Topic
Proposal and Funding Source Statement
The Topic Proposal
The Topic Proposal should be a brief and informal memo that describes
your idea for the course project. You might ask questions or express
your uncertainty, but you must propose a specific topic and give some
tentative details about the who, what, where, when, why, and how of
your project. If you want some ideas on what sort of topics might work
for the class, check out the Sample Topics section below.
The Funding Source Statement
(teacher's option; one paragraph)
This statement (sometimes taking the form of a memo or e-mail message)
lists the name and address of the proposed recipient of the student's
midterm paper and project proposal. It should also explain why this
individual (and the organization he or she represents) would be interested
in funding the proposed project.
Sample Topics
Here are some sample questions that could generate topic ideas for the
class project:
1) Relatively recent technological developments have made telecommuting
possible for employees of many industries, and many companies have
initiated telecommuting programs. Would telecommuting help solve any
problems at your company (e.g.: limited office or parking space or
the need to meet federal environmental regulations)? Might telecommuting
offer new advantages (e.g.: a recruitment incentive or a way of lowering
employees stress)? What does the latest research suggest about the
productivity of telecommuters? What are some pitfalls or problems
experienced by telecommuters -- and how have they been addressed?
What have companies using telecommuting experienced? How would you
go about instituting a telecommuting program? How would you avoid
the known pitfalls of telecommuting?
2) As any student who commutes or drives a car knows, it is often
difficult to find parking on campus. How could you document that parking
is actually a "problem" that needs to be addressed? What ways might
the problem be approached? What has been done at Rutgers in the past
to improve parking? What have other schools or towns done about their
parking problems? What more might be done (perhaps on a specific Rutgers
Campus)? How can you justify the expense?
3) Does your company need better training for new employees or for
employees transferred to new departments? What type of training seems
most appropriate and how would it work? What is the theory behind
this training approach? What have other companies experienced with
it?
These are intended only to illustrate possible topics. We will discuss
more ideas in class. The best topic for you will be one related to your
field and one you would like to research. Here is a brief list of projects
that students have proposed in semesters past:
To set up a student service offering Web page design assistance
to Rutgers professors
To offer a special training program to coaches of Little League
baseball teams
To start a program to improve motivation and reduce employee
turnover at a local restaurant
To increase attendance and fan involvement at Rutgers Women's
Basketball games
To set up a Web page offering student evaluations of courses
at Rutgers
To institute new policies to control binge drinking on campus
To start a stress reduction program at a local workplace
To begin a telecommuting program in a telephone sales setting
as a way of retaining staff while solving office space problems
To offer off-campus students guidance on healthy shopping, cooking,
and eating
To start an onsite childcare program to improve productivity
and reduce employee turnover
To introduce e-mail communication and Web-accessible cameras
to a daycare center as a way of communicating with and reassuring
working parents
To expand an aftercare program for elementary school children
to include educational enrichment based on the experiential learning
model
To address the parking problems on campus by applying novel scheduling
techniques
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