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18
Peer Review⎯Letters, Memos, and Reports
Directions: Consider the following questions thoughtfully as you evaluate the draft you are
reviewing. Mark the draft where you think it needs revising; however, you don’t need to write
the answers to the questions on this form. Feel free to show the author possible ways to improve
the paper’s style, clarity, grammar, organization, or content.
You will be evaluated on the thoughtfulness and helpfulness of your responses.
1. Accounting Content
a. Have all relevant accounting issues been identified and addressed?
b. Is the accounting content correct and complete?
2. Reader Analysis
a. Will the reader be able to understand this document?
b. Is the document written in an appropriate style and tone?
c. Has the document addressed the reader’s concerns?
3. Conciseness
a. Is the document as concise as possible?
4. Style
a. Are the ideas presented with precision and clarity?
b. Is the paper interesting to read?
c. Are the ideas explained concretely⎯related to specific examples or the reader’s
situation?
d. Does any part of the paper contain too much detail?
e. Is active voice used where appropriate?
5. Organization
a. Is the paper organized into a standard pattern⎯an introduction; the body of the paper,
presenting the information in a logical sequence; and a conclusion, where necessary?
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b. Does the paper have adequate transitions between paragraphs and major divisions of
the paper?
c. Are paragraphs an effective length? Does each paragraph begin with a topic sentence?
Is the flow of thought within each paragraph easy to follow?
d. Does the introduction
• identify the subject of the document?
• tell why the document was written?
• identify the main topics the document will cover?
• (for letters or short memos) summarize the paper’s main ideas or make needed
recommendations?
e. Summary section (for longer memos or reports):
• Does this section summarize the paper’s main ideas and make needed
recommendations?
• If the paper has an executive summary, does this section have an introduction,
body, and conclusion?
6. Presentation
a. Is the paper presented in the correct format (letter, memo, or report)?
b. Is the paper written in standard English, so that grammatical and mechanical errors do
not distract the reader?
c. Does the paper have a neat and professional appearance?
d. Are quotations and paraphrases properly identified, and sources correctly cited?
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Name of person who wrote the paper: ____________________________________________
Name of person who reviewed the paper: ____________________________________________
PEER REVIEW SUMMARY
1. Strengths of the paper:
2. Suggestions for improvement:
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Your Name ____________________________________________________________________
Person who reviewed your paper ___________________________________________________
Course and Instructor ____________________________________________________________
Evaluation⎯Peer Review Process
Please answer the following questions:
Did you find the peer review process helpful?
How might we improve the process?
Was the review of your paper helpful? Please rate the effectiveness of the review you received
by circling the appropriate number.
1 2 3
Not at all Somewhat Very
Helpful Helpful Helpful
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PAPER EVALUATION
Quality Score
1. Accounting content correct and complete 0 1 2 3 4 5
2. Written appropriately for the reader 0 1 2 3 4 5
3. Concise 0 1 2 3 4 5
4. Clear and readable style 0 1 2 3 4 5
5. Coherent organization 0 1 2 3 4 5
6. Polished and professional, including use of standard English 0 1 2 3 4 5
Total Score: ________________
Grade: ________________
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PAPER EVALUATION
Quality Score
I. Accounting Content
1. Accounting issues identified 0 1 2 3 4 5
2. Logical reasoning 0 1 2 3 4 5
3. Technical accuracy 0 1 2 3 4 5
4. Support of position from authoritative literature, as needed 0 1 2 3 4 5
Total, accounting content _______________
II. Effective Writing
1. Appropriateness for the reader 0 1 2 3 4 5
2. Conciseness 0 1 2 3 4 5
3. Clarity and readability 0 1 2 3 4 5
4. Coherent organization 0 1 2 3 4 5
5. Polished and professional presentation, including
use of standard English 0 1 2 3 4 5
Total, effective writing: ______________
Total, score for paper: ______________
Grade: ______________
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Instructor’s Checksheet: Criteria of
Effective Writing
1. Accounting content
________ Accounting issues identified and addressed
________ Logical analysis of the issues
________ Conclusions supported by appropriate accounting concepts and authoritative literature
________ Correct use of technical accounting terminology
________ Responsiveness to the requirements of the question (example: request for
information and/or recommendation)
2. Appropriateness for the reader
________ Written appropriately for the reader: technical level, knowledge of the situation, tone
________ Addresses reader’s concerns
3. Concise⎯no unnecessary words, sentences, paragraphs
4. Clear and readable style
________ Sentences constructed so they are clear and easy to read
________ Word choices precise, idiomatic, appropriate
5. Coherent organization
________ Main ideas/conclusions summarized near the beginning of the document
________ Paragraphs well organized: begin with topic sentences, usually 4-5 sentences
maximum, develop one idea
________ Transitions where necessary to preserve logical flow of thought
6. Professional, polished presentation
________ Effective document design
________ Grammatical and mechanical errors do not distract the reader
________ Neat
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PAPER EVALUATION
Strengths of the paper:
Suggestions for improvement:
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GUIDELINES FOR EMAIL
• Address messages carefully.
One mistake in the address means your message does not
reach the intended recipient.
Careless addressing may mean your message will be sent to
unintended recipients.
Think twice and click once!
• Remember that even though an e-mail message is addressed and
sent to one individual it may still be read by unintended
recipients.
