Application Paper
You will do one application paper during the semester. This is an individual assignment. You will be randomly assigned a chapter near the beginning of the semester.
Choose one or two concepts in the chapter and independently locate an article in the news that illustrates one or two specific concepts in the chapter. The article
should be an application, demonstration, or illustration of the concept and not a listing of concepts or best practices. Do not try covering the entire chapter. Do not
use “how to” or “best practices” articles (e.g., from consultants, professors, university websites), as you will only restate what is already written and thus not
demonstrate your proficiency with the concepts introduced in class. Instead, find articles from the business press (e.g., WSJ, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Fast Company,
etc.). Please also find articles within the past 6 months. A copy of the article stapled to the back of your write up is due at the beginning of class on the assigned
day. Please bring a hardcopy of both.
Each person must find an article as described above and describe in 1-2 single-spaced pages how the article illustrates the concept chosen from the assigned chapter.
Focus on the application/illustration and do not regurgitate definitions and material from the book. Your write-up should succinctly summarize the article (in about a
paragraph or less), define the concept(s) from the chapter in your own words (not using quotations), and focus on how the article is an application of the concept. You
may also relate the article and concept to your own experiences. Each person should also be prepared to engage in a class discussion about the article and its
application. This assignment has several goals: 1) to encourage you to read/consume the news with a keen eye towards management issues; 2) to enhance your awareness of
the pervasiveness and importance of course concepts in business; and 3) to foster your personal contributions to class and enrich the larger class discussion
