Have no idea how to approach your challenging term paper in management? Writing term papers seems like a daunting task for many students who often prefer to put it up and, as a result, get bad grades on academic papers that otherwise would have got them easy A’s. Read our easy guide where we’ll walk you through the most important aspects of making an excellent term paper in management from the very beginning to the end.
In this guide on how to write a management term paper, you’ll learn:
- approaches to choosing a good term paper topics;
- tips for organizing the structure of your management term paper;
- techniques for revising, editing, and proofreading your paper.
Besides, we will provide you with interesting management term paper topic ideas. Let’s get started.
What Is Management Term Paper?
A term paper in management is actually a research paper that is written by students over the academic term and that accounts for a large part of the student grade. It is a major academic assignment in a course that discusses a certain topic in a detail and is several pages in length. Typically it is due at the end of the semester. You have to research information on a chosen topic, write a report about your findings, and present your own point of view on a specific problem.
The format of your management term paper typically depends on the chosen topic – you can write it in the form of the scientific report or in the form of the literature review. The scientific report format typically includes
- Abstract – a brief description of your paper (about 150 words);
- Introduction – here you need to present an issue or a problem, give a literature review and describe findings and approaches;
- Methods that you used to search for data;
- Results – here you present your findings and explain how they help answer the research question;
- Discussion – in this section you need to summarize your findings and explain their significance.
How to Choose a Great Management Term Paper Topic: A Few Sample Topics from Our Writers
The first step in preparing to write a term paper in management is to choose a good topic. Of course, the main thing is to select a topic that is interesting to you. Make sure that your topic is broad enough so you can easily find enough sources when doing research. But if your topic is too broad, you can’t stay focused on your topic and your argument can be too vague. So in this case, you need to narrow your topic and make it manageable within your word limit to create a strong argument.
You can make a list of keywords that describe your potential topic and search the internet for more ideas so you can modify or change your initial idea. For example, if the topic of your term paper is risk management in project management, you can search using such keywords as risk management, risk management process, risk management strategies, risk management definition etc.
You can start research by using general-purpose reference books such as fact books and encyclopedias where you can find related terminology and suggestions for sub-topics. These books typically contain extensive bibliographies that can be very helpful. Reading such books can help you focus your research or stimulate additional questions.
If you can’t decide what topic to pick and need some inspiration, have a look at our short list of interesting management term paper topics. Feel free to use them for writing your own term papers.
- Why Is Risk Management Important to Project Success?
- Conflict Management in Work Teams;
- Women Entrepreneurs Who Are Changing the World;
- Strategic Planning in Organizational Management;
- What Causes Small Businesses to Fail?
- Competency Requirements for an Effective Job Performance;
- Key Concepts of Information Security Management;
- Financial Management in Organizations;
- Strategic Workplace Management;
- Time Management in the Workplace: Ways to Improve Productivity;
- How to Create a Compelling Employee Value Proposition;
- Strategic Management in Large Organizations;
- Security Issues Facing Companies And Management;
- Top Challenges in Security Management;
- Key Activities to Build Employee Engagement.
Find Suitable Sources for Your Management Term Paper
You can use a large variety of information sources – books on management, authoritative newspapers, journal articles, and more. You can look for sources in the library and take advantage of a computer access system to find relevant books on the subject of your management term paper. Keep in mind that if you select a current topic, there may be few books available on it. In this case, you should rely on the articles in scholarly journals where you can find analyses and up-to-date information. Other sources of valuable information on contemporary business and management trends are reports of government agencies and committees.
When looking for relevant primary and secondary sources, you should try to find answers to your research question. Besides, you should get organized and make notes about your sources using spreadsheets. You should include bibliographic information and page numbers if you plan to use the source for quotations. You can also use index cards for that. This way, you can easily find any source you need when you start writing and it will take less time to complete your reference page.
Term Paper Writing Process
You have spent a lot of time doing research and absorbing information on your topic. Now it’s time to come up with a good research question or a thesis statement. It will guide your writing and will help your readers understand the significance of your subject. If you succeed in writing a strong thesis statement, your readers will know what to expect and it will be easier for them to digest your information. The thesis statement typically consists of a sentence which you include in the introductory paragraph. In the thesis, you have to make a claim that other people may dispute and provide an argument in your term paper to support your point of view.
