Unit 1 Activity and Grading Rubric
For this activity, you will apply the concepts of operations management to real world situations. You will use this unit to begin developing an operation management plan by writing a 2–3 page paper on a business concept of your choosing.
Learning Outcome: Explain the role of operations and its relationship with the other functional areas of a business organization.
Specifications:
- 2-3 page paper
- Created in a Word document
- Follows APA, 6th edition formatting
- Includes a Reference page for cited sources
Instructions: For this activity, you will apply the concepts of operations management to real world situations. You will use this unit to begin developing an operation management plan by writing a 2-3 page paper on a business concept of your choosing. You may wish to develop a business such as a retail sales operation, an online service like tutoring, or maybe a personal service such as lawn care or pet grooming as your business. Use the information from Unit 1 to help you identify what aspects are to be covered and explain, in detail, why you made certain choices. In writing your paper, you should research and consider at least 4 scholarly sources (i.e. textbooks, scholarly articles from a peer reviewed journal, etc.) As you write the paper, make sure to address the following topics:
- Will the company be business-to-consumer or business-to-business?
- Will the business manufacture a product, deliver a service, broker information, offer goods for sale, or distribute goods for others?
- Will the business offer one product or service, or a range of products and services?
- Will the company have a bricks-and-mortar presence, or sell strictly over the Web?
- Will the firm be a large company, a medium-sized enterprise, or a small business?
- How will you provide /transport the service or product to the consumer?
- Will there be a need for inventory storage?
Please score your paper or have a friend score your paper using the following "rubric," or "scoring guide." The levels will equate to the following letter grades: 4 = A; 3 = B; 2 = C; 1 = D; and 0 = F.
|
Level |
Criterion/Requirement |
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Research and Documentation (40%) |
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|
4 |
A minimum of four scholarly/peer-reviewed publications should be used to support your content. References should come from scholarly sources (i.e. textbooks, scholarly articles, etc). Any in-text citations MUST be cited in APA format using the APA Manual 6th edition. You should also include a References page, also in APA format, at the end of your paper to cite any sources used. |
|
3 |
The scholarly references cited equal one to three sources for this unit. The paper uses at least three sources, but it does not meet the minimum requirement for 4 sources. |
|
2 |
Three or more secondary sources (i.e. newspapers, internet sites, magazines, etc) make up a majority of the references. The paper lacks credible, scholarly sources and does not meet the minimum number of sources required. |
|
1 |
The paper includes one or two sources. The paper lacks the use of credible, scholarly sources and may focus on using secondary sources. The number of sources used does not meet the minimum requirement (4 sources). |
|
0 |
The paper fails to cite referenced sources, or does not include any research or sources to support ideas. The paper is based off of non-original content. |
|
Analysis and Argument (40%) |
|
|
4 |
All of the following questions from the activity instructions MUST be effectively addressed:
|
|
3 |
The section reflects little original thought and/or a lack of peer-reviewed material in support of your point (s). |
|
2 |
The content is vague and/or unfocused. There are little or no comments, examples, or observations provided to support your point(s). |
|
1 |
The content does not address the required elements; ideas presented are not supported by research or critical analysis. |
|
0 |
The paper lacks any critical analysis. |
|
Grammar/Style (15%) |
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|
4 |
The content contains a maximum of two grammatical, citation, and punctuation errors. The ideas are concise and presented in a logical manner that is easy for the reader to follow. |
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3 |
The content contains minimal grammatical, citation, punctuation, or spelling errors. The sentence structure flows in a concise, logical manner. |
|
2 |
The paper contains more than four grammatical, citation, punctuation and/or spelling errors that distract the reader from the comprehension of ideas being presented. |
|
1 |
The paper demonstrates poor writing skills, reflected by lack of syntax and proper grammar, which makes ideas difficult to communicate. Ideas are not presented in a logical manner that is easy to follow. |
|
0 |
The paper contains numerous grammatical, citation, punctuation, and/or spelling errors that detract from the reader’s comprehension. |
|
Format (5%) |
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4 |
The paper should properly formatted (paragraph style, margins, etc.), using the APA Manual, 6th edition. The content is to be typed in MS Word format, labeled with the student’s name, the unit number and a reference section to be included (if outside information is researched and cited). The essay meets the page requirement of 2-3 full pages. |
|
3 |
The paper should properly formatted (paragraph style, margins, etc), using the APA Manual 6th edition. A few grammatical, citation, punctuation or spelling errors. The paper is close to meeting the page requirements of 2-3 full pages. |
|
2 |
The paper is improperly formatted and follows the rules of basic writing, expressing clear, concise thoughts. The paper does not quite meet the page length requirement, and may be less than 2 pages. |
|
1 |
The paper is typed in any format other than MS Word, the formatting is sloppy. There is little or no information provided to display critical thinking. The page length requirement was not completely met, and the paper may be about a half to 1 full page. |
|
0 |
The entire paper is improperly formatted, and/or the required page length of the essay was not met. |