Paper instructions: objectives: The Course Project is designed to provide you with a real-life practical application of an organization’s human resource benefits program. You will create a written analysis of a real-world organization’s benefit plan design with suggested opportunities for improvement that use the concepts and knowledge introduced in this course.

Guidelines Back to Top The Course Project must be comprehensive and must adhere to the following analytical stages.

Papers should be formatted according to APA or MLA guidelines (12-point font, double-spaced, including a cover page, table of contents, introduction, body of the report, summary or conclusion, and a works cited page). Even though this is not a scientific-type writing assignment and is mostly creative in nature, references are still very important. At least six authoritative, outside references are required (anonymous authors or web pages are not acceptable). These sources should be referenced according to APA or MLA guidelines. Appropriate citations are required following APA or MLA guidelines. All DeVry University Policies are in effect, including the plagiarism policy. Please post any questions about these papers in the weekly Q & A discussion topic. These papers combined are worth 310 total points and will be graded on quality of research topic, quality of paper information, use of citations, grammar, and sentence structure (see the rubrics below). Milestones/Grading Rubrics Back to Top

Part 1: Select and Profile an Organization for the Benefit Plan (40 Points)

There are a number of ways in which an organization and benefit plan can be selected. You have the option of looking at your current employer’s benefit plan, that of a previous employer, or one from a random organization of your choice whose benefit plan has a perceived need for either a revision of specific benefits, addition of needed benefits, or an overhaul of its benefits program. Provide a clear profile of your chosen organization as well as the organization’s current benefits program. Present key facts that are important in understanding your chosen organization’s benefits program.

Category Points % Description Profile 16 40% Profiles the chosen organization in detail Benefits Program 16 40% Provides sufficient details on the organization’s benefits program Formatting 8 20% Appropriately formats the assignment in APA format or MLA format; sources appropriately cited in APA or MLA format; appropriate external sources utilized; no typing, spelling, or grammatical errors Total 40 100% A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Organization Profile — Comprehensive profile of the selected organization Organization Benefit Program Review — Comprehensive review of the organization’s benefit program

Part 2: Statement of the Issue (40 Points)

This section should present an analysis of the major benefits issue or issues. It should include a statement of the specific benefit plan you are addressing. Some questions to ask when formulating the statement of issue include the following.

Have I identified the basic issue or am I dealing with the symptoms? What is the point of the paper? If I have identified more than one issue, are the issues separate or related? There are several sources from which the issues can be determined. They include business documents, such as employee surveys and competitive analysis reports; assessment questionnaires that can be created to probe for areas of benefit needs and employee desires; observations of how employees use or do not use their current benefits; and interviews with key management and selected employees to determine benefit issues.

Category Points % Description Basic issue 15 38% Identifies the basic issue rather than the symptoms. Purpose 15 38% Describes the purpose of the paper and what will be accomplished. Relationships 10 24% Describes relationships between major and minor issues to be addressed. Total 40 100% A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Part 3: Literature Review (40 Points)

Address what was discovered in the search of relevant literature, related articles, and the employee benefit text, as well as what was discovered in Part 2. This means not only reviewing theories, concepts, and studies discussed in the text or in class, but also reviewing websites and what other writers have to say about benefit plans. Given the limited number of weeks that a term provides and the number of steps involved in the Course Project following the literature review, no more than 2 weeks should be spent reviewing literature.

It is critical that those completing questionnaires, being interviewed, or providing information in any other manner be assured that their responses will be kept in the strictest of confidence and will not be discussed in whole or in part to any member of the organization or outside the boundaries of the classroom. It is recommended that you begin your literature search by accessing Keller’s Online Library. While you may use information obtained from HR-related websites, you must also obtain information from current scholarly journals, business publications, and newspapers. Ten or more outside resources or references are required.

Category Points % Description Academic Resources and Relationships 20 50% Identifies academic quality resources; identifies why resource is quality and explains the benefit of the resource and how it supports the resolution of the issue; shows relationships between different sources. Presentation and Review 12 30% Presented in a manner that tells a story and ties individual sources together; explains how the literature review relates to issue identified in the company. Formatting 8 20% Appropriately formats assignment in APA format or MLA format. Sources appropriately cited in APA or MLA format; appropriate external sources utilized; no typing, spelling, or grammatical errors. Total 40 100% A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Part 4: Issue Analysis (40 Points)

Here we are bringing Parts 2 and 3 together. This section should provide a detailed analysis of the benefits issue that was identified in Part 2. A major objective is to clearly illustrate how the concepts of the course and gained knowledge of benefits are being used, as well as to show what was learned from the literature review. Show that you are applying course material.

