English 302 Abhijeet Rao <rao.abhi@yahoo.com> Document Analysis Assignment Scenario You have been appointed by the CEO of your company to create a new set of business documents for the firm. However, before you embark on this project, the CEO expects you to analyze pre­existing documents and evaluate them for their efficiency in achieving their intended purpose. Goal The goal of this assignment is to choose a professional document from your firm (you may use any business document that you may possess or find online), analyze the document, evaluate it, and write a memo reporting your analysis and evaluation. The analysis should address the six questions listed below and should support claims with relevant proof. Questions The six questions are as follows: Ø Who is the audience? What characteristics of this audience are relevant to this particular message? Ø What is the purpose of the document? Ø What information must the message include? Ø How does the author build support his/her position? What reasons or reader benefits will the audience find convincing? Ø What objections are expected from the audience? What negative elements are de­emphasized or overcome? Ø What aspects of the total situation/environment affect reader response (i.e. economy, time of the year, company morale, relationship with writer)? Logistics Genre: Memo Length: 2 ­ 2 ½ pages (single spaced) Longer is not necessarily better Audience: The CEO of the company Due Dates: 6/15: Send me an email describing your document 6/18: Bring your document and share it with the class 6/22: Analysis memo due Evaluation How effectively does the document achieve the following Criteria Ø Accomplish its intended task (address the six questions) Ø Provide a sound argument in support of its claims Ø Demonstrate orderly and coherent presentation of the material Ø Display effective design and formatting (at least 2 levels of headings) Ø Present a professional tone and style Ø Demonstrate careful proofreading and editing
Name:_______________________ Grading Rubric Sheet: Document Analysis Checklist Content q
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q How does the analysis address the following questions? Ø Who is the audience? What characteristics of this audience are relevant to this particular message? Ø What is the purpose of the document? Ø What information must the message include? Ø How does the author build support his/her position? What reasons or reader benefits will the audience find convincing? Ø What objections are expected from the audience? What negative elements are de­emphasized or overcome? Ø What aspects of the total situation/environment affect reader response (i.e. economy, time of the year, company morale, relationship with writer)? What makes this memo analytical over being just a summary of the document? How does the document analyze how effective the document is achieving reader benefits and you­attitude? Does the document provide a sound argument in support of its claims? Does the analysis clearly identify the document’s audience, purpose, and context? Does the memo evaluate the document and make a recommendation whether the document should be retained, discarded, or revised? Organization q
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q Does the memo have a brief descriptive title? Does it contain an opening paragraph that provides an overview of the memo? Does each paragraph have a clear, descriptive topic sentence? Are there smooth transitions and coherent links between ideas? Does the document demonstrate orderly and coherent presentation of the material? Format
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q Does the memo adhere to a standard memo format? Does the memo have a proper heading (memo, date, to, form, subject)? Does the memo display consistent, effective design and formatting (at least 2 levels of headings) Expression q
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q Does the memo avoid clichés and unnecessary jargon? Does the memo avoid using filler sentences, statements that have no relevance to the text? Is the text concise (not wordy)? Does the text uses a conversational yet professionally appropriate tone and style? Correctness q Brief Note: Grade:
Does the memo demonstrate careful proofreading and editing?