CFS-410 -- Internship in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management Instructor: Richard F. Patterson, Ed.D., R.D. Office: Academic Complex, 209C E-Mail: rich.patterson@wku.edu Office Phone: 270-745-4031 -- Department Secretary: 745-4352 Quick Search Index Office Hours Course Description Prerequisites Required Text Course Objectives Course Requirements Length of Internship Bi-Weekly Reports Final Report Employers Performance Evaluation of Student Grading Procedure Address to Send Documents to Instructor Address to Send Documents to Career Services Summary of Documents to be Sent Cover Page for Bi-Weekly Reports Cover Page to be Used When Faxing Text Only Version -- Use This Version to Print Everything Office Hours As posted during the fall and spring semesters. During the summer semester, specific office hours will not be maintained. However, e-mail and phone messages will be checked regularly. If you need immediate assistance, leave a message with a phone number and time you can be reached and I will return your call as soon as possible. In an emergency, you can leave a message with the department secretary during normal business hours. Course Description This course allows the student to apply the knowledge and skills acquired at Western in a supervised practice environment. The student performs managerial functions in an appropriate hospitality establishment approved by the instructor. (3 credit hours) Prerequisites Junior standing, CFS-313, CFS-351, CFS-353, CFS-371 Required Text None Course Objectives Terminal Performance Objective:To provide a forum where students can apply the management concepts learned in class and to acquire the hands-on experience necessary to qualify for an entry level position in hotel, restaurant/food service and/or tourism management. Acquire entry level practical experience within a business environment in the hospitality industry. Develop a more complete understanding of various hospitality managerial functions. Develop the ability to analyze and propose solutions to business problems. Develop a greater understanding about career options while defining personal career goals. Develop an understanding of the activities and functions of hospitality managers. Refine written communication skills and demonstrate the ability to develop and convey concepts in writing. Course Requirements All students will meet with the course instructor, prior to the internship, to complete an application form. All internships must be approved by the course instructor. All students must make an appointment to see Ms. Carol White at the Career Services Center, Room 216 Cravens to obtain an internship packet. An appointment can be made by calling the career services secretary at 745-3095. When students meet with Ms. White, they should have the name, address and telephone number of the internship site, the name and phone number of their supervisor and starting and ending dates of the internship. Ms. White will provide students with a packet of information which includes internship application forms, evaluation forms, and an orientation on writing a resume and cover letter. Each student is responsible for finding his/her own internship site, however, the course instructor and Career Services will provide as much help as possible. Internships and job opportunities are also listed under Student Specials on my homepage. The internship may be completed during any semester (Fall, Spring, or Summer). The internship consists of full-time employment which is defined as a minimum of 40 hours per week for a minimum of 10 consecutive weeks. All students must register for the course during the prescribed WKU registration period and pay applicable tuition and university fees. Students must start the internship during the semester the internship was registered for. Students may not register for the internship in one semester and start it in another semester. Students must obtain a course pass from the instructor prior to registering for the course. Students are required to attend all internship meetings held by the instructor prior to the internship. If the student does not have a job, Ms. White at the career services center will them put together a resume and cover letter and help them launch a job search. The instructor will also provide guidance on preparing a resume and cover letter at the student's request. The student will develop objectives for the internship and negotiate these objectives with his/her employer. These objectives must be submitted to the instructor and career services no later than two weeks after the beginning of the internship using the format provided by the career services center. At the latest, the objectives should accompany the first report. All students must provide the instructor and career services with a valid address and phone number where the student can be reached during the internship within one week of starting the internship. The "Address and Housing Report" provided by Career Services is to be used for this purpose. A copy of this form must precede or, at the very latest, accompany the first report sent to the instructor. A daily journal may be maintained which includes a brief description of what you have observed and learned as well as the work activities you have performed. Also include the number of hours you have worked for the day. This journal is not mandatory but may be very helpful in writing the biweekly reports. The journal may not be substituted for the biweekly report. A report must be written for each two-week period of the ten weeks of the internship (a total of five biweekly reports). The report must be typed and should be at least three full pages in length. Students must write each report in accordance with the criteria indicated below. All students are required to submit a five-page summary report (typewritten, double spaced) regarding the ten-week internship. This is the sixth and final report. The same report can be submitted to career services to fulfill their requirements. Students must write the final report according to the guidelines indicated below. Students must attain a grade of 70% or higher on each of the six reports in order to pass this course. See grading criteria below. The student is required to obtain an evaluation from his/her employer and submit it to the instructor within two weeks after the tenth complete week of the internship (the same time as the final report). The evaluation form supplied by career services will be used for this purpose. The original of the same evaluation must be sent to career services to fulfill their requirements. If there is any conflict between the requirements outlined in this syllabus and those