Problem/Solution Proposal Assignment

ENGL/MNGT 239: Problem/Solution Proposal Assignment Directions

Due dates for this assignment are located in the course schedule document and inside the relevant course module.

Directions: When you finish the final version of this assignment, proofread again for grammatical errors, and upload in Microsoft Word format to the SafeAssign link for the Problem/Solution Proposal assignment, also located in the appropriate folder in Module Three. Important note: I grade all formal written work with a grading rubric which explicitly outlines the qualities and expectations for assessing the assignment, tailored to match the assignment directions. Your graded work for this particular assignment will be integrated in Blackboard and available for you to view in the My Grades tab within 7-10 business days after the assignment due date. See syllabus for an explanation of how much each assignment in this course is worth in terms of grade percentages. If you have questions about particular parts of your assignment grade beyond the rubric assessment I post for you, please let me know.

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Your Rhetorical Situation: Scenario, Audience, Purpose

Assignment Scenario: For this assignment, you are once again an employee for Central Global Communications, an international corporation with offices all over the world. Your position with this multinational corporation is the same one you determined you wanted

back in Module One. Or—feel free to make up a new position for yourself if you aren’t

interested in what you chose in Module One any longer. You can be a nurse, pilot,

scientist, engineer, flight instructor, human resources specialist, accountant, mid-level

manager, public relations specialist, or even the CFO (the CEO position is taken already

by our Hong Kong Buyer). For example, if you decide to be a nurse, the scenario asks

you to imagine moving to another country to be a supervisor/manager of other nurses for

Central Global Communications. If being a pilot is your thing, your promotion will be to

become the head pilot for another office location; you will manage/supervise other pilots.

If you can tie an assignment in this course to a meaningful goal in your life, the work can

be more rewarding.

Audience: Your audience for this proposal is your direct manager or supervisor at Central Global Communications. This part requires your imagination and your recall of how to shape your message to fit your audience (previous readings and course work).

Purpose and Goals for the Problem/Solution Proposal Assignment: The purpose for this assignment is to give you practice developing the skills and techniques which are considered standard for solving complex business problems and writing specific types of reports in business communications: in this documented proposal, you will analyze a problem, collect information through research, and suggest (“propose”) a solution.

Grading and Details: You will be graded on how your proposal adheres to the following criteria.

Problem/Solution Proposal with Researched and Cited Documentation Directions: Review Chapter 10-1 and make sure you understand the basics of the business proposal. Also, make sure you understand how to correctly incorporate parenthetical documentation, which means including direct quotes and in-text citations into your proposal, and document your sources with a References (APA) or Works Cited (MLA) page (use the most recent version of APA or MLA Style, please). You will use the information and ideas gained while doing this assignment again in Module Four, and possibly in Module Five, depending on your topic choice for the formal written report.

Proposal Scenario and Specific Steps for Completion: You’ve been working in your desired position (see above) for the Central Global Communications office located in Baltimore, Maryland, for a year now. You are doing a great job, so you are pleased when your supervisor/manager comes to ask you for help. Central Global Communications has offices all over the world; one such office is in the city of (insert country name here: you choose), and the employees who hold the same position as you do who work for this office in (insert country name here: you choose), are furious about the ways their new manager/supervisor communicates with them and the changes this person has tried to enact with the procedures for how they do their jobs: how they communicate, hold meetings, write reports, conduct their general duties, and conduct evaluations. Sadly, this new manager/supervisor is from your office in Baltimore, and she or he has not taken the time to learn about the culture of this country or customs of the office located there; instead, this person has tried to make his or her employees conform to the norms and office culture in Baltimore. This person is now being fired for making such a mistake. You are getting a promotion—you are going to take on this manager/supervisor position. You will have to work extra hard once you get there to win the trust and respect of these angry employees.

Central Global Communications does not want to make another expensive mistake. Before you are given this position, your supervisor/manager wants you to submit an approximately 2-4 page, double-spaced, documented proposal where you explain: 1. What all the recently fired manager/supervisor did wrong, 2. What steps you will take to address the problems she or he has caused with these employees and improve the office environment of your new team of employees, and 3. What you will do once you are there in order to do a better job so that Central Global Communications will not need to fire you, too. This step is similar to #1, but it is not identical. Read the sample student proposals to see the differences. You must conduct research to find out how the business culture works in the city/country (not the United States) you select. Further, you will need to do research to find out more about how communication and other cultural norms/values are similar and different from the United States. Your task is to select a country and city of your choosing that is not the United States, conduct and incorporate research on the problem as listed above, and then propose a plan of action/solution to the problem, based on your critical thinking skills and the content of this course and the readings for this module.

Format/outline (label parts accordingly with the section headings indicated below) of your proposal:

• Section 1 explains what the problem is—what the supervisor/manager did wrong. Recast the scenario I provide for you, above, and add a few creative and specific details of your own: the sample student proposals demonstrate what can be done in Section 1.

• Section 2 explains what steps you will take to address the problems the offending manager created with these employees and what specific things you will do to work to improve the office environment of your new team of employees.

• Section 3 explains what you will do as a new manager/supervisor once you are there in order to do a better job so that Central Global Communications will not need to fire you, too. This is where you state your “action plan” or pledge to do better.

• Section 4 contains a bibliography of your sources: title the bibliography References for APA style, or Works Cited for MLA style.

Please remember do the following: a. Research: Quote or paraphrase from each of four required credible and reliable research sources, cite in-text citations correctly, and document on a Works Cited or References page. The research should provide details for the heart of this problem—the failure of a manager to understand communications and customs in another culture. You will use cultural details to address the above “problem” I have created for you to solve. You can use library databases, credible and reliable sources on the Internet, or both. Choose APA or MLA format, and follow formatting guidelines of either style you choose for the entire proposal and bibliography you include at the end. b. Outline the problem and propose a specific solution: Using the information you gain from research and the knowledge you have gained in the course so far about communicating, business culture, working in teams, and problem solving, address “the problem” and offer your solutions. Incorporate information (back up your opinions and explanations with evidence, in other words) by using in-text citations for direct quotes and paraphrases. If you do not incorporate direct quotations or paraphrases from all four sources (at least one quote or paraphrase from each source) and submit a References or Works Cited page, your assignment may fail.

Basic Writing Standards for the Assignment: Ideas/Content: This assignment must satisfy assignment objectives and all formal writing criteria. The work must be organized well and in accordance with the instructions here in this document, and it must achieve unity and coherency. Your writing should be professional, clear, focused, formatted correctly, and appropriate: follow the guidelines for writing proposals, etc. as listed in your reading assignments. Finally, the quality of your writing and depth/detail/development of all portions of this assignment will be evaluated as well. Grammar and Mechanics: Errors in grammar and mechanics will lower your final assignment grade significantly. Edit very carefully! Note: assignments which fail to meet the basic standards listed here will not be graded. This statement means that an automatic “F” will be assigned to your work. ***At the end of your document, include the following statement if it is true: “I have abided by CCBC’s academic honor code on this assignment, and I attest that I have neither cheated in any way nor have I failed to give proper credit to all other sources of ideas and materials.”