Jael Yvette Avila

Writing within the Hotel

Restaurant

Tourism

Management Field

3

Table of Contents

Introduction 2

Resources 3

Overview 4

Professor Interview Preocess 5

Student Interview Preocess 8

Your work defines who you are 11

Operations Report Flow Chart 12

Growing Trends 13

American Psychological Association 14

Genre Investigation 15

Proposal for Change 21

Letter from the Author

My first year at the University of Denver has been a remarkable experience. I have been very impressed with all of the different majors the university has to offer. Although I may have started off the year as undeclared, I can now say that I am an intended hospitality major. One of the primary reasons why I did not know what I wanted to major in was due to the lack of research I had done on any major. Through an extensive process of research and analyzing my sources, I have truly come to appreciate the Hotel Restaurant Tourism Management field.

Throughout my research process I have also

been able to learn more about rhetorical elements of any types of writing in all different fields. Overall, I was able to learn new methods, skills, and strategies when researching, interviewing, and analyzing my sources. I hope that this portfolio accurately conveys my findings and provides you with basic information about the hospitality field.

OPERATIONS REPORT

FLOW CHART

YOUR WORK DEFINES

WHO YOU ARE

GROWING TRENDS

HRTM Introduction

3

Resources Eric Lane

•Senior Director of Operations at the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management/Joy Burns.

•E-mail: elane4@du.edu

•Professor Lane has been teaching different introductory to advanced HRTM courses at the University of Denver for six years. Having worked in the food and beverage industry for a long time, he has an overabundance of useful information on different aspects of the hospitality management degree (such as the importance of writing within the field). I will be interviewing him to find out the basic components and implications of a hospitality degree, which will ultimately have the most influence in shaping/guiding the direction of the research paper. One of the few limitations that the interview with Professor Lane might have is that he has a focus on the food and beverage component of hospitality; therefore, he may not have as much information about the various aspects of the lodging side.

Kylee Swiggart

•Student majoring in Hospitality Management

•E-mail: k_swiggart@hotmail.com

•Miss Kylee Swiggart was be able to provide me with a unique perspective about the different types of writing that a person in the hospitality industry will use. This is due to the writing requirements the she has fulfilled throughout the years in order to complete her course at the hospitality school. Some of the limitations that this interview had is that the she had a limited amount of actual work experience in the field. For example, the she was not be able to fully explain the types of writing on the management side of operations, but she was able to provide me with a unique insight regarding writing assignments.

Nation's Restaurant

News

•Web Site: http://nrn.com

•The Nation's Restaurant News was a useful resource in the writing process because this website is able to filter and display specific information regarding different aspects of different types of restaurants. The advantage of using this resource is that it can display a multitude of accurate updated information about the restaurant portion of the HRTM field. This was a component that helped guide my paper in terms of the tyoes of articles and content that I found within the site.. Some of the limitations I encountered included specific and opinion based articles. Since this site reviews all restaurants, each article featured an organization vs. a general understanding of the field. It was difficult finding information that stretched across the board only because restaurants are so unique.

Hotel Online

•Web Site: http://www.hotel-online.com

•This resource offers a variety of links to hospitality news, industry resources, and access to an extensive archive. The advantages of this source were that it not only included specific hotel information, but also general information on the other aspects of the hospitality hield. The limitations with this resource were that there was be a limited amount of results, so I was not able to extract as much information over every topic as I had anticipated. Also the language is directly in relation with the field, so there should be some sort of basic vacaulary knowledge before reading any articles.

DU Writing Center

•Web Site: http://duwriting.org

•The University’s writing center may be very useful because it is a support center for student writing at any stage of the writing process. This could help in the beginning research process, if I find myself being “stuck,” and/or if I need feedback on what I have already written. A benefit from the writing center is that fellow students give each other feedback, rather than doing the work for you. This is a very helpful tool, because it will help build the necessary skills for successful writing. Some of the limitations with this resource may be that the students helping may not be as familiarized with the topic I am writing about, which may slow down the feedback process a bit

Compatibility is essential between a student and their intended major.

