MT299 Unit 4 Problem Statement Example

Course	MT299 Associate's Capstone in Management
Unit	Unit 4
Paper type	Problem statement
Length	About 510 words, 4 pages double-spaced
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Purdue University Global
Program	BS in Business Administration
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for MT299 Unit 4

One Sentence for the Person Who Pays: A Unit 4 Problem Statement on Discarded Flowers at Hartwell Florist

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

MT299: Associate's Capstone in Management

Unit 4 Problem Statement

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

Hartwell Florist, its people, the discard log and every figure are composite and illustrative; the sources cited are real.

What this part is doingWriting the problem as one sentence for the owner in the lead tells the reader every later section must support that sentence.

The Problem

Hartwell Florist discards about 22 percent of the fresh-cut stems it buys, roughly $28,000 a year at cost, and most of the loss traces to a Thursday order still sized for weekend walk-in trade that has largely moved to the shop's website.

Evidence

In its opening fortnight, the discard log recorded 1,140 stems thrown away out of 5,200 received, about 21.9 percent by count and about 22 percent by cost. The lead designer and the author recorded every discard with its type, its delivery day and the reason.

A year of wholesaler invoices shows that the Thursday standing order has been the same size, about 1,650 stems, for six years. Over the same period, point-of-sale reports show walk-in sales down about a third since 2019, while website orders, which are mostly placed earlier in the week for delivery, have grown.

The log splits discards by delivery day:

Stems from the Thursday delivery: about 60 percent of discarded cost

Stems from the Monday delivery: about 40 percent

The Thursday order was built for a Friday and Saturday walk-in rush that now brings in about a third fewer customers. Kepner and Tregoe (2013) recommend stating a problem in terms of what changed and when, and here the change is plain: demand moved, and the order did not.

The order still expects the customers who now shop on the website.

What This Is Not

Three other explanations were considered and set aside, each for a reason. Theft is unlikely, because discarded stems are counted at the compost bin and match the shortfall between purchases and sales. Designer error is unlikely, since discards are spread across all designers' shifts and are mostly whole bunches never opened. And poor quality from the wholesaler is unlikely, since the log records only 4 percent of discards as damaged on arrival; most were wilted after several days in the cooler.

What this part is doingRuling out other causes with reasons shows the problem statement has tested its own explanation.

Impact

At about $28,000 a year, discarded flowers cost more than the annual wages of one part-time designer and about a fifth of everything the shop spends on fresh-cut stems. The shop's margin is thin enough that this sum is the difference between a comfortable year and a tight one.

Target and Measure

The target is to reduce discarded cost to about 13 percent of fresh purchases. The measure is discarded cost divided by purchase cost, each month, from the log and the invoices. A deliberate reserve of white and green stems for sympathy work, if one is created, will be counted separately, since it is a planned cost rather than waste. Saunders et al. (2019) stress fixing a measure before results are known, which keeps anyone from bending it later to suit the outcome.

What this part is doingFixing the measure and excluding the sympathy reserve now prevents the target from being redefined once results arrive.

References

Kepner, C. H., & Tregoe, B. B. (2013). The new rational manager (Updated ed.). Kepner-Tregoe.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2019). Research methods for business students (8th ed.). Pearson.

The Purdue Global MT299 Unit 4 instructions

Unit 4 of the capstone pins down the problem the project exists to fix. Prompts commonly want that problem compressed to one or two sentences, then proof that it exists, its effect on the organization, the likely cause where early data supports one and the measure that will show improvement. Some sections ask what the problem is not, meaning other explanations considered and set aside. The statement should describe a gap between what happens and what should happen, in terms the organization's decision maker would accept, and it should avoid naming a solution, since options come later. Early data, even two weeks of a log, is welcome here and makes the statement credible. One to three pages is typical, with the core sentence set apart and short headed sections for evidence, impact and measure, citing a problem analysis or research methods source in APA style.

