Documented Assignment

Will anyone help me write a documented assignment?

Student Interview: Focus, Goals, and Skills

Interviewing is a primary source of information. Often in business you will need your supervisor’s direction or the opinion of others before you can proceed with a project. This exercise will give you practice prior to interviewing an individual for your major report.

Interviewer: Jaylinn Rodriguez

Choose someone to interview, preferably a classmate. Your general topic is leadership goals and skills. Following are some questions to get started. Write at least one question of your own that pertains to the topic. The responses will be used in the documented essay along with other sources. You will use at least one direct quote from your classmate in that essay. This form will be submitted in Blackboard at the time the essay is due.

Interviewee’s Name: Marlene Mondragon Date: 02/09/2023

College Major: Business Jr Sr Graduate Other

Workplace/Position (if applicable)
_HR Coordinator

How does one decide on a direction or purpose?

· One decides on a direction by being their own judge. You have to be able to trust yourself and stay positive. You have to focus on what makes you happy.

What distinguishes leaders from others?

· A leader stands out by being respectful, showing integrity, being creative, someone who is passionate, and someone you can communicate with.

How does a leader/manager create a positive or negative environment in the workplace?

· A leader or manager created a positive work environment by providing honest and open feedback. Also by being appreciative of the hard work that someone does. They create a negative environment by not communicating correctly.

What situations bring out or develop leadership qualities?

· A situation that brings out leadership qualities is in a work/school meeting. The leader takes task and is confident about what they are sharing. They make sure everything is understood.

Who do you look up to as a leader, and why?

· I look up to my manager as my leader. I have worked with her for a little over 2 years and she sets the perfect example as a leader. She always has a positive attitude even when I know she is stressed. She is a very smart, hard working women. I look up to her because I feel like she sets the perfect example of how to be a manager. She doesn’t micro-manage, she lets you do your own thing and trust that you can do it.

Assignment:

Documented Essay

Textbook: Chapter 2 – The Writing Process at Work, pages38-40

Chapter 8 –  Doing Research, Evaluating Sources, and Preparing Documentation in the Workplace

Student Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Plan an essay using brainstorming, clustering, outlining, and/or critical thinking elements of thought.

· Interview a classmate and incorporate their response into the essay, thereby using a primary source.

· Write a 300- to 400-word essay of four or more paragraphs on a business topic, using secondary sources provided, as well as the classmate interview.

· Logically develop an essay, using relevant content. 

· Punctuate quoted material accurately and follow standard grammar and spelling.

· Document sources correctly for both paraphrased and quoted material through parenthetical citations and a works cited page, using MLA

Discussion

This assignment is similar to a composition paper and mirrors many of the objectives of the major report, as well as examines a business topic.  It is not unusual to combine many sources into one piece of writing.  The sample paper in Chapter 8 uses 27 sources.  In this assignment you only have to use three.

Planning

         Prior to writing, you should think about your topic, thesis, approach, and supporting details.  You can begin by brainstorming, listing relevant thoughts as they come to mind (see Figure 2.2 on page 39).  You can organize thoughts as you go, using the cluster method and pairing details with major headings (see Figure 2.1 on page 38).  You can take either of these methods and put them into a formal outline (see Figure 2.3 on page 40).  You may also use critical thinking approaches to develop your essay, such as the Elemenets of Thought (purpose, problem, evidence,  interpretation/inference, concepts, assumptions, implications, point of view).  As you write more and more, you will find planning makes writing more efficient and ensures all necessary points are covered.

Documenting Sources, Paraphrasing, and Quotations

Whether you paraphrase something in your own words from another source or quote materials verbatim, you need to document that you are using other people’s ideas through parenthetical citations and a works cited page with bibliographic entries.  The sample paper in Chapter 8 (see Figure 8.9 on pages 291-303) exemplifies good documentation; the annotation along the side of the paper points out primary research, strengths of the visuals, and writing techniques. 

Note how paraphrased material is documented on page 294 under the heading, “Rental Market Conditions: Supply and Demand” with the author’s last name and page number(s).  Continuing to the next paragraph is quoted material, applying quotation marks to the content. 

Since you will be using the interview with your classmate, note the Heidi Weir, Ray Gilbert, and Darius Tant interviews in the sample paper, their works cited citations and their corresponding references in the text on pages 295 (last paragraph), 298 (#2), and 300 (
The Arlington Advocate paragraph), respectively.  Besides personal interviews, you can have phone interviews, face-to-face interviews, and email interviews.   The form for the interview is in a separate lesson in Course Discussion and Assignments.  Submit the completed form through the lesson.  It will count 5 points toward the documented essay.