Commonly sought out characteristics in students seeking the hospitality

major require for a person to be polite, detail oriented, problem-solving,

flexible, understanding, approachable, as well as invested in improving a

guest’s experience. All of these qualities are mandatory for any associates

interacting at “moments of truth,” or interacting with the guest while being

at “the front of the house.” This therefore queues the characteristics

necessary for a successful associate in “back of the house,” which include

honesty, optimism, self-motivated, team players, dependable, effective

communicator, and most importantly have the ability to write in the field. A

business professional in the hospitality industry should be familiarized with

the proper use of/be able to effectively read and write an e-mail, memo,

proposal, contract, training guide, shift report, performance review, and

operational assessment. Although this might seem overwhelming, the

benefits of familiarizing and understanding the diverse forms of writing, or

genres in the hospitality management field are valuable.

Not only does this field guide contain information about the different

types of genres in the hospitality field, but also other useful introductory

points about the industry and its writing. Included is a list of suggestions

when writing to upper management, components of an operational

assessment, an American Psychological Association Style Guide, and a list

of major trends in hospitality. These brief components of the field guide will

widen your understanding of the hospitality management field and the

types of writing within it.

Overview

5

The interview with Professor Eric Lane was very informative in terms of what is

expected from a student in an introductory course all the way to graduate courses.

When a student begins writing specifically for the HRTM field, they must keep in mind

that communication is key because it becomes an opportunity to demonstrate your

understanding and individual capabilities. Some of the reminders Eric provided

included reviewing all types of writing that are submitted because your writing can

speak great lengths about who you are as an employee and colleague. An example

of this can be seen in an email to the owner of an establishment, if it has typos, people

will begin to question the writer’s competency which can jeopardize your reputation.

In the HRTM field you will be servicing a diversity of guests and you do not want to risk

taking any shortcuts because this too can hurt the establishment’s reputation.

Overall there are very few times when it is acceptable to write informally. This is

so with shift reports because they are factual and have

almost no opinion based writing. Even then, if there is

any type of grammatical error it can affect the overall

tone; it is important to keep in mind with everything

being electronic, the document could easily be

forwarded to your superiors. In an introductory course

creativity and interpretation are encouraged, but the

higher the course level, the more structured the style of

writing has to be. This is because professors have no way

of knowing what kind of writing foundation you have

from high school, but by the time you reach junior and

senior level classes there will be a foundation and

expectations will also be higher. There is also an added presentation component with

graduate courses. At this point students will start building their experience within the

field and their experiences will begin to guide their writing.

Professor Interview Preocess

Jael: What types of writing do you

assign for your HRTM classes?

Eric: Typically it is what I would term

“business writing.” It is fairly structured,

somewhat formal, we use APA in terms

of style guide, it really depends on the

class and the project.

Jael: By APA, you mean….?

Eric: American Psychological

Association, most folks in business use a

certain style guide. Stylistically there is

MLA, Chicago, APA, etc. so typically I use

APA. Again, it is on the contingent of

the class.

Jael: For our class…?

Eric: My expectations will not be super

high; I usually make a standing offer that

if student submit their work in advance

a couple of days, I will proof it and edit

it, and send it back to you so you could

send it back. A lot of times students have

not had the opportunity to do these

types of writing.

Jael: What components do you look for

in an entry level class?

Eric: Complete sentences, coherent

thoughts, good beginning, body, and

conclusion. Sometimes when you are

reading a paper it just abruptly stops,

and you are kind of left in the lurch, you

are left wanting. It is really good when

you have a beginning introduction, a

body, and a nice conclusion that ties

everything together.

Jael: What are some of the most

common types of writing with in the

hospitality field?

Eric: Typically we see a lot of e-mail; I am

sending e-mails constantly because they

are sent back and forth and memos to a

degree, contracts, often with my

managers I outline my performance

concerns. So you might see a

performance review or an improvement

plan.

