Latest, Greatest Information about the Team Paper Due Aug. 7 in Class

Your team topic has already been given to you. If any team is confused about their topic, please contact me. In most cases, you can develop your topic in a problem-solution format (unless you have devised a better way): What is our topic? What are the core problems that arise out of our topic for business people and/or the public? What have others had to say about these problems (your research)? What do we think/feel about these problems (your original thinking)? What conclusions/recommendations can we offer on the basis of all that has been included in the paper? Usually these major points break into typical headings:

I. Introduction
II. The Nature of the Problem(s)
III. Research to Date
IV. Analysis of (or) New Perspectives on the Problem
V. Conclusion, with Recommendations for Best Practices

Obviously you can alter this basic five-part pattern in any way that best suits your topic. It's also a good idea to include within your topic some key words from your topic--for example, I. Introduction: the Common Experience of Workplace Romance.

The paper will be about 10 pages long, not counting any title page, footnotes (which may appear at the bottom of each page or as endnotes at the end of the paper), and bibliography (listing the sources you referenced as well as other books, articles, or websites that might be useful to the reader. You can see the back of the Management Communication book for guides on how to reference these items as well as how to reference anything you have found on the Internet. Please be excruciatingly careful not to plagiarize the ideas or actual words of other people. Always give credit where credit is due.

Although I don't want to grade these papers twice (that is, act as your text editor), i will certainly be glad to sit down with any team to discuss how they have developed their paper and to offer suggestions. This process needs to happen in person, with all team members present. You know my office location (MH 116) and simply need to let me know when you are available to meet. I am on vacation from July 21 through July 31 except for our class on July 24, so meetings might best be scheduled after July 31, i.e., during the week before you turn in the paper.

Most business reports, including yours, will be single-spaced, with double-space between paragraphs. Longer quotations can be indented 10 spaces. Shorter quotations can appear within the running text.

All group members should participate in all aspects of the report creation. In other words, don't let one person do the keyboarding while the other does the research and writing. After the report has been handed in, you will complete an anonymous "monkeysurvey" on-line feedback instrument to describe how your team writing process worked out. This will give you a chance to let me know how work was distributed and carried out by individual group members. I hope that google docs and/or wikis will be helpful in the writing process. You are not required to use either of these technologies. I simply wanted you to know what they were about for future use in your studies and career.

Feel free to use the pronoun "we" in this report. If you have any other questions, please bring them to class on July 24 or email me (bell@usfca.edu). You'll hear back from me quickly.