COMM 1034 (Tuesday class)
COMMUNICATION PACKAGE (20%)
Due: Tuesday, June 7 at 6 p.m.
Submit ONE attachment with three documents (one Word document)
under “Assignments” on Blackboard. Please pay close attention to class
coverage up to the due date as I will emphasize aspects of business
communication to include.
Create three documents: one memo, one email, and one letter. All must be wordprocessed with a standard (Ariel, Verdana, Times New Roman) 12-point font.
Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are your reference points; however, pay attention to key
points covered in class regarding business writing—and note the Sample Format
for COMM Package. One thing that is doesn’t show is the need for bullets or
numbers in the body of memos and emails, which you must have. Review the
Evaluation Criteria and proofread carefully. Each document = one page. Do not go
onto a second page for one document. All docs must be one page each. We will
be discussing how to fit your documents on one page using a 12-point font.
Memo Information: Confusing Office Move Message
The following message, which originated in an international technology company,
was intended to inform new team members about their upcoming move to a
different office location. But its stream-of-conscious thinking and jumbled
connections leave the receiver confused as to what is expected and how to respond.
Your Task: Study the complete poorly written message. Then revise it with (a) a
clear introduction that states the purpose of the message, (b) a body with
properly announced lists, and (c) a conclusion that includes the three
things mentioned in class: action, appreciation/politeness, and an enddate. Improve the organization by chunking similar material together. What
questions must be answered? What tasks should be performed? Finally, consider
adding the "you" view to the message. The message must be in memo format
with appropriate guide words and signage. A specific subject line must be
included.
Hello everyone,
Due to the recent COVID-19 restrictions, we'll be moving all team members from
our current office into your home offices before June 30. There are things we need
you to do to be ready for the move. For one thing, let me know which Friday you
want your personal items moved. The possibilities are June16th and 23rd. Also, if
Professor Rhonda Sandberg
George Brown College
Spring 2022
you have an ergonomic desk or chair you want moved, let me know. By the way,
we'll be sending boxes, labels, tape and a move map four or five days before the
move date you choose, so let me know if this timeframe allows you enough time to
pack your belongings. And if you are bringing office equipment from your current
team to the new team, let me know. Remember that company policy allows you to
take a workstation/laptop from your current team to the new workstation. So check
with your admin and let me know what office equipment you will be bringing.
Incidentally, your new workstation will have a monitor and peripherals.
You'll need to do some things before the movers arrive. Make sure you put foam
pads around your valuable, fragile items and then box them up. This includes things
such as IT plaques, glass, or anniversary glass sculptures. If the glass things break,
replacing them is expensive and the cost center is responsible for replacement. You
may want to move them yourself and not have the movers do it.
Another thing–make sure you pack up the contents of all gray filing cabinets
because movers do not move those. Also, write on the move map the number and
delivery location of whiteboards, corkboards, and rolling cabinets. Most importantly,
make sure you add a name label to all your belongings, such as desk phones,
docking stations, peripherals, monitors, tables, ergonomic desks, ergonomic chairs,
etc. If you see old move labels on recycled boxes, remove them or cross them out.
Get back to me ASAP. And by the way, the movers will arrive between 4 p.m. and 7
p.m. on the move date.
Thank you.
(Do not simply rewrite this memo! There are several errors in it. Include missing
information.)
Email Case
While sitting at your desk during lunch break, slumped over as usual, staring at
your computer screen, you see an online article about the dangers of sitting at your
desk all day. Yikes. The article suggests trying a standing desk or—even better—a
treadmill desk, which has an exercise treadmill built into a standing desk. You
would love to feel healthier; as well, you know your company is encouraging
employees to live healthier lifestyles to improve their overall well-being while also
reducing the company’s health-care costs.
Your task: Research the treadmill desks made by Lifespan, Nordic Track, or
another manufacturer, and write an email message to your boss requesting that the
company buy or rent a treadmill desk for you to try out. Offer to serve as a
research subject for the whole office, tracking your fitness, alertness, and any other
variables you can think of.
Professor Rhonda Sandberg
George Brown College
Spring 2022
See appropriate format in the sample template; however, use a formal tone with
the salutation. Also apply mixed punctuation. Be sure to have an appropriate
subject line. Use guide words and appropriate signage. Make up missing info.
Letter Case
After you receive an unexpected bonus, you decide to indulge and buy a new ultra
HD 4K TV. You conduct research to compare prices and decide on a Sony 65-inch
ultra HD 4K Model KD-75X9405C. You spot the TV at Best Buy for $2,798.00 plus
tax, the lowest price you could find. You sell your old TV to make room for the Sony
and spend several hours installing the new set. It works perfectly, but the next day
when you go to turn it on, nothing happens. You check everything, but no matter
what you do, you can’t get a picture. You are without a TV and have wasted hours
hooking up the Sony Assuming it’s just a faulty set, you pack up the TV and drive
back to Best Buy You have no trouble returning the item and come home with a
second Sony. Again you install the TV, and again you enjoy your new purchase. But
the next day, you have no picture for a second time. Not looking forward to your
third trip to Best Buy, you repack the Sony and return it. The customer service
representative tries to offer you another Sony TV, but you decline. You point out all
the trouble you have been through and say you would prefer a more reliable TV
from a different manufacturer that is the same size and in the same price range as
the Sony. Best Buy carries a Panasonic (Model TX-65Cz952) that fits your criteria,
bat at $4,997.95, it is much more than you had budgeted. You feel that after all the
problems you have endured, Best Buy should sell you the Panasonic at the same
price as the Sony. However, when you call to discuss the matter, you are told to
submit a written request.
Your Task: Write a direct, full block claim letter with open punctuation to Ari
Lebowitz, Manager, Best Buy, Toronto, ON M5R 3L0, asking him to sell you the TV
for less than the advertised price. Your letter must have three solid paragraphs with
proper signage. Include missing information (i.e. names, addresses, job
titles, dateline, salutation, complimentary close, enclosure).
Professor Rhonda Sandberg
George Brown College
Spring 2022
EVALUATION CRITERIA

Content
Understanding the assignment; selecting the correct ideas for inclusion,
including accurate and specific detail
/10

Organization
Using an appropriate introduction, discussion, and conclusion; using direct or
indirect plan appropriately
/15

Style & Readability
Developing a positive tone; coherence; conciseness; clarity; courtesy; “youview” (reader benefits)
/15

Mechanics
Using correct format, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviations,
spelling, and number usage
/10

Subtotal
/50

Late penalty: Ten percent each day (including weekends)
____

Total Points Earned
/50
Professor Rhonda Sandberg
George Brown College
Spring 2022