Jael: what caught my attention in one

of our classes was something that you

mentioned in regards to an operations

review while you were working for the

corporate offices. Can you tell me a little

more about that?

Eric: For a couple of years I traveled for a

casino company, and I would do an

operational assessment. So I would stay

at a property for 3 to 5 days, dine at all

the venues, and everything else. We

7

would put together a big giant report,

and believe it or not, we did that in

excel. We would put together this big

giant report so that when you got

together all of your scores it would roll

up to a total property score. We built it

in excel so that it would calculate,

because then we would write the little

stories in and everything else, they

would have to be bullets because you

are writing in excel, and people do not

want to read paragraphs. This was

presented to the general manager

upon our departure, so we would bring

all of the folks together and give them a

debrief. Sometimes it went well,

sometimes not.

Jael: So when you are writing these

reports, who do you have in mind as

your primary audience? Do you make it

only for upper management? Or for

your peers too?

Eric: Typically for upper management

because it is for the corporate offices.

You are functioning and acting on a

higher level. You are the one that is

traveling to show everyone the right

way to do things, and correct those

things that aren’t.

Jael: Do you think that upper

management prefers to have these

bulleted reports versus a full on

operations review formatted into

paragraphs?

Eric: It is sweet, it is to the point. Time is

very valuable for upper management,

so you don’t want to waste it. You want

to make sure you are expedient and

efficient. I don’t want to read a

paragraph; for these people, if they are

handed this huge document they will

read the first couple of pages, but ehh,

they get bored. They check out short,

sweet, to the point works well, once you

are in corporate America there is no

room for fluff. If you are going to write

fluff it is usually for a press release, it is for

people that are not in our industry. You

will want to refrain from using our

acronyms, because people outside of

our industry do not understand them.

Like FOH and BOH – front of the house

and back of the house.

The interview with the student Kylee Swiggart also went really well because she

was able to provide insight on the classroom setting. This in turn shifted into a

conversation about how the classroom prepares the student for the HRTM field. I

found it to be interesting that Kylee was able to

confirm almost everything that Professor Eric Lane said

in his interview. She emphasized on the importance of

grammar and spelling when submitting her writing

assignments to her professors. This is so important

because it truly demonstrates the extent of

comprehension and ability to express your thoughts.

Most of the classroom writing assignments required

some sort of analysis of an article. Interestingly enough Kylee mentioned that students

should not “fluff” their response with summary nor pointless details, rather clearly state

your purpose and ideas. The majority of these assignments allow students to

incorporate their personal experiences in relation to the article that they are analyzing.

This allows students to truly make connections between the classroom and workplace.

An interesting point that Kylee stated was how she prefers to make personal

appointments with professors when she needs help brainstorming for the

assignment’s content. The University of Denver has a writing center, but this writing

center seems to be more helpful with grammatical and style errors versus quality of

content. It would be interesting to see the writing center evolve into a well-rounded

help center.

Student Interview Preocess

Jael: What types of writing do you do most often for HRTM classes? Kylee: While I have only taken a total of 4 HRTM classes, most of the time I write journal article reviews, short essays, and short answers on exams. I've also done restaurant reviews. Jael: What do you think your professors look for when they evaluate your writing? Kylee: I think they look for understanding of the topic, and that you put serious thought and energy into answering whatever topic or theme is at hand. Grammar and spelling is also important, but understanding and demonstrating that understanding is most important. Jael: Who do you imagine as your audience when you do these types of writing, and how would you characterize that audience (what do they value, etc)? Kylee: When I do journal article reviews, I imagine my audience as the hospitality industry looking for the importance and the key points on the articles I am writing about. I would say these people value the main arguments and points in an article, and aren't necessarily interested in the fluffy details that are sometimes included in articles. They want the information, and the points that will make a difference in their business or personal growth. Jael: What advice about writing would you give freshman considering HRTM? What do you wish you'd known going in? Kylee: I would let them know that it is important not to jump around the topic or add in unnecessary details. If you can

