EN153 writing assignments
Im stuck on a English question and need an explanation.
The First Assignment
The first assignment, a proposal to Mr. Jason Goodenough, Director of IT at SandyCorp, is a memo in which you suggest that you do some research on IT (including phone, laptop and a few tablets) so that you can suggest to him how SandyCorp might address this issue. (You would need to be doing this research and writing on company time.)
You are NOT expected to be an expert on IT or phones in order to do this: you are expected to have average consumer-level expertise and the ability to scroll through websites for the likes of Amazon and Best Buy (or whatever websites you prefer). Some of the information for your final report (and maybe even the progress report) will be provided through the Basic SandyCorp Information sheet although you may ignore some of it if you choose to for strategic purposes. NOTE: You are not expected to use all the basic SandyCorp information in what you write. YOU DECIDE what might be helpful to what you are writing.
While you are expected to do some research, your grade will be determined far more on your ability to marshal this info into a compelling and appropriate piece of writing that demonstrates your mastery of business and technical writing style.
For more details, please see the Basic SandyCorp Information as well as the individual assignment for the Proposal. The first draft will be posted on the discussion board along with commentary and comments on two other students work.
The Second Assignment
The second assignment, due a week later on the discussion board, is a progress report in the form of a memo. In other words, assume Mr. Jason Goodenough sees the wisdom of listening to you about the IT situation and has approved your doing some research.
In this piece of writing you will explain again to him briefly what you planned on doing; tell him what you have done (what research? a draft?) tell him what problems (if any) you have encountered, and tell him what work remains to be done (in some detail, please) in order for you to complete and hand in your final report with many recommendations. For more details, please consult the assignment on the progress report and the Basic SandyCorp Information. This draft will be posted on the discussion board with a commentary and you are asked to respond to two other students drafts.
The Third Assignment
The third assignment is the report itself. It will present the results of your research and recommendations (including relevant information from the SandyCorp Basic Info that you have been provided)and you will need to explain why you are recommending why you are making the choices that you are. For more information, please see the Final Report assignment, but, in the meantime, keep in mind that the report should have the following sections:
Memo explaining what is attached (separate page)
Cover page with title (separate page)
Table of Contents
Abstract/Summary (may be a separate page or and the beginning of the body of the report)
Body of the report (organized with headings, one flowing into another)
Background or Statement of the Problem (you choose)
Findings (what did you learn? What were the possibilities?)
Conclusions or Recommendations (you choose)
In other words, what should SandyCorp do now with what you learned? This section should include recommendations as to specific phones, laptops and tablets to be used with the wifi and costs; a possible implementation schedule (assume this will be implemented between June 1-September 1), and training costs and other items on the SandyCorp Basic Information. In other words, some of the research has been done for you. You just need to present your research and the relevant SandyCorp research in a manner that demonstrates your ability as a business and technical writer.
This will be posted on the discussion board as well with a commentary for student comments.
For more information, please see the specific assignments and the Basic SandyCorp Information.
We will be posting these on discussion boards for three weeks in a row along with a commentary (and you will be responding to two other students work as well) and so it is important for you to stay current. You will submit the revised versions of all three of these for one grade at the end of the semester. Failure to include a final commentary with this work will earn you a grade no higher than a C.
BASIC SANDYCORP INFORMATION
Mission Statement: To bring quality to life.
Vision Statement: We transform lives.
Employees:
(NOTE: You are given this list to help you figure out who needs what technology in your report. All need technology with the ability to do mail and use the internet; others have more complicated professional needs. Granted, some of this will be determined by software requirements. We are assuming in most cases laptops or tablets of some kind will suffice.)
CEO: Sandra Engel (needs high-end laptop and printer)
VP for Marketing: Mr. David Laberge (needs high-end laptop and printer)
Director of Technology, Mr. Jason Goodenough (needs same as designers)
Mr. Rob Rocky Raccoon and Ms. Martha Mydear are designers (need high end designer technology, preferably Apple, and printers)
Director of Sales, Ms. Michelle Knowitall (needs same as CEO and VP Marketing)
Director of Human Resources, Ms. Pam Knowitall (no relation to Sally; needs midlevel or better consumer laptop; does not need design capacity or software)
One student from EN153, YOU
Five salespeople: Ms. Rita Lovely, Ms. Prudence Farrow, Ms. Michelle MaBelle, Mr. Jude Hey, Ms. Pam Polythene (need high end tablets of some kind)
Five facilities workers: yet unnamed (need access to corporate email but not phones and not laptops of their own. Perhaps they can all share one laptop in Facilities?)
