mgt 360w assessment
This week, you will write a letter with a negative message using the principles in Chapter Seven.
Using your group’s company as a platform, choose one of the following scenarios.
-Your company headquarters are moving to another state (employees and/or customers and vendors need to be notified. Write the letter to just one of the affected groups.)
-Someone claims they got sick from ingesting your product (food or drink related only)
-Retirement benefits for your employees will be scaled back because of costs
-You are raising your prices (products or services.) Customers may be angry
-You are closing your business entirely
(Other scenarios may work–ask instructor if you want to do a different topic.)
Grading will be based on: Use of indirect approach and (Figure 7.3 in 11th edition, p.196 in 10th edition/p. 190 in the 11th) passive voice to buffer the bad news, word count of 300 words in the body of the letter (not counting salutation, addresses, or signature block, which all need to be included.)
The letter will start with a salutation. Then you will use a buffer for paragraph one, the reasons for the bad news (paragraph 2,) another paragraph with the bad news, and a pleasant close without mention of the bad news. Not even a hint of the bad news (example of alluding to the bad news: I hope we can move beyond this…) (paragraph 4.)
Even though you are using indirect writing, you should avoid flabby writing (chapter 4.)
Remember, formal correspondence, even to one’s employees, is sent to home addresses because it forms a permanent record. If you are writing to all of your employees, you would send a formal letter to each individual’s home address (even if it is a follow up to a verbal announcement.) This is part of the permanent record process that is still considered the norm.
