Individual Project Overview:
This project consists of two deliverables: 1. An individual written report to be submitted by midnight on the last day of class;
2. An individual oral presentation to be given on the last day of class. This is a research project designed to answer one of two key questions:
 What causes someone to perform their job well?
 What causes someone to remain committed to their organization?
You will choose one of these two questions to devote your project to. At the conclusion of the term, you will give a 4-5 minute PowerPoint presentation detailing the development and results of your research project. Presentation guidelines regarding time limits are firm; failure to follow them will result in significant point deductions. Apart from interview questions, you will not be turning in anything until the end of the semester. Part I
Identify your chosen question.
Find a theory that “answers” your question.
Describe the theory in your own words and explain why you chose that particular theory. Part II
Identify three diverse business people.
Using the approved 7-10 interview questions, interview your chosen participants.
Document their responses to all questions. Part III
Using your interview results, develop one-three hypotheses about what causes someone to have high or low levels of performance or commitment (depending on which question you selected).
Make sure you support, with information from the interviews, your hypotheses.
Answer the following question: Does your hypothesis(es) support the theory you previously identified to answer your chosen question? Why or why not? Some Additional Information:
Your interview participants should be three business people who are as diverse from one another as possible.
The specific questions will be left up to you, but should explore the interview subjects’ beliefs about what fosters performance or commitment. Let them tell you what concepts are important! Do not provide a set of concepts for them! For example, one interview question might be “When you think about times that you have performed well, what factors contributed to that good performance?” or “When you think about employers that you were really committed to, why did you feel such high commitment levels?” Your project can