MT314 Unit 3 Social Problem Definition Brief Example

Course	MT314 Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Unit	Unit 3
Paper type	Problem definition brief
Length	About 500 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 MT314 Unit 3

From a National Problem to One a Shop Could Solve: An MT314 Unit 3 Problem Definition Brief on Car Repair and Job Loss

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

MT314: Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Unit 3 Problem Definition Brief

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The county, interviews and local figures are composite; the national data and sources cited are real.

What this part is doingStating the final one-sentence problem in the lead shows where the funnel will end before it begins.

Step 1: The National Problem

Transportation affects work in several ways. Some people have no car, some have no license and some have a car that stops working. The Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows that most U.S. workers commute by car, and in rural areas the share is higher still (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023). Financial fragility makes a breakdown dangerous. In the Federal Reserve's annual survey of household finances, roughly 63 percent of adults reported they could handle a sudden $400 bill with cash or something close to it (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2024).

Step 2: The County

Marlow County, a composite rural county in Tennessee, has about 58,000 residents. Public buses run only inside the county seat. The median one-way commute is about 24 miles, and the largest employers, a distribution center, two home-health agencies and a food processing plant, are outside town.

Step 3: The Employers

Interviews with human resources managers at six of the county's largest employers asked about the main causes of terminations for attendance. Four of the six named car trouble among the leading causes. Two said the typical pattern was a worker who missed several shifts while saving for a repair, then was let go under the attendance policy before the car was fixed. Repair bills in the cases they described ranged from about $300 for brakes to about $1,500 for a transmission.

The Problem in One Sentence

Hourly workers in Marlow County lose jobs after car repairs costing $300 to $1,500 that they cannot pay quickly enough to keep coming to work.

The problem is not that people lack cars; it is that a working car becomes a broken one at a cost they cannot cover in time.

What this part is doingDefining the problem as a sudden, fixable cost rather than a general transportation barrier gives a venture something it could actually solve.

Exclusions

1. People with no car. Excluded because buying a car is a different problem, with costs several times higher.

2. People without a license. Excluded because the barrier is legal, not mechanical.

3. Repairs over $1,500. Excluded because at that cost many cars are not worth fixing.

4. Job seekers not yet employed. Excluded because keeping a job is more measurable than finding one, and employers can refer workers they already know.

5. Other counties. Excluded at first so that one modest operation could know every major employer.

Why This Narrowing Works

Each step gives up breadth for something a venture can act on.

Martin and Osberg (2007) describe social entrepreneurship as identifying a stable but unjust situation and finding a way to change it. A shop cannot change rural transit, but it can change what happens in the week after a transmission fails.

What this part is doingExplaining what each narrowing step buys shows the exclusions were reasoned, not convenient.

References

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. (2024). Economic well-being of U.S. households in 2023. https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/report-economic-well-being-us-households.htm

Martin, R. L., & Osberg, S. (2007). Social entrepreneurship: The case for definition. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 5(2), 28-39.

U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). Commuting characteristics by sex (American Community Survey Table S0801). https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2023.S0801

The Purdue Global MT314 Unit 3 instructions

In Unit 3 students narrow a broad social problem into one a venture could realistically address. The brief should move from wide to narrow in clear steps, each supported by data appropriate to its level: national statistics, local facts and evidence from the people closest to the problem. Instructors expect each narrowing step to give up breadth deliberately, with the reason stated. The final problem statement should fit in one sentence and be specific about who, where and what. Exclusions should be listed with reasons, so a reader understands what the venture is choosing not to address. A funnel diagram or similar visual is common. The brief is typically shorter than a full paper but should still cite sources for every figure it uses.

Inside the MT314 Unit 3 example

The sample's national step distinguishes having no car, no license and a broken car, then cites Census commuting data and the Federal Reserve survey. The county step describes population, transit and commute distance. The employer step reports four of six interviewed managers naming car trouble and describes the pattern of missed shifts while saving for a repair. The one-sentence problem follows, and a highlighted line defines the problem as a working car becoming a broken one at a cost people cannot cover in time. Five exclusions are listed with reasons, from people with no car to repairs over $1,500. A final section uses Martin and Osberg to explain why the narrowing makes the problem actionable.

Reading the MT314 Unit 3 grading rubric

Problem definition briefs are usually judged on the logic of narrowing, the quality of evidence at each level, the precision of the final statement and the reasoning behind exclusions. Graders reward briefs in which each step has a stated purpose. Evidence should match its level, with national data for the national step and local evidence for the local step. The final statement should be specific and measurable. Exclusions should be explained, not just listed. A source on social entrepreneurship helps frame why narrowing matters. All data sources appear in APA 7 with years. Briefs that stop at a broad problem, such as poverty or transportation, or that narrow without explaining what each step gives up, tend to score lower.

Common MT314 Unit 3 mistakes, and how to avoid them

Problem briefs often stay at the national level, describing a large problem no single venture could address. Another common weakness is narrowing by assertion, without local evidence. Some students write a final statement that is still too broad, such as "people lack transportation." Exclusions are frequently missing. Before drafting, talk to three or four people closest to the problem, such as employers, caseworkers or affected workers, and ask what happens in the week the problem strikes. Their answers usually show where a venture could intervene and give the brief the local evidence its narrowest step needs.

Get an MT314 Unit 3 example written to your instructions

Describe the broad problem your Unit 3 prompt starts from and the place in focus, and add the rubric. Inside 24-48h the brief is back, narrowed in stated steps, evidenced at each width, ending in a one-sentence problem statement with a measurable consequence. No payment is taken for an initial custom sample, which stays with the problem and leaves solutions for later units. 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 MT314 papers and BS in Business Administration samples

MT314 Unit 3 questions, answered

How narrow is too narrow?

When the problem affects too few people to sustain an organization or to show change. The example checks this by estimating how many workers fall inside its band each year, roughly 400 by the employers' own figures. If your narrowed problem shrinks below a workable number, the sample says so and widens one step instead of pretending the count is fine.

Should the brief mention my venture idea?

Generally not yet. Most MT314 problem briefs are graded on the problem alone, and a solution in paragraph one suggests the problem was chosen to fit it. The example never mentions a repair shop. If your prompt explicitly asks for a proposed direction, the sample adds it at the very end, clearly separated from the definition.

Where does local evidence come from without fieldwork?

Public data first: census commuting tables, transit maps, county economic reports and employer announcements. Interviews strengthen a brief when your course permits them, and the example shows how they would be reported. Without interviews, the sample relies on published local reporting and says what primary evidence would confirm the narrowed problem.

Where can I find a free MT314 Unit 3 sample paper?

The complete MT314 Unit 3 problem definition brief is on this page, narrowing transportation barriers to car repair costs and job loss.

What is the final problem statement in the MT314 Unit 3 sample?

Hourly workers in one county lose jobs after car repairs costing $300 to $1,500 that they cannot pay quickly enough to keep coming to work.