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English for
Academic and
Professional
Purposes

Quarter 1 – Module 8:
Concept Paper Writing

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 What I Know

Hello, have you noticed an advertisement on a big billboard along the heart
of the city? Do you mind getting the message or do you care about it? This time,
let’s try to look at them and see what are your ideas about them.

Activity 1: Multiple Choice.

Direction: Encircle the letter of your choice which of the following statements
or phrases best describes an idea express behind the billboard and why?

Billboard #.1:

A. People are celebrating a festivity.

B. People are promoting to watch a movie.
C. People are showing a dance craze to learn.
D. People are campaigning for a political
rally. Why?
______________________________
______________________________
_____________________________

Billboard #2:

A. A promotion to patronize a disinfectant product

B. A campaign platform for Presidential candidacy
C. A reminder about COVID 19 protective measures
D. A message of hope to overcome from
pandemic situations
Why?
____________________________
____________________________

Billboard #3:

A. A slogan for a best restaurant to put up

B. A promotion about the best place to eat
C. A campaign material for food industry
D. A place to stop and eat.
Why?
_____________________________
_____________________________

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 Concept papers generally serve the purpose of
providing in-depth discussion of a topic that the writer has a
strong position on, usually with the intent of obtaining
funding for that project from donors. The terms "concept
paper" and "proposal" are often used interchangeably as they
can be used for the same function.

What’s In

In your previous module, you have learned to write an objective/balance

review or critique of a work of art, an event or program.

A critique is usually written in response to a creative work, such as a novel,

a film, poetry, or a painting. However, critiques are also sometimes assigned for
research articles and media items, such as news articles or features. A critique is
slightly different than a traditional 5-paragraph theme, as it is usually focused on
the overall effectiveness and usefulness of the work it is critiquing, rather than
making a strictly analytical argument about it.

It also needs reading the text. Keeping in mind some questions and taking
notes as you read. These will help guide your formulation of your ideas later. For
example: Does the creator clearly state her/his main point or goal? If not, why do
you think that is? Who do you think is the creator’s intended audience? This can
be crucial to determining the success of a work; for example, a movie intended for
young children might work well for its intended audience but not for adult viewers.

In reaction, it views the work and provokes emotional responses. It suggests

other avenues of exploration or observation. It also includes some research in order
to talk about how the work relates to a larger issue or context, and to know what it
is responding to, what context it was created in, etc.

On the other hand, concept paper writing is more of writing with a specific
purpose. It’s a kind of writing that captures the interest of the funding agency and
demonstrates that the idea they are proposing is worthy of further consideration.

Therefore, it is suggested that writers develop "boilerplates" or standard

templates of concept papers that they can personalize and submit based on specific
guidelines. This practice eliminates the extra time added to the process by
completely starting a new concept paper from the beginning each time.

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Activity 2: Memory Box.

Direction: Classify a word or group of words inside the box and place them to a
box where they belong.

emotional response specific purpose funding agency

exploration Observation larger issues context boiler
plates proposal views the work success of work
intended audience responses overall effectiveness analytical arguments
ideas demonstrations specific guidelines personalize

Reaction Paper Concept Paper

Notes to the Teacher

In this module, students are required to have a written
submission of their respective writing outputs, please assist
them in the submission via google classroom or group chat.

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 What’s New

At this juncture, let’s share what we have learned from our activities about what a
concept paper is all about. From what you have observed, what do you think the
ideas behind the advertisement? What do you see or feel about it? Do you get the
ideas behind those pictures in the billboard?

Activity 3: Share-Out-Loud.

Direction: From the billboard in the activity 1, share yours thoughts about your
idea behind the billboard. You may write at least 1 to 2 sentences or do an outline
or a bulleted statement.

Please, write your thoughts below:

Now that you were able to share your thoughts about the billboard, let’s do
self test to determine how far you have understood the ideas about concept papers.
This is not a graded activity. This is for practice only.

Activity 4: Ask and tell.

