Business Writing Class

WRTG 394 students,

In preparation for Writing Assignments #3 and #4, you have identified a problem or need in your

workplace or in your community for which you would like to recommend a solution.

For Writing Assignment #3 you will write a proposal to conduct research. This proposal

will be in the form of a memo.

For this assignment, you will prepare a business memo to a decision-maker(s) requesting

authorization to conduct primary and additional secondary research for your final report.

 Step 1: Identify the decision-maker or group of decision-makers to whom you will write

this proposal memo (WA#3) and your final report (WA#4)

 Step 2: Identify primary research (and any additional secondary research) to be conducted

for your final report.

 Step 3: Write the memo using the template provided below.

The Role of This Assignment in Your Research-Based Final Report:

This proposal memo is a preliminary step you take prior to writing your final paper, which is the

research-based report (writing assignment #4). Remember, your final paper in WRTG 394 will

be a report in which you:

 define a problem in your workplace or community persuasively and accurately

 propose a solution or solutions to the problem or issue

As part of defining the problem and proposing a solution, you must conduct primary research.

You might also need to conduct some additional secondary research. In Writing Assignment #3,

the proposal to conduct research, you are persuading a decision-maker or group of decision-

makers to authorize you to begin conducting this research that will end up in your final report.

The main purposes of the research proposal memo are to:

 demonstrate that the problem you’ve identified for Project #4 is significant enough to warrant investigation

 present a feasible plan or blueprint for your research

 set forth potential benefits to the organization or community from the research that justify the use of time and resources

Template for Submitting Your Proposal:

Note: Please use the format outlined below.

To: [Decision Maker Name(s) and title]

From: [Your Name and title]

Date: [Today’s Date]

Subject: Request to Conduct Research on […]

Summary

[Provide a brief summary identifying the purpose of writing this memo.]

What the Problem Is and Why It Needs to Be Investigated

[In a series of paragraphs, describe the problem to which you are going to propose a solution and

explain why you think this problem is important.]

What Secondary Research Has Been Conducted About the Problem

[In one paragraph describe secondary research you have conducted on the problem and solution.]

What Primary Research You Will Conduct About the Problem

[In a series of paragraphs, describe primary research you will conduct on the problem and

solution.]

What Benefits Will Result From Your Research

[In one or two paragraphs, describe the potential benefits to your organization or community of

authorizing the research.]

Preliminary Ideas for Solving This Problem

[In a series of paragraphs, describe your recommendations to the problem/situation you are

describing.]

Conclusion

[In one or two sentences, conclude your memo by repeating the request for authorization and

reminding of the benefits of your conducting the research.]

Length:

Your memo should be 800-1100 words in length.

Advice on Conducting Primary Research:

When considering primary research, consider the various forms of research outlined in the

chapters from Markel and Bovee and Thill. Consider the following examples:

 For a report on teleworking, you might conduct interviews with fellow workers on the

topic to see how and why they might benefit from teleworking.

 If you are proposing that email be used less frequently for communication and that

another application be used to improve communication, you might interview fellow

employees on the situation, and you might take screen captures of alternative

communication tools to illustrate how they work and would improve communication in

your office.

 For a report on transitioning to a paperless office, you might take pictures of your office

environment showing the clutter or unsafe environment that hard-copy files create.

 For a report on building a playground area in the community, you might take pictures of

the community area to show where such a playground could be built, and you might

interview residents who have children to get their perspective on the playground idea.

 For a report on recycling facilities, you might take pictures of the office environment to

show that current recycling facilities are inadequate, and you might interview fellow

workers about whether they find it easy to recycle materials at your office.

Examples of How to Make Topics Specific for the Final Feport in WRTG 394:

If you wish to write a report to your manager at work suggesting that more teleworking options

be given to employees at your workplace, you cannot simply prepare a report on teleworking.

You must identify a specific problem in your organization and then show that teleworking will

solve it.

If you wish to write a report to your supervisor at work suggesting that email be used less

frequently for communication and that another application be used to improve communication,

you cannot simply prepare a report on the benefits of social media in the workplace. You must

establish that your specific office has problems in communicating by email and indicate the

benefits of using alternative communication systems for your workplace environment.

If you wish to write a report to your manager at work suggesting that your office become

paperless, you cannot simply prepare a report on the benefits of a paperless office. You must

show that your specific office can go paperless and indicate the benefits of your specific office

going paperless.

If you wish to write a report to the board of directors at your townhouse community to argue that

the playground area in your community should be renovated, you cannot simply prepare a report

on the benefits of a playground for a neighborhood. You must describe your specific playground

area and how it will benefit from renovations to it.

If you wish to write a report to the manager of your unit at work noting that recycling facilities in

the workplace should be improved, you cannot simply prepare a report on the benefits of

recycling or of good recycling facilities in offices. You must show that your specific work

environment lacks adequate recycling facilities and show how it will benefit from improved

recycling facilities.