make your point in a couple of sentences, and do so effectively and demonstrating your knowledge, that is more beneficial than writing an entire paragraph or page. I also think that in the hospitality industry, it is important to give personal experience and relate it to something you have firsthand experience with, because it shows your authority and that you have previous experience. Jael: Where do you go to get help on your writing? Do you meet with your professors, writing center, work with classmates? Kylee: When I need help with writing, I meet with the professor for the class I am writing for. I feel I have a strong grasp on grammar, sentence structure, etc., and therefore don't need the help that is often provided in the writing center. My professors often have great ideas on content and where to go with a certain idea or theme I may have. Jael: How much do you know about the types of writing you'll be expected to do as a professional? In what ways are your classes preparing you for these types of writing, an what areas do you wish you were getting more instruction or preparation in? Kylee: As a professional, I have a feeling I will need to write many emails, proposals, and other types of professional documents. In my Sales and Marketing class, we are specifically being prepared to write proposals and to respond to proposals by having first- hand experience in it, and doing a mock process with an outside event planner. I write many emails every day, and one thing that I would find beneficial would

be to have a micro-course on how to be professional over email. Jael: What kinds of research do you have to do as a HRTM major? What do you find most challenging about doing these kinds of research? Kylee: As an HRTM major, we need to do research on current topics and technologies, as well as current events that are going on throughout the world. The interesting thing about hospitality is that it is affected by everything: the environment, politics, the economy, etc. What is most challenging about this is that there is a vast and eternal amount of information that could be discussed and researched. Jael: IN what ways do you see technology changing the kinds of writing you'll be expected to do as a professional? How have the classes you've taken at DU prepared (or not prepared) you for these changes? Kylee: I anticipate that hand written things will be slimming down significantly in the future. If something can be input on a computer, tablet, or anything technology related, it will be in the future. Because DU offers many technology courses, and there is a technology course specifically for hospitality students as well. Jael: How would you characterize what makes "good" writing in the major? Kylee: I would say that someone who is a "good" writer is someone who comprehends the material, and relates it back to why it is important to modern day society and the hospitality world. I also think that someone who is truly a

good writer is someone who can have a personal opinion on what they are writing about, and is able to share that opinion in a clear and concise way. Jael: What do your professors do in order to help you become a better writer? What kinds of feedback do they give you? Kylee: When professors give an honest critique of a piece of writing, with both positive and negative critiques, that is the best kind. If I only get one or the only, I am less likely to take it seriously than if I get both types of feedback. I like feedback when it is more detailed (not the entire paper, but you can obviously tell that the professor read the piece of writing). Jael: Are you allowed to revise and resubmit your writing in all/most/many/some/none of your classes? Kylee: I have never been able to revise/resubmit my writing in a class. I have been able to turn it in late for a lower grade, but not revise it (excluding rought draft vs. final drafts in my writing classes). Jael: What else do you think I should know that I haven't asked about already? Kylee: I think that it would be very interesting to go more into the topic about how technology will affect writing in the future. While this is not hospitality specific, it is something that will make a huge difference in the way we do business in the future, and it is a very good point to bring up!

11

10 Suggestions to Keep In Mind When Writing to Upper Management

1. Always proof read for wording and sentence structure errors

2. Watch the punctuation!

3. Spell check….with a human, not just with a machine

4. Use appropriate word choice for the recipient of the

document

5. Do not use contractions

6. Organize your ideas to ensure recipient follows your point

7. Never write while you are angry, some conversations should

be held in person

8. Be as thorough as possible, without being condescending

9. Notice the overall tone of the document, try to be positive

10. To ensure quality: save the document as a draft, revise, then

send

This list may come in handy when writing your resume, emailing,

interviewing, and evaluating performances.