How this MT299 Unit 4 example is built

Hartwell's statement puts its core sentence in bold under the first heading: the share of stems discarded, the annual cost and the Thursday order as the likely cause. The evidence section reports the log's first two weeks, 1,140 of 5,200 stems, then uses invoices to show the Thursday order unchanged for six years while counter sales fell by a third. A short list splits discarded cost 60 to 40 between the Thursday and Monday deliveries, and Kepner and Tregoe support describing the problem as a change in demand the order never followed. The highlighted line puts it plainly: the order still expects customers who now shop online. A section titled What This Is Not dismisses theft, designer error and poor wholesaler quality, each with a reason from the log. Impact compares the loss to a part-time designer's wages, and the target section fixes the measure and separates the sympathy reserve.

Where the points sit in the MT299 Unit 4 rubric

Problem statement rubrics usually look for precision, evidence, significance and a measurable target. Precision credit goes to a sentence that names who is affected, what is happening, how much and since when; vague statements about inefficiency score poorly however long the paper. Evidence is judged on its source and fit, so early counts from the organization's own records outweigh general claims from articles. Significance asks why the organization should care, often in dollars or customer effects. Many instructors give credit for alternative explanations considered, because testing a cause shows analytic discipline. The measure must be defined tightly enough that it cannot drift later, which is why the florist sample excludes the planned sympathy reserve now. A statement that slips a solution into the problem, such as needs a new ordering system, loses marks. Clear headings and correctly formatted APA references for any cited methods text complete the rubric in most sections.

MT299 Unit 4 help: mistakes that cost points

Problem statements are often sent back for describing a solution instead of a problem, for example stating that the shop needs inventory software. Another common weakness is a cause asserted as fact before any evidence, which leaves nothing for the research unit to test. Some students write the problem as a topic, waste or turnover, with no figure or time frame attached. Others present impact without a source, guessing at costs the owner could easily contradict. Leaving the measure loose invites trouble in the final report, when results come in and the definition is tempted to bend. Start from the numbers you already hold, even a week's counts, and write the sentence a manager would recognize as true of their own business. If a few counts are in your notebook but the core sentence keeps coming out vague, send those counts with your prompt and we can help you shape the statement around them.

Get an MT299 Unit 4 example written to your instructions

Send whatever you have learned about the problem so far, even partial counts, with the problem statement instructions and rubric. The custom statement written from your evidence puts the problem in one fundable sentence and separates what is known from what is suspected. Turnaround is 24-48h, and a first statement is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.

More MT299 papers and BS in Business Administration samples

MT299 Unit 4 questions, answered

Can the problem statement include a cause?

A probable cause, clearly labeled, is helpful when the evidence supports it. What weakens a statement is a cause presented as certain before any research, or a solution disguised as a problem. Stating that waste traces mostly to one order, based on early data, points the research without deciding the answer. The research summary can then confirm or correct it.

How long should the problem statement be?

The core is one or two sentences, and the supporting sections usually run a page or two, depending on your rubric. The sentence carries the weight; everything else supplies evidence, impact and the measure. If your instructor asks for a single paragraph, compress the sections into sentences that follow the same order.

What if early data contradicts what the owner believes?

Report it carefully and respectfully. Owners often suspect a familiar cause, and a capstone that tests the belief with evidence is doing its job. Presenting the data, acknowledging what remains uncertain and avoiding blame makes the finding easier to accept. The disagreement itself can become a useful point in the final reflection.

Where can I find a free MT299 Unit 4 sample paper?

You can read the full MT299 Unit 4 problem statement on this page. It states a composite florist's flower waste in one sentence, supports it with two weeks of discard counts and six years of invoices, and fixes the target and measure.

How does the MT299 Unit 4 sample rule out other causes?

It tests three alternatives against the discard log. Counted stems match the gap between purchases and sales, so theft is unlikely; discards spread across every designer's shifts; and only 4 percent arrived damaged, which clears the wholesaler.