ourse Project: Part 1 – Ishikawa Research Paper (due at the end of Week 3)

Objectives
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Guidelines
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Grading Rubrics
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Best Practices

Objectives

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This project involves researching and writing a short biography on Dr.
Kaoru Ishikawa. Our text addresses many of the areas in the management
and control of quality and provides a great amount of information on a
number of different quality concepts. However, the authors only mention
Dr. Ishikawa in passing. Just who is Kaoru Ishikawa? Prepare a 500-word
biographical paper on Ishikawa, describing his contributions to quality.
You should not limit your research to online materials. Two of his
books are excellent sources: (1) What is Total Quality Control: The Japanese Way (1985) and (2) Guide to Quality Control (1976). Submit the completed paper to your Dropbox.

You will research this person’s life and work to determine the
impacts that he has had in the world. You will define the quality
leader’s significant contributions to modern quality practices in terms
of major impacts in a specific organization. The project will enable you
to understand:

• Ishikawa’s key ideas;
• how Ishikawa has influenced quality practices throughout the world;
• how his ideas fit into total quality management; and
• the implications of Ishikawa’s ideas for the future of quality.

The project will require sustained research effort until the paper is
submitted. You are encouraged to begin work on the project during Week 1
and be prepared to submit the required project deliverables by the end
of Week 3. A basic APA tutorial can be found in the Webliography, and a
paper template can be found in Doc Sharing.

Guidelines

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The paper will be a short biography on Kaoru Ishikawa. It will adhere to
the grading specifications as described below. The student will submit a
paper of at least 500 words, not including title page and references,
by the end of class Week 3. The student will use at least two sources
plus the course textbook, for a minimum of three references. All
references are to be from academic journals, professional or academic
textbooks, authored websites, or standard business publications such as The Wall Street Journal.
Not more that 30% of the content will be from direct quotations. The
final score will be reduced by one point for each percentage point when
the direct quotations are over 30% of the content.

NOTE: Wikipedia and unauthored websites are not acceptable
sources. Do not use these types of sources; otherwise, you will lose
points.

The format of the paper should conform to the Publication Manual for the American Psychological Association
(APA), 6th edition, for the title page, text, citations, references,
and so forth. A basic APA tutorial can be found in the Webliography, and
a template for the paper can be found in Doc Sharing. Completed papers
will be submitted to your Dropbox as MS Word documents. All graphics
will be a part of the Word document and submitted as a file. Documents
authored in other applications such as WordPerfect or MS Works will not
be accepted.

This project is to be accomplished individually and will reflect the
work of each student. All DeVry University policies are in effect,
including the plagiarism policy. Late papers will not be accepted
without prior permission.

Submit your Ishikawa research paper to the Dropbox located on the silver tab at the top of this page by the end of Week 3. For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read these step-by-step instructions or watch this Dropbox Tutorial.

See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due date information.

Grading Rubrics

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Best Practices

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The following are the best practices in preparing this paper. Sample
papers, using APA format, are located in Doc Sharing. Other useful
information has also been provided there, including an APA paper
template.

• Cover page: Include the person you prepared the paper for, who prepared it, and the date.
• Introduction: In APA format, the introduction is understood to be the first content of your work; thus, it does NOT require a title.

  The purpose of an introduction or opening:

  • Introduce the subject and why the subject is important.
  • Preview the main ideas and the order in which they will be covered.
  • Establish the tone of the document.
  • Include in the introduction a reason for the
    audience to read the paper. Also, include an overview of what you are
    going to cover in your paper and the importance of the material. (This
    should include or introduce the questions you are asked to answer on
    each assignment.)

• Body of your work: Include titles to
  identify different areas that you address. State the main ideas, major
  points in each idea, and supporting information. Break down each main
  idea you will use in the body of your paper. Show some type of division,
  like separate sections that are labeled, separate groups of paragraphs,
  or headers. You would include the information you found during your
  research and investigation.
• Summary and conclusion: Summarizing is similar to
  paraphrasing, but it presents the gist of the material in fewer words
  than the original. An effective summary identifies the main ideas and
  major support points from the body of your report. Minor details are
  left out.

  Additional hints on preparing the best possible project:

  • Apply a three-step process of writing: plan, write, and complete.
  • Prepare an outline of your research paper before you go forward.
  • Complete a first draft, and then go back to edit, evaluate, and make any changes required.
  • Use visual communication if it will help clarify
    and support your work. Any material that can be removed and not affect
    the clarity of your work is essentially filler and should be avoided.
    Filler distracts from the flow of your work and will most likely cause
    you to lose points.

• References: APA formatted references are required for this assignment.

A possible outline of the paper is provided below.

• Cover Page
• Introduction
  • Overview of the paper
  • Purpose and importance of the effort
• Background
  • Personal background and life history (education, family life, living situations, etc.)
• Primary work and significant accomplishments
  • Summary of his philosophy
  • Summary of what he was focused on accomplishing in terms of quality
  • Reviews and highlights of his books, articles, and manuscripts
  • Detailed description of his key ideas, concepts, and quality approach
  • Describe what results he achieved personally from their life work
  • Summary of his influence on quality and Total Quality Management (TQM)
• Conclusion
  • Summarize the key points of your paper
• References