Negative or Bad News Message Writing Assignment
For this assignment, you must draft a message in response to the prompt below. Follow and
apply all that you have learned from the study materials provided.
Here is your prompt:
Imagine that you are the manager of Daytona Heights, a high-rise hotel on the beach in Daytona,
FL, which caters primarily to the business class. You have received a reservation made online
from Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity at Ball State University during their spring break week March
12-17 for a block of ten rooms. They submitted a deposit for the rooms with a credit card in the
name of Jim Turner, treasurer of the fraternity.
You know based on past experiences that Alpha Kappa Psi is a business fraternity, but you also
recognize that the block of rooms is reserved during spring break. Previous experiences with
large blocks of rooms reserved by fraternities and sororities during spring break have been
negative with numerous noise complaints and damage to rooms. As a result, your hotel
established a strict policy against reservations by student groups. Additionally, you recognize
that members of this fraternity could become patrons of your hotel on business trips after their
graduating from college; therefore, you do not wish to leave a negative lasting impression on the
fraternity’s members.
Write a letter to Jim Turner, treasurer of the fraternity, explaining your hotel’s policy and refusal
to accept the reservation. Notify Mr. Turner that you have refunded the deposit to the fraternity’s
credit card. Create addresses, phone numbers, and needed details.
Make this message as authentic as possible. Create a business letter format. Complete this
assignment in a Word document.
Post your draft in the blog area for Negative or Bad News Message Drafts. While waiting
approximately 48 hours for instructor feedback, continue with the Learning Activity Five:
Reviewing Business Messages. You must satisfactorily complete the Learning Activity Five:
Reviewing Business Messages quiz to post your final revision of the Negative or Bad News
Message Assignment.
Upload your final revision of the Negative or Bad News Message assignment in the link
specified.
Business Messages Rubric
Criteria
Poor
Levels of Achievement
Weak
Good
19.5 Points
22.5 Points
Poor application Somewhat weak
Characteristics of Type
of the
application of
of Message
characteristics of characteristics of
the type of
type of message
message
19.5 Points
Format for Document Major
weaknesses in
format
22.5 Points
Some
weaknesses in
format
15 Points
13 Points
Weaknesses in
Weaknesses that
organization of
Organization of Ideas
hinder
ideas that hinder
readability
purpose
13 Points
More than two
Correct Sentence
Structure,Grammar, major errors in
sentence
Spelling, and
structures or
Punctuation
grammar
15 Points
1-2 errors in
sentence
structure,
grammar, or
spelling and
punctuation
Excellent
25.5 Points
30 Points
Effective
Thoughtful
application of application of
characteristics of characteristics of
type of message type of message
30 Points
Carefully detailed
25.5 Points
Effective format formatting of the
document
17 Points
Somewhat
direct, yet
effective
organizational
approach
20 Points
Effective direct
organizational
approach
20 Points
Effective sentence
17 Points
structures and
1-2 minor errors
control of
in punctuation or
grammar,
spelling.
spelling, and
punctuation