Assume that every email message you write may be read by
anyone.
• Remember that all email messages can be saved and used as
proof that the communication took place.
There are no “off-the-record” emails.
• Avoid junk email.
ORAL PRESENTATIONS: PREPARATION
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• Analyze purpose and audience
• Gather information
• Compose the speech
• Prepare notes
• Prepare visual aids
• Practice
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TIPS FOR SPEAKERS
• Be well prepared.
• Maintain good eye contact.
• Use poised, natural gestures.
• Speak slowly, clearly, and at a volume everyone can hear.
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ORAL PRESENTATION⎯EVALUATION
Speaker’s Name ____________________________________________________
Strengths of presentation:
Suggestions for improvement:
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ORAL PRESENTATIONS⎯PEER EVALUATION
I. Organization of the Presentation
• Did the introduction get your attention?
• Was the presentation well organized and easy to follow? Were main ideas easy to
identify?
• Did the conclusion bring the presentation to an effective closing?
II. Audio-Visual Aids
• Did audio-visual aids make the presentation more effective?
III. Presentation
• Did the speaker seem familiar and comfortable with the content of the speech?
• Did the speaker have good eye contact with the audience?
• Was the speaker’s voice the right volume, speed, and pitch?
• Did the speaker use body movements and gestures that were natural and poised?
• Did the speaker talk with enthusiasm and confidence?
SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Suggest ways the speaker could have improved the
oral presentation. (Use the back of this page for more space.)
EVALUATION: Considering all the above factors and any others that you think are important,
how would you rate this presentation? Give it a rating from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest
rating.
Speaker’s Name: _________________ Rating: ________________
Your Name ______________________
INTERMEDIATE ACCOUNTING
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Group Project Assignment
Overview
The class will be divided into three-person teams. Each team will be responsible for
making an oral presentation to the class on accounting and performance aspects of a
selected industry. Immediately before the presentation, each team will distribute to the
class an executive summary of the oral presentation. Following the presentation, the
chief financial officer (i.e., your instructor) will want to examine your full written report.
Task
General. Obtain financial statements for at least three businesses in your group’s industry. You
may want to gather data from several years. The identification and selection of businesses is left
to you as a research task, as is the acquisition of necessary data. However, you may find your
research (and your presentation) more interesting if you choose businesses of local interest.
Based on your research, prepare a 20-minute presentation to be given in class. Structure it as
you think best, but make sure that all members of the team have some part in the presentation.
Division of duties and other aspects of task management are left to your discretion.
Prepare and distribute to the class an executive summary to support your presentation. The same
executive summary will precede the complete report presented to the chief financial officer. The
full report should not exceed ten double-spaced, typewritten pages, exclusive of tables and
figures.
Audience definition. Your classmates represent a rather large group of astute business people
drawn from the management and the full board of directors of Bulging Pockets, Inc., a privately
held corporation of undefined purpose.
Situation. Bulging Pockets projects a large cash surplus which should last for at least six years.
Consequently, it is contemplating a large long-term investment in your group’s industry. Since
you and your teammates are the corporation’s newest accounting recruits, management has not
deigned to describe to you any ulterior motives for choosing your industry; just assume they are
looking for a maximum return on investment over six years.
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Objectives. You have been asked by the president to address this group of executives with three
objectives:
1. You are to convey to your audience a basic understanding of any accounting principles,
conventions, or practices which are unique to your industry. After all, they may want to
consider the financial statements of businesses other than the ones you have chosen.
2. You are to present a concise financial analysis of the three businesses you selected. Your
analysis should be relevant to the decision at hand.
3. You are to recommend one of the three businesses as the best investment for the six-year
time frame. Of course, it is possible that you may choose to recommend none of them.
Other comments. As he left your office, the president laughed and said, “Boy, you people had
better make the right recommendation, because you may have to live with it for a long time.”
This had already occurred to all of you. It also occurs to you that you will be speaking to an
extremely important and influential collection of executives. Your career at Bulging Pockets
cannot escape being affected by the quality of your presentation.
Grading
Each group will receive a grade based on the quality of the oral presentation, executive
summary, and report. Thus every member of a particular group will receive the same grade
unless it is necessary to adjust individual grades based on the required “team evaluation”
attached. Your grade will depend on the opinions of your teammates, the class, and your
instructor.
Start your project now! The earlier you do the work, the more you will get out of the rest of the
course. Questions about the project in class are appropriate and encouraged.
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TEAM EVALUATION FORM
In team projects, it is extremely important that the workload be allocated in an efficient and
equitable manner, and that each team member carry out his/her assignment. Accordingly, many
businesses require an evaluation of individual team members at the end of a project. An example
of this is the evaluation of the audit team by the audit senior or manager at the end of the
engagement. Since we did not name team leaders for our class project, we will use a peer
evaluation instead. Please indicate below your ranking of each of your teammates. Each team
member is required to turn in a form. However, the name of the evaluator will remain
confidential under all circumstances.
Possible ranks are:
1. Student contributed more than his/her share.
2. Student’s contribution was in line with expectations.
3. Student contributed less than was expected.
4. Student’s contribution was unacceptable.
Team Member: Rank
1. _____________________________________________ _________________
2. _____________________________________________ _________________
3. _____________________________________________ _________________
