Organizational Communication – Final Project

Analysis of an Organization in Your Chosen Field

For your final project you are to find an organization to study and analyze .(Ikea company) The organization you choose should relate to the field/industry you will enter upon graduation.

For this project you will produce a 10-12 page report in which you examine and discuss the following:

· Introduction and Research Methods – Indicate the organization you chose for this project, why you chose it, and describe your research methods.

· Research methods must be described & explained completely (see guidelines below for research methods) (1-2 pages)

· Historical Overview – provide background information about the organization, such as how long they have been in existence, where they are located, are they a global company and if so, in what countries are they located, what they started out doing, what they do now, etc.. (1-2 pages)

· Organizational Structure and Management Style – Describe the major divisions/departments within the organization. Identify and describe the different levels of management. Indicate who occupies these positions, and what they do in their job. Identify and describe the style of management that is evident within this structure

(see Chapter 4) (2-3 pages)

· You must describe some of the actual people in management positions and describe the positions they occupy.

· In terms of the management style, recall from our classroom discussions that an organization’s management style may not fit neatly into one of the theories we discussed. It may be a hybrid or combination.

· Your job is to examine the structure and style and identify and explain which aspects relate to the various management models.

· Organizational Diversity – Provide a full description of the different levels/types of diversity represented within the organization (see Chapter 13). (1-2 pages)

· Find info regarding gender, age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and people with disabilities

· Look at other types of diversity (i.e., viewpoint diversity/diversity of thought/ideas)

· Organizational Culture – Identify and describe at least 2 important aspects of the organization’s culture (see Chapter 6). (1-2 pages)

· Work-Life Balance – Identify and describe some of the Family-Friendly Work Policies the organization provides to its employees. (See Chapter 12) (1-2 pages)

· Provide at least 2 specific examples

· Explain how often they are used, and by whom

· Public Relations – Describe specifically what the organization communicates through its web site and social media pages/sites. Explain how they communicate their goals, their vision, their responsibility to customers and clients, and anything else that you find interesting & relevant. Explain how they communicate directly with their “publics” via social media. (1-2 pages)

· Your job – Indicate what positions you would pursue within this organization, and why. Describe what is involved in these positions. Also indicate what your dream job would be within the organization, and why. (1 page)

To complete this project you will need to employ the following Research Methods:

· Scholarly sources – You will need to find at least 2 scholarly sources related to either your industry and/or the topics in the paper in some relevant way. Final project folder must include copies of these articles.

· You will incorporate these articles into your paper in the most relevant sections. For instance, if you find an article that relates to management structure, you will include this information in that section of the paper.

· You should aim to find some scholarly sources that pertain to your industry and some that pertain to some of the topics covered in this assignment.

· Other print sources – You will need to find at least 2 other print sources that pertain to your topic. Final project folder must include copies of these print sources.

· Print sources may be obtained through websites, such as cnn.com, foxnews.com, abcnews.com, etc…

· These sources may also be obtained through newspapers or magazines.

· Print sources should relate to either your organization or the industry you are researching.

· Web Site and Social Media analysis – You need to conduct a content analysis of the organization’s web site and social media pages in order to obtain information related to your report.

· Web site analysis will enable you to obtain information related to the organization’s history, management structure, and public relations.

· You should not rely exclusively on the web site for this information, but it should provide you with a good source.