Course Assignments

Course Assignments:

Assignment #1 - Memo Assignment
total of 8 points - Due 4/20
Create a company in your imagination and pretend that your distribution list of students in our class is a list of your employees. Plan and write a memo of considerable length to your employees, explaining a new policy that you will be implementing soon. Be sure to give the most important information first. Use a pleasant tone even though the policy may be an unpopular one. Check the text once again for procedures and techniques in developing this memo. At the bottom of the memo, type IN CAPS the name of your imaginary company and give it an address. Send the memo to your list.

Assignment #2 team form letter from local chamber of commerce or visitors bureau -
total of 10 points - Due 4/22
Students, as a team, will compose an informational form letter from the local Visitors Bureau or Chamber of Commerce to people interested in visiting the area. Planners will brainstorm to come up with as many potential questions as possible to answer in the form letter. The goal is a concise but complete letter that requires no follow-up questions on the part of the would-be visitor.

Final Project - total of 40 points- Due 5/11
(1) You will prepare a letter of proposal offering the services of your small business (type to be decided by each student) to another business, using persuasion to show why contracting your independent services would be more beneficial to the business than hiring in-house employees. In the letter of proposal, you will request a meeting with the administrative board.
(2) You will prepare an oral presentation as follow-up to the written proposal, further selling your services. This presentation may include visual aids and/or handouts.
Specific guidelines for the final project
April 13: Identify your Final Project topic and have the topic approved by the instructor.
April 27: Submit an outline to your instructor.
April 29: Post your final project outline on your blog.
May 4: Peer evaluation of your project and instructor feedback.
May 11: Final Project must be submitted.
Your final project will be 5 to 7 pages long and must adhere to APA guidelines.

In preparing your written presentations, consider the following:
* What business services will you choose to provide? Billing, secretarial, computer, health, landscaping?

* Who is your audience? How will you appeal to them? Will you use rational or emotional appeal? Are they familiar with the subject or will you need to be teaching as well as relaying information? Does that mean giving more or less information? At what level will you need to present information? Basic level, for audiences with little or no prior experience who require teaching? Moderate level, for audiences with limited knowledge who require some explanation? Expert level, for an audience who knows as much as you do and requires minimal explanation?

* Are you anticipating resistance at all? Is persuasion needed?

* What information about your company is most important to know and will be most effective as a selling point?

* What information will be most effectively relayed in written form? In oral form?

Elements to consider including in your letter:

* Specific services that your business can provide, tailored to fit the needs of the client

* Procedures that will be followed

* Why you are particularly well-qualified and suitable for their purposes (and other selling points)

* Costs

* Benefits of hiring your small business as opposed to their hiring employees, i.e. comparative costs, convenience, time concerns, reliability, availability, staffing problems, insurance, etc.

* Conclude by summarizing, then suggesting a time when representatives of your firm can meet with administration to discuss your services further.