Research Paper (Synthesis) – 25%
The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen your research skills and expand your knowledge. You will need to research material beyond the class readings to investigate an Employee Relations topic in more depth. You will report your findings in a 15-18 page
paper (not including the title page and reference list). Scholarly sources from academic libraries should dominate your research. A 15
page paper should contain a minimum of 30 scholarly sources. Given much of the information available via the web is not screened for
accuracy, you should be careful in selecting information from this source. In other words, website information should be used
sparingly and only appropriately (i.e., to describe a specific company’s program or report a governmental policy). APA must be used to
reference your sources. (Course objectives satisfied will depend upon the student’s topic.)
My topic is UNION BARGAINING.
Impasses and strikes; select an issue or two. Examples:
• Should Congress outlaw the use of “permanent replacements” during strikes?
• Advantages and disadvantages to strikes in the public sector? What are alternatives to public sector strikes?
• The role of third party resolution (mediation, interest arbitration, and med-arb, fact finding in impasses and/or strikes. Should it
increase?)
Contract Administration/Grievances.
Union v. nonunion workplace dispute resolution. Examples:
• Neutral, third party dispute resolution (union) v. managerial control (nonunion). What are the typical options used? Are they
effective?
• Should traditional union options like arbitration be used more in the nonunion setting?
• New trend to use mandatory arbitration instead of the courts to resolve employment law claims. Why? Advantages? Disadvantages?
After you choose your topic, you’ll need to refine the scope of the paper and identify the key questions to investigate.
Hints:
Spending time at the beginning of your project to craft a reasonable and clear scope pays big dividends in the long run; so, don’t
short-change yourself by stepping over this critical, strategic step. When the scope is too broad, the paper has no depth.
Example: If your topic was teleworking, you might narrow the scope to examine the critical problems and possible solutions for federal
agencies. After defining your topic and establishing its relevance, you might focus on these key questions:
–What are the major factors promoting and preventing teleworking?
–What are the major advantages and disadvantages involved?
–What are the best practices for avoiding key pitfalls, such as isolation, career barriers, or co-worker envy?
Note: You could narrow your focus even further by using one of the key questions as the primary purpose and identifying more detailed
key questions. You’ll probably need to do a quick library search to identify how much information is available in order to know how to
focus your topic. If there is too much information, you’ll want to narrow your topic further. And, if there is too little, you’ll need
to consider broadening your topic. The library database is a great tool for helping you do this. By entering a few key words from your
topic, it will be easy for you to quickly determine the depth of the research available on that topic.
Outlining your paper first helps to identify whether all the important facets have been addressed and whether you have it organized
efficiently. A good outline serves as the “bones” for your paper. Without these bones, the paper will collapse.
Example: The overview outline might be:
–Introduction
–Definition
–Relevance
–Key Issues/constituents’ major concerns** about the topic
–employee’s
–employer’s
–government’s
–union’s
–advocacy group’s
–Best practices for solving the key problems/issues
–Summary
–Reference List
** There are a couple ways to organize this section. One is to state the first issue and give all the constituents’ views about it
then move on to issue #2 and do the same. An alternative might be to discuss all the issues of a particular constituent group first
then move on to all the issues of a second constituent group. There may be other, equally effective ways to structure this section.
How the material is organized depends, in part, on the information you obtain through the research.
Checklist for Writing Papers
Administrative Preparation
The paper is posted by Tuesday, April 7, 2015 at noon (EST). It needs to be posted in your assignment folder.
The body of the paper must be at least 15 pages long, but may not exceed 18 pages. The paper must also include a Title Page and a
References section (these are not included in the 15-18 page total.) You should not include an abstract. Points will be deducted for a
paper that does not adhere to this length.
When formatting your paper you will use
.
o 1 Inch Margins (Top, Right, Left, Bottom)
o 12 pt. Times Roman or Courier Font
o Double Space
o Indented Paragraphs
o Numbered Pages
Proper APA format must be used in all aspects of your paper. You will be evaluated on this.
Before you submit your final paper through WebTycho, you must submit it to turnitin.com. This will provide you with an opportunity
to make sure that you properly cited all of your sources before you submit your paper to be graded. As a general guideline, your
“originality index” should not exceed 25 percent.
Conceptual Goal
The topic is related to this class. (If it is not, a zero score can be awarded.)
The purpose of the paper is clearly stated. (Explicitly say “The purpose of this paper is to __________.”) This is also known as
your thesis statement.
The focus and scope are clearly and reasonably defined. (State the key questions you are planning to answer.)
Organization (Outlining before writing helps to detect problems and makes the experience of writing a paper so much more pleasant.)
The Introduction:
o Tells the reader the purpose, scope, and agenda of the paper.
o Indicates the relevance of the topic.
o Catches the reader’s interest.
The Body
o Contains substantial content and represents a significant literature review. In other words, the material extends substantially
beyond the course readings.
o Discusses issues thoroughly.
o Examines all the major constituent groups’ perspectives.
o Defines special terms.
o Supports points well with logic, data, and/or examples.
o Includes conclusions that demonstrate integrative, critical thinking.
The Conclusion
o Shows the purpose has been achieved and recaps the key thoughts.
o Gives psychological closure.
Delivery (Having someone else read a draft helps to detect errors.)
Citations are given for non-original material, using APA format for the in-text citation as well as the reference list.
Technical aspects of writing (i.e., grammar, sentence structure, and spelling) are correct.
Academic style (i.e., appropriate diction, clarity, smooth transitions, and an audience-oriented approach) is demonstrated.
Reference List
The references conform to APA format.
A 15 page paper should contain a minimum of 30 scholarly sources. If you have a question about what constitutes a scholarly source,
please consult a librarian for assistance.
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