UWP 104A: Business Writing

Assignment 1: Internal Memo

Due: 10/20, submitted as .doc, .docx. or .rtf file in Assignments on SmartSite

Purpose:
To convey the state of a problematic situation to a supervisor at a company where you work.
Audience/Context:
You may choose from one of the three following audience/situations. Do not attempt to blend
them or use more than one. You can make up details (ex: the supervisor's name, office location,
etc.) but don't create imaginary circumstances that solve the problem posed by the assignment.
1) Lab QA. You are the main Quality Analyst for a pharmaceuticals firm. You oversee the development
of a vaccine for large animals. Your team of six lab assistants grow bacteria that must be harvested after
exactly 72 hours of cold storage in order to be viable. You asked the senior assistant to assign two
assistants to stay late to harvest that weeks' strain. Instead, he forgot and rushed to work at night to do the
work himself alone, although the process requires a second person's "sign off." at the time of harvest. You
are afraid that if vaccines are made from that strain, they will not work properly. Write a memo to the
vaccine's Product Manager, explaining the situation and recommending that the company does not use
that week's supply. The vaccine is in demand, and delays may impact your revenue.
2) Building Contractor. You are an acquisitions director for a contracting firm. You estimate the
amount of supplies needed for each job and are in charge of ordering them. You estimated a recent job
would need fifty widgets to complete it. Your account rep got the customer to agree to the job four weeks
later, and you now need to order widgets for the job. In the past four weeks, the price of widgets rose
from $12 each to $36 each, due to a sudden shortage of widget grease needed to make them. For that
reason, your estimate will be incorrect. A manager oversees you and all account reps, and he has been
pressuring reps to finish deals faster. Write a memo to him.
3) Organizational Manager. You are an organizational manager for an engineering firm. Your assistant
recently left his position for another job. You think that his leaving was due to the company's strict "7:30
to 5:00" daily schedule. He expressed his desire to have a more flexible schedule, which allowed him to
come in later and stay later on some days, on several occasions. You are about to begin the hiring search
for his replacement, and fear that the policy may affect your pool of applicants. The policy was made by
Human Resources, with input from a committee your immediate supervisor sits on. Write your memo to
that supervisor.

Assignment:
Write an internal memo of approximately 500 words that clearly and concisely explains all the
factors of your context to the audience, which must include your actions thus far and ideas you
might have for the next step. See the memo examples on pages 22-25, 44, 52, and 54 for more
information. Your memo must also contain all of the following elements:

A chosen organizing format from table 2-1 on page 41 of your textbook. (State this clearly in a
"Details" line item below your "Subject" line in the memo's intro.)
At least two consistently-used styles for organization (bold, numbering, font size, etc.)
At least two sections with appropriate, parallel titles
At least one example or case study you find in an outside source that addresses how a similar
situation is/was handled elsewhere, with enough info in the text for the audience to find that
source themselves.

Be as complete as possible, keeping in mind the audience and purpose. Use any verbal or visual
means needed.
Document Specifications:
As stated previously, your memo should have the standard heading elements and one extra line
called "Details" that lists the option and organizing format you picked. For example:
To: Charlotte Ruiz de Burton
From: Jane Student, Job Title
Date: October 2, 2013
Subject: <insert here>>
Details: Organizational Manager, Spatial
Or, for further example,
Details: Lab QA, Chronological
Details: Building Contractor, <<whatever one you use>>

Grading Criteria (see syllabus for late paper policies):

"A" papers will do all of the following things successfully (+), with no more than two areas that might be improved
or be done more consistently ().
"B" papers will do all of the following things well, with a no more than three areas to improve or do more
consistently () and/or one area not done successfully (-).
"C" papers will do most of the following things with multiple areas to improve and one or two areas that are not
done successfully (-), or will fail to do one or two of the things completely while doing others very successfully.
"D" papers will do some of the following things adequately, but will have multiple areas that require substantial
improvement (often in more than one area), or will fail to do specific things (under page requirement, use of
unacceptable source) that typically result in a "D".
"F" papers will do some things adequately or even successfully, but the number of areas that are not done or need
major improvement will outnumber those positive aspects.

(+,,-)
Context and Audience
___Does the assignment have appropriate tone for the chosen audience?
___Does the assignment fully address the situation and problems?
___Is the information presented ethically and reasonably?
___Did the assignment have an appropriate organizational scheme to portray its ideas to audience?
___Does the amount of detail seem appropriate for the assignment?
Writing Content
___Are the sentences clear and concise, avoiding problems like wordiness or obscure language?
___Is the content correct, without mistakes in proper names, formatting, etc.?
___Is the assignment free of grammatical errors?
___Is the assignment free of typos?
Assignment Specifications
___Does the assignment have clear sections?
___Does the assignment provide at least one detailed example (case study, etc.) to back up its point?
___Does the assignment effectively use memo format and two or more styles for organization?
___Does the assignment have appropriate, parallel section titles?
___Was the assignment submitted correctly, on time, in correct document format, in correct place, with
correct specifications and word count?