by Ashley Euritt
For my honors thesis at the University of Arkansas Honors College in Fayetteville, AR, I conducted a thesis titled “Identifying Best Practices in Small Business Meetings: An Importance-Performance Gap Analysis.” As a Bachelor of Science student in Human Environmental Science majoring in Hospitality Management and minoring in both Event Planning and Agriculture Communications, I was eager to take on a project that combined my academic focus with real-world relevance. With support from my mentor Dr. Nick Johnston and guidance from my committee members Dr. Kelly Ann Way and Dr. Jill Rucker, I completed this research during the Spring 2025 semester. The project aimed to identify gaps between how small businesses perceive the importance of meetings and how well they actually perform in those areas.
This experience gave me an incredible opportunity to connect my academic studies with my personal background. I come from a family that owns and operates a small business, Stonehaus Farms Winery, where I’ve seen firsthand how important meetings can be. Having worked for and with small businesses throughout my college career, I noticed was sometimes a lack of structure which inspired me to dig deeper and conduct a formal study.
Initially, I had a different mentor, but when she left the university, she referred me to Dr. Nick Johnston. I’m incredibly thankful for that connection. Dr. Johnston has been an amazing mentor, pushing me to grow not only as a writer but a student. His encouragement kept me motivated, even when the project became challenging. One of the first things I realized through my research is just how many topics within hospitality management are still relatively under-researched. On a personal level, I learned how important it is to believe in myself and my abilities. Working on a 3 year-long project taught me that staying organized and focused, even when facing setbacks, is key to producing your best work.
Dr. Johnston played a huge role in helping me shape the project into something both academically rigorous and personally meaningful. He constantly encouraged me to think more critically, dig deeper into my findings, and polish my writing to a higher standard. Other faculty members, including Dr. Kelly Ann Way and Dr. Jill Rucker, also supported me by offering advice and guidance throughout the process. Their feedback helped make my final project much stronger.
The biggest challenge I faced was securing enough survey responses from small business owners and managers. Reaching this busy group was difficult. To overcome this, I applied for and received two research grants — one from the University of Arkansas Honors College and another from the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. These grants allowed me to purchase a research panel helping me achieve a stronger response rate and a more reliable dataset.
While I didn’t travel for my project, my research still made it farther than I expected! Dr. Johnston presented my poster at the Graduate Education & Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism, held in Houston, Texas. It was such an honor to know that my research was selected to be presented and published in the 2025 Proceedings.
After graduation in May 2025, I’m excited to start my professional career in St. Louis. I will be joining the Hyatt Regency’s event team, where I’ll help plan and coordinate major events for a wide range of clients. Working with such a well-respected company is a dream come true, and I’m thrilled to be entering the hospitality industry with a strong foundation of research, practical event experience, and academic achievement behind me. I know the skills I developed through this thesis project will be invaluable as I move into this next chapter of my life.
Overall, completing this research project was one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career. It not only strengthened my understanding of hospitality and event management but also gave me greater confidence in my ability to take on big challenges. I hope that other students realize that even a project that seems overwhelming at first can turn into something they’re incredibly proud of.
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