memo
Assignment
Imagine that you are working in the Human Resources or Occupational Safety section of a large company that works in a high-risk industry (e.g., mining, forestry, truck transport etc). The CEO wants to improve workplace safety by reducing occupational accidents and injuries. You have been asked by the CEO to provide a succinct technical memo in which you will justify whether or not to implement procedures for screening employees for personality traits and decision styles that are predictive of occupational safety.
The goal of the memo is to use a literature search to answer these two questions posed by the CEO:
1. First, to what extent are occupational accidents the result of deliberate decisions to take risks in the occupational setting?
2. Second, is there any evidence that certain personality traits are related to risk taking and occupational accidents?
Discuss the results regarding the relationships between personality, risk-taking (risky decisions) and critical events (such as occupational accidents and injuries) in your high-risk industry. This response does not have to include the article by Jonah (1997).
Conclude your memo by clearly stating and justifying your recommendation(s).
Your grade will be based on the conciseness of your memo, the scientific rigor of your evidence, and the rationality of your overall recommendations.
Your submission will be one electronic word processing file (MS Word, Open Office, other word processing software available on campus computer labs NOT .pdf) graded according to the criteria in Table 1. Submitting your report as multiple files on D2L is not allowed. If that occurs, only the first file on the instructor’s file list will be graded.
ATTENTION! You will see a similar grading rubric in the reference document. Please follow the rubric provided in this document and disregard the one provided in the first page of the reference document.
Table 1. Grading Criteria for the Personality Report
|
Item |
Grading Criteria |
Points |
Score |
|
Header |
· Identify the high-risk industry you selected · Properly addressed and complete · Subject of memo conveys specific report content |
5 |
|
|
Opening |
· Problem(s) and objective(s) clearly stated |
15 |
|
|
Background |
· Summarize the information gathered to answer the problem(s) – make sure you address all three objectives |
15 |
|
|
Discussion |
· Point out any important information that you think should be highlighted or stressed – make sure you address all three objectives · Key findings or recommendations – make sure you address all three objectives |
40 |
|
|
Conclusion |
· Conclusions follow from discussion · Solution to problem · States the action you recommend to the reader – make sure you address all three objectives |
15 |
|
|
Style |
· Follows required format/template · Grammar, spelling · Clear organization and smooth flow of ideas · Concise, direct, readable · Professional appearance · Length (1-2 pages – references not included in this limitation) |
10 |
|
|
Total |
|
100 |
|
Page 1 of 2