Unit VIII mini project

Running head: TITLE OF PAPER 1

Title of Paper

Student Name

Columbia Southern University

This is the running head. The words

“Running head:” should only appear on the

title page. On all subsequent pages, the

header should consist of the title in all capital

letters. Be sure that the title within the

running head is 50 characters or less,

including spaces.

Paper Format

 1 inch margins

 Double spacing

 Suggested font-Times New Roman 12 pt.

 Paragraphs indented .5 inch (usually default Tab)

TITLE OF PAPER 2

Title of Paper

The first paragraph should introduce the organization and the issue you plan to address.

This should be brief, as you will go into more detail later in the paper. The thesis statement needs

to be the last sentence in the introduction.

Summary

The second paragraph should be a summary of the situation. Look at the following

example from Unit I, which summarizes the issue with the Volkswagen Corporation as a model:

Scientists from the University of West Virginia tested Volkswagen diesel vehicles and

found that the company was able to cheat on emissions tests with software that indicated the

vehicles’ emissions were far lower than they actually were. Over 11 million vehicles were

equipped with the “defeat devices” (Varandani, 2015). The use of devices designed to fool U.S.

regulators has resulted in a federal lawsuit against the company.

As reported by the National Public Radio (NPR) in “U.S. Files Lawsuit Against

Volkswagen Over Emissions Trickery,” the vehicles are actually putting up to 40 times more

pollution into the air than U.S. standards allow (as cited in Chappell, 2016). Over 600,000

vehicles produced by Volkswagen violate the U.S. Clean Air Act. Statements by Michael Horn,

the CEO of Volkswagen’s U.S. business concerns, and Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller

further damaged the reputation of organization. The scandal resulted in the resignation of many

top-level Volkswagen employees and a drop in the company’s stock price. Volkswagen faces

billions of dollars in potential fines and also the cost of retrofitting its vehicles with systems to

limit emissions.

Communication Strategy

Each paragraph should be at least three sentences in length. Each

paragraph should only include one topic.

TITLE OF PAPER 3

Begin this section of the essay by discussing the potential audience for your strategy.

Remember that you are creating a strategy that fosters change and innovation in the organization

based on what you have learned throughout the course. You need to explain how the strategy

addresses the needs of your audience. With the Volkswagen Corporation issue, for example, the

audience could be the senior executives in the company, the U.S. federal government, and/or

past/future U.S. consumers of the product. In the following paragraph, the scope of the audience

is limited to the customers who have purchased the vehicles in question, but it is only one

potential option.

It is likely that U.S. customers who purchased diesel vehicles with the emissions defeat

device will need to bring their vehicles into service centers for government-mandated system

changes. Normally, the U.S. federal government requires corporations to bring vehicles up to

regulation. It is probable that making changes to the software or components will bring

compromises in fuel economy, performance, and/or reliability.

Backlash from this situation could negatively affect future sales. Some customers will be

inconvenienced by the recall while others will have doubts about the efficiency of future

products. In addition, consumers did not have the use of the environmentally friendly car they

thought they were purchasing, and resale values are apt to fall.

The Volkswagen Corporation needs to address these customer concerns. Setting up a

dedicated website to communicate with customers will be a good first step in mitigating the

criticism. The website will provide regular updates on Volkswagen’s progress in bringing the

diesel models into full compliance. Once the technical issues are resolved, the recall program can

be linked into the website. Current customers will be able to register online and schedule the

repairs required by the recall at dedicated Volkswagen service centers and dealerships. In

Potential Audience

Audience Reaction

TITLE OF PAPER 4

addition, any independent testing of the new, compliant emissions systems will be made

available on the website for the general public to review.

Since the website is a global communications channel, it will help spread Volkswagen’s

message that the organization is changing its policies and making industry-leading innovations in

clean technology. Providing transparency to the compliance process through regular updates will

alleviate customer anxiety, and having a centralized location for customers to register for repair

will make the process more convenient. Finally, providing independently verified test results in a

public forum will reassure used car buyers that the vehicles are now clean burning diesels, which

will help improve resale value.

Conclusion

In many ways, the conclusion acts as the final word in the paper. A good conclusion is

the matching bookend to your introduction, and it is never a straight reiteration of everything that

you have just presented in the paper.

Communication Strategy

How the Strategy Addresses the Needs of the Audience

TITLE OF PAPER 5

References

Chappell, B. (2016, January 4). U.S. files lawsuit against Volkswagen over

emissions trickery. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-

way/2016/01/04/461927119/u-s-files-lawsuit-against-volkswagen-over-emissions-

trickery

Varandani, S. (2015, December 17). Volkswagen emissions scandal: European parliament backs

inquiry into German automaker, probe could last a year. International Business Times.

Retrieved from http://www.ibtimes.com/volkswagen-emissions-scandal-european-

parliament-backs-inquiry-german-automaker-probe-2230060

The word “References”

should be centered at the

top of the page and is not

boldface.

This is an example of a reference list. All in-text citations must have a corresponding entry on the

reference list. It is formatted with a hanging indent and double-spacing.