Direction: Using the same material (Billboards), test yourself by answering

the following questions:

1. What do you think, if any, the company’s concept about its billboard?

2. Does it attract specific or general customers? Why or why not?

3. Are the concepts of the billboard revealing? Why or why not?

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4. What do you think the billboards are proposing?

5. Give your personal observation about it.

What is It

As you have learned from the activities you have participated, it is now clear
to you that a concept paper has something to do with ideas being offered in a
formal written form. This would mean that you are writing your ideas to convince
potential funders to sponsor a product, program or service.
For example, a new business concept is usually conceived by brainstorming
with partners or business colleagues. You may also have an idea that you think about
when idle. New business concepts can include starting a business from scratch, or
adding a new service or line of products to serve a new market.

The concepts are then put into writing in a form of a proposal where it
captures the framework of an idea. This includes the solution of an issue or
problem which calls for addressing them in a systematic process. Every detail of the
plan is designed according to what is structured and framed.
Generally, a concept paper describes the idea, the need for the project, how it is
to be implemented, and a budget. It includes idea of the project, to submit to any
number of funding agencies and vary the format or content to fit the requirements of
those agencies. It uses a clear and concise language to best communicate the idea and
to remember this is an overview or outline form of the overall project.

Moreover, a concept paper can be elucidated by definition, explication and

clarification.

Definition. This is essential in schoolwork as it serves as a form of

references for discussions. For example, concepts in your respective subjects are
understood because the terms are use in a specific concept of process. In order to
clearly define your concept in formal definition, it has to consider the following:

1. Using the same term to be defined should be avoided (e.g. “play house is a
house”)

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 2. Observing the concept of mutual exclusivity which makes sure that the
features of the term do not overlap with other similar concepts (e.g. “skateboard
is made of transport that has four wheel”).

Explication. In general, it refers to the process of drawing out the meaning of

something which is not clearly defined, so as to make explicit what is currently left
implicit.

Clarification. It is an analysis of concept through investigation of examples and

the identification of critical and less critical attributes.

Thus, when you write a concept paper it should capture the thoughts and
ideas that a project you would like to establish. Therefore, in order for you to write
a simple concept paper, you follow these steps:

1. Concept paper title. Your paper must have a title which summarizes
what the paper is about. The title should be as brief as possible and to the point
such that by a glance one would know exactly the paper’s intention.

Example: “E-Payment Methods: Its Competitive Advantage towards local

based businesses”

2. Introduction. Your introduction must give a brief on how it will

contribute to the organization or company having more opportunities as a result.
Your understanding of the main objective must be clearly stated so that the gap
intended to be addressed are introduced.

Example:

I. Introduction

Online payment methods were only utilized by big companies

but it was never introduced to a mere small businesses like. These
methods give every business customer a convenient and a hassle free
payment opportunities.
Considering also the advent of pandemic COVID 19, most of
the customers if not all were forced to stay at home, online payment is
an advantage option for them to utilize so they can access their cash
at the point of sale and do not need to have physical money to
complete their transactions.
This concept further helps in understanding the online
payment methods preferences for the local based business to venture.
This further determine the possibility for small businesses to adapt
the methods to address that gap that is viewed as the low uptake of
online payment methods among local based businesses.
This concept therefore builds upon the various insights that a
small business in the locality to take part or to be involved to bridge
in the gap between the present business environment and the
strategic implementation of information technology systems in
business to gain competitive advantage under new normal conditions.

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 3. Need for this Concept. Your need must a concrete evidence in the sense
that the source of the need must be documented and verifiable.

Example:

II. The Need.

As per observation, access to online devices has been popular

among customers worldwide. Unfortunately, the local-based or small
businesses do not have the luxury to access to the to the physical
money banking system as they are located kilometers away and they
do not have enough funds to have access in the banking system.

Consequently, in order for businesses to achieve and sustain at

least a good performance, they must be able to implement systems
that are viable in the present situations. Thus, according to Namada
(2018) that the businesses in the local areas which do not necessarily
adapt or access to technological advancements have lesser income
compare to those which have at least the leverage to technology. .

