	Submit this assignment only as a Word file. Do NOT submit a Google doc file, RTF, PDF or any other file type. Any file that is not submitted as a Word file will be returned with a zero grade.
	For downloading and uploading instructions, refer to handout in the Course information folder Downloading, Working with, and Uploading a Module Assignment File.

MAF2a

Chapter 4-Research and sources

Exercise 1-Determining a research strategy

Business people use secondary research to learn about market trends, business ideas, etc. They need information they can trust to make sound decisions.

Reference: Review the sections in the textbook on determining a search strategy (103-104), sources of info (104-105), evaluating sources (117-120), and taking notes (120-121).

The Lehman College Library website offers video tutorials on finding sources of info. To access, Library main page/ Student Help / Video Tutorials.

RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING SITUATION: Pretend that you are a library online help desk intern. A freshman student has emailed you asking how s/he could get started on his/her research paper in a business class. In a few paragraphs, explain the secondary research process -- from determining a search strategy, finding sources of information, evaluating sources, and taking notes.

STUDENT RESPONSE:

Exercise 2-Practice deciding when to cite sources

Business people expect sources of information to be properly identified. For each sentence in the following passage, decide whether it is necessary to add quotation marks, cite a source, or do nothing. Explain your reasoning. Reference: Textbook pages 122-129; handout Cpt4b-Documenting Sources slides 13-30.

TEXT: I.T.

Technology continues to offer well-paid entry level jobs for college graduates--whether or not one majored in technology (1). College graduates, for example, have flocked to 5,000 “coding schools” in major cities across the U.S. to supplement their credentials and enhance their marketability (2). For $15,000 and three months of training, these schools churn out about 25,000 fledgling tech engineers annually in website building, database development, and data analytics (3). About 90% are eagerly snatched up by all types of employers, especially startups, desperate to fill serious gaps in tech talent (4).

For one career changer, Jessica Jones, who graduated from XYZ College with a B.A. in English and switched to coding, the main issue was making a living wage (5). She previously worked as a literary agent in a prestigious firm, where she made multiple book deals with promising authors before leaving to go to a coding school for a better paying field (6). The problem in publishing wasn’t sales; the problem was low commissions, she says (7).

Although I had no experience, I worked as a coding intern in a marketing tech startup last summer and I really enjoyed it (8). Still, when I graduate I hope to utilize my business degree and land a good job in a Fortune 500 corporate accounting department (9).

#	STUDENT RESPONSE: Use quotation marks, or cite a source, or do nothing?	WHY? (Short response)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Exercise 3-Practice referencing sources using in-text citations

Business people critically assess and often investigate sources of information provided by business writers. Based on your analysis in the previous exercise, add “in-text” citations into the text below, in correct MLA format. Use the sources in the sample Works Cited page below. Reference: Textbook pages 124-128; handout Cpt4b slides 33-38.

$C:\Documents and Settings\66b957\My Documents\NOTE ICON - small.JPG$

Cite anything that you quote, paraphrase, or summarize from a source.

Basic in-text citation format: (Lastname page#). NOT (Lastname page#-page#).

A citation comes after quotes, and always before a period.

John Doe lamented to the press that “with free downloads so prevalent, no one in cable TV is making money anymore” (Cashel 2).

ACME Company sales rose to $3.5 million in December, contributing to a $2 per share rise in its stock price this week and a 10% profit for the year (Dashel 1).

SOURCES FOR THIS EXERCISE: (MLA format; the Works Cited is at the end of a report.)

Works Cited

Duffy, Allen. “College Grads Head to Coding Schools.” InfoTech Weekly, 10.2 (2017): 21-25.

Doe, Jane. “The New IT Pipeline: How Coding Schools are Impacting Job Growth.” The Business St. Journal, 8.161 (2017): 5-17.

Jones, Jessica. Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2017.

STUDENT RESPONSE (add the in-text citations to the text below):

Technology continues to offer well-paid entry level jobs for college graduates--whether or not one majored in technology. College graduates, for example, have flocked to over 5,000 “coding schools” in major cities across the U.S. to supplement their credentials and enhance their marketability. For $15,000 and three months of training, these schools churn out about 25,000 fledgling tech engineers annually in website building, database development, and data analytics. About 90% are eagerly snatched up by all types of employers, especially startups, desperate to fill serious gaps in tech talent.

