Business_Eng

Assignment sheet: Recommendation Report (Informal) Eng 1131 D, Winter 2010 Due: Wednesday, April 7th Worth: 10% of course grade Length: maximum 750 words, minimum 500 words Format ● Use memo format, per pp. 88–91 in Essential Business Communication. Follow the sample memos on p. 91 and p. 228 ● At your memo’s “To” header, write “Justine Toller, Division Manager” ● At the “From” header, give your own name and the job title “Human Resources Associate” ● Optional: If you want, you could design a letterhead for the company: Stockholm Productions, 1014 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 1A7 ● Include a bibliography (guidelines below), even though a bibliography is not typically part of a memo ● Attach three or four printed-out research clips (guidelines below) ● Deliver in class in hard copy: typed, on standard 8½ x 11 white paper. A cover page is preferred as neater. For the instructors’ convenience, please double space or 1.5 space your memo text ● No email submissions accepted. No handwritten submissions accepted Preparation: Read EBC Chapter 8, “Informal Reports”. See especially pp. 226 and 228, regarding the Recommendation Report. Note also the guidelines on pp. 218 and 222: Your report will be informal in style, direct in approach, and memo in format. See also Chapter 4, “E-Mails and Memos”, for basic memo requirements. Instructions: Based on a few hours’ online research, write a brief recommendation report, summarizing your suggestions for a company employee-email policy. Background: You work in HR at a computer-video production company, Stockholm Productions. Management is concerned because the company currently has no formal email policy: Should employees be allowed to send and receive personal email messages on company computers' Should they be allowed to do so only at certain times of day— such as before 9 am, at 12-to-1 lunch hour, and after 5 pm' If email is allowed, what about online shopping or online games playing or visits to websites that may be totally inappropriate to a work place' Also, may management monitor employees’ use of computers' And if an employee brings in her own laptop (the building has wireless connection), what rules should apply' You are assigned to write a memo outlining your suggested company policy, based not on your thoughts alone but also on your research. “How do other companies do it'” is the question you are asked to answer. However, your memo should not be a blind list of what other companies do, but should be your suggested policy for Stockholm. Research: ● In EBC Chapter 9, read carefully pp. 254–258 on doing research using print, database, and web resources. ● In the U of O library database, search for published articles in newspapers, magazines, business journals, and company annual reports that discuss employee email policies. Over… Assignment sheet: Recommendation Report (Informal) Eng 1131 D, Winter 2010 Research, continued: Look also for relevant information posted on company websites. The companies that you read about in your research need not all be Canadian, but any material that you clip for attachment, or that you quote in your memo’s text, must be in English. ● Find at least seven useful sources. Take notes as needed. For your bibliography, take notes on your sources’ publication information or URL addresses. Seven sources minimum are required for your bibliography. ● Synthesizing your research, write out a clear, decisive, comprehensive memo, suggesting an employee email policy for Stockholm Productions. Accessing the U of O library databases 1) Go to www.uottawa.ca/welcome 2) Click on “Library” (at top right) 3) Click on “Libraries” (at top left) 4) Go to “Management Library (DMS)” 5) Choose either “database” or “catalogue” 6) See a superb list of available databases. Start with “ABI/INFORM” or “Factiva” or “Canadian Business Resource” 7) Use your student-account information to access the database 8) Search for published articles from newspapers, magazines, and business journals, and for company annual reports. 9) Use other search engines to search the web for company websites and posted articles Your bibliography ● See EBC pp. 434–438 for format for an MLA-style bibliography (bibliography = “Works Cited”, same thing) ● As mentioned, your bibliography needs to show at least seven sources: articles, company websites, etc. ● Print out and attach to your report the three research articles that you found the most useful. Write your name in pen at the top of each printed article. ● There will be a 50-point penalty for omitting a bibliography. The bibliography does not count toward the report’s word-count ● Also, a 30-point penalty for omitting print outs, 10 points per print out Evaluation: Your report will be graded on 1) the sense and coherence of your recommendations, 2) your effort in research as reflected in your bibliography, and 3) your overall organization of ideas and clarity of expression, including grammar, spelling, etc