This guide is for BUSI 885 Week 4 Problem Statement, start to submission. The problem statement for your proposed dissertation, submitted for review before the full concept paper.
BUSI 885 is Research Concept, 3 credit hours, in Liberty University's Doctor of Business Administration. Canvas and the course guide file print the code as BUSI885; it is the same course.
| Course | BUSI 885 Research Concept |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 4 |
| Points | 25 points |
| Length | Not set in the guide; follow the Concept Paper Instructions |
| Sources | Your professional literature and the dissertation manual |
| Faith integration | Not required by the guide |
| Format | APA |
What BUSI 885 Week 4 Problem Statement asks for
The problem statement is submitted for review before you move forward with the full concept paper. It is due in Module/Week 4. Worth 25 points.
Where it fits in BUSI 885
In the published schedule, Problem Statement is one of 4 graded written assignments in BUSI 885. It is the first written assignment in the course; the next is Week 5 Research Questions.
How BUSI 885 Week 4 Problem Statement is graded
Liberty grades Problem Statement with the rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas, worth 25 points in the published guide. That is about 2% of the course's 1,010 points. The rubric rows are the real instructions. Draft against them, and you will rarely be surprised by the grade.
Timing in the published guide: Each course module/week begins on Monday morning at 12:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The final module/week ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday. Check the due dates in your Canvas section, which govern.
Reviewers look for a problem that is real, documented and researchable within a DBA's scope.
The BUSI 885 Week 4 method, step by step
Read this part against the whole
Problem Statement is one piece of a larger submission. Read the instructions for every part before you write this one, so the choices you make now (topic, question, population) still work when the later parts arrive.
Lock the topic and the question early
Commit to one problem and one answerable question. In BUSI 885, the parts that follow depend on that question, so time spent sharpening it here is saved later.
Write to the headings the part names
Use the headings in the part's instructions as your section headings, in the same order. Graders check for each element, and a missing heading is the easiest way to lose points.
Support every claim with current evidence
Cite as you write (Your professional literature and the dissertation manual). Prefer peer-reviewed sources from the last five years and say what each one contributes; a citation that only decorates a sentence adds little.
Keep the draft consistent with earlier parts
Reuse the same terms, population and question you used before, and fix anything your instructor flagged in feedback on the previous part. Graders notice when a proposal changes its question halfway through.
Check length and APA before submitting
Check the part against its share of the total length (Not set in the guide; follow the Concept Paper Instructions) and apply current APA throughout. A part that runs far over its share usually contains material that belongs in a later section.
State the general problem in one sentence with citations, then the specific problem in one sentence that names the population and setting. Avoid stating a solution or a gap in literature as the problem; the problem is in practice.
A structure for BUSI 885 Week 4 Problem Statement
Word targets are planning numbers for about 1,000 words of body text, set by the length in the guide; the rubric decides where to spend more.
| Section | What it must do | Target |
|---|---|---|
| General problem | The broad business problem with evidence. | ~340 words |
| Specific problem | The focused problem in a population and setting. | ~400 words |
| Support | Recent scholarly citations. | ~260 words |
A topic angle that works
A strong DBA problem statement moves from a general business problem, supported by evidence, to a specific problem in a defined population and setting that research can address.
Model paragraph with notes
An original paragraph written by our desk to show the register that earns full rubric credit. It is study material: learn the moves, then write your own.
The general problem to be addressed is the high turnover of first-line supervisors in U.S. manufacturing, which raises recruiting and training costs and disrupts production. The specific problem to be addressed is the potential failure of supervisor development programs to reduce turnover among newly promoted supervisors in midsize manufacturing firms in the Southeast, resulting in lost productivity.
- General problem.
- Specific problem.
- Consequence.
Mistakes that cost points on BUSI 885 Week 4
- A topic instead of a problem.
- A gap in literature as the problem.
- No evidence.
Checklist before you submit
- Length: Not set in the guide; follow the Concept Paper Instructions
- Sources: Your professional literature and the dissertation manual
- Matches the topic and question used in the earlier parts
- Instructor feedback on the previous part applied
- Each rubric row read against the section that answers it
Questions students ask
When is the BUSI 885 problem statement due?
In Module/Week 4, before the research questions and the full concept paper.
How many points is BUSI 885 Week 4 Problem Statement worth?
25 points in Liberty's published course guide for BUSI 885, out of a course total of 1,010 points (about 2% of the grade). The rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas shows how those points are divided.
Is BUSI 885 Week 4 the same in every section of BUSI 885?
This guide follows Liberty's published course guide for BUSI 885. Liberty notes that course content can change from term to term, so if your Canvas section shows different instructions, a different week or different points, follow Canvas and your instructor.
Want a tutor to look at your draft?
Send the instructions and what you have so far. A Liberty tutor replies with what to fix first, usually within the hour.