provided by Career Services, always follow this syllabus. All course requirements must be completed -- they are not optional. Students who do not complete all requirements will not receive a grade until all work is satisfactorily completed. Written Report Guidelines A report must be written for each two-week period of the ten weeks of the internship (a total of five biweekly reports) The biweekly reports must be typed and must be at least three full pages in length not including the cover page. Students must attain a grade of 70% or higher on each written report in order to pass this course. Criteria that are to be addressed in the five reports follow. The report is to be in essay (narrative) format so that the answers to these questions are developed into cohesive paragraphs. Questions are not to be answered individually but are to be blended into a narrative which addresses the topic of the report. Report Number One -- Description of the Operation Describe the owners of the business, chain affiliation and information about the chain and/or parent organization. Describe the business where you are working including: Description of the location and local trading area Size, number of rooms, number of seats in food and beverage operations, approximate dollar volume per week/month (if available to the student), occupancy percentages, food cost percentages; and any other information the student finds necessary to adequately describe the operation. Describe the function of the department/area where you are working and how it relates to the entire organization. Describe the function of your job in relation to the department as a whole. Discuss the flow of authority and the assignment of responsibility within the organization. Report Number Two -- The Organizational Climate Describe the work environment where you work. Would you describe the work environment at your place of business as pleasant, tough, neutral or threatening? Why? Do other employees in the organization appear satisfied with their jobs? Explain why. Do other employees make suggestions to their supervisors? Why or why not? Do you see any personnel problems in the work environment? If so, what are they and why are they problems? If you were the general manager, what would you do to correct these problems? To what extent do hourly employees communicate and participate with managers in the management of the facility? Report Number Three -- A Marketing Profile Describe the profile of the guests who patronize your facility. Who are the target markets for your operation and to whom does it appeal? What do the guests like and dislike about this operation? What could be done to increase guest satisfaction? Who are the direct competitors and how do they compare with your organziaton? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the property in comparison to the competition? What methods/media are used for advertising and promotion? Report Number Four -- Effectiveness of Supervision How would you characterize your supervisors? Comment on the style of the supervisors in the operation and describe which characteristics you would like to adopt for yourself and why. Which characteristics are not effective? Why not? Are the supervisors respected by the other employees? Why or why not? How do supervisors handle guest problems? How would you handle problems differently if you were the supervisor? Do supervisors provide adequate training for employees? Are supervisors doing all they can do to retain good employees? Describe what they are doing in this regard. If you were the supervisor, what would you be doing? Report Number Five -- Financial and Strategic Management For hotels, what are the occupancy percentage and the ADR? What is the gross sales for the week, month, year (if available to the student)? Do you consider these figures reasonable, why or why not? For restaurants, what are the food and labor cost percentages? What are the gross sales for the week, month, year (if available to the student)? Do you consider these figures reasonable, why or why not? What would you do, if you were the general manager, to increase sales and decrease cost? How are budgets determined? Who is involved in planning the budgets? Is there anyone else who should be involved, if so who and why? Describe the operational cost control procedures which are used to control the major expense categories. Are they effective? Why or why not? What are the firm's short term and long term goals and objectives? What current trends do you see that will have an impact on the business? If you were the general manager, how would you adapt to these trends? Students are required to submit a five-page summary report, not including the cover page, regarding the ten-week internship. This is the sixth and final report. The same report can be submitted to career services to fulfill their requirements. The report should be postmarked no later than two weeks after the tenth complete week of the internship. The final report is to be in essay (narrative) format which addresses the following questions in well developed and cohesive paragraphs. Questions are not to be answered individually but are to be blended into a narrative description which summarizes your experiences in the internship. Discuss the degree to which you believe you accomplished your objectives. How did your internship contribute to your professional goals? Did your career goals change as a result of the internship? Did what you learned in your internship parallel what you learned at WKU? Have you acquired any special skills in the internship that you did not already have? What are some of the most important management skills you think are a must for a successful hospitality manager? What are some personal characteristics which you believe are necessary for a successful hotel or restaurant manager? What are the most important learning experiences you had during your internship? From your experience and observations of the hospitality industry thus far, what changes can we make in the curriculum at Western which would better prepare you for an entry level management position? Would you recommend this internship site to another student in Western's Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management Program? Reports will cover weeks beginning on a Sunday and ending on a Saturday. They are to be sent to the instructor so they are postmarked no later than the Thursday following the end of the second report week. A total of five (5) biweekly reports will be submitted. Reports may also be faxed to the internship director if the student has access to a fax machine. It is not a requirement that reports be faxed and fax machines should only be used if