Your work

defines who

you are

This flow chart demonstrates the importance and reveals a description of the major components of an operations report.

Operations Report Flow Chart

Lodging Operations

•Cleanliness, amenities, ambiance, guest services, etc. all contribute in determining the lodging experience.

•Sercive during hours of operation, employee staffing guidelines, restaurant concepts, menu pricing, etc. all allow for an evaluation of the food and beverage operations.

Accounting Office

Operations

•"Uniform Systems of Financial Reporting for Clubs" can help compare the financial status of the establishment in comparison with others in the industry

Tax Status Operations

•Precise record keeping and information from the IRS guidelines will evaluate whether or not an establishment is tax exempt or not. This report also insures the club is benefiting from due tax credits and deductions.

•This allows upper management to review if the establishment is up to date with current federal and state regulations on fair labor standards (hour or wage) and independent contractor classifications. Also helps process tips and gratuities for proper tip credits or worker's compensation insurance exemtions on excess tips. This also determines if certain services are subjects to sales tax in particular states.

13

Sustainability

• The industry is focused on having a positive environmental impact. Businesses are promoting "green" changes in their establishments from recycling to lighting.

Globalization

• HRTM organizations are determined to expand accross borders and service a multitude of guests in efforts to promote and encourage diversity.

Safety and Security

• Unfortunately the crime rate has been increasing throughout the years. HRTM establishments are collaborating a lot more with authorities to ensure guests' saftey at the airport, transportation, and at the resorts.

Technology

• The constant evolution of gadgets and programs facilitate the "back of the house" operations. Some obstacles include training and retraining employees to efficiently use the new technology. Although there are obstacles, the benefits include improving a guest's experice.

Service

• Although the HRTM field is dedicated to serving guests, not all organizations offer remarkable service. A reputation is built over years, and therefore employees must receive constant training and encouragement with their guest service skills.

Diversity

• Many establishments have reveived outstanding reviews and have become a popular destination for international guests. Not only do organizations focus on attracting a diverse crowd of guests, but they also prioritize increasing employee diversity. This allows for a continued balance in the work place.

Growing Trends

American Psychological Association

Why use APA?

• Organization allows audience to follow author's main ideas more easily.

• Constant formatting prevents readers from being distracted.

General Format

• Includes a clear title page, abstract, and reference pages. These components emphasize and encourage organization of the work, so that main ideas are clearly stated and explained.

Benefits

• Encourages identifying and preventing gender, race, disability, and sexual bias.

• Could be used in the business field, medical (specifically nursing), and social science field.

Basics

• Common types of APA papers includes experimental reports, which in turn is similar to operations reports.

• Point of view, word choice, and clarity are precise.

APA

Guide

15

All underclassmen could be grouped into two different categories as they commence their academic

journeys: declared or undeclared. Those that have already declared their intended major will rapidly advance

from introductory courses all the way to graduate courses. On the other hand, all undeclared students will

explore their options until they find an appropriate fit. Either way, both types of students will discover the

prevalence of writing within different majors. This can therefore suggest that the types of writing in a profession

can be as unique as the major itself because of the particular characteristics in the field. I have chosen to analyze

syllabus, PowerPoint, essays, rubrics, resumes, and shift reports.

These types of writing can be broken down in to genres, or individually structured works that fulfill an

action. When one is first introduced to the term “genre,” one might immediately think of categories, but a genre

(in this context) is much more specific. For example, business genres include: emails, social networking,

operational reviews, proposals, resumes, interviews, press releases, newsletters, memos, etc. These genres are

driven by excigence, or the motive to solve a communication hitch. A genre also has a social action, or in other

words a purpose for why it was developed. A press release’s social action is to inform the public of a

company’s inner workings. When writing, a person must keep in mind the constraints, or guidelines that the

genre has, such as: formatting requirements, rhetorical situation (setting), and rhetorical audience (who will read

the piece). Another component that will help facilitate the understanding of these constraints is recognizing the

genre’s antecedents, or previous versions that lead to the formation of the genre. One could easily build off of

the foundation to achieve a greater outcome. This could be said of a letter with email. The content of the genre

will most likely include like statements (comparisons that simplify concepts) and not statements (comparisons

of components, not of the whole). A simple example of a not statement is how a dog is like a wolf, but is not a

wolf. A balanced approach to all of the above components contributes the identification of the multiple genres.

