Essay and narrated presentation

Trends in My Profession Essay

• The head of your company has asked you to do some research into THREE noteworthy trends in your profession (LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT).  The goal of this assignment is to write an informative essay which will be used as background material for an upcoming discussion of the company’s strategic priorities. You have been asked to do the following:

Write a 1,000-1,200 word essay in which you discuss THREE trends in your profession. You are to find at least SIX RESOURCES to support your ideas. The source material will be included in the essay in APA format, with both in-text citations and a Reference List at the end.

You are excited about this assignment because you realize that being able to spots trends in your industry is an important skill.  It assists you on the job as you work to create and deliver innovative and forward-looking products and services.  It assists you in career planning as you envision new directions and opportunities for yourself. Spaeder (2007), writing for Entrepreneur, offers the following on how to Spot the Latest Trends.

Steps

In this assignment, research THREE trends in your profession, and then write an APA-formatted essay that includes information from at least SIX articles, books and documents your research. Before you begin, read about academic research and the UMUC libraries: research resources, scholarly literature, and UMUC's library research databases. These references will help you get started with your research. Once you've found some useful sources, you'll want to view and retrieve your sources.

Format

• • Employ APA Style 6ed, including a title page, running header, and Reference List. This video will help you cite your sources properly (for sources with and without a DOI).

  • Include at least six (6) references; a minimum of three (3) must come from the UMUC library.

  • Follow best practices for structuring the paper: 

    • An effective introduction grabs the reader’s attention and sets the tone and direction for the rest of the paper.  In reading an introduction, the reader should have a clear idea of what will follow.  Supporting paragraphs move the reader from the general introduction to the more specific aspects of your analysis in the paper.  

    • The body paragraphs show how the information you are providing supports and relates to your thesis.  Paragraphs across and within sections need to effectively transition from one to the next.

    • Each paragraph should include a topic sentence, which contains the main point of the paragraph. 

    • The conclusion brings to a close what you have presented in your paper.

Process Steps

• Review the resources about research contained in this module.

• Employ the UMUC Library to locate journal articles, books, and other sources that that will assist you in identifying the trends in your industry; use this link for help: Research Trends. See the other resources the library has for you as well:UMUC Library Resources.html.

• Ensure a mix of quality resources; limit use of web sources to well-vetted, reputable sites.