ADMN 233 Assignment 2     Assignment 2 Instructions   Assignment 2 is worth 15% of your final mark. It should be completed and submitted after...

ADMN 233

Assignment 2

Assignment 2 Instructions

Assignment 2 is worth 15% of your final mark. It should be completed and submitted after you finish Chapter 7 in your textbook.

This assignment is divided into three parts, corresponding to the 3-x-3 writing process described in Unit 2 (Chapters 5 to 7) of your textbook. You will complete three activities in each part of this assignment.

Part 1: Prewriting (30 marks)
Activity A – Analyze a task
Activity B – Anticipate an audience’s needs
Activity C – Adapt your message to your audience and its needs

Part 2: Writing (30 marks)
Activity A – Research a topic and generate ideas
Activity B – Organize ideas into a coherent text structure
Activity C – Compose a first draft

Part 3: Revising (40 marks)
Activity A – Evaluate a text
Activity B – Organize a text
Activity C – Revise a text

General Instructions

The writing tasks you will complete in this assignment are based on real-world scenarios that describe a variety of situations.

1. Read every activity and scenario carefully in order to understand the problems that the characters encounter and the actions that they take.
2. Complete all three activities for each part in sequence.

3.    Limit your answers to a maximum of one sentence per mark, unless otherwise instructed. For example, if a question is worth three marks, ensure that you write three complete sentences.

1. Decide what information is important for your reader to know and what is not. You may need to invent additional facts that you consider important to communicate to your reader.
2. Reorganize this information to communicate it to a reader in a clearer and more efficient way.
3. Integrate the lessons you have learned as you complete this assignment.

Review the following pages in the Welcome and Orientation section of this course Web site before you complete this assignment:

• Marking Guide
• Questions of Style
• Applying the 3-x-3 Writing Process

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is submitting or presenting someone else's work as your own. It includes copying words from an assignment you wrote in this course into a new assignment; copying your instructor’s comments and presenting them as your own; and copying headings, outlines, sentences, paragraphs, tables, and graphics without permission or citation.

Plagiarizing someone else's writing is not allowed at AthabascaUniversity. For information about plagiarism and intellectual honesty, consult the following page from the AthabascaUniversityCalendar: http://www.athabascau.ca/studserv/inthonesty.htm.

ADMN 233 markers use anti-plagiarism software. The consequences for plagiarism and academic misconduct are severe. If you are caught plagiarizing someone else’s text, you will obtain a zero on this assignment. A letter describing this offence will be appended to your student record. You risk being suspended or expelled from AthabascaUniversity.

Part 1     Prewriting (Questions 1 to 11)                         30 marks

Refer as needed to material in Chapter 5 of your textbook. Read the instructions for each activity. Answer all questions clearly and concisely. If possible, include examples to highlight your comments.

Activity A – Analyze a task

Read the following scenario and help David analyze the task he faces. Refer to textbook pages 95 to 97 as you answer the three questions that follow the scenario.

Scenario 1:    Warranty Claim

David Pang is a claims manager for Hybrid Cars Canada, a large automobile manufacturer. He ensures that his company meets its customers’ needs by trying to resolve service claims. Yesterday, David received a phone call from a local dealership about a customer whose car warranty expired 24 hours ago. This customer’s car requires $2,400 worth of repairs.  The local dealer would like to honour this customer’s claim.

After reviewing this problem with the Claims Department, David determines that the customer’s warranty expired and the car company will not honour the customer’s claim. David must communicate this message to the customer. 

Questions/Tasks

1.    What is David’s primary purpose in sending a message to his reader? (Refer to page 95 in your textbook.) Support your answer with an explanation. (2 marks)

2.    What is the secondary purpose of David’s message? (Refer to pages 95 and 96 in your textbook.) Support your answer with an explanation. (2 marks)                                                            

3.    Which channel (e.g., phone call, e-mail, or letter) is best suited to communicate this type of message? Explain your answer. Consult Figure 5.2 Choosing Communication Channelson page 97in your textbook. (2 marks)

Activity B – Anticipate an audience’s needs

Read the following scenario and respond to the six questions that follow it.

