ASSIGNMENT 1:

Business Improvement Proposal Presentation

For your last major assignment, you will create an entirely online proposal presentation of the equivalent of 5-7 pages (single spaced) for an improvement to a business where you have worked or would like to work in the future. Use the proposal you already wrote as an email for homework (Homework 2/1) as a starting place.

This assignment will challenge you to achieve the following:

• Persuade a business audience to accept your ideas.

• Create logical, well-supported arguments by linking evidence to your claims

• Develop an online organizational structure and presentation that is easy to understand and follow.

• Adapt your ideas to a specific audience and anticipate and address their concern.

Scenario

This is your big chance to tell an employer how to improve the business. Consider where you have worked, and think about one major improvement you would recommend. Brainstorm ideas that will help the business improve operational efficiencies, save money, increase revenue or market share, improve guest satisfaction, increase social responsibility, or enhance brand image. You might suggest that the company, for example, focus on a new market segment, simplify a procedure, upgrade facilities, begin composting, improve training, invest in a new computer system, or implement a social media campaign.

For this assignment to be sufficiently challenging, choose a recommendation that may be controversial. Expect resistance and garner enough evidence to persuade your audience to implement your idea. You will need to include external research, both of the company itself and the logistics of your proposed action, to support your claims. But choose something with a limited scope, so you can cover the topic thoroughly in a short time frame. Also avoid improvements that have large negative effects on staff.

Your proposal will include the following parts:

• Executive summary
• Summary of and need for planned improvement (including projected purpose and result)
• Logistics of planned improvement
• Conclusion

Grading Consideration

In addition to the goals listed above, I will be looking for the following in your proposal

• Clear strategy/approach to the issue

• Solid reasoning and use of evidence; clear analytical/critical thinking

• An organization appropriate to your purpose; paper is well organized and makes sense as a whole; paper is easy to follow and progresses in a logical manner

• Precision and accuracy of word choice

• Sentences are not only formed correctly, but also read smoothly; sentences, paragraphs, and paper as a whole are clear and easy to understand

• Correct citations/foot or endnotes and formatting

ASSIGNMENT 2:

Peer Review Business Communication Portfolio –

ASSIGNMENT 3:

Business Communication Portfolio

Scenario

Throughout the semester, you will have produced many kinds of short business communications, ranging from emails to memos to letters. At the end of the semester, you will pick three to revise along with and include in a portfolio along with your resume and cover letter, selecting one good news/neutral letter/memo/email, one bad news letter/memo/email, and one persuasive letter/memo/email. The whole portfolio will also be prefaced with a cover letter explaining and reflecting on your revisions. This portfolio is your chance to apply and show what you’ve learned this semester.

Turning in the Portfolio

Your portfolio will contain the following parts and be uploaded as a single document:

1. Portfolio Cover Letter
2. Good news/neutral message (original and revision)
3. Bad news message (original and revision)
4. Persuasive message (original and revision)
5. Resume and Cover Letter (original and revision)

Grading Considerations

Each set of drafts will be graded on the attached rubric (to be updated). I will be looking for the following in each:

• Establishes a clear sense of purpose
• Uses appropriate techniques and strategies for the audience and situation
• Reflects an understanding/depth of revision
• Communicates clearly and concisely
• Contains few to no grammar/mechanics errors