- The scenario texts are deliberately disorganized and poorly written. Scenario texts contain unnecessary, irrelevant, and/or “unprofessional” information; the details are disorganized and generally out of order; and the texts are poorly written. This is on purpose—to force you to make choices about what information you’ll include, in what order, using what tone, etc.
- In other words, be selective about the information you include in your correspondence—omit unnecessary or irrelevant information (information that doesn’t help you to achieve your purpose/s)—organize content logically and effectively, use a rhetorical approach, etc. to to meet the needs of your audience.
- You may make up information/details (such as an end date for action, if one is not provided) to add to your correspondence if you feel it is necessary. However, any additional information/details must not significantly change the context/scenario and must be noted in your document plan(s).
- If you are writing as the representative of a company, you do not need to create/provide letterhead. However, be sure to indicate your position and organization in the signature block.
- All of your correspondence should be formatted according to the conventions of their genres—in other words, letters should look like letters, memos should look like memos, etc.
- For emails, remember to include all of the necessary fields (To Address, From Address, Subject [and, if needed, CC, BCC, Attachments]).
Over the years, the air in Boca Raton has been getting progressively worse. Your company, Florida Pen & Paper, a large office supplier (HQed in Boca), recently received an announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Air Quality Management Department (AQMD) about the issue. To reduce air pollution, the AQMD is requiring all big employers to offer incentives that encourage employees to participate in AQMD’s Trip Reduction Plan (TRP). Florida Pen & Paper faces huge fines if they can’t get a significant number of employees to share rides, take the bus, or ride a bike to work.
After studying what other large companies were doing, Florida Pen & Paper developed a number of incentives to entice employees to leave their cars at home. One incentive offers employees who maintain a 75% rate of participation in any ride-share/trip reduction program for a quarterly period one full work-day off with pay. The start date for this incentive is April 1st. Other incentives include preferential parking near building entrances. These special parking spaces are for car pools only, and a parking pass is required. Another incentive involves bus passes. Employees who use public transportation will receive a subsidy of $45 per month. Employees will also get a free round-trip transit pass for the first month. This pass applies only to workplace commuting, of course.
Employees receiving this message might want more information about the program. They may also want to sign up for the incentives mentioned here. If so, they should contact Sam Henry (s.henry@flpenpaper.com), Florida Pen & Paper’s AQMD liaison, before March 15. Another incentive is the provision of a subsidy for van pools. Florida Pen & Paper will help obtain a van and will provide a $150 per month subsidy to the van pool. What’s even more terrific is that the van-pool driver will have unlimited personal use of the vehicle off company time. A final subsidy involves bicycles. Employees who bicycle to work will receive $30 per month as a subsidy. Florida Pen & Paper will provide bicycle racks, locks, and chains, and will provide each cyclist a voucher for a free bicycle helmet redeemable at Conte’s Bike Shop (on Federal Highway).
As director of Human Resources at Miami Stationary Supply, you received an unusual request. Several employees asked that their spouses or friends be allowed to participate in Miami Stationary Supply’s intramural sports teams. Although the teams play only twice a week during the season, these employees claim that they can’t afford more time away from friends and family. Over 100 employees currently participate in the seven coed volleyball, softball, and bowling teams, which are open to company employees only. The teams were designed to improve employee friendships and to give employees a regular occasion to have fun together. If non-employees were to participate, you’re afraid that employee interaction would be limited. And while some team members might have fun if significant others, family members, or friends were included, you’re not so sure all employees would enjoy it. You’re not interested in turning intramural sports into “date night” or “family bonding time.” Furthermore, the company would have to create additional teams if lots of non-employees joined, and you don’t want the venue or equipment costs of more teams. Adding teams also would require changes to team rosters and game schedules (which are already set!). This could create a problem for some employees. You do understand the need for social time with friends and families, but guests are welcome as spectators at all intramural games. Besides that, Miami Stationary Supply already sponsors a family holiday party and an annual company picnic.
You (Michael Scott) and your “friend” (Dwight Schrute) bought tickets to the “Scranton Summer Jam” concert featuring Scrantonicity (a Police cover band headed by Kevin Malone) and the Pennsylvania Polka-neers (featuring Frank Yankovic). These two high-energy acts were to perform at The Pavilion amphitheater as part of the Scranton Summer Jam performer lineup. But when you arrived for the concert September 18, neither Scrantonicity nor the Pennsylvania Polka-neers appeared. Instead, two decidedly not-ready-for-prime-time groups filled in. You had been looking forward to this concert for months! After the concert started, you and Dwight stayed through two acts to see whether the talent might improve. It didn’t. You remember seeing newspaper advertisements publicizing the Scrantonicity/Polka-neers performance as recently as the day of the concert.
When you left he Pavilion Amphitheater parking lot after your early exit from the concert, you saw a small poster describing a “change in the talent” for the evening’s concert. When you called to demand a refund, you were told that a change had been announced prior to the concert. You were fuming! How could a tiny poster be sufficient to announce a major change in talent? You also learned that The Pavilion could not refund your ticket price because you had stayed for almost the entire concert. You felt that they should have paid you to sit through the lame performance!
What a scam! They advertised big-name groups and then filled in with a bunch of no-name talentless garage bands. Adding insult to injury, they refused to refund the ticket price! In the heat of your fury, you write a letter—you’re frustrated and you want your money back.