Genre Investigation

Two factors that determine the success of a genre could be classified as kairos and uptake. Kairos is the

timing of the delivery of the genre. This could be considered at a wedding, the best man must give his speech at

the reception, not at the wedding ceremony. Uptake could be described as the efficiency of the genre to transmit

the author’s ideas to the audience. This allows for criticism of the content and organization because these hold

the power to how well the audience understands. By tracking the effectiveness of the kairos and uptake, the

genre’s overall ability and capability to communicate can be determined.

In the business category there are hundreds of genres that could be explored or presented. In every field

the social action, constraints, and antecedent could vary tremendously because of the end goals of an industry.

An over simplified example could be seen in an accounting firm, they are responsible for the finances, and they

determine a budget along with methods of abiding to the budget; whereas a hotel’s goal is to be as hospitable

and accommodating to their guests. Even with genres overlapping, each profession has redefined every genre.

The Hotel Restaurant Tourism Management (HRTM) field has done so in terms of what the industry values the

most.

Through the academic route, HRTM courses have further specified their values where the profession is

taught: in the classroom. When most students register for their courses they read a brief course description and

decide whether or not to join the class. Once the quarter begins, students must review the course syllabus

(genre) and determine if they want to stay or drop the class. The social action of a syllabus therefore has a lot of

responsibility, as it must inform the students of all aspects of the course. After reviewing a syllabus from an

introductory course: Exploring Hospitality Management and a more advanced class: Hospitality Information

Systems and Technology, there were multiple similarities in the syllabi’s makings. First and foremost there was

a course description, a list of prerequisites necessary to take the class, information about the class times and

location, the professor’s information, required materials, desired outcomes after taking the class, evaluation

scale, summary of major assignments, and tentative schedule. In order for this genre to be effective with the

student audience, the professor must ensure they are being detailed about the class and organizing the

information in an effective format. This is due to the fact that a syllabus is in essence a continued form of the

initial course description.

17

A syllabus also has quite a bit of flexibility in the way it is formatted. A professor should include the

necessary components, but also has the option of adding images, further background on him/her, or other

information about the department. These primary constraints are put in place because of the rhetorical situation

that is the student in search for a class or that need to know what the class is about/what it has to offer them.

Since the student is the audience, it is important for the professor to inform the student, but must be careful not

to overwhelm with information because this could lead to the student dropping the class. It is necessary to note

that the majority of the information of the syllabus must be final, such as make up assignment procedures and

required class materials. With this in mind, an issue presents itself because the schedule will never be final;

students must constantly be checking information outlets such as Blackboard and their personal e-mail to find

out if class has been canceled, moved, postponed, etc. Considering the average length of this genre is at seven

pages, it is interesting to consider the impact a syllabus can have on a student’s decision on a course.

Since the syllabus provides the class description and expectations, student produced genres can be

derived from the syllabus. This is because the syllabus provides a map for the students’ assignments. Key

assignments include PowerPoint presentations that visually display research content to the audience with brief

presentation points. I reviewed a couple of PowerPoint’s and noticed the genre’s features included brief bullet

points, organized content, professionally appealing (not too many transitions), and no spelling nor grammar

errors. This style of PowerPoint was definitely derived from the format of a poster because of the components:

introduction/title, summary/description, the benefits, implications, the down side, suggestions for improvement,

and a relatable example of the subject. Even though these are consistent parts of a PowerPoint, there is also a

possibility for variation. This all depends on the depth of the information that needs to be presented; one could

choose to include more bullets or more visual components such as images or short videos. Since students will

most likely present these presentations before a panel of professionals or in front of the professor, the

PowerPoint must remain as professional as possible.