Scenario 2: Routine Memo

Patricia Irving, head of Wascana Investments Inc., recently invited your firm to send her information about one of your company’s accounting software packages, the Zedex III Solutions software. She asked your sales director, Victor Boudeli, to submit a routine memo to her describing this product’s practical features.

Victor asked you to write a routine memo describing the Zedex III Solutions software’s ability to deal with large volumes of information.  He also wanted you to emphasize your company’s strong record of customer satisfaction.

Wascana Investments Inc. is a small brokerage firm that employs 50 financial managers serving more than 7,000 clients. The current accounting system in use at Wascana was developed for the company two years ago by a third party. However, it was poorly designed and is now inadequate for the company’s needs. Wascana requires a new accounting system to track the hundreds of financial transactions the company handles on a daily basis.

Your company, Zedex Development, is a software production firm specializing in providing custom accounting solutions for clients such as banks and investment brokers.

Victor Boudeli has asked you to write this routine memo on his behalf and send a copy of this memo to Jason Tucker, Chief Information Officer at Wascana Investments. Jason is an accountant and has recently completed training as a certified network analyst. Boudeli also requested that you forward copies of your memo to Barbara Miller, Zedex President, as well as to a group of Wascana investors.

Questions/Tasks

4.    Who is (are) the primary reader(s) targeted by this memo? Refer to Figure 5.3 Asking the Right Questions to Profile Your Audience on page 98 in your textbook to provide an explanation. (1 mark)

5.    Describe your professional relationship with your primary reader(s). Refer again to Figure 5.3 on page 98 of your textbook. (1 mark)

6.    Given your answer to question 5, what tone should your memo convey? Support your answer with examples. Refer to pages 98 and 99 in your textbook. (2 marks)

7.    In your opinion, how knowledgeable is (are) the primary reader(s) about the subject of the memo? Explain. Think about your readers’ knowledge of computer products, accounting systems, and information management prior to sending your memo.
(2 marks)                     

8.    Should you expect a negative response, a positive response, or a neutral response from your primary reader(s)? (2 marks)

9.  Identify your secondary readers and describe their specific information needs.
(3 marks)                                                                                                                                                           

Activity C – Adapt your message to your audience and its needs

Read the following scenario and respond to the two questions that follow. Refer to suggestions on pages 98 to 104 in your textbook.

Scenario 3:    Railway Company Memo

As a communications specialist for a small railway, you review, edit, and revise messages written by fellow employees in various departments. You have observed colleagues making common writing mistakes:

·         placing insufficient emphasis on reader benefits by not cultivating the “you” view

·         using the passive voice

·         using misplaced and dangling participles

·         using language bias by promoting gender, race, age, and disability stereotypes

·         writing negative and discourteous expressions

·         using unfamiliar and imprecise wording

·         relying on language that makes your company vulnerable to litigation

Your manager asks you to review the following memo:

Questions/Tasks

10.  What problems should you address in order to make the language of the above memo clearer? Select these from the Checklist for Adapting a Message to Its Audience on page 104 of the textbook. Be specific and support your answers. (3 marks)

11.  Rewrite your manager’s memo. Think about how expressing yourself positively, courteously, simply, precisely, vigorously, and in a conversational tone will affect your readers’ responses. Refer to pages 101 to 104 in your textbook. (10 marks)                     

Part 2        Writing (Questions 12 to 19)                            30 marks

Refer as needed to material in Chapters 6 and 7 of your textbook. Read the instructions for each activity. Answer all questions clearly and concisely. If possible, include examples to highlight your comments.

Activity A – Research a topic and generate ideas

Read the following scenario and respond to the two questions that follow. These questions require creative thinking. Refer to the information on pages 112 to 114 of your textbook.

Scenario 4: EnviroFriends

Mary Davis is a manager at EnviroFriends, a nonprofit group that promotes environmental awareness in the community. EnviroFriends is planning to develop a learning kit that the local school board will use to teach Grade 6 students about the benefits of preserving the environment.

