Research a topic on contemporary ethical issues in YOUR field (i.e. HR, accounting, business, etc.) and prepare
an investigative essay on this topic in relation to the field.
You may choose any one of the following topics, or a topic of your own choice. If you are unsure of which
topic to select, please consult with me:
- Purpose
- Management and Staff responsibilities
- Legalities
- Violation reporting policies
- Conflict of interest information
- Rules governing gifts and entertainment
- Employment of spouses
- Outside employment (side jobs)
- Discrimination
- Confidentiality
- Media inquiries
- Reporting and communications
- Corporate compliance
- Product or service integrity
- Health and safety
- Environmental commitment
- Respectful workplace
- Purchasing
- Money handling
To write your investigative essay follow the steps given below:
Instructions
- Pick a topic on which you would like to write.
- Narrow down your topic to one primary question you can answer.
- Conduct your research.
- Introduce your topic in three to five sentences. This short paragraph should give the reader some idea
of the topic area and spark interest. Statistics are a good way to start. Avoid using questions to introduce the
investigation such as “Did you know…?” or “What’s the most important thing…?”; your job in the essay is to
report what you’ve found, not to invite answers. - Provide background for your topic. Tell the reader what already is known about the topic or what led
you to your investigation – answer the five w’s of who, what, why, when and where in this section. Quote
sources where appropriate, and cite them according to the format specified by your teacher or organization.
For example, part of this section might read: - Write a paragraph that clearly states the investigation question in STATEMENT form. For example,
you might write:
“This investigation focused on the cause of osteoporosis. Specifically, the investigator sought to discover
whether nutritional deficiencies increase osteoporosis risk. The investigation also sought to identify the
niche group with the highest risk.”
Note the use of third person – avoid first person throughout the essay unless the essay is to be very informal. - Detail the findings of your investigation. Each significant finding should be a separate paragraph.
Use charts or graphs as needed to clarify points or summarize the prose visually. - Summarize what you have learned. This is your conclusion.
- Go through the essay, and check the text for conciseness, as well as for spelling and grammatical errors.
- Double check that your citations are correct and create your Reference page.
- Format the essay according to the instructor’s or publisher’s guidelines.