Special Topics Paper Grading Sheet

1. Paper presented a meaningful executive summary by including a brief description of the topic, why the topic is important to managers, the size of the market in terms of dollars, the promised benefits of this topic, the potential pitfalls, the research method your group used to help executives realize the potential of the topic, and a brief summary/list of your overall lessons and findings. (Note: the executive summary is not an introduction—the executive summary is a standalone document that may be read by a senior executive who does not need to or may not have time to read the full report. Your main report will still need an introduction.)

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Beyond
Words / Unaccept-
able / Very
Poor / Poor / Sub-
stantial
improve-
ment / Some
Improve-
Ment / Solid / Well
Done! / Excellent / Exceptional

2. Paper presented meaningful "real world" examples that were properly motivated for the reader in terms of why these examples were selected and what the reader will learn from them.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Beyond
Words / Unaccept-
able / Very
Poor / Poor / Sub-
stantial
improve-
ment / Some
Improve-
Ment / Solid / Well
Done! / Excellent / Exceptional

3. Paper presented a useful set of lessons/best practices that stand out to the reader:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Beyond
Words / Unaccept-
able / Very
Poor / Poor / Sub-
stantial
improve-
ment / Some
Improve-
Ment / Solid / Well
Done! / Excellent / Exceptional

4. Paper presented at least 20 external references from reliable sources above and beyond class reading and material I provided and references were properly cited:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Beyond
Words / Unaccept-
able / Very
Poor / Poor / Sub-
stantial
improve-
ment / Some
Improve-
Ment / Solid / Well
Done! / Excellent / Exceptional

5. Paper included a cross-case analysis or some relevant comparison of examples provided:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Beyond
Words / Unaccept-
able / Very
Poor / Poor / Sub-
stantial
improve-
ment / Some
Improve-
Ment / Solid / Well
Done! / Excellent / Exceptional

6. Paper was exquisitely written and grammatically correct:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Beyond
Words / Unaccept-
able / Very
Poor / Poor / Sub-
stantial
improve-
ment / Some
Improve-
Ment / Solid / Well
Done! / Excellent / Exceptional

7. Paper was well organized as an integrated executive research report; the paper had “one voice”:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Beyond
Words / Unaccept-
able / Very
Poor / Poor / Sub-
stantial
improve-
ment / Some
Improve-
Ment / Solid / Well
Done! / Excellent / Exceptional

8. Overall, the paper made effective use of graphics, bolding, intriguing subtitles, textboxes, tables, color, or other formats to quickly and effectively communicate your thoughts to a busy executive:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Beyond
Words / Unaccept-
able / Very
Poor / Poor / Sub-
stantial
improve-
ment / Some
Improve-
Ment / Solid / Well
Done! / Excellent / Exceptional

9. Overall, claims in the paper were convincingly supported:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Beyond
Words / Unaccept-
able / Very
Poor / Poor / Sub-
stantial
improve-
ment / Some
Improve-
Ment / Solid / Well
Done! / Excellent / Exceptional

10. The paper did not exceed 25 single-spaced pages including embedded figures and references:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
Beyond
Words / Unaccept-
able / Very
Poor / Poor / Sub-
stantial
improve-
ment / Some
Improve-
Ment / Solid / Well
Done! / Excellent / Exceptional