For one career changer, Jessica Jones, who graduated from XYZ College with a B.A. in English and switched to coding, the main issue was making a living wage. She previously worked as a literary agent in a prestigious firm, where she made multiple book deals with promising authors before leaving to go to a coding school for a better paying field. “The problem in publishing wasn’t sales; the problem was low commissions,” she says.

Although I had no experience, I worked as a coding intern in a marketing tech startup last summer and I really enjoyed it. Still, when I graduate I hope to utilize my business degree and land a good job in a Fortune 500 corporate accounting department.

Exercise 4-Summarizing and Paraphrasing

Business writers are careful to avoid plagiarism through effective quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing (QPS). Reference: Textbook pages 122-124 and 139-140, handout Cpt4c QPS (all slides), and sample process in the Module’s Presentations folder. The short lesson on YouTube might be of interest: http://www.engvid.com/paraphrasing-english-writing/.

Pretend you are reading the passage in the previous exercise in a different publication, Industry Today Magazine in an article written by Steven Bookworm. The passage is located on page 38 of the magazine.

DIRECTIONS	STUDENT RESPONSE (Be sure to use MLA in-text citation for the summary and paraphrase.)
What is the topic, in 1 or 2 keywords?
SUMMARIZE the entire passage in 1 sentence.
PARAPHRASE just the first paragraph.

Paraphrasing worksheet (sample process in Presentations folder).

Step 1: READ the original several times until you understand the material.

Step 2: OUTLINE each idea using your own words.

Step 3: REORDER THE SENTENCES.

FINAL STEP: CONNECT THE SENTENCES, edit, and add the citation.

Exercise 5-Practice documenting sources for a Works Cited page

Business people want to ensure that they have trustworthy information on which to base decisions, and often review a writer’s sources and read the full text. Prepare citations in MLA-style, using the list of sources provided after these notes. Reference: Textbook pages 140-148; handout Cpt4b, slides 39-44.

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Review the information on constructing citations in the Course Information / Research and Citations folder of the Bb classroom. This includes a Quick summary of common citation rules tailored to the needs of the this course, and the Son of Citation Machine ( http://www.citationmachine.net/ ), an automated tool for creating citations and/or checking your work. Feel free to use the automated tool, now and for the research paper.

The second line of a citation must have a “hanging indent” of 5 spaces. For pictures of the process, see Word Features You Need to Know for this Class in the Course information folder, or in the Presentation folder for this Module.

RIGHT: Hanging indent

Sowell, Thomas. Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy. 3rd ed. New York: Basic Books, 2017.

WRONG: Missing hanging indent

Sowell, Thomas. Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy. 3rd ed. New York: Basic Books, 2017.

After reviewing the section on MLA Style in Chapter 4, fix the following MLA citations below.

	STUDENT RESPONSE: Top row is the information; type your response below it.
1.	WEBSITE: lehman.edu/career exploration and development center. Lehman College, 2017, accessed on website, 1/12/2017

2.	JOURNAL ARTICLE: Jeffrey D. Sachs. A New Global Commitment to Disease Control in Africa. Nature Medicine, volume 7, number 5, May 2001.

3.	ARTICLE IN AN ONLINE PUBLICATION: Clive Thompson. Why kids can’t search. Wired.com. November 1, 2011. Conde Nast Digital. Accessed December 6, 2011, http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/st_thompson_searchresults/

MAF2b

Chapter 5 – Visuals, tables, and document design

Writers in the workplace are often required to organize data into tables in Word documents. Using tables enables the business reader to skim information quickly. Reference: Textbook pages 167-170 (tables) and 171-179 (graphs); handout Cpt5b slides 1-17 (tables) and 18-26 (graphs).

For instructions on creating tables, page breaks, justification, line spacing, and lists, refer to the file Word Features You Need for this Course posted in Course information folder.

$C:\Documents and Settings\66b957\My Documents\NOTE ICON - small.JPG$

Incorporate business standards for tables:

· Make sure all money figures are right-justified.

· Line up cents, thousands, etc.

· Be consistent. If you drop cents or thousands in one cell, drop it in every cell.

· Follow accounting principles, e.g., dollar signs display in the first column and in the total – not on every line. Or, if you define the type of numbers before the table displays, you may drop the dollar sign because the reader will know what the numbers represent.

