C223: Business and Professional Communication

Library/Internet Research Project (80pts)

For this project you are required to identify a not-for-profit and assess their (1) the leadership philosophy and (2) the ethics that are communicated by the organization.

 

Recommendations for finding a not-for-profit 

Try searching for and nonprofit organization using the Associations Unlimited, the Leadership Library, or the Indiana Nonprofit Organizations web database available on the right side of the screen.

 

Tips:

• Use the browse function of the Leadership Library and select Nonprofit organizations to browse a list of organizations appropriate for this assignment
• Search for organizations by city, county, or state in Associations Unlimited
• View a list of web sites for organizations within the state in the Indiana Non- Profit Organizations database.

 

Finding information about your organization

You will have to do some analysis of available information to asses the leadership philosophy and ethics of the organization and it is not always clearly spelled out. As your textbook explains you may be able to learn about the philosophy or integrity of an organization through their stated mission and/or philosophy as well as through their training programs, published code of ethics and policies, or through their corporate motto.

 

Internet Search Tips: 

Of course an organization's web site can be a good place to learn about their philosophy and ethics. The web URLs can easily be found but more in-depth information may require some searching. Try using Google's Advanced Search feature. Try using the limiting options available and specify the .org domain, language, and even format. PDF formats can sometime retrieve annual reports and newsletters.

 

Finding Articles about your organization: 

To locate articles about the practices of a national organization try a search in ABI/Inform, Academic Search (EBSCO), or Lexis-Nexis. If you are trying to find information about a small local organization try searching the online archives of the Herald Times Online. The following are some examples of key words or search terms that you can combine in a search with your organization:

 

programs	training	ethics	practice
morals	mission	beliefs	motto
philsophy	goals	leadership	rationale
service	outreach	values	principles

 

NOTE: when searching in resources such as Academic Search (EBSCO) and ABI/Inform, use the word ?AND? between your search terms. Learn more search techniques.

 

If you need help, stop at the Information Commons Reference Desk in the Wells Library.