the student has the expressed permission from the employer to do so. You must include all the information on the attached cover page format if you are faxing your report. The fax number to be used is 270-745-3999. Reports may also be sent via e-mail. The student must have a valid e-mail address where he/she can receive messages in case there is a transmission problem. At this point, I can read Word Perfect, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Works files. If you attach a file typed in any other word processor you must convert it to an ASCII or Word Perfect file before you attach it. You must send your report as an attached file. Do not type your report in your e-mail software. Format All biweekly reports must have a cover page with the following information: Your name, where you are working, the report number (e.g. Report # 1), the dates of the weeks covered by the report, the due date for the report and the number of hours you worked each week during the report period. See the examples for the appropriate format. Note: The information on the cover page should not be included on the the first page of the narrative report. The final report must have a cover page with the following information: Your name, where you are working, the words Final Report, and the due date. All reports must be typed double-spaced with a standard 12 point font such as Times New Roman or Arial and one inch margins all around. No fancy, decorative or large fonts are acceptable. Papers with inappropriate fonts and/or margins will be returned for reformatting and will be considered late. The biweekly reports must be a minimum of three full pages, not including the cover page or any attachments. The final report must be a minimum of five pages, not including the cover page or any attachments. Written Report Grading Procedures Grades will be determined based on the quality and timely completion of all required reports and the employer's evaluation of work performance. Reports will be graded in the following manner: 65% content; 35% grammar, sentence structure, punctuation etc. The paper will be read, graded and critiqued by the instructor and sent back to the student before the next paper is written. The student should review the comments and make appropriate adjustments to correct identified problems. Late papers will lose 10 points for every day they are late. If papers must be returned for reformatting, they will automatically lose 10 points. Students must earn a grade of 70% or higher on all written reports in order to pass this course. Any student who receives a grade less than 70% on any report is required to revise and resubmit the report until a grade of 70% or higher is attained. Papers must be resubmitted no later than 10 days after receiving the paper from the instructor. A maximum of 50% of the originally-deducted points (not including any points deducted for late submissions) may be earned for each revision. Any student who receives a grade of 70% or higher on any written report has the option of revising and resubmitting the report. Papers must be resubmitted no later than 10 days after receiving the paper from the instructor. A maximum of 50% of the originally-deducted points (not including any points deducted for late submissions) may be earned for the revisions. Any student who does not attain a minimum of 70% on each report will receive an "incomplete" or an "F" for the course, depending on the circumstances. The final grade for the course will be determined using the following percentages: Five -- Bi-Weekly Reports --50% (10% each) Final Report -- 20 % Employer's Evaluation -- 25% Attention to Details -- 5% The grade for this course will not be determined by how hard you had to work nor how many hours you had to work. The grade will be determined by how much you learned and, equally as important, how you translated that learning into writing. Even though you might have had a very good learning experience, if you are unable to convey that learning in an appropriately written report, you will not receive a top grade. Additionally, the final grade will be partly determined by how well you follow directions and your attention to details. If you submit papers late, get confused on your due dates, or fail to submit your objectives, local address, etc. in a timely manner, your final grade will be lowered. It is incumbent on the student to keep track of all forms and reports to be submitted and when they are due. After grades are submitted, they are final and will not be changed unless there was a computational error or other error on the part of the instructor. If you need a certain grade in this course to maintain or increase your grade point average, you must put the appropriate amount of effort into the reports and course requirements to earn that grade. If you do the minimum required, just to get by, you will receive a grade which reflects your minimum effort. If a contingency arises which precludes the student from meeting deadlines, it is incumbent on the student to discuss the problem with the instructor before the deadline elapses. Address to Send Documents to the Instructor Dr. Rich Patterson Department of Consumer and Family Sciences Western Kentucky University #1 Big Red Way Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576 Phone Numbers for the Instructor Office phone: 270-745-4031 (leave a message on voice-mail if I am not in the office.) 24-Hour Fax -- 270-745-3999 Note: You must use the attached fax cover sheet (or a similar format which contains the same information) when sending a fax. Address to Send Documents to Career Services Ms. Carol C. White Career Services Center Western Kentucky University #1 Big Red Way Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576 Office phone:270-745-3095 Fax: 270-745-3094 Summary of Documents to be Sent To Career Services Address and Housing Report (Your address, telephone number etc. at internship site) Internship Objectives (copy) Final Report (copy) [Note: Do not send biweekly reports to Career Services] Employers Evaluation Form (copy) To the Instructor Address and Housing Report (copy) [Note: This report must precede or accompany the the first biweekly report] Internship Objectives Five - biweekly reports Final Report [Note: This is the sixth and final report] Employer's Evaluation Form Print the Syllabus, Sample Cover Page and Sample Fax Back to Quick Search Index Return to the Main Course Menu Return to Rich Patterson's Home Page Comments or questions about this section of Western Online should be directed to Rich Patterson: E-Mail at:rich.patterson@wku.edu Date last Modified: August 24, 1998 All contents copyright (c) 1998 Western Kentucky University