A quality that will allow the PowerPoint to be more effective is simplicity because the information

comes across as being clearer to the audience. It is also important to keep in mind that they are listening to the

highlights of the research that was conducted, not a summary of the research. The intended purpose of

PowerPoint’s is to be a presentation aid, which is primarily why brief bullet points are preferred. These bullets

should serve as talking pints, or as an outline of the presentation. One of the few issues that relates to

PowerPoint is the presentation and further review. From the different examples I saw, the average length was at

15 slides. The amount of transition animations also varied, which can mean that transitions should be used in

moderation otherwise they take away from the content. If a professor wanted to review the student’s

PowerPoint, it wouldn’t necessarily help remember details from the presentation, rather the main points, since

brief bullet points are recommended.

Another student produced genre that is often used is essay formatted homework responses. A very

important theme within the HRTM field is globalization, or extending to all parts of the world. In order for this

occur, a prospective HRTM major must be knowledgeable and up to date with world events, technology

advances, and industry changes. Professors encourage student to get in the habit of this by assigning homework

responses based on recently published articles. These articles can be specific to hotels, restaurants, and travel.

The homework responses on these articles allow student to transmit their understanding of the article, and it’s

implication to the professor. Most of these responses are formatted with an introduction, brief summary of the

article, interesting points that are relatable to their own experiences, and a conclusion. It is interesting to note

how professors expect students to tie in the student’s personal experience in with the article. I find this to be

very advantageous because this method may allow students to further comprehend the implications the article

touches on. The major expectations within this field include correct grammar and spelling, evidence to support

the response, and organization. These elements are very important because they help mold an educated response

to the reading assignments.

Articles and other reading assignments used to be discussed as a class, and they still are, but in an essay

professors are able to evaluate a student’s progress on an individual basis. This is due to the fact that students

are expected to not only summarize, but also analyze and derive a conclusion from the reading assignment.

Since this is a type of assessment, there is very little room for formatting changes; students are usually expected

to remain consistent with their paragraph formatted essays. This format is most commonly used because it

19

allows the student to break up their main ideas and add support to their thoughts. The rhetorical situation of this

genre goes back to the idea of reading the article and being able to articulate the individual perceptions of the

subject, through this format a student can demonstrate their capabilities. Since the student’s audience is the

professor, the essays most often are polished, clear, and organized. The only issues that classroom essays do not

allow the student to include are relevant visuals to accompany their response. This is a problem because in some

cases visuals such as graphs or pictographs do in fact support the paragraph’s content.

The student produced essays tie back in with classroom genres, such as grading rubrics. Their purpose is

to inform student of the assignment expectations. If a student follows the guidelines in the rubric they will most

likely receive their desired grade. The way most of the rubrics are organized is in a table format. The rows hold

categories such as title page, thesis statement, introduction, and body, organization-structural development of

ideas, conclusion, mechanics, usage, citation, and bibliography. The columns are then titled: exceeds standards,

meets standards, nearly meets standards, and does not meet standards. As seen from this example of a rubric, it

must be clear, detailed, and organized. Since it is an important component in influencing a student’s work, there

is no room for changes. Rubrics need to remain consistent so students know how to write for the major. The

only issue that may result from rubrics is that every assignment varies in particular expectations; therefore one

rubric should not be used across the board. I find it interesting what Professor Eric Lane said in his interview

about how a rubric is the guide to a good grade for underclassmen, especially because it is so detailed.

Professors build their rubrics while keeping in mind that underclassmen are very limited in their writing

foundations from high school. This standard then changes for juniors and seniors because they should have

already been building their writing foundation and would therefore need less specific direction from a rubric.

Once a student is making adequate progress, and is able to graduate with an HRTM major, it is

necessary for them to have a resume. The social action of this genre is to allow employers to review an

individual’s qualifications and experience. This can be assessed though the different categories of the resume:

objective, skills, certifications, current impact, professional experience, education, and accomplishments.

