Purpose. A written paper is an important opportunity for students to demonstrate an
understanding of theory, concepts, and practices. More importantly, it allows students to
further develop written communication skills. Therefore, success in this course depends on the
preparedness and active engagement of every student.
Criteria. Each paper must be an original work that integrates analytical and critical thinking
skills using content from the course, industry, and other sources (see Table 6). Constructing the
paper involves techniques such as gathering information, typing, analyzing, critically-thinking,
citing resources using APA style, and formatting. Each paper should adhere to the following
requirements:
Development of the mini-paper:
Review the rubric (Table 6);
Read the article with purpose—this article is summary of a study that solved an industry
problem, concern, or gap (problem);
Analyze the topic with a focus on the results (ask yourself, what is the point of this article and
what did the study achieve?);
Simplify the goals or results of the study;
Gather additional information and critically-think about further innovative analyses, queries, or
theories surrounding the problem; consider other solutions you could contribute to the results
using resources found online and from your reading and experience to support the analysis,
discussion, and conclusion (how could you take the benefit of the study even farther?);
Synthesize concepts used by the authors, discuss major factors in the article, and personally
evaluate the problem and the solution; then
Write the paper.
Document criteria:
Please do not put your name or any other personal information on the page;
Implement 10 point, Times New Roman font, 1 inch borders, 1.5 spacing, and no added space
both before and after each paragraph;
Cite [in-text and at the end of the document] at least one source following APA format (properly
cite (Links to an external site.)to create the end-of-paper “reference cited / bibliography / work
cited” section;
Written elements, such as selection of descriptives/visuals, choice of data tables, and figures
shall not influence the total number of pages (fluency with excel to compliment other
descriptive visuals in the project begins with Microsoft Excel training (Links to an external
site.)and Excel Basics (Links to an external site.));
Aim the content at an industry executive; for instance, the regional general manager of a
national luxury lodging corporation, the food and beverage director for a global restaurant
chain, the director of human resources for a cruise line brand, or the chief financial officer of
regional event planning company; and
Check for flow, grammar, and goal achievement.
Task. Write a [maximum] one-page paper using the following four-part outline:
Paragraph one: Summary. In your own words (do not copy and paste the abstract or
introduction), state the problem, concern, or gap that was resolved by the study.
Paragraph two: Results. In your own words, critically-think about the benefits of the study
using resources found online and from your reading and experience.
Paragraph three: Discussion. In your own words, build upon [and continue the conversation
about] the discussion/implications already mentioned in the article using innovative resources
found online and from your reading and experience.
Final sentence: Work cited. List your mandatory external resource using APA format (Links to
an external site.).
Review: use the Paper rubric to earn the highest score.