Therefore, it is imperative to note that to identify the gap

between the technology and the present conditions is something for
the local businesses to consider to gain competitive advantage.

4. Background. Your indication on the area of interest must be stipulated

accordingly to undertake on the topical area which summarizes their conclusive
evidence and relevance to the study area which are structured from the worldview,
regional, and localized perspective.

III. Background

E-payment system is increasingly becoming a daring means of

payments in today's business world. This is due to its efficiency,
convenience and timeliness (Antwi & Bavoh, 2015). It is a payment
system that is continuously being embraced and adopted in the
financial system of both developed and developing countries with a
view to simplify and ease payments in business transactions (Gallardo,
Olanie, & Ostrom, 2015).

As a result, many studies were conducted around the globe by

scholars on e-payment adoption. It is based on this that this research
paper looks at the available past literature on e-payment adoption
across the world, with a view to highlight the scope, methodology and
Information System (IS) models used by previous researchers so as to
identify research gaps and recommend such for future studies
(Dehbini, Birjandi & Birjandi, 2015).

In the local scenario, understanding of the issue how these local

businesses cope with the demands of the technology, it has identified the
patterns of adaptability to technology which is a key areas to delve
with business advantage (Haruna, 2012).

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 Therefore, premises considered that the e-payment has been
existed already with a known advantage to embark with, what is left
for the small businesses in the locality is to embrace with it to achieve
high quality payment system.

5. Project Description. Your description must include the project’s Goals and
Objectives. A goal is an abstract state of being, a condition, an end, or an aspiration
while objectives are statements of measurable outcomes that, collectively, will help the
applicant measure progress toward accomplishing the project goal(s).

Example:

IV. Project Description

Goal: Improve and adopt e-payment methods to keep abreast

with the business environment

Objectives: This project seeks to achieve its general objective of

utilizing of e-payment to gain competitive advantage by focusing on
the following specific objectives:

1. To determine the advantages of utilizing e-payment in all the

transactions;

2. To gain competitive advantage by local based businesses;

3. To assess the influence of personal innovativeness on use of

e-payment methods;

4. To offer a specific kind of workshop or seminar on a

particular topic to educate locally-based business owners.

The project description also includes an overview of the project’s

Methodology (sometimes called Project Activities or Action Plan or Approach). The
goals, objectives, and methods (or activities) will need to align closely with each
other and will need to be accomplished within the proposed Timeline, expressed in
either months or years. The methods or activities will need to be congruent with or
based on what has been tried in the field in the past, they must be based on
empirical evidence, and they will need to be both reasonable in cost and complexity
and accomplishable within the proposed timeline. The project description typically
concludes with a statement of Benefits (or Anticipated Outcomes) along with a
description of who will benefit and how.

6. Support or Budget. Your support must contain either (1) an outline of the main
budget categories for the requested project support or (2) a single bottom-line
amount of the request and a brief discussion of how that amount will be used.
Some concept papers may not even include an amount requested.

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 Example

IV. Budgetary Requirements

E-Payment Application Package 50,000

Logistics 15,000

Seminar Workshop Package 150,000

Exigencies 20,000

Total 235,000

E-payment application package includes the purchases of online

machineries like, laptop and mobile phone, and e-payment applications.

Logistics are expenses for the communication and delivery services for
freight related transaction.

Seminar Workshop expenses includes the rental of venues, speaker

honorarium, certificates ad food for the participants.

Exigencies are unprecedented expenses during the operation.

7. Contact Information. Your contact information must include the

applicant organization’s chief executive or his/her designee authorized to make
funding requests.

Example:

V. Contact Information:

Name of Chief Executive:

Mobile No.:

Address:

8. References and Attachments. Your references must be properly cited using

APA format and perennial documents must be attached to support evidences and
other presentation of data.

