MBA 681– The Health Care Industry
Applied Research Paper (ARP)
“The Effect of COVID-19 in the Healthcare Industry” – Applied Research Paper
(ARP) Guidelines
The ARP should not be less than 10 pages and not more than 12 pages regarding the
approved health care topic, NOT INCLUDING the title, table of contents, abstract,
and reference pages).
The paper must be double-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, in APA style (7th
edition), with at least FIVE scholarly – peer-reviewed references. You may use any
number of outside resources, but you may NOT use Wikipedia, blogs, scribd.com;
and/or other students’ papers.
Any papers that have been written in part or whole by others (particularly without
citations or proper citations) will result in either a zero for the assignment or a zero for
the course. All research projects will be checked for plagiarism via Turnitin. Plagiarism
is not tolerated at all and the burden is on the student to ensure that he or she does not
intentionally or unintentionally plagiarize. If the student has questions about plagiarism,
he or she should consult The Writing Lab, either online or in person. (https://lynn-
library.libguides.com/researchpaper/writinglab (Links to an external site.))
There is also information at www.plagiarism.org (Links to an external site.). Remember
that if you are using words that are not your own, cite the source of those words. If you
are using a concept that is not your own, cite/reference whoever originated or
expressed that concept. When writing your paper, please refer to the grading rubric
found in this syllabus as that is the basis on which your paper will be scored.
PAPERS THAT HAVE NOT HAD THEIR TOPICS APPROVED BY THE INSTRUCTOR
BY THE END OF WEEK #2 WILL NOT BE SCORED.
Utilizing the writing lab is highly encouraged. Students may contact the instructor via
email for clarification or discussion of any of the class requirements. The requirements
for this paper will be discussed in detail during the first class meeting.
The ARP will be evaluated on the depth and quality of the content including
comprehension and application of applicable concepts, organization and development
of the topic, writing and format, timeliness of submission, and citations and
references. The topic for this paper must be submitted to the instructor for approval
during the assigned week and time. Each student must choose a unique topic. There is
a specific due date for the ARP included in the syllabus. Please also note that late
papers will be penalized as per the posted policy in this syllabus.
The ARP, in general, should focus on a COVID-19 health-related issue and
it should:
• As it relates to COVID-19, clearly state the health issue and demonstrate the
importance of the issue;
• Review the health research literature on the issue from at least 5 peer-reviewed
references extracted from scholarly journals such as Health Affairs, Harvard
Business Review, Milbank Quarterly, and The New England Journal of Medicine.
You are also free to cite/reference as many outside sources as you wish, as long as
at least 5 of them are scholarly/peer-reviewed.
• Create a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats) analysis
showing and explaining how this issue affects each.
• Discuss the strengths and problems of the health issue from the perspectives of
access, cost and quality;
• Include separate sections that show how the various external factors (Economic,
Social, Technological, Regulatory, Political, etc.) affect your chosen issue.
• Detail and recommend alternatives to improve the health issue from a managerial,
organizational, or corporate/governmental policy perspective.
General Instructions:
Please format this paper using the provided template. Please incorporate AT
LEAST the following sections into your paper with a heading for each section: (You
are welcome to add as many additional sections/headings as you deem appropriate!)
1. Title Page
2. Abstract Page
3. Table of Contents
4. History of the issue that you select (to be approved by the Instructor)
5. Main components or aspects of this issue (be detailed and specific!)
6. Your assessment of this issue, from your personal perspective (why you chose this
issue)
7. Is this issue being experienced anywhere else in the world?
8. A current literature review of this issue
9. What are the Strengths, Weaknesses (limitations), Opportunities and Threats
(SWOT analysis) that this issue presents?
10. Concluding Thoughts/Summary of your paper.
11. What you learned from this project.
12. References (Cite all references in your paper using APA format)
13. Appendix (Include things you feel are relevant to your analysis, i.e. graphs, charts,
pictures, etc.)