such a way to as to lend credibility to your thesis?; and (c) suggest options to be considered as future strategies for your own leadership potential in the industry you've selected? 

ADDITIONAL NOTES: 
Remember, this is a unique paper; designed by you; use this opportunity to explore your interests. 

Structure the table of contents (TOC) and the subsequent delineation of headings and sub categories appropriately. In other words, don't write a lengthy dissertation. Stick to one major theme. I do not expect you to be experts in research methodologies, but do your homework ... read about the methods. It is not the end of the world. This assignment is only 30% of the total grade. 

The purpose of this assignment is to allow you to develop skills in academic writing in a topic that is of interest to you. However; it will be necessary to adhere to the principles of academic writing. You MUST follow the Harvard Citation method (in the resource section). 

All assertions and use of information from the Internet/ library, newspapers, textbooks etc, should not be used unless clearly referenced in the main body of your report (and placed in the reference/bibliography section). DO NOT use Wikipedia as a source. 

It is advisable not to include anything in the appendix or bibliography without referring to it at least briefly in the main body of the report. 

All aspects of the research paper must be supported by known theories and seminal authors. You must continually ask yourself as you write, **how do I know this?**. Then consider how you can support the claims using academic references. Demonstrate you have read widely outside of the generally known course material. 

DO NOT wait until the last minute to do this assignment. This type of research requires due diligence each day. There is a predictable correlation between the magnitude of effort put into the paper and the quality of the deliverable.