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 Example:

References:

Antwi, S. K., Hamza, K., & Bavoh, S. W. (2015). Examining the Effectiveness of
Electronic Payment System in Ghana: The Case of e-
ZWICH in the Tamale Metropolis. Research Journal of
Finance and Accounting, 6(2), 163-177

Dehbini, N., Birjandi, M., & Birjandi, H. (2015). Factors

Influencing the Adoption of Electronic Payment Cards in
Urban Micro-Payments. Research Journal of Finance
and Accounting, 6(1), 39-47.

Haruna, I. (2012). Challenges of Electronic Payment Systems in

Ghana: The Case of e-ZWICH. American Journal of Business
and Management, 1(3), 87-95
Gallardo, R. K., Olanie, A., Ordóñezc, R., & Ostrom, M. (2015).
The Use of Electronic Payment Machines at Farmers
Markets: Results from a Choice Experiment Study.
International Food and Agribusiness Management Review,
18(1), 79-89

Attachment: Communication and other pertinent documents

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What’s More
Activity 5: This is my title proposal.
Direction: Propose at least 3 titles for a concept paper you are tasked to write and
describe each title according to its solution to an issue or problem.

Title no. 1:

Description:

Title no. 2:

Description:

Title no. 3:

Description:

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What I Have Learned

Let’s see what you have learned about the concept paper. From the given examples
on how to make a concept paper, you have at least seen and observed how every
item of the concept paper to present and include in its content. Now, let’s practice
doing them by simply making an introduction of your propose concept paper.

Activity 7: Proposal Set-up!

Direction. Write an introduction of your concept paper on funding a COVID – 19

pandemic health assistance projects observing the principles of writing an
introduction. You may write at least 2 to 3 paragraphs only.

Suggested Rubrics for Scoring:

Mechanics………….…………...................20 pts.
Organization.…….………..............………15 pts.
Creativity and Presentation……….…......15 pts.
Total………………………….............………50 pts.

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 What I Can Do

Getting acquainted with the contents of the concept paper, you have at least
sensed the writing or developing the concept paper. You should take notice the fact
that in writing the concept paper, it begins with a funded project design. You will
also take notice on the useful tool for several purposes that helps clarify and
organize ideas in a written form and provides the basis for a funding search.
Additionally, you can give a potential sponsor advance notice of the idea you
wish to pursue as well as to inform colleagues about your intentions. Since you are
writing and reviewing a formal proposal, it can be a lengthy process. It would be
advantageous in your part as a writer to make us of a preliminary proposal so that
you can save time and effort for both the agency personnel and the individual grant
writer in the event that an idea is not considered timely or fundable.

Activity 8: Let’s Propose and Plan!

Direction. Considering the lengthy processes of writing a concept paper, present an
outline of your plan to propose for a concept paper for the following assumptions:
1. Covid-19 Health Related
projects; -Main objectives
-
-
2. Proponents of the projects are the youth of a cetain
barangay; -Name of Project
-
-
3. Target beneficiaries are the familys of Covid 19 victims;
-Beneficiaries
-
-
4. Project duration is at least 2 months; -
October to November Y:
-
-
5. Limited foriegn sponsors; and
-Name of Sponsor
-
-
6. Conflicting interest with the group of senior
citizen. -Identified Issues
-
-

Suggested Rubrics for Scoring:

Mechanics………….…………...................20pts.
Organization.…….………..............………15pts.
Creativity and Presentation……….…......15pts.
Total………………………….............………50pt

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 Assessment

Strategy/Activity: INDIVIDUAL. Write a concept paper in your respective field of

specialization emphasizing the salient points in conceptualizing the ideas to be
included in the paper. (Use the format below and produce a PDF softcopy and submit
it via google classroom or group chat).

WORKSHEET: Name:
Concept Paper in the Field of:

1. Concept paper title.

2. Introduction

3. Need for this Concept

4. Background

5. Project Description

6. Support or Budget

7. Contact Information

8. References and Attachments

Suggested Rubrics for Scoring:

Mechanics………….…………...................20pts.
Organization.…….………..............………15pts.
Creativity and Presentation……….…......15pts.
Total………………………….............………50pt

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