Category Points % Description Analysis 20 50% Describes issue analysis and relates to previous discussions from literature review. Apply concepts 20 50% Describes how concepts from the course help identify the true issue. Total 40 100% A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Part 5: Issue Solutions (40 Points)

Create a developmental strategy. Offer several solutions or options that are appropriate for the benefits issue or issues. The solutions should follow logically from the analysis. The expected outcomes, positive and negative, should be addressed.

Category Points % Description Logical Solution 20 50% Develops a logical solution based on the literature review and class information. Pros and Cons 12 30% Identifies all feasible solutions and provides pros and cons of each. Formatting 8 20% Appropriately formats assignment in APA format or MLA format; sources appropriately cited in APA or MLA format. Appropriate external sources utilized. No typing, spelling, or grammatical errors. Total 40 100% A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

The purpose of an introduction or opening:

Introduce the subject and why the subject is important. Preview the main ideas and the order in which they will be covered. Establish the document’s tone. Include in the introduction a reason for the audience to read the paper. Also include an overview of what you are going to cover in your paper and the importance of the material. (This should include or introduce the questions you need to answer on each assignment.)

Body of Your Report—Use a header titled with the name of your project. Example: The Development of Hotel X—A World Class Resort. Then proceed to break out the main ideas. State the main ideas, state major points in each idea, and provide evidence. Break out each main idea you will use in the body of your paper. Show some type of division such as separate sections that are labeled, separate group of paragraphs, or headers. You would include the information you found during your research and investigation. Summary and Conclusion—Summarizing is similar to paraphrasing but presents the gist of the material in fewer words than the original. An effective summary identifies the main ideas and major support points from the body of your report. Minor details are left out. Summarize the benefits of the ideas and how they affect the subject. Works Cited—Use the citation format as specified in the Syllabus. Additional hints on preparing the best possible project are as follows.

Apply a three-step process of writing: Plan, write, and complete. Prepare an outline of your research paper before you go forward. Complete a first draft and then go back to edit, evaluate, and make any changes required. Use visual communication to further clarify and support the written part of your report. You could use example graphs, diagrams, photographs, flowcharts, maps, drawings, animation, video clips, pictograms, tables, and Gantt charts. The following are best practices that should be used in preparing this paper:

IMPORTANT CONTENT TO FOLLOW:

Course Project Parts 2-5 Grading Rubric Requirements:

• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Heading For Each Part/Section Sub-Headings Also Used
• Works Cited Page
• 7 – 10 Pages of Professional Content, Not Including the Title Page, Table of Contents and Work Cited Page Points Available Points Earned Description Part 2 — Statement of the Issue 40

“1 – 2 Pages” Basic Issue Identifies the basic issue rather than symptoms 15 This section should present an analysis of the major benefits issue/issues. It should include a statement of the specific benefit plan you are addressing. Purpose Describes the purpose of the paper and what will be accomplished 15 Relationships Describes relationships between major and minor issues to be addressed 10

Part 3 — Literature Review 40 “4 Pages” Academic Resources and Relationships Identifies academic quality resources; identifies why resource is quality and explains the benefit of the resource and how it supports the resolution of the issue; shows relationships between different sources 20 Address what was discovered in the search of relevant literature, related articles, and the employee benefit text, as well as what was discovered in Part 2. This means not only reviewing theories, concepts, and studies discussed in the text or in class, but also reviewing web sites and what other writers have to say about benefit plans. While you may use information obtained from HR-related websites, you must also obtain information from current scholarly journals, business publications and newspapers.

Ten or more external professional resources or references are required Presentation and Review Presented in a manner that tells a story and ties individual sources together; explains how the literature review relates to issue identified in the company 12 Formatting Appropriately formats assignment in APA format or MLA format. Sources appropriately cited in APA or MLA format; appropriate external sources utilized; no typing, spelling or grammatical errors 8

Part 4 — Issue Analysis 40 “1 — 2 Pages” Analysis Describes issue analysis and relates to previous discussions from literature review 20 This section should provide a detailed analysis of the benefits issue that was identified in Part 2. A major objective is to clearly illustrate how the concepts of the course and gained knowledge of benefits are being used, as well as to show what was learned from the literature review. Show that you are applying course material. Apply Concepts Describes how concepts from the course help identify the true issue 20

Part 5 — Issue Solutions 40 “2 Pages” Logical Solution Develops a logical solution based upon the literature review and class information 20 Create a developmental strategy. Offer several solutions or options that are appropriate for the benefits issue or issues. The solutions should follow logically from the analysis. The expected outcomes, positive and negative, should be addressed.

Pros and Cons Identifies all feasible solutions and provides pros and cons of each 12 Formatting Appropriately formats assignment in APA format or MLA format; sources appropriately cited in APA or MLA format. Appropriate external sources utilized. No typing, spelling or grammatical errors 8 160