Term Paper
Assignment: Produce a research paper that investigates the major opportunities, challenges, and methods of virtual project teams and addresses related global issues and their impact on virtual project teams
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to conduct research on the challenging topic of virtual project teams. You should clearly define virtual project teams, convey their importance, and explain their role in the global environment. You should formally present and analyze this topic and include your own viewpoint and recommendations. This paper must consist of much more than just your opinion. You must define the topic and its importance by providing a thorough background on virtual project teams and reference a variety of credible and relevant sources. A recommended structure for the paper is given at the end of this assignment.
Reference Sources: Chapter 11 of the course text provides a brief section on virtual project teams and Chapter 15 provides some basic information about international projects. It is recommended that you review these two chapters as a starting point. In addition, scholarly journals and textbooks are excellent sources of information and viewpoints for specialized topics. Articles appearing in scholarly journals typically have undergone a rigorous peer-review process before being accepted for publication and are considered to have a high level of credibility. Various internet postings that do not provide evidence of a peer-review process or the support of a respected organization or institution often do not have a high level of credibility and are not appropriate references for this class. In addition, consider the date of the reference material. Classic writings in a particular field may be relevant and valued for decades; however, the majority of references for this paper should be only a few years old. References from the Internet resources (i.e. websites) should be very limited or avoided all together.
The MSU library includes numerous databases and sources for a variety of scholarly journals that often allow PDF download of entire articles directly to your computer. One resource I have found helpful can be located by going to the MSU library's homepage and selecting "Articles and Databases". "Academic Search Complete" in particular seems to be a good resource. The library site also provides contact information for reference librarians by email or phone who can be extremely helpful in finding specific information. If you are unable to find a full-text version of a particular article, the library will likely be able to help through interlibrary loan.
There are numerous sources of reference material both within and outside the MSU library system. Google Scholar is another search engine that is gaining popularity. It is up to you to consider the source and date of the reference material and determine if it is credible and appropriate.
Format of Paper: In general follow the American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines for writing research papers. The MSU library offers links to "Selected Internet Resources" including sites covering various manuscript formatting topics and reference citing. One resource I found through the MSU library that summarizes APA formatting and parenthetical citation can be found at: https://www.ccc.commnet.edu/apa/
You should include at least six references other than the course text. You should use parenthetical citing for all references. Footnotes and reference numbering are not necessary with this method, but you still must cite all references in the text at the point where they are used and list complete references alphabetically in the references section of the paper. Simply listing a website as a reference with no author, title, publication name, or date is not considered an acceptable reference. The paper should be double spaced and 7-10 pages in length (excluding the title page, figures, graphs and references) and cover the topic thoroughly. 10 or 12 point font should be used. Since conciseness is an important writing skill, the double spaced 7-10 page limit will be strictly enforced.
The structure of the paper should include at a minimum the following:
Title Page
Executive Summary (approximately half a page)
o Provide a brief overview of virtual project teams and introduce why they are a challenging and important project management issue.
o Briefly discuss the major issues of virtual project teams.
o Briefly discuss your recommendations.
Background (approximately 2-3 pages)
o Provide background information and details concerning virtual project teams that convey the importance and challenges of this topic.
Analysis (approximately 4-6 pages)
o Provide a detailed presentation of major issues, opportunities, and concerns related to virtual project teams.
o Present and justify your recommendations and conclusions in detail.
Summary (approximately half a page)
o Summarize the topic of virtual project teams and its importance (without simply repeating the executive summary).
o Briefly restate your recommendations and conclusions.
o Mention future research that would further advance this topic.
References
o List all references using the parenthetical citing method.(Cite all references in the text at the point where they are used and list complete references alphabetically in the references section of the paper)
The paper will be evaluated based on the following:
• Professional Presentation - Appropriate format, grammar, structure, etc.
• Thoroughness of Coverage - Was the topic of virtual project teams covered at a reasonable level of complexity and depth as it relates to project management?
• Persuasiveness of Your Argument - How well did you present and justify your recommendations and conclusions?
• Global perspective - How well did you identify, evaluate, and integrate global factors and events that affect virtual project teams? You must clearly identify and analyze relevant global issues and factors including geographical separation, cultural factors, differing technology capabilities, political issues, etc.