PROPOSAL

TOPIC TO BE RESEARCHED: The topic that I wish to research is onboarding and the best methods for retaining quality employees using this process. This relates directly to my degree in organizational leadership.

RESEARCH QUESTION: How can a small business extend the concepts of onboarding beyond the initial hire in order to retain top quality employees that could easily be swayed to go elsewhere if not for these actions?

SUPPORTING ELEMENTS: [What examples, evidence, and supporting details help substantiate your argument on your topic?]

• Incorporating on-going operational onboarding will provide employees with the most up- to-date information about company policies and procedures.

• Enhancing social and cultural communities creates the sense of inclusion. • Providing extended educational opportunities beyond the company’s walls generates a

sense of goodwill and commitment from the company to the employee.

THESIS STATEMENT: [What are you arguing about your topic and what helps prove your argument? Make sure to weave your three supporting elements from above into the thesis statement. Put your argument in bold font and underline your three supporting elements.]

Small businesses can best retain high quality employees by incorporating on-going operational onboarding, enhancing company social and cultural communities, and providing extended educational opportunities beyond the company’s walls.

AUDIENCE: [Who are your readers? What might your readers want or need to know about your topic? What knowledge or biases might your readers already have on this topic?]

My instructor and peers in the Research Writing course serve as initial readers. Their insight as early readers can help shape the focus, structure, and organization of the research paper. The paper may also be read by human resource managers, upper tier management, and leadership in my current employment who may want to understand how best to extend the concepts of onboarding used to establish a new hire. Readers of this work likely already have strong skills in onboarding. Biases may exist in that some readers may not support extended onboarding and prefer, instead, the more traditional role of onboarding.

POTENTIAL SOURCES: [What types of sources will be helpful to support your stance? What will these sources reveal about your topic?]

The best sources for this academic paper will be scholarly sources (peer-reviewed journal articles) that are no older than five years. Government documents may also be supportive of the topic. These sources will reveal what the current conversations are in the field and how related concerns are being navigated. They may either provide argumentative support based on my three supporting elements, or they may provide a counterargument to help balance the argument from

both sides. I am keenly interested in using sources from ProQuest Central although I am aware that other databases may also be useful.

CHALLENGES TO THE RESEARCH: [What might make your argument difficult to prove?]

While onboarding is not a new concept, it is a term that is fairly new. Sources are likely to be widely available, but the experiential aspect may lack as onboarding has multiple approaches depending on the hiring company and the specific position the new hire may undertake. I am acutely aware that my sources may not support my stance, in which case, I will need to re- evaluate my position. On a personal note, I may be challenged by time constraints and will need ensure that I schedule time for addressing the research process. I also need to be sure that I am able to step away from my comfort zone so that I can author the strongest paper possible. Finally, I need to be sure to acknowledge when I am struggling by contacting my instructor as early in the process as possible and working with writing tutors.

GOALS FOR THE PROJECT: [What do you want to accomplish within your Formal Research Assignment? What do you want the reader to feel after reading your essay?]

The Formal Research Assignment will be an argumentative one. It is my desire to have the reader come away with the ability to support my stance, or to at least acknowledge that another stance does exist. I also hope to be able to add to the conversation in the field. For myself, I intend to improve my argumentation and writing skills as they will be very useful in my career. In doing so, I also situate myself in the best possible way toward peak efficiency in managing any type of research I may conduct. Finally, this project will help me execute other research- based projects either academically or in the support of my employment responsibilities.