Final Project Submission: Internship Brief and Executive Summary

SPT 710 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview The real-world working environment is dynamic and complex, and some things can only be experienced in an authentic setting. Your academic training has prepared you with both the foundational and more specialized information you need to join the sports industry as a valued player.

The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three, Five, and Seven. The final project will be submitted in Module Nine.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

 Apply sports business program competencies in solving practical, real-world problems within a professional setting

 Employ professional communication skills and behaviors appropriate for an intended audience within the sports industry

 Analyze the functional areas in sports business organizations for determining departmental interrelationships

 Assess personal progress in attaining professional career goals within a sports industry management setting

Prompt In this assessment, you will reflect on your internship experience by creating an internship brief and executive summary. Your internship brief will look at how the things you learned in the classroom translated to a real-world work setting, as well as what experiences, skills, and knowledge were evidenced in either the classroom or the work environment that were never revealed in the other. The executive summary will focus on your accomplishments and insights during your academic and work experience.

I. Your Place in the Sports Industry A. Host Company

i. Describe the organization where you are doing your internship and explain why you chose this company. ii. Diagram the organizational structure of your host company location. Include an organizational chart that shows management positions

and departments and where you are in the organization. iii. Examine the interrelationships of functional areas in the company and how they work together.

B. Duties and Responsibilities Within the Organization i. Compose a job description of your internship with details of specific duties and required knowledge.

ii. Relate what you learned/accomplished during this internship and how it will benefit your future goals. C. Identify New Job Opportunities

i. Prepare targeted resumes and cover letters for three actual jobs you are interested in. Include the job posting for each.

II. Applying Programmatic Knowledge A. Explain how the projects in which you were involved allowed you to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in meeting the

outcomes of your program. B. Describe the differences between the theories you learned in the classroom and the workplace practices in this internship experience. What

were the reasons for these differences? Support your response with examples.

III. Reflection A. Describe a situation or event that took place during your internship that you had to respond to. How might you respond differently to that

situation in the future? Explain why. B. If you had the opportunity to do this experience over, how and why would you approach it differently? C. What would you like to have accomplished that you were unable to do because of time, other priorities, and so on? For example, was there a

project or another opportunity you were involved in that you were unable to finish? Support your response with examples. D. Considering your host company’s structure, propose how the entity could enhance interdepartmental synergies. Support your response with

examples.

IV. Executive Summary A. Detail how you demonstrated your knowledge, skills, and abilities in the performance of your duties. B. Describe an experience that required you to apply management or leadership theory. How did your experiences allow you to demonstrate what

you have learned? Support your response with examples. C. Describe the professional opportunities or possibilities this experience has opened up for you. D. Express the impact this internship experience has had on your professional goals. E. Explain any insight that you gained from this experience that you could not learn in a classroom setting and include why this insight is important.

Milestones Milestone One: Your Place in the Sports Industry In Module Three, you will describe your host company, your duties and responsibilities, and identify new job opportunities. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: Applying Programmatic Knowledge In Module Five, you will illustrate how you have applied your academic training to your internship experience and illuminate the differences between the two experiences. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.

Milestone Three: Reflection In Module Seven, you will reflect on the situations, opportunities, and synergies encountered in this internship. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.

Final Project Submission: Internship Brief and Executive Summary In Module Nine, you will submit your internship brief and executive summary, incorporating any feedback you received from your instructor. This will be graded with the Final Project Rubric.

Deliverables Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading

One Your Place in the Sports Industry Three Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric

Two Applying Programmatic Knowledge Five Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric

Three Reflection Seven Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric

Final Submission: Internship Brief and Executive Summary

Nine Graded separately; Final Project Rubric

Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Submit a 10- to 15-page paper (in addition to a cover page and references) using 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, and one-inch margins. In your paper, address each of the critical elements listed in Sections IA and B, II, III, and IV, citing appropriate academic references as necessary. Use APA citation style. Additionally, include your targeted resumes, cover letters, and job postings from Section IC as an addendum.

Critical Elements Exemplary Proficient Needs Improvement Not Evident Value

Host Company: The Organization

Describes the internship organization and explains why this company was chosen (100%)

Describes the internship organization but does not explain why this company was chosen (70%)

Does not describe the internship organization and does not explain why this company was chosen (0%)

5

Host Company: Organizational

Structure

Diagrams the organizational structure of the host company location with an organizational chart (100%)

Diagrams the organizational structure of the host company location with an organizational chart, but chart lacks sufficient information to show hierarchy and functional roles (70%)

Does not diagram the organizational structure of host company with an organizational chart (0%)

5

Host Company: Interrelationships

Meets the requirements for Proficient and demonstrates a keen insight of the existing relationships (100%)

Examines the interrelationships of functional areas and explains how they work together (90%)

Examines the interrelationships of functional areas and explains how they work together, but explanation lacks sufficient detail (70%)

Does not examine the interrelationships of functional areas and does not explain how they work together (0%)

6

Duties and Responsibilities: Job Description

Meets the requirements for Proficient and makes cogent connections between specific duties and required knowledge (100%)

Composes a job description of the internship with details of specific duties and required knowledge (90%)

Composes a job description of the internship but lacks sufficient detail or required knowledge (70%)

Does not compose a job description of the internship (0%)

6

Duties and Responsibilities:

Learned / Accomplished

Meets the requirements for Proficient and communicates a sophisticated awareness of the benefit to future goals (100%)

Relates what was learned/ accomplished during this internship and how it will benefit future goals (90%)

Relates what was learned/accomplished during this internship but lacks sufficient detail on how it will benefit future goals (70%)

Does not relate what was learned/accomplished during this internship (0%)

6

Identify New Job Opportunities:

Targeted Resumes and Cover Letters

Meets the requirements for Proficient and demonstrates a nuanced understanding of how to craft targeted resumes and cover letters for each position (100%)

Prepares targeted resumes and cover letters for three possible jobs, including the job posting for each (90%)

Prepares resumes and cover letters for three possible jobs, but they are not specifically targeted to each job or the job postings are not included (70%)

Does not prepare targeted resumes and cover letters for three possible jobs, including the job posting for each (0%)

6

Applying Programmatic

Knowledge: Outcomes

Meets the requirements for Proficient and makes insightful connections between KSAs and program outcomes (100%)

Explains how projects allowed demonstration of knowledge, skills, and abilities in meeting the outcomes of the program (90%)

Explains how projects allowed demonstration of knowledge, skills, and abilities but are not tied to meeting the outcomes of the program (70%)

Does not explain how projects allowed demonstration of knowledge, skills, and abilities in meeting the outcomes of the program (0%)

6

Applying Programmatic

Knowledge: Differences

Meets the requirements for Proficient and displays keen insight into the reasons for the differences (100%)

Describes the differences between the theories learned in the classroom and the workplace practices in this internship experience, supported with examples (90%)

Describes the differences between the theories learned in the classroom and the internship workplace practices, but they are not supported with examples (70%)

Does not describe the differences between the theories learned in the classroom and the internship workplace practices (0%)

6

Reflection: Situation

Meets the requirements for Proficient, and explanation communicates a unique, insightful perspective on how the situation might be handled in the future (100%)

Describes response to a situation or event that took place during the internship and how the response to that situation might be different in the future and why (90%)

Describes response to a situation or event that took place during the internship and how the response to that situation might be different in the future but does not explain why or explanation is illogical (70%)

Does not describe response to a situation or event that took place during the internship and how the response to that situation might be different in the future (0%)

6

Reflection: Approach

Meets the requirements for Proficient and provides a unique, insightful perspective on how the internship could have been approached differently (100%)

Explains how, if redone, the approach to the internship might be different and why (90%)

Explains how, if redone, the approach to the internship might be different but does not explain why or lacks sufficient detail or logic to support answer (70%)

Does not explain how, if redone, the approach to the internship might be different and why (0%)

6

Reflection: Accomplished

Meets the requirements for Proficient, and examples display a nuanced understanding of the priorities of the course (100%)

Explains what personal accomplishments were not done because of lack of time, other priorities, etc., supported with examples (90%)

Explains what personal accomplishments were not done because of lack of time, other priorities, etc. but is not supported with examples or support is cursory (70%)

Does not explain what personal accomplishments were not done because of lack of time, other priorities, etc. (0%)

6

Reflection: Synergies

Meets the requirements for Proficient, and examples display a sophisticated awareness of interdepartmental synergies (100%)

Proposes how the host company could enhance interdepartmental synergies, supported with examples (90%)

Proposes how the host company could enhance interdepartmental synergies but is not supported with examples or they lack clarity or are illogical (70%)

Does not propose how the host company could enhance interdepartmental synergies (0%)

6

Executive Summary:

Demonstrate Knowledge

Meets the requirements for Proficient and makes cogent connections between KSAs and performance of duties (100%)

Details how knowledge, skills, and abilities were demonstrated in the performance of duties (90%)

Details how knowledge, skills, and abilities were demonstrated in the performance of duties but lacks clarity or is illogical (70%)

Does not detail how knowledge, skills, and abilities were demonstrated in the performance of duties (0%)

5

Executive Summary:

Management or Leadership

Theory

Meets the requirements for Proficient and makes cogent connections between experience and theory (100%)

Describes an experience that required application of management or leadership theory (90%)

Describes an experience that required application of management or leadership theory, but description is cursory or lacks logical connections (70%)

Does not describe an experience that required application of management or leadership theory (0%)

5

Executive Summary:

Professional Opportunities

Describes the professional opportunities or possibilities this experience has opened (100%)

Describes the professional opportunities or possibilities this experience has opened up, but description is cursory or lacks appropriate detail (70%)

Does not describe the professional opportunities or possibilities this experience has opened (0%)

5

Executive Summary:

Impact on Goals

Meets the requirements for Proficient and provides keen insight into relationship of experience and goals (100%)

Expresses the impact this internship experience has had on professional goals (90%)

Expresses the impact this internship experience has had on professional goals, but response is cursory or lacks appropriate detail (70%)

Does not express the impact this internship experience has had on professional goals (0%)

5

Executive Summary:

Insight

Meets the requirements for Proficient, and explanation demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of the importance of this difference (100%)

Explains any insight gained from this experience that could not be learned in a classroom setting, including why this insight is important (90%)

Explains any insight gained from this experience that could not be learned in a classroom setting, but does not include why this insight is important or explanation is illogical (70%)

Does not explain any insight gained from this experience (0%)

5

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format (100%)

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization (90%)

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas (70%)

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas (0%)

5

Total 100%