Overview
The purpose of this assignment is to identify a current problem faced by a local emergency management or homeland security agency. By completing this assignment, you will support the need for applied research to help address a research problem.
Note: Topics related to the following are not approved for this course:
- Use of social media in disasters
- Vulnerable populations as participants, which includes but is not limited to the
following:- Victims of abuse, underage or non-English speaking participants,
human trafficking victims, pregnant women, homeless individuals,
prisoners
- Victims of abuse, underage or non-English speaking participants,
- Victims of crime as participants
- The military
- State and federal agencies and organizations
- The general public as participants
You are required to obtain professor approval for your proposed topic, study site, and participant population.
Throughout this course, you will work to develop your capstone project, which is an applied research proposal due in Unit 9. For this assignment, you will select the topic for your applied research proposal, subject to approval by your professor. Look ahead to the requirements for the final Unit 9 Assignment, and the required template for the capstone project.
As you work to identify your topic, consider the following:
- The topic must be within the field of homeland security or emergency management, and specific to a problem currently faced by a homeland security or emergency management organization in the United States. There must be documentation (citations) to support that the problem exists. Research must be designed to generate new knowledge, and therefore the proposed study cannot set out to determine what is already known. The topic selection should aim to extend beyond a general review or evaluation of the literature and intend to fill a gap in literature and/or provide recommendations for an identified problem.
- Consider the organization where the study will take place, and the jurisdiction in which the organization operates. This must be a homeland security or emergency management organization within the United States that is experiencing the problem. Consider background information on the location, demographics, etc. and how the organization is impacted by the problem identified.
- Identify three peer-reviewed studies published within the past five years that support the selected topic as an area of needed research in the field of homeland security or emergency management in the United States. While these need not be specific to the location where the proposed study will take place, they must provide support that research is needed on the proposed topic within the United States.
For This Assignment: Develop a 1-page paper (300-350 words) that sets forth the proposed research topic. Your submission must clearly articulate the topic to be studied, including citations from sources documenting a problem that currently exists and that can be addressed by an applied research study. Identify the homeland security or emergency management organization that will be the study setting, which must be currently experiencing the problem identified. Identify the city and state where the organization is located. Identify three peer-reviewed studies conducted in the United States and published within the past five years that support the need for research on the selected topic.
Write in a scholarly and objective tone, avoiding the use of first person, personal pronouns, contractions, and colloquial or conversational language. Avoid the use of direct quotations. This assignment requires the use of the assigned readings and outside research. Use citations from the assigned readings and three additional scholarly, peer-reviewed sources throughout your assignment to support your content and credit sources of information and ideas.
Topic I picked:
Title:
Emergency Management Staff Retention and Workforce Preparedness in Local Emergency Management Agencies
Study Site
Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Location
Houston, Texas
Problem
Local emergency management agencies across the United States have reported challenges recruiting and retaining qualified personnel. High turnover, burnout, retirements, and increased workload can affect organizational preparedness, institutional knowledge, and emergency response capabilities. While research has examined emergency management workforce issues broadly, there is limited research on how workforce retention affects preparedness and operational readiness within local emergency management agencies.
Why This Topic Works
- Homeland Security and Emergency Management related ✔
- Local agency ✔
- Not military ✔
- Not state or federal ✔
- Not the general public ✔
- Participants can be agency employees ✔
- Current problem with documented evidence ✔
- Easy to identify a research gap ✔
- Plenty of recent peer-reviewed studies ✔
Potential Research Question
How does employee retention influence organizational preparedness within local emergency management agencies?
Potential Gap in Literature
Current studies discuss workforce shortages, burnout, and retention challenges, but fewer studies focus specifically on how retention issues affect preparedness and operational readiness at the local emergency management level. Your study could provide recommendations for improving workforce stability and preparedness.
Why I Like This Better Than Interagency Communication
Many studies have already examined interagency communication and coordination. Your professor specifically says the study should generate new knowledge, not simply confirm what is already known. Workforce retention and preparedness is more likely to provide a clear gap that you can investigate and make recommendations about.
Before you submit Unit 1, I would verify that there are at least three peer-reviewed U.S. studies from 2021–2026 supporting this topic. That will determine whether it is a strong capstone topic and help you build the required literature section.