· Do not use “k” for thousands (25k); instead, use the full number (25,000) or put the denomination (thousands) in the column header and just provide the number (25).

EXAMPLES POOR BETTER

Rosa’s Lemonade Stand	Costs	Rosa’s Lemonade Stand	Costs
Lemons	$15.25	Lemons	$5.25
Bottled water	$5.25	Bottled water	1.25
Sugar	.25	Sugar	.25
Total	$6.75	Total	$6.75

Exercise 1-Create a table (financial)

EXERCISE: Create a four-column table that compares sales in thousands of dollars among the various clothing divisions of the Outerwear Corporation for 2017, 2018, and 2019. Sales for each division are as follows:

· Boots: 2017 ($75K), 2018 ($65K), 2019 ($50K)

· Coats: 2017 ($225K), 2018 ($200K), 2019 ($75K)

· Gloves: 2017 ($35K), 2018 ($30K), 2019 ($15K)

· Hats: 2017 ($125K), 2018 ($100K), 2019 ($50K)

· Scarves: 2017 ($125K), 2018 ($100K), 2019 ($35K)

· Socks: 2017 ($28K), 2018 ($25K), 2019 ($20K)

STUDENT TABLE:

Exercise 1a-Create a chart (optional practice)

OPTIONAL PRACTICE: Using the data in your financial table of the last exercise, create line or bar graph to compare the data. In Word, go to the main tabs, click INSERT, click CHART, and make the appropriate selection.

Exercise 2-Use typography and highlighting devices to create a basic report

Analyze the document design elements and images of a corporate annual report. Create a short evaluation using a standard business format. Reference: Textbook pages 155-163 (typography, highlighting devices, headers, section headings, tables, images, etc.), Handouts Cpt7a and Cpt7b. Also, see “Word Features You Need for this Course” in this Module’s Presentation folder.

STEPS:

1. Select/access a corporate annual report from the list below:

Link: Alberta Dept of Culture and Tourism Annual Report 2016-17. Simple.

Link: Bank of America Annual Report 2017.

Link: Bloomberg Philanthropies Annual Report 2018.

Link: Cineplex Annual Report 2017.

Link: Citigroup Annual Report 2017.

Link: Nissan Global Annual Report 2017.

Link: Office of Child Support Enforcement Annual Report to Congress 2016.

Link: Planned Parenthood Annual Report 2016-2017.

Link: Proctor and Gamble Annual Report 2017.

Link: Walmart Annual Report 2017.

2. Review the design elements, tables, and images in the annual report.

3. Create a short (up to one-page) evaluation of the annual report in four parts:

a) Provide a corporate title and a one sentence introduction.

b) Create a section header entitled, Corporate images. Create a numbered list of one or two key corporate images and summarize the impact of each.

$C:\Documents and Settings\66b957\My Documents\NOTE ICON - small.JPG$

Do not type up manual lists; use Word’s numbered/bulleted list functions (Home tab, Paragraph section, icons).

c) Create a section header entitled, Document design elements. Create a bulleted list of three to five document design elements and summarize the impact of each.

d) Create a section header entitled, Impression of overall message. Summarize briefly your impression of the overall message of the annual report.

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Annual reports are full of corporate “spin.” Google the company (e.g., “Walmart problems”) and skim recent headlines/articles in appropriate publications. Describe paradoxes, if discovered, for example:

· Retail companies (popular products at low prices vs. worker exploitation)

· Tech companies (new products vs. exporting jobs)

· Energy companies (cleaner “dirty” energy vs. environmental disaster)

· Food companies (fortunes in fast or snack food vs. healthy choices)

· Agri-business (organic food vs. genetically modified crops)

· Financial institutions (client trust vs. selling bad investments)

SAMPLE EVALUATION IN WORD

Start on the next page; create a page break by pressing <Ctrl> <Enter> here.

MAF2c

Chapter 7-Principles of business communications

Exercise 1-Direct vs. Indirect patterns of messaging

Direct pattern (useful in lower-stakes messages)

Indirect pattern (needed in high-stakes messages)

1. Main point of the message

2. Explanation of details or facts

3. Goodwill closing

1. Provide context

2. Explain details

3. Give the bad news

4. Provide a goodwill closing

Reference : Textbook pages 247-248 and handout Cpt7a slides 17-19.

