Assignment 1

BUS 300: Critical Thinking & Persuasion for Business Spring 2018

Professor Espinosa Writing Assignment #1 Instructions

You are a consultant for ABC Corp., a professional services company. ABC Corp. has

outgrown its present office space and is considering two possible solutions. Your boss has asked you to draft a memorandum in which you recommend one alternative over the other. Your recommendation should be at least loosely presented in the Two-Criteria, Two-Alternative Decision Template (posted on Blackboard).

You should not use any outside information (e.g., data, studies, reports, etc.) in support of

your recommendation. Instead, you should use only the relevant facts from this business scenario and your own reasonable inferences from those facts in your analysis. However, to understand the business concepts implicated in this prompt, you may find it necessary to conduct outside research for the sole purpose of familiarizing yourself with those concepts and effectively analyzing the prompt.

Your memorandum should include a proper memorandum heading (including “To”,

“From”, “Re”, and “Date” lines). In addition, you should use Times New Roman 12-font type with one-inch margins, double-spaced. The word count for this assignment is a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 800 words (exclusive of the memorandum heading and any interim headings). Any additional words will not be read. You will not receive credit for any submissions below 500 words.

Your boss needs your memorandum no later than 8:00 A.M. on February 13. Upload

your memorandum to the folder labeled “Writing Assignment #1” under the “Assignments” tab on Blackboard no later than the deadline above. If you have trouble uploading your memorandum, email a copy of the memorandum to your professor by the deadline and reach out to IT for assistance. In accordance with class policy as stated in the Syllabus, late submissions will not be accepted, regardless of whether they are submitted one minute or one week late. Students who fail to submit an assignment at or before the announced deadline will receive a zero.

If you have any questions regarding Writing Assignment #1, please contact your professor.

 

BUS 300: Critical Thinking & Persuasion for Business Spring 2018

Writing Assignment #1

ABC Corp., a professional services company occupying a one-story building in an outlying suburb of a large city, has outgrown its present office space. Two possible solutions are being considered. One is to enlarge the present building by adding a second story. The other is to move the company into space available in a large office building in the city. Draft a memorandum in which you argue for one alternative over the other based on the following considerations:

 ABC Corp. wants to obtain office space that most suits its needs for as little expense possible.

 ABC Corp. wants to minimize disruptions to its employees.

Approximately 70 percent of ABC Corp. employees live within a half hour's drive of the suburb in which the company is located, and roughly 20 percent commute from the city (which is about an hour's drive away). The remainder commute from even farther away. It would take almost a year to add a second story, during which time the construction noise and debris would be distracting to workers. They estimate that the company would have to be shut down entirely for four or five weeks. But the addition would be tailored to the company's needs and would enable ABC Corp. to continue to be housed by itself in its own building, which is desirable because the company handles confidential materials and is concerned about their security.

Space in the large office building can be had immediately and the move could be accomplished in a week or two. ABC Corp. would occupy several floors of the building, at least one of which it would share with other businesses. The cost, offset by the sale of the present building, would be significantly less than that of adding a second story to that building. Property taxes are also lower in the city. The city, however, imposes a 3% income tax on employees and, in order to retain its employees, ABC Corp. would probably have to raise salaries to compensate for this tax. There is good public transportation connecting most suburban areas with the city, but current employees living farthest from the city would face even longer commutes.