All authors mentioned in the paper also appear in the Works Cited on pages 302-303.

Following is an excerpt from a paper, “The Marketization of Healthcare,” by Rose Espitia that shows the integration of primary and secondary sources within a paraagraph:

Understanding the need of affordability of healthcare in the U.S. is a vital step to ensure a healthier life for people in America. It is primal to understand that the root of the issue has to do with capitalism being such a big part of our culture, and it is important to understand that there is a link between poverty and lack of healthcare access. “If you are poor and are trying to pay your bills, then your health is probably the last thing that you care about because you cannot afford it; you have other priorities,” Ms. Figueroa states. Today’s minimum wage remains to be $7.25, and due to recent economic events inflation rates have now risen to 8.2%. This information shows not only that individuals have lost their purchasing power, but also that it is almost unachievable for some people to afford anything else aside from food and shelter, even with working more than one job. The Federal minimum wage, although it has “increased”, when adjusted for inflation, has declined. In total, 1.9% of employees worked for wages at or below the minimum wage salary in 2019. Although 1.9% doesn’t seem like very many, it is a huge amount when in numbers it results to about roughly 1.6 million individuals. (USAFacts.org)   A survey done by Commonwealth.org suggests that “even when companies offer health insurance, some workers may not be eligible for it,” which, in turn, creates financial stress.

          Some additional resources include the following:

“Documentation: Introducing Quotes”
 is from the UHCL Writing Center that shows how to improve writing and documenting quotes. 

“Documentation Notes” is a short guide to paraphrasing, quoting, parenthetical citations, works cited, and their punctuation and general rules.

Documentation Notes x

Documentation Notes x – Alternative Formats

 Assignment

Use MLA to document your essay.

Use planning techniques (5 points) to develop a 300- to 400-word documented essay and include it with the essay.  Select a title (1 point) and establish a thesis/theme/purpose for your content and underline it (1 point).

Choose sources from the article links below; do
 not research other articles since objectives of this paper include proper use of paraphrasing, quoting, and documenting.  Blend ideas from different sources, as well as information from your classmate, into supporting paragraphs rather than write a paragraph on each source (25 points).  You may include your own opinions.  As you select information from the sources, support your point of view, applying the critical thinking Intellectual Standards of significance, relevance, logic, and clarity.   Divide your paper into four or more paragraphs, including an introduction and appropriate ending.

Include direct quotations, full or partial, from 
three sources, including at least one from your classmate (total of 9 points).  You do not have to use all the sources; you are given a variety to choose from.  Appropriately document your paper, using MLA, include parenthetical citations (12 points) and a works cited page (15 points).  Remember paraphrased, as well as quoted, material requires parenthetical documentation within the body of your paper.  The parenthetical citation for an interview is: (last name) or (last name interview), for example,  (Sanchez) or (Sanchez interview).   

A works cited page should be written in alphabetical order (3 points) by author; if there is no author, use the title of the article.  Do
 not alphabetize by a, an, the; use the second word in a title.  See pages 302-303.  For more information, refer to Chapter 8 that details documentation.

Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and proofread your paper carefully (24 points).  Remember to put your name on all pages; page numbers can go in the footer.  Submit your finished paper in Blackboard.

Grading Rubric for Documented Essay

Planning (brainstorm, cluster, outline)           5 points

Student interview form                                5 points

Title                                                           1 point

Thesis/theme                                              1 point

Development, resources, & organization       25 points    
                 

Direct quotations from all sources                  9 points
              

Parenthetical Citations                                12 points

   Incorrect format -1

   Incorrect information -2

   Missing Citation -2   

Works Cited/Reference Page                        18 points

   Alphabetical   -3

   Missing details   -2

   MLA format   -2

Standard written and formal language          24 points

                                                Total        100 points        

Sources/Article Links

For your assignment, select at least two articles from the links below to use in your essay; if the links do not work, use your browser to access the article by its title. The third source will be your interview.  If you have not completed your interview, the form is in a separate section of Course Discussion and Assignments.  Remember to include all the necessary information for the citations on your Works Cited page.

“The Best Leaders are Comedians”

“Crisis Management Lessons From Soutwest Airlines’ Meltdown”

“Deliberate Calm: How to Learn and Lead in a Volatile World”

“Einstein’s Law of Focus: How to Be More Productive, Accomplished, and Fulfilled, Starting Today”

“A New Year – A New Focus”

“The Ukrainian Founders Didn’t Think Rusia Would Invade, but They’re Glad They Planned for it Anyway”