Secretarial Assistants to the CEO (Ms. Penny Lane), Marketing VP (Mr. Maxwell S. Hammer), and to the Director of Sales (Ms. Madonna Ladee).
Expected Costs:
(NOTE: Use these when you start working on the final project, NOT before. Feel free to amend them if you see fit.)
Assume the cost for the monthly SandyCorp wifi will be $3000 for installation and $700 a month thereafter.
Assume the costs for training of secretarial assistants (3 of them, one group) on MS Office, one-time event: $500
Assume the costs for training salespeople (5 of them, one group) is $1000 and then $500 for a one-time follow-up session
Assume the costs for training the Director of HR, Director of Sales and CEO: $700, one session
Assume the cost of training for VP of Marketing and designers: $2000 and then a $1000 follow-up
Assume the cost/licensing of MS Office in SandyCorp is $250 per device.
Assume the cost of the various design software is $10,000.
Assume the monthly cellphone costs (the contracts minus costs of the phones themselves) is $3000 through TalksaLot, Inc. Unlimited calls, texts, etc.
Assume insurance is covered by SandyCorp already.
Assume no need for additional desks, chairs, etc.
Assume technology replacement will begin June 1 and will occur in installments over the summer and completed by September 1 You decide the installment and training dates.
Other Information, possible Useful (Or Not)
SandyCorp has been in business for ten years.
Profit has leveled off.
SandyCorp prides itself on never having had to downsize or replace full-time workers with part-timers.
SandyCorp pays for employees health insurance (all the cost, that is) but the costs have gone up 20% in the last year.
SandyCorp even in the 21st century has a limited online presence and knows it needs to move forward to better compete and to expand its brand internationally.
The CEO is aware that the world has advanced and is in general sympathetic to upgrading the computers and cell phones but wants value for the money and wants employees to be happy.
For what it is worth, the CEO and the Director of Technology were the first two SandyCorp employees and are good friends.
AND AGAIN: You would be wise to pick and choose from this information as appropriate to make your case to Mr. Jason Goodenough. That said, you are in no way obligated to use ALL of this information just to use all of this information.
EN153 Proposal SandyCorp
As the overview of the three-part project said, the first assignment is to write a memo to Mr. Jason Goodenough, Director of IT.
In this memo you need to propose that you do some research on options for SandyCorp to upgrade our IT (including cell phones) for an upgrade. Currently the few desktop devices are obsolete (486s); most employees use their own cellphones and laptops for work at SandyCorp. (Thus far SandyCorp has been a good employer, paying people well, providing excellent benefits and thus far has bene a stable and successful organization so employees want to stay despite the place being a technological desert. And, by the way, you probably do not want to use technological desert in your memoor anywhere else)
Your proposal will be in the form of a memo.
Make sure the formatting is correct.
It would be wise to begin with a brief introductory paragraph of some kind.
It would make sense to identify the problem diplomatically but specifically.
Then explain why changes might be helpful. Be upbeat. You might also be wise to mention any specific qualifications you may have (and this will vary a good deal so not to worry) to do this work and indicate what sources you might use, e.g. Amazon.com, Best Buy.com and any others you might find. Your research for this project (not NOW) will be online; you will need to identify specific laptops, tablets and cell phones for SandyCorp to purchase. You are NOT expected to be an IT guru. Rather, you are expected to look around online, make educated guesses, and fashion that information into a document that demonstrates your best business and technical writing ability.
Do not include the results of your research yet (IF you have begun it).
Thank Mr. Goodenough for his consideration and offer to meet with him if he would like.
NOTE: You may also use as you see fit any relevant and helpful info from the Basic SandyCorp Info materials.
ALSO and AGAIN: please remember that the assignments are opportunities for you to demonstrate your best business and tech writing style. If what you write reads and looks like something out of EN101, then you are not doing it right.
