Assignment 2
Assignment Overview
Writing Workplace
Correspondence
For this assignment, students will learn to develop and write
several different types of workplace correspondence. They will
learn to assess the situation, determine the best medium, and
write appropriately organized and properly formatted memos,
letters, and emails.
Objectives
Write in Context: Tailor written communications to a
specific audience for a specific purpose.
Plan Documents: Employ writing as a process by
planning, creating, and completing a variety of business
documents; participate in the drafting process by giving
and receiving feedback, revising and editing, and by
applying rules of document design.
Produce Texts: Understand and utilize the hallmarks of
effective business writing to produce a variety of ethical,
cogent, coherent and correct professional business
documents.
Materials
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Textbook
MS Word
Internet Connection
Evaluation
Each document is worth 100 points. The section
description will be evaluated based on how well it is
tailored to the section it represents, and how well it melds
with the other section descriptions. In particular, these
documents will be assessed for:
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Format
Organization and Development
Visual Appeal
Language /Style /Tone
Grammar & Mechanics
The entire grading rubric for this assignment is available
separately on Blackboard.
Assignment Value: 100 points
Directions
For this assignment students will learn to organize and
develop, and format 3 common types of business
correspondence:
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Inquiry /Request
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Claim /Complaint Message
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Indirect Bad News
Specific scenarios for each are provided in the “Writing
Scenarios” document on BB. From that document
students will select a role /position within the Pointer
Media Group. Each role has very specific designated
scenarios. Students may not change a scenario or invent a
new one. More information can be added to a scenario,
but nothing important in the scenario can be left out.
Using the textbook and the 3-part principle charts on
Blackboard, write an appropriately formatted, properly
developed, effectively organized, and grammatically
correct one page response to each scenario.
After fully completing all three messages, students will
upload drafts for peer review and provide peer reviews to
classmates. Drafts must be 100% complete.
After completing PRs and revising their own drafts,
students will select and submit for grading the two
messages that represent their best writing. Each is worth
up to 50 points, making the total assignment worth 100
points.
DO NOT use templates for this assignment!!! If a
template is used, the document(s) will earn a zero, and
there will be no opportunity to revise it/them.
Content Organization
Assignment Calendar
A business message that is not well organized is not likely
to be successful.
See the course calendar on Bb for drafting, reviewing,
and final submission due dates.
There are different organizational strategies for different
types of messages. Thus, you should use the
corresponding 3-part part principle chart (on Blackboard)
to help ensure the content of your message is organized
effectively.
How to Submit Documents for Grading
Generally, speaking, the “3-part principle” refers to the
three major parts of any business message:
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A beginning that orients the reader and is appropriate
for the type of message
A middle that spells out the supporting details of the
message
A closing that is appropriate for the type of message
1.
Choose the best two of the three documents you
wrote for this assignment to be graded. (Do not
submit all three. If you do, I will only grade the first
two.)
2.
Save the documents as a .doc or .docx files and
upload them to the Correspondence submission link
located in the Assignment Dropbox link. (Only .doc
or .docx files are acceptable. No PDFs or Zip files.)
Both documents must be submitted at the same time
and in the same submission attempt.
3.
Check your grade book to ensure the correct
documents were submitted to the correct link. Only
documents submitted in the last submission attempt
will be graded, so always double check attachments
to ensure all documents are included.
4.
Resubmit as needed. Assignment responses can be
submitted an unlimited number of times, so if the
wrong documents are accidentally submitted, don’t
worry; just submit the correct documents before the
due date.
Physical Requirements
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Spacing: Single-spaced. All documents for this
course will be single-spaced.
Style: Block-style. All documents for this course will
utilize Block style, which means that every line will
begin at the left margin. All of the sample documents
in chapter six are written in Block style.
Length: Correspondence documents are not to exceed
1 page in length
Font: Professional font between 10 and 12 pts.
Margins: 1.0”. (Note: the default margin setting in
Word is 1.25”. You will need to change the setting.)
Only .doc or .docx files – no PDF, zip, or open source
files)