Requirements include for the resume to be detailed, accurate, professional, and updated. To ensure credibility

references are usually requested. Here a person is able to list previous employers or a family friend that know

the applicant’s work ethic and is able to “vouch” for them. The only room for change for a resume is if an

additional portfolio of notable work is added, though this is very uncommon.

In essence, the alternate purpose of this genre is to pitch, or convince an employer of your abilities.

While doing so it is important to maintain yourself humble and modest because it could lead employers to

believe otherwise, thus costing you the job. One of the implications with a resume is that there is a need for it to

be as polished and professional as possible; because of this not all people are completely honest, and feel the

need to cover up some of their wrong doings. This genre if submitted properly could lead to a face to face

interview.

Once you get a job within the HRTM field one of the most common genres of writing is done through

shift reports. These reports give employees the opportunity to formally write up the day’s occurrences. They are

formatted with two sections: daily logs and staff journals. The daily logs is where the writing is done. The

report will display the date, the employee name, a subject, and the details. Most of the responses are about a

paragraph long that is to be completed after every shift. Given that they are brief, this genre also calls for

accurate, professional and polished writing (spelling and grammar). This report remains consistent, and

probably came from incident reports. This was probably a more efficient way of document and preventing

incidents. The disadvantage to these reports is that upper management is relying on people’s perceptions so

some of the information might be a little different. Although everyone has a different point of view of the day’s

occurrences, there is no room for opinion based writing within the genre. This genre is specifically for facts

only. Other genres of writing that sprout from here include evaluations, operational reviews, and memos.

Together these genres help improve the work environment and efficiency of all employees.

The same types of genres could vary in social action, audience expectations, features, etc. from

profession to profession. Within the Hotel Restaurant Tourism Management field different aspects of each

genre are valued more than others. A trend that I noticed is the importance of grammar and spelling, along with

the professional presentation of the document, and the brief-to-the-point content. This investigation has shown

me the importance of slowing down and ensuring that my work is at its best because it represents who I am.

21

One of the main downfalls for any type of business writing is that if the student needs help brainstorming content, they will most likely have to make an appointment with their professors to receive the help. On the other hand, the Writing Center was established to help all students with any questions they have on a writing assignment. If both of these features were combined, the student would greatly benefit, as they would be able to receive content and grammatical help at the same time. Considering the excellent student to teacher ratio, it would also be very beneficial if some sort of workshop was organized or supervised by business teachers once a month, in which they are available to answer further questions.

Proposal for Change

23

25

27

May need to talk with the Bursars Office to set

a budget.

After budget is set, professors can be

contacted.

Once or Twice a month will be sufficient, do

not want to exhaust resources.

If the program does not receive enough

support, it will be shut down.

Talk to your business professors and

advisors to see how you can access the

petition.

29

"About Us." About NRN. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2013.

"Benefits of Globalization." Businessman RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2013.

"Daniels College of Business." Daniels College of Business. N.p., n.d. Web. 14

May 2013.

"Diversity at the University of Michigan Department of Psychology." Diversity at

the University of Michigan Department of Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 11

May 2013.

Lane, Eric S., and Kylee Swiggart. Interview by Jael Y. Avila. n.d.: n. pag. Print.

"Magna Syber | Home Automation | Home Security | Home Theatre." Magna Syber

| Home Automation | Home Security | Home Theatre. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May

2013.

"Mental Health Blog - Australia and New Zealand." : Harnessing Technology to

Improve Mental Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2013.

"Program Features." The University of Denver Writing Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 9

May 2013.

"Service." Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2013.

"Sustainability." CalGreeks Sustainability Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May

2013.

"Welcome - an Overviewof Our Services." Hotel Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May

2013.

Walker, John R., and Josielyn T. Walker. Exploring the Hospitality Industry. Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.

Works Cited