Reference : Textbook pages 248-251 and handout Cpt7a slides 20-25.

Use the indicated pattern of messaging in the exercise below.

SENTENCE:

STUDENT REVISION:

Use the direct pattern of structuring a message:

Dear Ms. Mauer:

We’re still waiting for the final paperwork for your application to our summer camp program. The deadline is next Monday. We’ve lots of qualified people on our waiting list. Let us know by then or we’ll give your space to someone else. Thanks!

Sincerely,

Use the indirect pattern of structuring a message:

Dear Ms. Mauer:

Your application for acceptance into XYZ College as a freshman next fall has been rejected.

We have more students apply than we can accommodate, more students with higher SAT scores than you, and more students who can pay full tuition without any financial aid or grants.

Good luck with your college search.

Sincerely,

Chapter 8-Writing (aka ”STAGING”) business correspondence

Exercise 1-Creating different types of correspondence

Knowing when and how to write standard business communications is an essential tool for businesspeople to have mastered. The scenario below requires different types of correspondence. Read the scenario, then write the letters or memos using the proper format for each. To be successful in this exercise, review the referenced material below.

References on writing openings, closings, memos, letters :

Textbook Chapter 7:

In the Presentation folder:

· Openings; Closings: pages 251-253

· Designing memos: pages 263

· Designing letters: pages 263-268

· Handout Cpt7a, b, and c and Cpt8 from at least slide 16 on.

· Review “Word Features You Need for This Course.”

References on writing each type of correspondence :

Textbook Chapter 8:

· Letter of inquiry: Pages 278-279

· Inquiry response: Pages 282-286

· Complaint letter: Pages 290-291

· Adjustment letter: Pages 292-296

· Internal memo: Pages 297-298

important_lo

This is your high stakes “research paper” for summer school. Avoid losing points on formatting errors. I typically receive an outrageous number of errors on this exercise.

Please pay attention and look up what you need to know. In the textbook examples, note the flush left formatting, the simplified date, the proper way to construct street addresses, the colon at the end of the salutation, the respectful tone, the line spacing between paragraphs/for signatures, the enclosure and attribution when writing for someone else, etc. I will hold you to these expectations !

Scenario: Tuition reimbursement

Pretend you work in an expanding, mid-sized company (any industry, if relevant) that is considering offering tuition reimbursement as a company benefit. A worker has sent their manager a letter requesting tuition reimbursement for a course (PART 1). This prompts the manager to write a follow-up memo to Human Resources to determine the current company policy on this benefit (PART 2). The manager sends the worker a formal letter to communicate the actions taken, expected outcome, and next steps (PART 3).

Here are a few common elements in tuition reimbursement policies:

· You need to be with the company for some time period (nothing too long).

· You need your manager’s approval (assume you had it).

· You need to earn at least a B in the course.

· The cost cannot exceed a company limit.

· The course needs to be applicable in some way to your job.

Since you are the author of all three communications, it will help to apply PASS analysis (Purpose, Audience, Scope, and Staging) so you can switch your AUDIENCE in your thinking processes. Reference: Textbook pages 6-7.

PART 1:	Write a one to two page letter of inquiry, in business letter format, to your manager asking for tuition reimbursement to enroll in this or another course, Assume that you work for a large organization that does not have a regular procedure for such a request and thus requires approval beyond your department. Therefore, you will need adequate background information and detail for someone who may not be familiar with your job duties or this type of request. Use the course, text description, and the syllabus to prepare your memo. Add a table of costs for clarity (tuition, fees, and books). Help your audience see the value of this course.
PART 2:	Write a formal, one to two-page internal memo to the HR department arguing that you know this has been discussed by upper management but now you need a decision as you have a deserving employee who has requested reimbursement. Advocate for the tuition reimbursement for the worker and as a benefit. (Google “Is tuition reimbursement a good idea” for basic research.) Describe to HR how you think it should work, how much should be paid, the pros/cons of doing this. Include Works Cited at the end of the memo.
PART 3:	Write a one-page response to the inquiry, in business letter format, advising your worker that the request needs to be reviewed by a upper department. Explain what actions you had taken, your expectations, and foreshadow next steps.

Start on the next page. Make sure you write three (3) different communications. To begin, create a page break by pressing <Ctrl> <Enter> here.