ENGL 219 | Spring 2018 | Kang

Project 3: Recommendations Report (Group Project)

Worth: 140 Points
Deadlines: TBD

Reports are factual and data-centered documents to inform the audience with research, develop
new approaches, suggest/recommend to results. In fact, they are the most common type of
document in the technical workplace. For example, a Ph.D. student in chemistry might write a
laboratory report on an experiment on Algae fuel. A history archivist might write a research
report on pictures of Pueblo women in 1930s. A journalist might write an incident report on a
wildland fire. A computer engineer might write a feasibility report on the new CPAs applicability.
Knowing how to write a report will be, therefore, a big asset for you no matter what profession
pursue.

Rhetorical Situation
Your company recently developed a new product that was a big hit in the US, and now they want to
broaden the market worldwide. As a member of the marketing team, you were asked to write a
recommendations report about the best way to introduce the product to a different country.
Eventually, you are supposed to use your recommendations report to persuade the stakeholders to
invest in the project.

You have the freedom to choose the company that you work for, what the product is, and which
country market that you are trying to introduce the product.

Note: This is a group project. You must contribute to work equally as an ethical member of technical
writers. Report privately to the instructor if conflicts between members arise. At the end of the project,
you will individually write a team evaluation memo in which you describe each members contribution.
As to co-writing, I recommend using Google Doc as it is easy to share documents and edit at the same
time.

Step 1: Unofficial Research Memo (30 Points)

You must fully understand the nature of the product as well as your target culture before writing a
recommendations report. Therefore, your team will conduct an in-depth research on the product
and target culture/audience and write your supervisor a memo.

Consider the kind of information youll need in order to write your recommendations report.
Followings are good questions to answer in your research memo:
What is the features of the product?
How is the product marketed in the US?
Who are the target customers of the product?
What is the best-selling product that is similar to your product in the target culture?
How is the market different in the target culture? (e.g., the main way customers purchase a
product, preferred features, etc.)

The memo should be 1,000-2,000 words and follow the memo format on p. 156 from TCT.

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Step 2: Recommendations Report (80 Points)

Its time to incorporate your research to write a recommendations report. The main purpose of the
report is to recommend strategies for redesigning the product and marketing in a way that is
effective in the target culture.

Content
Title page that has the title of the project, subtitle which defines the subject of the report,
name of the team, names of the team members, and date of report is submitted
Table of contents clearly signaling each section by a heading and page numbers for each
section
Abstract that summarizes the projects main point and purpose
Introduction that identifies background information
Results that present the facts, data, and evidence collected while doing research
Recommendations on how to redesign the product and market it in the target culture
References (APA format)

Format
refer to the sample report on pp. 323-331 from TCT
2,000-2,500 words
insert page numbers
use graphs, tables, charts, photos, drawings, and transcultural symbols

Step 3: Presentation (20 Points)

The board has heard of your teams recommendations report and want your team to present the
plan in front of the stakeholders who could possible invest in your project.

Content
Define the subject by asking a rhetorical question, sharing a startling statistic, compelling
statement, anecdote, quotation, etc.
State the purpose of the presentation
Offer the background information of the subject
State the recommendations
Conclude by asking for investment

Other Specifics
About 10 minutes long + 5 minutes for Q&A
All members should equally contribute
Accompanied with a visual resource such as a slide show and display board (A handout is
optional and doesnt count as a visual resource)

Step 4: Team Evaluation Memo (10 Points)

Your supervisor also wants to know how the teamwork was during the project and asked you to
individually write a team evaluation memo. The form will be provided in which you will fill out a
fair and accurate evaluation of each group member including you as well as the teams overall
performance.

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Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Completing the recommendations report sequence will allow you to progress towards the following
SLOs:

SLO 1 | Project Planning
SLO 2 | Project Analysis
SLO 3 | Content Development
SLO 5 | Written Communication
SLO 7 | Reviewing and Editing
You have planned, researched, and composed technical
documents in teams and individually.
You can identify your readers and a documents context
relative to practices of composing for specific audiences.
You also understand how technical documents as emails
occupy and respond to social justice and community service
contexts.
You understand how genre conventions of an email impact
writing and can use contextual information to place
specialized information into the genre of email.
You can compose clear, stylistically responsible prose that
avoids errors and pays attention audience needs.
Conducting peer review, you ensure final draft of the
adjustment email has a clear style, audience-centered
writing, and error-free spelling and mechanics.

Excellent
30 28
The memo includes extent
research results including
the characteristics of the
product in the US market
as well as the field in the
target culture. Research
includes such various
types as print sources
(academic articles, books),
electronic sources (news
articles, websites) or/and
empirical sources
(interviews, surveys)
Recommendations Report
Excellent
80 78 76 74
The report clearly displays
the research results on the
product and target
audience with
Rubric
Research Memo
Competent
26 24 22
The memo would benefit
from further research or
details on information. The
task lacks variety of sources.
Competent
72 70 68 66 64 62 60
Some aspects of the report
are unclear or misleading.
Some of visual elements are
irrelevant to the product
Points
Earned
Needs Work
20 18 16 14 12 - 0
The memo is not clearly
identifying the research
results or/and missing
some or most of the
content that needed to
be researched.
Points
Earned
Needs Work
58 56 54 52 50 - 0
Almost none of the
information in the
report were clear and
hard to navigate. The

3

complimenting visual
effects and organizations.
They are also designed
responding to the
identified rhetorical
situation of the project.
Excellent
30 28
The team presented the
information the audience
need to know. The
presentation included
facts, figures, or examples
from their research and
clearly give
recommendations after.
The presentation was
organized well and aided
with a visual resource.
Each team member equally
contributed to the
presentation in a clear
voice and timely manner.
Excellent
30 28
You give detailed
evaluation on each
member, including you,
and the team work process
with evidence. You have
received a good feedback
from your team members.
and target audience or
hinders readers to catch the
important information. The
report would benefit from a
concise text or adequate
organization.
Presentation
Competent
26 24 22
The presentation somewhat
lacked in background
information or presented
facts, figures, and example
from their research
unclearly. The presentation
would benefit from more
concise or multimodal
visual resource. The
contribution between
presenters was somewhat
uneven.
Team Evaluation Memo
Competent
26 24 22
You evaluate each member
and work process fairly yet
lacks evidence or detail. You
have received moderate
feedback from your team
members.
ENGL 219 | Spring 2018 | Kang
content doesnt utilize
visual elements or none
of the elements used
are complimenting the
content.
Points
Earned
Needs Work
20 18 16 14 - 0
The presentation is
missing background
information or/and
main points. The
presentation did not
have a visual resource.
Only one of two team
members engaged in
the presentation.
Needs Work Points
Earned
20 18 16 14 - 0
You did not give any
details on your
evaluation. Your team
members testimony
that your participation
was little to none.