SO 690 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric Overview The goal of this final paper is to provide you with the opportunity to apply the knowledge of management science acquired in this program to produce an Operations Paper, Issue Paper, or Application Paper. In your proposal, you will choose one of the three following paper types: Operations Paper (In-depth study of the management of operations in a particular manufacturing or service unit) Select a manufacturing unit such as the Osram Sylvania plant in Manchester, New Hampshire, or select any service unit such as a local Bank of America branch. Make an in-depth study of any or all aspects of operations in the selected manufacturing/service unit. Use first-hand data collected personally and/or secondary data from the internet, books, and articles from reputed journals. The primary focus of the paper should be the management of operations at the selected manufacturing/service unit. You must include your own critical analysis and comments throughout the paper and recommendations for improvement. Issue Paper (In-depth study of an issue related to management of operations) The issue paper would be on an issue related to management of operations such as comparison between ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards or managing quality in healthcare organizations. It can be based on first-hand data collected personally and/or secondary data from the internet, books, and articles/or from reputed journals. The paper should include examples from real companies and your own analysis and comments throughout the paper. Application Paper (Application of the concepts and techniques of management of operations to a real system or problem) The application paper would involve application of the concepts and techniques of management of operations to a real problem or system. The application paper would start out with a clear description of the problem or system. It would then go on to data collection about the problem or system and the application of appropriate concepts and techniques of management of operations. The paper would conclude with practicable recommendations for the solution/alleviation of the problem or improvements to the system. Overview The purpose of this paper is to challenge you to apply the knowledge of management science acquired during the course to a realistic situation. Based on the knowledge obtained in this course and previous coursework, you will examine and conduct an in-depth analysis of the application of the concepts and techniques of service management to a real service. Specifically, your final submission should include the following: Provide a background, including a comprehensive overview of concepts and techniques of service management. Identification of problem: Highlight key points including the identified issue(s), and present a well-defined context from multiple perspectives. Incorporation of analysis and critical thinking: Provide an in-depth analysis of the problems and strategy from multiple perspectives. A set of recommendations or an action plan: Offer extensive alternative solutions via plan of action by applying respective theories. Proper mechanics: Submission includes no errors related to organization, grammar, and style. Appropriate APA citations: All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented in APA format. Milestones Milestone 1: Proposal In Module Three, you will submit your paper proposal. Your instructor will review your proposal and provide feedback and a grade using the Milestone 1 Rubric. Milestone 2: Draft of Paper In Module Seven, you will submit a draft of your term paper. Your instructor will review your proposal and provide feedback and a grade using the Milestone 2 Rubric. Final Submission: Final Paper In Module Nine, you will submit your final paper. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric. Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: The main body of the final paper (excluding cover page, executive summary, table of contents, appendices, and references) should be about 8 to 10 pages length, in 12-point Times New Roman font, and double-spaced. The final paper will be due in Module Nine. Critical Elements Background Identification of Problem Analysis/Critical Thinking Recommendations/ Action Plan Exemplary (100%) Provides a comprehensive overview of concepts and techniques of service management Highlights key points including the identified issue(s). Presents a well-defined context from multiple perspectives Provides an in-depth analysis of the problems and strategy from multiple perspectives Offers extensive alternative solutions via plan of action by applying respective theories Proficient (90%) Provides a good overview of concepts and techniques of service management Highlights key points of the identified issue(s). Attempts to define the context from multiple perspectives Analyzes the problems and strategy Offers extensive alternative solutions via plan of action Needs Improvement (70%) Briefly describes background information on concepts and techniques of service management Briefly highlights key points of the identified issue(s) Not Evident (0%) Fails to provide background information on concepts and techniques of service management Fails to highlight key points of the identified issue(s) Value 10 Attempts to analyze the problems and strategy Fails to analyze the problems and strategy 20 Attempts to offer an alternative solution via plan of action Fails to offer an alternative solution via plan of action 20 10 Mechanics No errors related to organization, grammar, and style Minor errors related to organization, grammar, and style Some errors related to organization, grammar, and style Major errors related to organization, grammar, and style 10 APA Citations All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented in APA format Some sources are not accurately documented None of the sources are accurately documented in APA format 10 Application of Theory, Scholarly Resources, and Course Concepts Incorporates concepts and theory from course material and scholarly resources competently All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented, but many are not in APA format Applies theory, scholarly resources, and course concepts Incorporates some theory, scholarly resources, and course concepts Fails to utilize scholarly resources and apply theory or course concepts 20 Total 100%