In order to publish these kits, Mary must solicit funds from generous community sponsors. She is aware that Viscount Hydro Inc., a large regional energy company, has established a foundation that may fund such a project. Mary plans to send this company a written proposal requesting financial aid.

On a form Mary prints from Viscount’s Web site, she begins to fill in information solicited by the charitable foundation. The information she has already gathered includes

·         her company’s name, address, and telephone number

·         EnviroFriends’registration number as a charitable organization and its registered trade name

·         a brief history of the organization, its social mandate, the significance of its work, its benefactors and where they live

·         names of board members and officers running the company and their occupations or business affiliations

·         a description of the specific project for which funding is sought, including an explanation of the benefits it will bring to the community

·         a detailed budget outlining how grant funds will be allocated.

Questions/Tasks

12.  Supply three specific examples of the kind of information Mary could gather using formal research methods. Refer to pages 112 to 113 in your textbook.  Include the specific formal research methods you would use to obtain this information. (3 marks)

13.  Supply three specific examples of the kind of information Mary could gather using informal research methods Refer to page 113 in your textbook. Include the specific informal research methods you would use to obtain this information. (3 marks)                

Activity B – Organize ideas into a coherent text structure

Read the following scenario, and respond to the two questions that follow. These questions require creative thought as you organize information into categories and subcategories.

Scenario 5: Human Resources Manual

Gino Franconia works in the Human Resources Department of Plasto Industries, a fast-growing manufacturer of plastic and composite-fibre products. As the company grew, managers planned to develop uniform policies to ensure a fair workplace. Until now, however, these policies have not been clearly outlined.

To correct this situation, Gino’s manager has asked him to write a new human resources manual for Plasto Industries’ employees. Susan Reeves, director of human resources, provided Gino with the following unorganized list of topics to include in the manual:

Questions/Tasks

14.  Help Gino organize the topics presented in Scenario 5. Create an alphanumeric ordecimal outline for the human resources manual to organize this information logically (i.e., major title, major component, subpoints). Review outlining formats on pages 114 to 118 in your textbook, especially Figure 6.3 Two Outlining Formats on page 117.
(8 marks)

15.  Explain and support your reasons for organizing the outline as you did. Address each of the following elements of an outline: sequence, title, major components, and subpoints. (4 marks)

Activity C – Compose a first draft

Read the following scenario, and respond to the four questions that follow.

Scenario 6: Shűz Inc.

Frida Cooper works as the head buyer for Shűz Inc., a retailer of high-end footwear. She wrote the first draft of a memo to her company’s Marketing Manager, Kevin Arnold, in the following style:

Questions/Tasks

Refer to pages 121 to 129 in your textbook to complete the following tasks.

16. Clearly, Frida’s draft memo needs to be improved. Find two examples of long sentences that should be divided into shorter ones. Copy these sentences and then rewrite them, explaining how you can make each one clearer by shortening it. Clearly label your work under the headings of Original Sentence, Revised Sentence, and Explanation. Edit wordy expressions that are unnecessary or information that is off-topic. (6 marks)

17. Copy one sentence from Scenario 6 that is written in the passive voice. Rewrite this sentence using the active voice. Clearly label the old and new sentences as Passive and Active. (2 marks)

18. Copy one sentence from Scenario 6 that contains a misplaced modifier. Rewrite this sentence to clarify its meaning. Clearly label your sentences as Misplaced Modifier and Clearer Modifier. (2 marks)

19. Identify two problems in the following sentence from Scenario 6: “Not to mention the amazing embellishments that are sure to spark the interest of our well-healed clients: flowers, butterflies, crystals, and feathers.” (2 marks)

Part 3        Revising (Questions 20 to 28)                          40 marks

Refer as needed to Chapters 5, 6, and 7 of your textbook. The scenario below will be used for all activities in Part 3. Read the instructions for each activity. Answer all questions clearly and concisely. If possible, include examples to highlight your comments. Maintain a “you” view throughout. 

