Capstone proposal
Assignment: Fill out the capstone project proposal using the following information
Career-wise, I aim to switch fields to expand my expertise and knowledge, becoming a more well-rounded Director, and ultimately a VP. For my topic, I am going with “Investigate business leadership issues such as delegation and motivation. What works? What doesn’t?” and track 1.
Professor feedback: “I appreciate you sharing your career goals – it’s clear you’re thinking strategically about building the skills you’ll need as you move up. Great to see.
Here’s what I’m thinking: you obviously cannot tackle all leadership issues. That would be too broad. Instead, focus on a specific challenge you’ve actually encountered. Have you been in a situation where delegation failed spectacularly? Or maybe you’ve seen a leader who was amazing at motivating people in a particular context?
A few questions to help you narrow this down:
- What industry or type of organization are you hoping to move into?
- Are there specific delegation challenges you’ve witnessed—maybe in remote teams or with technical vs. non-technical staff?
- When considering motivation, are you more interested in individual motivation, team dynamics, or organizational culture?
The strongest capstone projects usually come from real problems students have observed. So think about your current role—what leadership challenges have you seen that made you think, “There’s got to be a better way to handle this”?
Once you find that specific pain point, then you can research what works, talk to a few folks, and then contribute something meaningful to the field.”
Requirements: no limit
Track 1: Independent Learning Activity
This track is a flexible learning experience that allows students considerable latitude to design a
significant project that meets their unique aspirations and needs. It is appropriate for students who have
a special professional interest that they want to pursue, or a career interest they want to develop
outside the confines of an existing organization.
For example, you might want to prepare a comprehensive business plan for a new start-up venture;
perhaps there is a new product idea you want to develop for a patent; or maybe there is an
independent training program you want to pursue to achieve professional certification. One tangible
outcome of this effort will be a well-documented professional report that describes your work and
documents the results. Templates are provided in the course for you to use if you choose this option.
Another common alternative within this track is the completion of a research project focused on an
existing business opportunity or challenge. This would be ideal for students who have identified a very
specific, focused aspect of business they would like to explore more deeply and are confident in their
own writing and research skills. Because such a project involves primary research, it will be the
student’s responsibility to identify a network of “participants’ for any interviews, focus groups, surveys or research paper topics are expected to have a practical, applied focus (and not just an abstract,
theoretical one) and utilize primary research methods. Perhaps you want to know more about the real
challenges Vermont companies face when they try to enter global markets; maybe you are curious to
know what economic benefits come to the state from cheese manufacturing; or perhaps you want to
trace the history and evolution of small country stores. Using sound primary and secondary research
methods, you will investigate your topic and prepare a fully documented, comprehensive, APA
formatted research paper. Don’t get caught up in the total page number – concentrate on a high-quality
research paper and the pages will come afterward.