A good idea is to create a working outline that will help you stay focused. You need to include sub-topics and key points in it and mention the evidence you are going to use to support your thesis. You may change your outline in the process of writing – include or exclude some points but all the same, you will work more productively if you think about the structure of your management term paper in advance. With an outline, you’ll never miss some vital points and ensure that they are included in your essay.
Create the First Draft
Your term paper can consist of several parts the number of which will depend on your topic but typically, all academic papers consist of an introduction, the body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each of these parts plays a significant role.
It’s not obligatory to start writing your term paper in management with an introduction and many students usually start writing the beginning with body paragraphs. They develop their argument and when the main part of the paper has been completed, create an introduction and a conclusion. When you use this approach, you are likely to complete the introduction faster because you’ll know very well what your project is about and it will be easier for you to define the purpose of your paper and outline the structure.
Introduction
Your introduction plays an important role in telling your readers what your paper is about, where you are headed and what goals you hope to achieve. You’d better begin it with an attention grabber, for example, an interesting quote, statistics data, a thought-provocative question, a definition etc.
e.g. Do you know that one-third of employees now either skip surveys or give false answers?
Then you should provide some background information to introduce the context. You may give the literature overview in the field and mention different approaches to the subject of your management term paper. After that, you should define your thesis statement/research question and briefly outline the structure.
Body Paragraphs
The body is the largest part of a management term paper; in this section, you gather and arrange relevant evidence that will persuade the audience of your argument. That’s why it should have a logical organization. If your term paper is long, a good idea is to divide it into several parts with headings and sub-headings. For example, you can have such sections as literature review, methods, results/findings, and discussion.
In your methodology section, you should provide information about major sources of primary and secondary research and tell about the limitation or weakness of each source. You will mainly use secondary sources like news articles, magazine articles, company annual reports, encyclopedias, and business textbooks.
The body of your paper is the part where you can really impress your instructor. Wondering how you can do that?
- You should review several related management concepts and theories more extensively that it was done in the course;
- Demonstrate that you are an expert in some aspects of your research question;
- You should make sure that the body section is not just descriptive but analytical;
You have to provide a logical argument to support your claims and use relevant evidence and in-text citations to prove that your ideas are right. In this case, you will need to include parenthetical citations when referencing another author’s text in the body of your term paper. Show your analysis throughout the entire body that is to bring the research data, events or other relevant materials together and interpret the fact you have presented as you develop your argument.
Conclusion
The main goal of the conclusion is to summarize what you have said in the body and to emphasize the evidence that supports your analysis. Here are some tips on how you can do it right.
- You can restate your thesis statement/research question and highlight once again the significance of your research topic and your findings;
- You can synthesize all mini-conclusions you presented in the text and present some interesting insights based on them;
- If your term paper is lengthy, you can include some evaluative insights, for example, the pros and cons, short-term and long-term effects etc.;
- You can also mention some weaknesses and limitations of your research;
- Don’t include any new information in this section;
- You can discuss some valuable information that you couldn’t access;
- You can provide some recommendations or suggestions for possible future research.
Abstract
If your management term paper is long, you may be assigned to include a brief abstract of about 150-200 words. It is actually a miniature version of your research project. You should complete this section of your paper after you have written all the other parts. You’d better write your abstract in active voice because it will be easier to read and many people make a decision on whether the paper is worth reading based on the abstract. Make your abstract as clear and concise as possible.
References
When you complete your management term paper, don’t forget to make a references list. You have to alphabetically list all the sources that you referenced in the body paragraphs. If you made notes about your sources when doing research, you are likely to cope with this task fast. It’s important to follow the specific style guide recommended by your professor or by your school, for example, MLA or APA.
Revise and Edit Your Term Paper
When you complete your first draft, you need to read it and make revisions if necessary to improve the content, the logic, and the flow. You may need to do it several times to ensure that your management term paper presents a strong and clear argument. When you achieve that, it’s time to polish and double-check everything.
Read your term paper aloud and check organization, sense, and logical structure. Make sure that you correctly cited your sources. Check your grammar and spelling and fix mistakes and typos if there are any. Keep in mind that your readers will evaluate your project not only by the quality of research and its content. They will also take into account the quality of writing so you have to be attentive when proofreading your management term paper and make it the best it can be. Please contact our term paper service if you need professional help with your research projects.