Scenario 7: Boat Buyers Program

Walter Bern works as a public relations officer for a Canadian travel agency.  He writes customer response letters. The company he works for, Earth’s Voyages, believes that its corporate communications should set a high professional standard. However, Walter has had little sleep lately and is notfocusing clearly on the task he has to handle. In fact, his draft letter is quite disorganized and confuses key issues.

Walter needs to provide Mrs. Beaudoin, his reader, information about how she can accumulate points within the Boat Buyers Program (BBP), which she recently joined.  The BBP is a points program that, among other rewards, entitles her to save substantially on the cost of future sea cruises. Points can be accumulated whenever members book any type of travel through Earth Voyages.

Activity A – Evaluate a text

Evaluate the purpose, tone, and organization of Walter’s letter. Who is the audience and what is the purpose of the letter? Does it maintain a “you” view?

20. What is Walter Bern’s specific purpose for writing to Mrs. Beaudoin? (1 mark)

21. In one sentence, comment on the tone of Walter’s letter. (1 mark)                               

22. In three sentences, comment on the content organization in Walter’s letter. (3 marks)

23. Provide two examples with supportive evidence to describe how the content of the letter is on topic. (4 marks)                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Activity B – Organize a text

Assess the effectiveness of the letter’s content and organization.

24. Provide two examples of sentences that should be removed and justify your answer.
(2 marks)                              

25. Provide two examples where parts of this letter are missing or underdeveloped.
(2 marks)                                                                                                                

26. Help Walter reorganize his letter by creating an alphanumeric outline
(i.e., major title, major component, subpoints). (3 marks)                                     

Activity C – Revise a text

27.  Proofread paragraph 1 of Walter’s letter. Refer to the Checklist for Revising Messages on page 143 of the textbook. Identify four items that need revising. Describe the writing problems these examples demonstrate. Clearly label your sentences as Examples and Problems. (4 marks)

28. Rewrite Walter’s letter to improve its effectiveness. Cultivate the “you” view and focus on the receiver’s needs. Write an effective version of Walter’s text (Refer to pages 99 and 100 in your textbook.                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                                                   May 26, 2009 

Mrs. Jeanne Beaudoin

7 Rue Ste, Therese

Ville de Quebec, PQ

G2K 9K7

Hi Mrs. Beaudoin

Thank you for joining the Boat Buyers Program (BPP) prior to taking you Christmas Caribbean cruise. This Cruise will take you and your friends from Miami to Nassau in the Bahamas on the Maiden of the sea, the newest cruise ship featured by Earth’s Voyages Cruise. We are planning to give you, our valued customer, and a special Christmas bonus under this program. Your departure date is January 19^th, from Miami. The ship leaves dock at 5 pm. Allow yourself two hours to register and embark, prior to this departure time. You will receive an extra 100 BBP points just for completing this cruise.

But first, you must activate your BBP credit card in order to participate in this program and benefit from our point system. You can call 1-800-Go-Go- BBP to sign up. The BBP card is the only card you can use to make payments on board the liner. For every dollar you spend on the ship, you get 10 points that you can use towards your next cruise with Earth’s voyages Cruise.

If you accumulate 10,000 points you an cruise Mediterranean; with 5000 points, you can cruise Caribbean from any other point from any port in   the United States, for 2000 points, you can enjoy a special cruise on the St. Lawrence River leaving from Montreal or along the Queen Charlotte Islands departing from Vancouver. Please consult the Boat Buyer Program (BPP) brochure to locate Cruise schedule that suits your needs.

You get an extra 50 points if you help sign up a friend or colleague in the BBP program as well.

You can use your BBP points to obtain discounts on all major airlines from your home to a cruise port of departure indicated on our brochure. Please consult the BBP brochure to locate further information about flight reductions.

Enclosed, please find a brochure explaining the details of the BBP card program along with information about BBP card rewards. Look for super sales in our summer 2009 vacation Travel Destination to Alaska Section.

At Earth’s Voyages Cruise, we will see to it that your needs are well looked after and that you are treated with special courtesy whenever and wherever you wish to travel. We hope that you will take advantage of the BBP and its cost savings.

Please call me if you have any questions and I will be glad to call you back.

Sincerely,

Walter Bern

Public Relations Representatives.