Proposal
DUE: See Course Syllabus
GUIDELINES:
Submission must be word-processed and uploaded to eLearn in a .docx file. Your submission should include the following in this order:
Assignment must include ALL elements listed below, in the order listed:
- Persuasive Memo – Maximum of 1.5 pages (including headers)
- References, following APA 7th Ed. guidelines (in text citations and references page
Choose one of the five prompts listed below. You can pick which organization you’d like to work for in this case, i.e. Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, West Fraser Health Authority, Lululemon, etc. Give yourself a position there!
Write a persuasive memo based on your chosen task. Focus on engaging in effective research and use of the three persuasive tools. Your memo can be addressed to your Manager, Susan Christie-Bell.
In this memo you are to consider:
- All three tools for persuasive writing – logos, ethos, pathos
- 3Rs of your research – recency, relevance, reliability
- Business writing format for memos. See text examples.
- Writing: clarity, conciseness, tone, grammar/mechanics
PROPOSAL OPTIONS (pick one):
- Staff anxiety: You work for an accounting firm (pick a company). Employees have been working from home for the past 11 months due to COVID and it is unknown when staff will be returning to the office. Recently, you have had an increasing number of employees report high levels of anxiety and a lack of motivation. You have been asked to prepare some research on anxiety and propose one key recommendation that will help managers manage their employees who are suffering from anxiety.
- EDI practices: You work for a large clothing retailer (pick a company). Your senior manager has asked you to create a proposal for an equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiative. Your manager has asked you to research progressive EDI practices to propose one key recommendation that will help the company improve their EDI practices. Your recommendation should keep discrimination employment laws in mind.
- Female staff upward mobility: You work for an engineering company (pick which company). With employees now working from home, you’ve noticed that female workers, particularly those who are mothers are becoming burnt out, not putting themselves forward for promotions, and in some cases, reducing their hours or going on a leave to care for their families. This is worrying as the company has been making progress in developing and promoting female talent. Your manager has asked you to research this topic and create a proposal with one key recommendation that will improve the company’s ability to retain and promote female talent.
- Ally-ship for underrepresented staff: You work for a forestry company (pick one). Your company has operations mainly in smaller towns in BC. Historically, the employee base of your company has been predominantly Caucasian and male. In order to attract and retain a diverse pool of talent, your manager has asked you to do some research on how staff could become allies for new recruits from underrepresented groups and make one key recommendation.
- On demand workforce – you work for a marketing agency (pick one). With your staff working from home and fluctuating customer demands, your company is considering increasing their on-demand workforce. Your manager has asked you to prepare some research on the pros and cons of increasing the company’s on demand workforce and create a memo to propose whether it is a good idea or bad idea.
NOTE:
Your analysis and recommendation should be based on secondary research ONLY.
Secondary research is a process of using existing information and data, which can be found
through books, journals, websites, etc. You can refer to your chosen organization’s website for background information regarding their mission statement, service goals, and workplace culture, but do not contact anyone from the organization directly.
This is an individual assignment.